Steeler is the next figure in my "Stars and Stripes Forever Part II" set, which presents the members left out of the '97 set.

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This is what a new retro set should look like!

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That looks great

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Huh, have you been sculpting over the rivets before, that's a really interesting idea and looks pretty cool. So different from what I expect on an ARAH based figure, it looks "wrong" and works really well at the same time. Interesting approach for sure.

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Thanks, guys.

My dream "not quite retro" figures would be ARAH style, with hidden pins/rivets, and added wrist swivels.

As far as the hiding of the rivets, it's addictive. I started it on the thigh inset screws and then moved onto elbow rivets on figures with bare arms. Now I do all of them, and the shoulder rivets, too, if they're set deep enough. I believe it visually "cleans up" the flow of the figure, and enhances them.

I cheated with the Star Trek Decker head. I wanted to keep my S&SF set limited to GI Joe-only parts from 1986 and before (like Hasbro did). However, that Decker head is an easy way to give Steeler a Marvel-vibe. Plus it's from 1979, so it's even older than the Joe figures- which somehow makes it okay to use in my head.

The trade off is that each application of epoxy adds 24 hours to each build, while it cures.

Head choice is great and the sculpting really looks like it's worth the time investment.

The customizer in me likes exposed pins because they can be dismantled, but there's no denying how clean it looks without them.

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It's a tradeoff for sure.

When I made my Eagle Force Malibu Lance custom, I used ARAH legs. I filled the thigh screw insets and painted everything. Then the t-bar broke. There wasn't any real way to repair it at that point, so I just wedged the legs into the hip sockets and glued them in place.