While 1st place ran away with it, it was a real nail bighter for 2nd and 3rd. I'll get right to it, here they are:
1st place Slice’s Customs


2nd place by slim19722


3rd place by a.dream.deferred


Please go check out ALL of the entries and plenty more pics and let us all know what you think.
http://www.joecustoms.com/features/comm ... mmando.php

I'll be reaching out to the winners soon to get their contact info.

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Is 2nd place 6 inch?

Looked through them all, those are all excellent. Some of the wilder takes on SE were really cool!

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Yes made before the Classified version hit mailboxes/shelves.

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#3 is awesome out of the box entertainment!

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great job guys! some really interesting entries.

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Great minds I was working on a native american SE before my injury and whatnot.



These are some great customs all around, Im almost glad I didnt finish, it woulda looked jank by comparison haha

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Anyone who ever stopped by the JC tables at JoeCon or Assembly Required and saw the Shipwreck customs beav donated, knows I'm a sucker for variations on a theme. This contest was no different. We gave it a wide berth and hoped everyone would not only bring their A game, but that you'd blow our minds with your specific takes. You did that and then some. Thanks for that.

So, as a possible tie breaker judge, I wanted to make sure I had an independent ranking of each entry just like the other judges. I jotted down some notes as I was doing it. Fortunately, the judges came to a concise decision and my inut wasn't needed, but just so you can see my thoughts, if you care, here they are in the order I ranked them.

1 - Great build. Really great use of soft goods. Sweet modifications on his rifle. Good use of realistic colors to break up the black. If all the entries were on a retail shelf, this is the one I'd be walking out of the store with.

8 - I love everything about this. I love the version choice for color inspiration. I love the hook with the rope launcher. I love the warn, used look to it. I love the use of stickers. In a sea of black entries it is hard not to take notice of this standing out among them.

11 – Once the shock of this very unexpected custom wears off, you’re still left with a really well done custom with tons of modifications and custom accessories, including horse and livestock. Who wouldn’t want this as something like a SDCC set? If characters like Batman and Spawn have explored “through the ages” or Elseworld story lines, I think this would be a fun storyline for a character like Snake Eyes.

12 - I really like the future tech of this one. It feels like the fitting next evolution of Snake Eyes. The unhooded head really makes this custom stand out as more than a man in black. And then those action shots, OMG!!!! And as a little behind the scenes, if we had an honorable mention, it would have been this one.

7 - Probably will be hurt by Hasbro’s actual release of a 6” Snake Eyes, but this is as near a perfect 6” Legends build as you’ll ever see. Almost has a Sideshow quality to it.

16 - I think what I like best about this custom is how it is a modern take on a version of the character that actually fits in the character’s historical biography. If Henry Golding appeared in This outfit on That mission in the movie, I would be extraordinarily happy. This is top notch kit bashing at its finest.

6 – Great premise for a Western Snake Eyes. Great use of parts. Just an overall fun concept executed perfectly.

3 - $6 Million Dollar Snake Eyes is a story I want to see. Good parts use, especially that head. Nice use of the bright green.

15 – Well, that’s different. The concept of an alternate universe Predator style hunter with multiple eyes is fantastic. In a contest with a cyborg and Native Amercia version of SE, to completely come out of leftfield at this point is pretty astonishing in and of itself. The paint is sharp and for lack of a better word, eerie.

13 - I really like how this Urban version both diverges from any previous look for Snake Eyes and yet feels completely at home as a version of him. It is a sharp use of parts with just the right pops of colors with the lenses and hair sticking out the back. I also like the use of the Flagg parts for the action shots.

9 - Just a really solid build and parts modifications that stands out with the grey and purple. May be the only JvC translation I’ve EVER seen for a Snake Eyes custom.

10 – A fun fantasy entry. Bonus points for including direwolf Timber and fun pics that put you in the environment this figure would live.

14 – Good use of that head and alternate head. Good action shot, or I guess, post-action shot.

17 – This is a good custom. In the 90’s or early 00’s this is what I strove for as a customizer, nice use of parts, clean paint, and good accessory compliment.

2 – Nice modifications on the head.

4 – Marauder build SE. Nothing wrong with that, but not up to par with the others higher up.

5 – While it may have had the desired effect, not being able to see the parts with the backlit shots makes it hard to judge. Misses that wow factor.


Not for nothing, I really hope you get to finish that custom. I know I for one would love to see it.

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thanks for the notes pluv. after reading some of the judges notes i really wish they would of left them for everyone.

" “through the ages” or Elseworld story lines"
i was really thinking about vanishing point a lot while making this. his style and great re-imagining of characters was a big influence on me.

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First of all, thanks a lot for organizing this wonderful contest! It's been a while since we've had such an event and the outcome is great with those 17 entries. Nice to see some "old" members participate again, as well as quite a few new members (from the FB page I guess, come check out the forum too!).
Congratulations to the winners and all the other entries deserve some praise too so here we go:


Slice's Customs:
I like the use of sand colored stuff on him, so he can also be used for desert missions, but he's still "black" enough for regular operations. I've heard about using magnets on custom figures before, though I never tried it. Your custom's poseability looks fantastic, so it's a good inspiration for using those magnets some time soon.


slim19722:
I'm not familiar with customizing in that scale myself, but your work is great! A very cool classic look, truly like he just walked out of a comic book.


a.dream.deferred:
That's an original combination of Mech-suit + Ninja. Man, I'd love to see this in action in the cartoon! I like your choice of color scheme, that version is my 3rd favorite SE look. Great work on all the battle damage, it's easily overlooked.


Gijoe_Gio:
Scarface! Nice work on the head, almost an exact copy of the scarred SE from the comic! The repair work on the waist looks flawless as well, I didn't notice it until I read your description.


The Odinson:
Cyborg Ninja, yeah! The head is a good choice, a normal SE head would've made him look more human. I like the green accents, as if it's some kind of special metal. I don't recognize the gun, where is that from?


Chris Rooks:
Someone went shopping at Marauder Inc......
He really is loaded with weapons! A bit too much stuff for my personal taste, but you've spread the weapons pretty well all over the figure so it doesn't look too bulky. Do you have more pics of him?


Raptor:
At first I was surprised thinking: "Hmm, Raptor usually takes better pics than this." Then I saw the description and found out what was going on. That's humor, a funny entry!


Braxthunder:
I can see him appearing in the movie "Wild Wild West" too. Nice steampunk look!


Topes:
Not a fan of JvC, but yes you actually did improve that SE version big time! I wouldn't think of using the purple in some spots, but it works looks surprisingly good.


Riselvato:
Ninja Barbarian, hahaha! Of all the crazy ideas one can come up with, this is the craziest one but still funny. I'm getting a Skyrim/World Of Warcraft vibe looking at him. Sweet!


2DARK2C:
Quite some background story! And wow, you've put a lot of work in all the custom made stuff. Kudos. I love the pic of him standing on the horse, aiming with his bow.


CNK01:
Inspiring work! I like the un-hooded head best, it's full of coolness. Subtle drybrushing makes everything shine a bit more. The action pics are simply awesome, I'd love to see a dio story full of that stuff.


Ian:
Different face coverage for SE came out really good, the bandana and face camo are nice new features for the character. This urban SE is a solid custom, excellent paint job considering the limited color palette you´ve used.


Chief:
The completely white Timber is a refreshing take on the usually grey-ish scheme. Great idea, it somehow emphasizes the mystery surrounding SE. I love the dio shot with all those red ninja's.


SoaUSMColRet:
I watched Thunderbirds a lot as a kid. When I look at the third pic of this entry I can almost see this custom come to life and move in the way the puppets did in Thunderbirds. Very realistic work! I also like the background, the American flag on wood is beautiful.


chad_ghost:
Hasbro should've released this as a V4. The head is recognizable as SE, yet still different enough to see it as "new". Nice mods on the waist to let him carry the extra weapons. This custom is another example of how to achieve great results painting with only a few colors.


My own:
I can totally imagine people seeing this in a SE contest and think: "Uhm, what am I looking at here? What was he thinking?" I certainly wouldn't vote on it myself when the goal was to make an ultimate SE, hahaha!
I know this is a pretty strange entry, but I challenged myself to go for the alternative route with SE. Brainstorming of what I would make took me a lot of time. Then all of the sudden I thought of what I could do taking that code name literally, something with real snake camouflage. Going through my parts bin I found the Pythona parts and those weird round spots on her body might just make good eyes. Next I had to find a suitable head, because the Pythona head was already saved for a different project. It had to be a strange head as well, to make it fit with the extraordinary body. The one from Predator was laying around for a long time, but was now alien enough to serve as an alternative SE. I just had to paint it in a way so it wouldn't look too obvious as a Predator.
Painting all those snake eyes was a real pain with that cursed yellow and the surface of the Pythona parts was pretty rough in some spots. These kind of eyes do exist in real life with a certain snake species.
For a background story I still haven't figured out yet how she would fit in the G.I.Joe verse. I guess this could be a new addition to Cobra La, an alien fighter recruited by Golobulus who has strange new weapons and an unseen camouflage suit.

Here are three other standouts that I really like -

Entry 12 by CNK01 - The blonde hair when unmasked pops nicely and I like what I see as a "cyberpunk"/near-future style
Entry 13 by Ian - also got some of that bright blonde hair popping when you see him from behind, reminds me of the easy to miss great details on Gundam kits like the small bright red thrusters under the legs of a DOM
Entry 2 by Gijoe_Gio - Perfect head modification, it is a good sculpt of the scars that still fits into the vintage sculpt style.

Great entries across the board and thanks for the comments on mine. They have inspired me to complete the rest of my 1/6 scale collection.

I put together a parts list, best as I can remember, and pasted it below.

parts list

Body: GI Joe miscellaneous Hasbro figure
Head: Hi Tech 12" Hasbro V vs. V
Hat: GI Joe USMC recruit Hasbro figure
Gi top: 12" Hasbro Snake Eyes
Wrist cuffs, Katana & scabbard (both shortened & painted): 12" Hasbro Storm Shadow
BDU Trousers, boots, grenades, Beretta/magazines, sunglasses, claymore pouch & smoke grenades: Soldiers of the World
Mini Uzi & holster: The Ultimate Soldier SF HALO Jumper uniform set
Body armor, chest rig, IFAK pouch, backpack, helmet, shemagh, knee pads, drop leg ammo pouch, claymores & dive knife: unknown
Miscellaneous electrical connectors used as explosives (pouch fillers)

Added to the entry.

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Amazing toy, I want to have this on my collection.

Nice design for snake eyes, would be wonderful to see it on the movie.

Thanks for the notes pluv. after reading some of the judges notes i really wish they would of left them for everyone. Remodeling Contractors