Duke - Squad Leader

I once said I wouldn't paint a miniature of Duke, but if I *did*, that it would be the version from Renegades.

So...here's Duke from Renegades...

I think most versions of Duke are kind of bland, and the Renegades version has some moments like that, but overall I think he's a more interesting character. Probably because he's a flawed character who doubts his abilities, rather than just being a square-jawed hero.

For Duke, I just did a simple repaint of the Heroclix Extremis Soldier. No real modifying necessary.

Works for me.

-c

Cobra Trooper - Infantry

I still haven't made it through all the G.I. Joe: Renegades episodes, but from the very beginning I thought the new Cobra Trooper look was inspired. Positioning Cobra as a "respectable" business and making the troopers look more like security guards was a great idea.

I knew I wanted to paint up a Trooper at some point, so when I ran across this Trooper Leader from EM4 Miniatures, I grabbed it and several other minis too. (Expect to see a few more EM4's soon.)

There really wasn't any modifications needed for this mini, other than a little filing of a weird raised area on the helmet.

I tried again to make a Cobra symbol on his chest which came out super blurry but OK.

Now that I see him next to the action figure, I kind of wish I had added a night stick though...

Cheers!

-c

Tomax & Xamot - Brothers of Light

When you think of Tomax & Xamot (aka The Crimson Twins) you probably think of them as they were usually depicted in the comic and cartoon: dressed like circus acrobats.

Or maybe you remember them more in their business suits as the heads of Extensive Enterprises.

I'll admit, I was originally planning to do them as acrobats or businessmen...until I saw the G.I. Joe: Renegades episode "Brothers of Light".

While I still like the original incarnation of the Crimson Twins, I *really* like the Renegades take on them as crazy cult leaders. In someway, that's even *more* insane than the original and fits just right in with a toy line that featured guys in bird suits and ninjas.

For the Brothers of Light, I picked up two Jason Blood Heroclix and added a little green stuff to raise the collars (and secure one of their heads after I repositioned it) as well as adding the little maroon sash thing.

While I did try to go for the mirror opposites look, it wasn't worth the effort of reversing their hands, so I guess they're both right handed.

Also, as a nod to the original figures, I kept Xamot's scar red instead of the dull pinkish-brown it is on Renegades.

I think this might be the first minis I've done where there are no action figures for the characters.

-c

Scarlett - Undercover Agent

When it comes to doing these G.I. Joe miniatures, the characters fall into one of three categories for me:

1) Characters that are my favorites, so of course I'm going to do them.
2) Characters that I like enough to do, if I can find a good mini for them.
3) Characters that I either don't know (because they came after I stopped collecting G.I. Joes) or ones I just plain don't like.

Categories 1 and 2 still provide me with a TON of minis to paint, and that's not counting repeats.

Speaking of repeats...

I didn't find out about the G.I. Joe - Renegades cartoon until after it was off the air. I've only seen about half the episodes, but it's not bad. Some of the cameos are a little forced, but the main Joes used (other than Ripcord) are done pretty well.

I really like the Renegades version of Scarlett. She seems closer to the Marvel comic Scarlett in personality, and her outfit is functional yet calls back to her previous design. As much as I love the original Scarlett leotard, this is more appropriate. (Why didn't live action Scarlett wear this outfit?)

For this version of Scarlett, I used the Heroclix Checkmate Knight. I think I used the Black Knight, but they are all the same if you're repainting them.

The pose is awesome, the outfit matches up pretty well, and she even has a ponytail. And one of the best things is that the Knight's knee pads kind of look like the knee joints on the figure.

Cheers!

-c

Snake Eyes - Ninja Commando

If you're going to paint a bunch of minis based on G.I. Joe, where else do you start but with the most iconic personality in the line: Snake Eyes.

Picking a specific mini and\or costume could have been a challenge. After all, he did have about sixty different figures to choose from.

Thankfully, Reaper Miniatures made things a little easier with their totally-not-a-Joe figure Cobra, Modern Ninja (50082).

For my version of Snake Eyes I based it mostly of the Renegades version of his costume, as opposed to the all black original. The visor is a little different, and my ham-handed attempt at making knee pads with green stuff didn't work too well, but I think it came out OK.

Another possible option, if you want a slightly more dynamic pose, would be the Heroclix Black Tarantula figure:

Cheers!

-c