Billy - Cobra Commander's Son

Ah, New Years. The time for reflection and for fresh starts. Just like Cobra Commander had for about thirty seconds before being shot in the back and then turning evil again. And it's all Billy's fault.

Actually, while Cobra Commander in the comic *did* blame Billy for his being shot, he really brought it on himself.

While he started as kind of an annoying kid, Billy grew to be an interesting character in the Marvel comic. His training with Storm Shadow and then loss of his eye and leg in the car crash\rocket attack (spoilers) were pretty gripping to me.

Since he dresses similar to Storm Shadow a few times in the comics, I thought this Master Bruce Wayne Heroclix would make a good conversion choice and I think it did.

Plus, doing it this way meant not having to figure out how to make his artificial leg.

-c

Hooded Cobra Commander - Enemy Leader

Sure, I've done Cobra Commander before, but not Hooded Cobra Commander.

This might be Hooded Cobra Commander, or it might be a Pac-Man ghost sitting on someone's head.

Hooded CC was made from a Heroclix Kryptonian Soldier with a wad of green stuff on his head. I mainly used the Kryptonian Soldier because a) I had him already and b) his pose was useless for most characters other than a leader type. And it didn't seem right for Hawk.

In order to make the hood fit right, I had to trim the head up a little. So, under his mask, this Cobra Commander's face might be even worse than the horrible snakelike abomination face he had in G.I.Joe the Movie (depending on if you take that as canon or not.)

-c

Interrogator - Cobra Battle Copter Pilot

Wait, shouldn't "Interrogator" be his function instead of his name? But then what kind of name is "Cobra Battle Copter Pilot"?

Another figure that I never had but liked the look of. His Battle Copter is kind of silly looking though, so I guess he upgraded to a winged jet pack.

I used a Heroclix Mach 1 for Interrogator. I used green stuff to give him the crossed straps and space for the Cobra logo. I guess I could have tried to give him that weird egg beater gun, but...nah...

-c

Blowtorch - Flamethrower

Pork Chop Sandwiches!

OK, now that that's out of the way.

Blowtorch was the first of many flamethrowers that joined the Joe team and, to me, the only one that stands out.

When I was flipping through the Reaper Miniatures catalog (and why don't more mini companies have printed catalogs?) I saw Torch McHugh and was like, "Well, there's Blowtorch".

I never noticed until painting this that, other than the green flamethrower and his head, Blowtorch's figure is just 2 colors: yellow and orange.

Not too hard to follow that pattern. I went ahead and made his tanks orange though...they just didn't look right all yellow.

-c

Michelangelo - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

Michelangelo, he's one of a kind,
And you know just where to find him when it's party time...

Michelangelo was the hardest of the turtles to convert, mostly because of his nunchucks. I tried modding the Zerboz Power Ranger's sword to nunchucks with moderate success. I also tried to give him a bit of a smile...I'm not sure that was good idea either.

Not sure what else to say about Michelangelo. Every one likes Mikey.

BOOYAHKASHA!

-c

Raphael - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

Raphael has the most attitude on the team...

Raphael was never my favorite turtle. I think they sometimes tried a little too much to make him a Batman or Wolverine type. The 2009 TMNT movie was especially bad about that.

So, I was happy to see that the 2012 Nick version seems to have toned that down a little, while still keeping his attitude.

Again, another green stuff covered Zerboz Power Ranger. I tried to trim down the White Ranger Samurai's sword to resemble a sai, but I'm not sure how well it works. I also tried to give him a slight scowl, but his mouth looks a little like a moustache.

Maybe he's been watching Magnum P.I. reruns.

-c

Donatello - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

Donatello is a fellow, has a way with machines...

Why is it always when I'm cropping the photos that I see my sloppy paint job?

*sigh*

Anyways, Donatello is the only turtle whose figure I actually had as a kid. I never got into the other toys that much but Donatello was instantly my favorite. In the old cartoon and comics, I felt like he never really got as much character development as the other turtles.

Obviously, the writers at Nickelodeon must have thought so too...

Another Zerboz Power Ranger conversion. His staff is a piece of a paperclip. I probably could have made his staff holster thing a little better looking...

But I didn't.

-c

Leonardo - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

Leonardo's the leader in blue,
Does anything it takes to get his ninjas through...

After over 80 G.I.Joe conversions, it's time for a little change of pace.

TMNT was always hit or miss with me. I never watched the original cartoon, I had only one of the toys (Donatello), but I did have a few issues of the comic.

When Nick started up the new series, I was curious..and after seeing a couple of episodes, I was hooked. But, there were no minis available other than the ones from the 80's which are...pricey.

So, a little green stuff on a Zerboz Power Ranger and you have a ninja turtle.

-c

Clutch - Vamp Mark II Driver

Clutch was the very first G.I.Joe figure I had and the start of a collection. When the Vamp Mark II came out with this tan version of Clutch, I really dug it because now he stood out compared to the original team line up. I liked to think he got a promotion...

For Clutch, the Heroclix Dark Knight Rises Mercenary has the qualities I was looking for: a beard, short sleeves and an AK-47 that he probably took from a Cobra Officer. That seems about right for Clutch.

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Cobra Officer - The Enemy

I think the difference between Cobra Officers and the standard Cobras is the number of hit points they have. Based on the cartoon though, I'd guess both have less than 4 hit points.

The Heroclix HDC Trooper was a pretty easy choice for converting to a Cobra Officer. All he really needed was a little mask and some paint.

I'm still rubbish at painting the Cobra logo though. If you squint, you can maybe trick yourself into thinking it's a Cobra logo.

If only there was a little tiny Cobra stamp I could use instead...

(Only one of the original 16 figures left.)

-c

Breaker - Communications Officer

Almost done with the original 16 figures that started off the G.I. Joe line. Next up: Breaker.

I never understood why Breaker in the comic was clean-shaven and bubble gum chewing, where the figure and the cartoon versions were bearded. Somewhere, I'm sure Larry Hama has an explanation for this.

As one of the original 13 Joes, Breaker is a pretty easy mini to convert. The Star Wars Mini Veteran Rebel Commando is a pretty good fit. I came close to adding a headphone using green stuff but I like the look of the helmet as is.

I considered doing a mini based on the movie version of Breaker, since he's one of the only interesting characters in the movie, but I don't want to even give the film *that* much.

-c

Pythona - Cobra-La Emissary \ Assassin

In 1987, G.I.Joe the Movie introduced a new concept to the line: Cobra-La, an ancient civilization secretly backing Cobra. Fans at the time hated this new development. Little did we know how good we had it then compared to what the live action movies did to the franchise.

Pythona is one of few characters from the cartoon or the comic that never got an official figure. Which is a shame because she's one of the more interesting Cobra-La characters. I would have rather had her than the Royal Guard.

For Pythona, I veered away from the spotted-leotard-under-a-cloak look and instead went for something a little more befitting the emissary of a hidden civilization. The Horrorclix Angelique mini was just the thing I needed, once I removed the extra appendages.

My Pythona has traded her purple leotard for a kind of armored looking chest piece and traded her cloak for a skirt. I considered removing the knife, since she mostly uses her claws in the movie, but decide that she seems like the type to use a knife.

After reading up on what she did in the G.I. Joe vs. Transformers comics, I see my instinct was correct.

-c

Cover Girl - Wolverine Driver (Again?)

They say the third time's the charm...I certainly hope so, because I'm not planning to do Cover Girl again.

I should have waited to do Cover Girl later. When I did the first one, this Heroclix Brandt from Iron Man 3 wasn't out yet I think. Then, because I wasn't happy with the first one, I did used an extra mini for take two.

Finally though, I found a good looking mini to use for her and this will be the last Cover Girl I do.

(Probably.)

-c

Dr. Mindbender - Cobra Scientist

I missed G.I.Joe Renegades when it was on the air, and have only caught about the first dozen shows or so, but I thought it wasn't too bad. Depending on your previous opinion of Dr. Mindbender, it could be considered an improvement.

I guess not everyone likes Mustaches and Monocles ("New from Wizards of the Coast"), so the re-imagined version of Mindbender is more of a snotty genius...named Brian Bender.

Anyway, I wasn't sure I would do a Renegades version of Mindbender, but well...that Brainiac 5 Heroclix is almost perfect. Even the pose is almost a match!

How could I refuse?

And, if I'm not mistaken, this might be my first mini based on a character that didn't have a figure...

A hint of things to come?

-c

Psyche-Out - Deceptive Warfare

According to some, Psyche-Out was a sign of the science fiction direction the Joe team was heading (which a lot of people didn't like.)

I didn't care...he was a new Joe with new gear, that was enough for me.

When I saw the Horrorclix Ghostfinder, I knew exactly who it would be. All it took was a little paint.

I opted not to paint on Psyche-Out's weird space chest piece though...or his weird antenna backpack.

I guess I do have some limits.

-c

Update:

Changed my mind about his chest piece and added it with green stuff:

Lifeline - Rescue Trooper

Lifeline was not one of my favorite Joes, until the Special Missions issue that explained his pacifist beliefs and showed off his Aikido techniques. I know some people didn't like that, but I found him more engaging after that issue.

For Lifeline, I wanted a figure that did *not* have an obvious weapon, but had a similar uniform and helmet. This turned out to be pretty difficult to come by, so I would up going with a Star Wars Miniature Rebel Officer, which works OK.

I added glasses via green stuff, but they look more like another pair of goggles. This mini does have a pistol-like tool on his thigh, but it's sci-fi looking enough to pass off as some kind of medical injector, instead of a pistol.

The pose of this mini is a little weird. What is he doing exactly? I guess he's giving a speech? Rallying the troops?

Lifeline could do that, I suppose.

-c

Mercenary Wraith - Counter Intelligence

Counter Intelligence sounds like a fancy name for someone who remodels kitchens.

I really don't know anything about Wraith. Never had the figure. Never saw him in a comic or cartoon. All I know is he has some kind of invisibility suit that works like a Predator or something.

But, when I saw the Deadshot Heroclix I thought, "Hey, that looks familiar."

So, Mercenary Wraith.

I tried to make him sort of look "phased", which is why I went all silver...but I'm not sure that worked. Need some bright neon blue...

-c

Steeler - MOBAT Driver

Steeler stands out in my mind for two reasons: he wore a gold shirt (!) and, in the cartoon, he hooked up with alternate reality Baroness. (No wonder he stayed in that reality.)

Actually, Steeler has a third defining characteristic: his funky space visor. That's why I picked the Heroclix Hulkbuster Soldier for Steeler: the visor.

I'll admit I went a little heavy on the ink wash...but hey, he's a motor pool grease monkey, right? He *should* be a little dirty looking.

For those keeping track, I've done almost all of the original sixteen figures. Only a couple left...

-c

Low-Light - Night Spotter

Let's face it: we all know what Low-Light's *true* role on the Joe team was...he was the sniper. But I guess that's a little too intense for a kid's toy line, so they called him a Night Spotter, which makes him sound like a bird watcher.

Low-Light is probably the easiest conversion you can make. The Horrorclix Base Field Agent already looks like a lot...enough to almost make me suspicious.

I added some red for his shoulder pad and goggles, a little blond hair, and green on the grenades for a little extra color.

That's it!

-c

Grand Slam - Laser Artillery Soldier

Some G.I.Joe figures never got popular because of questionable designs or due to being sold with outlandish vehicles. Some never get a chance due to the order you buy them.

Grand Slam never got a fair shake from me for two reasons: 1) He shared Grunt's head and 2) he had Flash's body. Since I'm pretty sure I had Grunt and Flash before I got Grand Slam, I kind of felt like his figure was a change of outfits for Grunt. It wasn't until that silver pads version of Grand Slam came out that I used him much.

For Grand Slam, I picked the Star Wars Miniatures Human Soldier of Fortune mini. He's got a pretty similar look, with shin armor instead of thigh pads. But close enough.

And for once, he doesn't just look like a repaint of Flash.

-c

Scrap Iron - Cobra Anti-Armor Specialist

Scrap Iron wears blue and red. Superman wears blue and red. Gangbuster is a hero from the Superman comics and kind of resembles Scrap Iron. Coincidence?

Probably...

Scrap Iron was a figure that I actually sort of didn't like. I felt like his head was a little too big. His usual job, therefore, was to fire his rockets at the Joes before getting jump kicked off a cliff.

A simple repaint of the Heroclix Gangbuster, it would be easy to go beyond that and add his rocket launcher. He's already holding a nightstick that could easily be converted to a launch cable for his rocket launcher.

If you felt like it, that is...

-c

Update:

I wasn't totally happy with my first pass at Scrap Iron, so I added a little detail with green stuff:

Dr. Venom - Evil Scientist

Long before Dr. Mindbender, there was Dr. Venom.

Dr. Venom was unknown in the cartoon and didn't have a figure for many years, but he was the source of many plots in the early Marvel comics run. He's probably most known for his Brainwave Scanner, which would be used time and again in the comics, and also for his rivalry with Kwinn and Snake Eyes. Considering all his plots, the M.O. "evil scientist" seems appropriate.

Dr. Venom is a simple design. All you need is a guy in a long coat. I used a Doc Ock Heroclix, removing his robo-arms and filling the holes with green stuff.

Easy!

-c

Snake Eyes - Commando

Sure, I've done Snake Eyes already, but that was the Renegades version. Before he was known as a super ninja, Snake Eyes was just a commando.

The popular story is that Snake Eyes' design came from a cost savings idea: reuse existing parts, painted all black, and give them a new head. From that simple idea, came the most iconic G.I.Joe around.

For my commando version of Snake Eyes, I used the Heroclix Johann Kraus combined with Punisher's arms. Add a little green stuff for his visor and instant Snake Eyes.

So, for this mini, I took the same approach and painted him all black. If only Punisher had been holding an Uzi, it would have been perfect.

-c

Raptor - Cobra Falconer

Raptor is one of the most maligned figures of the original G.I.Joe run (possibly second only to Crystal Ball). I for one, think that's just not fair.

Raptor has a classic comic book origin story: the accountant who gets a little *too* into his hobby and tries to make money doing it. He could be a Batman villain.


When I was a kid, I imagined he used those talons on his boots as his weapon...that he would swoop one a Joe and give them a good clawing.

That being said, I do like how Larry Hama portrayed him in the Marvel comic. He was basically a falconry otaku who dressed up as a big bird to calm his falcons. Otherwise, he was kind of a spaz.

Raptor was on my list of "Figures I'll Paint if I Can Find a Cheap Enough Option", and I did find such an option: the Mage Knight Wereraven. Again, this is a mini that almost asks to be turned into a Joe: he's got the gloves, the necklace, no shirt, the talon feet. Of course, the wereraven head *is* his head, not a mask, but close enough.

At the risk of tooting my own horn, I think I'd made Raptor a bit of a badass.

-c

Mercer - Renegade

Some minis I paint because they are my favorites...some, because I have extra minis lying around. Guess which one this is...

I guess there's nothing wrong with Mercer, but he just didn't stand out when mixed with other (better) Joes. It probably didn't help that he came packed with 2 guys that would probably be horrible  stereotypes if I could figure out what they were stereotyping.

Anyway, for Mercer, I used an extra Punisher Heroclix I had left and it works pretty well. Pants could be brighter blue. Could have added details to his shirt. I suppose I could have green stuff'd him a flattop.

But I didn't.

-c

Update:

While I didn't give him a flatop, I did add some more detail to his legs and chest with green stuff:

Firefly - Cobra Saboteur

Firefly is kind of the Boba Fett of the G.I.Joe universe: He looks cool, but he doesn't do much.

Firefly was one of my favorite figures and I was always a little sad that he didn't get much focus in the comic or the cartoon. He was usually there, but just kind of off to the side, blowing stuff up.

I think the comic eventually tied him into the whole Arashikage ninja clan dynamic somehow...I'm not sure I like that idea though.

The pyromaniac version in the Renegades cartoon was interesting. And, while I hated pretty much everything about G.I.Joe: Retaliation, I did kind of like the movie version of Firefly.

When I started on this project, I saw Spymaster and thought, "There's my Firefly." I still shopped around but for some reason this Heroclix mini just seemed to match the figure in my mind. Maybe the green gun is a bit much, but what can you do?

-c

Zandar - Zartan's Brother

Like his sister Zarana, Zandar is sadly defined by his more well know brother, not even getting a specific military function. If he was a D&D character, his class would be the generic "Commoner" type.

Another EM4 Plastic Ganger, with a perfect head for Zandar. There wasn't a spear gun though, so I gave him a shotgun. I added his pink scarf with green stuff but decided to give him a sleeveless shirt instead shirtless sleeves.

And now that I notice it...I forgot his face paint\tattoos.

*Sigh*

Another touch up job...

-c

Update:

Touched up his face and sleeves:

Bazooka - Missile Specialist

In the Marvel comics, Breaker was always shown chewing bubble gum, but it would have made *way* more sense if it had been Bazooka.

Bazooka was one of those figures that I got but he just kind of was there. He was never a favorite and I didn't think about him much. If I had, maybe I would have wondered how smart it is to rush into battle wearing a bright red football jersey. But, I didn't...

Maybe it's fitting then that I didn't really plan to make a mini for Bazooka but happened to have a Howling Commando from buying some Heroclix in a lot. I slapped on a green stuff moustache and added a missile launcher on his back made from the EM4 plastic miniatures tree.

I guess the fact that I did Bazooka means eventually I'll have to do his pal Alpine...

-c

Monkeywrench - Dreadnok

After the original three, Zartan would go on to recruit many more Dreadnoks, including the exposives expert Monkeywrench.

I always imagined that Monkeywrench and Firefly would have a sort of professional rivalry. Firefly probably knew more about explosives from a technical point of view, where Monkeywrench probably made up for his lack of training by being a nutcase.

Another Dreadnok means another EM4 miniature, this one is 0064 Male Biker, SMG, Chain. There are a lot of little details that match up pretty well: the beard, the vest, the jeans and belt buckle.  He even has a grenade on his belt and what looks like some electronic detonator behind him.

He's missing the shades and I totally spaced and forgot about his gloves, but otherwise, a great match.

Now, I think I need to move on to non-Dreadnok pastures for a while before I start motorcycle shopping...

-c

Torch - Dreadnok

Where Buzzer is the "brains" of the original Dreadnoks, and Ripper is the dumb one, Torch is more of the Team Mom of the trio.

In the comics, Torch was the guy who could sort of tell that they shouldn't be doing something, but went along anyway. So, he's still dumb, but maybe not as dumb as Ripper...barely.

I was wondering for a while how I was going to find a mini with Torch's distinctive chops, but luckily the EM4 Miniatures Gangers set had just the right head for him.

The set comes with parts for 5 miniatures (3 male, 2 female) and the arms, legs, and heads are interchangeable (between the same sex parts at least).

I gave Torch the most Flamethrower\Torch looking weapon and added some tanks and a hose with green stuff and pieces of the plastic tree they minis came in.

I guess in this reality, Torch traded in his vest for a chain mail shirt. Not sure how well that goes with a flamethrower...

Ripper - Dreadnok

Where Buzzer is arguably the smartest Dreadnok, Ripper makes a good case for being the dumbest. It doesn't help that he kind of resembles Bebop from TMNT.

Another EM4 Mini, this time 0031 Savage. Autoshotgun. Shades. Mohican. As with Buzzer, this is a little more Road Warrior than Biker, but very similar to the Ripper look. I considered trying to add a blade to the rifle with green stuff, but I think it would have been too fragile.

Looking at the picture now, I see that I neglected to put a camo pattern on Ripper's vest.

C'est la vie.

-c

Buzzer - Dreadnok

When it comes to Zartan's Dreadnoks, consistency was something I wanted to maintain. Instead of picking random figures here and there to be his gang, I made an effort to find a group of similar miniatures. After a bit of searching, I decided on a few figures from the EM4 Miniatures Savages and Bikers lines.

Buzzer was the first Dreadnok I had and, in my canon, was the leader of the Dreadnoks (after Zartan). As it turned out, that was pretty much his role in the comics as well, so I was pleased I'd identified him correctly.

EM4's Savages line is a little more Mad Max than Hell's Angel's, but I thought the 0024 Savage. Saw Edged Sword mini worked for Buzzer. I guess he's grown his hair out a bit and traded his chainsaw in for a saw tooth sword.

It's kind of hard to tell in the picture, but this mini has a teddy bear strapped to his pack. Considering Buzzer's short arc in the comics where he kidnapped Candy (aka Bongo the Bear), this seems appropriate.

-c

Night-Creeper - Cobra Ninja

I learn a lot about the different character designs while painting up these minis. Sometimes I learn it in the process of painting and sometimes I learn it after the fact. For example, I just noticed that the top of Night-Creeper's head is silver. Whoops!

Night-Creeper came along right about the time I was getting out of collecting G.I.Joes. I remember seeing him on the pegs at stores, but I'm not sure I ever had one. He did make an impression on me though...mostly in a "that's not Storm Shadow" kind of way.

Looking at the character now, the idea of a force of high-tech Ninjas sounds pretty cool. Someone should do something with that idea...

Anyway, for Night-Creeper, I made use of a Zerboz Blue Power Ranger and a little green stuff for the mask and armor.

Now, to fix the missing silver top or declare this a "variant"?

-c

Starduster - Jet Pack Trooper

Starduster was never featured in the Marvel Comics G.I. Joe series or the cartoon, which may be why he was one of my favorite Joes. Unlike most of the characters, he's almost a blank slate, so I could decide his personality for myself.

As a figure, Starduster was put together from repainted parts of previous figures. Fittingly, my Starduster is an amalgam of 3 different Heroclix: The body is from Crossbones, the head is from the Punisher, and the jet pack is from Major Maxim.

I decided not to repaint the Punisher head...which I kind of regret now. Looking at it in the photo, the Punisher has some seriously *crazy* eyes.

-c

Stalker - Ranger

Stalker was kind of a non-entity in the cartoon, but he was a major player in the comic book. In fact, for the first couple of years, he was one of the guys you'd most likely see in charge of a mission.

When I first got into G.I. Joe, I wasn't really sure what a "Ranger" was...my only frame of reference was Texas Rangers. Stalker was my introduction to the Rangers.

So, years later, when I got into Dungeons & Dragons and saw a character class also called "Ranger", I knew what that meant: they were a whole class of bad-asses. I'm not saying that Stalker is the reason why Ranger is my preferred D&D class, but I'm also not *not* saying it.

For Stalker, I used the EM4 Miniatures 0433 Trooper. MAR. Beret and I think it worked fine. Sure, my camo color is off a little bit, but what are you going to do?

-c

Wild Weasel - Cobra Rattler Pilot

Wild Weasel was the first Cobra pilot introduced and had the most awesome plane in the whole toy line.

But maybe I'm biased...

Wild Weasel is one of those characters that should have been more popular, but for some reason, he would up being more of a background player.

Normally, when I choose a mini to paint up for this project, I try to find one that really suits the character. Sometimes though, I buy a handful of minis off eBay for cheap, and then try to figure out who I can make from them.

That's how I would up going from a Heroclix S.W.A.T. Specialist to Wild Weasel. I added a little green stuff around his visor  to form Wild Weasel's mask, but other wise used him as is.

I was actually torn between converting this mini into either Wild Weasel or a Motor Viper. I decided Wild Weasel was a better option. I also was torn on trying to include his leg maps...but decided against it.

That decision I'm not so sure about now...

-c

Update:

I went back later and added his legs maps:

Flash - Laser Rifle Trooper

Whenever I'm painting up one of these minis, there's usually a point at the beginning where I wonder if the fig will look enough like the original figure. Usually, there will be a certain color that I add that suddenly brings everything into focus.

For Flash, surprisingly, the turning point was the brown boots, gloves and pads.

I started with the Heroclix Halo Marine (Battle Rifle) #2 and added a visor with green stuff. I also added thigh pads to his legs. Once I added the brown, Flash really started to look like himself.

Flash is one of the first Joes that I recognized as being replaced (by Sci-Fi) when I was little. I was kind of sad to see such an iconic Joe replaced, but have to admit that Sci-Fi was pretty cool.

If you like neon...

-c

Dr. Mindbender - Master of Mind Control

OK, getting back into the swing of things with what may be my best conversion yet:

Dr. Mindbender is one of those G.I.Joe characters that people love to bash. A crazy former-orthodontist who dresses in black and purple fetish gear? Easy target.

I always liked his costume though. Even as a kid I thought, "This guys knows how to dress to freak people out. He's aware he looks absurd, he probably planned it that way."

And again, another Joe-related figure with a sweet 'stache. What is it with Hasbro and mustaches?


For Dr. Mindbender, I started with the Heroclix Lex Luthor #008 and added a monocle, mustache, and cape with green stuff.

I left the Kryptonite because, honestly, if there were *any* Cobra villain that would discover Kryptonite, it would be Dr. Mindbender.

-c

Unpainted: Duke - First Sergeant

Still behind on getting any minis painted, so today I thought I'd take a different angle: minis I *won't* be painting.

When I started this project, I pretty much started with my favorites: Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, etc.

Eventually though, my plans expanded to include most of the Joes from the original 1982 lineup through the 1987 lineup, with a few odd singles here and there.

However, there are a few figures that I will probably never do, and the biggest one of them all is Duke.

I just can't stand Duke: I don't like the figure. I hate him in the cartoon. I don't care for him in the comic. He was a dope in the live movie.

So far, the only version of Duke that I can tolerate is Renegades Duke, and he's just kind of...OK. Generically OK.

I've never understood why this bland, blond wing nut became one of the most well known faces of the team.

Seems like every iteration of G.I.Joe comic, cartoon, or video game features Duke.

But not mine.

-c

Dial-Tone - Communications

Another week, another EM4 Miniature. (Still trying to find time to paint.)

Whenever I am prepping the pictures for a post, there is always a point that I realize I should have done something different. In this case: why didn't I paint Dial-Tone's rifle silver?

*Sigh*

Anyways, Dial-Tone was always a favorite of mine and a suitable replacement for Breaker. I don't know why, but as a kid, I always imagined him speaking with a French accent. Even though his file card clearly indicates he's from Oregon, I thought of him as coming from G.I.Joe's European Branch or something.

I think...yeah, I think it's the mustache. The mustache kind of makes him look like Inspector Clouseau.

-c

Flint - Warrant Officer

Still trying to catch up on my back log of minis to paint, including a small selection of minis from EM4 Miniatures, like this one:

In my personal G.I. Joe canon, the chain of command went something like this: General Hawk > Flint > Snake Eyes > Everybody else > All of the animal companions > Duke. (I may elaborate on this in the future.)

Like Lady Jaye, for Flint I had to decide what was most iconic and what could be skipped. While Flint is usually shown with his shotgun, I decide on the EM4 Minis 0429 Trooper Sub Leader. He may lake the shotgun, but makes up for it with his commanding presence.

I suppose I could have painted his shoulder armor straps green to mimic the toy's suspenders, but it just didn't look right to me.

With Flint complete, I have almost all the Joe and Cobra power couples represented.

Now, I just need to find a sailor...

-c

Lady Jaye - Covert Operations

I originally thought Lady Jaye would be one of the easy minis to find, but it turned out to be a surprising amount of work to track down one that, to me, had the right qualities.

I eventually gave up on finding a mini I liked with a hat like the figure or with a javelin. So, I opted for the Star Wars Mini Human Engineer, that had a similar outfit and hairstyle.

You can't really tell from this angle, but I added a quiver of "javelins" (actually a quiver of arrows from the Legolas Heroclix) to at least cover that aspect of her character.

Given the...reputation...Lady Jaye has acquired over the years, especially regarding certain...endowments...she possesses, it would have been easy to pick any number of slutty-looking, machine gun-totting miniatures.

But that wouldn't work for me.

After all, Lady Jaye is a lady. (It's right there in her name.)

-c

Crazylegs - Assault Trooper

Crazylegs was the one figure I can think of that had a molded on helmet that I wished had been removable. Something about that red, round helmet was just a little silly.

Using BoShek from the Star Wars Miniatures, I was able to get my wish.

Now that I think about it. If you put Crazylegs' round helmet on BoShek and make it black, he'd look like a Spaceball.

-c

Cutter - Hovercraft Pilot

Another Mystery Mini from the same eBay auction!

Cutter was one of those Joes that didn't see a lot of action outside of his vehicle. He showed up a bit more in the cartoon, but to me he was always just "Boat Guy".

When I picked up this mini, I wasn't sure who it would be (like the last one.) The backpack made me think of Cutter's life jacket so I tried to go somewhere down the middle.

For once, I think I managed to get one of these guy's moustaches right.

-c