Clutch - VAMP Driver

The final figure in the 1982 lineup is the first one I ever had. I did the 2nd version of Clutch already, but choose a different miniature to do the original version.

I still remember the day I got Clutch and the Vamp (which sounds like an awesome band.) It was in '82 and I believe I got it from a Safeway grocery store. When I got it home, I was amazed at home movable the figure was (even the original straight-armed version) compared to the Star Wars action figures I had.

I'm pretty sure I got him on a Sunday because I remember being distracted at school the next day because I just wanted to get home an play with him. And when i saw the catalog in the box, I couldn't wait to get one of the Cobra Soldiers for him to fight.

And from that beginning grew a large collection of Joes that I wish I still had today. *Sigh*

For this version of Clutch, I used the Heroclix H.A.M.M.E.R. Agent and added his shoulder pads and other details with green stuff.

-c

Snake Eyes - Future Noir

There have been many, many versions of Snake Eyes over the years.

And here's another one.

The problem with Snake Eyes is that, although there have been many versions of his costume, they are all pretty similar. (With a few funky exceptions.) So, for Future Noir, they didn't really do anything unexpected. He's still in black with a mask. He looks a little more futuristic, but still basically Snake Eyes.

The biggest difference between normal Snake Eyes and the Future Noir universe version is that Noir Snake Eyes is not associated with G.I.Joe. He works solely for the Arashikage clan. Had the Future Noir series continued past those 2 issues though, I bet he would have joined the Joes.

For Snake Eyes I used a Star Wars Mandalorian Marauder mini. I had to trim the neck a little because of how the Mandalorian's helmet was shaped and I added the visor with green stuff.

Again, I did my best guess for the colors since it was a B&W comic. For all I know his suit is dark purple with yellow highlights.

-c

Barricade - Bunker Buster

Barricade is one of those later releases that I just don't know much about. I never had or even saw the figure. I don't think he was in any comics or cartoons, at least not that I saw. He doesn't stand out as being one of those "what the heck were they thinking" kind of figures.

He's just kind of...there.

That being said, Barricade does fill a niche that was missing from the Joes for a long time. In the past, opening doors usually fell to the explosives or missile specialists...even when it didn't make sense. Having someone who job is all about removing obstacles seems a great fit for G.I. Joe.

For Barricade I used a Halo Heroclix...I'm not sure which one it is actually. I can't seem to find which one has the big shoulder laser. This is what happens when you buy bulk Heroclix from eBay.

But if I hadn't, I might not have gone through the effort to make Barricade.

-c

Ali Bombay - Motorcycle Racer (M.A.S.K.)

Back in the 80's, a popular trend on cartoon shows was to include "foreign" characters to the cast to encourage diversity (I guess). Usually, this mean adding a character that was pretty much a walking bundle of stereotypes for a culture. For example: El Dorado from the Superfriends cartoon or John Thunder from the Centurions.

M.A.S.K. had several characters like this, such as Indian immigrant Ali Bombay.

Ali Bombay was a little stereotypical in some ways, with his head wrap and Ali Baba facial hair, but honestly it could have been worse. He could have been dressed like Aladdin, with just a vest, poofy pants, and no shoes. Instead, he's wearing what looks like Motorcycle racing gear.

It's unfortunate that his mask kind of looks ridiculous. I always thought he kind of looked like a shark with his mask on. That might be appropriate since he came along when the M.A.S.K. had jumped the shark to be a racing cartoon instead.

For Ali Bombay, I used the Star Boy miniature and added his Vortex mask with green stuff.

The pose for this mini looks like he's saying, "Hey, check out my awesome ride! Taa-daa!"

-c

Ace Riker - Former NASA Test Pilot (M.A.S.K.)

How many kids asked themselves the question, "What if Grandpa was a superhero?"

Probably not that many, but for the ones that did, there was Ace Riker.

For some reason, Ace talked a bit like John Wayne and his figure had grey hair. And he drove an RV (with a jet hidden inside.) Gotta give the M.A.S.K. toy line credit for not only having young, white dudes on their team.

I don't really remember if I had Ace and his toy. I remember seeing it in stores but I think I wasn't that interested in the RV aspect. On the other hand, the jet looks a bit like the Cobra Firebat, my favorite jet from the Joe line, so maybe I did get it. I feel like I had the figure, at least. Maybe I traded for it?

Anyway, for Ace Riker, I used the Doc Samson Heroclix and used green stuff for his Ricochet mask.

Pilgrim.

-c

Brad Turner - Rock Musician (M.A.S.K.)

One day, back in the Eighties, I wondered into a toy store to check for any new G.I.Joes on the shelf. There weren't any new Joes, but there was something I hadn't seen before called "M.A.S.K.".

I was intrigued so I picked up the Condor with driver\pilot Brad Turner and took it home. At first, I was a little put off by the figure size being half the size I was used to, but I quickly took a liking to it and picked up quite a few more over the next couple of years.

But it all started with Brad Turner.

While most of the M.A.S.K. members have some kind of function on the team in addition to their job, I always felt like Brad Turner was pretty much just a rock star. That was his job and that's how he was pretty much defined.

Ain't nothing wrong with that.

For Mr. Turner, I used the Smasher Heroclix and used green stuff to add his Hocus-Pocus mask.

Really tempted to find a motorcycle at his scale...

-c

Agent Helix - Covert Operations

Agent Helix has all the earmarks of being a total Mary Sue character: her origin comes not from the cartoon or comics, but from a video game. She's an Olympic level gymnast with an ability called "Total Organic Battlefield Awareness" that lets her analyze a battle down to how many bullets the enemy has. And she's mastered numerous martial arts fighting styles.

She's kind of like the Taskmaster crossed with Batman. The only thing she isn't is that she's not an Arashikage ninja...yet...

And yet, even though she seems kind of contrived and too awesome, I think she's a cool addition to the Joes.

Now that I think if it, Helix is kind of like the Black Widow of the Joes. She uses dual pistols and acrobatics to control the situation. If they can get Scarlett Johansson to play her in the next G.I. Joe movie, it just might be watchable.

For Helix, I used the Domino Heroclix and added a little greenstuff to try and make Helix's hairstyle. Nice that Domino is also a dual pistol shooter.

That's kind of a trend, isn't it?

-c

Darklon - Evader Driver

Darklon came along around the time I was getting out of collecting G.I. Joe, so I'm not sure if I ever had his toy.

I'm not even sure what a "Darklon" is...

Looking back, I get the feeling that Darklon was planned to be a more important character, but something got swapped. His vehicle seems similar to Serpentor's chariot or Zartan's swamp-skier: designed specifically for him, but not the main focus.

That, combined with his "distant cousin of Destro" status, suggests that Darklon was planned to have a more important role, but that never played out. Which is a shame because he's got a very unique look to be a simple vehicle driver.

For Darklon, I used a Guardians of the Galaxy - Sakaaren Commander Heroclix. That guy's pose is perfect for a villain.

I had picked up that miniature as a possible Cobra Commander, but once  saw the weird alien face, I switched it to Darklon.

-c

Ace - Fighter Pilot

I don't think Hasbro thought too long and hard to come up with Ace's codename. Having a pilot named Ace is like having a card player called Lucky. It's a little obvious.

That being said, Ace's codename might come from his gambling as well. He is know for being a card player.

I also remember him for his stinky helmet. Something about the plastic they used made his helmet stinky. The glass canopy for the Skystriker had a similar issue. I can still kind of remember that odor...

Anyway, for Ace, I used another well known pilot, Wedge Antilles.

I opted not to add Ace's weird cone collar thing. Makes him look like a dog after surgery.

-c