Toxo-Viper - Cobra Hostile Environment Trooper

The Toxo-Viper was not a figure I was fond of when it came out. His design looked to me like some kind of Totem pole or Hawaiian mask.

But over time, I've grown to like the look.

For Toxo-Viper, I started with the Heroclix Zod from the Man of Steel set and added his pack and a few mods to his helmet with green stuff.

After painting, I think it came out pretty darn good.

-c

Star-Viper - Stellar Stiletto Pilot

The Cobra Star-Vipers didn't see much action in the comics or the cartoon, which is a shame because they have a really nice uniform. A very "Space Navy" kind of look.

I think 1988 was the year I started losing interesting in the Joe toys. I know I had some of the figures from that year, but not all of them. And I don't think I had many of the vehicles. So, I'm not really sure if I ever even had this guy. I don't remember having the Stellar Stiletto, but I might have gotten the Star-Viper in a trade. Who knows?

I originally based the Star-Viper mini off the minor character in the comic who infiltrates the Joe base and is mostly shown without his helmet but instead with a small bandage on his forehead (from the implant.) After painting that version though (again using the Heroclix Red Robin), I decided I wanted the helmeted version more, so I slapped on a helmet of green stuff.

I suppose I could have done a second one with the helmet, like I've been doing with the M.A.S.K. miniatures, but...eh...

-c

Road Pig - Dreadnok

Each one of the Dreadnoks had a certain niche they filled in the gang and Road Pigs niche was to be the ugly one. Or possibly the smelly one. Or maybe the big one.

OK, maybe Road Pig is an exception.

In the comics, Road Pig had a dual identity disorder that caused him to switch back and forth between personalities. That being said, for a Dreadnok, he was actually pretty effective. He seemed less prone to random destruction and better at specific destruction.

I can't say for sure, but I'm just about convinced that the Reaper Miniatures Mega-Mutant is based off Road Pig. He's got the big hammer, the wrist crossbow, the weird shoulder armor. Even the boots look similar. All I had to do was add a flat top and a ball at the end of the crossbow and he was done.

On a side note, since this is a metal miniature, he's HEAVY. He is prone to tipping over, which might also be similar to Road Pip.

-c

Hit & Run - Light Infantryman

I'm kind of surprised it took Hasbro until the seventh series to make a figure with full body camo paint. Either that, or Hit & Run is a Martian.

A pretty simple conversion that came out pretty good. I used the Halo Actionclix Marine with SMG #088 and added the goggles and duffel bag with green stuff.

Like I said, simple but it works.

-c

Iron Grenadiers - Destro's Elite Troopers

When the Iron Grenadiers sub-team was introduce, it made perfect sense. Why wouldn't Destro have his own personal army?

The Iron Grenadier is the basic foot soldier of Destro's army and let's face it: they look pretty cool. Even compared to some of the better Joe and Cobra uniform designs, these guys know how to dress. I bet the uniform alone was enough to get some people to sign up for Destro's army.

I'm not that familiar with Star-lord, but when I saw his Heroclix figure, I knew I had my Iron Grenadier.

I add a little detail with green stuff, like the shoulder pad and leg pouch. Unfortunately, the gold paint I used doesn't show look as gold as I would have liked.

Maybe he's been out in the field for a while and it's tarnished a bit...

-c

Shockwave - S.W.A.T. Specialist

Shockwave (aka Shockblast) is the Joe team's resident S.W.A.T. specialist and not a giant purple robot that turns into a big purple laser gun. I wonder if that is why they changed Shockwave's name to Shockblast? Maybe a lot of people couldn't tell the difference between a little human in blue and a big robot in purple.

When I first picked up the Halo Actionclix Sgt. Johnson mini, I was thinking it might work for Stalker, but when I got it, the hat just didn't look right.

So, a little green stuff and some paint and now it's Shockwave.

Now, to find a mini with a beret...

-c

Budo - Samurai Warrior

Even as a kid, I had a little trouble conceptualizing how Budo fit into the G.I. Joe team.

I don't remember him in the cartoon or comic. I don't know if they ever tied him into the Arashikage family or anything back then. All I knew is he dressed like a Samurai but was from California.

So, he's a LARPer, I guess?

I probably wouldn't even have considered painting him but I had this Arashi Heroclix sitting around from a lot of Heroclix I bought, so...

I used green stuff to give him hair closer to his figure, although I kept the ponytail instead of the samurai topknot because...why not?

I didn't really try to hard to make his paint job super accurate because, let's face it, the green - brown - grey samurai outfit it pretty uninspiring.

However, if this is his new costume, I'm totally going to make another Budo mini:

Awesome!

-c

Storm Shadow - Ninja

You can't have Snake Eyes without Storm Shadow.

And not just any Storm Shadow, but Version 2 from 1988:

For this mini, I tracked down the Reaper Miniatures Ninja Bowman (04419).

(Sorry the picture is a little blurry, but I was trying to take a picture of a Ninja after all.)

Unfortunately, this mini is no longer for sale from Reaper, so you'll probably have to find it on ebay or elsewhere.

If you prefer the original Storm Shadow look, well, there are *tons* of Ninja minis out there for you to choose from.

Good hunting!

-c