FFURG Casting Call 55: The Force Unleashed Secret Aprentice Outfits Kento's robes

Quinlan Vos legs and upper body, GI Joe Major Bludd/Blackout lower arms, Boba Fett upper arms, GI Joe Greenshirt head and Luke Skywalker BAD hood.

I decided not to cut the tails of the robe because I am not really able to make an organic/smooth cut line.

FFURG Casting Call 55: The Force Unleashed Secret Aprentice Outfits Bounty Hunter Disguise

Head is GI Joe Greenshirt head, interior body is mostly a BAD Jedi Luke with Obi-Wan upper arms, Boba Fett lower arms, BAD Luke thighs, Anakin Skywalker lower legs, 30th Aniversary Kamino Jango Fett armor, a Vader BAD skirt piece for the soft goods, a Fett cloak coped to the armor line, Lady Jaye 5pack belt and finally a POFT2 robe portion from Bib Fortuna cut away in the skirt.

I think there's a rat liver and sink in there too, but I have no clue.

Footloose, 25th Aniversary Version

So take one Stalker body, remove the lower arms, put in the DTC lower arms and head. To make the web gear, a 21st Century knife sheath was attatched by punching a small hole in the web gear and gluing it on.

Scarlet

Well, the o-ring saga draws to a conclusion. The movie versions of the Scarlet and Baroness enabled me to "wait" for different or at least more realistic takes on the characters. However, Scarlet's just seemed off. Why would the more causual outfit have the hair up? Why would the more armored have it down? Well I decided to swap heads. This was no simiple matter as when I set off to do it. I ended up having to cut each neck post just above the neck line and glue to the other figure. The result is slightly better versions of each figure.

Outback

Outback


As I mentioned in the Review off Cobra Island post, this is a custom. I just drilled down in the head about 1/8" to make the neck not be so long. Rather simple. Than I gave him a bbi belt with gun holster dropping down the side and a bbi HK36c or some other model with double clip. His native gun is just too big and guady for my tastes.

Review of Invasion of Cobra Island Set (GI Joes)

Welcome to the first ever "review" of the customs blog. FULL disclosure, I am not keeping 2 figures. I'm trading them away for other things. Neither will be pictured here. I will take a few moments to talk about each. Wetsuit is perhaps the most blah of all seven. He is yet another Torpedo repaint. A new backpack, partially redesigned. His breathing tubes insert into the corners closest, and not the back like the original figure. Next is the most confusing of all the figures. Spc. Altitude. The design to the classic fan screams "Ripcord" aka Walace A. Weems from the file card. Yes, I have to go to the file cards to tell this story. It is not however Wallace A Weems renamed Altitude and bumping out the Skypatol's John-Edward O. Jones, the original Altitude. This figure is actually Freefall aka Phillip W. Ardnt who seems to have taken a demotion in his title, because E-4 is Specialist or Corporal while E5 I thought was Sergeant. Anyways, Ripcord/Freefall/Altitude/Brains Scrambled cuz I jump out of plane is going to get me a Dr. Mindbender from the Cobra Set.

Onto the ones I'm actually keeping.

Hit & Run

Pretty boring. For the most part its a Cobra Trooper with what appears to be either an Airborn or Flash head in his cammo face paint. Being the Iowan on the Joe team means he probably knows how to cook sweet corn better than Roadblock, and that's it.

Chuckles

From Custom

From Custom

He's slightly more interesting. Made from a Shipwreck body, with General Hawk's holster. You can stretch that out to go over the shirt lapel without too much trouble. It's a nice touch, the second pouch is even Shipwreck's as well because you can see the perch for Polly built into it. I suppose some day I'll have to take a picture of Polly on that perch with a Jimmy Buffet CD booklet as the background.

Outback


Outback is a nice figure overall. I've gone ahead and done a slight bit of tweaking to rid him of a neck that is too long even if you leave on his web gear. I like him without it, much more original that way.

Zap


Zap completes the original 13 (YO JOE!!!!). And he doesn't disappoint. He is built off the Snake Eyes Commando body entirely. He has a belt with holster and canteen on the back. His backpack comes with 4 removable rockets. The rockets fit inside the hole of the bazooka. And the Bazooka splits in 2. Not to mention, they actually try to make him look Hispanic/Latino (probably Puerto Rican) as opposed to his original release that didn't work at all. The accessories are great. Now, why couldn't they do that for Shortfuze?

Recondo


Let's just hold any pretense, the hat is removable. Yep, that's it. That makes him automatically cooler than the rest, and any version of Recondo ever. The body Dusty's. He has his harness straps, as well as the same holster that Chuckles has. The backpack doesn't match the classic version, but is painted up nicely. Oh, and did I mention the hat is removable?


Overall, this set should be a pretty easy buy for most. The pricer per figure once you include shipping, is roughly the same if not a little bit less than what current store bought figures cost. That's right, an exclusive is cheaper per figure than a single card, so that away makes it a decent buy. The fact is that many of these figures are unique to this set and some like Zap are ones that have been asked for for nearly 4 years, should make all but the most ardent 25th Aniversary hater buy it without blinking an eyelash or breaking the bank (too much).

Tollbooth, redux!

I did an older version of this figure using pretty much a Barrel Roll body with this same head. So I put it on a GI Joe Greenshirt instead after it's O-ring frakin' broke again!!!

Mutt in Cobra Disguise

Well since they made the Flint version, I figured doing the Mutt version. Sadly this commemorates the forcing of Shipwreck upon the GI Joe cartoon, although without Polly it's slightly more tolerable. This figure is directly inspired by the Revenge of Cobra Miniseries.

Python Patrol Copperhead

I have never had any version of a Copperhead figure. So when I got the body with no arms from meandnonelse at FFURG, I wondered what could I do with the Cobra tank top? Well this is the result. I decided to go with a full sleeves or at least rolled up. The head is an AVAC head cast.

Cobra Trooper, Generic

So after giving the Missile Trooper's gear to some one else, you got a decent cobra emblem. Put the other web gear on, and it's done. The netting gives some credibility to a sniper, but the whole blue suit, still don't know.

Cobra E.O.D. Trooper

So this guy has evolved. I just revised his accessories a bit for a final look. He gets the Cobra Missile Trooper's web gear, a Marauder RPG and claymore. It also covers up the blank shirt, and shows off the cobra sigil on the arm.

Unnamed Custom

I haven't decided if the below is going to be a Smuggler's Alliance helper or a Rogue that's off duty yet. You make the call folks...with who it is and why. Mutt Williams head and pants, Han Solo torso/arms, Luke Endor belt w/Bail Oragana blaster.

Mirax Terrik-Horn

Long story, hate the look she has in the Rogue Squadron comics, if it isn't boarderline wrong from literary descriptions. For most of the "rogue" books, Mirax has long brown hair, specifically worn in a braid for Krytos Trap in Corellian mourning style. By about I, Jedi to the NJO she picks up a bob and is known to dye her hair to pull off various assignments. She specifically is shown in the shower scene in the Union comic with a jet black bob. I've sort've taken liberties here to hybrid a lot of the source material to end up with a Lady Jaye head, Agent Courtney Cover Girl Krieger Comic pack arms/jacket, Commando Deena Shan legs, and Indiana Jones KotC russian babe torso with what you see here.

Old Republic Trooper

This was inspired by one of the panels in the Tales of the Jedi comics where the Krath use battle meditation. I used a Tripwire head, a Han Solo body/arms, with a Death Star Trooper legs.

Han Solo, New Jedi Order

I decided that I wanted an older looking Han Solo. I took a description of him at his worst in the Agents of Chaos books. This is just an Indiana Jones head on a Cantina Han Solo body with Mutt Williams jacket/arms

Yuuzhan Vong Warriors

So here's a pair of Yuuzhan Vong warriors. They're made from a Mattel Batman figure that I picked up in a two pack that included a Bruce Wayne. The head is a PTE/World Peace Keeper SWAT officer. I used a skin color from Uieseddtts at FFURG. The Tsai is from a SWAMP RAT GI Joe figure.

FFURG Casting Call 55: The Force Unleashed Secret Aprentice Outfits Sith robes

For the most part this is a Darth Vader body with a GI Joe Devil's Due Comic pack Hannibal head and Darth Maul Robe. Used and Obi-Wan belt and Xizor robe for the front skirt.

I went with a dirty face to show the ravages/consequences of using the Dark Side.

Cobra Trooper

Got a Scrap Iron body in a trade. Have spare Cobra Trooper heads and helmets. I'm out of web gear, so borrowed extra joe gear.

Reading around I guess there's a lot of desire for a Cobra trooper with a red mask since it was first seen on the box of the 84 Cobra Rattler. Don't know what all the grief was about, joe fan hysteria I guess.

It's Me, sorta

The Forgetten Force Ultimate Resource Group to Customizing aka FFURG is celebrating the 5 years of their forums going line. As some one who came to the site and joined at that time, I have been a long standing non-model citizen. Actually I'm a pain in everyone's ass, they just have to live with it or ban me.

So to celebrate, we dug out a feature called the Casting Call. Make a figure based on a given theme. We went back to the first and opened it up making customs of ourselves.



Mostly an amaglamation of PotF2 Star Wars parts (Bespin Han Solo, Darth Vader, and Royal Guard) with a Dutch Vander head supporting my Ammish/Taliban baby beard.



Do not fuck with my glassware, ever.

The World's Greatest Detective

Yep a Batman in his early days trying out suits and materials. This was made primarily from cast off parts. The legs are made from Darth Vader along with the belt, which really was one of the pieces that insipred the whole figure. The torso and arms are a SW Death STar Gunner. The cape is a PotJ Darth Vader cape. The head comes from a 2 pack figure of Bruce Wayne/Batman from Target.

Vedain

This is just a head and hand swap. I ripped this off from DnJcustoms (Don). The pants are a bit rough because I was trying to go for a dirty look, but missed on the application. This is one of the beings Luke Skywalker cuts down the Jabba's Sail barge and is not a Skiff guard per se. It is made from a Klattuu Skiff Guard body and a Red Nikito head and hands.

Clutch, 25th Style Tan Uniform

This is my crown jewel and it grew out of disatisfaction of having a tan Steeler from the Ultimate Battle Pack. My original Clutch is green, and I have a couple of Vamps. I don't have any Vamp 2s. But in the cartoon, Clutch is always drawn in this uniform. I found a Vamp on clearance for my 25th for o-ring clearance. I than just painted everything up. I like this one. It is possibly one of my best customs I've done.

Grunt, 25th Style

So Grunt was going to be one of the two figures I knew that would have to be custom versions were I to switch to 25th Style. The other is/was Grand Slam. Grunt was included with a TRU 3 pack but that is now way too expensive/hard to find. Since I was having an equally hard time finding Firefly, I came up with the solution, Firefly and the Greenshirt pack. Kills multiple birds with one stone, plus gave me 3 other bodies free for customs (2 taken by Mainframe and Hacker).

So I painted up, painted around the flag (a nice added detail), used the Hawk/Flash head with brown hair.

Grand Slam, 25th Style

Grand Slam has always been shafted. There was the 82 original, which I've copied the colors here, the 83 Jetpack version, than nothing until the DTC days, and finally another a few years later as a Target Exclusive 25th back in his Jetpack colors.

I don't know why I gave him a Jetpack. IT seems like every other figure now comes with one. I think the jetpacks are silly, but I just couldn't dig out the HAL in time to take the picture. The body like the original is shared with Flash. The head is even Flash's original.

Steeler, 25th Aniversary Style

Steeler is related to the Clutch custom. I wasn't happy with the Tan Steeler from the Ultimate Battle Pack that I got clearanced out. So I tried to make him that green/brown color of the original. I didn't quite match it, but I'll live. This is the body of a 25th Clutch, the head and helmet of that Steeler with Steeler's lower arms.

25th Style Flash

I liked my Flash custom. Pitty his o-ring kept snapping. Flash was my very first GI Joe figure. I've had several versions of this custom mostly because the comic pack shorted him by just making him an astronaut. I settled on the VvV Comic Pack Grunt head and just modified that to make it fit on the 25th style body.

Mainframe Custom Update

So meet one of the custom figures that inspired the switch to the 25th style body and away from o-rings. Hacker and Mainframe were both originally 2004 Comic Pack Grunt bodies with their respective heads. They're o-rings broke usually about every 2-3 months. So I swapped them here using the heads already given; for Mainframe a cast of the 2000 GI Joe ARAH Leatherneck, modified it to the 25th body, used a Firefly vs Greenshirt troopbuilder. Put on the old vest and now he looks like a posesed Marine hacker.

Sgt Hacker, 25th Style

So meet one of the custom figures that inspired the switch to the 25th style body and away from o-rings. Hacker and Mainframe were both originally 2004 Comic Pack Grunt bodies with their respective heads. They're o-rings broke usually about every 2-3 months. So I swapped them here using the heads already given, in Hacker's case the original, modified it to the 25th body, used a Firefly vs Greenshirt troopbuilder.

25th Style Shipwreck

This was a relatively simple custom. I disassembled the leg with the holster and cut the back end off so the pump shotgun could fit.



And Just because I can...

More Weapons and Accessories

Combat Shot Gun



So here's a gun for Flint. This started as a Marauder Inc Combat Shotgun. Trimmed off the stock. Painted the shells. Painted the handles.

Double Barreled Sawed-off Shotgun


This was one of those Marauder Inc guns that I'd been curious about for a long time. However the pictures I've seen of it aren't that imporessive. It took using a brad point bit to make holes for the double barrels to finally see this one reach its full potential. Add some brown paint to the handle, and silver dry brushing.

Modified Pump Handle Shotgun


You've noticed this is heavy on the shotguns so far. This is/will be the final one. It started with my desire to be rid of o-rings for 25th Aniversary figures. I wanted something that could pass for Shipwreck's gun. I have this one but use it for Zanzibar. Trimming off the front handle than painting it took care of the rest.

Bandolier for Duke


Just a Simple use of accessories here. I took a Clone Wars Obi-Wan Bandolier, reversed it, glued on some Grenades from bbi.

Compound Bow


This is just the bow from the 25th Aniversary Comic pack 21.5 (battle damaged Snake Eyes and Stormshadow with a cloak). I painted the bow black, gave it to Zartan (along with the cloak).

Finally, not a custom because I really didn't do much here. I just have the Marauder Inc Tactical Pistol to Gen Hawk and put it in his holster. Fits better than the Hasbro guns and just about any other pistol from any other line I tried.