Frostbite G.I. JOE Pursuit of Cobra Style Custom Action Figure Art

I'll admit, it; the G.I. JOE: Pursuit of Cobra line is growing on me. To that end, I thought it only proper that I create a Pursuit of Cobra style Frostbite to go with the Wolf Hound (Snow Cat.)

I feel there are a few trademark characteristics of the POC line such as the heavy use of camouflage patterns, spicing up older parts by combining them in new and interesting ways, a darker color scheme, and the inclusion of a lot of removable gear. I've tried to capture all of these elements with this figure right down to the removable ski hat and goggles. For that extra level of detail, he also features my custom made waterslide decal polar bear shoulder patch.

He fits great inside the Wolf Hound (Snow Cat.)

"Cobra Commander is gonna be so pissed when he finds out we got captured."

I hope you dig him. If you'd like to commission a custom piece of your own, contact me through my profile link at the top of the page. Until next time, I remain The Insidious One.

Juno Eclipse (Tank Top) From Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Custom Action Figure Art

After I posted my latest Juno Eclipse, I realized that I created two other Junos whose pictures I haven't shared on the blog. Today's Friday Flashback remedies the situation.

After seeing my first Juno in casual attire, a client contacted me to commission a Juno for himself. I asked if he would mind if I made her in her tank top. (As a rule, I never exactly duplicate a piece as I consider each of them to be a unique piece of art.) In the end, he couldn't make up his mind so he commissioned both; one in a jacket and one in a tank top.

Sculpting her tank topped torso was a major task but I'm happy with the result. I'd like to redo this version at some point as I prefer the ball jointed elbows that most figures are using these days.

"Hey baby, check out my red lightsaber."

"Honey, I've been from one end of this galaxy to the other and let me tell you, I've seen much redder lightsabers."

Here's an "in progress" pic on my work table. The one on on the left is in the middle of being sanded and the one on the right is pre-sanding. You can see that Juno's "perkiness" was of great concern. ;-) (Pay no attention to the Mon Mothma torso standing-in as a head support.)

Hope you enjoyed these pics and this little sneak peak into my creative world. Until next time, I remain the "Insidious One."

Frostbite G.I. JOE 25th Anniversary Style Custom Action Figure Art

I never owned the vintage Snowcat but the box art is memorable to me because Snake-Eyes is sitting next to Frostbite in the front seat. (I always felt Snake-Eyes was a poor choice for that  mission with his skin-tight, all-black outfit, but maybe Frostbite was just driving him to the mission site.) The package is also memorable because the expression on Frostbite's face is so intense but the actual figure, which is a mere inch away from the painted faces features the biggest grin I've ever seen on a 3.75" figure.

So when the new Pursuit of Cobra Snow Cat...errr, I mean "Wolf Hound" was released, I just had to get one. Unfortunately the driver they included with the vehicle wasn't Frostbite. Instead they included some generic looking guy named "White Out" who must have gotten his code name because he used to work in the accounting department before they started using computers. (Get it? White out? *Sorry*) Further, the Frostbite that Hasbro did release in the Rise of Cobra line just didn't have the look or the "character" of the original figure. (He's wearing a ski-mask.) So I decided to make a 25th Anniversary style Frostbite more remenicent of the original, complete with the original figure's goofy grin.

After I started this piece, I saw some other great-looking Frostbite custom figures on HissTank.com.  While the paint jobs looked fantastic, it's hard to get white paint to cover other base colors. And no matter how well you sand, prep, and seal, with use over time the paint on the joints will eventually wear away. So I was determined to; #1 not paint his joints and #2 make his uniform a bright white color to match his vintage uniform while at the same time making him look unique when standing next to 25th Anniversary Snow Job whose uniform is a very dull white.

I achieved this by using a Snow Job from the Past and Present Target Exclusive box set as a base and carefully removing all of the paint and camo from his uniform. (On a side note, the file card art for the vintage "Rockslide" that came with this set features an image that looks like vintage Frostbite. Perhaps Hasbro had intended to create a 25th Anniversary Frostbite and scrapped the idea after the artwork was created?)

I used a ROC Shipwreck head and sculpted the furry hat around a pair of Snow Job Goggles. I cut the pockets off the chest of the figure and sculpted the jacket fur and collar. His head is also completely repainted to create a black bushy beard and his famous grin.

The final touch is a custom designed waterlside decal for his arm. After much research and debate, I call it a Polar Bear. (Perhaps he's a member of the "Polar Bear Club?")

He includes two pistols and his sniper rifle.

"C'mon Snow Job, let's march these snakes back to base."

"Sir, I normally don't talk to strangers but I lost my compass and your big smile lets me know that you're a nice man."

"That's right little girl, bad people never smile."

I had a lot of fun making him. If you dig him, leave a comment. Or if you need a suitable driver for your Snow Cat...errr, I mean Wolf Hound contact me regarding a commission. Until next time, I remain The Insidious One.

Blond Teela Custom Action Figure Art from Masters of the Universe Classics

I remember the moment I discovered Masters of the Universe as vividly as if it were yesterday. The year was 1982 and I was a little boy in a Venture discount department store with my mother and, as usual, I had sneaked away to check out the toys. I was looking for Star Wars figures but before I could get to them, I discovered these massive, grotesquely muscled heroes and monsters. They were all posed in a weird squatting pose and they were much larger than the Star Wars figures that I was used to. They repulsed me so I skipped over them and continued to search for Star Wars toys.

But then like a car wreck on the highway, I came back to them. The beautiful paintings by Rudy Obrero on the vehicle and playset boxes sucked me into thier weird world with their epic depictions of massive battles. I labored over them discerning every detail of the battle.

I was completely fascinated but I knew my parents wouldn't let me start collecting a new series of action figures (particularly one that wasn't in scale with my Star Wars figures) so I put any thought of getting them out of my head.

A few days later one of my more "well-off" friends at school started bringing in the mini-comics that were packaged with the figures. The art inside by Alfredo Alcala was amazing and I finally learned what these guys were all about; they lived on a strange planet where they fought over a powerful sword and a mysterious skull-faced castle. The main character was a barbarian who left his people in the jungle to help fight evil and he was called He-Man.

There was also a beautiful blond haired warrior woman in these stories called Teela. She rode a gold unicorn and would often get captured by Skeletor who wanted her as his bride. But she was also a fighter who wasn't afraid to jump into battle with a sword or an axe. It was during these battles that we saw her long golden tresses flowing with each swing of her weapon.

I was hooked and thanks to Santa, I got my hands on some of the figures. However, shortly thereafter, the entire Masters of the Universe mythology was re-written to follow a superhero/secret identity model and Teela's hair changed from blond to a reddish/auburn color.

I understand why they made the change in the story; to make the world a little less severe and therefore friendlier to younger kids and their moms, but I still prefer these original stories. And "Blond Teela" is a part of them. This is my homage to her.

She is of course based on the MOTUC (Masters of the Universe Classics) Teela action figure and includes two heads both of which are repainted including the eyes and lips to make them a little sexier. The hair on the "long hair" head is two parts. The part near her shoulders is rubber so that she still has a full range of head poseability. The top is a firmer sculpting material that allowed me to capture that wispy 80's hair from the comics.

I hope you dig her. If you do, leave a comment. Until next time, I remain "The Insidious One."

Ultimate Destro (3) from G.I. JOE Custom Action Figure Art

While it's fun to see the updated "Pursuit of Cobra" takes on classic G.I. JOE characters, I miss the 25th Anniversary line where they would try to recreate the vintage looks. However, even that line missed the boat on several characters including those that were released multiple times. This explains my obsession with perfecting 25th Anniversary Destro.

Every time I re-do a character, I make subtle improvements. This is the third time I've created "Ultimate Destro" and I finally feel like I've perfected him. (You can see my first version and read more about the character and his history here. You can see my second version here.)

He's all black just like his vintage figure and this time I painted the outside of his collar black to match the vintage figure as well. I brought out the metal details with different shades of paint and then washed and highlighted them to give them a more worn and realistic look. (Even his gun features a dry brush.) I also detailed his necklace gem and hit his belts, boots, and straps with a varnish to make the black on black really pop.

Now he's ready to take on the Joes, The Baroness, and even The Cobra Commander when he gets uppity...

"Don't bother me, Destro! My plan is foolproof!"

"Even my patience has its limits, my dear Cobra Commander."

"Oh, stop sputtering like a broken toaster and..."

"Ack! Destro, put me down!"

"Do not lay hands on me again, Commander!"

"Destro darling, put him down."

"I'm taking over this operation, Commander. This time, we will not fail!"

"Destromeo, you're sooo irresistible when you take charge."

"Oh brother, hissssss!"

Hope you dig him. You can leave a comment below.

Juno Eclipse (Casual Attire) Custom Action Figure Art from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Did I mention that I love Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game for the Wii? Oh yeah, I did.

And while I also love the Toys R Us exclusive box sets of figures, they still didn't get Juno Eclipse right. So in anticipation of The Force Unleashed 2 video game being released later this year, I've created another Juno Eclipse and this time she's even better.

I used the new box set version of Juno as a base, replaced her long sleeved arms with custom sculpted shorter sleeve arms, sculpted that sexy disheveled hairdo she had when she kissed the Starkiller for the first and last time, and then repainted the whole figure.

Comment below if you dig her. Until next time, I remain "The Insidious One."