Ultimate Spirit and Freedom G.I. JOE Custom Action Figure Art

While I really like Spirit's portrayal as a smart, stoic individual with a keen knowledge of the natural world in the G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero comic book series written by Larry Hama, his portrayal in the 80's cartoon as a mystic "other" with a bad stereotypical Native American accent annoyed me. So I always had mixed feelings about the character. And when he was released in the 25th Anniversary line in 2008, the figure was abysmal. It looked as if they had run out of money to paint his details. Freedom, his eagle companion was a plain brown and worst of all, Spirit's head-sculpt and deco made him look like an 80-year-old Johnny Cash impersonator. (See pic for comparison below.)

So as you can see, Spirit needed an overhaul. First, I added washes to his clothes and gear to bring out the sculpted details. Then, I went to town on the gear painting his grenades, trinkets, clips, handles, and even the buttons on his pouches. I painted the gun barrel and scope and detailed the "arrows" in the removable clips. I gave Freedom a wash and then dry brushed his feathers to bring out all the details.

Finally, I replaced his head with a Slayer Design Studios head that was a better likeness of Spirit and had more Native American-like features. The hair braids were a particular challenge as the head was cast in a fairly rigid plastic. And even after heating and shaping the braids around the gear, the one on the right still stuck out very unnaturally. I carefully cut the braid mid-length and repositioned it using some sculpting material so that it laid closer to his chest and followed the contours of his gear. I then painted the head matching the skin tone of the arms.

I hope you dig him. If you do, follow me on Twitter or follow this blog at the link on the right so you don't miss out. Until next time, I remain The Insidious One.

Selene from Underworld Awakening Custom Action Figure Art - In Progress

I was planning to have my latest Selene custom action figure finished for the theatrical premiere of Underworld Awakening on Friday, January 20th. But it doesn't look like I'll have the time to do it.


However, I still wanted to share my excitement for the latest installment in the Vampire vs. Werewolf vs. Humans franchise with a rare behind the scenes "test fit" photo. A test fit is when I assemble all the pieces that will go into a custom figure for the first time. I've already worked on the individual parts sanding, smoothing, prepping, and even sculpting them, but this is the first time I see them all working together. It is here that I make sure the proportions are right and make any final mechanical adjustments.

My first Selene was okay, but since I was finally able to get the Slayer Design Studios torso, I wanted to upgrade everything about the figure including a head that looked more like actress Kate Beckinsale. This time, I used a different Joe head as a base and then sculpted the hair. (I also sculpted bracers on her arms - Not pictured.) The rest of the body parts are from various Joe females. Some of the joints didn't quite fit together so I had to dremel them a bit. And while the detail on the Slayer torso is top notch, the corset "tribal" markings were omitted.

To remedy the situation, I painstakingly created a waterslide decal of the tribal markings and will apply it to the finished figure. (What's a waterslide decal? You can see what I'm talking about here.) The decal turned out really great and I can't wait to see it applied to the figure.

I hope you enjoyed this sneak-peak behind the creative curtain. I'll post finished pics as soon as she is complete. Until next time, I remain The Insidious One.