Recipe: Head/Bandolier – DG Storm Shadow. Hood – Arctic Monkeyhead Snake Eyes.  Modded, to be more ninja-like and not as melty as it ended up as. Torso/Feet – 25th Anniversary Storm Shadow. Upper Arms – Resolute Storm Shadow. Lower Arms – ROC Tornado Kick Snake Eyes. Hands/Upper Legs – ROC Storm Shadow. Knees – ROC Rollbar. Lower Legs – M.A.R.S. Trooper. Biggest Fail: By quirk of fate, the parts I used for his arms were all on the long side while his legs were all on the short side.  He looks like a weirdly-orangutastic thing. Biggest Nail: I’m really, really happy with how the paint apps came out.  I think this might have been the first figure where I was totally happy with the paintjob.

Recipe: Head/Upper Arm Right/Lower Arms/Lower Legs – ROC Flash. Torso – Retaliation Red Ninja. Skirt – Valor Vs Venom (VVV can bite my ass) Kamakura. Hood – Arctic Monkeyhead Snake Eyes.  Modded, to be more ninja-like. Upper Legs – ROC Snake Eyes. Upper Arm Left/Knees/Feet – DVD Battles Snake Eyes. Sword – Fodder from Ninja Dojo battle sets. Biggest Fail: The hood got a bit melty and ended up looking like a decroded piece of crap. Biggest Nail: I actually love his arms and legs being from ROC Flash.  I know it’s probably not everybody’s same notion, but I frickin’ love it.

As with the rest of the Ninja Force customs I had planned, I put together the parts for this one two years ago and have only just reinvigorated myself with my customs. Sure, a bit ambitious to take on the project of the entire crappyass, dayglo 90’s G.I. Joe Ninja Force all at once.  I see that now.  But them limits, they is there to be pushed. I knew that I would put off Zartan and his zany colours and wacky mohawk though, because I was anxious about trying to sculpt that damn mohawk!  I looked around for custom cast heads too, but I don’t remember finding anything that would work.  I even bought some proper Green Stuff (shit is spendy!) for sculpting, but Chief Craft Supervisor Wife got ahold of it and I haven’t seen it since. Then one day I was looking at the Banzai that I did (will link later) and I remembered that his hair was originally off of one of the ROC ladies that I have heaps of. Sure enough, I got to looking at… Read moreCustoms – Ninja Force Zartan

It was well over a year ago that I was cruising through my endeavour to make a modern version of all the old G.I. Joe Ninja Force* figures.  I think I bumbled my way through Dojo and T’Jbang before making some that I actually liked, like Tiger Claw and Kamakura. I was gung-ho for the rest though, such to the point that I had the parts all picked out for each one and in their own plastic compartment in my morgue-like customs container. Now, nearly two years later, and I’ve gotten a workspace set up and have reignited the passion, and Jinx was my first jump back into the fray. *Yes, I know she wasn’t technically “Ninja Force” but she’s a ninja and… a force… and needed an homage.  Shoosh.   Naturally since the SDCC versions are absolutely fantastic and don’t need a thing done to ’em, this one is based off the Valor Vs Venom (VVV can bite my ass) Agent Jinx, that came in a 2-pack with a weird-looking Slice.  The figures were, yeah, weird, but the card… Read moreCustoms – Agent Jinx

So a while back, coupla years ago, I had a couple of the Defense of Cobra Island (DOCI) Alley Vipers that I got for cheap from Sinodolls on eBay that don’t come with any gear.  None.  Bare. I tried to make the gear myself and had a… well, a real learning experience. Welp, when I saw another one come up in auction for a penny, I grabbed him up and decided that I was going to try and do this thing proper.  Make the equipment as near to the real thing as I could without casting it myself or getting parts from somewhere else and painting those. I started by sanding off the shitty enamel paint from before.  I tried to be kind to myself too, reminding that it was all I could find nearby and all I could afford, etc. but it was still a pain in the ass. Not having much else to work with, I kept the base helmets and vests and sanded the fuck outta them.  I had one extra vest I’d put on another figure… Read moreCustoms – Alley Vipers Revisited

One of my absolute FAVOURITE O-ring Joes was the Night Viper.  I loved him so much that I frequently swapped heads for a cool-looking Joe (like Dial-Tone or Falcon) to make them like, undercover.  Not even terribly sure why I loved it so much, just did. So of course I was stoked when they announced a Night Viper coming out in the Retaliation line of toys.  Thing is, I’d already had the parts and bits together for this project though.  Plus, when I got a gander at the one they’d come out with, $40 on eBay and all, I saw just another kitbash with some cool colouring.  Stupid Hasbro. So I was even more motivated to make my own. Recipe (body): Head – Night Adder Chest/Torso/Arms – POC Snake Eyes Upper legs (outer) – ROC Duke (Impact Armor) Upper legs (inner) – ROC Ripcord Knees – POC Gayass Tornado Kick Snake Eyes Lower legs – POC Gayass Whirlwind Kick Storm Shadow Feet – ROC Charbroil with bits I cut off POC Gayass Tornado Kick Snake Eyes shins Recipe (gear): Visor… Read moreCustoms – Night Viper

It was nearly a year ago when I first got really into Assassin’s Creed and I LOVED IT. I looked for toys, but there just aren’t that many. When I first decided I was going to do this, make this custom, I knew it was a relatively big fucking deal. No illusions here. I wanted to push it though, to attempt something that most others wouldn’t do. I wanted to create a figure that simply doesn’t exist commercially (that I know of) and I wanted to do it entirely of extra Joe parts that I had. Recipe (body): Head – Rise of Cobra Duke Chest – 25th Anniversary Storm Shadow Waist – Ditto Upper arms – ROC Gayass Tornado Kick Snake Eyes Lower arms – ROC Arctic Storm Shadow Upper legs – Resolute Storm Shadow Knees/Lower legs (upper) – Ditto Shins – Pursuit of Cobra Alley Viper Feet – 25th Anniversary Storm Shadow Note the missing finger that not only allows for ease-of-use with the hidden blade but also is a sign of the Assassin’s dedication (from first game only,… Read moreCustoms – Altaïr (Assassin’s Creed)

I was damn lucky to not only have a Kamakura from Joenerd TJ (two actually, both $4 from clearance shelf at Toyworld) but also a beat-up one from a $30 lot I got from the US (with True Heroes boat and 22 figures).  Since he’s made up of 25th Ann. Storm Shadow (v30, I think) I didn’t need the parts really.  But I knew when I used it that I wanted it to be for a proper Kamakura custom. When I was getting the idea for Sandstorm, BANG, it hit me.  Don’t forget Kamy! So there you go.  But his blue wasn’t green enough for me, considering that he’s always, always green in some way.  And I wanted him to have some sort of body armour on his lower parts to match the upper parts, making him more armoury and tough and Impact Armor Awesome.  Plus, it gives me a chance to balance things drybrush-wise. Recipe Head/Torso/Arms/Upper Legs – ROC Kamakura Lower Leg – ROC Snake Eyes (v47) Feet – Resolute Storm Shadow Backpack – Sword sheaths from ROC Storm… Read moreCustoms – Kamakura, Rise of Cobra