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Thread
: Lines/Colors/3D
The GI Joe/Cobra Concept Art & Filecard Project
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03-31-2011, 08:13 PM
zuludelta
EQ-Viper
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 4,343
One of the most problematic characters in GI Joe, in my mind, was Budo. At least Quick-Kick had a decent sounding job ("Silent Weapons"). Budo, on the other hand, was listed as a "Samurai Warrior." Not a "martial arts expert" or an "edged weapons expert," he was a feudal retainer (which is what the samurai were, if you get down to the brass tacks). In the US Army. In the 20th century.
On the surface, he shouldn't be worse than the ninjas or the guys who dressed in Civil War/19th century Indian Wars-inspired costumes (Cross-Country, Spirit, etc.) but he was such a complete anachronism, from design to his job, I just couldn't make it work in my head when I was a kid. I mean, Cross-Country wore a Confederate Army kepi and Confederate Army gray trousers, but at least he was an armored vehicle driver. Spirit might have been dressed like a cross between a 19th century Apache Scout and a Rough Rider Volunteer Cavalryman, but at least he was a tracker.
Anyway, he's been something of a pet project of mine, because his filecard makes him sound cool (listens to heavy metal, rides a Harley, black belt in three martial arts) and I took it as a challenge to update his look whilst still retaining the silhouette (more or less) of the original toy design.
Anyway, all the civil unrest happening lately sort of got me interested in anti-riot gear as references...
a lot of it
, to me, looks like it could fit the "modern
kabuto
" aesthetic in my head. This is what I came up with:
The long baton he's holding is based on
the long (36+ inches) batons used by anti-riot and SWAT police
(civilian and military) in many African and Asian countries. The US Armed Forces used to use them as well (the USAF "air police" at Clark Air Base used 36 and 40 inch long batons made from
kamagong
or rattan for a time throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s). The long baton is no longer standard issue in the US military, but its use is still taught in advanced combatives (the basics of baton use, adapted from the Filipino martial art of
arnis/kali
, is the focus of the "Bludgeoning Weapons" section of the 2009 edition of Field Army Manual 3.25-150). I figure Budo would use one as an application of his kendo/kobudo skills.
Of course, this means I'll probably have to re-write his filecard to reflect an MP background (as opposed to infantry), so that the costume/gear makes sense. Which is okay, I think... I don't think switching him from a dogface to Army fuzz betrays any significant design elements (I certainly don't think of Budo when I think "GI Joe infantryman").
Thanks for looking!
__________________
Last edited by zuludelta; 03-31-2011 at
08:38 PM
.. Reason: updated pic link
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