3rd party Prototype: Devil Ray w/ Sea Demon

[Viper6]

If youve been following my two WIP threads for the Devil Ray (Sea Ray II) http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-joe-customs-works-progress/239285-devil-ray-sea-ray-ii-wip-viper6.html and Sea Demon (a.k.a. Hydro-Viper) http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-joe-customs-works-progress/237086-demon-deep-hydro-viper-wip-viper6.html you know how much time and effort have gone into this duo.

I want to first thank my fellow tankers Tofujesse for casting the tinted canopy, Alyosha for the 411 on green stuff, Cobrastickers.com for their awesome decals, and my new friend carlos aka "the process" whos currently working on packaging. yup, I aim to produce a limited number of these for those of you who have expressed interest and hope to interest a few more.

Hope you all enjoy the rather extensive layout

FYI, there will likely be some improvements/alterations, hence "PROTOTYPE".

***edit***: its been brought to my attention that on the devil ray filecard i mistakenly switched the 20mm cannon and the .50 cal gun, being a vet of many years and fired .50 cals a good bit ole viper 6 knows the difference and this will be fixed on the production card, as for technicalities of countermeasures i have been schooled about chaff and flares and will more correctly detail this as well (thanks medikeighted).

[DarkHorse]

My only crit is the pics. Regular ones would be better. Fantastic work though!

[Viper6]

That's just my style darkhorse love or hate it...it lets me share more, thanks for the kind words on the project brother!

[Airmax]

Awesome man, love it! The customs are both awesome - the fact that you're making a mini run of these with packaging is amazing.

....

[Viper6]

Awesome man, love it! The customs are both awesome - the fact that you're making a mini run of these with packaging is amazing.

....

Well, that's the intent; phase one is done...wish me luck.

[Dem_Yoe'z!]

Wow that is incredible! Count me in for wanting one. Any idea on pricing and production numbers?

[Viper6]

well the more folks that want em, obviously the cheaper we can do em...but we've only begun to toss the production ball around; my parts essentially done... concept, mockups, prototyping and coordinating the real talent i need to take this to task. once jess gets my prototypes in hand, reverse engineers it, then figures out how much the set up is going to cost us i'll have an idea. then carlos is going to have to get me pricing on boxing this bad boy up. think the stickers will be at buyers discretion, just to avoid any licensing issues (cobra symbols and all) not sure how to approach that; dont want anyone to have the hasbro nazis knocking on their door. I'll put out more info after the con, right now i think everyones attention is on that.

[CobraOfficer999]

Looks Grrrr-ate!

[TofuJesse]

AMAZING! That's all I can say, my jaw is on the floor. Hit me up plus I'll see you at Joecon.

[Dragasses]

Well, that's the intent; phase one is done...wish me luck.
I do. stellar work.

[grimdizel]

hell yea man, great job....excellent work. Good luck hustling them, can't wait to see that packaging.

[england joe]

This is AWESOME flower, sorry mate lol
FRONT PAGE WORTHY A DEFINATE

[england joe]

Come on mods front page

[TofuJesse]

^^^I second that..front page^^^

This is AWESOME flower, sorry mate lol
FRONT PAGE WORTHY A DEFINATE

[RolandofGilead]

Excellent! I would definitely buy one if the price were right.

[rglass2]

Yeah very nice...would love to buy one when they are ready

[Viper6]

Come on mods front page

i've yet to get a front page, thanks for the vote of confidence, guess we'll see.

[Gear Viper]

damn nice, amazing craftsmanship!

[england joe]

Hello mods this is awesome
FRONT PAGE

[england joe]

***STAFF EDIT*** Please stop.

[Viper6]

***STAFF EDIT*** Please stop.

dont piss em off now....or they wont even entertain the idea. but thanks for the persistance.

[protoxero]

good work man, and i dont say that often!

[Knight-Owl]

Really Cool!
You definitely have my interests piqued.

[MethaZord]

Sign me up how! actually how do we prove we're interested?
get at my pm on a price point and all that!!!

[heymilt]

That looks good!
Shiny & awesome. Bravo.

[Viper6]

Sign me up how! actually how do we prove we're interested?
get at my pm on a price point and all that!!!

i'll put out an order thread after the con, keep it locked here for details!

[iDzBowl]

Despite the negative feedback on your display of pictures in the previous threads, I would like to say that your style is a win brotha! You nailed it this time too, great customs and everything else involved! I believe it's front page worthy also!

[pstearman]

thats awesome man great work. Can't wait to see the packaging. defiantly interested I'n one if the price is right

[Viper6]

Despite the negative feedback on your display of pictures in the previous threads, I would like to say that your style is a win brotha! You nailed it this time too, great customs and everything else involved! I believe it's front page worthy also!

thanks iDz...Mayhem in da HOUSE! front paged or not, its undeniably my best work and im thankful for all of you clamoring for the mods to throw it up, whether they do or not your kind words and encouragement are much appreciated. Thanks brother.

[CrimsonGuard101]

yes frontpage...this is killer awesome..!

[Xenos]

So, are you thinking the figure will be painted?

[Shin Densetsu]

Tight

[Viper6]

yes frontpage...this is killer awesome..!

got quite an endorsement going here, startn to wonder what it takes to get "front paged" round this place? eh, put away the torches and pitchforks; either they will or they wont, i'll say this though, if this piece dont cut it, really cant imagine what will.

[Viper6]

So, are you thinking the figure will be painted?

figure will be color cast and the accents painted, thats the plan. we;ll see what takes shape.

[Xenos]

figure will be color cast and the accents painted, thats the plan. we;ll see what takes shape.

Cool. This kind of thing is something that the Joe community is really lacking. I hope it works out, and I hope I can add it to my collection.

[Troynos]

Like the idea. Hopefully can get enough support to get the price down to where it's doable.

I know the pictures are your style, but doing up some less stylistic and more basic ones can only help out.

[Viper6]

Cool. This kind of thing is something that the Joe community is really lacking. I hope it works out, and I hope I can add it to my collection.

i know right? TF got 3rd party product for days and im sorry, even if the numbers dont support it, joe is the better franchise;
and we got insane talent in this community. hasbro dont wanna hire us ...then they can be content with their current talent pool pushn out retardation, meanwhile we'll cover down on the community ;).

[Knight-Owl]

Nice,
I'm happy to hear it'll be cast in color plastic.
Really interested in seeing how this unfolds.

[Viper6]

Like the idea. Hopefully can get enough support to get the price down to where it's doable.

I know the pictures are your style, but doing up some less stylistic and more basic ones can only help out.

alright, alright i'll add one or two full blown single shot pics of the figure and the vehicle just for you troynos...;) but not tonight.

considering what fans pay for exclusive items, i think we can do alright and turn a small profit without putn anyone in the poorhouse. my aim here isnt to get rich, its to get 3rd party productions off the ground in this community, but we do gotta make it worth doing and cover the cost of initial set up and subsequent production.

fyi, in materials alone, i got no bullshit over 350.00 into this. now with time, at about 40-50 hours between figure and vehicle....yeah, i'd need to sell this for like 500.00 just to break even. hell that hasnt even accounted for compensating carlos for the proposed packaging which i largely designed (had he done it from scratch i fear what the bill might be!).

we'll work it out and make it managable and hopefully inspire some other folks to do the same.

[josey wales]

Great work, bro. Count me among the interested.

[Viper6]

Tight

thanks shin, much appreciated.

[Stronox]

Loving it, keep up the fantastic work!!

[mikey77]

Holy crap! thats insane!!wow! Mayhem representing!!!!!!

[Tankster]

I will always like the original design but I like how yours is one solid sub and does not have a detachable glider

[SoCalKid]

Awesome! I've been watching your process, and the finished proto is badass! A downward-facing light might be a cool idea and nod to real submersible craft. Keep up the awesome work!

[Quartermaine]

I am definitely interested in supporting Indy toy makers. Play let me on your list

[hurricane]

this thing is beyone dope! what is it based off of?

EDIT, nevermind. I see it is built off of the Star Wars Obi Wan's Naboo Royal Starfighter

http://www.hasbrotoyshop.com/star-wars-naboo-royal-fighter-vehicle-with-obi-wan-kenobi-figure?BR=495&ST=SO&PG=3

[Storm]

Ok bro need to addmit it. I wasn't in a big WOW when you first time spoke about this project but now.... Now i see how wrong I was. This is fucking amazing stuff bud, that thing is beauty, overall execution is very sharp and with very clean painting.
Definitely worth front page!!

[Hawkeye]

Strong work! I dig it!

I really like that Hydro Viper! I would buy that Hydro Viper in a second if he were at retail!

[Viper6]

I will always like the original design but I like how yours is one solid sub and does not have a detachable glider

yeah love the arah sea ray as i do, i HATE how it breaks apart and how the figures are laughably expected to attach and operate that glider section, and given the airframe it doesnt look to manuever well, not well enough for aircombat with the pilot just hangn there. and that sub section...well, yeah the whole thing needed some love so the "devil ray" finaly gives the joe sharc something to take seriously.

[Viper6]

Awesome! I've been watching your process, and the finished proto is badass! A downward-facing light might be a cool idea and nod to real submersible craft. Keep up the awesome work!

you say the light "might be" a cool idea...you do see that it has one right? and thats exactly what i was going for...whether patroling the murky depths or sweeping the beaches from above that light was a must.

[Viper6]

Ok bro need to addmit it. I wasn't in a big WOW when you first time spoke about this project but now.... Now i see how wrong I was. This is fucking amazing stuff bud, that thing is beauty, overall execution is very sharp and with very clean painting.
Definitely worth front page!!

to be honest storm when you have it in hand theres error after error ive noticed, but then im hypercritical of everything i do. this being the prototype im hoping my castor can correct some of these errors even if the proto gets roughed up, itll be worth it. for example some of the sanding shows through the paint, barely noticable but still...shouldve went finer grit. the green stuff around the pilons couldve been more flush its a slightly discernable rise, one of the 20mm cannons is a hair forward of the other and the tail section joint on the underside isnt all that cleanly sculpted. but running one through a mold then finely sanding/moding that cast as the new proto should fix the imperfections...i hope (jess?).

as to the front paging of this thing...your like the 7th or 8th person to suggest it, instead we get retardation toys? i dunno bro...really just dont know any mo.

[lowlight27]

I think this should be front paged! Great job, love all your customs and the work you've put in!

[kennywr22]

Awesome work. The hydro viper was always one of my favorites. Count me in for one as long as its not too much out of my price range.

[punchitchewy80]

hell yeah thats awesome il take one definatley.

[Viper6]

not sure what kind of numbers we can sustain or what the pricing will be yet, but even if half of you folks wanting one are seriously gonna pull the trigger and can afford it, i think we got a nice market base building up...and our work cut out for us. stay tuned for more info after the con; i'll start a thread for preorders which will likely require a down payment (something like 20% should let us get the gears going and secure your product, it will be in order of the list; once we establish the official list, i can tell you that much).

[Medcom77]

I'll be looking forward to the progress of this project as well, everything looks great and top notch :)

[tkprime]

I really like this, It's a fantastic update to the original!!! Excellent work!

[Viper6]

thanks TK.

[Viper6]

xxxx i appreciate the praises, its been exceptional, the feedback ive gotten on this. means a lot gents.

[theprocess]

There should be a couple of emails waiting for you.

[Cobraoner]

Really cool man .. I like it .. better yet I love it .. the black accents it so well .. Ilov eit man it couldnt of came out better!

[Playful]

Wow! Great work.

Count me in for one!

[Viper6]

There should be a couple of emails waiting for you.

holy shit carlos, that packiging is INSANE! made a few requests and offered up a few ideas as well but gawdaaaaymn i love where this is going. if you throw up a thread link to my OP here and I'll link you back as well, just remeber "WIP" til we iron out the final details/format. this REALLY made my morning, fellow tankers, you will be astounded, amazed, and blown the fuck away!

(think you pretty much have to do a thread to preview this shit now)

[Viper6]

okay so carlos aka the process took my initial designs for packaging and expanded on them and i love what he did, still a WIP all this but we're sharing the goods thus far, check it out, http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-joe-customs-works-progress/245679-box-art-sea-devil-sea-demon-viper6.html#post3758185hes he's a ninja, even if he called a sea devil...i'll forgive him cause this shit is epic. the proposed packaging will include a poster, tech spechs, suggetsed sticker map and possible stickers or directions to the good folks at cobrastickers.com...hoping to get em on board all official n shit and have em run a bonafide devil ray set that includes red versions of carlos' clever manta ray.

in other good news Hisstank MOD C.I.A.D. promised some upcoming front page love for this endeavor!

Thanks for all the support people!

[luigi]

yeah love the arah sea ray as i do, i HATE how it breaks apart and how the figures are laughably expected to attach and operate that glider section, and given the airframe it doesnt look to manuever well, not well enough for aircombat with the pilot just hangn there. and that sub section...well, yeah the whole thing needed some love so the "devil ray" finaly gives the joe sharc something to take seriously.

sea ray?

[Viper6]

sea ray?

YOJOE.COM | Cobra Sea Ray | YoJoe.com: Dedicated to the G.I.Joe of the 80's, 90's and beyond! (http://www.yojoe.com/vehicles/87/searay/)

yeah, the sea ray.

[Asphalt]

That came out nice dude.

[RolandofGilead]

Still waiting on a price.

[Chief CWO]

Depending on price I'd be in for one. Very nice work man.

[Viper6]

After the con we'll figure out price n logistics. Thanks for all the interest.

[jwmagick]

I'm interested in one or maybe two depending on price. I like the way you did the photos. I think they look like professional offerings.

[jwmagick]

Okay, after seeing the packaging maybe two. :)

[sune]

total win so splendid!!

[Viper6]

Sadly the devil ray and sea demon didnt make it to con or the contest floor because the club wants to make statements like "all items must remain in place unitl 1pm sunday" which for those leaving early sunday suggest they cant enter...sadly this wasnt the case and how pissed off am I ...VERY! anyway another tanker seriosuly brought it and won so its all good; but damn they ought to be a lil more specific with regard to preference vs requirement.

rant aside i met alyosha and tofujesse and had a great chat about bringing the devil ray/sea demon to you folks and everything involved in that; everythings looking good thus far. im due to ship each of them the respective components (jess vehicle, john figure) this week for assessment and build quotes, still having some concern about the rear firing anti pursuit rocket but hopefully we can work that out. Carlos (theprocess) is killing the packaging and exceeding expectations, i see from recent posted updates he misunderstood some of my stated preferences but i love what hes doing...just need to make some minor changes but this is going so good i can hardly believe it.

working on negotiating a specific decal set with the "option" to make it a cobra craft, that way it isnt sold with that intent. ideally sets will include carlos' awesome cobra-esque ray symbol and the full on arah stuff too.

talked to dave from hasbro, their sculpt manager...shared the devil ray pics on my phone with him; was hoping hed show interest in my talent and inquire about the project maybe even invite me to look into hasbro but he gave me a rather perturbed "yeah i think i seen that, its pretty good" and i felt the mood change.
during a second conversation day two he directed me to john their design lead, but john was constantly overwhelmed so we didnt get to talk but i know folks that know him through further networking and im going to hit him up.

really wish we could have got the ray some more press, win or not just to have her out there....damn it club, damn it all.

maybe I can hit another event here this summer but with what ive spent at joecon...unlikely fellas.

stay tuned for updates.

[lowlight27]

MODS Need to Front PAGE this!

[Viper6]

MODS Need to Front PAGE this!

mod "CIAD" said i was in the que for it but that was days ago?

[Kann]

What mold (toy line) did you take from to customize that peace so well?

[lowlight27]

Front page Bump! Destro? Come in Destro?

[Viper6]

What mold (toy line) did you take from to customize that peace so well?

check out the OP for the WIP link. its all explained. thanks for the compliment.

[JoeMama]

this is wicked!
are you offering any out of the box, or just boxed?
count me as an interested party for a loose one, pending a price under $50 per unit.

[Viper6]

this is wicked!
are you offering any out of the box, or just boxed?
count me as an interested party for a loose one, pending a price under $50 per unit.

it wont be under 50.00, just cant, not initially; if the run somehow takes us into more of a mass production at a later date, a second release might be your best bet. they will always be boxed, to protect the item and for artistic reasons too, the box doesnt add much to the cost so theres no real reason not to want one, aaaaand the newly designed box (yet to be revealed) is just fkn siiiiick.

[Viper6]

should have the details ironed out this weekend and a price and preorders within the next week....if all goes as planned. stay flexible folks but i assure you this will see release ;)

[jwmagick]

11. No questioning/mouthing off at staff.
If you have a problem with a decision a member of staff has made, PM them. If you feel that you are being harassed by a member of the staff, please contact an Administrator.

http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-joe-general-discussion/41-official-forum-sig-pic-rules-read-me.html

[alaroc]

Sign me up for a set. Looking forward to the box art and pre-order price reveal...

[Neuspeaq]

Bad week for a FP if you ask me; with all the con stuff gettin' FP'd (now with all the SDCC stuff comin' out,) better to hold off until after the con buzz is passed...

plus constantly pointing out the Mod's 'injustice' isn't going to warm any hearts either.

Let me make this CLEAR. Viper6 is a friend, a VERY talented one at that, (across MANY mediums.) This particular piece, (from its packaging to its driver,) are AMAZING and I'm SURE they will get FP'd EVENTUALLY. However, making negative comments (be it on this thread or another,) about why it hasn't happened FAST ENOUGH will only cause the Mod's to eventually be like 'you know what? f*ck it!'
If you Truly want to show support for this Masterpiece, then simply PRAISE it for the creative genius it is; leave the negativity at home.

It will INEVITABLY get its due, I assure you.

:)

[theprocess]

I think the mods are waiting to see everything put together and finalized before it's FP'd. I can't speak for them or Viper6 but I would hope that's the case.

[Neuspeaq]

I think the mods are waiting to see everything put together and finalized before it's FP'd. I can't speak for them or Viper6 but I would hope that's the case.

Well said sir! I LOVED your input into this endeavor as well.

[JoeMama]

can't wait to see this bad boy!

[TR1ER]

This is fire yo!

[Viper6]

This is fire yo!

thanks bro....stay tuned for the 3rd party pre order, but thats gonna happen over at OG13 because I just dont feel the support here (was referred for front paging by a ton of my fellow tankers but im apparently not in the cool kids club so i dont rate, despite being told I was in the que for it by a mod. Really hoped to have the spotlight on this effort prior to the con but that was a big let down, for me, my colaborators, and our fans/fellow tankers; all eforts to get this project the attention it deserves on here, have failed). So, after 4 years of membership, writing a dedicated fanfic, customizing numerous unrecognized pieces (not a one EVER got put up), starting a coloring book, and now colaborating for a 3rd party fan project/limited run product release... is all coming to a close here, but everything will continue over there with a bold new begining. Once i finish out my trades here the only 788 in my life will adorn the pannels of my cobra armor and the hisstank shirt i wore to con, ya know... supporting the tank, well i guess i can wipe my ass with that. shame it is how it is, and worse yet that so many are feeling so similar. Maybe oneday therell be some changes and some consideration, maybe one day hisstanksupporter will mean something to them, maybe itll merit a lil support back for some other ultimately more fortunate member(s).

"Viper6, Out"

[Viper6]

11. No questioning/mouthing off at staff.
If you have a problem with a decision a member of staff has made, PM them. If you feel that you are being harassed by a member of the staff, please contact an Administrator.

http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-joe-general-discussion/41-official-forum-sig-pic-rules-read-me.html

and this isnt either, its just making my exit statement gents.
with no communication trailing a failed promise, its what im left with. this im sure will effect no one here, the trolls will make their snarky comments, my words will be obliterated if deemed offensive and the tank rolls on.... but a few of you will know the reason, and those that matter to me, i'll see ya on another site.

[TTT]

Well then I'm sorry man but if this is the new direction of this thread then it's getting closed.
I hope you can someday just be content with making customs for the pure joy of making customs.
However if lack of attention/"support" - whatever you wanna call it has driven you to this then I would definitely say you're in this for the wrong reasons and quite possibly you'll never be happy in this hobby if you can't just enjoy it for what it is...
...forget about people commenting(or not commenting/didn't you start a thread about that ?) on your work and focus that energy on your skills...something productive...there is always room for improvement.
Stop focusing on the negative, it has a ripple affect on all those around you.
Up to you, all the best.