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01-13-2019, 09:08 PM | #61 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: U.S.
Posts: 1,748
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Dang, I never noticed the ROC/50th Vipers lack the red inside leg bits. That's definitely something to improve about them, given the parts. I think the v20 or v22 Viper upper thighs have those parts, so maybe those could swap in?
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01-13-2019, 09:31 PM | #62 |
Iron Grenadier
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Kansas
Posts: 981
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The earlier stuff just doesn't have the bulk or sculpt stylings of the later stuff. So unless they would have had whole new thighs, the shock trooper thighs are probably best, since they were sculpted pecisely for the torso used. Width at thighs line up perfectly with waist
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01-13-2019, 09:52 PM | #63 |
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: .
Posts: 1,785
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Quote:
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01-13-2019, 10:15 PM | #64 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 330
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Quote:
Personally, I don't have a problem with whatever visual similarity exists between CC's face plate and the Vipers' fully visored helmet. As opposed to his ceremonial cowl (my preferred CC look), the face plate helmet is CC's battle mask and it makes sense (to me at least) that it would have a similar provenance (MARS?) as the helmets worn by his frontline combat troops.
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01-13-2019, 10:51 PM | #65 |
Great White Northerner
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Canadian Imperium
Posts: 1,411
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Quote:
Personally, I don't have a problem with whatever visual similarity exists between CC's face plate and the Vipers' fully visored helmet. As opposed to his ceremonial cowl (my preferred CC look), the face plate helmet is CC's battle mask and it makes sense (to me at least) that it would have a similar provenance (MARS?) as the helmets worn by his frontline combat troops.
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01-13-2019, 11:02 PM | #66 |
Iron Grenadier
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Kansas
Posts: 981
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Quote:
Personally, I don't have a problem with whatever visual similarity exists between CC's face plate and the Vipers' fully visored helmet. As opposed to his ceremonial cowl (my preferred CC look), the face plate helmet is CC's battle mask and it makes sense (to me at least) that it would have a similar provenance (MARS?) as the helmets worn by his frontline combat troops.
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01-13-2019, 11:35 PM | #67 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: sitting in my tin can far above the world
Posts: 3,922
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This is a spectacular collection.
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02-04-2019, 10:30 PM | #68 |
Iron Grenadier
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Kansas
Posts: 981
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VIPER HELMET ALTERNATES:
As mentioned a few weeks ago, I wanted to play with some alternate helmet options that might compromise on some small issues I have had historically with the Viper helmet design. In the end, I think I am at ease with the original design and have decided to fully embrace it into my Cobra Shelf and Lore. I did come up with some decent alternates which some might find interesting and maybe worthwhile in trying. I ended up repainting all my blue Vipers (3 left) in Kantor Blue, so that I could test out different things, and me able to switch things up in the future if desired. I’d like to try more variations with the POC/50th helmet, need extras of these as fodder. I don’t want to buy more full figures Vipers as current market prices for these tests, and don’t want to be tempted by the extra bodies to over army build. Any casters out there reading this: Casters, please make casts of POC/50th Viper head and helmets!!! gCobra_25th_86-1Viper2_2019-0202ab by J Perez, on Flickr LEFT FIGURE: FACE PLATE ISSUE Helmet: Resolute 5pack Duke; Head: 50th Night Viper; Goggles: 25th Viper (early versions w/ removable goggles, band cut at pack to fit helmet but does not fully encircle). Paints: Citadel Kantor Blue and Leadbelcher (dark silver) Since I was a kid I had a problem with Hasbro using the same idea of a full faced chrome--once unique to Cobra Commander—now standard issue to the new style grunts. Though FredVIII and CADPAT made great points that helped me to accept original design, I did want to see if something could be done to replace face plate (and also reason to keep the goggles), but still have a design that still reads close enough as a 1986 style Viper. The Night Viper head was used to minimize the amount of visible skin around the helmet eye openings. I like how the helmet reads similar to the original Viper helmet shape. Three things I wanted to maintain for all alternate tests are the roundness of the helmet (like a motorcycle helmet), the helmet extensions at the cheeks, and having the helmet and face plate read as one single piece composed of two components fused together. I think this design does those things fairly well, without being ridiculously oversized. Its major flaw is in it what it was intended to test: to see if there was an alternate to the classic full face plate, which will be personal preference. gCobra_25th_86-1Viper2_2019-0202ae by J Perez, on Flickr RIGHT FIGURE: GOGGLES ISSUE Helmet: Retaliation Cobra Combat Ninja; Head: 50th Cobra Commander In later years I had a problem with the inclusion of separate goggles on the original Viper design. Why the heck does he need these things?? They are totally impractical, but they are absolute needed from a visual design standpoint: The head looks boring and incomplete without them, and too much like the original Cobra Commander, feeding into the previous issue but from a visual design standpoint. But I wanted to see if other available helmet styles would look acceptable without goggles. What is shown here was one of the first ideas I had in mind. In some respects I really like this design. The goggles are definitely not required (don’t look missing). And I like the cheek plates (a visual helmet aspect I felt always needed to be maintained with all iterations). But the overall helmet feels too large especially in respect to other figures and unaltered Viper helmets, and the cheek plates are oversized and should be glued down to the face plate. I feel with some more work done if//when I get extra casts, I could get it to read more like classic Viper head. gCobra_25th_86-1Viper2_2019-0202ad by J Perez, on Flickr As noted in the beginning, in the end of these tests, I decided to have my Vipers stay with the original iconic design, mostly because the Hasbro’s second Viper head ended up looking so good. I can accept the goggles as a visual design necessity, and rationalize them as not goggles, but additional visual scope pieces that may also serve as headlights of sorts, and are permanently affixed at that forehead position. The face plate as standard issue for advanced troopers (per Viper classification in my JoSpace) is also acceptable, assuming the Commander’s mask was a special MARS prototype and that his later versions remain far advanced. The incorporation of the battle mask technology into the ranks shows a nice evolution and advancement of Cobra that can be seen as a fearsome thing, and call for an even greater advancement of Commander’s battle gear as the next step (assuming he hasn’t been usurped in your JoSpace). And at the end of it all, the original design is just cool and iconic, and the sculpt well executed. For the actual figures, to give visual distinction I decided to repaint all the Viper masks different from the Commander’s chrome finish, favoring a darker silver for the standard viper. Ideally, I would have issued Molotow acrylic paint pen #223 metallic black or a good smoky black wash on the original chrome finish, but I wasn’t willing to wait a week for the paint pen to cure adequately, and couldn’t get a good even finish with the wash. |
02-05-2019, 09:23 AM | #69 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 3,025
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Quote:
VIPER HELMET ALTERNATES:
Since I was a kid I had a problem with Hasbro using the same idea of a full faced chrome--once unique to Cobra Commander—now standard issue to the new style grunts. Though FredVIII and CADPAT made great points that helped me to accept original design, I did want to see if something could be done to replace face plate (and also reason to keep the goggles), but still have a design that still reads close enough as a 1986 style Viper. The face plate as standard issue for advanced troopers (per Viper classification in my JoSpace) is also acceptable, assuming the Commander’s mask was a special MARS prototype and that his later versions remain far advanced. The incorporation of the battle mask technology into the ranks shows a nice evolution and advancement of Cobra that can be seen as a fearsome thing, and call for an even greater advancement of Commander’s battle gear as the next step (assuming he hasn’t been usurped in your JoSpace). And at the end of it all, the original design is just cool and iconic, and the sculpt well executed. I get the idea of Cobra Commander's original battle helmet being a prototype which was later incorporated into the "grunt" gear, but I would accept this better if other "Viper" infantry style troopers also utilized this helmet. For example, a "Viper Officer" with slightly different web gear, or a "Stinger Driver" in a grey Viper uniform. Of course, I'm now looking at this as an adult who likes uniformity in his Cobra ranks, not as a toy company who is trying to produce completely new action figures to entice children to beg their parents for the latest and greatest Cobra figure. LOL! As far as a modern Viper build goes, for me the perfect modern Viper build would be to use Viper 27/28 helmet and torso (Shocktrooper torso) and forearm/hands with either Viper 16 or Sgt. Stone upper arms. For the legs, it has to be Viper 16 legs for me. To me the Viper 27/28 knees and calves just look weird. I'd rather see complete Shocktrooper/50th Lady Jaye legs than those weird knee pads and tapered calves. I always enjoy seeing your work though. That Duke mask as an alternate Viper helmet is pretty sick! Jason |
02-05-2019, 11:46 AM | #70 |
Iron Grenadier
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: New York
Posts: 869
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Love those Vipers!!
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