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03-31-2011, 08:13 PM | #1761 |
EQ-Viper
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 4,343
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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 |
03-31-2011, 09:04 PM | #1762 |
Iron Grenadier
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Stone Mountain, GA
Posts: 658
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That looks...surprisingly good. Especially considering how closely you stayed to the original aesthetic. The baton is a nice substitute for his sword, and the neck guard certainly looks like a samurai's helmet. I'd have liked it even better if you had kept the face shield, though.
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03-31-2011, 09:22 PM | #1763 |
EQ-Viper
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 4,343
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I thought about it, but I'm holding off on it for the time being. Actually considered giving him goggles to recreate the nose guard on the original toy's helmet (there's a particular type of anti-riot goggles that come with nose protection) but thought it covered up the face too much (wouldn't want to waste all that work I did on Lyoto Machida's mug ). Will see if it looks better with the goggles/nose guard on.
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03-31-2011, 09:40 PM | #1764 |
Iron Grenadier
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Stone Mountain, GA
Posts: 658
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Wow, you snuck that one past me! Add it to Bazooka's Frye face on my list of missed fighters.
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03-31-2011, 10:51 PM | #1765 |
EQ-Viper
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 4,343
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I pretty much opened a can of worms when I decided I would do updated vehicles, and doing vehicle research has taken up a lot of my time with regards to the project. Anyway, here's a look at the GI Joe vehicle fleet (click to embiggen the pic) as I envision it (this doesn't include the aircraft... still working on those):
The guidelines for choosing the vehicles I did boil down to three factors: (a) the vehicle must be small enough and light enough to be carried inside a C-130J with minimal preparation (with the exception of the mobile command center, which requires extensive preparation to fit inside a C-130J), (b) the vehicle's primary components must use commercial, off-the-shelf parts that can be found in-theater from civilian sources, and (c) parts commonality, in that vehicles of a certain class should share major engine and drivetrain components. Anyway, for those of you who like going into details, here's the real-world vehicles I used as the basis for the Joe vehicles:
I know some of you guys are probably wondering I went with a Toyota Land Cruiser/HJZ base for the VAMP instead of more traditional military utility vehicles such as the Mercedes G-Wagen (used by Canada's Joint Task Force 2 and the USMC's Force Recon), the Land Rover Defender (used by the UK Armed Forces and popularized by the SAS), or GM's HMMWV. The thing is, Toyotas are the most common vehicles the world over (particularly in the developing world), so if you're planning on sending a rapid reaction force overseas with very limited logistics, you might as well give them something they can support using local resources. US Special Forces in Central Asia and Afghanistan have been using modified Toyota Hiluxes and Land Cruiser pick-ups because they blend in easier with the local vehicles, are more fuel-efficient than HMMWVs, and are a lot cheaper to operate and maintain. As for turning the Wolverine into a Porsche... that's just license on my part (although the decision to turn Cover Girl's vehicle into a sports car was influenced by an early issue of the Marvel comic book). Last edited by zuludelta; 04-01-2011 at 12:17 AM.. Reason: edited, thank to MT |
03-31-2011, 10:52 PM | #1766 |
EQ-Viper
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 4,343
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Heh. I actually did a fair bit of changes to Machida's face (made his eyes smaller, tweaked the nose to mouth proportions) so I can see why you'd miss the similarities.
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03-31-2011, 11:51 PM | #1767 |
Iron Grenadier
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Stone Mountain, GA
Posts: 658
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Looks good. I kinda always assumed that as time went on a good number of the characters your trimmed out would work their way back in, and with these vehicles I can see the need. I personally dig Cover Girl getting a sports car. It definitely fits her character.
BTW, I think you mislabeled the last vehicle on the first and second rows as being a HAVOC Mk. V instead of a VAMP Mk. V. |
04-01-2011, 12:08 AM | #1768 |
W.O.R.M.S. Commander
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Back in the US of A! (NoVA)
Posts: 10,649
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Budo Looks good! He would make a great POC incarnation of Budo. I always loved my Budo figure. I can't image getting a POC update of the original, but with all the Samurai armored SE and SS crap why didn't they just make Budo. Nice vehicle chart.
Just curious why no LAV-25 = Persuader or a Stryker = Quick-Strike? Or anything with a little more armor? I know they don't fit your criteria but if you're considering the MCC.
__________________
Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome. |
04-01-2011, 12:50 AM | #1769 |
EQ-Viper
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 4,343
|
Added the face shield like MT suggested. Definitely coming around to liking it (tried the nose guard/goggles combo but it made him look more like a villain) as an update of the nose guard on the toy's samurai helmet:
(as a side note, anybody having problems with Photobucket? It seems like the picture update propagation problem is back... I've reverted to using MyOpera for today's posts... looks like they need more servers again). Quote:
Quote:
Me too. As much as I rag on it today, I still played with my Budo fig a lot (I used to pretend he was Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat). It's all about mobility and speed for my take on the Joes. The world's premiere SOF units eschew dedicated armor assets for a good reason. It just doesn't mesh well with the tenets of SOF and COIN doctrine (where speed of deployment, stealth, and a "civilian-friendly" outward posture are very important). Last edited by zuludelta; 04-01-2011 at 12:54 AM.. |
04-01-2011, 03:13 AM | #1770 |
G.I.Joe medic
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Litchfield, ME
Posts: 3,171
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Great work as usual, Zulu. I see now why you brought back some of the firefighters. How do you plan to use them? Love the new Budo, looks very similar to the original but more modern. He makes more sense as an MP than an infantryman, especially with his hand to hand combat skills. And, I think you're reading my mind again Zulu. I've been planning to write a story using the POC VAMP as a firefighting vehicle, befitting the multi purpose part of its name. Great minds and all that...
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