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| | Posted on 09-29-2008 at 06:38 PM by Shin Densetsu | Social Bookmarks | RSS Feeds | | HissTank boards member paulpratt shows us his custom Rattler made from a Power Team Elite A-10! This plane is significantly larger than the modern era Rattler and with modification, can hold the anniversary/modern era figures. Click on the title bar to see the rest of the images and click on the discuss button below to join the ongoing discussion!
| | Credit: paulpratt of the Hiss Tank Forums! | Views: 1,821 |  Additional Images | | |
| paulpratt: Edit 11/20/08:
Here are some new pro shots of the Rattler in all her glory. You can view them in full size by clicking on "all sizes" above the image on flickr.
Custom Cobra Rattler
Custom Cobra Rattler - Close Shot
Original:
This is a custom i know people everywhere have been doing, but i wanted to do one that was as true to the original as possible, and also realistic enough to be in today's world. The realism mainly comes in with no gunner's turret.
In my Joe-Verse everything is realistic (with a slight bit of fantasy thrown in), and most of Cobras "Air Forces" are dedicated to a ground support role. The A-10 fits the bill nicely without all the VTOL nonsense of the hasbro rattler.
This is the Elite Operations A-10 from Toys R Us. You can also get them at big lots. They retail for $30.00. I used all Krylon fusion paints with very little preparation needed, other than disassembly. The stickers are from cobrastrickers.com. Which, BTW are really nice quality, but i expected something more... i'm not sure what, but i paid $14.00 for a sheet of stickers that came in an envelope with a postage stamp on it. The whole thing looked like my grandma was sending me a letter.
Now that i've seen their stickers i know how they make them, so i know what their money is going towards, but i think they need to lower their prices just a bit. I might have been more comfortable with the stickers at $10.00.
Some references:
The Rattler is 16.5 inches long. That makes it about 1:38 Scale.
The Elite Ops A-10 is 23 Inches long. That makes it about 1:28 Scale.
I'm not going to go into much detail, most of you know how to do this. The pics aren't that great, i took them with my iPhone, so they look grainy. I need some new batteries for my camera. Oh, and please excuse my son having breakfast. TANK_DRIVER785: Very nice!!!! Always wanted to do the same and its honestly more fitting to the joe scale just cant have a fleet of em because of the size lol!!! TANK_DRIVER785: Jsut noticed you are from wichita i live in topeka sweet!! esg2145: Nice Job. 
I think you can tell from the info that you supplied ( " The Rattler is 16.5 inches long. That makes it about 1:38 Scale. The Elite Ops A-10 is 23 Inches long. That makes it about 1:28 Scale. ") that may be one of the reasons Hasbro reconfigured the Rattler from a the A10 as they did for cost and size considerations.
I'm sure a jet of Rattler's price range (even back in '84) was/is a lot easier to move/sell than it is one of a larger's size, such as the Sky Striker (at least that was what I remember from back in the day - I had both). Throw in the fact that it's a bad guy jet vs a Joe jet, and Hasbro knows right from the start they are going to sell less of these than they will of the good guy jet (or at least that was the mentality back in the day and of most kids this stuff is directed at in the first place).
Hell, even look at us as collectors - if Hasbro made a Rattler the size of the E.O. A10, it would be WAY more than $30 and we know it! $25 for the current Rattler or $30 for the EO A10 is fairly reasonable for most of us, but more than that, and forget it.
I'm betting this is the main reason we are NOT seeing the Sky Striker and ARE seeing the Conquest now (cheaper to make and easier to sell). Just look at the '80s prices for the SS, Rattler, and Conquest for proof -
83' SS - $14.95
84' Rattler - $9.90
86' Conquest - $9.99
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. Flame Viper: Very nice. You did an awesome job. ceraurus: Great job on that. This is on my list of things to do some time in the future - once I can afford to pick up the A-10. Yours looks nice and clean. Copper21: You have just helped me make my mind up. I was thinking about doing this rather than buying the real Rattler. Now after seeing it, I think I will. Great job!!! paulpratt: Thanks all for the kind comments. I appreciate it. This one is really worth it. The new rattler is nice to have hanging around as a "tribute" to the original, but this a-10 is just amazing. It fits into my little Joe universe perfectly. If anyone has questions, let me know. paulpratt: It's funny how fast threads fall into obscurity on this site. The community has gotten so large, and the customs forum is a huge cornerstone of that growth. Captain Carstein: Very nice job! I was thinking of doing only a custom paint job to the current Rattler, but your custom gives me second thoughts. I was in a TRU Friday night, but couldn't find any of these A-10's. paulpratt: Yeah, the A-10s have all but vanished from TRU. I wonder if they are going into Big Lots stores for the holidays. The Logo: Great job! Nice to see some other people from Kansas on this board. sparks007: I did one out of that A10 a while back,I was not trying to replace the original Rattler but add another jet to the Cobra air force.I called it the Diamondback Rattler because it is more deadly in a fight then the Rattlers I want to do a Wild Weasle repaint to go with it.Very nice it would look sweet flying in formation with two Rattlers as wing men. paulpratt: I think that is a good way to go. Maybe the rattler is an alternative model It's obviously based on the A-10. The Rattler could be the newer version for Cobra.
In my own universe i go for as much realism as i can, as i mentioned in the first post, so the regular Rattler just doesn't cut it. Plus, the toy is just so damned small. It was small with RAH scale figures and now its just laughable. I actually bought two in the heat of the moment, but i kind of regret having two.
I would rather have a couple of these comprising my cobra ground support flight, but I'm kinda holding out for a true 1:18 scale manufacturer to do one. I would easily buy four of those and convert them in a similar manner. 78bird85: what's the color and type of paint you used for that AWESOME Rattler? I am going to convert the GI Joe Mauler to a Cobra Mauler (like the one that was suppose to be made) Shin Densetsu: Quote: |
I'm betting this is the main reason we are NOT seeing the Sky Striker and ARE seeing the Conquest now (cheaper to make and easier to sell). Just look at the '80s prices for the SS, Rattler, and Conquest for proof -
| No the main reason we are not seeing the Skystriker is because the mold was damaged and is no longer available. Also, it isn't huge, nor was it that much more expensive. Seriously, the PTE A-10 pictured here and the PTE F/A-18 are actually larger. I have all 3(well the Skystriker I have is a Night Boomer carcass), and the PTE planes are bigger/longer.
Paul, great work, this is one of the best PTE A-10 Rattler customs I've seen. I hope cobrastickers ends up making stickers to scale with that, as a lot of joe collectors are using that plane as a base for Rattler customs. The amount of weaponry included, and the selection of it is great. It even comes with a boarding ladder and ground crewman! paulpratt: Hey Shin,
Thanks for the comments! It means a lot, all of you. This place has some serious customizers, so it's nice to get some feedback.
The paint I used was Krylon Fusion Navy paint. The black parts are painted in Krylon Fusion flat black. The Engines were painted in Krylon Fusion Gray.
I painted the ship in the patriotic blue first, and it looked way to light. Luckily, i found the navy color and it looks perfect now.
Let the paint cure before you put it together. You can handle it within 15 minutes, and you can do other painting in the meantime, but give it the full 7 days (168 full hours) to bond with the plastic. I got anxious and put it together soon and the front landing gear bay got its paint scraped off the sides.
When you put it back together be careful with the seat screws. I accidentally stripped one out and the front landing gear now is a bit loose. The seat is what holds the landing gear door in place, so be careful.
I want to get another A-10 and do it all again knowing what i know now. I think it would turn out much better. I'll try and get some detailed pictures up. CornDog_The_Ninja: Looks good bro. I just wish I could find one at TRU or at Big Lots. DJ CRUSH: I am kicking myself because I saw these a few times at TRU and kept thinking I would buy one "next time". Now I can't find one at all. mrkenn: Are they paying you any for their advertisement of Cookie Crisp Cereal? Bravestarr: This is a really nice Rattler.
I also like the bowl of Cookie Crisp!
It makes me realize that I am not the only nostalgic person on this forum.
GI Joe plus Cookie Crisp = memories
Heck, all you need now is an episode of "Bravestarr" or "Transformers" on in the background, and you are all set! tkprime: Cool custom, Now I'm hungry for cookie crisps, and I'm breaking out my Fort Kerium Ninja Ku, so know you are not alone being a Bravestar fan myself! steelbrig: Awesome! Great paint job! Nice detailing! am73grand: Quick question.....
I'm working on this same project but I can't figure out how to get the blades out of the engines so the I can paint them......
Did you take them out or just mask them?
Thanks! samantha: You inspired me to make this custom. I went to Toys R Us and purchased the A-10A this week. I will be working on it at soon as I can and will try to upload a pick once it is completed.
Thanks for the great ideal. paulpratt: @ am73grand
I had to mask off the engines. You have to slide the tape about 1/2 behind the blades to keep the paint from getting in behind there. I'ts a pain in the arse. When i went to spray paint it, i wrapped the fuselage of the engines in a plastic bag and tapped it down.
@ samantha
Thanks! I appreciate those kind words. Inspiring people to do anything fun and exciting really makes my day. I'm anxious to see how you did. daremo: That is beautiful! Great job. I may have to pick one up now. paulpratt: I took some new shots. They are posted on the front page under the edit. galen: amazing! really looks like the Hasbro release but better! Venomfang: That thing is a beast. Great job!! Cobra Fox: Saweeeeet!! Rattler always have been my fave jet. Would be so nice if we could go back in time and buy as many as we can and keep them in the boxes, we'd be millionaire in this day and age. Scoop: Nice job on that custom "real life" Rattler. Every time I see someone make a Rattler custom out of a A-10A Thunderbolt it reminds me of the A-10 that is part of a museum out in a hanger on Long Island. The museum is called the Cradle of Aviation and it reminds me a bit of a mini Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. I just wish that the aircraft on display was painted blue and had cobra symbols on it. Off the top of my head I can't think of which version that A-10 is though.
By the way that I-Phone of yours takes great pics for a piece of electronics who's main purpose is to be a phone first not a camera. |
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