[ARBCO Avenue]

That Battle-Corps Gung Ho is full of personality! I dig RoadBlast too among the later versions of familiar characters selection. It looks like I didn’t comment on the previous group, but that Scarlett is sweet! Also appreciate the breadth of your scope in incorporating characters I never knew of. Congrats on reading 400 with Jinx!

[Steel Brigade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AxonRey

Great run right here- back to some characters I know! Digging deep on some of these homages and I love it- the RoC Flash was a nice inclusion- just very clever all around, as usual. And a very appropriate choice for #400.

Ha ha thanks man. I hear ya! Although the next few drops planned will not be Joes, & will feature some other previously unexplored properties with new stories, & some more passion projects! XD

You know me I love a good deep-dive, & appreciate the kind words, so glad you like my 400th character choice! ;-)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Griff

Nice new batch of figs. I have to say that roc flash is a very interesting take on the fig. That power armor look is definitely fitting. My favorite though is Roadblast. I always liked that look as it has a color scheme that, for me, really works well and you version just improves on the look much more.

Thanks brother! Took me a while to figure out Flash & had the Exo-Armor idea a few times, till it finally stuck after my prior Grand-Slam homage build. I like that look for "Road Blast" too, as it's very different amongst all the other "Block" color schemes especially placed on the OG fig. Thanks again!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreadnok4life

Great batch all around. Really love this take on Jinx!!

Thanks my man!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Hebime

Bravo SB! 400 is no easy task and you've made the ride towards that milestone very worthwhile. This current batch has a little bit of everything that I like, from Remco to Joe vs Cobra to ROC (which had quite a few gems like that Flash you emulated). For me the winner of this 5 pack has to be Gung-Ho, he looks badass with the parts and weaponry you provided. Let's go 500!!!

Thanks for always being a friend of this thread Mr. H! You've been here since the beginning & stuck with me. =) It is quite the variety pack this round so I'm glad you think we capped off another milestone well! I totally agree, there are some real gems in ROC. Glad you like GH, he has a presence on the shelf! I remember when I did #300, you said you wanted me to get to 500... Well, we'll have no problem getting to #450 with my current road map & will take it from there! LOL!

Quote:

Originally Posted by CapBritain

congrats on 400!

Thanks Cap!

Quote:

Originally Posted by 46 Zone

Nice!!! I really like that City Jinx. Very easy but very effective!!!

Arigatou buddy!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ponygt50

My dude!! These are all so epic!! And congratulations on 400!! I am looking forward to the next 400!! You?re just getting warmed up!!

Ha ha thanks bro! Warmed up indeed! LOL!!!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ARBCO Avenue

That Battle-Corps Gung Ho is full of personality! I dig RoadBlast too among the later versions of familiar characters selection. It looks like I didn?t comment on the previous group, but that Scarlett is sweet! Also appreciate the breadth of your scope in incorporating characters I never knew of. Congrats on reading 400 with Jinx!

Wow! Thanks for dropping the kind words & I'm glad I can show you some new recruits! ;-)

[zpartikuz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steel Brigade

Gung Ho looks freakin awesome!

Another Spartan118 noggin I should have included with my purchase! Haha

[Steel Brigade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zpartikuz

Gung Ho looks freakin awesome! Another Spartan118 noggin I should have included with my purchase! Haha

Ha ha thanks bud! Yeah I hope he keeps doing more "Classified" shrinks, they're among his best sellers & I would be inspired to make more customs as they become available!

*Good news for friends of this thread, this weekend will have a 400 figure mark retrospective where I'll reveal my personal top 15 figures in this thread!

And next weekend (5/27) will see more "New Recruits" with an all new homage to another retro toy line!
Stay tuned...

[Ponygt50]

Yes!!

[Steel Brigade]

400 Figures: A Retrospective...

After accomplishing 400 figures in this thread, I thought I'd take a look back on what is probably my top 15 favorite figures. I think your "top" figures can change from day to day, & that is certainly true here, I also think it's easy to be fond of your latest creations. I believe that you need to reflect on where you have developed along the way, back at the beginning, up until now, and where you are going. I think that nostalgia, what "pops" on a shelf, what has a special story, & what you still love (years after you make it), all play into what makes your favorites! I considered all those things... So in no particular order (other than how I released them), here is my Top 15 outta 400... (& a little bit about why I still love them...)

From Top-Bottom/Left-Right *Using original code names rather than the re-codes, & in order of release*




BLASTER: My favorite of the self-inserts, my favorite of BF2000, & a figure recipe that I've seen copied!

BAZOOKA '93: I had this one in my bag of "to-do" Joes for so long that when I finally figured him out, he was immensely satisfying with how cool I think he turned out.

THUNDER: One of my absolute favorite Joes growing up (one of my brother's too), this was among my first forays into custom parts (AVAC'S Lab), & I was so happy with how it all worked out, I always look at this guy on my shelf because he is "the nostalgia."

GHOST RIDER: I'll always remember the day I picked up the original Phantom X-30 at TRU, I loved the vehicle & the pilot, so recreating this guy was pure joy, another early entry into using custom parts & some inspiration from Mr. Hebime!

SUPREME COMMANDER (WAR MACHINE): A combo of vintage, custom, MGR, & the trashiest G.I. Joe mockbuster ever, possibly my favorite villainous creation!

HELIX (VIDEO GAME CONCEPT COLORS): The "red" Helix I wanted so bad that I asked the Joe Club to make her, (they didn't) so I finally made my own! Also my first foray into Spartan118 heads! *On a side note this head color/paint option has become a permanent order fixture since I first directed it, so it's nice to have a small add to Spartan's impressive catalog.

JINX (RENEGADES): As everyone here knows, Jinx is one of my favorite Joes, & a figure version I always wanted from the Renegades cartoon. I figured I've made a bunch of Jinx throughout this thread, but with this one, I felt I was the most clever (at the time) in trying to homage. ;-)

BATTLE ANGEL ALITA: A figure one of my brothers (who loves Battle Angel) liked so much, he had me recreate her again for him, so I could give her to him as a X-mas gift... that 2nd figure now resides in his glass case VIP figure display. =)

YUKI-ONNA (SNOW WOMAN): This one is actually a family favorite, both my mother & one of my brothers both love this one... just on how she looks (& their interpretation of that)... plus, she glows in the dark!

SORA (THE UNDERGROUND IDOL): I just love this figure. She stands out on the shelf, she represents a part of Japanese culture that I love, & she seemed popular with friends of this thread... she could be my favorite of this whole thing.

KIKU (THE ABASHIRI FAMILY): This one because of sheer closeness to the source material, she looks like she stepped right out of the movie!


ACTION GIRL: My own comic art character from my college days recreated in toy form. It's meaningful for me. 'Nuff said lol.

YAKUZA PRINCESS: Beautiful head from the Chinese seller I use, and I think I nailed the exact look I was going for, plus a unique mix of Boss Fight, custom, Spy Lounge, & Planet Green Valley parts!

SNAKE EYES (OPERATION AVALANCHE): This is my favorite Snake Eyes that I've built. I held off on SE for a long time in this thread, but now I have built my share of him over the years. This one just always grabs my attention on the shelf, I really do love the color combo!

SCARLETT: I've built a lot of Scarletts. And this one, is my favorite. Beautiful head by Spartan118, & a modernized look for the original gangsta. I think it's the best '82 Scarlett that I can make.

Honorable Mentions: Dee-Jay, Rumbler, Hit & Run (Phantom Stealth Tank Driver concept version), Red Ninja, Fast Draw, Blizzard, Zombie Hunter Rika, Slit-Mouthed Woman, Bomb Strike, "The Sacrifice," & Cindy Powers.

*Loyal friends reading this post, let me know if anything throughout this thread helped inspire you, or I'd love to hear about a figure your fond of in "My Marauder Task Force Universe." THANKS!


.

[rob]

Congratulations on 400+! They are all so great!
And thanks for being the standard bearer for us Marauder guys.

[Steel Brigade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rob

Congratulations on 400+! They are all so great!
And thanks for being the standard bearer for us Marauder guys.

Thanks buddy for your congrats & continued enthusiasm! I appreciate the recognition! ...also, more "New Recruits" will be dropping this weekend!

[paokole]

My good friend, congrats on reaching the 400th mark and well done on reaching this point while producing high quality, very inspiring awesome looking material!! It's truly a pleasure to have had the opportunity to follow such endeavor (I believe my first visit/comment was back in 2020) so yeah I had missed quite a few but it's all here for us to keep revisiting and continue to draw ideas and inspiration.

You described it well, a fantastic and well thought out thread packed with obscure versions of Joes which I really dig, Exo-Suits, & customs of Japanese girl fighters; my favorite part!

Most importantly, you accomplished 400 figures and you had ton of fun doing so. Your consistency is self evident and perhaps the key to any successful threat for that matter. Look forward to 500+!!

After going over the list of your top 15 favorite figures I wasn't surprised to see the awesome looking Japanese female builds that are currently part of mine top fav list lol! Don't blame your brother for harassing you to make another Battle Angel Alita for him as his X-mas present. She's up there together with Helix, Jinx, Ghost Rider, Scarlett, Yuki-Onna, Sona, Kiku, Action Girl and the list goes on...gotta say Blaster is another VIP figure display build as well. Great job on all of those. These are two more I absolutely love!



Now to the latest batch, Jinx stands out nicely as I love love the choice of parts and head sculpt obviously that compliments the build nicely. I like that you went the non conventional way in recreating your all time favorite character and delivered a wicked looking figure.

Gung-Ho is an another outstanding execution, no wonder a hit among family and also seems to be the popular choice in this comments. Those shrunk head sculpts by Spartan118 look really nice. What I really want is that Baroness head sculpt to complete both my red and black version of Baroness!

Road blast is such a clever recipe for said character and probably my favorite build in this thread. It's got such a badass look, right amount of gear, grey camo with blue top mesh seemingly and it's just an awesome figure. Outstanding work!

Then Bolt and Crimson Demon are equally as thought out and executed builds. Incorporating the Exo Suit into your figures has somewhat become second nature I'm sure but then you go beyond that to add your creative touches to give them their own unique look. Can't believe CD is a parts bin creation??

Brother I look forward to seeing this weekend's drop!

[Steel Brigade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by paokole

My good friend, congrats on reaching the 400th mark and well done on reaching this point while producing high quality, very inspiring awesome looking material!! It's truly a pleasure to have had the opportunity to follow such endeavor (I believe my first visit/comment was back in 2020) so yeah I had missed quite a few but it's all here for us to keep revisiting and continue to draw ideas and inspiration.
You described it well, a fantastic and well thought out thread packed with obscure versions of Joes which I really dig, Exo-Suits, & customs of Japanese girl fighters; my favorite part!
Most importantly, you accomplished 400 figures and you had ton of fun doing so. Your consistency is self evident and perhaps the key to any successful threat for that matter. Look forward to 500+!!
After going over the list of your top 15 favorite figures I wasn't surprised to see the awesome looking Japanese female builds that are currently part of mine top fav list lol! Don't blame your brother for harassing you to make another Battle Angel Alita for him as his X-mas present. She's up there together with Helix, Jinx, Ghost Rider, Scarlett, Yuki-Onna, Sona, Kiku, Action Girl and the list goes on...gotta say Blaster is another VIP figure display build as well. Great job on all of those. These are two more I absolutely love!
Now to the latest batch, Jinx stands out nicely as I love love the choice of parts and head sculpt obviously that compliments the build nicely. I like that you went the non conventional way in recreating your all time favorite character and delivered a wicked looking figure.
Gung-Ho is an another outstanding execution, no wonder a hit among family and also seems to be the popular choice in this comments. Those shrunk head sculpts by Spartan118 look really nice. What I really want is that Baroness head sculpt to complete both my red and black version of Baroness!
Road blast is such a clever recipe for said character and probably my favorite build in this thread. It's got such a badass look, right amount of gear, grey camo with blue top mesh seemingly and it's just an awesome figure. Outstanding work!
Then Bolt and Crimson Demon are equally as thought out and executed builds. Incorporating the Exo Suit into your figures has somewhat become second nature I'm sure but then you go beyond that to add your creative touches to give them their own unique look. Can't believe CD is a parts bin creation??
Brother I look forward to seeing this weekend's drop!

Thanks for the high praise buddy & joining us on this adventure! Your one of my most loyal friends of the thread & I always appreciate your thoughts on my builds/bios etc.! I want to keep this thread going full steam ahead & still hope I can still surprise the good readers here like yourself! I'm glad you like the ladies I make so much, they are definitely among my favorites as well (& was glad to see Cindy & Rednok included in your top faves!)

Yeah the Spartan heads are amazing, I am hoping for a Baroness Classified shrink as well, as that would let me create my first "Baroness" (as a character) homage for this thread, let's keep our fingers crossed!

Roadblast is your favorite build of this thread? The ENTIRE thread? Really? Maybe you meant your fave outta that drop? lol! Anyways I'll take the compliment! XD

Yes Crimson Demon was almost an entirely all parts bin build, I think I just had to buy the head, vest, leg pouch & bazooka!

*Next "New Recruits" drop coming right up!!!!!