[Steel Brigade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Hebime

Happy birthday SB! May you be gifted with enough funds to exceed that 500 figure mark.

Thanks good buddy! LOL! 500!!!!!... I think we'll get there! ;-)

Quote:

Originally Posted by AxonRey

Great vision on these. Really reaching new heights with parts combos. The variety you're still able to achieve this deep into your catalogue is impressive

Thanks boss! That's real kind of you to say, I really do appreciate it!

Quote:

Originally Posted by CavScout4

Awesome work

Hey thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by zpartikuz

Yeah awesome Sky Commanders SB!!!

At least 2 more waves of Sky Commanders to come my man! Get ready! ;-)

[Steel Brigade]

SURPRISE! NEW RECRUITS!!!!!

*The day has finally arrived. After around 3 years, most of the MGR heads revealed in 2020 have finally graced our collections. I have probably spoken about this the longest & loudest, but it had mostly to do with having 15 figures designed based on these head sculpts, anticipating a somewhat quick turnaround, & then to just have them sit in the warming drawer for what seems like an eternity lol. Everyone knows what caused the various delays, I'm just glad they are finally here. These heads were the finishing pieces to all the figures dropped today, & there is more to come. The figures remain mostly unchanged since their inception, as I left them mostly "as is" from when they were built in 2020. Thanks to all those who listened to me blabber about the anticipation of getting the new MGR heads these last few years. I hope you enjoy this drop & what's still to come. =)

WAVE 87: 2020~2023 LOST WAVE FIGURES
431. CHEETAH (based on G.I. Joe Stalker 1992 Talking Battle Commanders)
Marauder Task Force
Origin: USA
Season 9
*2020~2023 Lost Waves Figure #4

400+ figures in & we have my first Stalker build lol! I'm a Stalker fan, & granted this build was made years ago, but I didn't feel there was any good retail options available for his mug until the PJ/Carl Withers head actually made it's debut. And you know me (especially in 2020) I liked to do the more obscure versions of characters that we didn't get in the Modern Era. My brothers & I had this version of stalker growing up (along with the OG) & I think he was our most used version, unscrew that backpack from the back & let the adventures begin! When building him, I figured the arctic camo worked for a take on the originals, as well as the wing pack in place of the sound pack. This is one of the only figures I slightly modified from my original build, but it was only shortening the bullet belts to make for a better fit! ;-)

BIO: ATHENA needed to put together an investigation into the north... Canada, & possibly even the arctic regions. She heard that POSEIDON was making a rendezvous with an unknown to procure a dangerous & thought of as *extinct* species of animal to keep as his own personal pet. Rumor has it that the animal in route is an actual Smilodon. She contacted a former teammate who had retired before the Armageddon War, code named CHEETAH, one of the best men (& best friends) she ever fought with, & a ranger very experienced with arctic missions. CHEETAH snapped up the opportunity to get back in action & even volunteered to test one of the new flight packs having been one of the original "jumpers" back when the technology had been first developed. Ready for action & taking second command on this mission, CHEETAH is a veteran with more experience than 4 of the other members (-ATHENA) combined!










OPERATION: ICE AGE... COMPLETE!
1. SNOW DRIFT/Blizzard
2. RAMPANT/Rampart
3. DEAD EYE (Operation Ice Age version)/Snake Eyes
4. PHANTASM (Operation Ice Age version)/Mirage
5. ATHENA (Operation Ice Age version)/Scarlett
6. CHEETAH/Stalker

[Steel Brigade]

432. TOM CAT (based on G.I. Joe Mercer - 1987 Sgt. Slaughter's Renegades)
The Outlaws
Origin: USA
Season 8
*2020~2023 Lost Waves Figure #5

It's interesting to think that it seemed like MGR (in my mind) had made 3 perfect heads for the 1987 Sgt. Slaughters Renegades when they made their pictorial debut in the solid gray color. I had no idea that this head was based on Kurt Russell, I just thought it looked like a strong, but maybe not too smart dude... gave me that "Mercer" vibe. We've seen quite a few Mercer MTF takes over the years, heck MGR even put out their own take with sunglasses. But with what can seem like everyone's done one, I think with the few touches I added back then (like the added Cobra insignia) & finally this head, I offered something still in a pool of custom Mercers!

BIO: The Outlaws don't answer to anyone but themselves. They are mostly ex-military, a bit disillusioned & are lead by the dishonorable VANGUARD. They function with very little "house rules" & have no one to rely on for help. TOM CAT was a Wrath ELITE TROOPER in charge of higher up's security, who actually defected to the Marauder Task Force, survived with his fellow bodyguard in tow, & both have lived to tell about it. He originally had joined Wrath for the adventure & the promise of material gain but soon grew disaffected with the results & had a change of heart. The other former Wrath bodyguard is named SCRATCH, who eventually formed a special bond with TOM CAT before the 2 defected, escaping by hot wiring a MARV in hopes to join the MARAUDER TASK FORCE as soon as they could. During the escape TOM CAT saved SCRATCH'S life & she pledged her sole allegiance to him. When they arrived at the "MTF Recruitment & Rescue" division, the 2 found that they were mostly incompatible with the rules set by the high ranking officers, & joined a team of EX-MTF renegade soldiers called "THE OUTLAWS" instead. TOM CAT is proficient with many of the enemies tactics & weaponry, making him a powerful asset to The Outlaws team... & a prime target!

[Steel Brigade]

433. WILD DOG (based on G.I. Joe Red Dog - 1987 Sgt. Slaughter's Renegades)
The Outlaws
Origin: Samoa
Season 8
*2020~2023 Lost Waves Figure #6

Red Dog presented an interesting challenge of getting the orange chest & the white arms. He & Mercer are both very similar in color, so I needed to make sure Mercer's colors were more red & Red Dog's were more orange (yet Red Dog has the word "red" right in his name lol.) The orange armor over the T-shirt I thought was a good solution & adding the #1 as an insignia rather than as a jersey number I thought worked well as an updated homage. The "Kwame" head before it's release reminded me of Red Dog, knowing it looked African, I thought it might only come in the dark skin tone, & had a back up "tan skin Trooper" head ready just in case, but sure was glad they offered Kwame in the "tan" skin tone as well upon it's release, just as I had hoped for when making this build. Fun fact, his toothy necklace I think was the actual first time I used a Boss Fight piece in one of my builds!

BIO: WILD DOG could have had a pro football career as a barefoot placekicker if he wasn't kicked out for unnecessary roughness too many times before the pros had to let him go. He later worked briefly as a stuntman in "B" movies until he was recruited by the MTF during the start of the Armageddon War. Problem was, he couldn't follow orders, & got into too many fights with his Teammates, as well as raised a few eyebrows when fighting the enemy. When his immediate usefulness ended, his senior ranking officer decided they should have a mutual split & WILD DOG left in the night. Now he plays 2nd in command (kinda) to The Outlaws. When a mission arises, they usually let WILD DOG be the first man in the fight, they simply point him in the appropriate direction, let the raging giant go, & wait for the dust to settle!

[Steel Brigade]

434. BIG BULL (based on G.I. Joe Taurus - 1987 Sgt. Slaughter's Renegades)
The Outlaws
Origin: Istanbul
Season 8
AKA: Big Top, Stromboli
*2020~2023 Lost Waves Figure #7

I think we all had Taurus in mind when we saw the "Russell" head premiere back in 2020. Heck, MGR has already offered a "Geared-Up" Taurus homage (although quite a different build than my own.) ...With Taurus I thought the German harness was my best choice to mimic the OG's chest, I just needed to make sure I got the grenades & pistol in there too lol. When the first "Russell" head assortment finally dropped, the red/orange haired one was not available. Ready to get this guy "out" I bought the brown haired version as a "cartoon colored" option, but saw on FB that the red/orange was on it's way. So Taurus got sidelined again for a bit after being very close to finally getting released a few waves back, & I'll use the brown haired version on another build... In the end, I'm really glad I waited for the red/orange as intended, it's very satisfying to be able to release all the Renegades all at once!

BIO: BIG BULL was a circus acrobat touring Europe who did occasional undercover work for INTERPOL... Strange combo but it worked. His circus act involved breaking two-by-fours on his own face, a feat which so impressed the MGR top brass during an undercover operation, that he was recruited on the spot (as they knew he could take a pounding & the Armageddon War was looming.) He left the MTF & went solo for a bit, before coming across The Outlaws. A perk of his past Interpol time is that he has been cross-trained in explosives & mountaineering, & is also fluent in a dozen languages, making him second only to The Outlaws leader VANGUARD in overall expertise, it's just his finesse that needs work. He has a habit of rubbing everyone the wrong way at times, whether it be by his words or with his smelly food (or even worse, his smelly feet!) In any event, he has bonded with TOM CAT & WILD DOG, & they wouldn't trade good 'ole BIG BULL for anything!







THE OUTLAWS... COMPLETE!
1. FASTBALL/Hardball
2. VANGUARD (The Outlaws ver.)/Lt. Falcon
3. SCRATCH/Stiletto
4. TOM CAT/Mercer
5. WILD DOG/Red Dog
6. BIG BULL/Taurus

[Steel Brigade]

435. BITTERSWEET (based on G.I. Joe Dreadnok Heartwrencher - IDW Comics/2018 G.I.Joe club figure)
Neo-Noks
Origin: USA
Season 8
*2020~2023 Lost Waves Figure #8

I never did get the Club's version of Heartwrencher & the Stinger when it was released, mostly because of the price & the fact I was having fun making my own figures at this point, but one of my brother's got the set & it was sharp! Overall it ended up being a pretty rare & sought after release, & I know he got some requests for his but he's a "Nok fan" & it was staying in his collection. With that said I knew when I started my "Neo-Noks," Heartwrencher was making the cut! The "Kathy-Jo" reveal back in 2020 sealed the deal as I thought it was a perfect look for our lethal lady! It's a testament to AVAC'S Lab that the vest, skirt, & crossbow have held up with no degradation at all for around 3 years now, & they really compliment this build & make her (finally) stand out on the shelf!

BIO: Growing up the daughter of biker bar owning parents, BITTERSWEET got to see "the other side" early in life. She took an interest in bikes, cars, trucks, anything with wheels & her father nurtured that passion by letting her hang out when the patrons of his facility would "fix their own." A looker by her teens, she was popular with her piers & when old enough, she rode off into the sunset with her local gang while her parents clapped. She's been through a few bigger gang's since, eventually landing with one of the world's most notorious... the Dreadnoks, now known as the "NEO-NOKS" under POSEIDON'S rule. Her boyfriend THRASH-METAL vied for the title of "King Nok" when ZEUS went missing, but lost the fight. Now he & BITTERSWEET are just waiting for the next opportunity. She's always worked as the NOK'S head mechanic since joining, but she wants more recognition as their first lady, & that's not going to happen with MEDUSA & ARTEMIS in her near future!

THE NEO-NOKS (formerly the DREADNOKS)
1. POSEIDON ver. 1 & ver. 2
2. ROAD KILL
3. SUKEBAN
4. MEDUSA
5. BONECRUSHER
6. ZEUS
7. ARTEMIS
8. EL CAMINO
9. CUT THROAT
10. SCORCH
11. BITTERSWEET
12. THRASH METAL (coming soon!)

[Itchweed]

Dude these are amazing! Commentary to come but I just saw these on the Facebook and wow! Still mad at you that you got your heads and mine haven’t shipped but so cool buddy.

[rob]

These are perfect. All are gold medals. I am going to emulate all of those builds, I mean it!
The new heads all look great. All the builds are super fun and are spot on. I have to say, that Heartwrencher is an inspired finished product. Easily better than the Hasbro version. I happen to have a 25th Torch vest in my bin so I am certainly going to copy your build.

Side note: I do not know why, but when I see your pic of the BEAU head, it looks like Witwer:




But when I see an isometric pic of the BEAU head on the website, I think of Dorian Gregory:

[CapBritain]

great stuff. Who's the female Not!Renegade?

[Dod Ear]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steel Brigade

433. WILD DOG (based on G.I. Joe Red Dog - 1987 Sgt. Slaughter's Renegades)
The Outlaws
Origin: Samoa
Season 8
*2020~2023 Lost Waves Figure #6

Red Dog presented an interesting challenge of getting the orange chest & the white arms. He & Mercer are both very similar in color, so I needed to make sure Mercer's colors were more red & Red Dog's were more orange (yet Red Dog has the word "red" right in his name lol.) The orange armor over the T-shirt I thought was a good solution & adding the #1 as an insignia rather than as a jersey number I thought worked well as an updated homage. The "Kwame" head before it's release reminded me of Red Dog, knowing it looked African, I thought it might only come in the dark skin tone, & had a back up "tan skin Trooper" head ready just in case, but sure was glad they offered Kwame in the "tan" skin tone as well upon it's release, just as I had hoped for when making this build. Fun fact, his toothy necklace I think was the actual first time I used a Boss Fight piece in one of my builds!

BIO: WILD DOG could have had a pro football career as a barefoot placekicker if he wasn't kicked out for unnecessary roughness too many times before the pros had to let him go. He later worked briefly as a stuntman in "B" movies until he was recruited by the MTF during the start of the Armageddon War. Problem was, he couldn't follow orders, & got into too many fights with his Teammates, as well as raised a few eyebrows when fighting the enemy. When his immediate usefulness ended, his senior ranking officer decided they should have a mutual split & WILD DOG left in the night. Now he plays 2nd in command (kinda) to The Outlaws. When a mission arises, they usually let WILD DOG be the first man in the fight, they simply point him in the appropriate direction, let the raging giant go, & wait for the dust to settle!

DUDE!

You are literally robbing me and taking money right out of my pocket with brilliantly executed builds like this. Now I have to recreate it.

How do you translate a torn orange football jersey into MTF? This is how.

Absolutely love it.

BTW, what is that necklace?