[Steel Brigade]

NEW RECRUITS!!!!!
*BONUS BATCH: A combo of New Recruits & "Geared-Up" figures that I have had for awhile as I wait for more new orders to come in... ;-)

I have plenty of New Recruits in the works that have some build compliments that I think everyone here will enjoy, as well as help grow this thread's roster in some fun & exciting ways! I hope you will look forward to it as much as I am!

#216/X29. GOGGLES (a tribute to Gary Head/Gary Goggles/Gyre-Viper - based on GI Joe "Sightline")
Marauder Task Force
Origin: USA
Season 8

This one has been a long time coming, as plans to do a Sightline homage have been in my head since I started building MTF figures, but there was always a missing piece to the catalog that prevented me from doing one sooner. Other than my brothers & myself taking on the roles of Joes that we took on as kids, I haven't really paid tribute to an actual person yet in this thread... long time members of the Tank will remember "Gyre-Viper" (aka Gary Head) as one of the most prolific fans of the forum in it's heyday. I can say with all sincerity that Gary was my best "Joe" friend. I had the pleasure of meeting him at the 1 Joecon I was at in 2010, and man was he a character. We had many a long conversation on the phone and talked about GI Joe endlessly ...for hours. Gary did a bunch of things to help me in my Joe Collecting, he gifted me things and gave me tips and advice to get me a very solid collection of unreleased figures. He gave me - YES GAVE ME my City Strike Scarlett, she just showed up 1 day with some other off the Market Joe things and I could never thank him enough for it. I will always cherish all of the good times we had talking on the phone, online, & in person. The wealth of things and info he brought to us, as fans, we will have forever. He was a GI Joe historian, and he will always have my deepest respect. I was so sorry for his loss, to all of his family & friends, as I was his friend too. He always appreciated my artwork, my 25th Joe documentation work, and my friendship, and he is still greatly missed. I looked at the few incarnations that have been done of Sightline between Hasbro, Con figures, & fan tributes, & tried to make an "Ultimate" version with my own personal touches based off of those inspirations & the man himself - this one is for my old friend...

- Yo Joe Gyre.

GOGGLES got his code name from the trademark eye wear he always had on his head, & started his military career as a sniper. After the Armageddon Wars he serviced in the same role in the newly formed MTF. But the struggles that the MTF had been facing against several new threats also gave him a different purpose, one of a military historian. Since the new MTF has started, GOGGLES has been documenting every mission that comes through, the results, and trying to get any intel from the mission roster staff after they return to add to his own scripts & curiosity. He has had great luck so far, as the troops are willing to share their experiences with him as his sense of humor & overall friendliness with the members of the MTF Team have made him one of the recruits that others like to be around & share stories with. He hopes one day to publish the events that helped lead to a new free world...

[Steel Brigade]

#217/X30. SPIRE THE BLOOD LORD (MGR Geared-Up Vampire Hunter Figure/based on Marvel's Blade)
Wrath Affiliate/Blood Ninja Leader
Origin: England
Season 8

* Wasn't sure that I could fit "Blade" in my Universe, but couldn't say no (& found a way) once he dropped on the MGR site lol! I only added the "Blood" sticker to the chest plate of this nicely realized "Geared-Up" figure!

SPIRE THE BLOOD LORD'S history is shrouded in mystery, it's been said that he was the son of a prostitute & self-proclaimed vampire, that was abandoned and taken in by a now burnt to ash monastery. Somewhere along the lines of his youth he studied martial arts & combat techniques in various places in England, Africa, & the Far East as a runaway in exchange for thievery, murder, & "hired help." His skills at fighting lead him to very lucrative bounty hunting gig that made him so powerful & famous amongst the underworld, that he had started his own legion of cult followers. Public sacrifice, executions, and drinking the blood of his victims were part of the cult's unsanctioned entertainment. After the Armageddon Wars, SPIRE made his way to Japan, and in a bid for ninja clan dominance the Arashikage clan master was slain in a coup by him, thus making SPIRE THE BLOOD LORD the new Arashikage master by ninja law. Time has past and the true Arshikage within the newly formed BLOOD NINJA under SPIRE are united and divided. SPIRE demands that YUREI KAGE be captured as rumors abound that he is one of the only men who may have survived that could steal his new ninja kingdom. SPIRE plans a public execution for YUREI so that his new rule goes unchallenged!

[Steel Brigade]

#218/X31. SAPPER (SHADOW-OPS VERSION) (MGR Geared-Up Infiltrator MK2/based on GI Joe ROC TRU ex. "Headquarters For Heroes" Firefly 2009)
Wrath
Shadow-Ops Version/Version 4
Origin: France
Season 8

*MGR keeps making cool Firefly inspired "Geared-Up" figures & I keep buying them lol! This one seems inspired by the ROC TRU ex. "Headquarters For Heroes" Firefly from 2009 - I did not make any changes to this figure as I liked him very much as is!

In every incarnation of "The Villains Against the MTF," the enemy explosives expert SAPPER seems to exist. An shadow operative for hire, SAPPER works now for WRATH in many capacities, from explosion specialist to advanced aircraft pilot. With extensive expertise in combat tactics, martial arts, and demolitions, his reputation for excellence is legendary. Often working sabotage missions for the 4 CYBORG KINGS, do not under estimate this one man army!

[Steel Brigade]

#219/X32. ALLEY CAT COMMANDO(S) (MGR Geared-Up Alley Fighter MK2/based on GI Joe VvV Alley Viper II v10/2004)
Wrath
Origin: Various
Season 8

*MGR made another great "Geared-Up" Alley Viper incarnation... but I felt compelled to change out the head and give him a "flip" with some night goggles to make him even more to my liking!

ALLEY CATS (now known as ALLEY CAT COMMANDOS) go back to before the Armageddon Wars began, when a ruthless terrorist organization that ran urban warfare invasions on the streets all over the world, was using them as their backbone enforcers. Many of these prior troops have now joined WRATH as commandos to continue havoc in a new world. They were trained extensively in several worldwide Urban Environments, that includes a training exercise of a 30-foot jump in full gear onto an uneven concrete slap covered in glass and rock. Often paired with attack dogs and armed to the teeth for both long range fighting & hand-to-hand combat, these formidable ALLEY CAT COMMANDOS are equally at home when doing battle in the sewers, through dark alleys, or even on rooftops!

[Steel Brigade]

#220/X33. VINDICATOR (NINJA DISGUISE VERSION) (based on the unreleased GI Joe 1995 Ninja Commando Flint )
Marauder Task Foce
Ninja Disguise Version/Version 3
Origin: USA
Season 8

I'm sure some fans here are not familiar with the Hasbro 1995 unreleased GI Joe Ninja Commandos series of figures, but they are an interesting bit of lost Joe lore for sure. I can picture Zartan, (and even to a much-much lesser degree Road Pig) being a ninja, but when Flint becomes a ninja, GI Joe has jumped the shark lol. I'm not sure if they made Flint a ninja because he is a popular well-known character to just throw in the wave, or they just didn't want to lose the rights to the name "Flint"... but whatever the case, this figure is a strange one in ARAH history. With that said, as I was adding characters to my Ninja ranks, I saw that I could build a nice representation of him from mostly using just my left over bin parts. And since Flint was a character planned for my Maraudergeddon arc, how about getting him in the ranks a bit earlier with a fun gimmick that works within my story line anyway lol? ;-)

When ATHENA was putting together the roster for the BLACK OUT rescue mission of YUREI KAGE, she knew she was working with several loose cannons (DEAD EYE, YAKU, CHUKA, & possibly TANBA) - and that the best laid plans could easily go off course, due to mild alliances & high emotions. With that in mind she needed a rock to be on board and a high quality one at that, so she selected VINDICATOR to join the roster. Now a part of the Ninja Rescue team called the SHINOBI 7, the high profile warrant officer is a fail-safe in disguise as a ninja amongst the many that will be there for YUREI'S public execution. VINDICATOR thinks the whole ninja thing is not his bag, and being in disguise might be a death sentence... but he understands the importance of the mission and the gaining of powerful allies in Japan, as well as overthrowing SPIRE THE BLOOD LORD. It's a risk worth taking, even if found out, amongst the hundreds of enemy Ninjas!





*...and yes, for those curious... I do re-buy the alternate heads displayed every time lol...




*group shot for Flint _rocks! ;-)
SHINOBI 7: T-B/L-R : ATHENA v4 (Scarlett) / VINDICATOR v3 (Flint)
CHUKA (Nunchuk) / TANBA (Bushido)
YAKU v3 (Jinx) / YUREI KAGE (Storm Shadow) / DEAD EYE (Snake Eyes)


*^^^ I have more Ninjas planned in the future, but this is my original SHINOBI 7 mission roster before the new SHINOBI SQUAD is made!

[AxonRey]

That Flint rocks all the asses.

Also, is your last name really your last name?

[Flint_rocks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steel Brigade

#220/X33. VINDICATOR (NINJA DISGUISE) (based on the unreleased GI Joe 1995 Ninja Commando Flint )
Marauder Task Foce
Ninja Disguise Version/Version 3
Origin: USA
Season 8

I'm sure some fans here are not familiar with the Hasbro 1995 unreleased GI Joe Ninja Commandos series of figures, but they are an interesting bit of lost Joe lore for sure. I can picture Zartan, (and even to a much-much lesser degree Road Pig) being a ninja, but when Flint becomes a ninja, GI Joe has jumped the shark lol. I'm not sure if they made Flint a ninja because he is a popular well-known character to just throw in the wave, or they just didn't want to lose the rights to the name "Flint"... but whatever the case, this figure is a strange one in ARAH history. With that said, as I was adding characters to my Ninja ranks, I saw that I could build a nice representation of him from mostly using just my left over bin parts. And since Flint was a character planned for my Maraudergeddon arc, how about getting him in the ranks a bit earlier with a fun gimmick that works within my story line anyway lol? ;-)

When ATHENA was putting together the roster for the Black-Ops rescue mission of YUREI KAGE, she knew she was working with several loose cannons (DEAD EYE, YAKU, CHUKA, & possibly TANBA) - and that the best laid plans could easily go off course, due to mild alliances & high emotions. With that in mind she needed a rock to be on board and a high quality one at that, so she selected VINDICATOR to join the roster. Now a part of the Ninja Rescue team called the SHINOBI 7, the high profile warrant officer is a fail-safe in disguise as a ninja amongst the many that will be there for YUREI'S public execution. VINDICATOR thinks the whole ninja thing is not his bag, and being in disguise might be a death sentence... but he understands the importance of the mission and the gaining of powerful allies in Japan, as well as overthrowing SPIRE THE BLOOD LORD. It's a risk worth taking, even if found out, amongst the hundreds of enemy Ninjas!





*...and yes, for those curious... I do re-buy the alternate heads displayed every time lol...




*group shot for Flint _rocks! ;-)
SHINOBI 7: T-B/L-R : ATHENA v4 (Scarlett) / VINDICATOR v3 (Flint)
CHUKA (Nunchuk) / TANBA (Bushido)
YAKU v3 (Jinx) / YUREI KAGE (Storm Shadow) / DEAD EYE (Snake Eyes)


*^^^ I have more Ninjas planned in the future, but this is my original SHINOBI 7 mission roster before SHINOBI SQUAD is made!

AWESOME!!! LOVE IT! Seriously man great customs aside this would make an epic read as a short story.

[Mr Hebime]

Solid builds for Goggles and Vindicator, they both look great! Also liking the subtle changes you made to the Alley Fighter too.

[Steel Brigade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by axonrey

That Flint rocks all the asses.

Also, is your last name really your last name?

LOL! Thanks bro... I had a blast when building that one... Oh, if you are talking about Facebook/"Idolmetal" then ...no lol... That comes from my liking of underground idol metal groups in Japan!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flint_rocks

AWESOME!!! LOVE IT! Seriously man great customs aside this would make an epic read as a short story.

So glad you like the customs & stories, I take those group shots just for you! lol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Hebime

Solid builds for Goggles and Vindicator, they both look great! Also liking the subtle changes you made to the Alley Fighter too.

Appreciate the kind words as always buddy, please look forward to the next round, as it's going to be a fun batch with a few surprises!

[ponygt]

So incredibly awesome!!