[HissHissFangFan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dragasses

"Bad Mother Cobra sigil decals—not really vintage accurate, but keeping in line with the look for my 1982 and 1984 Collection army builders previous."
your incorporation of stickers/waterslides vs. paint is always amazing, regardless of their would-be inaccuracies. stellar.

always impressed.

Thanks for this comment, as I need to remind myself that sometimes (more often than I allow) I can deviate from the original source material for very good reasons, and when it's not distracting. I did this a little bit more back in 2016-2017, but later pushed myself for more accuracy--which is sometimes more rewarding, especially when searching for and finding the right parts.

Also, decals only, no stickers for me. Just sayin'...

[46 Zone]

Thanks for the details of the hip fix. I may get around to fixing my 5 other drivers at some point.

[jlw515]

Another great custom-correction! I am always amazed at how subtle details really enhance a figure. I think just adding the belt alone did a lot of good to the figure.

I am kind of indifferent to the new HISS driver. I think I prefer the 25th head for the size and I think the diamond on the front looks more like a snakehead. Thanks for the tutorial on how to narrow the stance on the legs. This may be something I work on in the future.

Jason

[HissHissFangFan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlw515

Another great custom-correction! I am always amazed at how subtle details really enhance a figure. I think just adding the belt alone did a lot of good to the figure.

I am kind of indifferent to the new HISS driver. I think I prefer the 25th head for the size and I think the diamond on the front looks more like a snakehead. Thanks for the tutorial on how to narrow the stance on the legs. This may be something I work on in the future.

Jason

You know, I thought I'd prefer the 25th head too. I hate replacing older 25th parts if I really don't need to and when the part is a good accurate dedicated mold. More thoughts and pics on this with my next figure post...

[HissHissFangFan]

[46 Zone]

Awesome!!! From afar it looks like a bunch of 8-bit British Queen's guard soldiers.

[SF Officer]

My first thought was where's Waldo... or you put Wild Weasel in one of the squares.

Fun graphic and great photography

[HissHissFangFan]

HISS GUNNER [2020 Update]

2020-12-02_01-06-02 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

Build:
Head, Legs, Chest Armor: 2020 Retro Collection HISS Driver
Upper Torso, Lower Arms: Blue Dollar General Cobra Trooper
Belt: 2008 25th HISS Driver
Hands: MTF male hands, gloves with pads
Paints: Tamiya Flat Blue, Citadel Leadbelcher (dark silver), Citadel Khorne Red (chest plate)

Notes:

For this one, same story as the HISS Driver posted earlier/recently. I knew that if I was going to update one, I’d really have to update this guy (and my FANG Driver). I wasn’t sure how available the new Retro HISS was going to be to do this mini-project, but that turned out not to be a problem.


PhotoGrid_1606891202472~2 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

My 2020 HISS Gunner (AKA Cobra Artillery Gunner AKA Cobra ASP Operator AKA check back with me next week) is the exact same build and mods as my 2020 HISS Driver, just repainted to match my previous 2017 HISS Gunner, which in turn is basically a 2008 HISS Commander with some paint tweaks.

I used an extra blue Dollar General Cobra Trooper for the upper half (same mold as Retro HISS Driver) so that my blue paint wouldn’t suffer paint rub to reveal red. This second pass on mods to the Retro HISS Driver’s legs did give me a chance to refine and verify the mods I went over in the previous HISS Driver post.


2020-12-04_08-30-04 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

The composite shot above really sold me on this new build over my previous 2017, the head in particular—which had me on the fence. Comparative shot below (2017 versions shot last year) really highlights the different body proportions. Besides the head size, most noticeable are the thighs, torso width at the shoulders, and deltoid roundness. The 2008 body is more awkward in these proportions than the sleeker 30th POC body as well as these new Retro legs.


2020-12-02_12-50-11 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

Above, my 2020 HISS Gunner is flanked by my 2017 version on the left and the 2008 unmodified “HISS Commander” on the right. The 2008 HISS Commander has a faded molded blue—I don’t know if this is faded with time or was the original intent, but I wanted my figures to have my more traditional Dark Blue.

One of early concerns during early builds and test shots of this figure was that this new version was a whole lot shorter than the previous…


2020-12-02_08-39-17 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

..However when compared to the 30th/POC Trooper figure (my Cobra Stinger Driver with that exact figure build as a stand in above), the new HISS Gunner and Driver are just the right height. My previous HISS figures were actually too tall and wide—most noticeably in the legs. Honestly, this new build is pretty much one I had strived to make back in 2017 but abandoned because of the lack of better sculpted and sized parts.


2020-12-02_08-39-32 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

In the photo above, I wanted to see what the old 2008 looked like on the new body—an build combo I was seriously contemplating back when Retro HISS was revealed. It is not too bad, especially if you are particularly attached to that sculpt (I was until getting the new one in hand).


2020-12-02_08-39-52 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

The image above composites and mirrors the two previous photos for a side-by-side comparison of the different heads on the very same figure. In the end for me, the head is big--even though it maybe should be big because he is helmeted. My issue is that it makes the body look small, and almost juvenile (KID HISS?). Others may think the head looks too puny, a big issue with many of the early 25th figures that many may not want to revisit at this time. Interested in what you all think...


2020-12-02_12-49-57 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

Sharp eyed viewers may have noticed that I switched the goggle/mask color combo back to match the original 2008 Figure. In 2017, I switched to black goggles and silver mask as a small switch/tweak to the figure. My original intent was to have black goggles and RED mask to match the 2000 Rip It, but I changed the mask to silver at the last minute based on early photos back then—it looked really off. I also had to use bright sliver instead of dark silver, or else in most cases the googles and mask looked like one super shiny black mass.


2020-12-05_09-57-57 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

I switched back to the original so that I could potentially army build this figure in the future using the 2008 figure with little painting. Going back to the silver goggles matched my HISS Driver and FANG Pilot for a starker group look when posed together (unfortunately not fully captured in my earlier tease photos), and all having the nice Molotow Liquid Chrome Paint Pen Finish on the goggles.

HISS GUNNER: HHFF Shelf Evolution

This figure and its place in the history of my 25th Figures Cobra Shelf goes back near the beginning of my 25th Collection, and road to customizing. By 2009, I was set on buying Cobra Figures to assemble two 13-figure display collections, one with hooded Cobra Commander along with the more iconic big guns of Cobra and one of Helmeted Cobra Commander with bunch of various (but slightly unique) troop builders from the pre-1985 era.


gCobra_25th_MainDisplay_2009-1112a by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

Above was taken in 2009. Seen in the back row, I used the figure unmodified and as intended by Hasbro as a HISS Commander (whatever that meant). Back row was balanced with two air-support guys and two ground support guys. HISS Commander survived a revamp in my Cobra Shelf in 2013 (see photo below), when I expanded my Cobra shelf to more figure sets. My O13 set got revamped for a streamlined uniform blue-shirt look—with exception to two figures being red. The Blue HISS Commander worked great visually for this set at the time.


gCobra_25th_MainDisplay_2013-0510a by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

In 2014 or 2015 (photo below), the HISS and FANG related figures got booted from the Cobra O13 set to make it a “true” 1982 inspired set—meaning no 1983 vehicle related figures. The Cobra O13 set also got revamped using the better 30th/POC/Dollar General Cobra Trooper build for most figures. Blue HISS Commander ended up in the fodder bin for a few years during this time (while HISS Driver and FANG Pilot got added back on the shelf as part of an 8-figure add-on set to the O13).


IMG_20170122_174207 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

In 2017 (below), I brought the HISS Commander back to the shelf when I revamped my 8-figure 1983 add-on set to a 9-figure set (as presented in the first post of this very thread). I wanted an odd number figure set with a central figure, and needed someone to balance out my late additional of a Stinger Driver—who was added here since I didn’t have a dedicated 1984 display set/collection at the time.


gCobra_25th_83-00_2017-0806a by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

I re-designated the HISS Commander in my collection at this time for two reasons. First I could never get my mind around the idea of a HISS Commander—the normal driver seemed “elite” enough based on the file card info and his striking unique red uniform. I know the figure is somewhat inspired by the 2000 Rip-It character/figure, but I never bought or bought into that figure/character either.


2020-11-26_01-13-15 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

Second, I wanted this figure to make sense in my mind, and somehow came up with the idea that he would have been the figure that came with the ASP, and basically be a Cobra Artillery/Gunner. It fit well with the idea in tandem with the Driver for the Stinger, but I needed to have a decent excuse for inclusion in my 1983 set for both (since ASP and Stinger were 1984). For the ASP operator, it was easy to repurpose him as a HISS Gunner—and concept/figure introduced in 2015. For the Stinger Driver: not as easy, and a story that unfolded in the early pages of this tread…


2020-12-02_02-38-44 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr


PhotoGrid_1607145722958 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr


PhotoGrid_1607145829409 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr


2020-12-02_01-14-16 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

[sbartek1974]

These are so amazing HHFF

[HissHissFangFan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbartek1974

These are so amazing HHFF

Thanks man. The new parts did much of the heavy lifting I think.