|
Community Links |
Social Groups |
Pictures & Albums |
Members List |
Search Forums |
Advanced Search |
Go to Page... |
|
Thread Tools |
11-01-2019, 09:32 AM | #1 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 3,030
|
As a fan who began his journey with G. I. Joe during the Cold War of the 1980s Reagan era, I have always loved the Oktober Guard. When Marvel Issue # 6 released with the following cover:
I think the idea that the American G. I. Joe team and the Soviet Oktober Guard sharing a common enemy, Cobra, really won me over to like this team. Plus, in this issue, both teams had these super cool vehicles -- neither of which were ever released as toys: Then, in Marvel G. I. Joe Yearbook 2, the Oktober Guard returned with even cooler vehicles -- again, sadly, never released as toys: Like the G. I. Joe Team, the Oktober Guard has seen members come and go and has also been reinvented both in the comics and cartoons. So, my Oktober Guard customs blend my favorite versions of the characters while embracing various aspects of the characters into my own adaptations. First on the list is the Oktober Guard Commander, Colonel Brekhov aka "RED STAR." Now, I know what you are thinking, aren't Col. Brekhov, Red Star and Iron Bear three different characters? Well, in Hasbro's universe, Yes, but in my Joeverse, No. Actually, I think there was some implied blending of the characters Col. Brekhov and Red Star, originally. Col. Brekhov was killed in G. I. Joe: Special Missions Issue #26 (1989), and it was not until 1991 that Hasbro released the action figure "Red Star," who bore a striking resemblance to (the now deceased) Col. Brekhov. Marvel comics pokes a little fun at this in Issue #146 when the Joes asked Red Star why he looked so much like Col. Brekhov. So, in my Joevese, Red Star is Col. Brekhov's official code name with "Iron Bear" simply being an alias. The base figure for this custom comes from an Indiana Jones Russian Officer figure with the arms swapped out with those from the Russian Soldier (better elbow articulation). While the Indiana Jones figure looks great, it simply serves as stand-in until I receive my MTF WWII Russian figures from the Kickstarter. The hat and web gear are from the 25th comic pack Red Star figure. The head is from Specialist Altitude, which uses the same head sculpt as Red Star v.2 but is cast in flesh tone plastic and has lighter colored hair. The AK47 w/ grenade launcher is from Marauder Gun Runners and the Vodka bottle is a custom resin cast from Avac's Lab. As usual, comments, questions, critics are highly appreciated and encouraged. Stay tuned into this thread for more pictures of custom Oktober Guard action figures and vehicles. Jason
__________________
http://www.hisstank.com/forum/buy-se...-feedback.html https://gijoerevisited2.blogspot.com/ Last edited by jlw515; 07-02-2021 at 08:39 AM.. |
11-01-2019, 10:41 AM | #2 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 3,030
|
Next up is the only female member of the Oktober Guard team, Vorona. Again, I know what some of you might already be thinking, "Isn't 'Vorona' her G. I. Joe code name and 'Daina' her Oktober Guard name?" Well, Yes, but in my Joeverse, I am blending various aspects of the characters together and I want each character to have a unique code name and not be known simply by their filename.
I have also added the aliases, Sachi and Volga. "Sachi" was the character's original name when the Oktober Guard was going to be called the "Pravda Patrol," while "Volga" was the name of the character's first action figure. This custom is a simple MTF build using the Valkyrie Spec-Ops body and accessories. I want a type of uniformity with my Oktober Guard customs. So, most characters will have a side holster, side ammo pack, boot pocket, and boot knife. The head sculpt is a Daina flesh-tone resin cast from Vortious Customs. I painted the eyes, lips, and hair. I really love this head sculpt and was so glad to get a flesh-tone resin cast. The web gear is from Snake Eyes v.56, which uses the same gear as the exclusive Daina figure but in grey. I also have the MTF high-collar vest and utility vest in Spec-Ops colors. The "tankers cap" is from a Star Wars Tycho Celchu action figure, which is where the exclusive Daina figure borrowed from. I also include here a variant look, which more resembles the color scheme and look from Marvel Issues #6 & 7 (except there Daina wore a camo top and solid pants). The fur hat is actually a Big Bear resin cast from Vortious Customs where I Dremelled out the hat to fit onto the head. This is not the same head used on the first custom. It is another Daina resin cast from Vortious Customs, but for this one, I painted the hair a slightly darker color. The fur hat is not glued on, but you have to heat it up to make it more pliable to remove. So, I just leave it on. Jason |
11-01-2019, 10:43 AM | #3 |
Hisstank.Com General
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Georgia
Posts: 14,837
|
Nice. That IJ figure is perfect for a 25th Red Star!!!
__________________
Feedback Thread: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/buy-se...-feedback.html B/T Thread: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-jo...-b-t-list.html |
11-01-2019, 10:51 AM | #4 |
Banned
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 10,010
|
Looks great! Love that Vodka bottle!
|
11-01-2019, 10:55 AM | #5 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 3,030
|
Shturmovik is the more updated spelling of the original Oktober Guard Paratrooper, Stormavik. The character's "Pravda Patrol" name was "Mouse," which I list under Aliases.
Originally, I used BFS "Adonis" head for the custom, but have decided to swap it out with the MTF Brynner head sculpt (Adonis will show up as James McCullen XXIV). Another simple MTF build using the Spec-Ops figure with cloth arms and legs. I think the Spec-Ops camo pattern has that Cold War Soviet camo look to it. The web gear is from Stalker v.13 with the machete sheath cut off. The Oktober Guard logo on the left arm is a watercolor slide from Bad Mother Tattoos. Jason |
11-01-2019, 10:56 AM | #6 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 3,030
|
Thanks! It's a really good sculpt, but I hate that it doesn't have better hip articulation. Can't wait for the MTF WWII Kickstarter to ship!!
Jason |
11-01-2019, 10:57 AM | #7 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 3,030
|
Thanks! It's from Avac's Lab and it actually says "Vodka" with a skull and crossbones on the bottle!
Jason |
11-01-2019, 11:11 AM | #8 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 3,030
|
Fourth on the list is everybody's favorite "dumb Russian bear," Horror Show! Interestingly, Horror Show's original, "Pravda Patrol" name was "Big Bear," which is later used as a separate Oktober Guard character.
So as to not have two "anti-armor specialist" on such a small team as the Oktober Guard, I changed Horror Shows function to that of Tank Driver since the comics portrayed him as driving some of the heavy armored vehicles. The head is a flesh-tone, Horror Show resin cast from Vortious Customs. I painted the tanker cap, eyes, and mustache. The body is made from a Shadow Tracker upper torso and Heavy Duty v.10 waist and legs. The arms come from an Indiana Jones German Motorcycle Driver action figure. I had to use hot glue to create a ball-joint socket in the toro that would accommodate the IJ arms. The vest is from Shadow Tracker. This is the same vest used with the exclusive Horror Show action figure. Currently, I do not plan to swap this custom out with a Marauder figure. I like the bulky look of the arms and pants of this custom. Plus, I really like the unique camo pattern. I think it would be good to have at least one Oktober Guard character that kind of stands out from the rest--that's always been Horror Show! Jason |
11-01-2019, 11:26 AM | #9 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 3,030
|
Rounding out the final member of the original Oktober Guard team is the (typically) silent machine gunner, Schrage!
One aspect of Schrage that I changed for my Joeverse was to make him an actual Russian character, instead of East German like the Marvel comics. I want my Oktober Guard to be exclusively Russian and not a "Warsaw Pact-type" team. The body is an Indiana Jones Russian Soldier. I added some DG Shipwreck hands, but the proportions make his arms look longer. Like my custom Red Star, this figure will receive a nice update once the Marauder Kickstarter Russian figures ship. I Dremelled out the IJ Russian Soldier's garrison cap and glued it to a Star Wars Admiral Piett head. I will probably keep this head sculpt when I update this figure with the Marauder body. It just depends on how the Russian head sculpt looks. The web gear is from Flint v.19 with the machete sheath trimmed off. I figured out that the belt buckle is also from the IJ Russian Soldier figure. The RPK-74M light machine gun is from Marauder Gun Runners. |
11-01-2019, 11:50 AM | #10 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 3,030
|
Marvel G. I. Joe Yearbook #2 introduced a new team member to the Oktober Guard, Dragonsky!
To me, Dragonsky's helmet had that kind of Top Gun MIG Pilot look to it. The comic depicts Dragonsky with a flamethrower that looks similar to a Russian LPO-50, which Dragonsky affectionately calls a "Zhukov Zippo." I used the purple MTF Engineer-Ops as the base for this custom along with accessories similar to the FSS Club exclusive. I also added the chest box from Airtight v.3 to cover the bottom holes in the MTF chest plate. Even though the FSS Club figure has a dark purple helmet, I really think the character was supposed to be portrayed with a black helmet (chest plate, knee pads, & boots) with the dark purple color to fill in the detailed highlights (similar to how DC used blue to highlight Superman's black hair). I trimmed down an MTF balaclava head and glued the Firefly v.19 helmet to it. I didn't want to worry about either the balaclava head or the bald MMA(?) head warping the helmet. Slight variation in this character's uniform "uniformity." Instead of a boot knife, I opted for a pistol holster. I don't think that the flamethrower would be practical in every situation and Dragonsky may need a weapon with a longer firing range. The flamethrower and backpack are from the Dragonsky v.2 comic pack. Jason |
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Vehicles Oktober Guard Su 27 | lance858a | G.I. Joe Customs Finished Projects | 27 | 01-07-2016 02:56 PM |
Figures Mostly LBC Oktober Guard | dbritt | G.I. Joe Customs Finished Projects | 31 | 08-16-2015 02:37 AM |
Oktober Guard | chickenbroth | G.I. Joe Customs Finished Projects | 23 | 09-21-2009 07:04 PM |
Oktober Guard | minstrelboy | G.I. Joe General Discussion | 0 | 05-18-2008 08:01 PM |
|
|