JoeCanuck

Good evening all,

With TRU's recent buy one get one for 1$ sale, I managed to pick up quite a few PoC wave 5 Steel Brigade Troopers. It's probably my favorite figure from wave 5. In keeping with the idea that Steel Brigade can have any specialty, the figure comes with a buttload of gear to outfit him as we want. I wanted to push that idea a bit further and started outfitting SB with different accessories. This is what I came up with. It isn't anything revolutionary. In fact, these can be considered borderline LBCs, but I like them.

In my Joeverse, Steel Brigade is an international security force. Once the Joes have kicked Cobra out of a country or region, Steel Brigade comes in to mop up enemy troops, provide security for the area, provide humanitarian aid and insure a peaceful transition back to a stable government. Their missions can last a few days to a few years. They're similar to UN Peacekeepers but with a broader mandate and more firepower. They work with GI Joe rather than for GI Joe.

From left to right:
EOD Trooper
Red Zone - Steel Brigade Security
Flamethrower
Commander
Airborne Assault Trooper
Crowd Control Trooper
SAW Trooper

Feel free to let me know what you think.

OB

My Man Cave project is moving forward. I've had some time to start setting up my Joe collection in the basement. I still have quite a bit to set up, but here are some pics of what is done so far. I will be using three of the four walls in the room to set up my Joes and TFs. Joes will occupy the longest wall and 2/3 of another. TFs will take up rest.

The first three pics are an overview on the main Joe wall.




And some details of the shelves:

Some ramdom collectibles: Comics, a 25the SE signed by Larry Hama, some product catalogs, etc

25th 1982:

25th 1983-1984:

25th 1985:

25th 1986:

25th 1987+:


More in the next posts.

OB

Reading through the answers in the latest Q&A, I came upon this (from JoeSightings.com):

''Q: While the overall aesthetics on the PoC have been great, we were wondering about a few things we weren’t sure on, such as the computerized/corded device on Beachhead’s leg---what is it; why are the Jungle-Vipers "blind" by having only the scleras painted in but not the iris or pupils; and why was the decision made to use red as the color for the VAMP’s undercarriage instead of a more tactical color that would have matched better?

A: Here is what the design team had in mind for each: The computerized device tethered to BEACHHEAD's leg is actually a GPS location device and a mobile mission server. It is tethered to his leg to track his main vitals as well as his rate of movement based on his footsteps and heartrate.

On the JUNGLE VIPER, his irises and pupils have been diminished by long hours of wearing the advanced optical network attached to his face and eyes. If you look closely at the tips of the blades, you’ll notice small red dots in pairs. Each of these is actually a small set of stereoscopic infrared cameras hidden in 24 different spots all over the Jungle Viper's Opti-Camo Suit. Each camera broadcasts a closed-circuit signal directly to the headset camera unit of the marksman, giving him literally “eyes in the back of his head.” His headset unit has onboard threat recognition software that allows infrared data to be processed and understood as hostile or non-hostile to the soldier. He can immediately switch to the camera unit that is picking up the “threat signal,” like a fly or a wasp. The effects of this technology alter the biology of the human eye.

On the VAMP, the undercarriage details are red to imitate performance off-road braning systems per the request of the Creative Director at the time who who is an automotive enthusiast.''

Personally, I think this type of info should have been the basis for the PoC filecards. For example, it gives great insight into the Jungle Viper's capabilities and training and also their day-to-day reality. It seems like kids could use this to create a bunch of different stories and scenarios. Just a thought.

OB

I figured it was time to show Sigma 6 some love. Granted the show was... not up to our expectations and the scale change... ruffled a few feathers. However, I believe that there were some very cool designs that came out of the Sigma 6 era.

For one thing, the DTC HISS is, IMHO, probably the best rendition of Cobra's iconic tank since version 2. The Sigma 6 version was scaled to fit the 2.5'' figures. It included the driver (who was referred to as Cobra Trooper in the cartoon).

Since, these toys exist only in 2.5'' scale, I decided to make my own. I still have a few touch-ups, details and stickers to add. I still have to paint those fuel tanks on the side and I'm still convinced that I can find a better helmet for the trooper, but I'm pretty happy with the way these turned out. As always, feel free to comment.  :-)

OB

First off, this is the first time I've posted a custom here at JoeCanuck. I've been customising for a while now (I guess about 4 years off and on). This is also my first Dreadnok custom.

Second, I've never been a big fan of the Dreadnoks. I don't hate them, but they aren't my favorite element of the GIJoe mythos.

Anyway, I bought a bunch of Rip Attack Tiger Snakes (for the Street Viper) when they hit clearance at Walmart. I'm going to donate most of them during the Holidays, but I kept one to see if it could make a decent Dreadnok vehicle. Here are the results of my experiment, I call it the Road Rage. I kept the red from the original vehicle and added the blue and the black. I tried to keep the color scheme similar to the Thunder Machine (The color scheme from the other Dreadnok vehicles is atrocious) The driver is called Ruckus and is made of spare parts.

So, is my experiment a success?

OB

It's that time of year again. The days are getting shorter, the leaves are turning red, the kids are back in school and PTE has arrived at Hart for the Christmas shopping season. 

I found these at Hart on the South Shore. They weren't on the shelves yet. They were stacked in a pile on the floor near the toy section. A couple of employees were busy resetting the toy section, they left the PTE stuff out until the proper shelves were installed. Variety was lacking compared to previous years. Besides these, I only saw the new VAMP-like jeep. I hope that they are expecting more shipments. I'd love to get a Main Battle Tank or two and I'm still waiting for the Patrol Boat.