Tripoli (G.I. Joe Marine Lieutenant)

Back when I made my first G.I. Joe "self-custom", Sgt Humpty, I had planned to do a whole group of Marines for a diorama. After the Sgt Humpty figure, the only other one that I finished was Tripoli (aka Lt Stone). I stumbled upon Lt Stone while trying to make a list of all the Marines on the G.I. Joe team for my planned diorama. Lt Stone was apparently the team commander throughout the G.I. Joe Extreme toy line and TV series. There was another Lt Stone during the Sigma 6 years (a British agent of MI-5) and I think I will probably make a figure for him, too. To avoid the confusion of having two Lieutenants with the same last name on my Joe team, I assigned this one the codename Tripoli, which is a reference to one of the Marine Corps' more well-known battles.

Parts: Head (RoC Sgt Stone), Torso, Arms, Legs, Machete & Tactical Vest (RoC Jungle Assault Ripcord), Boonie Cover & Rucksack (RoC Bench Press), M4 Rifle (Marauder, Inc).

The basic construction was exactly the same as the Sgt Humpty figure, except that I used a different head. The team that I was planning for the diorama was going to be dressed more or less uniform to each other, so the figures would not have differed much. I think this may have been part of the reason I drifted away from the project - the first was was fun, the second one less so... and then I couldn't find the enthusiasm to do a third.

Big Ben (British SAS Trooper)

I've never owned a Big Ben figure before and since he's such a cool character, it was inevitable that I'd get around to making one. Big Ben is a member of Britain's Special Air Service, the most elite of all the Queen's armed forces. My one big complaint about all the existing Big Ben figures is that every single one had him wearing a cold weather hat and jacket - as if the SAS never operates outside of the chillier climates. I decided that my version of Big Ben would be a more variable-climate representation. Since I was straying from the original design anyway, I decided to give him a bit of a modern upgrade, as well.

Parts: Head (Golden Compass Lord Asrial), Torso & Arms (RoC Jungle Assault Ripcord), Legs (PoC Recondo), Beret (RoC Sgt Stone), Hands (25th Anniversary Wild Bill), Ammunition Bandoliers (25th Anniversary Rock & Roll), M240 Machinegun (ARAH Big Ben v1), Pistol Belt (RoC Reactive Armor Duke).

Downtown (Mortarman)

Given the fact that I so enjoyed serving as a Mortarman in my beloved Corps, it was just a matter of time before I got around to making Downtown. Credit goes to HissTank member BILL, who originally had the idea of using the Resolute Duke parts for his custom Downtown figure - they just worked so perfectly! I tried to stay as true as possible to the original look of the character, but I've got to admit that the gaudy colors throw me a bit. I'm already planning a modern era update...

Parts: Head, Torso & Upper arms (Resolute Duke), Lower arms (25th Cobra Trooper), Upper legs (25th Wraith), Lower legs (25th Zartan), Revolver & Holster (25th Wild Bill), Knife & Scabbard (Marauder, Inc.), Helmet & Mortar (ARAH Downtown), Backapck (RoC Pit Commando).