Who Doesn't Love A Contest???

As I'm sure you're all aware, I am trying very hard to promote interest in this site. I also love a good contest. So, I've decided to host a little contest to promote Tales from Castle Destro, with the goal of attracting more readers to the site. Here's how it will work:
On Sunday, April 1st, 2012, one registered member of the site will be selected by random drawing to receive a custom figure of one character from Tales from Castle Destro. The winner may choose which character they would like made.
To be eligible to win, you must do the following:
1) Go to Tales from Castle Destro (oh, look! You're already here!)
2) Find the FOLLOWERS box on the right-hand side of the page.
3) Click the JOIN THIS SITE button and log in (you'll be asked to select a username and a password).
Once you've done this, an avatar will appear in the FOLLOWERS box indicating that you have joined the site. The winner will be chosen using the following, highly scientific method: On Sunday morning, I will write down all of the names listed in the FOLLOWERS box on individual slips of paper. My son will then choose one slip out of a hat. The person whose name appears on the slip will be the winner. The winner will be allowed to choose any character that appears in Tales from Castle Destro to be made into a custom figure. The only restriction I will place on this is that if your choice of figure requires some sort of specialty parts, then you must be patient as they are often subject to availability.
Is this nothing more than a cheap tactic to draw people to the site? Absolutely! But don't let that discourage you. ;)

G.I. Joe Indirect Fire Support Team

For quite some time now, I have been wanting to make a diorama depicting a Fire Support Team. I pictured a team of Joes set up in the desert outside a small city, waiting to provide mortar support (if needed) to another group of Joes conducting some type of special mission within the city.

Armadillo (Anti-Aircraft Tank)

This version of the Armadillo was released after I had stopped playing with Joes. But like the Lynx, my younger brother had one and kept it in pretty decent condition (based on this, perhaps you can guess which vehicle is next on my workbench?). Once again, this is just a "refurbishing" of the original toy with some added detailing. Specifically, these things were done:

- The drive wheels were painted the same color as the rest of the vehicle.
- The six XXX-101 Surface-to-Air Missiles were "livened up" with a yellow stripe around each.
- The winch cable was painted.

After the vehicle was painted, I applied a new set of decals by Ruben Jiminez. I used the standard Armadillo decals, rather than the Slaughter's Marauder's version because I like my vehicles to be mostly uniform in appearance.

Lynx (Fire Support Vehicle - Artillery)

The Lynx was released after I had stopped playing with Joes. Luckily for me, my younger brother had one and kept it in pretty decent condition. It was originally intended as a tank, but since the Joes have so many of those, I decided to view it as a fire support vehicle, similar to the Wolverine but with a 155mm self-reloading howitzer. Like the Wolverine I posted yesterday, this is just a "refurbishing" of the original toy with some added detailing. Specifically, these things were done:

- The drive wheels were painted the same color as the rest of the vehicle.
- The seat was painted black.
- The engine compartment was painted steel, aluminum and black.
- The tools (which we called "pioneer gear" in the USMC) were painted the correct color.
- The waterproof bags strapped to the vehicle's engine cover were painted the correct color (these bags are used to hold the camouflage netting that hides the vehicle from overhead observation when it is idle).

After the vehicle was painted, I applied a new set of decals by Ruben Jiminez. I used a set of Wolverine decals, rather than the Lynx decals because because I like my vehicles to be mostly uniform in appearance, and didn't really care for the Slaughter's Marauders decals.

























Here's a shot of both Fire Support Vehicles together:













Next up will be the Armadillo!

Wolverine (Fire Support Vehicle - Missile)

The Wolverine was always one of my favorites when I was young. This is just a "refurbishing" of the original toy with some added detailing. Specifically, these things were done:

- The drive wheels were painted the same color as the rest of the vehicle.
- The seat was painted black.
- The engine compartment was painted steel, aluminum and black.
- The missiles were painted in the colors standard to US/NATO ground-based ordnance.
- The tools (which we called "pioneer gear" in the USMC) were painted the correct color.
- The waterproof bags strapped to the vehicle's engine cover were painted the correct color (these bags are used to hold the camouflage netting that hides the vehicle from overhead observation when it is idle).

After the vehicle was painted, I applied a new set of decals by Ruben Jiminez. All in all, I'm pretty happy with how this turned out.



























I've already started working on the Lynx fire support vehicle and hope to have it posted tomorrow!

Tales from Castle Destro (Press Release)

I am very happy to announce that Tales from Castle Destro Volume I - Mercenary War is now available as a free ebook at www.smashwords.com. The link should take directly to the page where you can download the ebook in any of the following formats:

Online Reading (HTML, good for sampling in web browser)
Online Reading (JavaScript, experimental, buggy)
Kindle (.mobi for Kindle devices and Kindle apps)
Epub (Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others)
PDF (good for reading on PC, or for home printing)
RTF (readable on most word processors)
LRF (Use only for older model Sony Readers that don't support .epub)
Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices)
Plain Text (download) (flexible, but lacks much formatting)
Plain Text (view) (viewable as web page)

Gung Ho (U.S. Marine)

This must be the 7th or 8th version of Gung Ho that I've made. While I usually just have one definitive version of each character in my collection, there is something about this character allows me to just keep cranking them out. This is Gung Ho wearing modern USMC-issue MARPAT camouflage. He's carrying an M32 Multi-shot Grenade Launcher, introduced into the Marine Corps around 2006. He has a trusty old CAR-15 (a commando-sized version of the M16 that was a precursor to the modern M4) slung around his body. The pouch on his left hip is the carrier for his M40 Gas Mask.

Claymore (Special Forces Officer)

Captain Claymore is yet another character that was released after my G.I. Joe hey-day. This wasn't a particularly inspired custom, because I basically assembled the same parts used for the 2011 JoeCon Exclusive Claymore figure. I went with a bit different color scheme, though...

Guillotine (Plague Leader)

Guillotine was made using a Pursuit of Cobra wave 3 Snake Eyes body and the "Plague Leader" kit by Raginspoon. All I had to do was assemble and paint! I highly recommend checking out his stuff at Raginspoon's Custom Cast Parts & Figures.

A.G.P. (Iron Grenadier Anti-Gravity Pod)

This was actually the first piece done in my little Iron Grenadier project and it more or less inspired the rest. I have no idea why it took me this long to publish it...















The entire vehicle was disassembled and washed in warm, soapy water. Once the whole thing was clean, I reassembled most of it. The cockpit canopy was missing, so I had to scrounge one up on ebay. I managed to get one for about $3 shipped. I repainted the missiles and guns metallic 14K gold. The cockpit interior was painted steel. The seat and all of the controls were painted to bring out the sculpted detail.

Some time later, I managed to acquire two more A.G.P.'s (one from ebay and one through the incredible generosity of someone that knew I liked them) and gave them the same treatment. I also upgraded the decals with a custom set from CobraStickers.


























Here are all three A.G.P.'s in the hangar bay of my Castle Destro diorama.

Spearhead (Pointman)

This is the second version of Spearhead I've done. The first was much more accurate to the vintage figure - the color scheme was closer and it included the vintage weapon, backpack and his pet bobcat Max. I was actually happy with that version until I acquired this headless body in a trade with fellow HissTank member Mermaniel. It's mostly a repainted Dusty figure from the Pursuit of Cobra line, but I was really impressed with his replication of the 1990's U.S. military "chocolate chip" camouflage pattern that I remembered so well from my USMC days. As soon as I received the body, I knew it would end up being a replacement Spearhead. In a moment of complete laziness, I used a Rise of Cobra Channing Tatum head sculpt - mostly because I had so many extras lying around, but also because I hadn't bothered to use the head anywhere in my collection yet. I added a repainted backpack from the 25th Anniversary Sgt Airborne and a CAR-15 rifle from Marauder Gun Runners. I added an AN/PVS-4 Night Vision Scope and a suppressor (both also from Marauder) to the rifle, as I found them to be appropriate for a pointman. At first, I wasn't going to post this figure, because someone else painted the figure. All I really did was add a new head and customize a rifle and pack for him... But then I decided that I dug the figure enough that I wanted to share him, easy custom or not.

Cutlass (Iron Grenadier Operative)

Cutlass and her brother Ghost are among Destro's most deadly operatives. She is one of the best sword fighters on the planet, a living phenomenon. Though she is a Champion fencer, she never particularly cared for trophies. Instead, her recognition comes when her opponent is lying in a pool of blood and she is still standing.

*** Cutlass is a character created by Kneroh and used by Cobralalalala! for the HissTank RPG. I merely adapted the character to figure form, as I pictured her.

Baroness (Iron Grenadier Intelligence Chief)

This is actually the second version of an Iron Grenadier Baroness. I liked the first one well enough, but eventually wanted to do something different. This one is more simple, a bit less flashy. Hope you dig her!

Gibraltar (British RMC)

Prior to joining the G.I. Joe Team, Gibraltar was a senior NCO of the 42 Commando in The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines. His codename refers not only to Royal Marines involvement in the Siege of Gibraltar in 1704, but also to the fact that he is like a rock that his teammates can depend upon, no matter the situation.

Gibraltar is pictured below with Ice Storm, a fellow Brit and G.I. Joe Team member.

Munitia (Mercenary)

Anyone in close proximity to Munitia is suddenly and savagely chilled to the bone. Her icy presence sucks the warmth out of everything and everyone. Her eyes watch you the way a predator calculates its prey. Her face is devoid of all emotion - nothing pleases her, frightens her or surprises her. She is cool and in control at all times. Her ability to guess the actions of others has made her a supreme bounty hunter. She has a strong rivalry with fellow mercenary, Major Sebastian Bludd. She is sometimes found working with Firefly and Blackout, probably because their single-minded passion for devastation and darkness rivals her own. Together the trio is known as H.I.S.S. (Hierarchy of Infiltration, Stealth and Sabotage).

NOTE: The headsculpt was obtained from Raginspoon's Custom Cast Parts & Figures. Go and visit him!

Ice Storm (British SBS)

Ice Storm is the G.I. Joe Team's cold-water marine combat and survival specialist. His job is to ensure that the team is able to fight and win under the most extreme maritime conditions. Prior to joining the Joe Team, he was a member of the British Royal Navy's Special Boat Service, where he was assigned to S squadron, which specializes in the use of minisubs and small boats. Although he was recruited primarily for his maritime skills, Ice Storm is just as comfortable on fighting on dry land and is often selected for long-range reconnaissance missions.

Rampart (Navy CWSS)

Rampart was introduced well after I'd stopped playing with toys as a kid. So I didn't have a any great attachment to him. But when I saw the great headsculpt the fellows over at Slayer Design Studios had done, I looked into him a little bit and found him to be pretty cool.

I "modernized" him just a bit by giving him an M60E3 medium machinegun and an M136 AT-4 rocket launcher - weapons that are still in use today. Hope you guys dig him!



















Here's a shot of Rampart with his fellow Naval Joe, Night Fox.

Tales from Castle Destro - Reader Input Poll

When I wrote Chapter 1 of Tales from Castle Destro, it was intended to be a "one-shot" story. I did not expect to have people ask to hear more about the characters I created in it. Twenty-two chapters later, I have wrapped up the first major story arc and have decided that the next few chapters will be stand alone stories, focusing on different types of Iron Grenadier troops.

As a way of thanking those who have supported this blog, I decided to include my readers on the decision-making process for chapter 23 by asking them to vote for the character they wanted to see featured in the next chapter. The results of the poll were as follows:

Annihilator - 1 vote
Ferret - 0 votes
Highlander - 1 vote
Iron Anvil - 0 votes
Iron Wolf - 1 vote
Nullifier - 7 votes
Shock Trooper - 1 vote
T.A.R.G.A.T. - 2 votes
Undertow - 7 votes
Wild Boar - 0 votes
Named characters - 0 votes

So because we had two characters tie for first place, I'll do a chapter featuring each of them. Chapter 23 will feature the Nullifier! Thanks for reading!

Ogre (Iron Grenadiers APC)

When the Iron Grenadiers need to insert a team of Shock Troopers under heavy fire, there is no more suitable deliver vehicle that the Ogre APC. The Ogre's thick hide deflects almost any sort of barrage that can be thrown at it. It is capable of transporting an entire 12-man squad to their objective and, upon arrival, can provide them with fire support in the form of two .50 caliber co-axial machineguns, two 40mm repeating cannons and dual H.A.D.E.S. rocket launchers. The driver is able to operate all of the weapon systems by means of an advanced targeting and fire control system built directly into his helmet.




















Each Ogre is operated and maintained by a highly trained driver known as a Troll. These men are hard even by the Iron Grenadiers' standards. Each one is an experienced mechanic, capable of repairing just about anything found on the Ogre. They're also legendary amongst the IG for their stubbornness, ferocity and overwhelming will to succeed, so it's no surprise that a great many Trolls eventually move on to the IG command ranks.

The Death Dealers

A while back, I dyed a 30th Anniversary Iron Grenadier black and then decked him out with red and gold trim. I intended to make a whole squad of them. I still plan to do so, but in the meantime, my friend KingBiohazerd asked me to make him his own squad of them. He was rather fond of the name Death Dealers, so that was the name we gave them. The Death Dealers are an elite squad of Shock Troopers led by Captain Miller, also known as the Black Llama. Other veteran members of the squad include Sergeant Shock, Corporal Werecat, Corporal Hung and Corporal Reaper.