Ok, I'm a HUGE Buck Rogers fan (the TV show - not the old serials & whatnot). I got a couple of Buck figs and a Twiki off Ebay a few months ago (just wanted the Twiki) but could never figure out how to build my Buck custom. Then a couple of weeks ago I won an incomplete StarFighter to customize and decided it was time to finally build my Buck Rogers.

The problem became - what parts to use, and what should he look like? I didn't want the white-spandex flightsuit look, and if I went for his "Searcher" outfits, I might as well just repaint a Bespin Han Solo. So last night, while digging through the fodder, I decided to go with this look instead:





Since I couldn't find a Gil Gerard-ish head, I used my favorite Chap Mei head - he's got a cocky smartass look to him. I was going to use a 25A Duke body with Flash lower legs, but they didn't fit right, then I started using CC parts, starting with the legs, and then figured what the hell, I'll use the whole CC (with Biggs' lower arms.)

I figure he's an amalgamation of several different looks - the comics, the serials, and all that. This is what I figure they might be wearing in the 25th Century. There's hardly any aspect of the TV-show in there at all (except maybe the Han Solo jacket & holster), and that's a little disappointing, but maybe it's time for a re-imagined Buck Rogers anyway.

I'm going to gut the Starfighter and make the cockpit bigger (to allow Twiki to fit in there too) and I have to build new wings & landing gear and give it all a new coat of paint, but this is the first step.



Now to figure out a way to bring him back in time to hang out with the Joes.... or better yet -- to bump him forward in time about 50 years so he can go on missions with the Master Chief . Maybe Twiki & Theopolis can have a cyber 3-way with Cortana or something

Anyway - let me know what you think!

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Man I was just watching a show the other day with Gil Gerrard about him getting gastric bypass done because he had gotten to be over 400 lbs. And was thinking to myself how cool a Buck Rogers custom would be.
All I have to say is you nailed it!
and I hate you cause I want one of those star fighters

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Thanks TC! -- yeah, it's sad about ol' Gil -- one minute, he's married to Connie Selleca and on the two coolest shows of all time: Buck Rogers & Sidekicks , the next minute he loses Connie to friggin' John Tesh and gains 200lbs


F*@#in' John Tesh.....




I lost out on like 5 different Starfighters on Ebay - the last one went for $117 (it was complete). This one I got for $8 because it was missing the wings & landing gear. So I figure with another $10 worth of styrene & paint from the Hobby Shop, I'll have a nice one

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Being a fellow Buck-Fan, I love this!

And ummm... I want that Starfighter.



...and you have a PM.

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Chief, I think GTG has a Gil head on their site.

I'm diggin' this fig and general project, but the head gives me a strong Ben Browder/SG1 Cam Mitchell/Farscape John Creighton vibe. If the outfit colors were changed, it'd make a great Creighton in PeaceKeeper uniform.

When can we expect your Wilma Deering fig? Princess Ardala? Best yet, HAWK? That dude had the coolest fighter evar!

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Dan, that's perfect. Winner!
And while it's cool, I don't need the Starfighter.

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I hadn't planned on Wilma or anyone -- although I was going to give Hawk a shot eventually. --The only thing about Hawk is that I'd HAVE to figure out a way to make his Hawk-Fighter ship. Maybe I can mod a Dragonhawk.....


Thanks guys!! Now I gotta go finish watching disc 1 of the Buck Rogers DVD set

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Oh, C'MON! What's the point in being launched into space, flung centuries into the future, exploring strange and unknown alien worlds; if not to make out with space-broads? I'm not sure you understand the true purpose of human spaceflight, m'man.

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I <3 this so much.

I knew the CC mold had some great potential but this cinches it.

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man i totally dig him nice job i used to watch that show and he is dead on.

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Not to nitpick ya man but its spelled Crichton As a longtime Scaper its my duty to point that out.

Chief, this is a great reimagining of Buck Rogers. The head isn't quite doing it for me, Gil has a much rounder face, but I can't think of anything that would look better so it works. It actually looks like the dress uniforms they wore during the Earth-based episodes. Just darken the jacket and I think you're there.

As for the Starfighter ... *heavysigh* ... I actually owned one of those as a kid (along with a Buck figure) and every now and then I'll do an ebay search for them just for giggles. Can't wait to see how you restore/update this one. Definitely keep us posted.

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Thanks for the comments guys. I was watching the DVDs with "Lil' Chief" this morning and realized that since I won't be able to get this guy to resemble Gil Gerard, I'm going to make him a total "reboot" Buck Rogers (kinda like they did back in '79 when they made the TV show ) -- this time I figure it's Ben Affleck starring as Buck

The only elements of the TV show that I'm keeping are Twiki & the Starfighter. The rest I'm just starting over with so that I can convince myself that he can still be Buck Rogers even though he's not Gil Gerard. And now I've decided that I might just drop the black coat completely and use the blue tunic as his coat instead. I'll need to fill in the "backpack" portion of CC's torso, but that'll be quick & easy. I've already fixed Twiki to make him more on-screen accurate by painting his elbows black and painting his eyes. Like every Twiki toy I ever saw, Dr. Theopolis is upside-down, so I may just scrap it and re-do the sticker from scratch (since I need access to Twiki's screw-hole anyway to replace the o-ring, and the sticker covers it up.)

So now I figure I'll make a Flash Gordon next. I was watching the 2-parter from early in the series where Buster Crabbe was a guest-star as "Brigadier Gordon" - so it's time to send a little love over to Flash (ah-ahhhhh!)


Oh, and Sam -- thanks for that stunning visual of Gil & his sweaty man-boobs -- that made it all too easy for me to abort my attempt to make my custom fig look like Gil Gerard

And here he is post-surgery and post-dyejob:

http://gilgerard.tripod.com/GG22.htm



Thanks again guys!

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Well he' doing much better after the surgery.

great custom chief can't wait to see an old school flash.

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