Ok, I posted my Recondo WIP over here yesterday at about the same time that Spin Doctor posted his sweet Recondo custom. So not only did Spinny's version prompt me to finish mine, it caused me to go in a slightly different direction with my paint apps.

I always liked the v1 Recondo figure and he went on many a mission with my Joes when I was a kid. Of course, I always hated the mustache (still do), but he wouldn't be Recondo without it. I decided on a darker, more practical color scheme - I always thought that the light khaki was great for the grasslands but not for the jungle. I debated what to do with the hat -- the old style was just lame, so I thought about a Boonie Cap (my new-sculpt 'Condo had one), and then I saw the hat that came with v5 and figured that would work. I wanted to paint it brown, since it looks similar to the Akubra (Aussie brand) that I have (without the edge flipped up), but went with the green because it just looked right. Then the problem became finding a head - I spent several hours looking through my fodder bins trying to find a head that looked right with the 'stache. For some reason, I lucked upon a Blowtorch head I had used for an earlier custom that already had brown hair. I threw on the 'stache and saw that I had a winner. I added some beard growth, since he'd be slogging it out in the bush for a week or so, and it made the 'stache look less gay, IMO

So anyway, here it is -- as always, I'm only looking for praise -- keep your criticisms to yourself


He looks a little dirty, but that's intentional. Also - the differences in flesh tone between the head and neck are barely noticeable in person - the flash just kind of washed out the neck, I guess.



It wouldn't be a "Chief" custom if he didn't have removable headgear!



And my three generations of Recondo:



I need to build some backpack straps for him - the GH backpack works perfectly (and the Shippy torso already has the hole in the back), but I may just use a PTE pack with the straps built-in.

Anyway, let me know what you think! (and please, no comparisons to Spin's Recondo - I already have a self-esteem problem as it is )


EDIT: - -- some "action" pics after I modded the holster:



Amazing who you run into when you're trapsing through the jungle.....

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Two Recondos in one day? Cool!
I like your take on him a lot. Nice update of the original. My only critique is the skin tone on the face not matching the rest.

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Me too
cool head choice

I dig it, Chief.

Kind of has a more realistic Tiger Force vibe to it.

I didn't notice the color discrepancy, either.

Thanks guys

John -- yeah, the flesh tones look starkly different on film - probably due to the two types of plastic, but in person they're blended pretty well together.

Spin - I was actually going for a TF vibe when I realized I'd be using the dark green legs (donated by my R&R custom) - I was tempted to give him a dark blue shirt, but thought the light brown suited the character better.

I did get rid of the working holster, though - it was just too damn big on that skinny Shipwreck torso (despite being one of the smallest holsters you can find), so I went with a BBI sculpted holster instead. Looks way better with the smaller profile.

Thanks again!

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Yeah, I can see that. I posted a cop recently with a Namor head and had the same issues (I went out of the way to paint the flesh on the arms and chest to match the head).

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Updated the first post with some new pics.

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Hey, that Tarzan (I'm assuming it's Tarzan) looks great! Have you posted him?

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Yeah, I threw him up in the critiques section a year or two ago along with some superheroes (back when that was my thing.) I'm in the process of making a "Tarzan IV" - a modern-day descendant who hangs out with Lara Croft. Same head, but with "adventurer" clothes on The King Kong playset was like $10 at KBs - makes for great Tomb Raider scenes.

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I forgot about Tarzan, very cool figure.
Cool dio with Recondo, now add Croft and Indiana jones give them Action team symbols and your teams complete.

What was that playset called? I'd love to pick one up.

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It's the Skull Island playset: http://www.amazon.com/King-Kong-Skull-I ... B0009350N0

I found it at a KB Outlet and I think it was only $10 if that. Way too small to have a full-on Joe battle, but with the right backdrops (like say, some fake vines from a craft store), it makes great dios and whatnot.

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Awesome Recondo Chief, is the new chest holster functional or is the gun permenantly attached to it?

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Thanks! -- the gun is a permanent fixture, unfortunately. I had to trade functionality for looks (the other one looked WAY too big) - but it's a fair trade. I normally use the BBI soft-plastic holsters, but I've run out of stock, so I'm pretty much hosed for chest holsters from here on out.

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cool recondo and that's the 1st tarzan I've ever seen as a custom and he's great..
Tim