The New Spartans

Hand selected and personally trained by the famed General Leo Ni'Das, the New Spartans are the New Republic's most effective ground fighters. A small eight man squad can successfully hold off far larger groups of opponents for prolonged engagements due to a combination of their highly specialized and intense training, utilization of the latest advances in armament and technology, and their fierce bravery.

New Spartan helmets contain advanced HUDs (Heads-Up Display) which constantly feed updated battle information to their wearers allowing for split second responses to ever changing battlefield conditions. Their weapons have coded frequency wireless linkups to the helmets allowing the New Spartans to see what their weapons see allowing for accuracy when shooting around corners or around obstacles without exposing themselves more than necessary to put the weapon around or over their cover.

The New Spartans are also equipped with limited use, self regenerating personal shields which allow them to take a small number of direct hits from small arms before injury or death and is quite usefull in deflecting secondary hits from shrapnel or wide dispersal blasts. The New Spartans assigned to carryng more cumbersome weapons such as the double-barrelled Mag-Pro and the MX-86 SPNKR (nicknamed the "Spanker") missile launcher are equipped with heavier shields as they cannot maneuver as quickly as their lighter armed compatriots and must expose more of themselves to utilize their weapon systems.

Currently only 4 squads of New Spartans exist, but General Ni-Das is always searching for the best of the best to join their ranks...

New Spartan Squad Leader:
Known only by his rank of "Master Chief" on the battlefield, this New Spartan was hand selected from the New Republic's infamous Black Berets and weilds a replica Spartan vibrosword.









Parts:
Head- Master Gunzz cast (modded)
Body/belt- G.I.Joe 25A Snake Eyes (modded)
Flak vest- G.I.Joe 25A Beachhead (modded)
Holster- G.I.Joe VvV Destro (modded)
Sword- G.I.Joe Spearhead v1
Blaster rifle- custom
Blaster carbine- custom
Blaster pistol- TSC Endor Rebel Soldier
Backpack- G.I.Joe VvV Tunnel Rat (modded)


New Spartan Sniper:
New Spartan snipers carry extra gear and rations in a modified version of their standard flak vest featuring an oversized rear compartment and several more pockets and tend to wear their sidearm in a cross-draw configuration.









Parts:
Head- Master Gunzz cast (modded)
Body/belt- G.I.Joe 25A Snake Eyes (modded)
Flak vest- G.I.Joe VvV Gung Ho (modded)
Holster- G.I.Joe VvV Destro (modded)
Blaster sniper rifle- custom
Blaster rifle- custom
Blaster pistol- TSC Endor Rebel Soldier
Backpack- unknown manufacturer (modded)

New Spartan Grenadier:
Carrying a selection of fragmentation, plasma, proton, and incendiary rounds, these New Spartans can devestate an advancing enemy force.









Parts:
Head- Master Gunzz cast (modded)
Body/belt- G.I.Joe 25A Snake Eyes (modded)
Flak vest- G.I.Joe VvV Gung Ho (modded)
Blaster rifle- custom
Grenade launcher- custom
Backpack- G.I.Joe VvV Tunnel Rat (modded)


New Spartan Infantry:
Standard, non-specialized soldiers. While not outfitted with any special weapons, they are fully qualified to be seconary operators of any of the weapon systems as all New Spartans are cross-trained to take over if any of their comrads are incapacitated or killed.









I made 2 of them for this project:


Parts:
Head- Master Gunzz cast (modded)
Body/belt- G.I.Joe 25A Snake Eyes (modded)
Flak vest- G.I.Joe VvV Gung Ho (modded)
Blaster rifle- custom
Blaster carbine- custom
Thermal detonator- G.I.Joe Frag-Viper v1
Backpack- G.I.Joe VvV Tunnel Rat (modded)

New Republic Mag-Pro Gunner:
Brandishing a custom built version of the venerable Merr-Sonn XP-45 High Output Magnetic Projectile Cannon, this New Spartan is one of the most feared combatants on any battlefield in the galaxy.









Parts:
Head- Master Gunzz cast (modded)
Body/belt- G.I.Joe 25A Snake Eyes (modded)
Armor/cannon- custom
Blaster rifle- custom


New Spartan Ion Cannon Gunner:
Tasked with disabling enemy vehicles and fixed weapons, this New Spartan weilds a M.A.R.S. "Blackout" shoulder-fired ion cannon.









Parts:
Head- Master Gunzz cast (modded)
Body/belt- G.I.Joe 25A Snake Eyes (modded)
Flak vest- G.I.Joe VvV Gung Ho (modded)
Blaster rifle- custom
Ion cannon- G.I.Joe H.E.A.T.-Viper v1 (modded)
Thermal detonator- G.I.Joe Frag-Viper v1
Backpack- G.I.Joe VvV Tunnel Rat (modded)

New Spartan Anti-Armor Trooper:
This New Spartan carries the MX-86 SPNKR dual-tube missile launch system and carries spare rounds magnetically grafted to his backpack.









Parts:
Head- Master Gunzz cast (modded)
Body/belt- G.I.Joe 25A Snake Eyes (modded)
Flak vest- G.I.Joe VvV Gung Ho (modded)
Holster- G.I.Joe VvV Destro (modded)
Blaster rifle- custom
Missile launcher- custom
Blaster pistol- TSC Endor Rebel Soldier
Backpack- G.I.Joe VvV Tunnel Rat (modded)


New Spartan Totem:
Dedicated to the brave men and women who lost their lives on Spart'a, this totem resides in General Ni-Das' training facility.



Group shot:


Notes:
All of the gear carried by these figures is pegable and interchangable with each figure. The figures can switch weapons by putting the unused weapon on their backpack in place of the desired secondary weapon so as to emulate the gameplay of the "Halo" video game franchise that partially inspired this line of customs

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When I saw the first picture of Master Chief, I wasn't sure I liked the helmet, it seemed too big, but after seeing them all it isn't a big deal. I guess I became accustomed to it. At any rate these are very nice.

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Spectre,

Once again you have raised the bar of customizing and met it...these are impressive.!

Someplace in the bio you should put in something like, "They may be a small elite squad, but they fight like 300!"


Ya know, after seeing those headsculpts, I wonder if it could be modded to look a bit more Mandalorian? Just add in the T-visor to the helmet for some kick-butt Mandos...

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Great idea, well executed. Love the look.

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Very cool, I especially like the sword and shield stand.

Very Cool...I love that you've stepped up to the world of fully articulated customs...cheers for that mate.

Have you shown a General Leo Ni'Das custom yet? I can't recall if you did or not...but I think I need to see him.

My fav of this group is the Mag-Pro gunner...The figure looks better than all the rest, the weapon is a seamless mod and looks bad ass.

I know it's Halo-esk...but the way the Grenades attach to some figurs legs looks rather "LASER BLAST" to me...not sure if there'd be a better way, different angle to mount them at, or even a different grenade to use that would look better.

Overall I think they need more Green...I really like the chest armor on the Mag-Pro gunner... an easy way to add more armor might be somthing like Greeves or gauntlets...There are a number of options between Starwars figures and Spytroops armor that you could find somthing that'd work quite well.

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I am very glad these guys are going over so well, they took forever to do with allof the custom gear!




I'm not much of an articulation junkie, but I wanted really posable base bodies for this project as I plan on dynamically posing them like I did with the Mag-Pro Gunner's pics.




I posted Ni-Das a few months back, but here is a pic of him:


I would have added him to the group shot, but he is in storage with the rest of my stuff




He's may favorite as well




I modeled the grenade attachment after McFarlane's current "Halo 3" line which is why they are on the leg. I used the Frag-Viper grenade as it already had a mounting hole (grenades come off of figures) and is very reminiscent of SW explosives once they are painted pewter.





Initially, these figures were to use SA Clones as bases (I actually started planning this project around the time that the "300" movie came out), but I decided that an all-over head to toe armor was more of an Imperial thing. The Rebellion and New Repulic tend to have less in the way of armor and a slightly more earth-like military look. I may explore additional armor with another squad-based custom series, but they are stll too early in the design phase to go one way or the other just yet.

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OK, now you're just showing off
I would kill to see an animated series based on your verse.

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TC<

Could you imagine the licensing fee for that show?

LOL.


Good as always, spectre.

I don't dig the helmets, looks like master chief bobble heads, but I do like the custom weapons.

/runs away from sniper, missile,grenade, and mag pro fire.

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I really like these as well Spect except the only thing I would have changed would have given the Master Chief the green helmet and changed the color on the helmets of the other figs to make them all a little different or maybe a certain color for thier specialty.

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Glad you like these for the most part

I understand where you are coming from in regards to the specializations, but I have never been much of a fan of the "different color/etc. for different specialties" train of thought, despite it seeming to be almost expected when dealing with fictional militaries like Cobra, the Clones, et all. I like to think of it more like the early Joe comics before all of the specialty Vipers were introduced and you had regular blueshirts outfitted with different weapons/gear. I think being too different looking on the battlefield would just make it easier for enemies to target all of your specialists before they could be too effective against you (just imagine Lowlight or Cross Hairs easily picking off orange H.E.A.T.-Vipers, purple Toxo-Vipers, red C.L.A.W.S., etc. out of the sea of blueshirts before they could bring their specialty weapons to bear against the Joes ).

If you look at all of my other squad/trooper based customs, you will see that I tend to stick to this rule with only very few exceptions, and only when such exceptions make sense in the overall scheme of the character's design such as the green breastplate on the New Spartan Mag-Pro Gunner, which is essential as the armor would be a far better anchor for the ammo pack than the regular vests. Up until very late in the design phase of this , the Anti-Armor Trooper was supposed to have a similiar armored torso utilizing the Steel Brigade vest from the recent 6pk as I only had 1 of them, but my recent aquisition of 3 more from trades made me decide to hold off using it and save it for another squad-based series of customs later this year.




It would be the most expensive show ever produced, even before a single frame was animated....




Thank you, my friend



They helmets aren't really all that big, certainly not any bigger than a standard helicopter pilot's or tank commander's. I think it has alot to do with the rather lanky 25A bodies causing them to look so big

Glad you like the weapons.



You wouldn't get too far before that sniper takes you down....

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Very cool, though I'd add more green to the uniform to pull the figure together better.

This was my first thought as well, but I really like the concept. The group shot with the totem was great!

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Sweet Mother!

Is that what those SE bodies went for? OMG! I love the idea and look of the guys. I really like how they fit as a squad. Like the Galactic Marines in Aliens... Similar looks with specialized weapons. Great job on these guys.

THose were very cool, wasn't to thrilled with the small leggs at first but the more I looked at that squad the more I liked them.

I'm working on a set of HALO themed soldiers myself if I can ever get some helmets (GTG needs to open back up)

But you definately nailed the concept and idea for the group, Great Work!



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" From the darkness of time gone by rises the Legand of The Dragon Masters"

Coming soon to JoeCustoms

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