6 INCH: LADY OBITUS

The story behind using this figure is that a Classified Baroness was going for way too much online. I wanted her in general but to also be a part of the 4 Horsemen crew (consisting also of Major Bludd, Dr Mindbender, and Crystal Ball). Mr Winchester kind of showed me the light with a cheaper alternative; Snake Eye - The Movie's Baroness. I'm okay with the body and the face is fine, even if I break canon that she doesn't wear glasses. I wish she had long hair. Oh wait, this isn't Baroness. I renamed her LADY OBITUS. You can do a search of what Obitus means. 

I did no upgrades to her. Storywise, I already messed her up. She showed up as a nurse in a Devil Dogs story but then again as their handler as a late-addition character. I'm sticking more with the latter and whoever the nurse was, that remains to be seen. Lady Obitus has shown up in a few photos and a couple of the 4 Horsemen vignettes (and of course, in the Devil Dogs stories).

Deciding that she isn't the Baroness has helped me figure out what she is. As a Horsemen, she represents Death. I wasn't sure at first, what that meant. Did she go around just killing people for the fun of it? Did she take the killing of people and turn it into an art form? I had some ideas and didn't care for them. As I fleshed out ideas of what the rest of the Horsemen were about, I realized that some of these characters had a thirst for... knowledge? What could they do to another human? Lady Obitus can kill and could be considered a killer (In the Zedd Universe, she's former Mossad. Anyone who has watched NCIS knows what Mossad agents are like.). For her, it's not about the killing, it's about death itself. She has a fascination with it. Best put, she wants to see the light go out in a person's eyes. Lady Obitus has no interest in torturing a person until they die. It's not about suffering, like in a hospice situation or even on the battlefield. 

I originally had a story for her where she knocks off a few Joes just because she can and to maybe satisfy her thirst if only temporarily. The story meandered too far as I wrote it and she wasn't the star of it. The Joes who did die in it were not at her hands. What upset her most, she didn't get to see them die. She only heard about it. In some ways, it's an exploration of humanity and life. Two of the other members of the 4 Horsemen, they are focused on the manipulation of mind and body. Then there's Major Bludd who represents War. All three work together to help each other's goals and interests.

Visually, the figure suffices. For photographic purposes, she is difficult to pose. The issue are her feet. It's not necessarily about the size of the feet. Of course, big anime feet would help the figures stand better, but final execution of the figures are sometimes warped or just off in general. Lady Obitus has fighting skills. At the moment, she has yet to demonstrate them. To the Devil Dogs and Marauders Task Force, she's just an intel agent. Better at sitting behind a computer and digging for information than being on the battlefield. Little do they know what she's truly capable of. 

In terms of who she actually is, I've played around a lot with the idea that she is a cousin of the Baroness. Which is why they dress and speak in the same way. But also, I see the Baroness in a very specific way. Lady Obitus is able to do a lot more physically which works for my stories much better.

 6 INCH: SKULLBUSTER

Skullbuster is a character from the GI Joe comic. I didn't know of him because I was out of GI Joe at the time. I didn't know what a Range Viper was until after 2002 when people kind of explained what they were. Part of the DiC GI Joe cartoon after Sunbow was fired, yes. Weird dudes with skull heads, yes. Kinda creepy, yes. What blue and yellow have to do with wilderness survival is beyond me. I've looked up the character a few times but forget who he is. I kinda only knew of the character from GI Joe: The Collectible Card Game! Therefore, Skullbuster is a blank slate for me.

Why is he even in the Zedd Universe?

When I was copying Mr Winchester's custom whom I call Red 5 in my universe, he said that the bodies had come from the HISS Strike Team 3-pack from the GI Joe Classified toyline. (The head was from a Star War figure) After making Red 5 I was left with 2 bodies, 3 heads, and random parts and accessories. I put this one together best I could and was bewildered why the parts aren't more universal with the figures. I've probably gotten accustomed to Marauder Task Force which are easily customizable. To make the story short, I created this neat looking dude just to have; he didn't have a place in the Zedd Universe. Yet.

Coming up with the idea of the 7 Orochi (it's a Dynasty Warriors thing, for those in the know), I needed 3 more members to join the 4 Horsemen (7 Orochi is the evolution of the 4 Horsemen; add 3 characters). Red 5 needed a home so he became an instant member. This skull guy, might as well add him in. I remembered there was a dude called Skullbuster so why not add him too? (The last position, I still don't know who to use and it's been over a year) 

I'd prefer to discuss Skullbuster the toy over Skullbuster the character as I see fit. In this case, the two kind of go together because I needed a reason for him being (based on me not knowing who he was other than a name). For the most part, whatever was written about him, I've thrown out the door. These are his main aspects:

-Former Range Viper. Not a particular good one, but retains enough survival skills to, uh, survive

-A free spirit in Cobra; a character but no real position

-Loves guns. Not weapons, guns. He doesn't know cannons, missiles, artillery, silent weapons, etc. He prefers automatic rifles of all sorts. He doesn't have knowledge of the rifles he uses; Skullbuster simply likes what he likes. In terms of his place with the 7 Orochi, he's the crazy gun-toting warrior. A bit like Marvel's Cable who runs around with an array of guns. He could care less what they are and what they do, as long as they shoot and take out bad guys. Or good guys.

-Not particularly intelligent.

The figure itself, I like. Not because I made him, it's just that he looks kinda neat. Like he's a functional trooper that one would want to play with. The head mold is made creepier due to the colors Hasbro used for the figure. He hasn't been written yet which I suppose, I should work on vignettes for the 7 Orochi project to get the ball rolling. I have a few single photos of him, but nothing is telling about him. 

 6 INCH: DR MINDBENDER

Dr Mindbender was not a desirable figure when I was a kid. Not in the least bit. The Marvel comic book written by Larry Hama didn't really do anything for me. The cartoon got use out of him but there wasn't any aspect that screamed, "you must buy him". I only had him in possession during the Theme Years because GI Joe was all about 2-packs and Mindbender showed up in some of them. Yet, who he was sunk in far enough that I accepted him as a part of the toyline and Cobra. Who would have thought, that years later, I would have sought a Mindbender figure out to customize and use for diostories? Even to a degree that he was being hunted by GI Joe, Cobra, and other entities and agencies of the world?

At some point, I accepted him. As I wrote him, I started to have fun with the equivalent of a mad scientist. I have a short diostory series called Zedd Talk (a goof on Ted Talk). Though he is a wanted man, he continues to do what he wants to do. Cobra is so big, he's able to hide within it; hence why the 4 Horsemen even exist. They are doing thing that Cobra Commander doesn't know about. For those they they command (or control), they have no reason to question the orders. The 4 Horsemen are all ranking officers, even if they aren't equal in rank.

In the Zedd Universe, Dr Mindbender doesn't run around without a shirt but with suspenders and tights. He's more formal than that. To create that look, which at least the Valor vs Venom version allowed, I had seen some potential ideas on BBTS through their Monster Force figures. In particular, their Dracula figure. It was my 1st entry into an unknown toyline for me. It took a bit of effort to get things right; I hadn't dremel'd out heads before. Carved larger holes for small scale figures, yes. But this was new territory. I hadn't planned on doing customs of 6 inch figures due to cost. Alas, Red 5 and Mindbender were created in the end.

Unfortunately, the final look for Mindbender comes off wrong to me. It's workable but it's probably in my head that he looks like a butler. I think once I start writing the 4 Horsemen story, the visuals will work. I hope. To note, Mindbender isn't one I photograph often but he's referenced frequently in the diostories after a certain point. Part of his story is that he created a food forest for Cobra. In doing so, he learned the technology of terra-forming. Achieving both these feats come from after-effects of the psychic motivator implanted him decades earlier (that would be acknowledgement of Cobra La, believe it or not!). The demented doctor is a lot of fun to write. Which makes the physical form of him fun to have around.

 6 INCH: CRYSTAL BALL

Crystal Ball is unknown territory for me. As a kid, I remember not being interested in him. GI Joe to me was supposed to be a military thing and by the time this guy showed up, I felt Hasbro was losing their way. That might be why when Falcon and Tunnel Rat showed up, it was like, "YES!" Crystal Ball, I knew almost nothing about but I think I learned at some point, Stephen King had written the character as himself or as his kid. Either way, Stephen King had a hand with this guy's creation. I had no use for someone like him.

Years later, like over 30 years later, Hasbro decided to bring this guy back for their GI Joe: Classified line. He got no love during the theme years nor the 25th Anniversary. Then bam, here he is. What I find fascinating is that Hasbro managed to take some very niche and/or ugly characters (well, the original toys were nothing like what we have now) and make them look good. Crystal Ball got treatment that made him not only look good, but interesting. That latter part, it probably had to do more with the accessories he came with.

My interest in him is rather odd. The entire Classified line, my interest in it is odd. A lot of figures (and characters, the two are often coupled together), I wouldn't have ever gone near as a kid. As an adult during the theme years, I was kind of stuck getting some of them because they came in two packs. Mindbender is a prime example of someone whom I wouldn't have ever bought but he came with Beach Head. I don't care what the original cartoon did with him. I think it was later, in the 2000s animated movies, I actually learned to kind of like the guy. His role in the original animated movie wasn't bad either. Oops, this is supposed to be about Crystal Ball.

So the toy version looked neat. I don't know how he ever became a contender as a figure for me to buy. I may have been cruising Amazon as I often do and the figure kept showing up. I also may have been thinking of writing a story centering around a group of Cobra operatives who were doing nefarious things to people. When I was piecing the team together, I probably already had Major Bludd at that point, I was thinking of who would be a good fit. Mindbender already had a presence in the Zedd Universe. Of the choices from Classified, I realized Crystal Ball had a lot of potential. His rival, in terms of figures, would have been Interrogator. Something about Crystal Ball was more exotic and would be a better fit.

However, that classic look had to go. I didn't want him to look like a freak that lived in a cave. A fortune teller, maybe. But like Mindbender, I wanted him to have a more refined, snobby, if not stuffy look. Now, I had already taken remote interest in the Operation: Monster Force toyline, exampled by Mr William Winchester whom had done some wonderful photography with the figures. As I looked through the offerings on Big Bad Toy Store, I found options that would work great for Dr Mindbender and... Crystal Ball. Or at least I thought so (and I'm still coming to terms with Crystal Ball's look).

The Mr Legacy figure from Monster Force looked really interesting to me. I also liked the character of Mr Legacy. While I was working on the Devil Dogs stories, I was formulating the 4 Horsemen (as well as 7 Orochi, a Star Wars story, some vignettes, random singles photography, etc), I was waiting for Mr Legacy to be released. It was a long wait and kind of awkward. I was starting to push the 4 Horsemen project but didn't want to reveal Crystal Ball as a character because I wanted to have the figure made first. When I got the figure, well, I took the head off, sanded out Crystal Ball's head and made things all work.

Then I saw how he visually looked. Which is okay, I guess. The head looks a bit eccentric for the body, in my opinion. It's either the fangs or the eye make up on Crystal Ball that throws it off a bit. Also, and this is for sure, the light colors of the figure don't match the rest of the crew. The Mr Legacy figure also could have used a jacket. Back to the drawing board? Haven't decided yet. I've joked, when I've photographed everyone together, that Crystal Ball is the one guy that doesn't fit in with the band. In a different type of analogy, it would be like the drummer Chuck Biscuits in Danzig. 3 gnarly black-haired dude and 1 blonde guy. Jeff Hanneman, the lone blonde dude in Slayer with 3 other black-haired dudes. Maybe like Scott Ian of Anthrax as the bald dude amongst 4 bandmates with long hair. Crystal Ball, in his light colored outfit, stands out that much. To the point that I'm not sure how to use him if he goes out in the field. I think he, like Mindbender, will be staying on base to do their thing rather than go out with the troops and mess with them.

I haven't written Crystal Ball's character yet. In ways, I haven't written Interrogator's either. It'll be interesting to see how they differ. Both are manipulators of the mind and each use their own techniques and tools. I think Crystal Ball relies more on theatrics, drugs, mesmorization, and holograms while Interrogator uses actual psychology. I know for sure, Interrogator looks creepy, especially the small-scale version I made of him. Crystal Ball looks more akin to a guidance counselor which might be a ploy on his part to get the subject to believe and trust in him more. I think of him now as maybe he's a bit Dr Crane-ish (Nolan's Batman series). Looks fairly normal but not really. It's the unwritten that makes him fun for me. 

 6 INCH: DAWN MORENO

I know almost nothing of the character Dawn "Snake Eyes" Moreno. I have the understanding that Snake Eyes is dead and she's taken the name. A disciple? Alternate universe? No idea. I just know, she looks really cool. Again, the black and red colors strike again!

I'm a visual person. Not just action figures. Cars, video games, cartoons (or animation/animated shows), flower arrangements, etc. I like what I like. This Hasbro Classified figure is utterly awesome looking. Functional is another matter and that's something that would be covered in a review, which isn't the purpose of what I'm writing about.

In the Zedd Universe, she is an open book. I will not be calling her Snake Eyes, although, I haven't thought of a name. She hangs with the figures on the dresser which are all bad guys. I've considered making her a villain but I have no story for her. Like the Lego Movie's Emmett's brain, it's completely empty. Sadly, I have no plans for her. Sometimes, when I do photoshoots, things form as I work with the figures. That's kind of what I'm counting on here. Unfortunately, I find her hard to use. It has to do with the design of the figure. The long hair and the double scabbards for the swords don't work well together with the visored head. (The unmasked head works but it's not as cool looking) Also, I wish Hasbro gave her a bit more gear. Usually, they like to load the ninja up. She has no daggers or knives or whatever else ninja carry around. I'd love to do more photos with her, but my creativity with her is low to non-existent. Moreno was a blind pre-order from Amazon meaning, she was a just a cool looking figure that I had nothing invested in. There are a few other purchases like that. For example, the Marvel Rivals: Moon Knight. No ideas what to do with him, just looked cool.

And the theme word of my 6 inch collection? COOL

 6 INCH: RED 5 (CUSTOM)

This custom figure is heavily based on a figure that a friend did. Red 5, as I call him, is one of my favorite figures. When Mr. Winchester made him, I really liked the look. I thought it was an official figure but it was revealed it was a custom. In short order, I set out to make one for myself. I think there are some small variances between his and mine, but don't remember the specifics.

While I made the figure just for the cool visual look of him, I hadn't many thoughts of who or what he was. The head says to me it's more robotic than cybernetic. The body says it's human, perhaps even android, but not cybernetic (ie; cybernetically augmented human). I've had a lot of time to think on the character and not coming up with a lot of specifics. I did decide this:

-Was a member of a Viper squad called Red Squad

-The name is from Star Wars, but has nothing to do with Star Wars

-He is a bounty hunter (but remains a Cobra operative)

-Had extensive work done to him; not sure if he is an android w/ a human consciousness. That would be moving into Battlestar Galactica territory which is kind of where I want to go. That over Robocop where Red 5 has a human brain in that head

-Very stiff personality; mission oriented

-Red 5 is a member of the 7 Orochi; the project after the 4 Horsemen story.

-Red Squad was one of the 4 Horsemen's pet projects that didn't go well. Red 5 is the surviving member

-Knife is missing. Will be a story point

-Uses a Robocop gun. Made by Gridiron Studios. The gun itself has always been a favorite of mine ever since I saw Robocop. I don't even care for Robocop or the movie, I just like the gun!

What's interesting to note. I have a bunch of figures on the dresser. Mostly it's so they are easy to grab when I go on a photoshoot. I find that several of the figures are black and red. I love this figure. I don't know if it's because Winchester designed it, he explained how to build it (along with the recipe), and/or the fact that his photos of him are fantastic and I oddly believe I can reproduce the coolness to them.

 6 Inch Figures: Major Bludd

Up until about 2002, when Hasbro relaunched the GI Joe toyline with the Joe vs Cobra theme, ask me who my favorite GI Joes were, the answer would have been quick and easy. Falcon and Tunnel Rat. Top 2. Be it as a kid or a 20-something adult, those two were favorites in both physical toy and their character per the file card. Enter the internet age of websites that had discussion boards, I'd learn a lot about GI Joe but also make a distinction between toy, comic character, toy character, file card, etc. I had figures I liked; characters from cartoon or comic, I never really invested in. Aware of and used for my stories or to base my own characterizations off of, yes. Old favorites included: Flash, Tripwire, Torpedo, Repeater, Muskrat, Hawk v2, and many others. Notice in this paragraph, no mention of the bad guys. 

What I knew of Major Bludd came from cartoon, comic, and file card and obviously, the toy.

The original release of Major Bludd, it was what it was. I got him just because. He wasn't anything exciting to me other than he had a molded-straight arm (supposed to be cybernetic or something), eyepatch, and a rocket pistol for his weapon. As a kid, that made it kind of awkward to use him because I was one of those that never exchanged weapons between figures and didn't diverge from what came in the package (or artwork). Even to this day (skip to modern times), I still can't Bludd with an automatic rifle. Or a sniper rifle. Only a pistol. Very hard for me to break that mentality; only worse getting older. There is a 'however' here...

The Hasbro made, GI Joe Classified Major Bludd is pretty damn good. Backtrack for a moment here. Major Bludd, as a figure, won me over with Hasbro short-lived Direct To Consumer (DTC) line. This line focused on GI Joe and was their way to get rid of the stock that was reserved for the theme Robot Rebellion which didn't quite pan out right for the small Joes. (Long story: Robot Rebellion was to be the next theme after Valor vs Venom. It starred Overkill and his different robot minions, errrrr, warriors. The good guy side included one particularly new character of Major Barrage who would lead the charge. Things got changed and Robot Rebellion got wrapped up in the Sigma 6 theme. It wasn't lost as the 1st 5 eps of Sigma 6 was the planned Robot Rebellion. I admit, I never watched Sigma 6 after that, but I understand the focus changed after Robot Rebellion finished and truly became the adventures of Sigma 6. The cartoon and the small toyline didn't quite see eye to eye. Another indicator of the small scale Robot Rebellion line was the 6-pack that had Overkill and a bunch of BATs.) 

Back to the topic, the DTC line had Major Bludd. Hasbro made him look really cool. He had a removable helmet, a neat scarf, just a bunch of updates to him. Did he retain the fake arm? Hard to say; I think it looked like a regular arm. All that matters is that I became a bit of a fan of him. Or at least, a stronger interest. (Major Bludd did get his own diostory; Deadly Poets Society. He tried to start his own army which didn't go down well.)

The Classified Major Bludd is terrific. I tried the line 3 different times (4?) and finally succumbed to it. There's no denying that, for the most part, the figures look good. The figure retains enough classic elements to make him Major Bludd. The removable helmet is a nice touch, the upgrade on the eyepatch is a nice addition, and his sidearm is perfect. I'm sure fans could point out other great aspects of the figure. For me, the figure acts as a vehicle for my own creativity in terms of photography, written stories, and visual stories. Major Bludd, after all, is part of the 4 Horsemen group. That's a story still waiting to be properly written.

For me, if I really like the figure, it'll be the subject of my photography. As in, I'll want to use him all the time. I find it's often a mix of the figure itself (visuals, articulation, can I pose them), the characterization as I can write them, and several other aspects.

This 8in collection, it's all figures that I really like (uh, I think so at least). Major Bludd is one of the top figures. Top 5? Top 10? Never thought hard about it, but I instinctively reach for him when I want to go out and take photos. Thing is, I have all these other figures and I have to refrain from using him.