WIP PART 5 - NEW CUSTOM SCI FI BASE DIORAMA FOR GIJOE CLASSIFIED / VALAVERSE 6 INCH SCALE FIGURES!

More progress on the Sci Fi Base Diorama! After building the support tower, which is roughly 13 inches tall, I've decided to build an upper level, and it will be designed like a garage for vehicles. Two rectangular stacked art boards were used to create the roof, before I started adding more constructed props.

Plus I've added some circular cabinet puck-lights in the base level, to light it up. And on the upper level, I've added two of my newest custom vehicles, Tech-Razor ATVs, to replace the GI Joe Cobra Ferret. And two custom-painted Cobra Coil bikes were also added to the garage.

The rear wall on the upper garage level was made from cardboard, while the metallic fences were made from gutter rails. And I made the rest of the props that you see, placed around the perimeter. A few 6-inch figures were placed upstairs and downstairs, to give a sense of scale and size for the diorama. 

Maybe I'll add more furnishings downstairs, along with a ladder to climb upstairs. We'll see...

Thanks for looking! Enjoy and Share!

  

 

WIP PART 4 - NEW CUSTOM SCI FI BASE DIORAMA FOR GIJOE CLASSIFIED / VALAVERSE 6 INCH SCALE FIGURES!

More progress on the props for the Sci Fi base diorama! I've added a support tower, which is about 13 inches tall, like the walls of the base. It has four different technical designs on each of its four sides, and it's intended to be a cornerstone support for creating higher levels; like placing a rectangular cardboard slab on top of the existing base, to build the second floor. So will I build a higher floor in the future? I dunno. You'll have to wait and see.

The support tower was made from cardboard, black putty, and wood sticks, and it was reinforced on the interior, so it's very sturdy. The two barrels were made from small pipe fixtures, and the shipping pallets were made from wooden craft sticks. There is a new large oval table as well, which is shown in the pics, while the former hi-tech blueish holographic table is set in the background. The two small storage bags [duffle bags] were bought from ebay, which are shown in the latter pics - one is black, while the other is white. 

The GI Joe logo on the rear wall is held by a magnet. So it can be switched out, if you want to convert this into a hi-tech Cobra base. And two 6-inch scale Valaverse action figures were added, to give a sense of the size.

Thanks for looking, enjoy and share!

 

 

WIP PART 3 - NEW CUSTOM SCI FI BASE DIORAMA FOR GIJOE CLASSIFIED / VALAVERSE 6 INCH SCALE FIGURES!

 Still working on the new Sci Fi base diorama, using cardboard, putty, wood and other household items.

I've also been working on props for the base. And everything is hand-made, except the gun-table, located in the back, on the right. I bought that item on ebay, but I had to raise its height and make it wider. The GIJoe Classified Destro figure was added, as a height reference. The leftward wall is actually blank, since it hasn't been made yet. And more props are being made.

And the last pic shows the base under a blue light, like its getting infiltrated by Destro at night.

So when will it be done? will it have three or four walls? Will it have an upper level? Honestly I dunno. We'll just have to see how it goes. Stay tuned for more!

  

And Part 1 is over HERE

Part 2 is over HERE

WIP PART 2 - NEW CUSTOM SCI FI BASE DIORAMA FOR GIJOE CLASSIFIED / VALAVERSE 6 INCH SCALE FIGURES!

Still working on the new Sci Fi Base Diorama! It's a slow process, but we're getting there. The furniture items are still being worked upon, but here you have the basic Two-Wall structure. The dimensions for Length, Width and Height are: 18-inches x 15-inches x 13-inches. And this diorama was designed for 6-inch scale action figures.

Everything was made from cardboard, wood strips, and putty / clay. It is possible to use foamboard as well, but I didn't do so in this case. Plus several household items were added here and there, while acrylic hand-paints and spray-paints were used.

I've added two Valaverse Action Force Figures in the pics to help you grasp the scale; and some images are presented with a blue-light filter, while others have the standard white light. Also, there are two tablets set on the leftward wall, with small blue screens. They are held by magnets, and they are removable.

Will a Third Wall be added? I dunno, we'll see how it goes in the future ;)

Part 1 of this series, showing the behind-the-scenes and the prelim layout work is over HERE

  

WIP - NEW CUSTOM BASE DIORAMA FOR GIJOE CLASSIFIED / VALAVERSE 6 INCH SCALE FIGURES!

I know it's late, but Happy New Year to all the DSNG Fans!!!

I have several Original Customs Toys that are almost ready, from a group I'm calling The Iron Brigade, but I haven't had time to photograph and post them.

Also I've been working on this Custom Base Diorama project for a while, based on an original design. I'm not sure when I'll be done with it. Last year, Over on Big Bad Toy Store, I saw a Diorama set that cost almost $180 with shipping, which I really liked... and it was just made from painted slim cardboard with some folded parts. Honestly, it didn't look like it was worth the money. So I decided to give it a shot and build something original, like a compact Base / HQ for my 6-inch scale GI Joe figures.

  

Everything in the base, from the walls to the furnishings, is a scratch-build [using wood, plastic, cardboard, and putty], except for the giant monitor with the twin speakers [bought from Amazon]. But I had to enhance it and raise it higher, and convert it from a flat TV entertainment center to a giant desktop computer table. And more additions will be done later. Plus there is a giant keyboard that is being built, shown on the left side. The floor of the base is a rubber mat, while the thick walls are made from cardboard shipping boxes. And the walls are two parts, a width and a length, which can be adjusted to create a flat wall.

Anyway, I don't know when I'll be finished with this Base Diorama [which still needs to be painted], but I figured it was advanced enough to be posted as a WIP. Thanks for looking! Enjoy & Share!

THE GI JOE CLASSIFIED COBRA HASLAB HISS TANKS ARE COMING IN! HERE ARE NEW REVIEW PICTURES!

Finally the Haslab Hiss Tanks have started rolling in! The pictures I'm showing are screenshots, courtesy of GalacticManLarry on Youtube. And his full video review is over HERE.

Click on the pics to enlarge them. From my overall observation, the tank is cool and sturdy looking. And lots of extra tank accessories come with it, along with four unique 6-inch figures [Not shown in this visual review].

  

The first pic compares the tank to the Chariot of Serpentor, while the second pic shows some Classified figures standing beside it, including Baroness, Destro and Cobra Commander. The third pic shows the Hiss Tank with two Ram Cycles, flanking it on either side. And the last pic shows a side-view, with Scarp Iron's drone included for a size comparison.

The only thing that I noticed is that the tank is "small"... I think it should have been bigger, wider, and elevated higher, especially when you compare it to the Ram Cycles. Currently, per its passenger capacity, the Hiss Tank sits just one driver, and one other guy can sit inside the slim rear cabin region, while one extra gunner can stand in the gun-cage to control the blasters in the rotating gun-turret. That totals three passengers. Would have been cool to be able to fit more soldiers inside it.

Also, the connecting hinge of the red side-steps leading up to the cockpit and the hinges of the glass canopy all seem to be fragile. So one will have to handle them with care.

But other than that, I think it's a cool addition to a collection of 6-inch scale soldiers, for both GI Joe and Valaverse.

STAR WARS THE HIGH REPUBLIC... HEADS FOR NEW LOW WITH ABYSMAL BOOK SALES!

Most of y'all don't even know that "Star Wars: The High Republic" is a thing. Well, it was, a few years ago. And it's gradually winding down to a close, because of the abysmal book sales numbers. And the numbers just don't lie.

The High Republic was launched as a new initiative back in 2020/2021, after Kathleen Kennedy and her all-female Story Group had previously declared that all of the former Extended Universe SW Books were no longer cannon for Star Wars lore. So if you had been collecting books since 1985 or earlier, they were all trash, in terms of their continuity and lore.

The creation, marketing and launch of the High Republic is rumored to have cost over 1 Billion Dollars. And from the infamous Youtube trailer over HERE, a lot of older fans were surprised to see The White Board [shown on the right], which listed the priorities for this new SW initiative, which would target a new diverse audience.

Clearly this was going to be "Star Wars By Committee". And having "war" within "star wars" was not a priority. Modern Themes like "Diversity" and "Feelings" were going to be very, very, VERY important. And if your personal ideology, your moral mentality, and your sexual preferences didn't align with that of the committee, you were not going to be hired here.

And these epic, new, fresh, High Republic tales were all set 200 years before the events of the George Lucas Prequel Trilogy films, while those that didn't like it were tagged as the nasty mean r#cists and the various phobes.

FYI, when people foolishly call you stuff like that online, simply because you don't like a bad product, a poorly written book, or a crappy movie, then they're attempting to hold up an insecure shield for their own foolish ignorance. You're not the one with a phobia; it's them. And it's called the fear of sound criticism.

Hollywood is slowly learning that when a bad Disney movie fails nationally or globally, it's not because of negative Twitter comments or negative Youtube influencer videos. It's because the general audience just didn't bother to go see it, especially when the movie ticket prices have all gone up considerably, and the movie was just... bad, as signified by the trailers, and as reported by the word of mouth.

It's just this simple: Bad Movie = Bad Sales. And Good Movie = Good Sales.

Now let's get back to the pointless High Republic.

So a bunch of activist writers, diversity experts, and other new-age folks were hired to write the swanky tales of The High Republic. And it would be divided into Three or Four Phases. And gosh golly, by all the freakin' colors of the rainbow, it was just gonna succeed, darn it!.... Yaasss, gurrrl, oh yes it was!

But only the first book from Phase One by Charles Soule sold roughly 150,000 copies, in 2021. After that, the sales dived down hill, for the multiple titles released under their High Republic banner, in Phases One, Two and Three. And one of the latest sale charts reads that a High Republic title sold less than 3,000 books in 2023. Yet the Timothy Zahn Trilogy books [featuring Grand Admiral Thrawn] from the 90s have sold more than 15 million copies to date. That's proof that the fans have just walked away. And even the so-called new diverse audience don't want to spend their money on trash.

Honestly those audience members have always been there. And they also appreciate quality stories, just like everyone else ;)

There was a time when Star Wars books sold in the millions. But not anymore. How times have changed. And the one thing keeping Lucas Film & Disney from correcting their course... is their stubborn pride.

You can watch this Youtube video from a Star Wars fan called Drunk3PO for more detailed info: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDWQ02Sf0i0

CUSTOM AGENT NINE ACTION FIGURE TOY BY DSNG! [GIJOE CLASSIFIED VALAVERSE SCALE]

Another New DSNG Custom! Her name is Agent Nine. She is a weapons expert and engineer. And she's based on the Walmart exclusive GIJoe Classified Lady Jaye mold. The GIJoe gals are shorter than the Valaverse gals, but they work well for me.

The original toy came with the short hair attached to a removable hat. So I had to sculpt her new hair and paint it black. Plus I sculpted her new chest armor, along with her black sleeves, her gun holsters, her boots and knee-pads. Her guns came from ebay. And I added a bendy-wire to the sculpted strap of her rifle, so that it could be bent around her body. there was an extra ammo cartridge added to the rifle as well, if you look closely.

The original toy was green, so I had to just add a few darker tones here and there, while hand-painting with Tamiya acrylic paints. Thanks for looking! Remember to Like & Share!

  

  

CUSTOM SCRAP IRON COBRA ACTION FIGURE TOY BY DSNG! [GIJOE CLASSIFIED VALAVERSE SCALE]

Finally a new GIJore / Cobra Classified Custom! I haven't bought the new Classified Scrap Iron action figure, because I wanted to make one myself.

The base body used was "Marvel Legends Gaurdians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Star Lord". And I painted over him with Tamiya paints, to get his overall blue tone to be uniform with the color scheme that I wanted. 

Then I added the vest and pouches from the Valaverse Garrison Cavalry. And I painted over them, with a metallic red, while also sculpting and enhancing the vest to fit my purpose. I also moved around some of the accessories from the original vest, so the chest-dagger was placed as a strapped-on item on his right thigh. Plus he has handguns strapped to each of his thighs, since I created an extra holster on his left thigh.

The Grenade launcher rifle held in his left hand came from Valaverse, while the other Gatling gun blaster held in his right hand was custom made, using fodder and some elements from ebay.

Also he has a custom rifle adhered to his back-panels with a magnet. And his helmet was a custom head, which I painted. And I bought the headsculpt from a cool guy on ebay, over here. The helmet is not removable, since it was part of the headsculpt ;) And I added extra sculpted elements to his boots and his arms. 

All right, thanks for looking! Enjoy and share!