Drop and give me 20 - 20 points of articulation, that is!
Joe fans have been clamoring for a new version of Sgt. Slaughter ever since Generation 3 started, but the only thing that even came close was the Build N' Brawl version - and it was a bit too small to really fit. However, the release of a character known as "Bench-Press" in the movie toyline finally gave us an opportunity.
Creating this figure requires sending three separate figures to their deaths. Bench-Press has a few quirks you'll need to take care of before you're finished. For instance, the bullet tattoo on his left arm, and the fact that he only has one black kneepad. You can either get some paint remover for the arm and paint one of the knepads to match the other, or you can buy two Bench-Presses and swap pieces. That's the option I went for.
Begin by boil and popping the left arm on one figure and the right figure on the other, then trade them - you'll end up with one figure who has two tattoos, and one who has none. You'll have to fix the hands, as well, but it will be easy if you do it while they're still warm. Next you'll need to do something about the kneepads. Unscrewing the upper legs will allow you to remove the knee (and the shin with it), then simply do what you did with the arms: trade pieces between the two figures so they match; you can either make both knees green or both knees black, but I found that black fits better. Plus, it looks more "wrestler-y." Once that's done, heat the shins, push out the pins out of the knees, and trade the shins so everything below the knee is anatomically correct. It sounds complex, but it's really simple and straightforward when you're doing it (rather than thinking about doing it).
The head, of course, comes from the aforementioned BnB Sgt. Slaughter - it's a balljointed head, but the ball is smaller on the wrestling toys than the Joes, so it's not just a straight swap. I carved just a small amount of plastic out of Sarge's neckhole, then dropped it into my still-hot water. When small bubbles form on the surface of the head, it should be warm enough for the next step: fish it out of the water, and just jam it right onto Bench-Press's neck. The warm plastic will deform to accommodate the larger ball, and will retain its full range of motion. Success!
Now that you have the new body assembled, any additional details you want to do are up to you. I gave him the pads from the WWE toy's elbows, because that seemed like something Sgt. Slaughter would wear. I didn't remove the movie Joe insignia from his shirt, but you could. I admit I'll miss the tanktop and detailed boots from the real Sgt. Slaughter toy, but I'm really glad I made this custom.
|