Remember the Fury Force, the precursors to GI Joe? Well a group of fans at JoeCustoms.com certainly do, because they've made a set of the whole crew!
Shadow
custom by pluv
Real Name: Galil, Lila [sic]
Birthplace: Tel Aviv, Israel
After immigrating from Israel as a small child with her parents, Lila had settled in as the coach of the much-feared Women's Judo Team at Bodoin College when the Iranian hostage crisis and Desert One fiasco prompted her to reevaluate her priorities. She joined the Army, was tracked into Intelligence, and never looked back. Met Nick Fury Jr. on an operation tracking a cloning facility being constructed by ex-Nazis in the sewers of Brisbane. After completing their thirteenth joint mission, she accepted a simultaneous marriage proposal and a slot on Fury Force on one condition: that any FF missions involving high-speed motorcycle work went to her. Graduated from the FARM's Sniper Course, Advanced Combat Course, Advanced Transportation course, and graduated with honors from the CIA Intelligence Academy at Quantico. Qualified Expert in all NATO and Warsaw Pact silenced weapons, garrote, throwing stars and the M-700 Remington Sniper Rifle. Expert motorcyclist.
"The only time I've ever seen fear on the face of Nick Fury, Jr. was when he was riding on the back of Lila's Vincent Black Shadow.
That's obviously a lot of Scarlett, but the love of vehicles seems to have influenced a bit of Cover Girl, as well.
Sgt. Fury
custom by BadAsh
Real Name: Fury, Nick Jr.
Birthplace: Marseilles, France
His father was the legendary soldier/Agent of SHIELD and his mother was a heroine of the French Resistance - Nick Fury, Jr. has the fight against tyranny in his blood. Before being hand-picked to lead Fury Force, the younger Fury distinguished himself as combat veteran of Southeast Asian conflicts, numerous "military adviser" missions and clandestine operations throughout the late 1970s. Completed the FARM's Small Unit Command Qualification, Advanced Infantry Training, Advanced Demolitions Training, and Special Warfare Course. Black belt in Tae Kwon Do and Jiu Jitsu. Qualified in the M1911a and the Ingram MAC-10 machine pistol in .45 caliber.
"I know Sgt. Fury struggles with living in the shadow of his famous father, but the guy's proven himself time and again. And anyway, it's never a bad thing when your outfit's honcho'd by a guy whose family's been kicking tail for Uncle Sam for 50 years."
A pretty straight shot from here to Hawk. "FARM," as explained in another filecard, stands for the "Fast Assault Reaction: Military" Project.
Steeler
custom by Matthew
Real Name: McConnel, Walter
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, PA
Steeler spent half his childhood on the road tagging along as his father roadied for rock bands in the early 70s. The constant motion turned out to be a great prep for army life. Tapped for Fury Force after distinguishing himself in an unacknowledged incident at Cape Citadel Missile Base in Florida. Subsequent training at the FARM marked the longest time he'd lived in one piece since his 6th birthday. Olympic class weight lifter and the strongest member of Fury Force. Holds Fury Force informal endurance record for holding a stack of three Jeep tires overhead (18 minutes, 21 seconds). Graduated top of class in the FARM's Advanced Infantry Training and Tactical Heavy Weapons Course. Qualified Expert: M2, M60, M1911a and M16.
"Steeler used to play bass for a Pittsburgh heavy metal band. Now he plays the M-60 'Pig.' With either instrument, he's tops."
Obviously the codename (and ties to Pittsburgh) were reused for GI Joe's Steeler, but the musical background and use of an M60 became Rock 'n Roll, and the general "big guy"-ness was Gung-Ho. Reminding us that Fury Force would have been a Marvel book, "Cape Citadel" is where the X-Men first fought Magneto.
Spook
custom by JoeMichaels70
Real Name: Doe, John Q.
Birthplace: Washington, DC
Spook went into Vietnam as an Army Intelligence grunt and promptly disappeared from the Army's radar when a CIA liason discovered certain talents he possessed. His activities for the next 10 years are shrouded in mystery and rumors: assassinations for CIA project Phoenix. Training, infiltration, and bad blood with a ninja clan known as Hand. High-level black ops work with SHIELD. Missions involving a failed Gamma Bomb experiment. Snatch-and-grabs the world over. A stretch as a hermit in the jungles of Thailand. All that's know for sure is that when Fury Force was being formed up, Spook abruptly reappeared in the Army bureaucracy with paperwork that screamed "cover-up" to anyone with a discerning eye. Master of edged weapons, combat shotguns, and improvised explosives.
"Any clown with a knife can kill silently. Silent, nonlethal subdue-and-extract? That takes a Spook."
There's no mistaking Snake-Eyes, even if he's never had as firm a place of birth as Spook does. There are plenty more Marvel references in that bio, but "the utterly silent guy with a shotgun and a big knife" archetype was inspired by the character Pahoo-Ka-Ta-Wah in the old TV show Yancy Derringer.
Louie Louie
custom by chad_ghost
Real Name: Lee, Louis
Birthplace: Oahu, Hawaii
Louie Louie is the renaissance-man oddball who shows up in every unit. Want to hear some classical guitar? Talk to Louie. Want to send a watercolor to your girlfriend back home? Louie'll set you up. Need to know where you'd put the C-4 if you wanted to bring down the Golden Gate Bridge? Louie can tell you. Can't get your carbine back together after cleaning it? You know where to go. He can also whip your tail at Kyudo (Japanese archery) and Laido (Japanese martial art swordsmanship). And then, while you're cooling off, he'll crack you up explaining how Halsey almost blew it at Leyte Gulf. Completed the FARM's Quartermaster and Logistics Qualification, Advanced Infantry Training, Special Warfare Course and a graduate with honors of the FARM's Advanced Engineering Course. Qualified Expert in all NATO and Warsaw Pact rifle and pistol weapons, Directed Energy Weapons, (Lasers) and all other Special Project Weaponry.
"There aren't many things Louie's clueless about, but it can be fun when you find one. You should see that guy try to dance."
There's a dash of Storm Shadow in his martial arts prowess, Torpedo in his birthplace, and Barbecue in his personality.
Jelly
custom by Sidewinder
Real Name: Wilson, Lonzo
Birthplace: Detroit, MI
Growing up in a section of Detroit that closely resembled some of the hot spots where he'd later see action, Jelly enlisted when he realized nobody stays on top of the gang world forever. Had an epiphany on the mortar range that the natural affinity for geometry that once kept him in pool-hustling pocket cash might have some other uses, too. Caught the eye of Nick Fury, Sr. on a joint SHIELD-regular Army mission in the Latverian backcountry; Fury Sr. passed a word to Fury Jr., and Jelly was quickly ensconced as an instructor at the Fast Assault Reaction: Military (FARM) Project. Completed the FARM's Jet Pack Qualification, Advanced Infantry Training, Advanced Jungle Warfare Course, and Special Warfare Course. Qualified Expert in the M16, XM-76 Grenade Launcher, M1911a and the M-1 88mm Medium Mortar.
"Jelly can do artillery azimuths and indirect file triangulations in his head. If that dude had gone to a decent high school, he would have been a heck of a Mathlete."
It's easy to recognize Stalker by the name "Lonzo," but the mental math became a trait of Short-Fuze.
Brujo
custom by pluv and nova
Real Name: Aguilar, Ernesto
Birthplace: Blair, NE
Hails from a Nebraska farm town; growing up as the only Mexican kid in school left a lifetime habit of playing it close to the vest and keeping others at arm's length. Ironic, then, that his tech skills landed him with a specialty in commo. Sometimes comes off as arrogant and even a little surly, but his comrades will tell you it's all a front - unless you're an Army desk jockey trying to serve up some red tape. Completed the FARM's Communications and Signals course, Advanced Infantry Training, and Special Warfare Course. Qualified in most NATO and Warsaw Pact communications devices, Secure Communications devices, the M1911a semi-automatic and the Ingram MAC-10 machine pistol in .45 caliber.
"Brujo's a hard man to talk to, and a hard man to know. But when it hits the fan out in the field and he keeps his cool while calling in the cavalry, he's an easy man to trust."
Mix Breaker, Zap, and Deep Six, and you've got Brujo.
The filecards are written by fans, but were done with input from Larry Hama himself, so that's enough for us to call them canon... ish. The full set of Fury Force customs, complete with Larry Hama's signature, is being auctioned right now with proceeds going to the Hasbro Children's Hospital, so you have a chance to own a very unique piece of history.
