Code Name: HEAT-VIPER

The next installment in my "Blue Shirt Legion" Customs is the HEAT-Viper, also known as the Cobra Bazooka Trooper. I understand Hasbro's marketing in creating totally new characters like the 1989 HEAT-Viper (and subsequent versions), but again, I prefer a more uniform look to all of my Cobra soldiers. 

This figure was cobbled together from parts I found in my fodder box, which explains the missing booth knife sheath and trimmed pistol holster. While utilizing the name "HEAT-Viper," this is actually a modern update to the 25th "Cobra Bazooka Trooper.

The three main custom areas to this figure are (1) painting the face mask red (Citadel Evil Sunz Scarlet), (2) utilizing the Bazooka Trooper web gear, and (3) making a modern update to the 25th netted helmet.

I LOVE the Bazooka Trooper web gear and think it's one of the two coolest Hasbro has produced (the other being the POC Beach Head web gear). The web gear fits the POC/50th torsos but sits kind of high on the chest. So, I heated up the web gear using a hair dryer, glued the front to the chest piece where I wanted it to sit and then stretched the remaining gear around to fit and glued the shoulder straps into place.

The net for helmet came from a TESB Chewbacca net/backpack (the one he carries C-3PO in). I cut a small square out of the net. Then stretched and glued it around the helmet. In hindsight, I wish I would have trimmed the net down in the back to make the seam less noticeable, but happy with how it turned out. I think paraviper may even have a POC/50th cast version of the Bazooka Trooper Helmet available or in the works.

I did some silver dry brushing to the RPG to make it look more metallic and less flat-black plastic. I realize the projectiles in the backpack do not work with the RPG, but I thought the backpack gave the figure a vintage, ARAH feel.