And they’re throwing a party!

JoeCustoms initially entered the online G.I. Joe community as the Bivouac over 10 years ago, but the official movement to “JoeCustoms.com” was 10 years ago and they’ve never looked back.  P-Luv has started a thread over on JoeCustoms to discuss its awesome 10 year history, and probably the coolest part of this whole celebration is a conversation with camper and Beav, two past admins for the site.  Camper was the guy who started the whole thing way back when, and Beav was running the show himself for many years until P-Luv recently took over.

Without a doubt the site that spearheaded the G.I. Joe customizing community this is an awesome look at the past 10 years, plus there are some chances to win some good prizes as well.

Check it out right here!

This past weekend the always entertaining NJCC (New Jersey Collectors’ Con) tore up New Jersey, and just like last year, the immortal Kevin Watts provided door prizes in the form of modified HISS Tanks.  This year, they focused on tanks for the 30th Anniversary Hazard Vipers, and they came out very nicely.

But as cool as the HAZARD Tanks are, this is where Kevin really knocked it out of the park.  As part of the show, Kevin build a diorama for the Compound Z Lab.  Using existing G.I. Joe playset parts, he assembled a very professional looking lab that fits the theme perfectly.

Check out the thread on HissTank.com and I’ve also mirrored a few images below.  Kevin does some fantastic work, I’m one of his biggest fans, and I think this is an example of some of the great stuff he can do.  Bad enough his customs are tearing it up, now he’s gotta depress me with his awesome diorama work, too.  Ah, well…

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The New Jersey Collectors Convention hit the scene fairly recently, but made a big splash last year with the awesome exclusive Jungle BAT themed HISS Tanks created by good friend of GeneralsJoes Kevin Watts.

The 2012 edition of the NJCC is coming in May, and we now have our first look at the 2012 NJCC Exclusive, the HAZARD HISS Tank!

This is an early sample and will likely be getting tweaked along the way, with some additional details and an exclusive sticker sheet from Cobra Stickers.  Kevin Watts once again is the brainchild behind this one, and it shows.  A great looking piece that will supplement your Hazard-Vipers well.  Heck, it even comes with a great armored canopy by GeneralsJoes sponsor Yetibrew Design!

I’ve mirrored one image below, but be sure to hit up HissTank for the full details.

Fans of Slayer Design Studios are familiar with the annual SlayerCon, and I’m happy to report the second annual convention for customizers and folks interested in the casting and production process is happening this weekend.

Located at the Ramada Inn just outside Baltimore, Maryland, SlayerCon will feature a number of talented customizers as well as the guys behind Project-ARAH.com.  In fact, the first figures from Project-ARAH.com (including Pythona!) will be at SlayerCon live and in person.

The show is March 3rd – 4th, and you can check out the SDS Forums to get more information.

Speaking of Slayer Design Studios, folks who are curious about the casting process will want to check out a great Fighting 118th interview of Slayer Dave, the guy behind the curtain of Slayer Design Studios.  I have had several direct interactions with Dave, and he is a great guy who cares deeply about his product and loves coming up with new ideas and concepts for product to interact with our favorite toyline.  Check out links to the interview below.

• Part One
• Part Two

Thanks to Monkeywrench and The Terror Drome for the info.

Ohhh wow.  Too often I feel like G.I. Joe fans do not fully embrace the almost ridiculous nature of the G.I. Joe universe.  I love the real world military element as much as the next guy, but there were some far out concepts in the Joe universe that I thought really gave is some of that kid-based charm.  As collectors many of us shrug that stuff off, which is why I was really excited when I saw the latest JoeCustoms Group Project was for the Dino-Hunters.

With only two figures a part of this Hasbro theme, I loved the idea of expanding the whole Dino-Hunters concept.  Well, last week, JoeCustoms unveiled the Dino-Hunters, and it was good.  Unfortunately there wasn’t a huge turn out this time around, but quality rules over quantity in my mind.  Chief among this idea was the masterful work of Oreobuilder.

He took the whole Dino-Hunter concept and ran with it.  Sooooo cool!

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Link Talbot for the win.  And look at that Dino-Viper!  Love it!

Awesome work by Oreobuilder, and by everyone who submitted to this Group Project.  If you’re ever in the need of a custom fix, definitely check out the JoeCustoms Group Projects.  Some very impressive stuff there, and if you go back far enough, you can even see some of my work.  ;)

If you love the 90′s like I do, then you already love wackiness in your G.I. Joe universe, so the fact that this particular artist focuses his attention on the 90′s stuff suits his crazy style very well.

It’s a style you have to get accostamed to, and it’s not something that most fans of hyper-realism are going to be into, but I absolutely love it.  The exaggerated proportions and the 90′s aesthetic is awesome.  I’ve mirrored three of the images below, but there are many more at his site, so you need to check it out and appreciate them.  They’re really awesome.

• Ethan Mongin Illustration

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Well, we’ll see how long the return is for.  It’s been a long time since I added a kick ass custom to the front page, but I had some time to kill before my training this morning, so I figured I would throw something up here, especially work that is so well deserved.

Over at HissTank.com, member Wry1 has been doing both fan art and customs that have absolutely blown me away.  I’m not sure why I haven’t featured them on the site sooner, but I could hold off no longer.  It’s hard to just pick out one good piece, so I figured I’d just link his latest thread which features his takes on Scarlett, Ripcord, and Rock n Roll.  They are amazing.  If G.I. Joe was real world, current day military, this is what I’d want them to look like.

He goes in better detail over on the site, but for now, I’ve also mirrored a few of the images below.  They’re worth checking out.

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Every year JoeCustoms.com unveils a special “Custom Celebration” which, as the name indicates, celebrates the ideas and techniques of G.I. Joe customization.  Hot on the heels of Toy Fair 2012, this seems like a great time to explore some of the creativity behind our favorite action figures.

In JoeCustom’s own words:

For those who have never been a part of one of our Custom Celebration, well, you’re in for a a treat. This is a two week event that puts the spotlight completely on customs, customizers and customizing. To do that, we have brought in a collection of contributors to write about various aspects of customizing, collecting, and creativity. In addition, there will be multiple chances for everyone at JoeCustoms to share their unique thoughts and ideas.

So what can you expect to see and read this year? We are going to be flooding the site with brand new “how to” articles and videos. We will be presenting a multitude of interviews with customizers who are an influential part of the hobby. There will be virtual customizing and discussion of collecting in general. All that, plus a ton of surprises. A day can’t handle that many items. Even a week is too small. Only a two week celebration can truly hold all of this excitement! 

What can you do? Join in the fun! Check out the new Custom Celebration forum. Each day will have several new features. You’ll have a chance to comment on each piece in this special forum for the event. In addition, there will be a few special threads with specific topics where you will help determine what is discussed.

If nothing else, we hope that the Custom Celebration gets you excited about customizing again. Has it been a while since you have made a custom figure/vehicle/playset/dioramma? Have you hung out on the site and never made a custom? What are you waiting for? Custom Celebration will give you tons of ideas, tips, and encouragement to tackle that first project.

JoeCustoms is proud to start off your week with Custom Celebration VI – a celebration of customs, customizers and customizing!

Check out the Custom Celebration right here!

Just wanted to post up a reminder…  Robert Atkins is still accepting votes for his Cobra Commander custom contest over on his Blogspot page!  There are a number of great suggestions there with something for everyone.

Modern era, o-ring, even 12″ formats are all represented, which is awesome.  Shame on you customizers for not bringing in a Sigma 6 version.  :shifty:

In all seriousness, the offerings are all great, Robert is an awesome guy (and an awesome artist) and even if you’re not going to vote, go check out the entries.

The JoeCustoms.com Custom Celebration is a two week event where the site is flooded with customizing and collecting content. Past Custom Celebrations have included interviews with the best customizers and influential members of the community, customizing tips and techniques through tutorials in our wiki, in-depth articles about customizing and collecting, forum discussion topics, and diorama and customizing challenges.

JoeCustoms.com is an independently run fan site for G.I. Joe hobbyists, enthusiasts and collectors. The site offers the largest archive of customized GI Joe figures, vehicles and playsets, as well as commentary from the artistic minds behind them. The site is supported by its users – including the artists themselves – who share their thoughts and insights on any number of topics through the site’s forums.

For more information on JoeCustoms.com’s Custom Celebration VI, please feel free to email Contact@joecustoms.com.  The schedule of events will be updated daily.