Krakajac's Vintage Action Man Projects

U-Boat Captain (Photo Set 4)

2009-10-06T02:01:00.001-07:00

U-Boat Captain (Photo Set 3)

2009-10-06T01:40:00.000-07:00

U-Boat Captain (Photo Set 2)

2009-10-06T00:57:00.001-07:00

U-Boat Captain (Photo Set 1)

2009-10-06T00:07:00.000-07:00

U-Boat Captain

2009-09-28T03:31:00.001-07:00

As always, the following text is from UAMHQ...

"It's been quite a while since I've 'bashed a VAM figure, so I thought I'd try my hand at another. Following on from some other great U-Boat Captain 'bashes on the forum, I was keen to have a go at one myself.

I recently acquired the original uncut version of 'Das Boot' on DVD (clocking in at a massive 4 hours and 42 minutes) which provided the inspiration. I was always a great fan of Otto Sander's portrayal of Kapitanleutnant Thomsen and thought the character would make a good 'bash.

The 1/6 scale reefer jacket was originally issued with the Harrison Ford K-19 Widowmaker figure. I modified it, adding fabric chest insignia, extra gold buttons, cuff stripes, etc. The captain's cap started life as a Dragon Luftwaffe cap which I modified by adding gold braid and a homemade Kriegsmarine badge as well as repositioning the smaller eagle badge. The cap was then weathered to make it look slightly more 'salt-worn'.

I chose to equip the figure with a Luftwaffe 640(b) pistol, rather than a Luger, etc. Whilst researching the 'bash, I discovered that quite a few airmen from the Luftwaffe actually transferred across to the Kriegsmarine during the course of the war, with many volunteering to serve on U-Boats. Interestingly, the 640(b) is essentially a carbon-copy of the Browning Hi-Power which was manufactured in Belgium (and used extensively by the Allies). When the Germans came to town, they took over the factory and started producing the 640's for the Luftwaffe. So that explains how my figure ended up with one!

The bottle of French wine started life as a 1/6 scale bottle of Japanese sake, which I reduced in height and finished off with a vintage label. The navigation chart and 'Die Kriegsmarine' magazine were scratch-built using images found on the net.

16 images to follow. Hope you enjoy!"

Photos to follow...

Update

2008-10-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

Hi, just a quick update for those people that are interested! I'm still working on the Sherlock Holmes 221B project and it is progressing well - I've just slowed down a bit on it recently, as it is quite time-consuming. I've also decided to get back into kit-bashing VAM figures and have two/three projects on the drawing board. I'll post the results here (and on the UAMHQ forum) when the first one is complete. Cheers, Craig.

221B Baker Street Project

2008-04-20T02:57:00.000-07:00

I've decided to put the VAM box-sets on hold for a while. However, I have started work on a new VAM project, which will take up most of my spare time. I'm attempting to construct a 1/6 scale 221B Baker Street diorama (with VAM Holmes & Watson of course!). I'll be posting updates of the project on a regular basis at the AMHQ website - so tune in there if you want to see more! The link can be found on the right-hand-side of this page. When you get to the AMHQ site, just navigate through to the forums section. If you search the forums using '221B', you should be able to find the updates as they are posted. Cheers, Craig.

Indiana Jones - Last batch of photos

2008-04-09T18:02:00.001-07:00

Indiana Jones - Third batch of photos

2008-04-09T17:47:00.001-07:00

Indiana Jones - Second batch of photos

2008-04-09T17:38:00.001-07:00

Indiana Jones - First batch of photos

2008-04-09T17:24:00.001-07:00

Indiana Jones

2008-04-09T17:19:00.000-07:00

Finally finished my Indy project. The following text is from AMHQ.

"I’ve finally completed my Indiana Jones custom VAM project. Kudos to Starbuck for giving me the inspiration in the first place! I really enjoyed putting this one together…it brought back a lot of memories from my childhood. Indy really is an iconic character and is perfectly suited to VAM.

The photos are fairly self-explanatory. However, I’ve provided a break-down of the clothes/accessories below:

Fedora (custom-made by Steve)
Leather Jacket (from the BBI ‘Relic Hunter’ figure)
Trousers (again, from the BBI ‘Relic Hunter’ figure)
Shirt (from my spares collection – dyed in boiling tea to give a vintage look…I seem to recall getting this idea from one of LFJ’s posts?)
Gas Mask Bag (obtained from Monkey Depot and modified. It was originally a French-style gas mask bag)
Boots (from Newline Miniatures, identical to the ones I used for my original Jackal project)
Holster/Belt/Webley Revolver (custom-made by Steve – he really makes some beautiful items)
Gold Fertility Idol (scratch-built with Sculpey and painted with gold leaf)
Idol Counter-weight (scratch-built)
Coiled Whip (scratch-built using leather strips)
Pocket-Knife (from my Dragon SOLDAT figure)
Temple Map (furnished using an image of the movie prop found on the internet)
Peru & Bolivia Map (furnished using an image from the internet)
Retail Packaging (scratch-built, with the exception of the actual box, which was pre-made)

I want to make special mention of Indy’s coiled whip, which was made by my wife. It’s constructed of three strands of thin, tapered leather, which my girl tirelessly plaited into the finished product. It might not be the most movie-accurate 1/6 scale Indy whip in existence, but the fact that it was made by my wife makes it pretty special!

I also wanted my retail packaging to include an exclusive Action Man/Indiana Jones mail-in competition. This time, ten lucky winners from 1983 get to be cast as an extra in the sequel (or more correctly, the prequel) to ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’."

Photos to follow.

Comments - Beware!

2008-02-28T20:40:00.000-08:00

G'day! Just a quick warning - if you are viewing any of the comments on this blog, don't click on any suspicious looking links. You'll probably be redirected to spy-ware or malware sites. Some of the so-called 'people' leaving comments here are clearly spambots or similar! Cheers, Craig.

Indiana Jones Update

2008-02-18T18:35:00.001-08:00

Greetings! Just a quick update regarding my Indy project. I've finished kitbashing the figure itself, now just working on the completion of accessories, box-art, etc. Have been hampered by bad weather lately, so I haven't started taking photos yet - hopefull will get this done in the next week or two. Cheers, Craig.

Adventure Team UK - Last photo

2008-02-18T18:32:00.001-08:00

Adventure Team UK - Fourth batch of photos

2008-02-18T18:27:00.001-08:00

Adventure Team UK - Third batch of photos

2008-02-18T18:21:00.001-08:00

Adventure Team UK - Second batch of photos

2008-02-18T18:15:00.000-08:00

Adventure Team UK - First batch of photos

2008-02-18T18:09:00.001-08:00

Adventure Team UK

2008-02-18T18:01:00.000-08:00

Below are details of my latest project. As always, the explanation is copied from the AMHQ forum.

"Since joining the AMHQ forum, I’ve developed a real appreciation for the G I Joe Adventure Team figures. My only exposure to AT as a child was through the View Master reels that were produced in the 1970’s (I posted images of the View Master package in the REFERENCE section a while back).

For my latest VAM project, I wanted to have a stab at an AT figure – but with emphasis on Action Man, rather than G I Joe. I wanted my AT figure to ‘exist’ in the same time-line as my previous projects, so I envisaged a fictitious Palitoy line called ‘Adventure Team UK’ – pretty much the same as the original AT G I Joe line, but with emphasis on the UK, rather than the USA.

(Funnily enough, since starting on this project some months ago, I notice that Joe90 has used the term ‘Adventure Team UK’ in one of his posts! Great minds think alike!)

(I've since been informed that the above term appears to have been first coined by TFG! My apologies!)

I wanted my AT figure to look a bit different (hence the eye patch) and to be equipped with weapons/accessories from the 1970’s UK era.

I also wanted my creation to have a distinct name – rather like the original Tom Stone figure.

The following is a break-down of the items included in the project:

Retail Packaging (scratch-built, with the exception of the actual box, which was pre-made)
AT Uniform/Boots/ID Tag (Wal-Mart in origin, obtained on Ebay)
Shoulder Holster (custom-made by Steve)
.357 Magnum Revolver (custom-made and painted by Steve – he did a fantastic job on this)
Eye Patch (scratch-built using leather and Sculpey)
First Aid Kit (scratch-built using Sculpey)
2-way Radio (scratch-built using Sculpey and aluminium tubing…I tried to emulate a vintage Motorola 2-way radio)
Tan T-Shirt (obtained on Ebay)
Equipment Bag (obtained from a 1/6 scale website)
Topographic Map (scratch-built using an image found on the internet)
L1A1 Rifle/Accessories (obtained on Ebay)
Sterling SMG/Accessories (obtained on Ebay)
Green Torch/Rope/Water Bottle (obtained on Ebay)

I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. Due to the amount of rain we have had in Queensland recently, the local waterfall put on a great show! Hope you enjoy the photos."

Photos to follow...

Confederate Guerilla - Last batch of photos

2008-01-22T03:37:00.001-08:00

Confederate Guerilla - 3rd batch of photos

2008-01-22T03:32:00.001-08:00

Confederate Guerilla - 2nd batch of photos

2008-01-22T03:28:00.001-08:00

Confederate Guerilla - First Photos

2008-01-22T03:23:00.001-08:00

Confederate Guerilla

2008-01-22T03:10:00.001-08:00

I finally got around to completing my most recent project. Below is my (rather long) post from AMHQ;

"Since discovering Stevo’s Toys website some time ago, I’ve been keen to try my hand at a Civil War Confederate Guerilla. I ended up using quite a few of Steve’s custom items and so, in many ways, I consider this project to be more a collaboration, rather than a stand-alone project. For those that haven’t had a look at Steve’s site, just follow the link below…

http://stevestoys.com/index.htm

Steve is a true 1/6 scale artist and I can’t recommend his work enough! The majority of his 1/6 scale weapons are cast in lead-free pewter, then hand-painted. The weapons have a real ‘old-world’ charm about them and because they are made of pewter, they also have some weight to them! Likewise, he uses real leather to construct the 1/6 scale holster rigs and accessories. For what you get, I think his prices are very reasonable. If you spend more than $30.00USD, you get free postage anywhere in the world.

Onto the project itself. I used a blonde bearded VAM that I recently acquired on Ebay. My intention was to create a Confederate Guerilla, perhaps a bit like Josey Wales, but still with some connection to a formal CSA fighting unit, etc. With this in mind, I wanted the figure’s accessories to be somewhat unique and a departure from the common weapons/accessories of the Civil War era.

For those interested, I have listed below the various items included in the project and their origin:

Brown Hat/Gold Cord (created by Steve – I added the feather to the brim)
CSA Shirt (I think this is a Sideshow creation – purchased from Monkey Depot)
CSA Pants (again, I think this is a Sideshow creation – also purchased from Monkey Depot)
Boots/Spurs (purchased from Steve’s web-site, but not created by him)
Sabre (possibly from a Sideshow set – also purchased from Monkey Depot)
Battlefield of Antietam Map (scratch-built by myself, image from the internet)
Dynamite (scratch-built by myself using Sculpey)
Water Canteen (scratch-built by myself using Sculpey/Leather)
Corn Cob Pipe (scratch-built by myself using Sculpey)
Bed-Roll (scratch-built by myself)
Civil War Binoculars (cast and painted by Steve)
1860 Henry Rifle (cast and painted by Steve)
Retail Packaging/Inserts (all my own work, with the exception of the actual box, which was pre-made).

I’d like to make special mention of the holster rig created by Steve. I’m really happy with how it came out. In addition to the bowie knife/sheath and the Derringer pistol, I was keen for my figure to be kitted out with two very unique sidearms – something that would make him stand out in a crowd. I therefore chose to equip him with 2 x custom-made LeMat CSA revolvers (again, cast and painted by Steve).

For those unaware of the specifications of the LeMat revolvers, these babies were something special! About 2500 of the revolvers were said to have found their way into the hands of the Confederate Army. Designed by Alexander LeMat, the revolvers were initially produced in France and later in England, and then shipped to the US. What made them unique was that they had a nine-shot revolving cylinder and were chambered for .42 calibre rounds – they packed quite a punch. In addition, the pistol also had a tenth shot available – a single .63 calibre 16/18 gauge shot round situated underneath the main barrel! Apparently they weren’t all that dependable and were prone to jams, blockages, etc. But what the hell - what a great weapon to kit out a VAM with! As far as I’m aware, the LeMat CSA revolvers were never produced with ivory stocks, but I wanted my pair to be unique. Perhaps my Southerner put in a custom order during the Civil War!"

Photographs to follow...

Indiana Jones Teaser

2008-01-10T15:48:00.001-08:00

Greetings...one of my next projects is a custom VAM Indiana Jones figure. To get into the spirit, I designed a simple 'teaser' image which I have attached above. I'll post results of the project in due course. Cheers, Craig.

New projects nearing completion

2008-01-10T15:42:00.000-08:00

Hi, just a quick update. I have three projects that are all but finished. I'm just waiting for some good weather to arrive in Queensland so that I can start taking photographs. I'll post the results in the next couple of weeks. For those interested, I have recently modified and updated the retail packaging that accompanies each figure. The new design will be utilised for my upcoming projects. Cheers, Craig.

The Jackal Revisited - Last photo

2007-12-12T21:24:00.001-08:00

The Jackal Revisited - 2nd batch of photos

2007-12-12T21:19:00.001-08:00

The Jackal Revisited - 1st batch of photos

2007-12-12T21:13:00.000-08:00

The Jackal Revisited

2007-12-12T21:10:00.000-08:00

Here are details of my most recent project posted on AMHQ...

"For those who recall, my first project was a custom VAM figure from the movie ‘The Day of The Jackal’. As I always intended, I have revisited this movie and made a second version of ‘The Jackal’. However, this time he is dressed in his war veteran’s disguise from the latter part of the movie.

If you’re a fan of the movie, I won’t need to explain the figure. However, for those that haven’t seen the movie (or read the book for that matter), the figure may look a bit odd! Spoilers below!

Essentially, ‘The Jackal’ is an assassin-for-hire, who at one point during the movie, conceals his identity by disguising himself as a WW2 French war veteran – complete with crutches and an amputated leg!

The pin-striped suit, white shirt, tie, sock, etc. were obtained from Ebay and complimented with a black waistcoat from my spares collection. The black beret started life as a green Dragon beret, which I dyed. The two crutches are original VAM/G I JOE in origin (slightly shortened in length and painted silver). The single boot is VAM in origin. The three medals he is wearing were constructed using images I found on the net. The medals I used are the same as those portrayed in the movie, namely:

1. Order de la Liberation (the second highest French order)
2. Croix de Guerre (same as the VAM one and awarded to commemorate a mention in dispatches, etc.)
3. Insigne du Blesse Militaire (Military Wound Badge – nice choice considering he lost a leg in the war!)

It was kinda cool that the makers of the film used the appropriate medals, etc.

The only downside to the project is that I didn’t have a nice Parisian backdrop for the photos! However, I was able to track down some nice French war posters on the net which you can see in the background of some of the photos.

For those interested, I have four additional VAM projects in various stages of construction. Whilst I still enjoy customising/kitbashing the figures, the process of making the retail packaging for each successive project has become a bit repetitive. For this reason, I’ve decided to retire the current packaging design after the next project and try my hand at something different. The changes won’t be too radical, but I think the original design has run its course."

Photos to follow...

Sandbag Accessory Pack - Photos

2007-11-18T16:54:00.000-08:00

Sandbag Accessory Pack

2007-11-18T16:51:00.000-08:00

Here are some details of a side project I have just finished. Again, the text is from the AMHQ site.

"Following my recent obsession with sandbags, I thought I’d try my hand at an ‘official’ VAM accessory set.

I needed to make a new batch of sandbags, as the ones I made a month or two ago were permanently glued together for the Gurkha newsreel project.

The retail box was not scratch-built this time. I found a nice pre-made one that was the perfect size. All that the box needed was a coat of green paint. It holds the forty new sandbags quite nicely."

Photos to come...

5th and 6th projects nearing completion...

2007-11-12T01:17:00.000-08:00

As the title suggests, I'm currently working on my 5th and 6th projects (plus a couple of side projects). I'll post the results when I can. Cheers, Craig.

Mad Max - Last batch of photos

2007-11-12T01:12:00.000-08:00

Mad Max - Second batch of photos

2007-11-12T01:06:00.001-08:00

Mad Max - First batch of photos

2007-11-12T00:58:00.000-08:00

Fourth Project - Mad Max

2007-11-12T00:46:00.000-08:00

I've finally completed by fourth project. Below is my post from AMHQ.

"Here’s one for the Aussies on the forum!

For my fourth project, I wanted to try my hand at a customised/kitbashed VAM ‘Mad Max’ figure, from the film of the same name.

Although the sequel is probably more famous (and is certainly a great movie in its own right), I never get tired of watching the original. Again, it has a quirky nature all of its own - similar to ‘The Day of The Jackal’ and ‘Cross of Iron’. In my opinion, the vehicle chase scenes have never been bettered and the dialogue between the characters is still wonderful to listen to. If you haven’t seen the film and are keen to watch it, make sure you track down a DVD copy with the original Australian voice-track – not the dubbed US version (blasphemy!)

To make this project slightly different, I designed the retail packaging so that the item was an Australian & New Zealand exclusive, limited to 500 pieces and only available to those two countries. Back in the day, Australia and New Zealand always seemed to miss out on promotional offers – this is my way of getting revenge! Instead of the dark green packaging that I have used on previous projects, I went for black this time (to signify that the item was an exclusive).

I purchased the leather jacket/pants on Ebay. The jacket is not a perfect match to the movie one, but it was the best I could find, and is pretty close. I customised the jacket by adding scratch-built badges and leather patches. The sawn-off shotgun is also scratch-built, using aluminium tubing, sheet metal and Sculpey. All other items were obtained from Ebay or were already in my spares collection (such as the boots). The t-shirt under the jacket was originally white, which I dyed eggshell blue to match Max’s t-shirt from the movie.

The weather in Queensland hasn’t been too flash in the past few days, so I was restricted to taking photos around my home."

Photos to come...

Further projects in development...

2007-09-28T18:23:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update. Further projects are in development, I just haven't been able to find the time recently to complete them. I have about four projects that I am currently working on - one of which should be posted in the next few weeks. Cheers, Craig.

Gurkha Rifleman - Last batch of photos

2007-08-26T22:17:00.001-07:00

Gurkha Rifleman - Third batch of photos

2007-08-26T22:09:00.001-07:00

Gurkha Rifleman - Second batch of photos

2007-08-26T21:56:00.001-07:00

Gurkha Rifleman - First batch of photos

2007-08-26T21:38:00.001-07:00

Third Project - Gurkha Rifleman

2007-08-26T21:33:00.000-07:00

I've just finished my third project (a Gurkha Rifleman) and posted the results at www.actionmanhq.co.uk. Again, I've pasted my original explanation below. I hope it makes sense :) Photographs to come shortly...

"As promised, here is my third VAM custom project.

I apologise for posting details so soon on the heels of the Steiner project. It’s a long story, but I’m heading overseas for a number of weeks and I was keen to post details before I fly out.

As I have mentioned previously, I wanted my third project to focus on a fictitious ‘Military Series’ (as opposed to my first two projects that were ‘Cinema Series’). My intention for the ‘Military Series’ was to concentrate on military uniforms not covered in the original VAM line.

For my third project, I decided to customise/kit-bash a World War 2 Gurkha Rifleman (circa 1941/1942, possibly serving in Malaya or Singapore).

As with my first two projects, the retail packaging is hand-made, with minimal use of computers, etc. I did make a subtle change this time, with the inclusion of a photograph of the uniformed VAM figure on the rear of the box.

With regard to scratch-built items, the most interesting component was the design and construction of the kukri. I was determined to scratch-build my own and I am happy with how it turned out. The blade of the kukri is made from metal. I sharpened the blade edge, so it’s certainly not for kids. The hilt is made from Sculpey. To enhance the kukri blade, I adhered stickers that have a mirror finish to catch the reflection of the sun. Additionally, using a diamond-edged saw, I cut two notches at the base of the blade to represent the kaura. Depending on who you speak to, these notches have a number of applications – preventing blood from reaching the hilt, catching a combatant’s blade and snapping it or representing the Hindu Goddess Kali. Take your pick!

The kukri sheath is made from two pieces of cardboard, which I stitched together with thread to represent leather, etc. Essentially, I wanted the sheath to look like it had been well-used and perhaps constructed by the Rifleman whilst in the field to replace an original damaged one. I also constructed the karda and chakmak (the small knives on the front of the sheath). Both were made from metal and Sculpey. For those that aren’t aware, the karda is essentially a utility knife (think Swiss Army knife) and the chakmak is used to burnish the main blade of the kukri. My versions of the karda and chakmak are larger than they should be. For the purposes of VAM, I wanted them to be slightly larger and useable.

The Gurkha hat (which started life as a BBI Australian Slouch Hat) was also modified. To remove the ‘curl’, I reshaped the hat by soaking it in boiling water. It was then repainted and I also attached a custom chinstrap and insignia.

The socks are repro VAM in origin. To make the socks slightly more authentic, I also made a pair of customised garter flashes. You might be able to see them in some of the photos.

I decided against adding any further insignia, as I wanted to keep the figure relatively simple.

The rest of the uniform and accessories are either of Dragon or BBI manufacture. I went a bit overboard on the included weapons/equipment, but for a reason (see below).

As with my Sergeant Steiner project, I have included within the retail packaging a VAM Collector Star Booklet and a fictitious Collector’s Club application. To make the ‘Military Series’ slightly more distinctive, I also designed and incorporated a ‘Facts & Figures’ card to compliment the package. I envisaged that these cards could be collected by the ‘purchaser’ to make a larger reference set. A similar set of reference cards were actually produced back in the 1970’s and as I remember they were quite popular with kids (although they weren’t connected with VAM).

Whilst I have been working on this project, I have also been constructing a Gurkha diorama (hence the need for lots of weapons and equipment!). I will post photographs of the diorama in due course.

The ‘woodland-style’ photos posted below were taken on the side of the mountain where I live. The ‘jungle-style’ photos were taken in a remnant of rainforest about three minutes drive from my house.

Hope you enjoy!"

Third Project...

2007-08-17T03:56:00.001-07:00

My third project will be delayed slightly. Will post photos here and at http://www.actionmanhq.co.uk/ when I get the chance. The weather hasn't been good in this neck of the woods, so I haven't been able to take any photographs yet. Cheers, Craig.

Sergeant Steiner Photos - Last Batch

2007-08-14T19:12:00.001-07:00

Sergeant Steiner Photos - Second Batch

2007-08-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

Sergeant Steiner Photos - First Batch

2007-08-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

A Recommendation!

2007-08-14T19:00:00.001-07:00

Actually, before I post my Steiner photos, I should recommend www.actionmanhq.co.uk If you are at all keen on Vintage Action Man (or his modern off-shoot), I can't recommend this site enough. You'll find a great bunch of Action Man fanatics on the forum and some great resource photos and information to boot.

Second Project - Cross of Iron/Sergeant Steiner

2007-08-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

Still coming to grips with this blog - it appears to have a mind of it's own sometimes :)

After completing my first project (see below), I began work on my second and third. On completion of the second project I again posted the results to http://www.actionmanhq.co.uk/. To keep things simple, I have posted my original explanation of the project below, followed by some photos. Enjoy!

"Since finishing my first VAM custom project (see ‘Return of The Jackal’ thread elsewhere on this forum), I’ve been busy on my second and third projects. I decided to work on two projects simultaneously, basically to save time as some of the designs/components were essentially the same. I decided to create a second ‘Cinema Series’ item, as well as my first ‘Military Series’ project. The ‘Military Series’ project is 90% complete and I will post photographs on completion.

For my second ‘Cinema Series’ project, I decided to kit-bash/customise a Sergeant Rolf Steiner VAM figure from the 1976 movie, ‘Cross Of Iron’ (directed by Sam Peckinpah). As with my first project, I also wanted to design and construct the retail packaging to compliment the figure. ‘Cross Of Iron’ is one of my favourite war movies. For those who haven’t seen it, it is available on DVD (just make sure you track down the newer widescreen version).

Sergeant Steiner seems to be a popular choice for 1/6 scale kit-bashing. If you search Google Image, you’ll likely come across at least a few examples. As some of you will know, DML (Dragon) released an official Sergeant Steiner figure some years ago. However, my intention was to recreate a VAM version of Sergeant Steiner and not to rely on ‘Steiner-specific’ items already manufactured by Dragon or other companies.

I didn’t scratch-build on the same scale as my Jackal project, however there was quite a bit of customising involved with regard to Steiner’s M43 field tunic. I had an old DML German uniform in my spares collection and I decided to customise it to match that of Steiner’s. The modifications to the tunic were as follows:

Scratch-built a ‘Das Krimschild’ badge and attached it to the left arm of the tunic.
Scratch-built a ‘Panzervernichtungsabzeichen’ badge and attached it to the right arm of the tunic.
Painted the buttons silver to match Steiner’s tunic.
Bought and attached a number of additional awards/medals, to match Steiner’s tunic (including an Iron Cross). I obtained these from a number of 1/6 scale sites on the web.
Painted a white line around the collar of the tunic.
Replaced the tunic shoulder boards with the correct Infantry ones (also custom-made) and modified them to display the correct rank.

The remaining weapons and accessories are of Dragon and/or BBI manufacture. For information on how I constructed the retail packaging, please refer to my ‘Return of The Jackal’ thread. As with my first project, the retail packaging and box-art was hand-made to give it a 1970’s feel, etc.

I wanted to include a number of ‘added extras’ in the retail packaging. In addition to a ‘Cross Of Iron’ movie poster and a VAM Collector Star booklet, I designed and enclosed an application form, allowing the ‘purchaser’ to join the fictitious ‘Palitoy Action Man Collector’s Club’. I’m pretty happy with how the application form came out. I’m tempted to send a completed one to the address and see what happens!"

More Jackal Photos

2007-08-14T18:41:00.001-07:00

Jackal Photos

2007-08-14T18:16:00.000-07:00

My first project - The Day of The Jackal

2007-08-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is my first formal post - I hope it is easy enough to understand. Images of my first project were originally published on http://www.actionmanhq.co.uk/ in July 2007 (and are still available there). Below I have cut and pasted my original explanation for the project...saves a bit of time!

"Although I’m fairly new to the board, I thought some of you might like to see a project I’ve been working on for the past couple of weeks. I’ve wanted to customize/kit-bash a VAM for some time, but I wasn’t sure where to start. I recently watched the movie, ‘The Day of the Jackal’ (the original 1971 release) and I thought that it would provide good material for a VAM custom job. Initially, my intention was to just recreate ‘The Jackal’ himself, with appropriate clothing and accessories and to then take some photographs, etc. However, as I started the project, I decided that I would try and complete the ‘whole package’, including a mock-up of retail packaging and a number of other additions.

My plan was to imagine a VAM toy that I could have purchased when I was a kid back in the seventies. I envisaged an alternate VAM line called the ‘Cinema Series’, with Palitoy producing uniforms and accessories of popular movie characters (such as ‘The Jackal’).

The retail box that I created has exactly the same dimensions as the cardboard Red Cross Parcel that was included in the VAM Escape from Colditz box-set. I had an old, tattered one in my own collection and I ended up using it as a template for my project.

I used a combination of both 1/6 scale accessories (some of which I obtained from Ebay) and scratch-built items. As this was my first custom project, it provided me with a good opportunity to test different techniques, etc.

I used basic hobby skills to design the box images, etc. I didn’t use any sort of fancy Photoshop program (as I have no idea how to use them). I used my HP bubble jet printer/scanner and the basic scanning/editing software that came with it (called HP Gallery). I also used Microsoft Word to compose some of the banners, etc. For everything else I used a glue stick, paint, scissors and coloured paper.

The following items were scratch-built;

Retail Packaging (with the exception of the rear photographic images, which I found surfing the net)
Cravat/Neck Scarf (I used some red cloth and painted on some white polka-dots…it has the same dimensions as the VAM Panzer Captain scarf)
.22 cal Sniper’s Rifle (I constructed this out of aluminium tubing…incidentally the same material as used in the film. The rifle is comprised of 12 separate pieces and the stock is made out of Sculpey)
Melon Target (I used Sculpey to fashion the actual melon and painted it with an acrylic gloss green paint to match the mottled texture of a real melon)
Map (used a JPEG found on Google Image)
Passport (as above and constructed it with a number of ‘pages’ to give it some depth)
Cigarette Packet (as above and used a gold marker pen to recreate the cigarette foil)
De Gaulle Dossier (I constructed the actual manila folder myself and found the photographic images of De Gaulle on the net)
Action Man Competition Entry Form (composed using Microsoft Word)

The other items (long-sleeve shirt, trousers, boots, wristwatch, pistol, grenade and money) are all Dragon or 1/6 scale custom accessories.

The briefcase was bought on Ebay and is made specifically for 1/6 scale custom jobs. They are available in both brown and black.

The Collector Star Booklet is an authentic VAM one.

To complete the project, I obtained a signed photograph of Edward Fox from Ebay (purportedly the real thing!).

I’m looking forward to my next project, which will probably be along similar lines and hopefully I can improve on my technique. One idea I have for the future is to recreate ‘The Jackal’ in his war veteran’s disguise (black three-piece suit, black beret, crutches with hidden rifle, medals, etc.). I would also like to try my hand at a ‘Military Series’, focusing on military uniforms that were not covered in the original VAM line. It’s a case of selecting subjects/uniforms that provide a good balance between kit-bashing and scratch-building (which is the fun part)."

Just testing...

2007-08-14T06:07:00.000-07:00

Just testing to see if this baby actually works!