Enemy Attack Cannon (Geewunner.com)

The custom toy hobby has always fascinated me, both as a collector and a creator. Over the years, I have delved into super hero customs, Star Wars and of course GI Joe. The customizing community often creates joyful little bundles of fun, producing figures and vehicles that most likely would not be possible via normal production means. I’ve covered a few customs on the blog before, some of my own creation, and some from readers. I don’t customize much any more, but I’m always looking at what other fans are creating.

I’ve also not made a secret that I’ve fallen head over heels for the GI Joe Kre-O line, although truth be told, I’ve really mostly fallen for the Kreon mini-figures. Many of the vehicles and playsets are just serviceable, but not fantastic. Enter Geewunner, who has been producing his own brick interpretations of GI Joe vehicles, often with multiple features and larger scales not available within Hasbro’s vision of the Joe brick world. Over the weeks to come, expect to see more of his works featured here.

The ASP is one of those Cobra vehicles that look crazy, yet have some appearance of practicality. This is probably due to its features, like foldable wheels, stabilizer legs and rotating canopy. The tow joint was also an element of realistic useability that set the early to mid 1980s Joe years apart from many other toy lines.

Geewunner’s build not only incorporates the features of the original toy, but it also perfectly copies them. With over 100 pieces, it’s a nicely mid-size build experience; not too time consuming, and not too simple. It most certainly beats the pants off the official Kre-O release of the ASP, especially in the canopy area. The Hasbro version looks like a mico-build in comparison. That’s another welcome aspect of the set–the scale. It’s substantial enough to feel like the piece of heavy hardware that it is. Of course, you can tell by the photos. The most impressive aspect of the build for me is the inventive ways that the unusual features of the original have been translated into brick form.

You can check out Geewunner’s custom work, and find links to his store as well as new releases at geewunner.com. If you’re looking for a variety of alternate builds (and even custom colors) based on both the Real American Hero and Adventure Team eras, it’s the place to go.