I have been toying with posting this custom on here for a while, the first one I did this year.
I got the idea for this custom, originally envisaged as Cobra Commander from some artwork that the member known as Gentleman posted over at Hisstank. With his permission, I did a custom of it. I have tweaked Cobra Commander's history a little to better fit this custom. I know quite a few people did not like the way Baron Ironblood became Cobra Commander, so when I was writing his biography for the main gallery on Joe Customs, I started adding little bits here and there so that it would mesh nicely with the original Action Force concept, and still keep the GI Joe characters in the timeline.
Fred Broca came from an all-American family. He excelled in school and college, both in sports and studies, coming away from university with a first class honours degree in business. He enlisted for a term in the army as he felt it was his duty as an American to serve his country. His younger brother, William, who idolised him, also joined up, dropping out of school to do so, which upset Fred who wanted him to finish his education. William was a natural in the army, and was seconded to Ranger school. Although happy that William had found a niche and could have no higher calling, Fred was worried about him.
His worries came to fruition two years later after he left the army, when William was posted into a combat zone. He returned a changed man, unable to talk to his brother about the things he had seen. By this time, Fred had built up a thriving used car dealership and had married his childhood sweetheart. He was heartbroken to see his brother suffering and gave him a job, when evryone else said he was unemployable. William's psychological problems became worse, and he started drinking heavily, and stealing from the car firm to fund his gambling habit. Fred's wife could see the probems mounting, but Fred would not hear a word said against his brother. Then one night, William stole a fast sports car off the lot and started playing chicken by driving against big rigs the wrong way on the highway. He lost the game before the State Troopers could stop him.
In the aftermath, Fred discovered that his brother's embezzlement had put his company into deep debt, owing over $100,000. There was no way he could pay it back, and the bank stepped in, taking all his assets.
Fred's wife soon got tired of the change that had come over him. He had become paranoid and obsessive with the government and the banks, blaming the government for sending his brother to a combat zone and causing all of their problems. He heard through his contacts that his wife was filing for divorce, and disappeared with their three year old son. Two years later, the police considered his missing person case as closed, telling his wife that he had probably killed himself and his son. They could not have been more wrong.
Nine years later, reports started coming out of Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, New York and many survivalist camps around America that someone was organising the gangs and mountain men into a well armed and trained militia. The police and FBI at first dismissed these rumours, but then random thefts and murders started turning into well organised heists and terrorist activity, with a shadowy head known only as King Cobra.
There have been reports that he is trying to expand his power base into Europe, and especially England, to cause terror in all of America's allies. Interpol have turned their meager files on him over to Action Force in Europe, Asia and Africa, and the GI Joe team in the United States. It is firmly believed that he has allied with, and receiving much of his funding and resources from Baron Ironblood.
Fred Broca: King Cobra
I put a cast of that head inside the vinyl helmet and plugged up the hole in the top and around the bottom with modelling clay. Once that had dried, I made a two part mould using siligum and cast it in resin. It still had the flap on the back, so that was sanded of, the neck was sanded down and dremelled out to fit on the 25th neck post. It is a bit loose, but a bit of pritt tack solves that nicely.
