Snoova's Diorama Gallery - ALLEY-VIPER ALLEY

    

    I used to do this with Star Wars figures several years back...  I made these smaller, mini-dioramas, as a way to highlight a particular figure/character.  I decided to do some of these again with some different G.I. Joe figures!  The first would be one of my favorite figures (as noted in my Snoova's Top 10 Army Builders) - the Cobra Alley-Viper!

    The Alley-Viper is the Cobra Urban Assault Trooper.  These are the troops that Cobra disperses into city-type territorys to conquer the area "block by block".  They are strong, well-armed soldiers that don't back down from anyone.

    So the environment for this figure would obviously be urban/city-type locations.  So I tried to create an "alley" with brick and concrete-looking walls.  The area appears a bit rundown with cracks and bullet holes in the walls.  I even added some lighting with the street light, the burn barrel and so on.  This is the first time I ever attempted this.  I was pretty happy with how it turned out.

    For the Alley-Viper's diorama, I felt he needed someone to fight.  So who would challenge him?  What Joes might you find in similar locations?  Initially, I thought of Shockwave, Chuckles or Bulletproof.  

    The Alley-Viper is a tough, brutal soldier.  So the problem was that those Joes were pretty tough in their own right.  I wanted to be able to show off the Alley-Viper's brute strength.  So who else is out in the city that might clash with him???  Someone a little less formidable?  Why not the Headhunter's Urban Crime Commander - Gristle?  

    That little weasel Gristle was a perfect choice!  One problem, I didn't have him...  I contacted different collectible shops and even kept an eye on eBay - all which weren't panning out.  Then one day my good friend Deathwish is sending me some texts of some of the miscellaneous Joe stuff he got his hands on, asking if there was anything I was looking for.  And in the fractured pile of pieces - was Gristle.  Thank you again Deathwish!

    The G.I. Joe comic was taking some strange paths by the 90's.  One thing that I thought was great, however, was the Headman's defeat at the hands of Cobra - not the Joes! 

    So here... Gristle, chief toady of the Drug Kingpin - The Headman, is out doing his thing, looking to peddle his wares down some back alley... the alley of an area Cobra wants control of.  He doesn't care.  He is under the impression he can handle whatever threat comes his way...  Till he happens to come across a lone Cobra Alley-Viper who does not take kindly to Gristle's presence in this neighborhood!!!