Gi Joe Cobra Desert Base - DIY How To

[@uranusimploding9830]

Great build ...... back in the day we used shoe boxes, used bean cans and odds and ends for buildings, fuel depots and to build strong points .....it was FUN ! .....now, with a little more skills, it's even MORE FUN !!!!!!

[@ActionRobotPunch]

So true. Thanks for watching.

[@jibernish]

Nice steady hand with that hot wire cutter. Also, great looking build.

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thanks so much.

[@manofaction1807]

Back in the day, we lived in a combination Russian/ Afghan fort, then built on it with some wood buildings and a couple of shipping container buildings, and a S!@#t load of concrete and sandbags. It had a bunch of walls/ towers and battlements, and nearby was a cave system. It was something right out of G.I. Joe. Only thing missing was the modern elevator down to the underground part of the lair...

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Wow that sounds crazy. Almost like the Gi Joe Pit underground base. Thanks for watching and for the great comment!

[@richardthehutt4407]

To help avoid spray paint eating away your foam, try coating all foam bits with Mod Podge. It will seal it away from the chemicals in the paint that dissolve the foam, and it will add to the surface strength of the piece.. Also, if you add a little black paint to the Mod Podge, it will help show where you've maybe missed a spot. Great build, btw.

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thanks, great tips. I foolishly thought this foam was dense enough to not be affected by the paint...wrong. Luckily it wasn't too bad. I'll definitely coat the whole thing next time. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@kevinpatrickcarey3741]

yah all the big 40K terrain builders do this

[@briandain8432]

Watching the video I realized Hasbro has never made the Clsssic North African Igloo of the Lars homestead. You could totally make those! Ingenious!

[@ActionRobotPunch]

I totally looked at some Star Wars pics when planning this out :) I know I've seen other people do that specific look though. It would be fun to throw into a Joe battle! Thanks for watching.

[@briandain8432]

@@ActionRobotPunch If You ever get bored do GI Joe/Rebel Alliance or Empire/Cobra... That's what I do with Lego/Kreo, so Empire, Cobra, Decepticons and Marvel/DC villains all together.

[@GbreakerDX]

Your videos has inspired me to try my hands in making my own base for my figures. During our childhood we used to make a makeshift base with any materials we have on hand and never near the level of craftsmanship we can do today with material and tools we have presently. I enjoyed the video and hope to see more tutorial from your channel

[@ActionRobotPunch]

That’s great. It’s fun to just jump in and makes something. Glad to hear you’re going to go for it 👍

[@Sklabah]

Great stuff! I made some similar structures out of spare packing-foam, and coated it with drywall mud. Just plastered it, then painted with acrylics. I really love the wood accents on this, and that hot-knife seems worth it's weight in gold. I haven't messed with that foam before, but you made it look easy and fun, so I'll have to see about it. Great vid!

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Very cool. Definitely check out the foam. You can also use a very sharp blade to cut it but the heated wire is really the way to go. You can make really long cuts and it's clean, no little bits of foam. It does smell bad and I'm not sure the fumes are good for you :) Thanks for watching.

[@BayushiGemma]

Your very creative! I won't be missing anymore of your uploads I'm a Subscriber now.

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Awesome thank you.

[@GrrrwolfWherewolf]

Thanks for taking us through the steps I've been thinking about doing something like this, so I'm definitely saving this and your arctic base video to my tutorial references! There's something more helpful watching someone new to the process.

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. Seeing me make mistakes can help you avoid them 😁

[@MoonBeamLaser]

Very nice, it can also be used as a structure for Tatooine or other desert settings.

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thanks and that's a really good point. I should take some pics with some SW figures.

[@TheMelvor]

I was thinking that also. The winter one could easily be made into a Hoth rebel base as well.

[@BobHansenJokes]

This was awesome, thank you! Excellent work.

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thank you very much 😁

[@georgemartinez1720]

Great sketch

[@zippizapus]

I love this. I would love for you to try making the War room from the X-Men animated series for Marvel legends figures

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thanks so much for watching the video. 👍

[@courtneydavis6355]

Dude you are a blessing.

[@ActionRobotPunch]

That's really appreciated.

[@campbellruleV1kiwiGI]

Awesome work bro. First class!!

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Appreciate it!

[@cyberfrank-bx2nv]

wow! that looks fab!

[@norcal_voodoo]

Great video, making my own base plan now.

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Awesome 👍

[@beauyerks7413]

Kudos!!!! that is fucking really cool....loved your Arctic base also.. so I just subscribed, keep up the bad ass customs!

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thanks so much!

[@TheREALOC1972]

I've been thinking about doing something like this but out of pallet wood, I wonder how well the dry spackeling would stick to wood. I built a bigger base (like doll house size) out of 1/4" plywood and made it look like it steel like the plastic G.I. Joe Headquarters that they sold in the 80's and I built a Jungle base with guard towers made out of dowl rods so it looked like it was made of logs, that looks sorta like the one you built here.

[@ActionRobotPunch]

I think it should stick ok. I'd do a test. Maybe just be worried about the weight when it's all finished. I like foam because it's easy to cut and light. Thanks for watching.

[@TheREALOC1972]

​@@ActionRobotPunch Weights not a problem for me, I'm building a semi permanent area for my 3 grandsons outside in Northwestern Arizona, that's why I'm doing it out of wood, it's not going to get moved much if at all.

[@jonbonson75]

Excellent work!

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@nemesispeaugh]

great video! hopefully, it inspires others who are passionate about the hobby to create and share with rest of the toy community. great job!

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thank you so much.

[@TabogaGuy]

Nice, im going to start making my own town for the joes... im looking for inspiration...thanks

[@ActionRobotPunch]

That sounds like an exciting project. Thanks for watching the video and glad you enjoyed it.

[@skabcat242]

The final results look great.

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thank you.

[@seekingknowledge6439]

Awsome building thanks for the motivation 👍

[@ActionRobotPunch]

That's great that it motivated you. Thank you.

[@GhostWolf141]

Another cool build 👍🏻

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thank you 👍

[@burnsted1438]

Each base slowly gets bigger til we see the Cobra Terror Drome custom

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Haha! I wouldn't be surprised if I did that at some point. Thanks for watching.

[@burnsted1438]

@@ActionRobotPunch It’s a cool goal to work towards. Although if you want to do something purely original of that scale you could attempt their desert base from the Revenge of Cobra mini series

[@grizzly-gundam]

wow that turned out really good excellent job dude!

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thanks. That's really appreciated.

[@floorboss]

You ain't kidding.. I think personally- I would of went alittle bigger; an inch / inch & ½ or two here & there. Maybe elevated the tower. An put A protruding bottom to the base. But Regardless of what "I would of done" *it looks Great!* THANK YOU! Another Smart KZbin GI JOE / Toy customizer. Happy to see & have these type of people on my TV. Brilliant stuff good Sir!

[@edworldminiaturas]

Very good

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thank you so much!

[@east-endjustice7883]

Loved it fyi you can mix sand or even dirt debris from outside into elmers/wood glue or even paint to give natural irregular effect on foam and other materials and i use joint compound as it is so plentiful and cheap and i get gravel or materials i find in nature to add details or you can get cheap different types from dollar tree or wven hope depot etc. I try to manipulate free materials and l pull resources and ideas directly from the environment i am in and around the house especially because its just stuff for fun with my little daughter so far, but also because it keeps the creative juices flowing and inspiration in motion as i dont need to wait until i can actually get materials i need from stores etc. Plus it gets you really cool and unique results you wouldn't have otherwise thought of until you seen this random thing around the house you don't actually need. For instance i stsrted saving alot of flat pueces of clear plastic that products come in to display the item such as toy packaging and i save alot of random packaging scraps used to fasten items with twist wire or zip tie. It works perfectly for creating windows in boxes i turn into structures. Another thing i learned long ago when building kayaks from xps foam is using a regular cheap jigsaw with a metal cutting blade long enough to majority cut the sheet but not actually cut all the way through. It lets you cut perfectly straight and minimal mess, then you just apply a little pressure and it will snap apart PERFECTLY! You can of course go all the way through the cuts if its a thinner sheet, but i was working with 2 inch thick sheets then and using the scraps i still had. This is also great as no Styrofoam fume from burning and jigsaws serve as a crucial must have tool for all purposes but is indispensable for crafting type tasks. I also build tables from doors people throw away especially the completely flat and uniform interior privacy type doors because it gives me very large workimg areas, they can be easily taken down or set up amd typically use saw horses you set up for construction cutting, but you can stack anything like crates or even pay it on already existing smaller table or one you aren't using for this. This way we can set them up outside in nicer weather easily, they are great work tables period because sooo much space to work, free and comfortable height, and no worry about damaging the table. Im currently building a pretty awesome pow camp style prison from produce crates that were free, and i constructed working gates/doors, and run wire around the tops to appear like barbed ir razor wire and electric fence signs to signifying they are electric. I built a pretty nice dual gallows, originally planned for drop door, but so far we pretend to kick a stool out lol. I have an unfinished guillotine but decided to focus on other projects for now. I built alot of simple ladders and decks/stsir cases and am working on actual base fences and walls with guard towers. Im also planning the design for a passenger transport plane to maybe be large enough to fit 12 of the 4 inch size gi joes, im actually building it so still thinking of how i want to do it and i want to get some of those cheap handheld fans that are battery operated to just blow air where you point it, and i want to take the motor and rotor type part and fasten it to slin toy helicopter propellers so i can actually have spinning chopper blades when we play as it will be soooo much better if the toys blades spin under motor power. Recorded a few airstrike type angles with gel blaster gun under toy combat jet with the phone rigged to the back so it was perspective like camera over the cockpit and first person from jet and as it prepsres angle of attack downward the gel balls are fired rapidly at the structures and setups and kick up dist clouds a bit, so far it came out satisfying but i will have to arrange things a little more secure and set up more dynamic stuff to show the impact but its really fun so far and we are loving it and learning and creating as we go,. Get alot of cool ideas and tips from content like this! Thank you.

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Glad you got something out of the video. It sounds like you have some great stuff going on. Thanks for watching.

[@east-endjustice7883]

@@ActionRobotPunch thanks I hope so we are recording alot, I don't know editing yet so the plan is eventually I'll be able to have a ton of content and these little "movies" we/I am making for her and others enjoyment. I am getting really into it and collecting more action figures and props as I go, and have a nice cast from childhood already. We use alot of nature as it makes amazing sets with walls and caves and mini forests and jungles but it's too cold for outside right now so I'm nerding out hard to occupy time and hopefully an amazing collection by spring especially.

[@cptoyscollection]

I've seen this video about 10 times. It's freaking awesome!!!...great work, great idea...👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Any thought on doing something for the 1:12 Classified line?

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Not yet, but maybe at some point. It’d just be so huge!

[@barryxanchez2965]

Very cool!

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thanks.

[@TheWeakenedWarrior]

Cool build!

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thanks!

[@pixelforge4858]

pretty cool

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thank you!

[@alimrashid9765]

New subscriber 🙋

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Great and thanks.

[@brianmather4048]

Great work awesome ... A Hint I will use an Apoxy resin to form larger towers plus stairs w/ imprefection as it dries & sandy textors.. Harder yes but worth it..

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thanks for the tip. I'll have to give that a try next time.

[@fabiansoto7994]

Please the name of the Big sheets to find out in Amazon?, and your work is amazing!!

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thank you. I'm not sure you can get that on amazon. I bought the foam years ago at lowes or homedepot. It's insulation foam board and pretty common though friends of mine who live in warmer climates have mentioned that it is harder to find in those areas. Here's a link that'll maybe help you track it down. www.lowes.com/pd/Kingspan-Insulation-Common-0-75-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-Actual-0-75-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-1-R-4-Unfaced-Polystyrene-Foam-Board-Insulation/999973072

[@ralphvaderguy6860]

Awesome job. Do u have any videos for gi joe classified series

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Yeah a few. I just modded a unimog to be a classified RC military truck.

[@Demmo18]

Great job. Quick question. Where are those camels from?

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thank you. I forget what line it is, but I bought them on ebay loose. They're some kind of chap mei product I think.

[@That_One_Chick_]

This is amazing! What kind of foam and stuff are you using?

[@ActionRobotPunch]

It's just insulation foam that I bought at home depot. It's nice and dense but really light and pretty strong. Coated it with DryDex also from Home depot - pink kind of plaster that dries white. Thanks for watching.

[@Milka_1901]

cool

[@ActionRobotPunch]

👍thanks

[@georgemartinez1720]

What Brand of paint and Brushes you use

[@ActionRobotPunch]

I use The Army Painter for details and their brushes and krylon spray paint for big stuff.

[@brianmather4048]

Where did you get the Camels?

[@ActionRobotPunch]

They're from some generic world peacekeeper type line of soldiers. I picked them up off ebay.

[@mattleanio8534]

Maybe spray it with adhesive and add sand to it

[@ActionRobotPunch]

That’s a good idea. I might try that. Thanks for watching.

[@brainlock72]

There are also several sand/texture type spray paints out there.

[@georgemartinez1720]

Do you make your own sculpting Tools

[@ActionRobotPunch]

No, I bought the hot wire cutter from amazon I think.

[@georgemartinez1720]

I like to use Gorrlia Hot Glue and my A&D Hot Glue Gum

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Cool, thanks.

[@jones7299]

❤️

[@GabrielCamilo84]

I really don't know how you guys take your vehicles to the sand, water and mud. Aren't the stickers giving away after that? Or even after washing them?

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Most of my vehicles I’ve fixed up. So I’ve washed them and replaced stickers. I find the stickers hold up really well to water and washing. I like getting them outside or at least on the floor, rolling around and fighting. If you want pristine toys then I definitely wouldn’t recommend playing in the sand. It can be really abrasive.

[@georgesmith8255]

Next time use actual joint compound… it turns rock hard.. this stuff chips really easy and doesn’t not paint very well…

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thanks for the tip. So far it's worked well. I took it on the beach and no cracking etc. At some point I do want to take a second pass on the overall surface and make it more uniform in texture.

[@mig2720]

This is cool, better than to be married

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Thank you and thanks for watching 👍

[@kevinpatrickcarey3741]

this would not look out of place on the planet of Tatooine

[@ActionRobotPunch]

Yeah would make a fun SW diorama.