Name: Rip-It (Heavy Equipment Operator)
Origin Date: 2000
Completed Date: 01/2008
Base Figure: 7" Standard Munny
Certainly more subdued than the average H.I.S.S. Driver, Rip-It marked the first time that the infamous tank division received a commander with a personality. Yes, he was otherwise just a repaint, but he was a fun repaint just the same. I took some liberties nonetheless to spruce up his arm a bit to give him a special H.I.S.S. emblem and a ranking insignia.
Like his subordinate, Rip-It received the munny treatment faster than better known characters. In fact, he represents the only non-1980s G.I.Joe character to get the treatment as part of the G.I.Joe Collection Wave One entry at CustomCon16.
It was a lot of fun to work on this version in tandem with the original H.I.S.S. Driver, who holds a special place in my collective heart. And I'm looking forward to adding future versions, including the 2007 JoeCon version and the unreleased 2003 store exclusive version.
