Coach's Customs: Claude Speed

Ain't nuthin' but a car thief (who must be stopped)

His name is never mentioned in the games themselves, but Claude Speed is the best known protagonist in the Grand Theft Auto series. Claude was the player character in "Grand Theft Auto III" and made a brief cameo in "San Andreas".

The figure bears little resemblance to Claude, at least facially. But then, given the graphics of the day, his face was little more than a smudge on polygons. Clothing-wise, he's a pretty good match to his San Andreas getup, with the slimmer jacket and un-popped collar.

Claude's build was set pretty much from the get-go; he's essentially a head swap and repaint. With the exception of the shoes and hands, all the parts came from "The A-Team" action figures. Murdoch provided the body, with Colonel Lynch for the head. I sanded off the dog tags and sculpted a new hairdo, but otherwise it's a fairly minor mod.

Claude was a gift to my brother for Christmas, and he now sits atop his desk, Glock and baseball bat (not pictured) at the ready. Wish I had pics of the bat, but I was in a rush to get him done and packaged before traveling for the holidays. It was hand-sculpted and has a paint job I'm really proud of. In fact, I'm pretty satisfied with the whole figure... sometimes simpler is better.

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