Dial-tone was one of my favorite figures as a kid, I'm not sure why exactly.  Could have been the cool beret or the radio backpack.  Whatever the reason I wanted one for my Sigma 6 team.

Base Figure: Hi-Tech v.1
Accessories: Hi-Tech H.O.U.N.D. Sentry (modified) / Firefly v.1 pistol / Hi-Tech pants / Jet Wing Duke knee pads

I wanted to use the new Hi-Tech body for a custom since its so different from the rest of the line and I thought Dial-Tone would be perfect.  I began by sculpting on the beret but first I had to trim down Hi-Tech's crazy hair.  It wasn't allowing me to get the look I wanted.  Using my Flint custom as a guide I got the beret looking good and moved on to the moustache.  Next it was just a matter of painting him to match the v.1 Dial-Tone figure.  I used tan and green paint to match his v.1 uniform color scheme.  I kept the shorty pants because the figure just looks too skinny without them and added the Jet Wing Duke kneepads to further the v.1 look of the figure.

For the Com H.O.U.N.D. I took the Sentry and added a satellite type dish to the "head" and painted the white back black to help differentiate it from Hi-Tech's H.O.U.N.D.  With the long barrel from Hi-Tech's gun standing in as a long range antenna I think I have a nice Sigma 6 version of Dial-Tone's original comm backpack.  Add in Firefly's pistol which looks a lot like Dial-tone's v.1 rifle and I think this one really came together well.

Code Name: Dial-tone
Real Name: Morelli, Jack S.
Communications

Primary Military Specialty: Communications
Secondary Military Specialty: Infantry

Dial-tone is the stereotypical A/V geek.  In junior high, when most kids his age were trying out for sports or beginning to date, he was building his first HAM radio set.  With it he began communicating with people from across the globe and this is where his love of language began.  By the time he graduated high school Dial-tone was fluent in French, Spanish, Japanese and Latin.  In college he continued studying languages as well as electronics, specifically communications equipment.  After college, Dial-tone saw the military as a great way to use his talents and to further his education.  Specializing in communications, he never took his job as radioman lightly and has been credited for saving his squad on more than one occasion by getting out a signal with equipment so damaged most others would have left behind.  It was his ingenuity in the field and his proficiency in over a dozen languages that brought him to the attention of Hawk and Duke and it wasn't long before Dial-tone was invited to join Sigma 6.

As the teams primary communications specialist, Dial-tone worked with Hi-Tech developing the wrist comm units worn by all Sigma 6 team members.  Dial-tone modified a H.O.U.N.D. unit for his primary field radio and even though each team member is outfitted with their own comm unit, he still takes his job as radioman seriously.

General Hawk: "Dial-tone's probably the geekiest guy on the team, next to Hi-Tech but the guy knows his job.  He's the lifeline in the field and if he fails the team fails and that's not something Dial-tone is going to let happen.  He'll lug around 50 pounds of radio equipment through jungle, desert or snow if it means keeping his teammates alive and not complain about it once.  And the team respects that."