by SKELETRON & friends
The scheme to create a figure for ROMA Collectibles’ Aaron Detrick was first hatched at JoeFest in 2024. Conceived by Chris Scott and quickly embraced by many contributors, the goal was simple: to develop and surprise Aaron with a special action figure while he was undergoing cancer treatment. Chris Scott, Kenny Koepnick, Ben Conway, Mark O’Byrne, Troy McKie, Paul Kirschstein, Dave Proctor, Dan Watts, Doug Hart, John Kukovich, and more came together to bring this figure to life. We grabbed the codename 'YETI' from ROMA Collectibles’ mascot, which we later learned was also Aaron’s high school nickname. His passion for teal Ninja Vipers inspired the color palette and the outfitting of dual katanas. As ROMA had long been our go-to plastic trader, we cast Aaron in the role of Red Shadows’ Weapons Supplier. We blended and melded the things he loved into one retro O-ring figure of awesomeness.
Sadly, Aaron passed away on January 10th, 2025 after an 8-month battle with cancer. Deeply saddened, we’re also incredibly grateful for the time we shared over the years. During his treatment, we had phone and video calls, discussed progress, and shared reveals. We were also able to see Aaron at Codname: Iowa‘s Assembly Required event in November and made a late-night visit to his room to show him the YETI paintmaster and final packaging artwork. A Celebration of Life was held at JoeFest 2025, organized by showrunner Ed Schumaker where we gathered once again to honor Aaron and reveal Yeti to the collector community. Thank you to Ed, Sara, Ryan Melzer, Molly Williamson, The Toy Department‘s Chris Neal, Brian Kauffman, Pat Stewart, Justin Caravoulias, James Kavanaugh Jr, James Hitchcock, and everyone who attended the event. We laughed, cried, ate, drank, and told stories—surrounded by the warmth of a community that always shows up for each other.
This project has always been about support, and sales of this Retro YETI figure will benefit Mrs. ROMA.
Thank you all for honoring Aaron and helping us to create something truly special.
Design | Chris Scott, Troy McKie, John Kukovich, Mark O'Byrne, Ben Conway, Dave Proctor, Kenny Koepnick, & Aaron Detrick
Sculpt | Mark O'Byrne
Engineering | Dave Proctor
Paintmaster | Chris Scott
Packaging Illustration | Douglas Hart paints with Daniel Watts pencils
Packaging Design | Ben Conway & Mark O'Byrne
Packaging Consultant | Troy McKie
Product Photography | Riley Loew
