MPC Vehicles and Boat

MPC collection in the dark.

These are all recast items.

A recast is a toy that has been made recently from old, original molds.  Sometimes the molds have been cleaned up or otherwise modified.  Usually the recast is the first time in years, often decades, since the original mold has last been run.  Colors of plastic are sometime the same as the original, but often are different so that collectors won't be confused as to the age of the recast figures.

The paper flags are older than the models but I can't say how old.

The original MPC weasel had a silver painted wooden dowel.  I used a white plastic tube instead with the recasts since they did not come with a recoilless rifle barrel.

This is the MPC DUWK amphibious truck.

The originals had more accessories, including a canopy.  Often these types of parts were cast from secondary molds and recasts often don't have them available.

The PT boat in the back is also an MPC recast.  I have all these models for over ten years.

As a kid I had one of the PT boats in a beautiful metallic blue with the accessories in some other color, maybe white.  I have a couple old original weasels that I had as a kid and a few from eBay a long time ago.  I never had the DUWK as a kid.

All these vehicles work well with 54mm to 60mm figures.  They have a lot of play value and I like playing with them even now that I am retired.
 

Figure Conversions

These are figures that I am working on in 1/72nd scale.

They are henchmen and molls and villains for Batman 66. 

The hexagon bases are for major named characters.  The triangle bases are for usually unnamed henchmen.

I gather figures from all over the collection to modify to create these heroes and villains.

They get headswaps, new arms, sometimes it even takes four or five figures combined to create one.  Frankenstyrene and his monster.

Other figures, like this black and white figure, will just be repainted.

Most of these are from generic plastic figures, often with head swaps.

This Dapol figure has had a Fujimi WWII German head with gas mask replace his original head.

All of these figures are 1/76 to 1/72nd scale.

This is a three way head swap.  Each figure here will lose a head and gain a new head.  Most of the British Commandos will get an M1 helmet.  The white figures will get the Commando watch cap.  The remaining Matchbox and Airfix figures will get either heads from the white plastic guys, or other heads from the spares box.  I am creating MR Freeze henchmen, top row, US Navy landing party, bottom row, and the middle row will be US civilian police or US Air Force and Army Air Corps soldiers.
 

Man of Steel

When doing a figure conversion I try and print out a nice photo of the subject.

Then I try and find a figure that is in a pose and clothing similar to the photo, or at least to the character.

This white plastic figure is a generic civilian in swimming trunks.  I added a Heroclicx Superman cape.  The black plastic hexagon I made out of Evergreen sheet plastic and I use it to base my role playing figures in 1/72nd scale.

I had to trim it down a bit to fit.  My plan is to create decals for the chest and back of the cap for the logo.  I has suspended work at this point until I get into decal printing mode.  Could be a week or more.
 

Airfix and Matchbox Figure Conversions

Airfix WWI British Infantry.  They are donating their heads to be used to make US police officers for the 1918 to 1958 period.

This Matchbox WWII US Army soldier, center, is next to receive a new head like his other two comrades have received.

These Airfix WWII US Army Air Forces figures donated their heads and in turn received the Airfix WWI British Army heads to become Interwar US Army Air Corps men.

These Matchbox WWII US Army troops have been converted to police.  They lost their grenades and helmets.  They got police batons, billy clubs, in return and a Airfix WWI British Army hat.

The Matchbox figure as a police officer, and two with baseball caps as USAAF troops for WWII.

Some of the Airfix WWII USAAF have donated heads to the Matchbox WWII US Infantry so they can now be used as USAAF ground crews doing ground combat.  While uncommon, it was done a few times.  They are also usable for Korea or  Vietnam.

 This venerable Airfix WWII US Army troops have had new heads put on that were taken from the generic civilian figures.  Generally when I do head swaps and figure conversions I try to make use of all the pieces.  I always keep the parts and check there first for usable parts before I cut any new figures.