Eastern European Van

This is an Eastern European van from the period of the Cold War.

Vans like this were used for both military and civilian purposes.

It is a rather small vehicle in HO scale.

Underside it rather detailed.

Airfix Civilian next to the van.

The roof has a weird gouge in it.
 

Mass Production

This blue thing is a bit of sprue from some Eagle Games figures.

I always figured those figure sprues would be useful, that is the little circle / disc thingy would be.

Selenite with all the stuff needed to make more.  A bit of solid plastic rod shown as a while line.

Airfix 1/72nd scale WWII USAAF MP with an Airfix WWI British Infantry head conversion to a US Army MP 1917 to 1945, standing next to a Selenite.  

I gathered up all the yellow ones, and trimmed up a bunch of those little Eagle Games sprue discs.

This should be enough Selenites but since they are easy to make, who knows?
 

A Survey of the Vampires

It is unusual to see fear on the face of a thrall.

The brides of the vampires are worried too.

They have retired to the castle keep and the vampires are guarding the walls near them.

The brides shrieks curdle the blood of the attackers.

This one can't decide to go to the keep, or exist the castle via the secret escape door in the round tower.

The round tower is guarded by the most extreme of the vampires.

Nosferatu knows they are doomed.
 

Humans Knock on the Door

All the knights and men at arms in the shire are up in arms over the vampire plague.

They have laid siege to the old castle and are trying a direct attack.

The vampires are at a bit of a loss as open warfare is not their usual technique.

The vampires and their thralls man the ramparts.

But they don't use weapons on a regular basis.

They will have to hope the men will not break down the door.
 

Castle Siege

A Dracula at the Sherwood Castle Walls.

Brave knights attempt to batter in the gate.

Bowmen fire over their heads.

The Knight stands in silent contemplation as his men assault the castle.

The vampire at the Round Tower.

Who will win the day?
 

Airfix Sherwood Castle Under New Ownership

I got a set of Vampires by Dark Alliance.

So naturally they needed a castle.

What could be better than the Airfix Sheriff of Nottingham Castle?

Nosferatu, and Dracula share the ramparts. 

Another Nosferatu at the gate tower.  That's a nice coat of arms on the Airfix castle, I had forgotten it was there until I took this photo.

 Nosferatu and a Renfield at the gate tower.

Airfix WWI American Army

I don't like to waste anything, so I gathered up a bunch of the dead guys from the Airfix WWI American Infantry set.

I took some pins from lego type bricks, a couple bits of wire and a some excess sheet plastic.  It made a nice creeper for these figures to lay down on.

So here is the soldier working on a Roco 2 1/2 ton army truck.

Here are some of my WWI British Infantry that I am going to use for police.  It was not unusual for American police to have machine guns in their inventory as far back as there have been machine guns!

I am using cheap styrene plastic civilian figures as police, I swap the heads with Airfix WWI British Infantry because their caps are similar to police hats that US police used for about 100 years.

 My plan is to have .50 caliber US machine guns, M2, .30 caliber Colt, Marlin, and M1919 Colt machine guns.  Also the Thompson, M1 carbine, and the M60 machine gun.  I have confirmed that all of these, except the M60, have certainly been used by US police forces.

Brittle Plastic and Head Swaps

Airfix WWI British Infantry in 1/76th scale.

Sadly, many of them have fallen in combat.

They have succumbed to plastic rot.  I have stored them indoors, in a climate controlled area inside a plastic food storage container, out of the sunlight, inside a dark drawer.  

The wheat are separated from the chaff.  All the dead and wounded are evacuated and the rest are returned to duty after the screening.

The unit suffered about 30% casualties. 

Hopefully they will solider on for decades to come.

The heads are removed from the brittle figures and they will be repurposed.  Strangely the thick parts like bodies and heads seem to last longer than the bases and arms and legs.  I will use these for head swaps, but when that happens about 10% will split apart and be discarded like their bodies.

I use these head to make Interwar US Army troops who wore a similar hat to the British service cap.  They also get used as police heads, as this was a common service cap for police from the 1920s and even similar ones are used today by US police.  I take generic civilians and replace their head with these guys and add weapons, billy clubs and other gear and use them as cops.  Some other figures look good with this head, the Matchbox US Army solider in greatcoat firing a .45 semi-automatic pistol and the Airfix WWII US Marine standing and firing a pistol, make good police, or even MPs with this head.