Dracula and His Minions - Count Orlok

Count Orlok is a vampire from Transylvania, and is known as "The Bird of Death", who feasts upon the blood of living humans. He is believed to have been created by Belial, the lieutenant demon of Satan. Like Count Dracula, he traveled to London by ship. His journey by sea spread plague all over Europe. Although an elder himself, Orlok reluctantly serves Dracula as one of his close advisors. Doing so, he takes some pleasure from the fact that his appearance fills the Count with distaste.

The vile Count Orlok.

Orlok is, of course the vampire from the cult movie "Nosferatu", who does serve Dracula in Kim Newman's Anno Dracula novels. The figure is a metal kit from Miniaturas Beneito. While technically listed as 54mm, the figure is of a similar size to the 65mm King and Country figures and fits in beautifully.

Two different kinds of monsters face off...

By order of her Majesty, the Queen, your reign of terror ends here, soulless fiend!

Hisssssss! A woman vampire??

Vampire counts, out for a stroll...

The Napoleon of Crime - Bill Sikes

Bill Sikes is a career criminal associated with Fagin, and a suspected murderer. He is violent and aggressive, prone to sudden bursts of extreme behaviour. A rough and barbaric man, he is now one of many thugs on the beck and call of the criminal mastermind known as "The Napoleon of Crime".

The figure is another straight from the box figure by King and Country, in the World of Dickens range. A characterful sculpt, in a somewhat outdated costume. I only repainted the plain grey base so it would match the rest of my figures. All in all, a lovely figure, if I would have any complaints it's that he's not quite ugly enough for the book description.

What are you looking at?

The Napoleon of Crime - Faction Overview

Organised crime in London can all be lead back to one person, nicknamed the Napoleon of Crime, also known to those close to him under his true name, professor Moriarty. His network spans all of the city and includes many big and small criminals.

1. Professor Moriarty

To be added

2. Colonel Moran

To be added

3. Fagin

To be added

4. Bill Sykes

Source: King and Country

5. Hired thugs and bruisers

To be added

Scotland Yard - The Boys in Blue

Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service, the territorial police force responsible for policing most of London, derived its name from the location of the Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became the public entrance to the police station, and over time the street and the Metropolitan Police became synonymous. When most people think of Scotland Yard, they think first of its detectives: Lestrade, Abberline, Reid, ... But the real backbone of the police force are its constables, who work the streets day and night.

Nothing to see here, folks!

The figures are different editions of Lemax christmas figures. I've rebased them, and changed the helmet badges of the portly one and the whistling one  so they would all match. I also made their clubs bigger, to match the one with the lamp. The latter being the only one of the three that's part of Lemax' current range, it seemed easier to take him as the standard, in case I get a few more copies to convert.

This portly fellow is my favourite of the three, as he oozes so much character.

Right, so tell me what happened and don't give me any crap.

The second one was standing on a trafic stand, but I figured he would work well as a copper blowing his whistle and raising his hand in an attempt to stop a suspect and alert his fellow constables.

Hold it right there! 

The third one is obviously on patrol on a cold night. He brought a lantern to shine some light on the things that lurk in the dark.

I can't believe I'm stuck with the night shift again.

The two older models are a bit on the short side, but they fit in well enough (keeping in mind that the Sherlock figure is particularly tall).

In the name of the law!

Scotland Yard - Faction Overview

Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service, the territorial police force responsible for policing most of London. On this page I will collect the different figures that are part of this faction and that are spread out in more detail over various pages of this blog.

The members of Scotland Yard, so far...

1. Inspector Lestrade

(To be added)

2. Sherlock Holmes

Source: King and Country

3. Doctor John Watson

Source: King and Country

4. Inspector Abberline

(To be added)

5. Inspector Edmund Reid

(To be added)

6. Sergeant Bennet Drake

(To be added)

7. Constables

Source: Lemax (converted and repainted)

Villainous Independant Agents - Jack The Ripper

Jack the Ripper is the callname for a so far unidentified serial killer active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. His identity remains a mystery and the name "Jack the Ripper" originated in a letter written by someone claiming to be the murderer that was disseminated in the media. This may have been a forgery. Other names given to this ruthless killer by the press are "the Whitechapel Murderer" and "Leather Apron". Attacks ascribed to Jack the Ripper typically involve women, and more precisely female prostitutes who live and work in the slums of the East End of London. The nature of the cuts and the removal of internal organs from at least three of the victims led to proposals that their killer had some anatomical or surgical knowledge and may in fact be a man of the medical profession. Some rumours suggest the Royal Court may be implicated but understandably, those aren't taken seriously and don't make it into the papers.

Ol' Jack may be in for more than he bargained this time...

The figure for Jack the Ripper is made by King and Country, in the "World of Dickens" range and has all the characteristics we've come to associate with the killer: the top hat, the coat, the knife and doctor's case. A splendid figure that is clearly sculpted in a pose intended to lurk behind the corner of a wall, waiting for his next victim to walk right into his arms.

From Hell, with love...

Villainous Independant Agents - Overview

It is a sad truth that there is no shortage on monsters stalking the streets of London. Most of those do not belong to a specific group, but rather are solitary creatures. They may on occassion ally themselves with some of the less reputable factions out there, but will usually be acting on their own.

Among them are these:

1. Jack the Ripper

Source: King and Country

2. The Wolfman

To be added

3. ...

Her Majesty's Finest - Colonel Lovelace

With the many evils stalking the streets of London, Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, in her great wisdom, decided to recall some of the greatest military heroes of the Empire from the various wars they were fighting to form a mixed unit, that were quickly called "Her Majesty's Finest". To lead these brave men, Colonel William Lovelace, of the Madras Lancers, also called "The Iron Colonel" returned from his mission in India.

Colonel Lovelace is a stock King and Country figure, with only the base repainted to match my other figures. The model is a retired club figure. Another static pose, but he does exhude that British "stiff upper lip" officer air. Besides, the members of his team will count plenty of action poses.

God Save the Queen!

British stiff upper lip in action...

Dracula and his minions - Count Dracula

Count Vlad Dracula moved from Transylvania to England so that he may find new blood and spread the undead curse. He boarded a Russian ship, the Demeter, taking along with him boxes of Transylvanian soil, which he required in order to regain his strength. In England, Dracula successfully purchased multiple estates under the alias 'Count De Ville' throughout London and devised to distribute the 50 boxes to each of them to secure for himself "lairs". Despite attempts to stop him by Abraham Van Helsing, Jonathan Harker, Dr. John Seward, Quincey Morris, and Arthur Holmwood, Dracula first takes Lucy Westenra, who is subsequently killed, and Mina Harker, the latter being turned, but managing to escape his control and remaining mistress of her own destiny.

The count is an extensive conversion of a cheap Lemax Christmas figure. I added the shades, hair and beard, made a new cane and bulked out the legs and arms so he wouldn't look too weedy.

What did you expect, a black evening suit with a cape?

It wasn't easy to get the "eyes peeking over the top of the shades" look, but I think it worked. I would have prefered to do red shades, but decided to stay true to the source material which had them dark blue.

Is that what they call "bedroom eyes"?

My interpretation of Dracula is of course based on Gary Oldman's version of the Count:

I'm a handsome foreigner in a stylish suit, why won't they love me?

"You belong with me, Mina" - "I would rather die! ...Again."

 The base figure was one half of another Lemax model called "Attending services"

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - Mina Harker

Wilhelmina "Mina" Harker was the wife of Jonathan Harker. After the death of her friend Lucy Westenra, she joined the coalition around Abraham Van Helsing, bent on destroying Count Dracula, the vampire. Unfortunately, the Count learned of this plot against him and took revenge by visiting — and biting — Mina at least three times and feeding her his blood, dooming her to become a vampire should she die. Eventually, Mina was turned and became a vampire, but unlike many, she managed to hold on to part of her humanity and in her new found form, she is a valuable asset to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

My version of Mina is based on the LXG movie interpretation (rather than the graphic novel, where she never became a vampire). The figure is a Lemax christmas figure, representing a young lady carrying an umbrella. I sculpted on a scarf and painted her in pale skintones and black and red clothing. I gave her red pupils to suggest the bloodlust in her eyes and to mark her more clearly one of the undead. The umbrella adds to the suggestion of a vampire shying away from the sun, I think. All in all, a pretty easy, but effective conversion of a cheap figure. I'm quite happy with the way she turned out, though she looks much better in person than in the pictures.

I know it's not raining, I just don't want the sun to ruin this lovely complexion.

Gaze at my cold, dark beauty and tremble...

A comparison with the original figure. I quickly realised she'd make a fine vampire lady, which, after a while, mutated in the idea of using her for vampire Mina. These christmas figures don't always show it, due to seemingly being painted by a drunk person, but many are quite lovely sculpts if you look more closely.

The difference a decent makeover can make.

The members of the League so far:

Not exactly the glorious heroes you'd expect...

Madam, you have the most remarkable eyes.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - Mr. Hyde

Mr. Hyde came into existence when the seemingly mildmannered Dr. Henry Jekyll, who occasionally feels he is battling between the good and evil within himself and has spent a great part of his life trying to repress evil urges that were not fitting for a man of his stature, creates a serum, or potion, in an attempt to rid himself of this hidden evil within his personality. The serum worked, but not as the good doctor intended and instead of repressing his baser instincts, the serum released them. Jekyll transformed into Edward Hyde, a hideous, evil creature without compassion or remorse. Initially, Hyde was a small man, but as time went by and he revelled in his evil deeds, Hyde grew in power and size. He no longer relies upon the serum to unleash his inner demon and Mr. Hyde, now a giant of a man, is able to manifest whenever Jekyll shows signs of physical or moral weakness.

This figure is a conversion, based on a Knight Models (OOP) Hulk figure. Modifications involve filing off some detail from his ripped pants, adding sideburns and a top hat taken from a Lemax Scrooge figure. The look I went for is inspired by the portrayals of Hyde in the LXG and Van Helsing movies, though not an exact copy. The figure was then based and painted to match the other figures.

No problems as can't be solved with a piece of brick wall.

Hyde Smash!

While originally intended for the 35mm scale, the figure has a good size for a 65mm scale Hyde. His head is the same size as the K&C models, height is slightly higher, but he's much broader. But I'll let the picture speak for itself:

Sir, must I point out that we're on the same side?

And a comparison with the original Hulk figure:

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - Captain Nemo

Captain Nemo is a mysterious figure. While his adopted name literally means "Nobody", it has been suggested his true identity is that of Prince Dakkar, the son of an Indian Raja. Whoever he is, this enigmatic adventurer and sometimes pirate, is without doubt a scientific genius, who roams the depths of the sea in his submarine, the Nautilus. While his demeanor usually suggests a stern, controlled confidence, he is driven by a thirst for vengeance and a hatred of imperialism focused on the British Empire. Therefore, it comes as a great surprise that he heeded the Empire's call in it's time of need, and agreed to join a team of individuals with unique skills, called The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. In a team that is composed of both heroes and monsters, it remains to be seen to which category Captain Nemo will ultimately belong.

Captain Nemo is based on a stock King and Country figure, namely a sold out "Club Figure"' representing a 9th Bengal Lancer in dress uniform. Both the attire and colouring are very close to the representation of Captain Nemo as he appears in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The only modification I made was to repaint the base, to match my other figures. Sure, the pose is a bit static, but then they can't all be kicking and leaping around (and it helps with the "controlled confidence" stick).

And a reminder of both the movie and graphic novel version:

Scotland Yard - The Bakerstreet Boys

Not technically a part of Scotland Yard, the longstanding collaboration of the famous department with the renowned consulting detective Sherlock Holmes, and his associate and friend, Doctor John Watson has been widely publicised (not in the least by Dr. Watson himself, who styles himself as the official chronicler of the great detective's accomplishments, much to the chagrin of the latter).

Holmes and Watson are stock figures from the King and Country "World of Dickens" range, with this small change that I painted a cobblestone texture on the bases to match the rest of my collection (the plain grey being a bit dull otherwise).

The game is afoot, Watson!

First off, Sherlock Holmes. I'm guessing inspiration was taken from the Peter Cushing interpretation for this figure. Just something about that face... Magnifying glass, pipe and deerstalker are all present to complete the Holmes panoply. A very striking figure.

That pebble... Remarkable!

Secondly, Doctor Watson. A slightly portly fellow, there is something about the way he holds that thick cane that suggests he's a man of action and won't hesitate to use it. No obvious inspiration here that I can see (though I may just be missing the reference), but a solid figure nonetheless.

I feel a new adventure coming on.

The Vicky Horror Figure Show - An Introduction

The year is 1888. Queen Victoria rules the largest Empire know to "civilised" man from the British throne. But all is not well in London. With the advent of modern science, the impossible seems possible and while the future seemed bright at first, it seems ancient evils that had lurked in the dark for centuries have taken their cue to reclaim their corner of the world. Nosferatu and werewolves roam the nights and a killer known only as Jack The Ripper stalks Whitechapel. The citizens of London have learned to lock up their homes and not to venture in the night unless absolutely neccessary, but in truth, the light of day brings no safety. Criminal gangs gain in power, with the Napoleon of crime pulling many strings, except perhaps in the Eastern quarter, where there are whispers of an underground society lead by another murderous mastermind. The Hellfire Club deal in black magic in their attempts to haness ancient powers. And some people swear they have seen the dead walk the streets...

There are some who try to maintain a semblance of peace and order. The Diogenes Club for one, Scotland Yard for another. And there is talk that Her Majesty recalled several of her finest agents and soldiers from across the world. But will it be enough to stop the tide?

This project is an offshoot of my other venture in the 65mm scale, called Swashbuckling Sessions - Toy Soldier Style. Like that other project, the core is a selection of prepainted "toy soldiers" produced by King & Country, in particular the "World of Dickens" range. These will be complemented by homepainted figures from many different sources, as well as extensive conversions based on Dickensian Lemax christmas figures.