US Secret Service - Federal troops

The American Secret Service foothold in the center of the vast British Empire could not be maintained without some solid backup in the form of veteran federal soldiers. Hank, Bill and Ulysses are three such distinguished troopers. They are no stranger to human conflict, but the foes they will face in the streets of London are something else altogether...

For the US of A!

Ulysses

Hank

Bill

All three figures are prepainted King and Country figures. Only the bases were repainted to match the rest of the collection.

US soldiers facing off against giant vampire bats

"The bugger is still moving and I'm out of ammo!" 

"Fear not, "Yankee", the Empire has your back!"

US Secret Service - Indian Scout

James West and Artemus Gordon are competent agents, but the President in his wisdom, decided not to send them into the occult kettle that London has become without some army backup. One such soldier is the native scout, Sniffing Bear. Hopefully his tracking skills will be just as effective in smogfilled London as on the open prairies...

The native brave in all his splendour...

The model is another gorgeously painted figure from King & Country. I only modified the base to transport him to the cobblestone streets of London.

Evil Spirit, go away!

This paleface seems to be more pale and even uglier than the other palefaces!

Her Majesty's Finest - Ludhiana Sikh Rgt. Rifleman

Narayan Singh was a distinguished veteran with the 15th Ludhiana Sikhs who was chosen to represent his regiment on Her Majesty's Finest. The 15th are an infantry regiment in the British Indian Army, that can trace its origins to 1846, when they were known as the Regiment of Ludhiana . During the Indian Mutiny they were relied upon to hold Benares throughout the period of the Mutiny. They became the 15th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry (Ludhiana Sikhs) in 1885.

Rumour goes the controversial Captain Nemo served with the regiment for a while, though this seems unlikely, given his view on what he deems the British colonial oppression.

Narayan Sing, looking lively.

Narayan Singh is a stock model from King & Country's "Sons of the Empire" range and only had his base repainted to match the rest. While not exactly a famous character from history or fiction, there was indeed a Narayan Singh serving with the 15th in that period of time.

Her Majesty's Finest.

US Secret Service - Wild Wild West

The strange events unfolding in London have attracted concern and interest from foreig powers, including the President of the United States, who dispatched some of his best Secret Service agents: the fearless and handsome James T. West and Artemus Gordon, a brilliant gadgeteer and master of disguise. Their unending mission is to protect the President and the United States from all manner of dangerous threats.

The fearless American agents...

James West had served as an intelligence and cavalry officer in the US Civil War on the staff of Ulysses Grant. His cover is that of "a dandy, a high-roller from the East, though after years in the Service, his reputation as the foremost Secret Service agent often precedes him.

Artemus Gordon, who was a captain in the Civil War, had also been in show business. His many inventions and disguises prove invaluable tools to complement West's brazen courage and combat skills.

James West is a minor conversion of a Del Prado gambler figure. Some minor adjustments to the hat and chin (the original had a square face that just didn't match the character well enough) and a suitable paintjob are all it took. Artemus Gordon is a standard King & Country civilian figure that only had his base repainted. They are inpsired by the original TV-show of course, not that Will Smith travesty of later years.

Madam, you look unwell...

So you're what passes for agents in this country?

Aheheh... maybe I should travel overseas too...

Chinatown Gangs - Boss Wang and Secretary

Fu Man Chu has made extensive use of the various Tong gangs active in Chinatown and beyond. One such gang is boss Wang's. Having grown up on the streets of Shanghai before making the journey into the west, boss Wang made his way from petty street thief to the leader of one of the most ruthless gangs prowling the streets of London. These days, he rarely goes out with his men, prefering to lead from his headquarters, but he does like to hand out his own brand of justice to enemies and traitors that are brought before him. Styling himself a bit of a modern businessman, rather than the thug he is at heart, he rarely goes anywhere without his secretary by his side.

Boss Wang, taking on airs...

Boss Wang's secretary and occasional mistress.

Both figures are from King and Country in their streets of old Hong Kong range. I modified and repainted the bases to match my other figures, but otherwise, they are straight from the box. Boss Wang was initially the client from the barber set (the barber became the sorceror Wei Long Wu, while his secretary came with the street scribe set (the scribe becoming Fu Man Chu's accountant, Li Peng).

Boss Wang, getting a visit from the law to answer some questions...

Boss Wang with his faithful secretary reading her notes...

Chinatown Underworld - Bookkeeper

You'd be forgiven for mistaking the bespectacled Li Peng for a somewhat dull, but overall harmless old man. He is, after all, a bookkeeper and spends most of his time surrounded by papers and ink. However, this bookkeeper is none other than Fu Man Chu's personal accountant and secretary. His pen is just as often used to write a death sentence as to scribble down numbers. Most of Fu Man Chu's underlings have learned not to offend him as it has been said occasionally a name ends up on that death list that hasn't been ordered by the master.

Li Peng fulfllling his duties

The figure is made by King & Country in their Streets of Hong Kong series and initially represented a scribe offering his services on the street. The base was changed to match my other figures, other than that, the paintjob is the original one.

Chinese Market - Plant Vendors

The Chinese community in London has expanded tremendously over the last few years and more and more oriental stalls are popping up on the Lodon market. A popular stall caters to exotic plants and fruits, especially the aptly named mandarins.

Why buy rotten tomatoes when you can grow your own plants bearing more exotic fruits?

King and Country flower stall set (now retired) comes with a vendor and a small, but nicely detailed stand. I only changed the base on the vendor to match my other figures:

Watering your plants regularly keeps them healthy!

The mandarin seller is an older King and Country model and the skintone is more yellow. I may or may not decide to try and change the skintone, but for now, he will be fine. The base was changed to match the rest of the collection.

Mandarin carrying Mandarin. I'll get my coat.

Chinese Market - Antiques Dealer

Chinese antiques have become a bit of a fad with the ladies and gentlemen of London and dealers have started to appear on the market to peddle their wears. It's hard to judge authenticity though, so buyers beware.

Look all you want, I do not deal in fakes!

The models are part of King and Country's Streets of old Hong Kong range of prepainted figures, so I only had to adapt the bases to fit my other figures. As is usual with this range, the detail of the paintjobs is very intricate. A lovely subrange.

The antiques dealer on his rickety stool.

A connoisseur checking out the quality of the goods.

Antique Chinese pottery and scrollwork.

Chinatown Underworld - Chinese Sorceror

The sector of London where Chinese immigrants have made their home, commonly known as Chinatown, is also the place from where evil mastermind Fu Man Chu directs his criminal operations, ranging from Chinese Tong street gangs to skilled assassins and magic users. Wei Long Wu is one of the latter. A skilled sorceror, he uses his occult skills to do Fu Man Chu's bidding, including the cursing and often eliminating of his master's enemies.

Fool, you will pay for your insolence!

I think this potion may have gone bad...

The figure is an easy conversion of the King and Country Hong Kong street shop barber figure, with the addition of a magic vial from a 28mm hard plastic Games Workshop "Empire wizard" kit. The razor is a separate piece on the model, so it was easy to replace it with the vial. The chinese character painted on the vial is supposed to read "death", but I'm not sure how legible that is. The base was changed to fit my other figures.

Comparison with the original figure.

And a quick "in action" picture, with Lt. Findlay:

Put... the potion... down. Slowly...

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?

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...

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...

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: