Andy's Modelmaking Misadventures

[Andy in Germany]

This would have been finished a week ago if I was more decisive; I rejected several colours before settling on dark red, and it turns out that card doesn’t like to have paint removed in the usual way, so it took much careful scraping to get the surface ready for painting again.

Anyway…

The van has several different identities depending on which magnetised sign I put on the side. Currently, it belongs to one Charles Vane.

If anyone asks at a society event, Charles Vane will describe himself either as an “Entrepreneur” or a “Gentleman” while being rather vague about the actual business apart from “import and export”. He’s very quiet about his sideline in the “security” business providing guards for some of the Island’s warehouses, and certainly never mentions the numerous failed ventures, the remains of which are in several places on the Island, some in quite small bits.

None of these failures seem to affect Vane financially or otherwise. He maintains a close relationship with the elites of the Island, from the governor to whoever is ascendant in the local organised crime scene. In fact, it is this ability that gained him his nickname; “Weather Vane”, because you only have to watch him to know which way the wind is blowing. Just don’t ever say this where he can hear you.

There’s a persistent rumour that Vane is from an aristocratic English family who pay him a stipend to stay out of the way on Ascension. Captain Bryant is fairly sure he also supplements his income from various illegal activities, from smuggling to protection rackets, but the police have been told that an investigation would be “unnecessary”.

The van will at some point gain a couple of other identities, probably as the Island’s Post Office van. It will also lead a double life as a combatant in “the Races” under the “Maximilian 1934” rules. For this, of course, it will need a few customisations…

 

[AndyRM]

Really like the colours of that. Very smart.

 

[Andy in Germany]

On to Van 2.0.

This van was supposed to look a bit newer than the previous version, as if some organisation wanted to improve their image, so they got a chic and trendy style of van. I also wanted to try a few different methods, and while I was at it, practice a few things I’d learned before I forgot about them.

With my memory, this doesn’t usually take very long.

Incidentally, before someone comments, I know there’s no door for the driver. I originally planned to make one by sticking card onto the side in the same way as the first van, but I realised this would break up those raised lines, so I’ll draw and score the outline instead. I did this on the plane and no-one seems to have noticed.

Once I’ve decided what colour to paint it, hopefully without half a dozen false starts this time, it’s time for the silly session once more, with some ridiculous weaponry. I’m wondering if this could be another faction, a “Revolutionary People’s Front” to counter the previous “People’s Revolutionary Front”.

On the other hand, this is the 1930’s, someone from the other extreme of the political spectrum may have seen the excuse for some randomised violence…