Agent Maria Hill (Command & Control Liason)

I don't usually do a lot of cross-overs, but after seeing The Avengers recently, it occurred to me that Agent Maria Hill would make a great background character for the Command Center in my Pit Headquarters diorama.  I decided that she'd be a liason from some government agency, tasked with coordinating and overseeing Intelligence being funneled to the Joe team.  All of the personnel working in that scene are dressed in Rise of Cobra style camouflage fatigues (I had to use those figures for something, right?), so with the uniform set, I just needed to figure out what head to use.  For quite some time, I've wondered if the RoC Attack on the Pit Baroness head sculpt might actually be good under the gobs of factory paint, so I decided to try and make it work.  I removed the hair piece and used acetone to strip all of the paint.  I was left with the bare head, cast in black plastic.  I then sculpted new hair on using several still photos of the actress from the film.  It was a fairly simple style, with the hair pulled back into a bun.  Not too difficult, but I am not usually much of a sculptor, so I was very pleased with how the it turned out.  With that done, I just had to repaint the head.  As I had suspected, I found that the sculpt looked pretty good with a decent paint application!

Tales from Castle Destro - The Characters

All of these characters are from my fan-fic blog, Tales from Castle Destro.

Captain McLeod (Ferret) - Commander of the 1st D.E.M.O.N. Company, McLeod is a good leader who understands and accepts that there are losses in combat, but also cares about his men and doesn’t want to squander their lives needlessly.

Lieutenant Flaherty (Ferret) - Commander of 1st Platoon in Captain McLeod's 1st D.E.M.O.N. Company.

Lieutenant "Goggles" Head (Ferret) - Commander of 2nd Platoon in Captain McLeod's 1st D.E.M.O.N. Company.  2nd Platoon was instrumental in the testing of the prototypes for the D.E.M.O.N. II.  His platoon is equipped with these lighter, faster tanks to provide a different capability within the standard D.E.M.O.N. company.













Lieutenant Eduardo (Ferret) - Commander of 3rd Platoon in Captain McLeod's 1st D.E.M.O.N. Company.  3rd Platoon specializes in cold weather operations and uses the Yeti variant of the D.E.M.O.N.  The platoon is often attached to the Iron Wolf Brigade.














Sergeant King (Ferret) - Vehicle Commander of D.E.M.O.N. Four and Platoon Sergeant for Lieutenant Flaherty’s 1st Platoon.  Hot-tempered.  Carries a pair of tomahawks used for close combat.  Exceedingly loyal.

Sergeant Swami (Ferret) - Vehicle Commander of D.E.M.O.N. Two in Lieutenant Flaherty’s 1st Platoon.

Sergeant Headman (Ferret) - Vehicle Commander of D.E.M.O.N. Three in Lieutenant Flaherty’s 1st Platoon.  Practical joker.

Corporal Scroll (Ferret) - Driver of D.E.M.O.N. One in Lieutenant Flaherty’s 1st Platoon.

 

 

Colonel Nero (Annihilator) - Commander of an elite unit of Annihilator Officers who are tasked with Laird Destro’s more sensitive assignments.

Captain Starbuck (Annihilator) - Second-in-command of Colonel Nero’s elite unit.

Lieutenant Wert (Annihilator) - Member of Colonel Nero’s elite unit.

 

Lieutenant "Robo" Wang (Annihilator) - Member of Colonel Nero’s elite unit.  The loss of his roght arm on a mission in Sierra Muerte resulted in a cybernetic replacement - and the nickname "Robo".

Colonel Masque (Director of Intelligence & Covert Operations) - One of Destro's most trusted Officers, Masque oversees all intelligence gathering and analysis, as well as all Iron Grenadier covert operations. Masque has an odd love of puns and other wordplay, as is evidenced by his referring to his personal guard as "The Red Death".

Foolproof (Covert Operative) - Unofficial 'right hand' to Colonel Masque.  Frequently handles the Colonel's more sensitive or difficult assignments. 
















Misfit (Covert Operative) - Reports directly to Colonel Masque.  Frequently handles undercover assignments requiring infiltration or disguise.
















Leored (Commando) - This veteran commando is especially gifted in the art of covert infiltration.  No target is to hard or too well-defended.  He is often partnered with Huerta and the two are known to be among Colonel Masque's most trusted operatives.

Huerta (Commando) - Where Leored is known for his infiltration skills, Huerta is known for his destructive capabilities.  Sometimes referred to as "The Barbarian" for his savage, no-holds-barred style of combat.

Baroness - Former head of Cobra's Intelligence Division, she now puts her considerable skills to work for Destro.

Scythe - Scythe was the first woman to be accepted within the ranks of the Iron Grenadiers.  As such, she was once referred to as The Iron Maiden, but later changed her call sign to Scythe.  It is generally believed that the Baroness adopted the name Iron Maidens for her personal cadre of operatives as a nod to Scythe's unofficial status as the senior female Grenadier.

 

Cutlass - Cutlass and her brother Ghost are among Destro's most deadly operatives. She is one of the best sword fighters on the planet, a living phenomenon. Though she is a Champion fencer, she never particularly cared for trophies. Instead, her recognition comes when her opponent is lying in a pool of blood and she is still standing. 

Banshee - Little is known about Banshee prior to her involvement with the Iron Grenadiers. It is believed that she was born in Paris and worked as a freelance assassin-for-hire, amassing a nearly perfect record over a ten year period. At some point, she was recruited by the Baroness to be one of the first in her “Iron Maiden” program.  In Irish mythology, a banshee is a feminine spirit, usually seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the Otherworld. Banshee’s many targets could attest to the appropriateness of her code name – if any of them were still around to do so. 

Natasha - A Russian folk hero, so much so that hers is a household name among Russian citizens who love to show up in throngs to her staged appearances on national holidays and in military parades. Paraphernalia autographed by this highly decorated Leningrad-born sniper is known to sell for many tens of thousands of rubles, though few Russians would be unconscionable enough to willingly part with such a treasure. Allegedly, Natasha's natural talent with a rifle was discovered early on by military recruiters, who worked with the press to make her name and prowess become the talk of the Motherland - until she met the Baroness.

Lace - Very little is known about Lace.  She is believed to be highly skilled in disguise and is rumored to often serve as a body double for the Baroness.  Her mere presence within this group indicates that she is not to be taken lightly. 

Major Jett (Nullifier) -Commander of an Anti-Gravity Pod (A.G.P.) Assault Squadron.  Former head of Laird Destro's Elite Guard.

Captain Nirvana (Nullifier) - Formerly a member of Major Jett's Anti-Gravity Pod (A.G.P.) Assault Squadron.  Injuries sustained in combat resulted in the loss of his flight status.  Currently serves as the head of Laird Destro's Elite Guard.

 

Sergeant Creeper (Jungle Operations) -While he is fully capable in any environment, Creeper is a ghost in the jungle.  He is considered by most to be the Iron Grenadiers' foremost authority on jungle combat.

O.S.O.K. (Sniper) - There are many accomplished marksmen within the ranks of the Iron Grenadiers, but none compare to the pure killing machine that is O.S.O.K. He tends to be quiet and reserved, rarely speaking aside from the occasional unintelligible mumble. His quarters are located deep within the lowest levels of the Castle, where few others tread voluntarily. He receives his orders and goes forth, usually alone, to wreck absolute havoc on the enemies of Laird Destro.  The first time General Voltar saw the custom painted reaper's grin on O.S.O.K.'s Grenadier mask, he told one of his subordinate Officers to have the man remove it. The Officer balked at the order and it was then that Voltar realized that even many of the Iron Grenadiers fear O.S.O.K. Not another word has ever been said about removing the paint from O.S.O.K.'s mask.

Captain "Colors" DelRio (Iron Wolf) - Commander of Company D, Iron Wolf Brigade.

Corporal Ozma (Iron Wolf) - Member of Captain DelRio's Company D.  Highly skilled in both climbing and demolitions.

Captain Llama (Shock Trooper) - Commander of Shock Trooper Special Detachment B - also known as the "Death Dealers". Known for his unique approach to problem solving and ability to operate outside normal parameters.

Sergeant Shock (Shock Trooper) - Second-in-Command of the "Death Dealers" and one of the oldest Iron Grenadiers in active service.

Hung (Shock Trooper) - "Death Dealers" Heavy Weapons Specialist.

Reaper (Shock Trooper) - Member of the "Death Dealers".


















Corporal Crimson (Dog Handler) - K-9 specialist with extensive combat experience. When he is not deployed, he is also responsible for training new K-9 units for Castle security.

Sergeant Bing (Wild Boar) - As a Corporal, Bing was the highest ranking survivor among Wild Boars during the siege of Castle Destro.  He led all Razorback units during the battle and was promoted to Sergeant following the cessation of hostilities.

Sergeant Wingnut (Detonator) - Demolitions team leader.

Poptart (Detonator) - Member of Sergeant Wingnut's demolitions team.

 

Teabag (Detonator) - Member of Sergeant Wingnut's demolitions team.  Killed in action during operations in Sierra Muerte.

Android (Detonator) - Member of Sergeant Wingnut's demolitions team.  Originally nicknamed 'Angry', he replaced Teabag and was subsequently wounded in Sierra Muerte, resulting in the loss of both arms.  M.A.R.S. surgeons replaced both arms with cybernetic limbs.














Lieutenant Blaze (Combat Surgeon) - Battlefield trauma surgeon.

 

Corporal Gundam (Combat Medic) - Battlefield medic, often assigned to frontline units.

Captain Thor (Iron Anvil) - Commanding Officer of Iron Anvil Company C.

Corporal Som (Iron Anvil) - Member of Captain Thor's Iron Anvil Company C.

 

Killer (Iron Anvil) - Member of Captain Thor's Iron Anvil Company C, specializing in anti-armor operations.

Sergeant Humpty (Fire Direction Controller) - Responsible for the training and deployment of Castle Destro's mortar defense units.

Sergeant Beckley (Troll) - Each Ogre APC is operated and maintained by a highly trained driver known as a Troll. These men are hard even by the Iron Grenadiers' standards. Each one is an experienced mechanic, capable of repairing just about anything found on the Ogre. They're also legendary amongst the IG for their stubbornness, ferocity and overwhelming will to succeed, so it's no surprise that a great many Trolls eventually move on to the IG command ranks. Sgt Beckley was among the first Iron Grenadiers selected for the Ogre / Troll program.

 







Major Stone (T.A.R.G.A.T.) - Commander of all T.A.R.G.A.T. forces.

Captain Loc (T.A.R.G.A.T.) - Serves as Executive Officer to Major Stone.  One of the most senior T.A.R.G.A.T. Officers still alive.

 
Sergeant Vapor (T.A.R.G.A.T.) -T.A.R.G.A.T. Training Sergeant.  Oversees the initial training of all T.A.R.G.A.T. selectees and is frequently assigned as a small unit leader for Special Operations.

Lieutenant Zex (T.A.R.G.A.T.) -Served as an Annihilator before being selected for the T.A.R.G.A.T. program.

Sergeant ShowTime (Undertow) - Undertow team leader.

Vulcan (Undertow) - Second-in-command of Sergeant ShowTime's Undertow team.

















Uman (Undertow) - Member of Sergeant ShowTime's Undertow team.


















Werecat (Undertow) - Member of Sergeant ShowTime's Undertow team.

Aries (Highlander) - Commander of the Highlander Brigade, Aries is from somewhere in the Balkans, southeastern Europe. He comes from many generations of mountain warfare specialists. He was recruited by the Iron Grenadiers after he took out an entire squadron of IG troopers during a raid on his town. His men say he is a hard man born for warfare.













Captain "Ghost" Bowlby (Highlander) Commander of Company A, Highlander Brigade.

Corporal Darkseid (Highlander) - Heavy Weapons Shock Trooper assigned to Captain Bowlby's Company A.

WarDog (Highlander) - Shock Trooper assigned to Captain Bowlby's Company A.

Corporal Mattox (Castle Guard) - A member of Castle Destro's ceremonial guard, Corporal Mattox is the leader of His Laird's Cavalry.