Mr Achnacarry and Mr Archer (VBCW)

In the alternative Britain of 1938: a Very British Civil War, the city of Liverpool has declared itself a free city, independent form the rest of war-torn Britain. It's mayor, Henry Walpole, is a socialist, and has managed to unite the diverse forces in Liverpool, ranging from Irish Nationalists, to Communist dock workers, Anglican league militias, local volunteer militias and elements of the Royal Navy and the Liverpool Regiment who have declared themselves in support of the Liverpool Free State. Keeping this desperate group of idealists acting together as a cohesive force in the face of the besieging royalist and fascist forces is no easy matter. Mayor Walpole is a charismatic man, but sometimes it is necessary to use more direct forms of persuasion to influence his supporters.
These two 'gentlemen' are Mr Archer (on the left) and Mr Achnacarry, agents of Mayor Walpole. Officially they are civil servants, but they are more commonly known as the mayors secret police. Mr Achnacarry passes himself of as a gentleman, mild mannered, sporting an umbrella and a monocle, but his soft spoken threats are real enough. Rumor is that he used to be a policeman in Shanghai, and knows as much about killing as is possible to know. Mr Archer is his assistant, bodyguard and sometimes his enforcer. Most people believe the rumor that he used to be a circus strongman or a wrestler. Certainly the way his muscles bulge beneath his ill-fitting suits suggest their may be some credence to these rumours.
Mr Achnacarry and Mr Archer are seen all over the Liverpool Free State, having quiet words with the commanders of the various forces fighting for the city, ensuring that Mayor Walpole's wishes are carried out.

These two minis are by Artizan Designs. I liked them so much I just had to come up with a back story so I could use them in my army. I will probably treat them as special characters, or something like that.

Later in November I will be joining a load of other VBCW fanatics at the Big Game 3, in Evesham, where my Reds will be representing a militia force working for Lord Bath. The chap who is playing Lord Bath has requested I bring along a heavy machine gun or a mortar. As I haven't got one, and I am a bit skint at the moment I thought I would have a stab at making one. Here is the work in progress shot of it. The bipod is a GW mortar, and the barrel is a piece of plastic form a cotton wool bud. Minis are by West Wind. I am quite chuffed with the result. It might not be an exact copy of a ww2 3 inch mortar, but you can tell what it's meant to be. I also hope that a lucky shot form a mortar might prove to be effective against the royalist armoured cars when I next go down to Stourbridge, because I had nothing that could damage them in our last battle.