Anyone got advice about US style UK heroes?

[Australian Dawn]

As I've picked up a good few Nano Metalfigs of US DC and Marvel characters and intend on getting more to play ww2 set superhero games I was wondering if anyone here could tell me about any US superhero style (costumes etc I mean, the sort I could convert from a popular US hero) WW2 era (or at least active then in their average adventure whenever they may have been created) UK heroes and villains that I could try converting from my metalfigs with a bit of paint and greenstuff.

I can and have looked up a few fansites but I want characters that were or are popular or recognisable, capturing the spirit of the age (or at least not despised rubbish) and that can be hard to ascertain.
One batman like character could be or have been regarded with love/nostalgia whereas another might be seen as a shoddy knockoff and embarrassment for all I know.

A lot of Brit heroes seem to me to be a bit less exhibitionist than there average tight wearing US counterparts but obviously as I want to convert them from and have them fight my DC/Marvel Metalfigs I'd like some examples of that more colourful type if possible.

I'll be trying my hand at converting a few Aussie heroes too and they'll all need a few villains to fight (supers of the Axis powers?) So if anyone has any ideas for easy to convert WW2 villains I'm all ears!

Thanks for any advice.

[Australian Dawn]

There seem to be plenty of mechanical wing fellows I can probably use, this guy seems cool although his costume does lack the circus reject factor I'd like.
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/c/captainzoom.htm

This guy would make a neat alternate take on a bat vigilante, don't know if he was active in the war though
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/b/bat2.htm

No idea yet what US hero could work for this guy but he seems generic enough in looks to be worth a shot
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/c/capmag.htm

That seems like a pretty good core of a British ww2 era supergroup, monster hunter, flying inventor and Magneto Nazi hunter. Am I missing some obvious addition?

I also like this girl with her cross symbol as a possible foil for the bat out of hell character, they'd make a nice couple, but that's little enough to go on and I can't think of anyone obvious I could base a conversion on.
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/p/phantommaid.htm

[Australian Dawn]

Japan's early superhero Ogon Bat has an evil doppelganger called Kurayami Bat and he's basically a skull headed badguy so I shouldn't have any trouble with him this Italian hero
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/t/tanksitalia.htm
looks like he might be supposed to be Japanese or have some connection to Japan? Great name and created about the right time that if he had pre-existing adventures it could have involved him in the war... a bit sad his costume isn't the sort of "super I'm really looking for. I'm clearly going to have to use heroes for war time villains, the bad guys just aren't as well documented it seems.
But then there is a war on.

These guys seems like they have potential
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/u/uomoblindato.htm
and
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/c/ciclone.htm

The armoured hero could, with the war as justification for and armour upgrade, be a not Iron Man if worst came to worst.
The fat Mussolini looking guy would make a great heavy for the Italians but his Atomic Man alias suggests his origin is probably post war.

German heroes from this era seem a bit scarce (probably for the obvious reasons),I'm sure I'll find a red skull metalfig, but two skull faced villains...?

The bad guys are lacking a bit in the tights department though.

a skull faced demon-thing from japan, another bone head from Germany, a living tank from Italy (or maybe japan?), an armoured tech hero for Italy, And maybe a nuke powered Italian strong man, well it's a start of a villain team I suppose.
Is Katana supposed to be a hero or a villain? I could probably justify her inclusion somehow.

[Australian Dawn]

This guy looks like a great Axis villain, sort of like Cobra Commander or the Shredder. What a terrible name though.

http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/n/namelessnazi.htm

And a cool looking flying villain

http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/g/greybat.htm

Makes batman's scalloped cape seem a bit half-arsed doesn't it?

[Jakar Nilson]

While he was created in the 70s, I would go with the Steel Commando, or "Ironsides" as Ernie calls him:
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/s/stelcomm.htm

In a way, he can easily be an expy of a WWII-era American hero, Bozo the Robot.

[Australian Dawn]

Thanks. He looks great, robots like him and Robot Teacher seem to have been quite popular from the number of them I've seen.

I'd considered Iron Teacher
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/i/ironteac.htm
but I'm guessing his red tinny look was the more iconic and not easily converted.

The Iron warrior would be a good addition as well but looks more like a huge tin woodsman mecha than a superhero
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/i/ironwarr.htm

[Australian Dawn]

I'm leaning towards Thunderbolt Jaxon as a not-Thor/Captain Marvel, and the Australian connection appeals to me, if any Pom hero had a crossover with a classic Aussie hero I'm guessing he did.

http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/j/jaxon.htm

but I don't know if he was operational in the war. Plus his costume is pretty dull, probably not worth the effort of converting if there is any alternative.

[Australian Dawn]

The further back you go the harder it is to find (non American) characters who fit the modern superhero aesthetic.
As for villains, no chance.
The time period I'm looking at more or less originated that classic superhero look but it was far from standardised at that time, which I like quite frankly, but a supergroup of average looking people is hardly what you want on the tabletop fighting the German army or the brightly coloured DC and Marvel lot. And those who aren't average looking are often way too extreme by far!
And many are way too powerful.

This guy shows promise
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/f/flamaven.htm

[Australian Dawn]

This doesn't seem to show all the range, but going from this site
http://www.jadatoysinc.com/downloads?ca ... t_them_all
Here's some of what I'm thinking.

Batman Beyond with a repaint would make a good version of that Brit Bat hero.
He might also stand in for a few flying characters if I can get his bloody head off!
Otherwise any metalfig with wings, Maybe the Vulture or that Captain America sidekick that doesn't seem to be shown in that link, will have to be pressed into service as whichever Brit flying hero looks most like them.

Scarlet Witch or Storm will have to be the basis for Phantom Maid.

I'll try Skullifying Ra's Al Ghul and Martian Manhunter for my Japanese Bat characters (good and bad, might as well), or give capes to some Jack Skellingtons, with Red Skull as an obvious option when I find one if I get desperate.

Zod or Robin For Captain Magnet maybe (unless a Firestorm gets made I don't see much chance of finding anything like the sort of mask Captain Magnet wears) Robin seems the more practical choice but Zod has style and surely a bit of metal wouldn't be out of place on a Magnetic villain?

Anyway, none of the characters I'm basing my conversions on are their native lands version of Condom Man or something are they? I'm working without much cultural context here.

[Australian Dawn]

As to gaming with these guys, playing Super VS. Super should be fine, but some old school supers are pretty powerful, having them fight normal forces might be difficult when half of them could tear a tank in half (Namor was in the Invaders wasn't he? This must be true even to mainstream US comics) without even thinking about it.

Are there any rules for a handfull of Supers versus a whole army of puny mortal soldiers and tanks?

I'd think something like Kaiju rules would be called for, but with human sized "monsters".

Thanks.