Castle: Schleich Knight's Castle
Tower Laser Canon: Speaker Stand, Terror Drome Canon, Super Glue Caps and Blackberry Charger Cord
Wall Laser Canon: Blackberry Charger Plug Base & Cobra Stun Canon
Radar Dish: Speaker Stand, USS
Flagg Radar Dish, Blackberry Cord, SW Darth Vader Playset
Power Core: Iphone Earbuds case, ST Power Core Pic, Blackberry Cord
Red Shadows Loo: SW Death Star Detention Block & toilet paper
Bunk Beds: Card Board & popcicle sticks
Nazi Crate: Business Cards, tape and print outs

Located in the Wetterstein Mountains in Germany on the Zugspitzplatt, a high karst plateau with numerous caves, the Fortress of Shadows looms ominously over the nearby town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The townsfolk are terrified of its Red Shadows inhabitants and don't dare to speak of it out of fear for their lives. Baron Ironblood picked this location for his fortress and base of operations because it keeps him close to his German heritage. The fortress is nearly impenetrable but if some did breach its defenses the Baron and his minions can just slip away into the maze of tunnels running through the plateau. However, breaching the defenses is easier said than done.

Utilizing the brilliant yet demented mind of Red Laser, the Fortress of Shadows is protected by several laser canons capable of destroying any vehicle on the land or in the air. Additionally, it is fitted with the latest in radar technology and prototype super computers which can detect any eminent onslaught. The base is powered by a revolutionary low energy nuclear reactor (LENR) which can power the fortress for hundreds of years. Black Major described the fortress as "the only place I am comfortable, away from the battlefield. I am able to strategize and review with Baron Ironblood our past victories, our current operations and plan our eventual conquest of Europe. So you could say we are just your typical terrorist organization when we are at home...plotting to topple governments, destroy nations and rule the world."

I built this play set using a Schleich Knight's Castle and then built two laser defense canons, computer screens and a power core. The laser canon in the tower was created using an old computer speaker stand, a laser from the Terror Drome with missing caps and a broken end, some cord from an old blackberry charger and two super glue caps painted black. I painted some of the laser canon black to mimic the Red Shadows Laser Exterminator paint scheme and then I added some printed controls and a radar screen to the back of the base as well as the Red Shadows emblem to the front. The second laser canon was created using the seat and laser from a Cobra Stun with the actual plug of the Blackberry charger (sans prongs) used as the base. I again painted it to match the Laser Exterminator color scheme and added some Red Shadows stickers I printed. The power was created using the case for my Iphone's ear buds, some of the Blackberry charger cord and a printout of a Star Trek power core. The computers were built using printout images of radars and sci-fi screen shots affixed to a piece of plastic left over from a 3 3/4 Star Trek Bridge and a plastic insert in the case my iPhone came in. I then added some small red left over accessories which I glued to the walls. I made a bathroom from pieces of a Death Star escape that I had to cut and modify, as well as add a roll of toilet paper which I made from real toilet paper. The bunk beds were made from some card board inserts, popcicle sticks and printouts.

For several years I have owned a polybag set of the GI Joe Convention Red Shadows. I finally decided to display them and then my creative juices got flowing creating a headquarters, some vehicles and action figures. I also added some original toys from the UK in the form of a Red Jackal, Red Laser, a Hyena and a Shadowtrak. You can seem them pictured in some of the shots.