Groan -- Let's try again!

Well, for some reason yesterday, Blogger was presenting all kinds of problems each time I attempted to make a new posting. So, keep in mind that the following was intended to appear YESTERDAY -- Saturday, October 28, 2006. . .

Another, crisp breezy fall day – but the kind with sunshine, so it’s really pretty outside with orange and yellow leaves falling from the trees and formations of birds flying to the south. I wish we had a fireplace because there’s nothing like the sight, sound, and smell of a wood fire inside. Kind of makes me nostalgic for the days of my youth and adolescence when we lived with my grandparents in rural southeastern Pennsylvania. They had a 200 year old stone farmhouse with three fireplaces! Yep, nothing like a wood fire in a fireplace.

So, what’s on tap here at Grand Duchy of Stollen Central this weekend? Well, numerous little things. First, in about ten minutes, I’m going to paint the final bits of the Jaegers zu Fuss – silver musket barrels and brass trigger guards.

Then, I’ll set those to one side and go to work on the 25mm MiniFigs three mounted officers and two SYW cannon, which will become Stollen’s generals and an ADC plus a two-gun battery. There are a few mold lines and a bit of flash to trim from the three officers and their horses, but not much, so the job should be fairy quick and easy. A quick base coat might be a possibility too.

The cannon are a bit more complicated because they require some assembly and, of course, “super glue” to make that happen. Wheels, axels, barrels, and some smaller “fiddly bits” although I must say that I’ve never seen field piece models as nicely detailed! But then I've only ever worked with smaller 15mm sized figures and field pieces before this year.

Finally, while all of this other stuff is happening, my plastic Revell Austrian Horse artillery figures, who will man the two guns, will soak for 24 hours in a bowl of water and Dawn dishwashing liquid. Tomorrow, I’ll scrub 'em, take ’em out, dry ‘em off, and trim mold lines from the figures in question.

Then, if there is enough time, I‘ll fix the 13 figures to temporary 1” square bases with a dot of Elmer’s glue and slap a thick coat of Liquitex black over them. Oh, and I’ll drill holes and place a pin into the mounted officer and his horse -- to provide a firmer, longer lasting connection before gluing the two together with special cement for soft plastic figures.

Hmmm, there’s quite a bit to do! Looks like I’d better get started. "Nach Schmitten!!!" said the soldiers of Stollen to their generals. . .

Presenting the Anspach-Bayreuth Kuirassiere!!!

Here they are, with the rearmost nine figures still drying, three squadrons of the Anspach-Bayreuth Kuirassiere, now in the service of the Grand Duchy of Stollen. And now, it's onto that artillery!

Keepin' an Eye on the World Going By My Window . .

'The Nap at the Palace' by Jose Triado Mayol N ot much in the way of hobby-related activity happening here in the Grand Duchy lately. Sigh. And no surprise there really since there are only so many hours in the day, only so much mental and physical energy to spare, and you sometimes simply just have to give in and know when to say, um, "When!" A glass of wine and/or evening yoga by the hearth with the Grand Duchess (who has practiced for over 20 years), and then off into la-la land. Zzzzzzzzz. More immediately, I'm recovering, mentally speaking, from a grueling Friday in which I was involved with three (online) conference sessions, one right after the other, followed by a 90-minute meeting at the end of the day. Also virtual. My brain has been mush ever since, so an easy, completely unproductive Saturday watching intermittent snow fall outside (no accumulation however) and drinking coffee while the visiting handymen completed some repair work down h...

And It's the End of September!!!

Saxony's Ploetz Cuirassiers, an illustration lifted from the Kronoskaf website, which has thus far guided my spectacularly glacial painting of 30 28mm Eureka Saxon cuirassiers purchased all the way back in October 2016. A gray, cool Saturday here in Mid-Michigan with rain in the forecast. The Grand Duchess is away at a conference, so it's just "The Boys" here at home. The Young Master (almost 15) has retreated to his room for something or other following breakfast while I have stolen back down here to Zum Stollenkeller (masquerading as my office) with a second mug of coffee and both cats comfortably ensconced nearby. Enjoying the late morning and still in my pajamas! Not much planned for today beyond designing a couple of promotional flyers for workshops my department is presenting (small parties we will throw?) in October and November. With maybe a bit of on the next podcast script. More important, I am toying with the idea of returning for an hour or...

The Grand Duchy of Stollen

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