Latest Dragoon Photo Update on the Way. . .

But in the meantime, here's a shot of the final (and I mean FINAL) building in the Grand Duchy of Stollen, which was constructed a couple of weeks ago and has yet to be painted.

Unlike my previous model buildings, which are composites of various structures across Northern Germany & Northern Europe, this particular model church is actually based on a historical structure that still stands in the old East Prussian town of Allenburg/Дружба (Алленбург) -- now in the Kaliningrad enclave of Russia.

Seems the actual church was not horribly or irreparably damaged during the latter days of the 1939-45 war and has undergone some recent restorative work. Amazingly, it now features occasional Evangelical Lutheran services -- as was the case pre-1945! I haven't been able to learn whether the church has been used for Russian Orthodox service or not during the last 60+ years.

Anyway, I'll paint this final structure in the usual predominant dusty pink-red brick color with a grey-green roof to approximate aged copper plating, and finish with some decorative light gey stonework around the windows and on corners, etc. Unless the mood strikes me to research and build a model of an old North German windmill, NO further construction is scheduled for the foreseeable future in the Grand Duchy.

Instead, it's time to get moving with finishing the core units of Stollen's small army and then continue on to the first 4-5 units to be fielded by the Electorate of Zichenau. After that task is completed, hopefully by late-2007, I'll add some addtional cavalry and infantry units (another 3-5) at a slightly slower rate of painting.

The core armies will consist of the Revell 1/72 plastic figures as you already know, along with that lovely unit or RSM 95 grenadiers. In the longer term, I'd also like to add a unit of Spencer Smiths in the classic marching pose with shouldered muskets as well as a unit of Holger Eriksson cavalry. The latter ain't cheap, so it might have to wait a while. Finally, I'd also like to add some more mounted generals. These will probably come from MiniFigs. Ah -- Decisions, decisions. . .