A Tree Grows in Stollen

Many "birch" trees actually. Beleive it or not, these 4" high trees (on the left in the photograph) are sold as cake decorations by the Oasis Supply Comapny of Bensalem, Pensylvania, USA -- www.oasissupply.com -- 72 per bag for the insane price of US$8.95! Yes, you heard right. US$8.95!

As you see in the photo, they work fine with the Zvezda fir trees (on the right), so large copses and forests in Stollen and Zichenau are now possible. Eventually, I will fashion various irregulalrly shaped bases and affix several trees to each. These can then be arranged singly or in groups to form small or LARGE wooded areas, representing firs, birches, aspens, or similar kinds of vegetation.

Old School definitely, but for the price, who cares? I like them. The new trees actually remind me of those pictures in the illustrations contained within H.G. Wells' wonderful Little Wars. Do you know the one in particular I mean? The sketch of Wells and another guy moving their troops while crawling around on their knees in a large, comfortable looking parlor. And a third man keeps track of the time on his pocket watch from a nearby chair. That's what these Oasis "cake decorations" bring to mind for me!

Comments

Captain Nolan said…

Sadly the trees are now $18.99 per 72.

1:22 AM

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!

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...

Happy September 2nd!!!

T his weekend, the question of what, precisely, constitutes an "imagination" came up in an online forum of which I am a part. To be fair, the issue originates from further afield in a Facebook group that I am not a member of, but I weighed in with my own view. The following was in response to the question posed yesterday (Sunday) morning by an exasperated member of my own rather more gentlemanly town square, who had been met with a strident response to information he shared about his (admirable) hobby activities on said FB group. Here is, more or less, what I wrote: To my mind, the concept of imagi-nation(s) is a broad one. It can range from historical refights or what-if scenarios/battles/campaigns between armies of a particular era, to completely made up combatants operating in a quasi-historical setting, to the rather generic red and blue forces of the Prussian Kriegspiel that examine a particular tactical problem, task, or exercise. ...

The Grand Duchy of Stollen

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