An October Update. . .

 

Things have not been completely quiet here in The Grand Duchy of Stollen lately.  Although I have heard a few late season crickets chirping now and then.  Just the usual out of whack work-family-life thing.  You know how it is. 

Still, I have managed to keep plugging away at my version of Austria's Wied Infantry.  Most recently cleaning up lots of ragged edges on the third batch of the regiment.  The usual light gray before starting the white cross belts, hat tape, and various washes of white on the coats, waistcoats, and breeches plus a few of the usual touch ups as you go along.

The wash stage is an inexact science, but the end results look pretty good.  Not that artificially enhanced Hollywood Smile bleached bone white Tom Cruise thing, but a more subdued gray-white, which, in my view, is probably a bit closer to what actual uniform items must have been like after a few weeks in the field in the days before washing machines and colorfast dyes.  

This (Monday) evening, a few quick touch-ups planned on the dark brown shoulder belts -- over the right shoulders --  and then I'll move on to the (eventually) white shoulder belts -- over the left shoulders.  That along should help them start to look a bit more soldierly next to the rest of the unit.  

The first two thirds of the regiment are not yet finished, but getting close to it.  Still things like drum hoops, cords, and buttons, buttons, buttons.  Followed by the inevitable touch-ups before applying acrylic varnish and then the flags, which should be, if not spectacular, then at least reasonably convincing at arm's length.  I like to print out and then paint in the colors (and a highlight) to both help the flags fit in with my painting style and combat the fading of computer printer inks with time.

-- Stokes