A Bit of This'n'That. . .

There are just a few finishing touches to put on the 80-figure Zichenauer Ermland Garde zu Fuβ. I should then have some regimental eye-candy up here in the next couple of days.

Speaking of eye candy, you’ve got to check out Jim (Alte Fritz) Purky’s first 30 or so Minden Miniature 1/56 Prussians, owned by Frank Hammond. See photos at: http://altefritz.blogspot.com. Amazing stuff! And how Jim is able to paint ‘em up so fast I don’t know. There must be something in the water up his way.

Back here at Stollen Central, I’ve started slapping some paint on Major Biscotti, Colonel von Gherkin, and General de Latté. You remember? I presented them to you a few days ago. The former will wear a white uniform with dark blue facings, based on an actual Venetian dragoon regiment. The middle personality wear’s a fairly typical Prussian/Austrian looking cuirassier officer’s uniform (white coat, tan breeches, black cuirass), but I’ve given him lime green facings. It’s definitely eye-catching. Finally, the General wears a typical French general’s red-faced dark blue coat with red breeches and small clothes. These garments will be liberally trimmed with gold, etc. During the coming Christmas break, I’ll try to develop brief bios for each of these three. But back to reality for now. . .

This weekend, I’ll begin trimming mold lines from the Spencer Smith cavalry that I’ve nattered on about periodically in the last several months. No more teaching after December 11^th when the semester ends, so there will be lots more time for base coating and painting! There is a remote possibility that I might be able to get all 30 horses and figures (single castings in the Spencer Smith milieu) finished by the end of next month. I’ll try my hand at speed painting and see how things progress.

Last of all, as if we needed yet another justification for imaginary 18^th century campaigns, I came across the following while perusing The Army of Fredrick the Great by Christopher Duffy recently. It reads, “Frederick’s delight in the whimsical and arbitrary was evident in every aspect of his relationship with his officers” (1974, p. 35). Hmmm, a love of whimsy and an arbitrary nature -- just the sort of personal qualities that so many of us indulge when we create orders of battle, uniforms, personalities, maps, etc. for our own quasi-make believe “statelettes” of the 1700s! In a way, it seems like old Frederick had an appreciation for this kind of thing too.