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A Pleasant Humbrol Discovery. . .


Up very early this morning, after a 4:30am feeding and then suffering from the inability to fall asleep again, I was poking around quietly down here in Zum Stollenkeller. And what do you think I found? Yes, a 21-year old tin of Humbrol Authentic Colour British Rifle Green (in a brown tin) -- purchased at MiniFigs HQ on Graham Road in Southampton during January 1989 when the young, long-haired rocker Stokes spent Christmas and New Year's with his mother and new step-dad in Southampton -- that is still fluid.

British Rifle Green is a pretty close match for the Von Kleist Freikorps artillery uniforms that I'll paint next. The other, newer tins of Humbrol in my collection are either too dark, or too light, or too olive in tone. Oh sure, the old British Rifle Green required some shaking and stirring up, but this is "the little tin that could", and amazingly enough it's still serviceable after all these years. In the two decades I've used this tin, it has provided uniforms for a battalion of 15mm British rifles, a regiment of Napoleonic French chasseurs, another of French dragoons, and the occasional French infantry drummer as well as the Stollenian Jaeger zu Fuss more recently, during the fall of 2006. What a nice discovery since it's just the color I need for the 13 Garrison SYW Prussian artillery crew currently on the painting desk.

I began painting those same figures yesterday evening after supper. Nothing fancy or worth showing quite yet, just the usual Games Workshop Goblin Green on the figure bases. But, the Grand Duchess and Young Master Paul are visiting some distant relatives in Western Illinois today, so I'll have some time to apply the fleshtone and the British Rifle Green. And if it dries to a shiny finish due to age or poor mixing, so what? They'll eventually get the usual high gloss Future/Klear treatment anyway!

On other fronts, thanks to everyone for your kind remarks about the recently finished regiment of Austrian cuirassiers, who are currently serving as part of the tiny Stollenian army. Thank you too for your New Year's wishes, and the same to you and your families. May 2010 bring happiness, health, and prosperity to all of you!

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