The Grand Duchy of Stollen

Finally, I have figured out a way to get my MSWord Painting Progress Chart to appear when I paste it into Blogger -- a nagging problem here since June 2008 -- Paste it into MS Publisher and save as a JPEG file. Slightly convoluted, and so typically Stokes, but it works! In any case, here is where we stand at the moment with the two Sittangbad-sized forces I set out to paint, beginning in August of 2006 after the Grand Duchess and I returned from our camping honeymoon across the Dakotas and Minnesota. Just four units to go you'll see! Those final sixteen Huzzah Prussian musketeers, painted as Wurtemburgers, just need their white cuff and lapel lace, and then they stand ready for their two coats of Future/Klear acrylic floor finish. We're so close to completion of the initial project. . . so, so close! However, I must make a terrible admission to those of you who visit the Grand Duchy of Stollen regularly. I placed a small order to the Dayton Painting Consortium for some A...

Do you generally avoid attempting figure conversions to this degree? Have been letting my mind wander lately, given the reduced painting activity and number of postings here in recent months, thinking about figure conversion possibilities. Certainly, I observed plenty of lovely examples in the pages of Miniature Wargames , Military Modelling , and Wargames Illustrated back in the 80s. Usually, these were 25mm Napoleonic staff figures along with the occasional unit from the likes of Bill Gaskin and Doug Mason. Impressive stuff, to say the least! Fastforward 20+ years. . . It strikes me that fewer "everyday" wargamers attempt conversion work like this today because we are so spoiled for choice. There are so many different ranges of figures within the same period on the market now that there no longer seems to be a point in painstakingly converting figures for most of us. At least when we are talking about metal figures. The situation is somewhat different when di...

Just the coat-tails and some touching up left, and we are ready for the two coats of Future/Klear acrylic floor finish! Spent a couple of hours painting red collars, cuffs, and turnbacks last night. Just the coat-tails left now plus the white lace in pairs on top of the turned back lapels. Then, it's on to the two coats of protective "varnish" tomorrow evening. I can next carefully pop them off their bottlecaps Wednesday evening, and the unit will be finished. . . FINALLY. Meanwhile, I've got 13 Garrison Prussian artillery crew waiting in the queue to be painted as Schaumburg-Lippe-Buekeburg troops. See the illustration below. . .

FOR SALE. . . 30 RSM95 hussars, a three-squadron regiment and staff organized, more or less, according to the guidelines presented in Charge! The first US$20 (plus domestic shipping and handling) via Paypal takes them! For those of you looking to beef up your light cavalry, I'm clearing out the cobwebs here at Stollen Central by selling a few figures I don't need. The proceeds will help augment my heavy cavalry (probably RSM French cuirassiers in bearskins). This time around, it's a large unit of RSM95 1:60 (true 30mm) hussars. The figures are shown above -- 25 Prussian hussars and five Austrian hussars in colpacks, for use as regimental and squadron officers. A few minor conversions with the hobby knife, putty, and the paintbrush will easily provide the required trumpeter and standard bearer. The price for the thirty figures pictured above is a very reasonable US$20 (plus shipping and handling). If you are interested, email me offline. Thank you! PLEASE NOTE -- ...

Besides those new, black tasseled loafers I mentioned in an August posting, my wardrobe also includes these nifty, red Converse sneakers. Blame it on the Easter Bunny! Nope. Nothing to do with painting soldiers or gaming. But when I got up this morning, a tiny inner vocie said to me, "Stokes, you've gotta wear those new Converse Chuck Taylor high-top sneakers to school!" And so. . . Actually, the Grand Duchess wagered a cup of latte or cappucino, at one of our local cafes, that I would not teach wearing these. Baaaaaaad decision. . . especially since caffeine is involved! At any rate, my Film Noir students this fine Friday morning were treated to another bout of male fashion wackiness from yours truly. Enjoy the weekend everyone!

A few hours of uninterrupted painting yesterday (Sunday) mean that only the red turn-backs, facings, and shoulder straps remain before the third and final company of Huzzah Prussian musketeers (painted as Wurtemburgers) is finished! The company officer, NCO, and drummer are already finished and waiting to the rear , more or less in the middle distance of the picture in amongst some Holger Eriksson dragoons, RSM95 mounted officers, and a few Minden artillery crew. Thirteen Garrison artillery crew (next in the painting queue) are just out of sight to the right. Nope, I have not dropped off the face of the earth! Just haven't had much to say here lately that I haven't said many times before, and free time for painting has been scarce since the start of the fall academic term. Teaching along with developing a new film course for Fall 2011 (or Winter 2012?) has eaten into normally free evening hours ravenously. And then, of course, there has been the parenting side of things, w...