The Grand Duchy of Stollen

Jim "Der Alte Fritz" Purky, the man behind Fife and Drum Miniatures has taken the reins of Minden Miniatures. B y now, many of you will have learned that Minden Miniatures has merged with Fife & Drum Miniatures here in the United States.  Excellent news!  Be sure to toodle on over to the Der Alte Fritz Journal forthwith -- don't wait! --  to learn all of the important details.  These are two of the very best ranges of 28-30mm (actually 1/56th scale) mid- to late 18th century figures currently available.  How could there ever be anything better?  If you are a fan of either Fife & Drum or Minden figures, you should definitely learn how the merger will proceed in the next few months, plus you can find out about the longer term plans in store for both ranges once the logistic end of things has been addressed.

Human and basic horseflesh almost finished.  A mix of Minden, RSM95, and Fife & Drum figures.  Look closely.  Can you pick out the RSM95 conversion? A s predicted some weeks ago, the current academic term is indeed a bear, and it seems like there is always a new batch of student papers to read and grade.  Whew!  So, finally, three weeks into the current painting challenge, I got off my you-know-what and sat down to the painting table for a couple of hours earlier this afternoon to work on a second round of staff vignettes for the Stollenian and Zichenauer armies.  These will be painted, more or less, in Prussian, Saxon, and American Continental Army uniforms. Anyway, a delightful time was had slopping on oil-based flesh and various browns, which were thinned down with Liquin Original.  Now, the real work begins as I take care of smaller details on each base, painting one at a time to completion before moving on to the next.  Sadly, we are joining a few friends for supper thi

The Grand Duke's Minister of Finance and his charming wife, Madame et Monsieur de Bouleversement . A small dinner party with  a few guests has been organized for this evening at Krankenstadt Palace, but, as usual, the Grand Duke Irwin-Amadeus II is distracted by other affairs of state.  We begin, however, with his ever-faithful manservant Hives late one September morning in the sunny drawing room of the Palace.  Hives has the morning and early afternoon off.  He is seated with a fresh pot of Frisian tea at hand and a copy of David Hume's A Treatise of Human Nature on the writing desk before him.  The door opens, and the Grand Duke peeks his head in and spots his gentleman's personal gentleman.  Let's eavesdrop on their conversation that follows. Irwin-Amadeus II (enters room): Ah, Hives!  There you are.  Enjoying our morning off, are we? Hives (turns a page without looking up): I am indeed, Sir. Just catching up on a little light reading before returning to

The late Donald Featherstone as a young man during World War II.

Sometimes, you've gotta give in and get your Fritz on!  A mug of North German tea and rock sugar, purchased during our last sojourn to Bremen, Germany during the summer of 2009.  The mug was included in a package of unused figures sold to me by the proprietor of Fife & Drum Miniatures, Jim Purky (Der Alte Fritz himself), in 2008. Y ou know?  Sometimes the best laid plans don't happen.  And I've been fine with that these last few weeks and months.  Today is Labor Day, the traditional end of summer season here in the United States.  The unpleasantly hot weather has broken.  The central air-conditioner is off, and the windows open.  The sun is out, and the birds and cicadas are singing and churruping away.   I haven't accomplished very much that I had planned for this three-day weekend.  Not much at all.  Other than a picnic dinner at a local park with the Young Master and Grand Duchess yesterday evening, followed by frozen yoghurt on the way home.  And did I me