So, What's Left in the Mountain of Lead?

Part of the Army of Zichenau during the October 2017 Grand Review after two months of rebasing.

And part of the Stollenian Army across the field, during the same autumn maneuvers that year.  Both forces have grown considerably since, and there has been reflagging for many of the units at different points too.  Interested parties can scroll back through the various subsequent blog entries to inspect those claims more closely.

This last week, I've spent a bit of time here and there during the evenings -- while waiting for coats of gloss varnish to dry -- to inspect my stock of unpainted Minden and RSM95 figures residing in the infamous Drawer o' Lead to my left.  And, of course, to take a gander at the spillover in a nearby closet here in Zum Stollenkeller.  The resulting 'audit' is tentatively encouraging (he said), but my work is cut out for me.  After the planned monster-sized regiment of Austrian hussars, here's how I plan to complete the Grand Duchy of Stollen Collection during the next (third) decade:

Electorate of Zichenau

• Kurköln Wildenstein – Single-breasted Austrian Coats (Blue faced Red). . .  Use Russians (60 Minden)
• 2^nd Ansbach-Bayreuth -- Austrian Coats (Blue faced Black) (60 Minden )
• Kurmainz Wildenstein -- Austrian Coats (White faced Green) (60 Minden)
• Palatine ‘Effern’ Regiment -- Prussian Coats w/ Swedish Cuffs (Blue faced White) (60 Minden)
• Grenadiers in Bearskin (48 Minden)
• Lanciers de Saxe (30 Minden)

 

Grand Duchy of Stollen

• 3^rd Waldeck Regiment – Hessians (Blue faced yellow). . . (60 Fife & Drum)
• Fusilier Regiment Erbprinz – Prussian Coats (Blue faced Rose Pink) (60 Minden )
• Miliz Formations – Prussian Coats w/Prussian Cuffs (Gray faced ???) (60 Minden )
• Grenadiers in Mitre (30 Minden)
• Holstein-Gottorp Dragoons (30 RSM95)
• Nassau-Sarrebruck Cavalerie in Bearskins (30 Minden )

 

Odds and Ends

• One Wagon, One Stagecoach, and Teams
• Various Villagers/Civilians
• Various Generals and Staff
• One Squadron of Russian Dragoons (Young Master Paul’s)
• 30 RSM95 Prussian Hussars (not sure what I'll do with these just yet)
• Leftover officers, NCOs, musicians, and a few others (again, not sure what I'll do with these besides drawing on them for the grenadier formations)

So, that is the not inconsiderable stock of figures to draw from.  Hence the self-imposed moratorium, more or less. on further purchases or gift requests in recent years.  But when is a hobby project ever really "done"?  Model railroad enthusiasts always seem to be working on one or another part of their layouts over many years.  And some of them occasionally tear down their work and start from scratch as they perfect the art of replicating the real world in one or another scale.  

Parenthetically, I've become a real fan of N Scale layouts thanks to Youtube.  But back to toy soldiers!

As I told the Grand Duchess late Friday evening over a second glass of wine by the hearth -- she was kind enough to ask (blame the grapes) although I kept my reply short and sweet to avoid her eyes glazing over -- the long-term plan outlined above should do it for the painting part of the GD of S project.  The goal is then to play with them into my dotage.  By that point, I suspect, the ol' eyes just won't manage close-up work anymore beyond the odd group of staff or villagers, and it will be time to simply enjoy the collection.

And on that note, I think I'll set up my table this summer and get some terrain laid out.  The Young Master is older now as are the Grand Ducal felines Gunnlaug and Onyx, so I think things might be safer left in situ than once was the case.  Because the Grand Duchy of Stollen enters its 20th year in 2026, I'm feeling like another attempt at Sittangbad. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Time to fetch another mug of coffee and get the Anhalt-Zerbst Regiment onto its permanent bases!

-- Stokes

Most, but not all, of my scratch-built structures laid out during the same Grand Review during October 2017,  A rather large market town somewhere along the Baltic coast from the look of things.