The Grand Duchy of Stollen

Newsflash!  Minden Miniatures is currently working on some SYW-era Prussian mounted generals and dismounted staff.  Although Frank Hammond, the man behind Minden Miniatures, points out that these will not be ready for sale for some time yet (so please don't e-mail Frank to ask him when) , the photographs of the greens are terribly impressive.  Click on the highlighted link above to be magically transported to Frank's blog, where you can ogle these sculpting marvels.  Richard Ansell's best work yet, I'd say.  It looks like I'll have to add some of these to the Grand Duchy of Stollen collection once they become available.

Remember these guys?  These were finished during the late fall of 2010 and have been waiting patiently for their guns to arrive ever since.  Army bureaucracy you know!  The figures are Prussian artillery from Garrison by the way.  A few different things happening here in Stollen Central the last week or so.  First, I have been slowly getting those last two MiniFig guns painted to go with the crew shown above.  Still some cleaning up to do before the usual two coats of glossy varnish, but overall I am fairly well pleased. The barrels of the guns were painted with GW Dwarf Bronze, given a very thin wash of alkyd oil-based Burnt Sienna, and then the bronze was touched up on the upper-most parts of the barrels.  This seems to add a bit more depth, texture, and visual interest to these relatively plain castings, though that is kind of hard to see in the photograph below. So, here are the two MiniFig guns in question.  Not quite there, but just abo...

So there I sat. Minding my own business while the rest of the world slept. That old, faded neon sign outside my window, buzzing loudly, blinked Eat at Joe's , to nothing and no one. No one but me. . .  Gloss E. Varnish. As usual, I painted in a beat up fedora and wrinkled trenchcoat with a glowing Lucky stuck to my lower lip, a nickel-plated heater in the top drawer, and a half-empty bottle of cheap scotch on the desk. I'd made some headway on another batch of Holger Eriksson cavalry, a tough case to crack, and stopped for a swig or two of rot-gut and another smoke. I inhaled deeply, enjoyed the burn, and contemplated a new number three sable round with a good point that I'd bought a few days before.  It was a good night. Suddenly, a shadow fell across my threshold. She was a dark city dame on the lam, trying to escape from a troubled past. And some guy called F.O. Wore, the leader of a new gang of toughs in the city, who were trying to muscle in on the trade.  I gave...

  First, here is a close-up of a trooper and the regimental trumpeter just to illustrate the detail I added (sword knots, stirrups, bits, and bridle buckles). After two months of fairly easy paintwork, which was more fun that I've ever had painting any unit of figures, the HE dragoons are all done, save for a couple of coats of Future/Klear acrylic floor finish on the second and third squadrons, which I'll apply tomorrow evening.  The painting scheme is, as I've mentioned here before, based on that illustration of the Trumbach Dragoons by Bob Marion in the first volume of Charles Grant's and Phil Olley's Wargaming in History .   Now that I have painted some Holger Eriksson figures and added them to the Grand Duchy of Stollen collection, I understand the charm of these lovely old miniatures.  I've already arranged with the Grand Duchess to have an order sent to our friend in Berlin,which my wife will pick up during a brief trip to Germany and Poland next summ...

What's this ?  A company of O'Malley's Irish Grenzers has occupied Schpeckbova Farm, located just beneath a wooded ridge. A fair amount has been going on here the last couple of weeks, including, of course, a flurry of painting on the final 18 (yes, 18!) Holger Eriksson dragoons.  But more on those in just a moment. First, a copy of  Hans Bleckween's Reiter, Husaren, und Grenadiere arrived in the mail about two weeks ago after a circuitous journey from Germany.  This is an interesting little book all about the Reichsarmee of circa 1734.  Not exactly mid-18th Century, but pretty close and chock-a-block full of fascinating period illustrations of soldiers from the ten districts responsible for contributing troops and money to the formation and upkeep of the Reichsarmee. . .  The 'army' of the Holy Roman Empire.  If you are at all interested in the subject, track down a copy.  Even if you don't read German well (and mine is very rusty), there are ...

Another great cover illustration by Phil, which so far have been based on those that grace the pages of Charge! Or, How to Play War Games. A fair amount has been going on here in Stollen Central during the past week as things have settled down following the month of Christmas and New Year's celebrations in which we indulge here in the Grand Duchy. First, the second issue of volume one of The Classic Wargamer's Journal was published and sent out to subscribers in the last few days from what I undestand. Among other articles, it features an opinionated piece by yours truly along with a challenge to readers. Now, I don't want to give away anything, so you'll just have to wait and read the article yourself. . . or contact Phil Olley via his Classic Wargaming blog about a subscription if you have not done so already. Suffice to say, I identify a very real problem facing lots of wargamers today and offer suggestions about how to cope with it productively. You be the...

Here they are, sans their two coats of Future/Klear acrylic floor finish, which is coming this evening after supper, the first dozen of a 30-strong regiment of Holger Eriksson dragoons, painted, more or less, as the Voluntaires de Prusse. Just another 18 to go! Things have been slower than normal since just before Christmas and the new year here at Stollen Central, thanks to family, friends, good food, delightful socializing, and etc. I have, however, managed to finish the first dozen Holger Eriksson dragoons and wrap up the painting on some houses and assorted buildings that I put together this time last year. But first, let's talk figures and painting. The HE figures that I started in early December have been fun and fast to paint. I've used a mix of media, including Humbrol undercoats on the horses with thin washes of oils on top along with Humbrol British Rifle Green and Games Workshop acrylic hobby paints for the troopers and officers. Overall, I am reasonably pleased ...

The Grand Duke Irwin-Amadeus II, his faithful manservant Hives, and the flamboyant General von Tschatschke, along with Colonel von Adalnowski and Major von Topfsange, would like to wish each one of you peace, happiness, and prosperity in the coming year. The start of a new year sees many of us taking stock of things. Where we are in life, where we want to be, the previous twelve months, the next dozen, and so forth. For wargamers, early January is an ideal time to review hobby-related activities like painting, gaming, reading, historical research, and the like. Initially, as I let my thoughts drift back over the last twelve months, I felt like I had not really done very much given the requirements of professional and personal life. However, as I paged through old blog entries earlier this afternoon, I notice that rather more has occurred here at Stollen Central than I suspected. So, let's revisit a few highlights from 2010. Last year opened with a bang when I managed to finish ...

The ground is white with fresh snow east of the sun and west of the moon in the Grand Duchy of Stollen. Billowing, silvery drifts are piled throughout the country. The rivers and lakes are frozen solid. The woods are still but for the distant jingle of sleigh bells in the bracing air. The sky is slate grey, and heavy coal smoke hangs over the villages and towns. It is almost Christmas here in the far-off Grand Duchy of Stollen, somewhere to the northeast of Frederick’s Prussia. Citizens bustle to and fro through snow-covered streets in the small capital city of Krankenstadt, running last minute errands before the Christmas festival begins in earnest. The red brick North German Gothic storefronts feature special Christmas items and treats, and the happy faces of children peek in through the frosty windows at the cheerful seasonal displays. Street vendors peddle their wares in the town square, shouting loudly above the din of shoppers, their voices forming puffs of ste...

Like a staid Roman orgy, the Christmas ball at Krankenstadt Palace rages. At Krankenstadt Palace, the Christmas ball continues into the wee hours of the morning. One guest, the loquacious Princess von Schabbere, has already described it as, "The social event of the year!" And while the the Lady Leonora Christina von Grandin and the dashing Prince von Boffke dance the night away, oblivious to the Grand Duke Irwin-Amadeus II sweating profusely in his lobster costume and behaving like a coarse bumpkin, something, or someone is hard at work upstairs in the study, painting those first twelve Holger Eriksson dragoons. . . Here is a close-up photograph on one figure from the batch. Still a bit to do, but mostly finished. And here is a second photo, this time of the entire first batch. A rather pleasing result. Oh, and the uniform is based on the Voluntaires de Prusse illustration by Bob Marion found in Charles Grant's and Phil Olley's delightful 'Wargaming in Histo...