In the Works

Here are a number of the things I'm working on.  The careful observer will note that I have quite a few projects going on at once.  I'm not sure what to tell you about that.  Life is short, and miniatures are many! 

First and primarily, I am building up armies of British colonial troops: redcoats, kilted Scotsmen, Sikhs, Gurkhas, cannon, Nordenfeldts, Zulus, Afridis, Dervishes, German Schutztruppen, French Foreign Legion, the whole shebang.  I'm also adding a little whimsy to the mix, designing and building several steam-powered landships to go along with them.  Granted, it's not strictly historical, but I've been researching early tanks, and after seeing some of these early designs my imagination just kind of started running wild.  Check these out:

And yes, that one in the middle is real.  The Russian Lebedenko tank, which they actually built and tested.  Apparently it did not work exceedingly well, but what a wacky design! 

My second big push is on miniatures for the Anglo-Irish and Irish Civil Wars.  This is a tricky proposition, and requires quite a bit of conversion.  The British troops are easy enough to find, and they are easy enough to convert into Irish Free State Troops.  However, finding combatant civilians with period-appropriate weapons is entirely different.  Fortunately, some recent releases have helped to fill the void, such as Caesar's wonderful two sets of WWII Underground Partisans and Redbox's sets of Gangsters and Policemen/Civilians.  A bit of creative painting and some modifying and converting, and I'll have a skirmish going in no time.  Well, after I build a quaint little Irish village, some fields and forests for an ambush, and get some armored lorries for the British Tommies, Auxies, and Black and Tans.  Here are some photos (unfortunately only black and white) of one of the major players in the conflict, the Royal Irish Constabulary (These are all technically RIC A and B Specials, better known as the Black and Tans):

My most recent obsession, however, is the Siege of Vienna in 1683.  When I first read about this truly pivotal battle a number of years ago, I was captivated by the idea of hundreds of Polish Winged Hussars thundering across the field to smash Kara Mustafa and rescue Vienna at the last possible minute.  As a campaign, it really has a remarkable scope for modelling.  The range and scope of the Ottoman Army is truly staggering, with troop types varying from Tartar irregular horsemen to uniformed janissaries to armored sipahis and more.  The Allied armies were varied as well, with pike and musket Austrian formations, well-drilled Saxon battalions, cuirassiers and, of course, the Winged Hussars.  There are quite a few sets available for the period, as well as a number of sets for the Thirty Years' War that can be easily converted, sometimes requiring nothing more than a paint job.  I've painted up a small number of Winged Hussars, and let me tell you that they are quite the project.  They look darned good, though.  Hopefully pics will be forthcoming. 

I've got quite a few more irons in the fire, but these are my top three.  Any comments, photos of uniforms, conversion suggestions, or general thoughts are welcome.

Fall In

Here is my official entrance into the blogosphere.  It is perhaps fitting that this blog should be dedicated to military miniatures, modeling, and military history in general.  I have devoted much of my life to all three.  My chief interest lies in Queen Victoria's "little wars" of the 18th and 19th Centuries, but my interests really do range from ancients to WWII and beyond. 

I primarily work in 20mm plastics.  They're inexpensive, and the ranges are extensive and varied.  Also, they are far easier to convert than metals.  I've been pleasantly surprised that in recent years HaT has been releasing more and more sets for the Colonial period, including artillery and cavalry.  Other manufacturers have released in the period as well, increasing the range of poses and figures.  Most of the conversions I've done so far have related in some way to the Colonial period, creating German askaris, Gurkhas, gun crews, and so on. 

In the future, hopefully, I'll have photos and reports to post on my conversions.  I also intend to post relevant photos and bits of information related to wargaming, military miniatures, and military history.  Look forward to it!