Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Santa has come and gone and I am left with lead to paint...about 88 minis to be exact. I received several packs from the Sash & Saber line including Union and Confederate regiment packs. Each includes 3 blisters of ten troops each in right shoulder shift. In addition there is a blister of ten command figures (3 NCOs, 2 officers, 2 color bearers, 2 drummers, and 1 bugler). These packs go for $45 each and each pose is different. In addition to the advancing packs, skirmish, Iron Brigade, Zouaves, mounted and dismounted cav, and arty pieces and crew are some additional products offered. For me, S&S is right up there with Foundry in quality and appearance. S&S wins with more variety of poses of their rank and file troops and the price is just over half that of Foundry, however Foundry offers a better variety of packs. I don't know how reliable the source was, but I've been told Chris at S&S is working on some new stuff. Well, I'm not going to get much painted by blogging, so farewell for now.

Some WW2

Here are a few pics of some WW2 stuff I promised.  I think I may have mentioned in an earlier entry that most of my WW2 figs are Bolt Action.  these were painted using a single-color base coat (with the exception of some of the bags and ammo pouches), a drybrush, and a wash.  The Wehrmacht Pak 40 crews are Crusader pre-painted by a painting service; not happy with the quality. As with most of my  ACW, any WW2 I do in the future will be done using a 2-color method.  On to Berlin!

Confederate Cav

I know, I promised some WW2 stuff when I last left you...sorry.  Last night I put the finishing touches on a unit (mounted and dismounted) of Rebel cavalry that has taken a lot longer than I had hoped to complete.  First, I have found horses to be an endless, boring task, but they look great when completed.  Second, I recently purchased Foundry's Master Class book on painting and have been experimenting with different painting methods.  When I first started painting, I employed a single color base coat for the most part and used washes and Army Painter Quickshade for shading.  I find this method to offer a descent result, but not nearly as attractive as Foundry's 2 and 3 color methods.  At this point I am across the board when it comes to painting methods.  These figures are primarily done in 2-color, but if you look carefully you may see some drybrushing and some washes.

As for the lines of figs I used, most of the mounted are Perry plastics with a few Foundry tossed in.  The dismounted are a mix of Foundry and Dixon.  I find the Foundry line to be outstanding, but a bit overpriced.  I got a pretty good deal on several packs on eBay last year that I couldn't pass up.  I found an outfit in Tennessee unloading Dixons at 50 cents a pop.  Needless to say, at that price I have bought over hundred over the past year or so. As for Perry plastics, my mom taught me if I have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all.

 I think this fig would make for a pretty good Nathan Bedford Forrest

Curio Clash #1

When I chose 25/28mm, I soon discovered that I would have a lot of work to do if I ever wanted to run a Civil War scenario in this scale. I haven't found ACW to be a popular period in my area, let alone 25mm ACW.  So, needless to say, if I wanted to embarke on this journey, I would have to shoulder the load of painting hundreds of models on my own (purchasing/constructing a lot of terrain as well). I am very close to being able to run some of the smaller fights and hope to host a Fox's Gap scenario later this winter, but I still have a lot of work ahead of me in order to table the stands necessary for the larger scenarios. As I mentioned in one of my first entries, instead of packing my work away in storage bins I like to put it on display in my basement curio cabinet. What I have on display at the moment is not based on a historical battle. Up next some WW2.

The Federal gun crews begin to load cannister

The 2nd WI volunteers arrive to bolster the line

Sam Hood stands proud

Weekend In Branson

When my wife told me about an attraction in Branson, Missouri modeled after the Polar Express, I knew we'd be traveling there to take our daughters on it.  As we were planning our trip, I though to myself, 'Opportunity.'  With one of the friends making the trip with us having an appreciation for Civil War history, we'd have to hit Wilson's Creek Battlefield, just a few miles southwest of Springfield, Missouri. I'm ashamed to say that prior to this trip I had been to several fields including Gettysburg, Antietam, and Manassas, but never Wilson's Creek. With the clash sometimes referred to as the Bull Run of the west, it was the first major battle of western theater. The park features a very nice visitor's center, and is currently playing an Emmy nominated short documentary on the battle. Also featured is a nice self-driving tour with audio guide you can access with your cell phone.  All in all a trip I would recommend if your time and schedule allows.

Located in Branson is a very nice veterans museum we had time to visit as well. I was surprised by the amount of items on display used in most of the conflicts the United States has been involved in from WWI to current day. Strongly recommended as well.

Bloody Hill

 Totten's Battery

 Ray Cornfield