The fruits of the mold .

Well I finally got around to trying out the mold I vented , the first few where not a success !- with the rifle not casting properly - Hmm ! . However as the mold heated up after a few pourings I began to get some good castings .

The first six figures, even for a semi-flat figure they are VERY two dimensional . They are going to take some cleaning up but they look a rather nice figure , I think I will have to do some shading on them because of their flatness rather than the usual 'toy soldier' paint job . I will have to do another six to field a unit and I'm not at the moment sure why they should be involved in the Balkans - something to do with King Ludwig II or one of his relatives perhaps (?) 

 

A recalcitrant mold .

 

I've had this mold for quite a while , I got it cheap off  Ebay but never managed to get a proper casting from it . It is from a German firm called SCAD and is of a Franco-Prussian Bavarian infantryman in 40mm and semi flat . I thought I might add a unit to my Balkans War Imaginations collection to represent the little know Bavarian intervention in that conflict . 

So today being very wet outdoors I settled down to cut some vents into the mold to help the air escape and aid the molten metal flow around it . I'm waiting till tomorrow and the absence of my wife to test it out - not sure she fully approves of me using the cooker hob and sparing her the bad language if it doesn't work .

Here's the mold (upper right) with the other two ones I bought, I've cast the other ones without any problems . I will report back on the progress . 

A work in progress .

Been repairing some hollow cast Cowboys - hence the' green stuff ' six-shooter .

 

Thinking of Christmas - already !

Sadly I can't find any pictures of the 'Great Miniature Battle' or 'War Tableaux'  - especially when when the artillery used REAL gunpowder ! (click on photo to enlarge)

 

Toy soldier family fun .

Fun for all the family !,  even the 'intelligent sort of girls' , just wait till somebody has an eye put out by a errant missile , seen on Facebook . (click on photo to enlarge)

 

The decay of history.

Whilst on holiday near Bamburgh in Northumbria I came across this sad example of the decay of historic monuments . This is what is left of a WW2 concrete pillbox which has been washed out by the action of the sea and time from the sand dunes - the dog is for scale .

A better preserved example on a local golf course . Corrugated iron sheeting has been used as shuttering when pouring the concrete to build the pillbox . It's sad when these pieces of history disappear , it is hoped the sites and structures have been recorded by somebody as they are as important as many grander structures in telling history .

The worlds largest dice !? - author and dog for scale , think they might be to prevent coastal erosion .

PS Defence of Britain Database: Introduction (archaeologydataservice.ac.uk)

found this on the internet 

 

Back to figure painting .

Got back off holiday and finished these French Artillery for my Italian Wars of Independence . My French have been rather neglected of late and these gun and crew have been wanting completing for quite a while , I even did the hated limber and team - as you know I hate doing these BUT when done they always add something to the tabletop/game . Overseeing the crew is another mounted French Officer , the figures are of course Irregular 28mm . I have another gun and crew to paint and a small unit of Cavalry whilst I'm in this mood .