November 27, 2022
This week began with the painting of the last of the Aztec figures I will be using with my Gordon Institute Mexico expedition. The vast majority of the Aztec figures I am using are by Wargames Foundry, but the sacrifice vignette is by Eureka Miniatures. I also have some captives by Eureka that I will be using, but they are on order and haven’t arrived yet.
Last weekend I found a couple of interesting items at the swap meet. The first is a small shed that I got for fifty cents. It didn’t have a door and the back needed some detail. I provided both using some Evergreen plastic v-groove and then gave it a new paint job.
The second item I found at the swap meet was an O scale flatcar. During the Mexican Revolution trains were an essential element of the war effort for both sides. I have an O scale plastic toy train that I will be repurposing for this collection. I got all the parts/engine and boxcars for that at the swap meet. I really focused on boxcars because they were so heavily used by both sides to transport supplies and troops and as hospitals and command centers. Unfortunately, I dropped the ball when it came to getting flatcars, so finding this one was a big help. I filled two holes in the flatcar deck using v-groove Evergreen plastic, and provided removable defensive/machinegun positions for both the Federales and the Revolutionaries. The figures I used are by Old Glory. Since Old Glory only made Federales with the machine gun, I modified the Federales with new heads to give me the look I wanted for the Revolutionaries.
As the week came to an end, I began searching my outdoor storage shed for terrain pieces I purchased at the swap meet for this project over the years. The first one I found was the Fisher Price Aztec Castle aka Dino Fortress. On Saturday morning I started removing pieces that were not part of the look I wanted. I didn’t get a lot done before I went to the swap meet, and when I returned from the swap meet I spent the rest of the day (five hours) going through my storage shed looking for things I was going to need to complete the Mexico project. My big find of the day was locating the train that I will be using. It is by Hobby Train. It is plastic. It is approximately O gauge which works well with 28mm. At the end of those five hours, I had no energy for anything else… the workbench week was done.
November 20, 2022
This proved to be a very productive week at the workbench. It began with the painting of three Artizan Designs’ vaqueros that will serve as guides/scouts for the Gordon expedition. I then finished the last five of the Gordon team (two Artizan Designs Thrilling Tales figures and three Old Glory including a photographer… all from the Spanish American War Correspondents packs).
Russ Dunaway was kind enough to send me the prisoner figures from Old Glory’s Darkest Africa that I modified to be the targets for a Federales’ firing squad. My thanks to Russ and Connie.
I next turned my attention to painting some Lammings market stalls that I have had for more than 20 years. They will be used in my Mexican town.
Using a couple of pieces of Evergreen plastic, I made two execution posts.
I ended the week painting Aztecs. Many of them I modified to carry modern handguns… largely the 1911 Colt military handgun. For the guns I used two Heroclix figures: Criminal and Henchman. The Aztec figures are by Wargames Foundry.
November 13, 2022
I began the week painting civilian females from Boot Hill Miniatures (now owned by Brigade Games). I then painted six females from the Perry Miniatures Carlist War line of figures. They are Spanish, but I’ll be using them with my Mexican collection… hopefully most people won’t recognize the distinction. With those done I turned my attention to the Boot Hill/Brigade Games Mariachi Band. I need some priests/monks for my Gordon Institute Mexican expedition, and for those I turned to Perry Miniatures.
I brought the workbench week to a close by painting all but three or four of the Gordon Institute team involved in the expedition to Mexico. The vast majority of those are Artizan Designs/Thrilling Tales figures. A few are by Copplestone Castings and Pulp Figures. All that remains of the Gordon Institute Mexico team are three Old Glory figures and four Mexican guides that were hired by the team (Artizan Designs’ Banditos).
November 6, 2022
I began the week painting two mounted Mexican revolutionary commanders for my Gordon Institute collection… expedition to Mexico. Both of these figures are by Old Glory. With them done I turned my attention to my Mexican civilian population which will be composed of figures by Blue Moon, Old Glory, Foundry, Perry Miniatures and Boot Hill Miniatures (now taken over by Brigade Games).
Near the end of the week something reminded me that years ago I purchased some market stalls and products that I had never made use of and would work well as the marketplace for my Mexican town. In the 90's I found some Lamming Miniatures market stalls, meats, jars, fruits, and vegetables at a local miniatures/game shop called The War House. At the time I found them they were gathering dust on a seldom-seen shelf in the back room because Lamming, which was founded in the mid-60's, had been out of business since 1983. I got a hot deal and took everything the store had. I think I paid $18 for everything. Much of Lamming Miniatures' figure line was purchased by East Riding Miniatures when Lamming closed its doors, and recently East Riding has turned its lights out as well. I don't think East Riding ever produced the Lamming marketplace material, but I'm not sure of that. Sadly The War House has also closed in the last year. It makes me happy that I will be able to include these old-school pieces in a project I am doing nearly 40 years after Lamming closed its doors.
At the end of the week I got a call from Brookhurst Hobbies to inform me that my copy of Armies of the Mexican Revolution by Mike Blake had come in. My initial review of my copy is that it is an excellent resource for the period.
I brought the workbench week to an end painting the four male civilians from Boot Hill Miniatures.
