January 26, 2020
The focus this week was on completing the first of my two heavy dragoon regiments and starting my second heavy British dragoon regiment. The second of the two is composed of figures by AB. Unlike the previous three dragoon regiments (one heavy and two light) this one is at rest/weapons not drawn. When I purchased them I made an error in judgment. Because I originally purchased them to be part of the plaza punishment/flogging scenario, I only purchased 11 figures, but as I worked on them I realized that was not really a practical thing to do so I will be purchasing the remaining six this week so that this regiment can be part of the punishment scenario and used in the field as well… live and learn.
I ended the week by basing 15 of the 50 small pine trees I will be using in this collection. The pine trees are by Grand Central Gems which is my go-to company for trees… I like their look and they are reasonably priced. In this case 50 trees for $38. I also based a very small tree/bush that I discovered in a drawer. Because I bought it a long time ago, I don’t remember the manufacturer… could be Scenic Effects
January 19, 2020
I began the workbench week by completing the last two figures for my second (helmeted) British light dragoon regiment for my Peninsula War collection.
On Saturday (January 11) I came across a great swap meet find which consists of four of the resin Hawthorne Village/Thomas Kinkade buildings. They tend to run about $30 each (which includes shipping) on eBay, and I got all four for $15. They will work well with 15/18mm figures. Each of them had some minor damage which I addressed at the workbench mainly with the use of Milliput. One of the buildings was called the Lamplight Inn. It’s a beautiful building but comes with a big sign over the main entrance. I found the sign limiting in terms of use options so I cut it off and did my best to cut a stone look into the surface that I removed the sign from… I’m happy with it. Another of the buildings was the village antique store which I prefer as a cottage. Its sign was broken and it had two pieces of furniture on display outside the front door. To allow it to have the cottage look I desired, I covered the broken sign and furniture with Milliput shaped as shrubs.
While I was working on these buildings, which I should say come very nicely pre-painted, I remembered that several years ago I purchased a fountain and a bridge and pond from the same collection. I hunted around and found them. I have done nothing to the fountain, but I removed the four oversized lamps that were on posts on the bridge, and I removed the figure of a man fishing from beside the pond. All of the buildings, plus the fountain, bridge and pond will work well with some future, as yet undefined, 18mm project. The fisherman was vastly oversized for the bridge and pond and will work well with a 28mm collection so I kept him for some future 28mm project… probably my Gordon Institute Loch Ness project.
Once the buildings were done, I turned my attention back to my British cavalry, in this case a British heavy dragoon regiment. I was able to complete about a third of the regiment’s figures before the week ended.
January 12, 2020
My focus this week was on completing the first of my British light dragoon regiments (with shako), and move on to the second of my light dragoon regiments (with helmets). Why the two different hats? In 1812 the British light dragoons underwent a uniform change, but in Spain the British supply process was less than swift. I am sure that British light dragoon regiments in Spain and Portugal prior to 1812 probably did not get new uniforms for a long time, and regiments newly arrived in the Peninsula in 1812 might well have been issued the new uniforms in Britain before being shipped to the Peninsula so I decided to reflect both in my British Peninsula collection.
I honestly thought I would finish my second British light dragoon regiment this week, but two still remain. My failure to finish that project this week was probably a result of being tired and having my attention drawn to doing some repair work on three of the four Hawthorne Village/Thomas Kinkade buildings I picked up at the swap meet on Saturday for $3.75 each/$15 for the four buildings. They are beautiful buildings that will work with some as yet unknown 18mm project, and I got them for about 10 times less than the asking price plus shipping on eBay. As stated above I bought four of them and three needed repair or modification… broken tip of the steeple as well as some missing detail work on the steeple of the church, chimney broken on another building, and the hiding of an antique shop sign and merchandise displayed outside the shop. All the repair and modification was done with Milliput… I love that stuff.
January 5, 2020
It’s been a busy week… New Year’s, garage doors painted, decisions about a new roof. I had hoped that I would complete the first of my British light dragoon regiments, but that was not to be. Each mounted regiment will consist of 17 figures… one officer, one standard bearer, one trumpeter, and 14 troopers. I still have six troopers to complete before my first mounted British regiment is done. Busy with other things is part of the reason for my failure to complete the first cavalry regiment this week, but part of it is also a result of the fact that when I start a new type of figure, whether that is in terms of scale or design (in this case moving from infantry to cavalry), I always find myself struggling to find my comfort zone… even after more than 40 years of doing this. That was the case in moving from infantry to cavalry. I did finish those last six figures on Sunday, but that will be for my next posting
