Robin Hood

Torrential rain in Tradgardland today. I decided to work on some of my Robin Hood figures using cocktail sticks, wire ,masking tape and glue. Just ignore the other figures, more about them later.

What I am working on...

Here are a couple of things on the workbench. Firstly 1/32 ancients, HaT and Italaeri . I am enjoying painting the bigger scale figures and doing simple conversions to them like swopping heads and repositioning arms etc. Unlike the HaT 20mm figures these are a descent rigidity of plastic and paint goes on well to them. 

 The garden railway has stalled on some fronts, for example I am still awaiting the track I ordered a month ago and Inreally ought to contact them. The scenery is moving forward however and I am pleased with the resin buildings I am working on. They have begun to come together well.

The Lark is finally up or Up with the Lark part 4

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Apologies , blogger is acting up this morning and a few of the pictures above in this post are in the wrong order. I am sure you can work it out.

Up with the Lark Part 3

Up with the Lark

Crafty folk

I watched the channel four daily craft programme at 17:00 with Kirstie Allsopp with one of my daughters. The presenter engagingly and with skill demonstrates Crafts people can engage with using things they have around the house. I was impressed by the infectious enthusiasm and good ideas presented. She talked about the help that being engaged in such things can be, meditative and therapeutic. So true and true of our hobby too. One loses oneself in painting etc. We are lucky to have this hobby of ours.
Anyway ,enough of this musing. I had a very productive day in the garden ( although seeds planted seventeen days ago under glass have yet to do anything) as well as a useful rake in the shed. I was musing about the need for some militia types for the 1950s and found some figures including some I had been given by James from Australia some years ago. Here are some of them-

Very basic changes but interesting for me to try. The one on the left is the Britains figure from the job lot of a few posts ago. I have given him a Scaletrix head. I will paint up his battledress as overalls. The middle one is a Scalectrix photographer with a replacement metal head ( tin helmet found by him in the loft and pressed into service) and a rifle will be added. A local paper photographer recording events . The figure on the right is a modern Britains farmer with cane removed and metal head replacement. I will work on these today. I have one or two other civilians about but can’t find them. Any suggestions for other figures to use, particularly with a fifties vibe would be appreciated. I’m enjoying keeping hands busy and getting lost for sometime in another project.

A tale of two soldiers

I had two Britains toy soldiers on my painting desk for ages. They weren’t particularly animated and retained much of their original paint. I never bothered to try and find out who they were. This week I got a couple of articles in the post ( thanks Mark) about Old Lead Soldiers and restoring them. They were both entertaining and also inspiring being filled with anecdotes and practical guidance. Part two talked about set No. 28 the Mountain Battery from Britains. As I read on I realised who these figures were -

Here they are on the aforementioned article . With a little more research I found confirmation in this picture

At some point I will get some more of the battery from Dorset Model Soldiers and have myself some mountain artillery. A mystery solved thanks to Military Modelling.

Tradgardland Colonial Troops: New uniforms. Please vote for the uniform of your choice...

The Duchy of Tradgardland maintains some colonies overseas. The Duke is currently looking at three designs for new uniforms for the Colonial infantry.

An old print of  Fort Karl Frederick on the Spice  Islands

The original  new uniform drawings produced for the Duke to view.

Here are three soldiers dressed in the prototype uniforms- one in the blue uniform,one in the white uniform and one in the khaki one. Please aid the Duke by casting your vote for the uniform of your choice ( by Sunday) by leaving a comment. Your help is greatly appreciated by the Duke.

Figures again are conversions from Crescent Guards with Dorset Toy Soldier heads added.

Simple conversions painted

I finished the first unit of Tradgardlanders yesterday and was pleased with the result. Here they are on manoeuvres near Tradgardstadt -