Getting organised

I’ve been thinking about buying a rack for my paint for a while, and finally got around to it.

I also needed some more hydro foam for my wet palette, and some new sculpting tools for a forthcoming medieval adventure modelling project, so I sought these out at Green Stuff World. Overall, including shipping, this worked out ten quid cheaper than Amazon.

The rack is easy to assemble, and with a bit of wood glue for good measure the result is sturdy and stable. It looks neat, and has capacity for 60 17ml bottles.

Tidy!

Happy New Year

Season’s greetings to my followers and readers, wherever you are in the world. I hope you got all the toys you wanted for Christmas.

My Sudan project has languished while I get stuck into my medieval adventure. I do have plans for some additions this year – some Indian infantry at the very least, and I am still thinking about the armed train – the block here is lack of an authentic looking locomotive.

Meanwhile, thank you for your interest – over 36 thousand page views seems quite remarkable to me.

El-Teb sugar refinery

I have been thinking about modelling the boiler for the derelict sugar refinery at El-Teb, which was fanatically defended by Mahdist warriors.

I am just about to use the last of a bottle of spectacles lens cleaner, and I think it may be just the right size to form the basis of the boiler. I bought a sheet of Slater’s Plasikard with embossed rivets, and now I am ready to give the model a go.

Lens cleaner bottle, a sheet of embossed rivets, and a determined Mahdist for scale.

For you all love the screw gun …

The mule train for the screw gun battery is finished, with the components loaded and organised in order of march: axel tree, wheels, carriage, breach, chase (barrel), and ammunition.

I have followed the same principle I established for the Royal Navy Gatling gun battery [link], that is to model one weapon in transit to represent the battery of two guns on the move.

The converted infantry driver figures turned out alright after all, I think.

By way of celebration, let’s have some Kipling – the refrain from Screw-Guns:

For you all love the screw-guns the screw-guns they all love you!

So when we call round with a few guns, o’ course you will know what to do – hoo! hoo!

Jest send in your Chief an’ surrender it’s worse if you fights or you runs:

You can go where you please, you can skid up the trees, but you don’t get away from the guns!

The loaded mules with their drivers.

Season’s greetings

I have finally got the mules finished, and begun to think about the accompanying figures.

My first attempt is to model these from the Afghanistan/Sudan plastic set, with the addition of Empress Miniatures’ Oliver pattern water bottles, and a little ProCreate for webbing. The lack of walking poses may mean I need to rethink this. Wait to see.

I hope to have these finished before the end of the year, so that I can switch my effort to the late medieval period.

Meanwhile, I wish my ten followers and many more visitors a peaceful and relaxing time over the next few days.

The mules patiently await their drivers.

Screw gun battery mules: all six

I have been working on these on-and-off throughout the week, and now they are complete.

Six mules carrying the gun chase, breach, carriage, wheels, axel tree, elevation mechanism, and ammunition. Next I have to work on the gun crew figures which will accompany these.

The disassembled gun and ammunition distributed across six mules.