Where were you when the lights went out?

Or at least when blogger went down on Thursday? I was taking a few pictures to post. So here they are.

First off the ill fated Mexicans. The latest casualty has been merely glued back together, after all they use super glue for surgery on full sized humans these days, besides, I think the units may end up 20 rather than 24 after, but that's a story for another day. (As in "Why do I have this urge to do 20 figures when 24 seems so much more logical, and am I clever enough to justify it beyond "I felt like it" or will I go with the logical approach.")

Zinnbrigade homecast Napoleonic French + a Perry Peninsula War Officer , painted as 1836 Mexicans.

Then the first new 1/72nd Rebs in 28 years. My current plan is to do 36 stands of Yanks and 27 of Rebs which added to Jerry's should do us for now. With this "as the flu lets up" regiment, I am up to 30 Yankee infantry, 3 cavalry and 4 guns and 18 Reb infantry and 2 guns. (need to buy more)

Tentatively, I am organizing them into "Brigades" of 36 figures on 9 stands.  Two 3 stand regiments including an officer, and a 3 stand regiment including a flag and bugler as well. Which puts me back into the discussion on practical game vs recreating historical OB's but I'm postponing that.

Airfix Rebs (flag to follow...)

Next, for those who might be interested,  a comparison of Zinnbrigade, Perry, Irregular, Scruby and my own 40/42 mm figures.

Various 40mm figures. Zinnbrigade 1900 Prussian Artillery Officer painted as an 1848 Schleswig officer despite the anachronistic uniform style, Irregular Crimean British Guards Officer, Scruby 1812 British Infantry (listed as US), Perry Lippe-Detmold Officer painted as British Engineer,   one of my original 1812 British officer in frock coat. I really need some STS figures to round things out, hopefully they will still be available when the warchest finally refills.

and lastly, because someone once asked me "who are the GGBG?", my slightly twisted to version of the Governor-General's Body Guard.  Chamber's 1902 history of the Regiment (The actual title is 3 lines long) includes some interesting bits on cavalry in the War of 1812.  Colonel Denison's auto biography, Soldiering in Canada,  (if I'd known 10 years ago that it would be digitized and put on line, I'm not sure I would have shelled out the amount I did for an original copy) not only relates the early story of the regiment but is an interesting look at the Canadian military and politics in the 19thC, which oddly seems little different from today, other than in details.

Zinnbrigade Homecast Prussian Dragoons, infantry and artillery converted into "my version" of the GGBG.


This toy regiment illustrates not only one of the problems caused by starting work before you decide what you are doing  but also the joy of not really caring since you are doing "alternate history" or "imagi-nations". The figures are Zinnbrigade 1900 Prussian (sic) Dragoons.  I started out to do them as the Governor General's Bodyguard in their new 1866, Fenian Raid era, uniforms with tunic, plumed helmet (probably not worn on campaign but pretty) and unofficial, privately provided butcher boots. Part way through, I decided to back the project up to the 1830's  when, as the Queen's Light Dragoons, the uniform would have been a plumed,  Light Dragoon Bell Shako, (theoretically, in practice a fur cap with red bag was worn in winter at least),  laced dark blue shell jacket with buff facings and overalls. Rather than scrap the figures already started, I decided to do them in shell jackets but leave the helmets and boots. A few minutes scraping removed the jacket tails, the paint was touched up and I carried on, finishing them as the Faraway Trading Company Director General's Bodyguard. Having repatriated the project to an alternate history North America, the regiment is prepared to march west 45 years early under their  future title, wearing a uniform that isn't quite right for any period, but is close enough.