Hat Crown

I'll be making a couple of tricorns in this fashion for the project. I use a Hornet head, minus ears, and covered with Vaseline. The reason I cut the ears off is because I don't want them to hinder my blade while prying off the cured crown.

Makin' Buttons

I think I got this idea from Joe Hudson. It's crude, it destroyed a drill bit, but it's a huge time saver. Considering the amount of buttons on each figure, it helps to have a time saving device as this. I basically taped a couple pieces of plastic card to a block of wood. With a hammer, I make a few taps on the drill bit into the lead foil. The two sheets acts a cushion when tapping out the buttons and prevents them from being driven into the block of wood. This is all trial and error. Out of three punched, I'll get one decent button.

"A Cruel Misfortune" Part 7

Here's the finished sculpture of M. Beinenbourg, Aide De Camp to Crown Prince Frederick of Hesse Cassel, whom Tallard surrendered himself to during the final stage of the Battle of Blenheim.

Left over putty...

When I ordered the base from Ken Thomas, he informed me that it would have a void on one side. No problem, I'll fix it somehow. I hate having left over putty, thats why I mix small batches at a time, so this is what I've done with the small semi-hard clumps that are not useful. The blue thing is a piece of foam board I carved to fit the shape of the void. I did this so I wouldn't have use half a tub of putty to fill it.

"A Cruel Misfortune" Part 6

Here's the finished French Marshal Tallard.

"A Cruel Misfortune" Part 5

Here I've added the "skirt" of his coat and roughly drew where I will place the pockets and "pleats". It was important to sculpt the back and front of jacket and fuse it to the skirt. This will keep the skirt firmly in place while sculpting the pleats and pockets and also for triming and sanding later.

"A Cruel Misfortune" Part 4

Here's some work on Marshal Tallard. This figure will be more or less an SBS. Thanks for following.

"A Cruel Misfortune" Part 3

I'm almost finished with the horse, I still need to add fringe to the saddle holsters.

"A Cruel Misfortune" Part 2

I've now fleshed out the figures and layed out the groundwork. I spirnkled the ground with model dirt/stone and textured it with a rough stone.

"A Cruel Misfortune" Part 1

Here's my winter project. It depicts a final moment at the Battle of Blenheim, 12 August 1704, where French Marshal Tallard and remnants of his army, is swept to the River Danube and is forced to surrender. Sources say that up to 30,000 soldiers drowned in the river trying to make an escape. Though that number sounds a bit exaggerated, it does say something about the desperation that was felt in the retreat. The fields and villages around Blenheim where left to the Duke of Marlborough and his allies. Upon receiving the marshal as a prisoner the Duke remarked "I am sorry that such a cruel misfortune should have fallen upon a soldier for whom I have the highest regards".

The base was custom made by Ken Thomas. It's made of burl but has a large void on one side. This will be the backside of the vignette and will be filled in with putty. I planned on four figures and two horses but there was too much open space in the middle so I added a casualty to help tie in the scene. I gave the groundwork a slight elevation so this will give the composition a stage and help not conceal any figure.

I've begun work on the horse. I wanted the head of Tallard's horse sightly turned so I cut a sliver off one edge and filled the void with putty.

Thanks for following and stay tuned.

Berdan Sharpshooter, 1863

Here's the finished Berdan Sharpshooter. I depicted him as he may have appeared during the Gettysburg Campaign. His worn out green frock coat has been replaced with an issue sack coat. He still retains his green trousers but are showing sings of wear. His green forage cap is worn and faded as well and sports a red diamond of the 1st Division, 3rd Corps. If it not were for the Sharpe's rifle, an occasional green frock coat or forage cap and the distinctive Prussian style hide knapsack, these troops during this campaign probably would have differed little from the average Union infantryman.