Workbench Update Shot - Mid December

 Just a quicky. Things are really hoting up in the race to complete Christmas gifts in time (just a week and a bit to go)! Here's a snap of what's on my workbench showing how much I still have left to do...

I'm beginning to sweat a bit! 😬

What's On the Workbench? September 2020

 As I've mentioned, I have a lot going on at the moment and not all of it is the usual military toy related projects. Christmas is firmly at the back of my mind and several jobs are to do with getting some little gifts in the bag - but another new source of projects is jobs my wife is giving me for friends of hers!

Wedding cake 'toppers' for a family friend's daughter. I may be in
danger of creating a monster and I don't want to encourage this
sort of project! 👎

I'm not really keen to take on 'commissions' yet - although the question has been asked of me several times. I'm a bit worried about a relaxing hobby becoming unintentionally a mini-business as there is a difference between doing things because you like to do them and having to do things because a customer want you to do them!

Anyway, I had a bit of a priming day today and as I had all my current jobs which were ready to be painted - I have more projects that are still in the construction phase - in the one place, I decided to take a 'group shot'! 😀

Back from Hospital!

 Bah! Another short visit to hospital (nothing too serious - but it needed sorting) and so yet another knock to my schedule! 😕

Today, being Sunday, I had a bit of a relax and tinkered about with various projects on my little workbench (though the good news is that my main full-sized man-cave work area is nearly back in action). It's all a bit of a mish-mash of little jobs but I thought I'd post up some pics...

Above: Lots going on here, some soldiers and some RPG figures plus different
accessory mini-projects.

The military related figures are a series I am working on based on the classic 'Dad's Army' TV show. I am just putting together three pegs representing The Warden (boooo!), Sargent Wilson and Corporal 'They Don't Like It Up 'Em' Jones...

One other thing worth mentioning is a new tool I am using which compliments my little mobile workbench tray (which I use when I want to work in the lounge in front of the TV). My usual electric rotary tool is my trusty Dremmel Model 3000 (wired 130wt) tool BUT - while superb - this multi-tool is a little cumbersome and too powerful for small modelling and crafts really.

So, I ordered one of those very cheap rechargeable Chinese knock-off versions of a Dremmel. While these have a poor rating for their intended use (general light DIY) their low power is exactly right for working with light woods and plastics. Also, being wireless it's very easy to use and control one handed for small intricate jobs...

The tool is so light that you can easily use it like a pen to inscribe or engrave - something I just cannot do with my lump of a Dremmel (without attaching a separate accessory). It charges via USB - which is great - and it holds a charge for quite some time. A good purchase! (£24.99 from Amazon.)

It's nice to be back home! 👍

Workbench Update - March 2017

Getting back into FLW Toy Soldiers has been a little more convoluted and slow going than I expected. Even before I picked up a little soldier I had to begin to reorganise the complete mess that is my 'man cave' (stroke home junk yard). But, the good news is I can actually see some carpet now, though the mountain of boxes of 'crap' I've moved to one side of the room is threatening to avalanche on top of me every time I venture upstairs!

However, I did manage to dig out a couple of hibernating projects and I have managed to make some progress with them. So, here's what's on my workbench (come TV Dinner tray) at the moment...

1890 French Infantry of the Line
I do love my little Belle Époque French soldiers - Black Hat mouldings - and I'm really pleased to get this little half-regiment back on the march again.

They are a tiny bit taxing as there is a reasonable amount of preparation work to be done on these white metal figures. The fit is a wee bit of an issue, and pitting is the other. I've had to resort to the liberal use of white Milliput putty to fill in and smooth out some of the gaps and holes. But hey, that's white metal models for you!

Faux 1900 Heavy Artillery
I also dusted off my 'poor man's Britain's Gun'. This die cast model - by Crescent - is actually a WW2 era 4.5 inch gun, but I'm modifying it to make it look more like a turn of the century piece.

The whole reason for doing this is so I can paint this gun in 1890 Molatero artillery colours (black and white). And while I already have two examples of the lovely Britain's 3.5 Naval Gun model, I do not want to desecrate either of these by painting them. (Crescent die casts are  cheap and widely available on eBay.)

I'm just working on fixing the scratch built gun shield onto the model's chassis. And then - once I know all my plastic parts fit correctly - I will remove them again and begin to strip the green paint off the metal model.

Summer vacation

Well, it's that time - the annual summer holiday.  So no more blog updates for a couple of weeks. All that's left to say is I hope you all have as enjoyable time as I will be having!

I'll leave you with this oddity...

This is a skull I am working on. It will form the core of my forthcoming 1/32 Mk. III head sculpture.

I *think* that I have the scale right this time (third times the charm) and so once I am completely happy with the shape of this skull I will pass it to my brother who will duplicate it in resin for me. This will then become the basis for my head sculpture attempts.

Bereft of features I can start with a blank canvas and build up different faces on top of it, while knowing I am working with he right scale consistently.

I've measured this up with a variety of 1/32 heads and once the flesh is applied it should match Armies in Plastic, Airfix, HAT or, indeed, Black Hat metal toy soldiers.

TTFN!

Mish-mash on the work bench!

I have found myself in the unenviable position of having several toy soldier projects going on simultaneously - so progress is slow. Trouble is that they are all very interesting!

'Albert'!

There is my Black Hat metal French Infantry of the Line project, my Molatarian Light Infantry test figures project, my scratch built head test figure project and my first full body sculpting project!

Left: 'Albert', as I like to call him! This is my own scratch built head and hat mated to the Black Hat artillery figure's body. Looking very much like The Good Soldier Švejk, he is a proper little character, although the head is actually a little over-sized for 1/32 (hence the commencement of my Mk III head)!

The most intensive of these projects is, of course, the full body sculpt. I am just experimenting with armatures at the moment - the wire skeleton that supports the body - and as usual the quandary is what size to make it...

I am after a 1/32 size that is suitable for use with Armies in Plastic's figures - so that's on the larger end of the 1/32 side of things. But even though I am conscious of how I have over-sized my previous sculpting experiments. So this time I am going to try making my body a tiny bit undersized and see if that works.

...All this is driving me inextricably to the eventual and inescapable job of making a full soldier of my own original design. Though from my experiments so far I can tell that is going to be some ways off yet.

Still, keeps me out of trouble!