Juggling Jobs! June 2021

 Yes, I've been amiss with my posting. This is due to a flurry of numerous diverse projects I've been trying to complete - mainly household jobs - over the past month.

At the top of the list is the tidying up and reorganisation of my man-cave in the attic. I've been busily clearing out junk and eBaying a LOT of stuff that I do not need or have time for any more. I had no idea that eBay was so time consuming, it's a hobby on it's own!

Anyway, modelling has ground to a near halt because of this and I'm having to put what time I do have into my Christmas gifts schedule, as this *cannot* fall behind as I am making ALL my family presents myself this year. Sadly, personal projects - like peg soldiers - has suffered as a result.

Still, it might interest you to see the completion photos of my 'Olde Worlde Christmas Shoppe' prototype as the building process will have will have an impact on future military projects for this blog...

This is roughly 1/72 in scale I reckon and would have been a terrific learning experience for when I was doing WW2 military wargame models (but I have knocked this hobby on the head). It is, however, giving me lots of ideas for toy soldier projects in larger scales (28mm and 50mm), the first of which is quite simple - a sentry box model for my peg soldiers.

So...Onward and upwards...

Back from Holiday - June 2021

 Yay! I'm back! (Well, that should be 'booo' I suppose as it's back to early morning rises for work!) 😩

Anyway, let's have a quick refresher as to what's on the workbench so I can crack back on with the ongoing projects. The first thing is 'Invasion Mars, 1899' and my first Steampunk 'regiment'...

Looking OK, about 75% done I'd say. I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed with the quality of these models, they are a little shoddy. The body of these figures were printed out in one piece, not in separate component parts as I have done previously.

The reason I tried this was to see just how much I could get away with, obviously printing a model in one part makes thing quicker and easier as there are no subsequent assembly required. But the downside is the hit that the quality takes. Printing separate parts means that you can chose the best way to print out each individual part to maximise it's quality - print orientation has a big impact on different shapes of objects - so printing one object vertically might not be the best way to print another, which might be most effectively printed horizontally.

And so, as I said, these one-piece prints are a mixed bag for quality, but the experiment was worth a try as it gives me a bottom line for what I can expect to work. You live and learn.

Anyway, there's not much left to paint on the body, I just have to clean up the arms that I printed and then paint them. At the same time, I'm also painting the prototype model for my Steampunk light infantry unit. This is pretty far on as well...

Moving on...
Aside from this unit of soldiers I was also working on some Christmas gifts (yes, I'm starting extra early) and I think it's interesting to highlight the current project as it might have some influence on future toy soldier ideas. I've been making some festive mantlepiece ornaments based on Victorian Olde Worlde Shops!

What's relevant to this blog is that these little buildings are roughly in 28mm scale, which makes them handy for wargaming related projects. I haven't had much experience in printing 3D wargaming terrain and while this project is overly decorative it's also being very useful in teaching me some of the techniques for making battlefield scenery...

There are a few other bits and pieces going on but I'll wait until they are a bit more advanced before revealing those. But I've plenty to be getting on with in the meantime!