For the Cyclops One Eye is all that is Needed

Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, feels he is more than a match for the puny human Odysseus and his sailors. One eye is all he needs to hunt, cook and eat the human interlopers of his island cave. 

Little does Polyphemus realize how devious Odysseus can be when he gets the cyclops drunk and then blinds him with a burning wooded stake plunged into his eye.

As Odysseus and his remaining men escape, Polyphemus will call the down the wrath of his father Poseidon upon the Greek Hero.

Polyphemus is a plastic piece from Monolith, Mystic Battles. He will eventually be joined by both Odysseus and Poseidon  when I get them painted up.

Odd Ball to the Rescue

Fresh from the European front comes Odd Ball's Sherman 76mm tank

Keeping his crew safe, Odd Ball has decided to keep his Sherman in reserve (out of the line of fire)

Odd Ball is a classic character from the class 1970's anti war comedy "Kelly's Hero's" movie.

Odd Ball has modified his Sherman with a loud speaker to a company battle with a musical score.

He carries some rounds that are filled with paint to make pretty pictures while in  battle. He also has a big metal tube to put on his 76mm to make it look like his Sherman is armed with a 90mm cannon -to scare the Germans (not the best of ideas as a dangerous 90mm armed Sherman tank would probably have drawn the fire from every anti gun the Germans had in the area.

Odd Balls Sherman is a "Hollywood" plastic and metal unit from Warlord Games. It comes with Odd Ball, Moriarty, the Guy in the Red Fez and the Other Guy. This was a birthday gift from Richard that I painted in 2019. 

M3 Stuart--America's Light Tank

The M3 Stuart light tanks with a 37mm ATG, three .30 cal. machineguns were the main tank type available to  the US Army in 1941. There were first used in combat by the British in the North Africa Campaign.

While too lightly armored and armed to be a main battle tank in Europe by the time the US entered the war, the Stuart was still quite useful as a scout tank and against the lighter AFV's of Japan. It's original max armor of 51mm (2inches) a main gun of only 37mm and up to five .30 cal. machineguns was fine when first designed but was quickly surpassed as the war progressed. What it did posses was a great turn of speed, up 58 kph/36mph and unsurpassed reliability. So reliable were Stuarts that the British tankers in North Africa gave them the nick name "Honey." Many variants included upgraded armor, weapons (flame throwers and short 75mm cannon being especially popular) and even turrets. Via Lend Lease, Stuarts were seen in every major Allied army, even the Chinese and Russian,

The second largest American production tank, with over 22,400 Stuart M3/M5 family of tanks produced, the Stuart was a common sight on the major battlefields of World War Two, as well as a variety of conflicts up until the Nicaraguan Revolution of the late 1970's.

As with the later Sherman's, Stuarts had a long and successful life in the armies of smaller nations after the war, the army of Paraguay was still using ten upgraded Stuarts as late as 2014.

This is a plastic Warlord Games piece that I put together and painted in 2019. 

Hades is Angry

Hades (Pluto to the Romans) is in a very angry mood...some fool of a living human has invaded his domain!

Wreathed in the flames of his Underworld kingdom, Hades is ready to dispense his wrathful justice to the interloper.

The shades of some of the doomed souls of other fools who have bothered Hades can just be seen in the clouds of foul smoke that surrounds the angry god.

So where is this puny mortal who dares to face mighty Hades?

Why, its our Brave Hiktos Nuluk, again, who has intruded on the realm of the dead, maybe Hades won't notice him ...Hikots hopes.

Hades is a massive plastic piece (but not the biggest-they are yet to come) from Monolith's "Mystic Battles. Brave Hiktos Nuluk  is a 25mm figure from Ral Partha that I painted in the 1970's  

For the further adventures of Brave Hiktos Nuluk , just do a search for him on the search section  on the home page of this blog.

(This figure is actually Chronis-but I like the story of his being Hades for this post).

"Medic"

 "Medic," the cry for help on the battlefield that brings forth aid for the wounded. Here we have Karl, a Afrika Korps medic who is also armed, for he realizes that the desert has dangers that do not recognize that he is a man of medicine rather than war. 

Karl is a plastic piece from Warlord Games.

Rebels the Empires Thorn in the Side

A Squad of Rebel Alliance troopers form an attack wedge in the never ending conflict to free the Galaxy from the Imperial grip. 

Coming from planets throughout the Galaxy, the Rebel Commando troopers know that with right, and the Force, on their side victory will eventually be theirs. 

Heavy weapon to the front, calls the squad leader.

                These are plastic pieces from Fantasy Flight's "Star Wars Legion" that I painted in 2020 for Tim.
 

Hades God of the Underworld WIP

This Hades is a massive plastic figure from Monolith, Mystic Battles, WIP (Work in Progress).

As a comparison to the right of Hades is the goddess Aphrodite, to hos left is a human sized Viking (both are also from Monolith) 

           Here is Hades with more detailing done, with more to follow.

Alien Infection-Rise of Mologh

                   PC I.B. Unfortunight seems to be having a slight problem

                                    Perhaps it was caused by this goblin miscreant?

But no,  Bobbie  Unfortunight has been infected by alien gene/spores and is now a minion of the forces of Mologh.

Ye Gads, the infection has spread to an entire station, some of London's finest are now lost to the forces of evil.

These plastic pieces are from World of Smog-Rise of Mologh
 

Communication -Key to Modern War

 

Captain Tom Mcguffer uses his radioman, PFC (Private First Class) Ron (Sparks) Holler, to keep a firm handle on the actions of his company of US infantry in the ETO (European Theater of Operations).

With his trusty map in hand and Lucy Strike cigarette in his mouth, the captain is the image of stern warrior ready to take instant action. Sparks on the other hand tries to keep a low profile as he knows that radiomen and the officers near them are prime targets for snipers.

Both pieces are World War Two paratrooper 28mm metal Bolt Action figures from Warlord Games.

The Bard-Musician-Storyteller-Newsman

Bill Lavender-Bard Extraordinaire, prepares to perform to a new audience of villagers, who will hopefully give him room, board and coin of the realm for their entertainment. The travelling bard, was a common and looked forward to visitor to any Renaissance village or town. These multitalented performers were a combined newsman, storyteller, musician and singer. They travelled from town to town entertaining the populous with the latest news, gossip, songs and stories. Once the crowds, and money, dwindled as the townsfolk were sedated with his work, the bard would move on to the next village on his route, taking with him the latest news and gossip gained from this town to entertain and inform the next. As it might be as much as a year before the same bard revisited the same town, he was always welcomed with an attentive audience.
 

This is an old Grenadier metal 25mm D&D piece that I painted back in the late 1970's.

M-18 Hellcat the Speedy Panzer Bane

The M-18 Hellcat with its and High Velocity Armor Piercing (HVAP) 76 mm (3 inch) rounds, was a potent weapon able to knock out a German Panther at rages up to 1000 m (1100 yds) and the MK IV panzer at a greater range.  Its light armor of only 25mm (1 inch) allowed for a high speed of up to 89 kph (55 mph) giving the Hellcat the "shoot and scoot" ability of tank ambush hunting. A great example of "shoot and scoot" was when four Hellcats of the 705 Tank Destroyer Batallion were able to destroy at least 24 tanks of the 2nd Panzer Division in a running  engagement during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944.

The M-18 Hellcat was designed 1942, in accord with the Second World War US Army concept that tanks were for breakthrough movements and tank destroyers were to engage and destroy enemy armor. The Hellcat was the fastest Armored Fighting Vehicle (AFV) in the American arsenal and fastest tank destroyer in the war.

The open top turret was a hallmark American tank destroyers as it allowed greater visibility for the crew to identify, fire and destroy enemy targets. On the down side, the crew was less protected from enemy fire and shrapnel.

2507 Hellcats were built and as with many other American AFV's saw long service in the militaries of many countries until the 1970's, Yugoslavia even kept some in reserve until the 1990's.

               This M-18 Hellcat is a 3D resin model that I painted in 2019.
 

The Eagle - Messenger of the Gods

Almost since the creation of religions, the powerful eagle has been associated with the Ancient Gods, as messengers of both good and evil tidings.

From Asia to Europe, the Americas to Africa, eagles have been revered and feared for their connection to the mystic powers of the gods.

It is easy to understand how these powerful raptors drew the awe of the Ancient religions. Even in the recent history the eagle has been a symbol of national power for many countries. The USA, Imperial Russia, Imperial Austro-Hungary, Imperial Germany all copied the Roman Empire by choosing the eagle as their national symbol. 

 This is a plastic piece from Monolith, Mystic Battles  that I painted this week.

Jeep -the Allied Workhorse of World War Two

With at least 640,000 Jeeps made during the Second World War, it's not surprising that they were a common sight in every Allied army on every front. Rugged, well built and reliable, the Jeep became the new mule/workhorse of the Allies military.

Completing every conceivable job from recon to raiding, transporting to towing, ambulance to anti-air, the Jeep did it all.

Here we have Pacific Theater USMC Jeep armed with the famous M2 Browning (Ma Deuce) .50 cal. heavy machinegun.

Firing a massive 1/2 inch wide bullet, the Ma Duce has been a staple of the US Military since 1933. Effective against infantry, vehicles, lightly armored AFV's, aircraft and small boats, the Ma Deuce has been, and still is, a popular choice in any firefight. The Jeep was a cheap and versatile way to get this massive firepower to any hot spot on the line.

 

With a speed of over 45 mph (72 km/p), the ability to haul over 1000 lbs (454 kg) and travel in every combat environment, the Jeep was a welcome addition to any military motor pool.

After the war, many Jeeps became war surplus and served a double duty in the civilian realm. My own Uncle Herb used a Jeep at the Ranch for decades, doing sterling duty on the rolling hills and mountains of the Central California Coast. We still use the Jeep Trails that he blazed in the 1940's, '50's and 60's.  My favorite saying he had about his trusty jeep was "there are only two types of trees on the Ranch...those the jeep can run over and those they can't...and there are darn few of those it can't."

This is a cool metal and plastic casting from Warlord Games that I painted in the 2018.