Yes, Mars has Life, Am I Not a Captain of the Martian Royal Guard

Captain G'tntn C'ppr'Pnts of the Royal Guard is known for his strict adherence to protocol. Those who fail to meet his high standards feel a swift foot to the backsides.
 

His position is all the more important now that Terrans have started to show interest in his planet.

He and his troops will need to eve ever more vigilant to protects the Royal family. To Humans Mars is a dying world but to the captain and his warriors it is home with 50,000 years of culture and worth defending.

I found this old Ral Partha Space 1889 piece that I originally pained back in the '80's in need of touch up painting. Space 1889 with home rules, was a fun break from traditional Colonial Games and D&D.

Aussi Jungle Fighters.

A group of veteran Australian jungle fighters ready for their next advance.

These are a combination of metal and plastic pieces I painted in 2019.

 

Presenting, Gandalf the Grey Wizard

Gandalf the Grey has grown old due to the weight of the future of Middle Earth on his shoulders.

Frend of Man, Hobbits, Elves and Dwarves.

This is one of my older t pieces that I painted back in 1976. He is a Scrubby piece that I painted with my old Testors oil paints. He is showing some wear and tear, but brings back fond memories of my early figure painting. He is solid metal; the dwarf is a 28mm plastic piece to show the scale.

August 1914-BEF Victoriously Advances in Northern France

                                                                News from the Front

The British Government has released the photos of valiant British Tommie's advancing through a smashed village somewhere in Northern France. The government reports that our troops are meeting, defeating and pushing back the Imperial Greman forces.

Covering our victorious forces movements are units of Vickers heavy machine guns such as these.  What enemy could stand up to such troops?

In reality the British were forced to retreat from the initial German attack until the Battle of the Marne on September 5-12, 1914.  At first the British reporters were allowed to give the names of the villages/towns where the BEF was located. Astute readers with maps noted that while the British Government was reporting strings of victories, the location of the British Army was in fact speedily retreating from the frontier and moving ever closer to Paris. The British Government, realizing the danger of such defeatist information, quickly instituted censorship of the press that was to remain in effect until the end of the war.

The NNL Fights for the British

 

These British scouts from the Natal Native Infantry (NNL) are on the lookout for the Zulu Army.

When the British invaded the land of the Zulus in 1879, companies of NNI were used to augment the British forces.  Their training, equipment and treatment were well below that of any of the other forces the British deployed in the Zulu War.

These are plastic pieces from Warlord for my African Colonial Campaigns.

Desert or Jungle the 60th Rifle Wear Green

     

Be it Dervishes in the desert, Zulus on the Velt, Boers in the mountains or countless in Africa, the 60th Rifles wears Green. As the Empire expanded in Africa throughout the 19th century, the distinctive green remained the colour of the "Rifles" until it was eventually replaced by the nondescript service order khaki that the rest of the army changed into.

These are plastic pieces that I painted in April 2017.

Happy Thanksgiving '22

 

Captain Longarms hopes that you have a rooting tooting Thanksgiving!  

The captain is a metal piece from Games Workshop that I painted in the early 2000's.

News from the Boer War Front

 

January 26, 1881, somewhere near Langs Nek Southern Africa. British troops enter into the thick of battle with Boer troops. While our brave boys suffer a setback, this reporter can assure his readers that the Boers have bitten off more than they can chew. With the power of Empire behind them victory can be assured for our hero's.

Unfortunately for the British, the 1st Boer War was an embarrassing defeat. It would take another, longer and more bloody conflict, the 2nd Boer War-1899-1902, to bring victory to the empire.

These are plastic pieces that I painted in 2015.

Captain Cock A. Dude and Steed

As leader of the "Foul Forces" of Terra de Bettes, Captain Cock A. Dude uses his trusty steed Anti Lope to lead his troops into battle,
 

The captain wears scale-mail more as a sign of his rank than protection.

His cool shades, on the other hand. is a true fashion statement as behooves his "Dude" family status.

Both are plastic pieces that I painted recently.

WIP 11-20-22

Some of the pieces I should finish before Thanksgiving. Left to right-Marvel Universe Viper, Nippon Mythic Kami, Marvel Universe Sin, Terre de Betes Armored Rooster & Colonial Dragoon. All are plastic pieces.

Uruk-Hai vs Fellowship

 

From the twisted mind of Saruman came the creation of the most powerful and evil branch of Orcs, the Uruk-Kai. Following the banner of the "White Hand," the Uruk-Hai are entrusted with the conquest of Rhoan and most importantly the capture of the "one Ring' from the Hobbit Frodo.

It is a race between the forces of Saruman's White hand and those of the "Red Eye' of Sauron to find the Fellowship and capture the One Ring.

The "Fellowship of the Nine" Hobbits-Merry Pippen, Sam and Frodo, Humans Strider and Boromir, Dwarf Gimli, Elf Legolas and Wizard Gandalf the Grey. 

So, who will win-Opp's, spoiler, two hobbits have been taken by the Uruk-Kai do they have the One Ring?  Read the Lord of the Rings (the Two Towers to be specific, for this scene.) to find out.

The Fellowship are metal pieces while the Uruk-Kai are a combination of metal and plastic. I painted all of them in the early 2000's.

Afrika Korps Fire Power

 

One of the great advantages Afrika Korps infantry had in battle was their excellent machine guns the massive amount of suppressive fire they could lay down. Allied soldiers quickly learned to respect the dangerous nature of these weapons. 

The Maschinengewehr 34 and 42 (MG 34 and MG 42 for short) were among the best machineguns of the war (their design was copied and incorporated into other militaries after the war and both designs are still in-service in several countries. Both had a maximin 1500 rounds per minute rate of fire at a muzzle velocity of 750 m per second for the MG 34 and 740 m/s for the MG 42 (2520 ft/sand 2428 ft/s respectively). While effective rate of fire was much lower the powerful 7.92 mm round (.312 cal) was deadly against enemy troops.

These are a combination of metal and plastic pieces I assembled and painted in July of 2021.

Somebody Called Medic

 

When men are wounded and the call "MEDIC' goes out, these brave men come to the aid of the fallen, regardless of the danger to themselves.  Most went onto the battlefield unarmed and many became casualties.  Tens of thousands of lives were saved by these men who put the lives of others above their own safety. 

These are metal WW II US Paratroopers from Warlord that I painted in August in 2021.

Diomedes, the Forgotten Hero

As King of Argos, Diomedes led 80 warships to the shores of Troy during the Trojan War. He was one of the most successful of the Greek Leaders as he destroyed Rehus and his Thracian's, wounded the Goddess Aphrodite (never a good idea) and captured Pallas Athena's the sacred Palladium that protected Troy.  During the destruction of Troy, Diomedes ruthless policy was "...not a single foe will escape me with life. The brave man makes an end to every foe." He therefore slaughtered all he came upon!

Aphrodite's revenge on Diomedes fell on him when he returned to Argos only to find his wife had betrayed him and his throne was lost (pissed off goddesses always have the last laugh). He was forced to flee to Italy where he established the city of Argyrippa  (Arpi). Soon his exploits in the Trojan War were forgotten in Greece earning him the title "the Forgotten Hero."

Diomedes is a plastic piece from Mystic Battles that I pained in July of 2021.
 

Use Tree Trunk Clubs When You Want To Send That Special Message

Smshmn Kllfllw knows that clubs make an impression. But when you really want to make a special impression, Tree Trunk Clubs make the very best ones!

Bring a giant, Smshmn enjoys bashing, crunching and smashing humans, he also likes their taste.

Smshmn Kllfllw is a large plastic piece that I painted in 2021.
 

Action + Science = Adventure

 

Lady Augusta Elizabeth Shutfuzze,  Adventuress Extraordinaire, knows that she who hesitates is lost. So, take action shoot first if needed and get the job done. As a crack shot, pilot, daredevil driver and master of eight European, three Asian and two Arican languages Lady "A" is ready for the most challenging adventures.

Her cousin Baroness Izzabel Beatrice Smartalick takes a different approach- research, review, reconnoiter then act.  If need she is a sword expert and is therefore never without her sword walking stick. In addition to her MD, the "Baroness" holds PhD's in Archeology, Biology, Chemistry, Egyptology, European History and Asian History. She also speaks and reads Arabic, Ancient Greek, Cantonese, French, Greman, Latin, speaks Polynesian and reads Hieroglyphics.  Together, Lady "A" and the "Baroness" make a powerful team having adventures throughout the World.

These are metal 28 mm pieces from Frontier that I painted back in 2014. And yes, they both have "Little Orphan Annie" eyes, I have since no longer paint full eyes on 28 mm figures as they are way out of proportion.

 

Winter is Coming, so is Winter Soldier

Few superhero/villains have had such a radically changing career as had American James "Bucky" Buchanan-aka Winter Soldier. 

          Originally a companion and friend of Captain America,

Bucky was taken by the Russians and brainwashed into being one of their agents: "Winter Soldier."

Eventually, with the help of his buddy Captain America, Winter Soldier overcame his Russian conditioning and joined the ranks of hero's again.  

 

Winter Soldier is a plastic piece that I painted earlier this month.
 

Death by Fan Dance

 

The Si-Wang Wu-Zhe (Death Dancers) begin their deadly recital from which few enemies of the infamous Fu Manchu survive.

Not only are their deadly fan metal and razor sharp, but they are also   

covered in one of Fu Manchus most diabolical poisons.

                          Fu Manchu calls the evil concoction "Qian-Huo Zhi-Si"  

(Death by a Thousand Fires), as the pain it causes is so intense.

I finished these plastic pieces this morning.