Spoils of EBay ( and Hayfever )

Been off work today with Hay fever - thought I was going to get away this year without being struck down (as a Hay fever sufferer I'm very happy with our abysmal summer so far !) . The problem with my affliction is that it goes for my eyes - making them itch . The annoying thing is this makes it difficult to read and paint figures ! . Having got some eye drops from the doctor I sat around waiting for them to work, wondering what to do - when 2 large parcels were dropped off by the postman !.

Huzza ! they were 2 items on EBay I had successfully bid for and in my sufferings had forgot about .(my wife leaning over my shoulder reading this, muttered something about - 'melodramatic' !?) One order was mainly molds, 5 in all and various bits of casting gear , the other 2 molds and a couple of soap boxes full of cast figures !, some of which I will melt down again, but there are enough 'advancing' figures to make up the bulk of the rank and file for one of my SYW  regiments .

I was so pleased I arose from my sick bed and tried out a couple of the molds - a cannon - the wheels are notoriously bad to cast  (took 4 goes to get them right) and a couple of gunners, seen above inspecting their new piece . To my great relief the rain has started, as witnessed by the above photo so hopefully it will damp down the pollen - now then were are my paintbrushes !.

Recycled Grenadiers

Having melted down a couple of hundred Old Glory 15mm figures they were re-cast as British Grenadiers . I also decided to try a couple of conversions by swapping the heads to make a grenadier sergeant and a grenadier officer , this was easier than I thought - cutting the old heads off and adding new heads with mitre hats , I drilled , pegged and glued them into place and covered the gap with 'green stuff' filler.The officer was given a musket as well.

I also cast up my first cavalry figures , these will be French Hussars when I get round to painting them

Wargaming Sacrilege ?.

Been casting up some more 40mm SYW  using Prince August molds and whilst rummaging around my wargaming storage area (that sounds rather grand - actually a bunch of old cardboard boxes ) I came across 3 bags of Old Glory 15mm Napoleonics . I must have had these about 10 years and I think my original plan was to replace my then 15mm army with Old Glory - but as I have sold my 15mm armies I have no use for them, so I thought should I melt them down ?. My wargaming colleague 'A' was somewhat alarmed at this deliberate vandalism of perfectly good figures and I must admit it was a bit strange tipping them into the melting pot , but I rationalised this with the idea that they are finally being used - if in a rather different form . Having broken this taboo I have started scouring my lead mountain for other figures that can be cannibalised . Below some of the fruits of my labours.

First French Company Completed.

Finally got my first batch of French foote done.

This project is going to be a long protracted one , am going to try and build the armies up company by company.

Have got several more molds off EBay and will be casting some of them next . These will be some Hessian (?) grenadiers and some Hussars.

The Du Roi command - Sergeant, Drummer and Officer.

First Company Done.

After a burst of casting - been melting down all those odd figures I have laying about , I have cast up enough figures for the first company of my British Regiment .

It comprises of 12 Sentinels , Sergeant, Drummer and Officer .

This is under strength for the original 'Charge' rules which has 21 figures in a company , but my wider basing makes up the ground space . I am thinking of 3 companies to the Battalion , I'm not sure how Grenadiers will fit in yet . 

40mm French S.Y.W.

Started casting up some French figures to combat my British .

They are painted as the Regiment 'Du Roi'.

Have started getting good results from the Prince August semi-flat molds having cut my own air vents into some of them to help the mold to fill properly . Also using the same few molds you get to know there individual characteristics- some need less pressure when claping together (to let the air escape) , some need to be poured a lot slower to get the molten metal to fill properly and some need tapping quite vigourlesly whilst pouring . Some molds are definatly easier to get consistant figures than others - luckly these seem to be the most used ones (ordinary infantrymen)