Grenzers, a Minerva and my new portable hobby desk

Followers of my blog may have noticed that I haven't posted anything for a bit and I haven't visited them for a while either.  I apologise for my recalcitrance but in recent weeks I have returned to work.  I've had a nice  hiatus for nearly six months since retiring but decided in the interest of financial well-being (and the fact the pension was not quite enough to live on!) to return to work - for a few days a week anyway.  Its been quite a challenge but things appear to be progressing quite smoothly now and the time is right to post on my much neglected blog once more.

For starters I am going to give a shameless plug to my mate Dean who is my wargaming supply pimp, fellow Saints (AFL footy) tragic but otherwise the proprietor of Olympian Games.  The link to his very useful site can be found under the Olympian symbol on the left hand side of my blog, just a short scroll down from the blog banner.  Deano is not only a supplier of all manner of wargaming goodness, but a talented crafter of such things himself.  He has a huge range laser cut precision MDF bases and has recently been producing to exact scale large sections of paved road as befits any European town for 28mm (with Bolt Action gaming in mind). I'm sure a range of buildings will follow!

They are also of sturdy MDF in amazing detail BUT the thing I want to plug is his latest invention - the portable hobby desk.  At 58 cm long and 30 deep, it will sit perfectly on a worktable or your lap, coffee table etc etc.  It has a spacious tray rack over and made of sturdy MDF it is light and portable but strong.  At $AUS 48 its a tad pricey but it comes assembled and more than makes up for it in usefulness. (Dean may produce them in flat-packs for slightly less - but you'd have to ask). The only thing I've done to it was give it a coat of varnish to waterproof. It helped me get my hopelessly crowded work table sorted and provided me with a get-up-and-go option!  For harassed space-challenged Aussie gamers looking for somewhere - anywhere - to paint and assemble their armies and models, the Olympian portable hobby desk is the answer.

Check it out:

Now the shameless plug is out of the way, the first item on the blog menu is my Austrian Grenzer battalion. They sat there half finished for ages while I wrestled with finishing renos at home then getting back into the swing of things at work but I finally finished them - my first job on my new hobby desk/tray, desk tray,  hobby whatever!

They are of course part of my huge Perry's order which will take me until my age 65 retirement to work through!  Part of the Perry's new (metal) range of Napoleonic Austrians, they are finely crafted figures indeed.  Just be aware that they are fine - not chunky like FR or Foundry - and the slim bases will bend if hot-glued to the ice-cream stick for painting, so be careful getting them off!  They have a little flash here and there, as most Perry's do (I've spoken about this on previous posts) but nothing too bothersome.  

The unit I decided to depict is the redoubtable Warasdiner St George from the Balkan frontier of the Empire - a very fearsome lot that gave the French quite some bother (and a good flogging or two).  The facings are interesting as most have them in a shade of red ranging from dull brick to fire-engine.  All are wrong as it was Krabberot - crab red - which is a very dark orange rather than red.  Likewise their cloaks - also red - are actually a very dark shade, almost oxblood. With the sky-blue Hungarian trousers with yellow sword knot trim, they are a very colourful lot too.  I am confident the colours are correct as THE authority on all things Austrian Dave Hollins got together with my mate Dal's American partner in crime Mike McGilverey (the old Spanner and the Yank crew) and published an accurate list on the Deep Fried Mice site.  Worth a visit if, like me, you are a pedant on all things Awww-stri-an. 

The last item on the blog menu is a WWI Belgian Minerva armoured car.  I've been threatening to do one of these for years - ever since I acquired a couple in one of my interminable trades with my lead-pimp Doug.  Like the Grenzers, the Minerva sat around in various stages of construction for a very long time - even after I went to the trouble of transplanting some nice heads in tassled caps for the crew to make them early war (1914-15 to be exact).  It really is a beautiful model and very satisfying to make - my second completion on the new hobby table!

I have complete armies for 1914 Belgians and Germans with a skirmish game in mind but it would involve a huge amount of painting so they've been relegated to my list of 'to-dos' - right at the top mind you!

Well, thats the last of it for a bit - still got hordes of Napoleonics and ACW to finish, as well as a bit of gaming - hopefully have something to post on the latter soon.

More from Doc's cabinet

Had to do a huge clean out and dusting which provided an excuse for some more shots of the figures in my cabinet. Its between half and two-thirds of the 25/28mm figure collection.  I really should have bought another cabinet when I had the opportunity - and you didn't need to take out another mortgage to get one!

The Austrians shelf - Archduke Charles and his lads

The other side of the shelf - Austrian Line Division

The lower section of the cabinet - Polish Commonwealth army (circa 1640s)

Thirty Years war German Imperialist Pike & Shot

One of my favourite TYW figures - Prince Rupert: 'So, vair ist mein poodle?'

The bottom shelf - Franco Prussian War French - Zouave & Line Bdes, battery with Mitrailleuse

French 2nd Empire Line Bttn - Foundry and (Australian) Castaway figures

Bit of an eclectic collection but all fun to game with.  I'm in the process of doing a FPW Prussian army to go with the French - nearly finished the cav and artillery, just a horde of Landser (German footsloggers) and command to go.  And then there was my Minifig's Napoleonic Poles - over 70 foot and 40 cav and looking to do a battery - if I can find some small guns to fit the 'true 25mm' Minifigs. 

Couple of days to finish off my last uni essay and I'll be able to get stuck into the real work!

Cheers,
          Doc

Doc's cabinet

After viewing a few other cabinets on other blog's I've decided to show mine - in the forlorn hope that some other Aussie blogger will know where to find another just like it! 

I bought it about seven or eight years ago for the princely sum of $360.  There was another exactly the same available at the time but I just couldn't justify over $700 for furniture to store/display my figures. She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed AKA Minister of Finance frowned upon the purchase of just one cabinet, there was no possibility of negotiating a second!

A few weeks later I managed to sell one of my children...  OK, it was a few of my figures - and screamed into the furniture store to get the last one but alas I was a day too late - the last one was sold!  The company that made them were not the most reliable of suppliers and the local company that was selling them ceased doing business with them.  Last year I saw exactly the same type of cabinet - now only available in a ghastly silver or dark walnut finish AND on sale for only $800 each!  That's over $200 off their current price - bargain!!!   (The dog bowl next to it is a reminder of where I'll be - the dog house - should I try buying one).



The long and short of it is that they are superb display cabinets.  The original came in a flat pack but easy to assemble.  In two halves with mirror backing and adjustable glass shelving makes for six display shelves with two storage drawers under.  Brilliant.  Maybe one day I'll find another just like it - it is very IKEA-like so there is a slim hope.

 I mean seriously, you need to protect your hard work and keep the dust off them (a big problem in a dry and dusty place like Australia) - so its either into a box or in a sealed cabinet of some sort.  Plus I like to look at them - and so do my fellow enthusiasts when they drop around.  You gotta have a display cabinet for any games room right? (Got the cabinet, still working on the room...)

I have in this cabinet a bit less than half of the 28mm collection.  The top half houses the Napoleonics - French, Russian & Austrian armies.  About half of the French and Austrians and two-thirds of the Russian.  The bottom half  has nearly all of the 17thC Poles, the Thirty Years War and the Franco-Prussian War French armies.

In reality, I could fill two of them with the Napoleonic collection alone - but perhaps that's a dream for retirement in a few years time.  Us old codgers gotta have dreams right?!

So while it mightn't be as comprehensive as some others I've seen on the web, it does the job for me and there's even room for some of the boy's footy trophies on the top for good measure!  Nearly all the figures in the cabinet are also on display in this blog through the links on the right of the page.  As with all photos, click to see the enlargement - for example, the one above will also show that I need to clean the cabinet's glass door!

Cheers,
            Doc