For the week ahead I'm going to be finishing off the previous box of goodies from Old John before making a start on his latest box. What's left is an interesting batch of figures, Ottomans, WSS Scots Greys and some dismounted dragoons. There are a few horses included that are painted and from the late Eric Knowles collection and while I would love to add highlights etc I think given the due reverence shown to this collection by other bloggers they are best left untouched and I will only paint the bare metal riders.
I had a few days away from the painting desk this week but still managed to paint some Prussian Uhlans and artillery crew for JBM, and a regiment of ECW foot plus petard crews for Graham. There is another ACW regiment coming over from Graham this week and I have some ideas on trying to capture some of the cream and faded butternut tones illustrated in the image below of SOSKAN re enactors. From my time as a member twenty plus years ago I know that those guys put a lot of effort into research on cloths and fabrics going so far as to buy in rolls of cloth from the original US mills.
I was of course a 'Bucktail' (42nd Pennsylvania), and proud to wear that badge of distinction on my kepi. Quick story, when I was given my tail with great ceremony I found it really stank. When I got home I gave it a thoroughly good shampooing - you should have seen what came out of it, the sink was black - and next event I had the whitest, fluffiest bucktail in the company, something that did not go unnoticed as I stood out a mile!
