Blog publishing and commenting issues

Hi all

As I have commented several times before I am having severe issues with commenting on my and other people's blogs on my mobile devices.  Recently my laptop has been giving me problems too unfortunately,  To those who might have been wondering, this explains my recent absence from the blogosphere.

I have made several attempts to fix this but unfortunately have failed and I am still stuck in a rut!  To add insult to injury I have recently been assaulted by spam comments which I am having to delete all the time and to be honest these people are getting on my nerves.  I really don't know what they would like to accomplish by their actions!

Anyway, I am still following all the various blogs out there and just because I don't comment doesn't mean I am ignoring them.  Thanks all for understanding. I will not be giving up and will keep pushing to sort out this mess once and for all.

Keep blogging!

Mike

French 7th Hussars trooper wip in 54mm

 Hi all. At the moment I'm working on a French Hussar model in 54mm (1/35 scale) from M-Model. The figure is painted entirely in acrylics with the exception of a few touches of oils for the black surfaces. All belts and smaller buckles are scratchbuilt. The trooper is practically ready but still needs some tidying up in a few places and his plume needs more highlighting. I plan to start the mount this week and hope to have it all done soon. All pics are taken by mobile phone so please excuse the image quality. Cheers!

Pzkpfw III Ausf L in 1:72 scale

Been a while since I last posted anything because I was working on two projects simultaneously. One of them is now ready and is a Panzer III Ausf L from Dragon in 1:72 scale on a resin diorama base from Black Dog. According to Dragon's leaflet, it bears the colours and markings of Panzer Regiment 33, 9th Panzer Division, South Russia in Spring of 1942.

Since the base is moulded with deep-set AFV track markings I thought to give a fresh mud look - the kind after all the thick Russian winter snow has melted away and leaves a quagmire behind. So I dished out a generous splashing of AK Fresh Mud weathering on the underside, wheels, lower hull, and the road base itself. Ak's product remains glossy to give that wet, muddy impression so I tried to avoid hitting the muddy areas with the final matt coating as much as possible to retain their wetter look. The kit itself was built straight from the box and I only modified the turret handes by replacing them with 0.3mm wire. The extra tarpaulins, sandbags, oil drum and spare tracks are from Black Dog and I feel they give a bit more 'oomph' to the end result. The resin base is an excellent rendition of a Russian hovel. I wanted to give a plain, weary look with wooden planks weathered by the elements.

I enjoyed making this one and hope you will enjoy the pics as well. Until next time!

Forgot to paint the tail light!

Turned around to view starboard side

28mm HYW Front Rank MAA

The recent visit to Innsbruck and the armour displays there have inspired me to pay a quick visit to my medieval war chest where I have a number of Perry and Front Rank miniatures still awaiting the Brush treatment.  The choice fell on a 28mm charging mounted Man at Arms from Front Rank, which was an easy choice really as these minis are always a joy to paint with their beautiful animation and flowing lines. The ample horse caparison also allows for the intricate heraldry we all love so much and after tons of deliberating the choice fell on a quartered design with a central shield bearing a continental type of chevron. Anyway, here it is. Apologies as some of the pics don't have optimal exposure but I hope you can appreciate it nonetheless.

A few days in the Sexten Dolomites and Innsbruck

Being grounded with all the travel restrictions since March last year (pretty much like everyone else), my better half and I decided it was high time to run the Covid gauntlet and risk a quick dash overseas.  The choice fell on the open air of the Sexten Dolomites in the Italian South Tyrol -  a world heritage site - and later a few days in the lovely city of Innsbruck.

The cool alpine air made such a refreshing change from the suffocating summer heat of home which even now persists and shows no sign of abating. A few days of hiking in wide open spaces like those of the Alps is a luxury which we do not even dream about on our miniscule island, so it was with particular gusto that we took to our walking boots and sticks.  And once in Innsbruck there was the added pleasure of the Andreas Hofer gallery and the medieval exhibits in Ambras Castle, a veritable treat for military history buffs. Hofer was the innkeeper who organised Tyrolean resistance against the French in 1809-10 and is highly regarded as a folk hero in the Tyrol.  He managed to engage and defeat on various occasions Bavarian troops but was ultimately betrayed by a fellow Austrian, captured and executed.

A room with a view.  Our hotel high in the Sexten alpine meadows commanded breathtaking views

 

 

 

 

 

A cable car ride up to the Rotwand brings you to easy hikes with marvelous views

The old city centre of Innsbruck as seen from across the river Inn

 

 

 

The Andreas Hofer Tyrol military museum contains a nice array of hardware

A marvellous rotunda painting celebrates Hofer's struggles against Lefebvre's Bavarians in 1809

Late medieval jousting armour at Schloss Ambras

A nice selection of 15th & 16th century armour at Ambras

There's more to Innsbruck than just museums !