My Illness

2006-09-14T19:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been gone for quite some time. I have drifted away from WWII mandollies, in favor of American Civil War mandollies. Here are some pictures of my Union cavalry troopers.

2006-02-14T20:22:00.000-08:00

Here is the beginning of my Col. Marlowe bash. It is the Sideshow John Wayne figure that I will be re-doing as a Civil War Cavalry Col. from the movie "The Horse Soldiers". The company who will be producing the bib fron shirt, ain't produced it yet (Battle Gear Toys). When they do, I will be finishing this figure off.

2006-02-11T16:16:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally got off my duff and finished building my Viper M-4 Sherman tank. It is cast resin, weighs a ton and is very fragile. Now that I have it built, I need to figure out how to move it without breaking it. Always another problem to solve.

2005-12-28T09:27:00.000-08:00

This is going to be quite a bit Off Topic but, I wanted to see if I can get some hits off of a Google search. Way back when, I was a member of the Sherman Oaks Storybook Playhouse on Dickens Street & Van Nuys Blvd. in Sherman Oaks CA. For three years I did repetory theater in the early 70's. Some of the titles of the plays were "Jack in the Beanstalk", "Raggedy Ann and the Pirates", "Dick Widdington's Cat", "Ambitious Aloisious, A Dragon's Tale" and many more. All of the plays were written by a guy named Jerome "Jerry" Nedd. Jerry's wife Ann and his three daughters, Patsy, Priscilla & Pamela were all involved and put on a matinee every Saturday & Sunday. It was a lot of fun and I often wonder what ever happened to all of the other people that I performed there with? I know Priscilla Nedd is in the movie business in L.A. but, I can't find any contact information. My hope is that some of them may try to search for info and find this.

2005-12-17T15:04:00.000-08:00

Well, I got some new saddles yesterday from Larry over at Circle Home Studio. They are pretty neat so, I went out today and played with my Man Dollies for a bit. It's Major Dundee again. He has his troop behind him, I'll have to post a picture of that later.

2005-10-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

"You thieves, you renegades, you "gentlemen" of the south...". I got a Sideshow Toys greatcoat from their 100th PA figure. I dyed it a darker blue and had a seamstress sew a yellow lining into the cape. Though not regulation, it is very close to the one worn by Charelton Heston in the movie "Major Dundee".

2005-09-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

Here's another shot of my Japs.

2005-09-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

Here's my Code Talker Ben Yazee.

2005-09-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a shot of my paratroopers taking cover behind the Hasbro Blowed-Up Jeep. The guy firing over the Jeep is using the BBi version of the M1919A6 machinegun.

2005-09-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a shot of my 37mm German A/T gun.

2005-09-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

Here are the Rangers taking cover from the German halftrack.

2005-09-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

Here are the 2 101st Troopers getting ready to shoot the German Halftrack.

2005-09-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I got off my duff today and went out and took some pictures of my finished Action World Collectibles SdKfz 251 Ausf. A Hanomag. The scene is similar to the one in Saving Private Ryan where, they find PVT Ryan after he takes out the Kraut recon eliment of the 2nd SS. PVT Ryan is in the foreground out of frame, aiming the bazooka and CPT Miller and his Rangers are in the background out of frame. I'll post more pics of this later. They will be posted, in their entirety, on the Ultimate Soldier page (linked from this page) later on this week.

2005-09-02T08:44:00.000-07:00

Now back to our regularly scheduled program. My mixed unit of US Paratroopers are organizing and getting on with the mission in Normandy. My US Airborne figs are probably the most diverse (manufacture-wise) of any of my units. The Jeep is a stock 21st Century Toys model, the bodies of these three are all DML (Dragon Models Ltd.). The uniform on the guy behind Ma Deuce (Browning M-2 .50 cal. MG) is 21st Century Toys, the other two are from Cotswold Collectibles. Though you cannot see their shoulder patches, they are all three from the 82nd Airborne Division. I have just about an even split between 82nd & 101st Abn. figures.

2005-09-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

I'm going to take time out to rant about the hurricane aftermath on the gulf coast. First, let me say that this is a tragic event and my/our aid and sympathy go out to "most" of the victims of this disaster. That being said, the pictures of the miscreant filth looting stores carrying away guns, ammunition, appliances, television sets, clothing and other "non-essential" items disgusts me beyond all belief. Taking food and water from a grocery store, where the items will just go bad anyway, is one thing. Taking stuff because the normal rules can't be enforced normally is another. Though Martial Rule has been declared, authorities are allowing these low lifes to run rampant. Back in the day, people like this would have been shot down like dogs and after a few shootings, it would be clear to the rest that, this kind of behavior would not be tolerated. Drastic events call for drastic measures. I understand that the authorities are a little overwhelmed by the scope of the emergency but, a few examples are all that would be needed. I've heard it said that these kinds of events bring out the best in people and I have seen this but, I've also seen the worst of them too and these are the creatures that I'm addressing here. I know that no one will resort to these measures but, that doesn't eliminate the need. There, now I feel a tiny bit better.

2005-08-31T09:06:00.000-07:00

Here is my German Hetzer assault gun. Riding on & following it are three of my Waffen SS troops. The Hetzer is sold by James DeSimone, it is roto-molded plastic, comes molded in a tan color and costs approximately $100.00. James puts on GI Joe shows in New York and Burbank and has produced several vehicles in this medium/scale. He does a PBR (Patrol Boat Riverine), LVT (Landing Vehicle Tracked), Hetzer, M-4 Sherman, Dodge 1 1/2 ton 6x6 Weapons Carrier and an Opel Blitz truck. They are very good base vehicles and do require some work to bring up to an acceptable level of detail. I have most of James' vehicles and am happy with them. I have yet to finish building 2 of them and the LVT was converted to an LVT-A2 and given as a gift to another enthusiast. I will post articles on the other vehicles as/when I get them finished.

2005-08-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

Here are 2 figures that were based on movie characters. The near figure is Sean Connery as Gen. Roy Uqhuart from A Bridge Too Far and the figure seated in the Jeep is Michael Caine from The Eagle has Landed. I have my Soldiers of the World (SOTW) Recce Jeep with the twin Vickers MGs here with them. I'm using Gen. Uqhuart as himself and Caine's figure is acting as the General's Polish liason officer. This is from an Operation Market Garden type shoot I did a few years ago.

2005-08-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

Here, Mr. Heinie kraut is going to get himself some fresh milk.

2005-08-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a closer look at the converted Hasbro 1/2 track that Tim Loeb (Plasticpanzers) did. He mounted a resin model of a 2 cm Flak 38 on it. The sides on the back fold down and the cab has been extensively modified. It's a pretty cool little piece.

2005-08-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

Here we have the troop getting ready to march out and either take or destroy the Apache, Sierra Charriba

2005-08-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

Let's go back to my CSA gun & crew. I thought the new neighbor's new house would make a suitable target. I plan on doing another shoot with this gun and crew, I just need to build a redoubt to emplace the gun. The weather here is cooling off now so, I will be able to build the motivation to go outdoors and get 'er done.

2005-08-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

Here's another shot of the Waffen SS on a break. These 2 guys are sharing their sausage. The food items are ceramic items that I picked up at a hobby store and are intended for doll house use. This shoot is pre-camoflage the Propane tank. The tank has grapevines growing all over it and I have a camoflage blanket that I throw over it now to keep it from standing out like that anymore.

2005-08-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

Here's one for you music lovers. Never overlook the possibilities of perusing the Pink Isle. The violin is from a Barbie accessory set. The straw bales are from Michael's, the cows are from a gift shop somewhere in the midwest U.S. that I purchased from another 1/6 enthusiast. This scene is one I put together of my Waffen SS taking a break on the march. Their commander is getting information from the Feldgendarme and I posed the unit in various resting past times (eating, sleeping, getting milk from the cows, playing the violin, etc...). Though a little dark, I like the composition of this particular shot.

2005-08-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

Here is the "objective" of our heroes raid, the Pillbox. A fellow named Jeff (Geppetto2), who's last name escapes me, made this pillbox for me out of styrofoam. Jeff is from Arizona and does little buildings and stuff like this on the side. The top comes off so, figures may be positioned inside, the side door opens. I sent him a 1/72 scale pillbox as a basis for the design and he modified it so, it would not be too huge in 1/6 scale. The foam is primed with gray latex house paint and then oversprayed with Fleckstone to give the rough concrete texture. Spray enamel will melt the foam so, you have to use a latex water based paint or, a solution of white glue to prime it before you spray to prevent total meltdown and complete disaster. FlameKettle's famous sandbags can be clearly seen piled all over the pillbox.

2005-08-21T06:22:00.000-07:00

At last, there is CPL Henshaw (James Coburn). As you can see, he is about to trip the "Bouncing Betty" mine. The figure is based on the DML "Steiner" which is another character that James Coburn played in the movie "The Cross of Iron". The flamethrower is by Hasbro, the Jeep Cap is 21st Century Toys. The Bouncing Betty mine is made by a guy named Brian Vota. He has recently retired from the custom 1/6 scale business so, no more mines, for the time being.

2005-08-20T07:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I figured that I should show you all three characters. Here is Kalinsky (Mike Kellen). He is behind Reese (McQueen). Notice the "Bouncing Betty" mine in the foreground. In the movie, they used bayonet scabbards with engineer's tape tied on to mark any mines they found. Here I used a toothpick with a piece of string. CPL Henshaw (James Coburn) is in the background. I'll post a close-up shot of him tomorrow.

2005-08-19T09:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a shot of my 21st Century Toys Steve McQueen. He was produced originally as the Hilts character from the Great Escape but, I wanted to outfit him as PVT Reese from Hell is for Heroes. I put together a shot of the scene where Reese (McQueen), CPL Henshaw (James Coburn) and Kalinsky (Mike Kellin) are crawling through a mine field to blow up a German Pillbox with a 40 pound satchel charge. I have the other characters but, they can't be seen in this shot. The Pillbox was shown in an earlier post. The "Dragon's Teeth" that Reese is crawling through are plastic tool racks that I picked up at a local hardware store. During this raid, CPL Henshaw trips a Bouncing Betty mine that detonates the flamethrower that he has on his back. I have the mines showcased in another shot at the point just before he sets it off.

2005-08-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

Here is my 21st Century Toys M-5 Stuart tank and crew. The poor guys have encountered a kraut anti-tank gun and are forced to bail out. They are armed with Thompson SMGs with 50 round drums. Tanks and other vehicles tend to take up space in a hurry in this hobby. I have 21 vehicles from Jeeps to tanks. I'm to the point where, I may need to rent a storage unit to handle the overflow. I have one more vehicle on the way and there are others that I would like to get but, space prevents me from getting them.

2005-08-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

Here are some more of my krauts preparing to defend the Fatherland against the unclean "untermench" allied invaders. The MG-34 is mounted on a tripod and Herman the German is cocking the gun in preparation of shooting 'em full of holes and filling 'em full of lead.

2005-08-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been absent for a couple of days. It doesn't look like I was missed. This shot shows the need to "think outside of the box". I picked this Budda in the Garden Dept. of a box store, that shall remain nameless. I have and continue to look in many different places for items that will add to my photo shoots. Plastic molded lawn border sets that look like a stone wall in 1/6 scale, a Crucifix that can be used for a roadside shrine, fish net that can be used for camoflage nets, bamboo from the garden dept. I have used for palm log bunkers etc... So, when you walk through the store, always keep an eye out for things that will translate into the scale you work in and wonder, can I make use of that?

2005-08-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I showed you my Japs now, here come the Marines. I have a rifle squad of WWII Marines that are bashed together from all the far flung companies of the 1/6 world. Including Sideshow Toys R. Lee Ermey (The Gunney from History Channels Mail Call), shown here in the upper right hand corner of the photo. Sideshow has a John Wayne Sgt. Stryker figure coming out next month who will be taking charge of my squad. James DeSimone makes an LVT (Landing Vehicle Tracked) that is almost the right scale for conducting amphibious operations in 1/6 scale but, I don't have one of these. Though Marine uniforms and equipment are more plentiful than the Japanese stuff, it is still not as well represented as the European Theater is. The simple truth of the matter is, Krauts sell better than anything else. One theme you won't see represented here on my Blog is, The Great Patriotic War. I'm an old Cold Warrior and Dirt Footed Ivan holds no interest for me.

2005-08-12T08:56:00.000-07:00

Here is another shot of my "Major Dundee" figures. From left to right they are, Lt. Graham (played by Jim Hutton), Maj. Amos Charles Dundee (played by Charelton Heston) and the rebel Capt. Benjamin Tyreen (played by Richard Harris). The movie is about a troop of Union soldiers, augmented by Confederate prisoners of war and cowboy riff raff on a mission to rescue some white children who were taken by the Apaches led by the dreaded chief, Sierra Charriba. When Sideshow Toys released a figure of the Astronaut Taylor from Planet of the Apes, I got the itch to make a Major Dundee and it has snowballed a little from there. The uniforms are bashed together from Battle Gear Toys, Sideshow Toys and Dog Soldiers. I'm not a big Civil War buff but, this has been a fun distraction from WWII stuff for me.

2005-08-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

Here is my dirty Jap sneak attack. There is a decided lack of Japanese WWII figures and accessories available. Battle Gear Toys has a pretty good selection of both Naval Infantry and Army uniforms and equipment. Cotswold Collectibles has some uniforms and equipment too. 21st Century Toys, Blue Box and In the Past Toys have made boxed Japanese WWII figures too. The allied selection of Pacific Theater figures and equipment is much broader. Asian headsculpt bodies are kind of hard to come by too. I have managed to scrape together a squad of seven figures using items from all of the aforementioned companies items. I have, since this photograph, aquired a "Woodpecker" heavy machinegun for my Yellow Peril. B C Ries made three and traded one to me. It's kinda like a Hotchkiss machinegun that you load the ammo into it in rigid strips instead of a flexible belt. I'll be taking some shots of that pretty soon.

2005-08-10T07:16:00.000-07:00

This shot is of my Mediterranean Theater Falschirmjagers. They are bashed together with items from all of the major companies. The first vehicle is a 21st Century Toys Schwimmwagen and there is a Hasbro half track, barely visible, behind it. I got the half track from Tim Loeb (plasticpanzers). He did some major modifications to it and it is now a captured M-3 pressed into service with the Germans. It mounts a 2cm Flak 38 instead of the 75mm A/T gun that came stock with the Hasbro M-3. He detailed a standard Hasbro M-3 for me and I have two others that he modified, one an 81mm mortar M-20 and the other as a personnel carrier. I want to do a shoot with the GI half tracks but, I want to get one of my Shermans done to go with them. Stay tuned.

2005-08-09T10:41:00.000-07:00

I purchased the Hanomag 251 German half track back in about 1995 and have finally gotten off of my duff and put it together. It came from a company called Action World Collectibles in Kentucky. The owner was a guy named Mike Cahoon (a criminal who's story I won't go into here), the designer was a guy named Lyndon Ward, who split off and had a website named "Reich Replicas". I got the tracks, antenna & pioneer tools from Lyndon Ward. The machinegun mounts came from Armorpax through Rolling Thunder Technologies. The guns & Jerry Cans are DML. The packs are from Cotswold Collectibles. I still need to put Iron Cross markings on it but, it is essentially done. I will be doing an outdoor photo shoot using it in a few weeks. Stay tuned.

2005-08-08T12:42:00.000-07:00

Here, is a picture of one of my "Red Devils" of the British Paras. He is manning a Vickers machinegun. I dug some defensive positions in my backyard using sticks and FlameKettle's infamous sandbags. I have a squad of about 12 Paras. They are the only Brit troops I have in my service. I'm quite fond of the movie "A Bridge too Far" and have been to all of the airborne museums in Holland (Son, Grave & Arnhem). Though a failed mission, it was a bold plan and is an interesting story. I have to say that the Dutch were the nicest of all the European people I met in my three years being stationed in Germany.

2005-08-07T06:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a shot of my Normandy U.S. Paratroopers. They are a mixed unit of both the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. The sandbags are cloth filled with real sand, made for me by Gary (FlameKettle) Olson's wife Gwen. The Pillbox is made of foam and painted with Fleckstone, to give the appearance of concrete. A guy that goes by the handle of Geppetto2 (I forget his real name) made the Pillbox for me. These set pieces really help to bring a shoot to life. I find that, having a little back story, helps in setting up the composition of the shoot. I had to throw a camoflage poncho liner over my propane tank (upper right corner of the photo) to keep it from completely ruining the shot.

2005-08-06T07:18:00.000-07:00

Here is a shot from a particular favorite photo shoot of mine. Used to be, back in the day, I would set up massive battles (in smaller scale) and fight it out in the dirt making ratatat noises and knocking the troops down as they died gloriously in my service. Now, I think up little snapshots in time and set up my troops to capture the image in my minds eye. Kind of like painting a picture in 3-D. This is how I play since, it's harder for me to get up and down off of the dirt in my middle aged years. The cannon is a Federal Six Pounder made by Sideshow Toys and the troops are from a couple of different makers and the uniforms are mostly from an outfit called Battle Gear Toys run by a guy named Auggie Romero. I'm not usually a Civil War guy (in this scale) but, I came into the cannon in a trade with a guy for one of my Dodge Command Cars. I had seen the cannon before but, never got one for myself. After I got the gun, I felt I needed to put a crew together to work the gun and this was the result. I'm pretty happy with the outcome here. They would represent a Confederate Horse Artillery unit from the Army of Central Kahlifoania fighting the mythical battle of Bott's farm.

2005-08-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

Here, we have a shot of some of my Waffen SS WWII Germans. Had WWII been a fashion contest, the Germans would have won. The mounted officer is getting directions from the Feldgendarmerie on their motorcycles. The rest of the troops are taking 10. The crucifix was inspired by the scene in the movie "The Big Red One". Europe is festooned with roadside shrines and I thought it would add to the whole effect.

2005-08-04T08:54:00.000-07:00

The place where I work, was the location for the filming of the battle sequences of the movie "We Were Soldiers". This is a picture of one of the sets. The UH-1 Iroquois helicopters are non-op hulks. The filming took place in August just prior to the 9/11 attacks. This area is usually brown and dead at this time of year so, Mel had some devine intervention working in his favor to be able to get this done with as little turmoil as there was.

2005-08-03T16:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of one of my many Man Dollies. He is supposed to be a likeness of Charleton Heston as Major Dundee from the movie of the same name.