Saturday, December 27, 2008

Disaster Averted

As I was working on my unit of Beja camelry, a disaster struck! I was using a container of Aleene's Tacky Glue to secure the riders to the camels. Everything was going OK until I felt glue on my hand holding the bottle. The bottle was old and the plastic had deteriorated, causing a large crack to open. I immediately summoned assistance from my wife and was able to get almost all the tacky glue into a medium sized margarine container. But I knew that it won't last very long and there was a lot of glue. So, I got my bucket of fine sand and bucket of spackle and mixed some basing material, using the tacky glue, sand, and spackle.

I used it to add basing effects to the 12 Beja camels, a Beja foot leader, and a whole batch of imagi-nation SYW era troops.



These are the Ral Partha Beja camelry after the bases had been augmented with the mix and then painted a base coat of burnt sienna. I'll do some dry brushing of tan and cream and finish the bases by adding some small rocks and grass. The riders still have to have their shields and weapons added and the leader (third from left, front row) his banner.



Here is my improvised work station on the dining room table with two battalions of Eureka Saxons. Their bases have been prepped with the mix. They are awaiting a coat of white glue prior to being dunked into my flocking mix.



And here are some completed figures, all Eureka Saxons, drying on some newspaper.

I'll have to admit I was discombobulated (that's "all shook up" in Southernese) by the tacky glue bottle splitting. I didn't realize at the time that it was that old. But later when I tried to recall when I purchased it, all I could remember was it was a long time ago.

3 comments:

Bluebear Jeff said...

I use the Aleene's Tacky Glue a lot . . . it is good stuff.

And your basing "solution" looks very good to me.


-- Jeff

abdul666 said...

Even if it is currently no more than a possibility, I'd enjoy to see "'tricorns' vs Sudaneses" (or Berbers, Dahomeyans, Zulus...).

Of course more than one (E)uropean country can be involved. By the 1750 the Fachoda Incident would have started a real, if localized, conflict: an opportinity for a triangular (or even polygonal) campaign...

If you do such a campaign, please post on TMP: I'm sure a lot of fellow wargamers would be intrigued, then interested, then inspired - you could even start a fashion!

Jean-Louis

PS: I understand that most of the units in Carpanian and Courlander service wear historical uniforms. Your Highlanders, on the other hand, are dressed in a fashion of your own design: are they other units in original uniforms I missed -I'm not that knowledgeable in Austrian and Russian uniforms...

ColCampbell50 said...

Jean-Louis,

The Highlanders are the first infantry unit in an imaginary uniform. I do have two cavalry units, both from Courland, that have uniforms designed by the persons from whom I procured the figures. They are the Constantine Dragoons (Spenser Smiths from Peter Constantine, UK) and the Mavromichalis Dragoons (Foundrys from Ioannis Mavromichalis, Spain).

I will have other units in the future and will be sure to inform y'all (that's Southern for you plural) which ones they are.

Happy New Year to all!

Jim