Italeri's 1/72 M8

This isn't a bad little kit, though the suspension is really weak.  The brush guards on the headlights were way out of scale so I covered them with some epoxy sand bags.  I also cut open the drivers' hatches and scratch built new ones.

WWII US Infantry

These are the new plastic US infantry figures from Warlord Games.  I've been waiting for them to produce WWII US infantry in plastic for a while.  Though they are a little chunky I really like the variety of poses.  I just wish they had included decals for the divisional patches as they did with their British infantry set a while back.  The ruined building is Warlord Games' "Ruined Hamlet".  I used just a small section of one house.  The kit includes three of the same house ruins and is pretty nice -- except the price.  I thought $50.00 for three plastic houses was a bit extreme.  But then, that didn't stop me from buying them, so.....

 I know, an NCO probably wouldn't have been on the BAR but other than the officer his was the only other helmet whose back was towards the front of the vignette.

1/48th British Desert Patrol

If you keep following my blog you'll find that my interests vary greatly.  My favorite historical periods are the American Civil War and WWII, but I'll branch out to any American War from French & Indian to Korea.  I also have a real interest in the American West.

This vignette is made up of elements from several manufacturers.  The basic jeep is from Tamiya with a resin conversion set from Black Dog and figures from Evolution Miniatures.  Evolution's figures are THE finest 1/48 resin figures I've ever seen, with details usually found in much larger figures. 

The rock in the background was made out of plaster using a Woodland Scenics mold for model railways and carved to the desired shape and width.

Foundry 28mm Vikings

Custer

This was my first attempt at a 40mm figure -- Sash and Sabre's George Custer.  I like the figure, but he seems to be a little on the small side.  He's certainly smaller (in height as well as bulk) to one of their artillery officers, which is closer to the 1.57" that 40mm converts to.  And he's definitely smaller than the Foundry 40mm cavalryman, which is probably too big for the scale.

He's painted with acrylics from Vallejo and Citadel.

Foundry 40mm Union Cavalry

This is my first attempt at a 40mm mounted figure.  It's also my first real attempt at photographing my figures, so I hope people will offer some constructive comments on both painting and photographing.

The cavalryman is painted with Vallejo Acrylics while the horse (with the exception of the black tack) is painted with oils.  Painting a horse was a first for me, having used it on only one 54mm figure previously.  So while the paint may have gone on a little thick in some areas, I'm pleased with it as a first attempt.  One lesson I learned the hard way though -- wait until the oils are THOROUGHLY dry before applying a coat of flat lacquer.  The lacquer muddied the colors in a couple of places before I stopped (lesson #2: always apply lacquer by an airbrush not a brush!  I was being lazy).

The grass tufts and flowers are from Army Painter.  I would really like to improve my groundwork.