Of Cats & Miniatures

Just wanted to take a quick moment to show my recent barrier to a successful hobby session.

It’s only been recently that Gizmo has been jumping up into my lap while I’m in the basement. And when he’s adamant, one has no choice but to stop and give him the attention he needs. 

I’ve been inspired to work on some 28mm American Civil War figures; my first since the medical diorama I did back in 2013. I found a box of plastic infantry from Perry Miniatures while cleaning up.

I have a total of 18 infantrymen to paint, plus an officer, two sergeants, and two standard bearers. I’ve hit a bit of a snag but hope to be finishing these guys up by the end of the week.

Civil War Medical Diorama: Part IX

Woah! An update on the Civil War medical diorama?! Could it be?!?

Firstly, I must sincerely apologize for the recent lack of progress on this project. After I posted the last update, it came time for mid-terms. Then I got sick, which was followed by a small breakdown (but I'm better now). Then there were finals, which was followed by a trip to visit my family over the holidays. But I'm not trying to make excuses about this. I do intend to finish this diorama for once and for all, though.  

I spent a part of this afternoon assembling the hospital car, which proved to be greater pain than I anticipated. Gluing things together have always been the bane of my existence in this hobby....I absolutely detest it. No matter how much pressure you apply or how long you let it set, the model is inevitably going to fall apart. This happened about three or four times with the train car before I finally got it to hold together.  

Fifth time's the charm!

Gluing aside, I'm rather happy with how this has turned out. The sliding doors open and close, and the roof is removable. This latter fact will make it easier to put figures inside for the final display. Not shown are the wheels, which won't be added to the finished product until later.

Just how happy am I to finally get this train car done? Pretty darn happy!

I also took time this evening to assemble one of the ambulances. This also proved troublesome to glue together, but managed to stick after only two tries. 

Another thing I noticed is that the driver's seat has mysteriously vanished (probably the plaything of one our cats). Fortunately it shouldn't be too complicated to reconstruct, so I'll whip one up out of plasticard in the morning.

Lastly, here's a shot of the caboose being primed! I plan to work on it more tomorrow when the weather (and my primer) is more cooperative.

Civil War Medical Diorama: Part VIII

What a productive afternoon! I was able to stop by the Lee-Fendall House after work and get some significant work done on the diorama. This assistant curator/model maker/nerd is quite happy!

It all started with sawing the edges off the railroad tracks. This was essential because they had to fit on the board diagonally due to its odd size. Of course, however, I realized after the fact that I wanted them to go the other direction. 

As the great Homer Simpson says, "Do'h!" 

But upon reflection (and some mild swearing to myself), I realized this was okay and that it actually worked out better. It won't look like the tracks and the road intersect. So I glued them in place and set to work on the trees. Many of them were strategically placed to conceal the staples in the board. I'm thinking I may go out and get another pack or two of trees just to thicken the "woods" up a bit.

Then gravel was added to the train tracks, which was a fairly messy process. The gravel is very loose and so I used a spray adhesive to hold everything in place. Hopefully it worked, but we won't really know until it comes time to move the diorama.

I've been working on the railroad all the live-long day...

After all that, I started working on the dirt roads and finished them in less than 15 minutes.

This is what we had at the end of the day! 

In my opinion, it looks far better than it did on opening night. Seeing this in the museum at its present stage makes me feel a lot better about the whole project. I've always been very critical of my own work (as I imagine most artists are in one way or another). But I'm really liking how the diorama is progressing. 

I just wish I could have gotten to this point a few days ago but, as the French say, c'est la vie.

The next big goal is to get the train cars painted, assembled, and installed. They're sitting on the dining room table, counter, and sideboard (in various pieces). My goal is to have them done by next weekend.

Civil War Medical Diorama: Part VII

So, I'm not going to meet the exhibit deadline.

I've been dragging like crazy with only four hours' worth of sleep last night. This is on top of having revised a research paper, attending a two hour class, drinking more coffee than is probably healthy, and fighting a cold. I just can't do it everything I need to do by tomorrow.

But that being said, quite a bit got done tonight. Teresa and Kyle helped out with the prepping, priming, and painting the of the ambulance, train car, and fences. I cannot thank them enough for their help tonight!!

With "Gettysburg" playing in the background we worked for several hours. Most of the pieces are not painted and just need assembling now. I'll try to fit that in after class tomorrow afternoon.

It is a real shame that I won't be able to have everything ready by tomorrow, though. I can't help but feel a little let down and disappointed in myself.

Civil War Medical Diorama: Part VI

Just a brief update without many progress photos since I've been so busy lately: I've just finished two big assignments for school and can now devote most of my time to getting the diorama done. That's pretty important since, you know, the exhibit is opening in less than 48 hours.

Yup. It's coming down to the wire.

Am I nervous? Yes. Am I worried about getting everything done on time? You bet. Would I rather be doing something else? Not a chance! I'm really excited for the opening and look forward to hear what everyone thinks of the diorama. I'm quite proud of the work I've put into it so far.

But now it's time to stock up on coffee and buckle down....things are going to get a little crazy here.

My girlfriend has been very helpful during my paper-writing craze these last few days. Being the wonderful person that she is, Teresa volunteered to paint the train tracks for me while I was agonizing over early 20th century bank architecture. They turned out quite well indeed!

Making tracks!

The minimum goal for the next day or so is to finally finish that %#&^@*$ firing line, an ambulance, and both train cars. Even if I can't get the remaining figures done by opening night, with those in the diorama I feel that we'll have something solid at least.

And just in case you're all wondering....

I'll try to get another update in before the opening, but I can't make any guarantees at this point.

Civil War Medical Diorama: Part V

Two updates in one day?! What is the world coming to?

I managed to finish off a few more figures and some stretchers this afternoon (though not the Federal firing line that, for some reason, has been the bane of my existence for some weeks now). They came together pretty quickly and I'm pleased with the results.

A few wounded Union soldiers. Is it just me, or does the cavalryman on the left look an awful lot like Chuck Norris?

Oh no! The Rebs shot Chuck Norris! How is that even possible?!?

And here we have the only Confederate who will be in the diorama. He's going to be just in front of the Union firing line to show the progression of the battle.

So that's all for the diorama right now. I'll try to push through that firing line in the next few days and then start on the railway tracks and cars. There's some big stuff coming this way soon!

And as if I didn't have enough on my plate already, I'm planning to do some special pieces for the coming holidays. Just some fun stuff that I really hope you all like. Stay tuned for that! First figure is already done and will be posted on Halloween!

Civil War Medical Diorama: Part IV

Just a really quick update. Following a very successful "Spirits, Suffering, and Society" event last night, we did a little bit of work in the exhibit. The diorama base is installed and the first 20 or so figures have been added.

Here we see my friend Kyle (the exhibit curator) working on putting some of the trees together.

The figures haven't been permanently affixed yet, but this was just to give us and idea of where things will be placed in the finished product. There are still plenty of figures that need to be added (not to mention ambulances, fences, train tracks, and hospital cars). This is just the beginning.

Myself with the diorama. I have to admit, everything looks a lot more impressive under Plexiglas. Not so impressive, however, is my hair (to be fair, though, this was after a long event).

Also, here's a little sneak peak at the rest of the exhibit....

And that's all for now! I need to back to the grindstone, but please stay tuned for more updates!

Civil War Medical Diorama: Part III

As promised, here are the figures I completed last weekend. I'm surprised at how quickly they got done....hopefully I can keep it up!

First up we have the ambulance corpsmen. They were the ones responsible for retrieving wounded soldiers from the battlefield and getting them to an aid station.

And now, the surgeons. There were lots of little details on these guys that I know visitors won't really be able to see (like the green fields on their shoulder bars), but I really had a fun time going the extra mile. Besides, they are officers after all...they should look their absolute best. 

Now we have some of the wounded. And I just realized that the fellow in the yellow shirt looks exactly like Doc Holliday at the end of "Tombstone." 

Next up, the ambulance driver. He'll look a lot better sitting in his wagon (when it's done).

Last, but certainly not least, is the figure of a Berdan sharpshooter that I call "Cuddles." It's a bit of an inside joke...you see, many years ago I used to reenact with a fellow who had that nickname. It just so happened that this mini looked exactly like him. It was too perfect not to do.

Well, that's all for now! Tomorrow we'll be installing the first part of the diorama at the Lee-Fendall House. I'll be sure to post photos and report back on the progress.

Civil War Medical Diorama: Part II

Things are progressing on the diorama!

I hit Michaels yesterday before class and picked up some parts for the base. Since the dimensions of the display case are a bit odd, I had to assemble five different pieces of wood in order to get the needed size. Elmer's Wood Glue is holding it all together quite well, but to be safe I also put some foam core underneath to add a bit more stability. Then came the fun part: letting it all dry overnight.

Wood glue was liberally used to connect the boards. But after watching reruns of "the Red Green Show" on YouTube, though, I think duct tape would've also worked.

Having let the glue set for 24 hours, I picked the project up again today. I went about attaching a ReadyGrass vinyl mat from Woodland Scenics. Worried that the spray adhesive wouldn't be enough to keep it from rolling up and/or peeling, I also used a staple gun to secure things. These staples will eventually be covered up by figures and other bits of terrain.

MORE STAPLES!!!

The base will installed in the exhibit room this coming weekend, and all the figures will be placed in the following weeks. The exhibition is set to open at the end of the month, so there's still quite a lot of work that needs to be done (and on top of school and work commitments to boot). I'm already exhausted just thinking about it all.

Also, our dining room table is a mess. But thankfully my girlfriend is very understanding and is letting me keep it like this for a bit longer. It's easier than continually taking the paints out and then putting them away again after a few hours.

Well, that's all for now! I'll try to get a post up about my latest figures some time tomorrow morning. Please keep checking back for updates, and thank you for looking!

  

Civil War Medical Diorama: Part I

Progress!

The first pieces of the Lee-Fendall House diorama are done! It's taken a little while to get these guys done due to classes starting up and several successive weekends at work. But I'm pleased to report that the first batch is ready.

First off, we have a soldier from the United States Colored Troops (USCT) standing guard over the evacuation area. Over 175,000 African-Americans volunteered to fight for the Union, which accounted for roughly one-tenth of the Federal army. We felt that these brave men should be represented in this diorama. He is just the first of several that will be in the finished product.

Also, please let me say that I'm really, really pleased with how this fellow turned out!

Next, we have some freshly wounded soldiers from General W.S. Hancock's II Corps (so identified by the trefoils on their caps). The figures at left and right will be included in a firing line at the beginning of the diorama. In the center we have an unfortunate fellow being wheelbarrowed to the aide station with the help of a comrade.

Now we have some soldiers getting ready for transport. I'm particularly pleased with how the artillerist in the blanket turned out. If you look carefully, not only will you see the red piping on the collar of his shell jacket, but you'll also see "U.S." stitched in the center of the blanket like the originals.

Lastly, we have a rather grisly sight to behold. This poor soldier's left arm has just been amputated by a surgeon who looks quite suspiciously like General George B. McClellan. His beloved limb is about to be thrown into a pile of other similarly separated appendages to be disposed of later.

These figures come from Architects of War's Uncivil War line. Despite the grisly subject matter, they were a real joy to paint up.

And that's it for the time being. It's only about a month until the exhibit opens, so please keep checking back for updates.

Thanks for stopping by! As always, comments and feedback are much appreciated.