Fellow Blogger Give-Aways!

Two of the blogs I follow are celebrating blogging milestones by offering contests and Give-Aways.  Both editors provide interesting insights and photos of their work.  I always enjoy reading their latest offerings.  

To help in acknowledging these milestones and to show my support and appreciation (oh, and perhaps gather one of the give-away items), below are the details of each.

Mad Padre Wargames is celebrating reaching the 100,000 page views.  Part of the fun of this contest is concocting captions for three illustrations.  I have my suggestions in and look forward to seeing the winning entries.

1st Prize is a $40 gift certificate to J&M Miniatures.

Thoughts of a Depressive Diplomatist is celebrating reaching 50,000 page views.  Great blog title, by the way!  Edwin is offering a battery of prizes including a nifty Airfix playing card tin and a number of books.  I would enjoy being the recipient of the Airfix tin!

Pay these gents a visit and enter the contest.  Well, pay these gents a visit but don't enter the contest.  I do not wish my chances to be diluted.

Congratulations, gentlemen!

Washington D.C. Monuments and Memorials Walking Tour

I recently spent a week in the other Washington (D.C. that is) for a conference and had two days to wander about the National Mall prior to heading south to National Harbor.

First impression was the number of monuments, memorials, and museums contained within the National Mall and surrounds is nearly overwhelming.  How could I possibly see everything in two days?  Well, the answer is, I could not.

We began the morning by walking the Mall and visiting many of the monuments, memorials, and government buildings.  Beginning at Congress, we moved onto the White House and then turned south towards the Mall.  Stop one was at the WWII Memorial.  Quite expansive oval surrounded by pillars each carrying the name of a state or protectorate.

and then on to the Lincoln Memorial.

Followed by stops at the Vietnam Memorial,

Korean Memorial,

and finishing up at the Jefferson Memorial.

To me, the Vietnam and Korean Memorials offered an interesting juxtaposition.  The young lads of the Vietnam bronze are focused, gazing at the names of their fallen comrades on the Vietnam Memorial wall.  These guys look very young, likely barely out of their teens.  I didn't sense anxiety or the effects of stress in either their faces or body positions.

The statues in the Korean Memorial evoke an entirely different emotion.  First, the Memorial is quite haunting with a sense of isolation and despair.  Second, these are not the young men from Vietnam!  Members of the Korean Memorial all appear to be seasoned and grizzled veterans, inured to the hard life of campaigning.  For these men, war does not seem a great adventure.  I selected two of the individual statues to highlight.  In their faces, I see anxiety and weariness as they brace against the harsh weather.  I fail to get the same emotion when viewing the young men in the Vietnam bronze work.

Both Memorials are striking but, for me, the Korean War Memorial really delivers the more profound emotional hit.  Had I visited on the snowy Monday rather than the sunny Saturday, the impact would have been even more profound.  

More Reconquista Heavy Foot

As alluded to in a prior posting showing one, twelve-figure stand of mercenary or Spanish heavy foot (Reconquista Heavy Foot), off the painting desk pops a second unit of the same.  The follow-up unit is twelve figures strong and again, all Black Tree Design.  The project now fields  five such mercenary foot units.

Inventory remains to field several more of these Spanish foot warriors.  First, though, I may push a unit or two of heavy cavalry into the painting queue.  In the last BTD order, I included knights on barded horses to make at least two heavy cavalry units.  Like these mercenary foot, the heavy cavalry will be able to appear within either faction.

Besides, when facing Jake's mass of heavy cavalry, I will most certainly require a few of my own as a counter.  I can't rely on the Moorish camelry to dissuade his knights every time. 

Reconquista Heavy Foot

After a week away from the painting desk due to travel, I had some time at the end of the work week to return to the brushes and pots of paint.  First unit to muster off the painting desk is a twelve figure stand of Black Tree Design armored infantry for the Reconquista project.

These twelve warriors comprise one Impetvs stand and will be used as either Spanish or Mercenary heavy infantry.  They will likely see action on both sides of the gaming table.  BTD figures from the Warriors of Island and 2nd Crusade range are very nicely sculpted.  Covered nearly head to toe in mail, these chaps can be ready for battle quite quickly.  In fact, a second unit of twelve is on the painting table in a repeat performance.  After a long week away, it is gratifying to be able to push out a unit to get back into the swing of production.     

American Fleet at Santiago de Cuba, 1898

Following the Spanish fleet display, up next is the American fleet present at the Battle of Santiago Harbor.

Like the Spanish ships, the American fleet is all from the old Houston Ship line of 1/1000 or 1/1100 metal models.

USS Brooklyn

USS Brooklyn

Gloucester and Ericsson

USS Iowa

USS Iowa

USS Indiana

USS Indiana

USS New York

USS New York

USS Oregon

USS Oregon

USS Texas

USS Texas

I should work on rebasing the fleet since I have added a few additional ships that require basing.

Spanish Fleet at Santiago de Cuba, 1898

After dredging up the Battle of Santiago BatRep from the archives, why not dredge up my Spanish ship collection from the bottom of the bay and give them a photo shoot?

The Spanish ships are all from old Houston Ship line of 1/1000 or 1/1100 metal models.  Most of these I completed years (really decades) ago.

Cristobal Colon

Cristobal Colon

Infanta Maria Teresa

Infanta Maria Teresa

Admirante Oquendo

Admirante Oquendo

Vizcaya

Vizcaya

Destroyers Furor and Terror

The paint brush has not been raised in anger for a week while I have been in the other Washington (D.C.) attending a conference.  Hopefully, I can remedy that when I return.

1799 Suvorov in Italy - The French

The 1799 Project is definitely a Work-In-Progress with not so much emphasis on "Work."  Nevertheless, with the Russians getting their parade in an earlier post, I figured it only fitting to allow the French contingents a similar exhibition.  Thus far, 15 foot battalions have been fielded.  Unlike the Russians and their Austrian allies, the French army exerts an egalitarian approach to uniforming their infantry.  That is, no distinguishing facing colors for each regiment.  Luckily, during this period, the flags for each regiment (and even battalions within regiments) were often distinct.

Included in the 15 battalions are two battalions of light infantry in the early side-plumed shako.  1799 was likely too early to see these on the field but I had the figures so why not?

Figures are all AB Miniatures.