Knuckleduster Miniatures Journal

28MM MOUNTED COWBOYS III; THE TWO BILLIES

2011-12-03T14:34:00.001-08:00

With all the sculpting I do, I don't have nearly as much time to paint as I would like, but I did manage to scrape together a few hours to paint samples of my third mounted cowboy pack, OW28-203, Curly Bill and Billy the Kid.

Now as we know from our history lessons, Billy the Kid was a tiny man with enormous teeth. He had three arms; one for shooting, one for drinking whisky, and one for in case something happened to the drinking arm. And as we all know, he was a stark raving mad, murderous lunatic.

But my favorite part of Billy has got to be those teeth; you could pick corn through a picket fence with those incisors. He sports the hat and bulky cardigan featured in the only known photo of him. I've given him a Colt Peacemaker, in step with the times in which he roamed Arizona; cap-and-ball pistols were long gone by that time.

And then there was Bill Broscious, also known as "Curly Bill." He was portrayed vividly and, from what I've read, fairly accurately in the movie "Tombstone." He was charismatic and intelligent, but unpredictable and utterly without any moral sensibility whatsoever. His acts of violence were infused with a dark humor and a penchant for novelty that made them particularly disturbing, like a nineteenth-century version of a camp Batman villain. There is absolutely no evidence to support the red sash the cowboy faction wore in "Tombstone," however cowboys were right dandies at times, and sashes were not out of place, so I have given Curly one of his own.

Don't forget, these figures are made to match dismounted figures in the product line; in this case, figures from OW28-102, Cowboys. Along with OW201 and 202, the entire pack is available mounted.

Adios!

Forrest Harris

Knuckleduster

COMMAND STANDS FOR LUNDY'S LANE

2011-11-04T06:11:00.000-07:00

For this project, I've mounted and decorated bases for Jacob Brown, commander-in-chief at Lundy's Lane, and his two Brigade commanders, Scott and Ripley. To indicate rank, I've varied the size of the bases and the number of figures mounted on them. Brown's larger stand and mounted aide signify his status.

I've used illustration board to mount the figures (I only use this material for relatively small bases; a piece large enough for a building or terrain feature would warp when coated with glue). You can identify illustration board by the green back and smooth white front. It's about an eighth of an inch thick. I glue the figures to the base with Superglue. Make sure you do this in a well-ventilated area, and if you hear sitar music, as a friend of mine is fond of saying, come up for air. In the unlikely event that there is a sitar actually in use nearby, your world is much more exciting than mine.

After the glue has dried, spread white glue anywhere you want earth or stone texture to show through the grass. After spreading the glue, dip the base in rough sand and shake off the excess. Put a few more dabs of glue anywhere you want additional terrain elements, such as larger stones, bits of broken fence, or discarded equipment. I have the luxury of having at my disposal loads of parts I use for sculpting, so I've chosen a musket, a knapsack, and a shako. The next few steps require the glue to be thoroughly dry, so you will need something to pass the time. I suggest popping over to Knuckleduster.com for some shopping.

When you've run out of money, check on the progress of your glue. If it has dried, you are ready to undercoat the base. Most of us in this hobby are familiar with sepia undercoating and subsequent drybrushing. I use that method on most terrain items, but for earth, I like to start a bit lighter, because I find the extremely dark shadows distract me from the figures being displayed. So I start with a raw sienna, or other medium to light warm brown.

I paint the fence sepia; it will end up with a weathered wood effect different from earth. I paint the discarded gear black or sepia. I will not fully detail them, but will leave them as dark and dusty forms lying in the grass; a mere suggestion of equipment that does not demand attention from the viewer.

Notice I'm painting the large stones. "Stones are already stone-colored, so why paint them?" you may be asking. Recollect your preschool coloring lessons; cover the whole page in crayon--no white showing. Did Monet say, "why paint that white flower when the canvas is already white?" No he did not. Truth is, when compared to the painted base, a boulder of a different hue would cry out, "I think I'll glue a rock from the driveway riiiight here!" It will look more like a real rock when painted to match the rest of the terrain, permitting the viewer to stay within the fantasy of the wargame world and not be distracted by thinking, "it was clever to use that rock; I must get me one of those."

After the undercoat has dried, I begin dry-brushing. For the earth, I begin with a buckskin color somewhere between raw sienna and yellow ochre . . .

. . . then do a dusting of tan. The shako is being given two shades of grey, the lighter grey suggesting the white of the plume and cords without literally painting them white. The knapsack is getting a bit of grey, and both the gun and knapsack are being dusted with tan.

To make the rocks really pop out, I lightly dry-brush the edges of them with white.

Now we're ready for turf. I paint white glue on the areas where I want grass. I use a couple of old paintbrushes; one of them is fairly small for getting around the feet and other small spaces. Work quickly; the glue will begin to dry around the edges of the base before you want it to.

Dip the gluey base into a tub of turf. I used to use static grass, the good-old green turf matches game mats and manufactured terrain better, and is a lot cheaper. Tap and blow the excess off (without inhaling the turf; avoid explaining frighteningly green sputum to your doctor).

And here's the finished product!

Ready to fight the Bloody British!

Forrest Harris

FIRST GREENS OF OCTOBER

2011-10-03T04:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't been in the habit of posting photos of my greens (or greys in this case). It's more interesting than photos of sausage being made, and hopefully less disgusting!

First, I have a set of dismounted US command for 1812. If you're like me, you use dismounted command figures on the mounted generals' bases to denote rank; for instance, one dismounted figure with a mounted general is a brigade commander, two is a divisional, and two mounted figures on a base is a corps commander.
You may recognize some Osprey illustrations among these:

I have the torsos here for early-war Americans. The roundabouts in the early war would be linen for the summer and not the grey wool of the late war. The full-laced coatee will be represented as well:

Here is one of the last of the mounted cowboys:

And finally, one of three horses for US 1812 cavalry. He's got a light cavalry saddle, one of several styles extant, and a simple saddle blanket used on campaign underneath the saddle instead of the shabraque over the saddle. The pistols and wool cover will be sculpted as well. I have two others I'm rigging out with all the requisite gear:

I've said for a long time that I'm revamping the 40's. Here's proof!

These are but a few bits and pieces; I'm sculpting lots of guns, heads, hats, and a poseable horse dollie that cries, piddles, and closes his eyes when you lay him down.

The new 28's should be mastered and ready to go later this month. The 40mm project rolls on, but I fear I won't have any new releases lined up in that range for a couple of months yet.

Now that you've seen how sausage is made, I hope you still want to order some!

All the best,
Forrest Harris
The Sculptor

British Infantry in Belgic Shakos

2011-08-16T06:35:00.000-07:00

A vexing question that one confronts when researching the Niagara campaign of 1814 is the type of headwear used by various units of the British army (at least according to Rolling Stone magazine . . . what a bunch of hipsters we are). After a considerable number of emails and a lot of trips to obscure Yahoo group bulletin boards, I feel I still have not arrived at a really satisfactory answer, so I will present the arguments and allow you to draw your own conclusions.

(An officer, NCO, and center company men from among my new releases)

The Belgic shako, sometimes called the "Waterloo" shako, was adopted by regulation in 1812, but did not find its way into the hands of infantrymen in the Iberian Peninsular until nearly the end of hostilities, if at all, and is usually associated with the Hundred Days campaign, ending with the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

A British infantryman's cap (shako) was meant to last him two years. If an infantryman was issued a stovepipe shako in 1812, it would not be replaced until 1814 unless the entire unit was re-equipped. It should be a simple matter to examine the written orders in Canadian or British archives to determine which caps were in service. As it turns out, the orders provide very little guidance as the headgear is simply referred-to as "caps", or "felt caps."

Grenadiers (tufts blending in with the white background)

For example, consider this order by the Military Secretary's Office to the commander of the Upper Canada Militia in January of 1813:

(I found this on a reenactor's bulleting board, quoted from a document entitled Clothing for the Upper Canada Militia 2 January 1813 (C3526 / Vol C1220 / P 83.)

Green Jackets
Red Cuff and Collar,
White Lace
Blue Gunmouth Trousers
Felt Regulation Cap

Is a "Felt Regulation Cap" a stovepipe or Belgic shako? One could suppose the latter, since the order was written in early 1813, and the "regulations" at the time specified Belgic shakos. But were there not vast stores of stovepipe shakos, and did militia units really receive the latest and best? Further documents mention 600 "bucket caps" returned to storage at Kingston after an issue of supplies in 1813. Were they stovepipe shakos returned because they had been replaced by Belgic shakos, or were they the shorter bucket shakos worn by the Caldwell Rangers, replaced by stovepipe shakos still in wide circulation?

Dressing the line; the spontoon still in use by some units.

Arguments, therefore, revolve around speculation about what equipment might have been in stores, assumptions about Horse Guard's attitudes toward equipping provincial units in far-flung quarters, and isolated and obscure eye-witness accounts, many of which are open to interpretation.

The consensus among reenactors, seems to be that regular units of the British Army, even in North America, were equipped with the Belgic shako by the time the Niagara campaign commenced. There remains some debate about the Incorporated Militia regiment so that portraying them in either headgear can find some justification. The remainder of the militia, especially the Sedentary Militia, are presumed to be wearing primarily castoffs and items brought from home, and one might presume this meant stovepipe shakos or round hats.

Ensigns trooping the legendary "Invisible Colours" of

the "King's Own Mysterious Fusiliers."

What's a real mystery is where I'm going to find time to paint flags!

If you have additional information about this topic, especially information drawn from primary documents, please post your comments below.

Also, for some lively reading on this and other topics concerning uniforms of the War of 1812, visit the yahoo group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WarOf1812/

PORTER'S MILITIA BRIGADE

2011-05-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

During the Niagara campaign of 1814, the US Left Division included a brigade of militia under the command of General Peter Buell Porter, including troops from New York and Pennsylvania. They acquitted themselves well in both the battle of Chippewa and Lundy's Lane, and to the surprise of a skeptical Winfield Scott, did credit to the American army during the campaign.

In previous campaigns, the militias of Pennsylvania and New York each had various state militia uniform distinctions, however during the 1814 campaign they were equipped by the US government and dressed much like the remainder of the Left Division. The leather shako and short grey roundabout jackets were very much in evidence. In order to portray them on the tabletop, I have chosen to sculpt them with bayonets unfixed and in their scabbards, and with a variety of irregular equipment. Their shakos are not trimmed out to the full extent one would expect of a disciplined regular, and substitute headgear such as straw hats, round hats, and old felt shakos are worn by some of the troops.

The long garment worn by this figure is a work smock, not a long wool coat. These were a very common item in camp and rarely seen on the wargame table. The pattern formed the basis of the rifle frock, which had the addition of fringe and a "cape" (layer of cloth over the shoulders, also with fringes).

Miltia units sometimes painted their unit designations on the shakos rather than wearing a shako plate. They were also quite fond of decorating their knapsacks, canteens, and caps with stars, eagles, and other patriotic designs.

I have yet to sculpt command for these figures. I will be adding some Pennsylvania and New York uniform flourishes to the command packs. For instance, New York militia commanders wore cocked hats and coats with lapels as Napoleonic French.

The new militia packs can be found here at knuckleduster.com.

All for now!
Forrest
Knuckleduster

CREATING THE LINCOLN AND YORK MILITIAS FOR LUNDY'S LANE

2011-05-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

Add caption

Canadian militia attire in the War of 1812 is a confusing subject. In attempting to put together a unit to represent the Lincoln and York Militias at the battle of Lundy's Lane, I turned first to standard wargame references such as Renee Chartrand's excellent Osprey volume on Canadian troops and Stuart Asquith's more recent uniform book. As good as these references are, it wasn't until I had consulted reenactors portraying the Lincoln militia that I felt I could confidently field a wargame unit.

Note: This unit should not be confused with the Incorporated Militia posted on the British left at Lundy's Lane, a unit which more closely resembled British regulars and which will be the subject of a future post.

My first question was whether the Lincoln and York militia men wore uniforms or civilian clothes. It turns out that although they very much wanted to present a uniform appearance, it was very rarely achieved. Throughout the war, red coats with yellow facings, green coats with red or yellow facings, castoffs from the 41st Foot, and the ubiquitous "gunmouth" blue trousers were sporadically issued to the militia. The troops who came the closest to military uniformity were the flank companies, who tended to have uniforms, including lace and possibly wings. These troops served (or were "embodied") for longer tours of duty than the center companies (a term which was not used in the militia), which tended to be sedentary militiamen called away from their farms and businesses only during times of dire emergency. The latter only sometimes had uniforms. If no uniform was available, the sedentary militiaman was instructed to report for battle turned out in a coat made of a dark cloth, and to avoid grey, which was the color frequently used by the Americans.

I next asked what headgear should be worn, and specifically if the Belgic shako was in use at Lundy's Lane. I thought this would be the more difficult question, but it turns out there was broad consensus that all the regular troops and most of the incorporated militia had been issued the Belgic by this time (the incorporated militia was made up of volunteers from the other militia formations and served for longer periods of time). The sedentary militia, however, had to content themselves with castoffs from the regulars, and if they had any military headgear at all, probably wore stovepipe shakos, even at Lundy's Lane in 1814. The remainder of the men would have turned out in a variety of headgear, including straw hats, civilian round hats, tams, fatigue caps, or wool caps of various sorts. Officers in the militia by 1814 would have been expected to report for duty in red coats with blue facings and scarlet sashes, but many militia commanders still preferred the round hat.

Some of the sedentary militia
were instructed to tie white cloth
to one arm to identify them
as King's troops.

In portraying the Lincoln and York Militias on the wargame table in the Niagara campaign, a mix of figure types should be used. Here are the figures I will be using to create my 36-man unit (I'm partial to the big battalions!):

CANADIAN SEDENTARY MILITIA ADVANCING
LOWER CANADA MILITIA COMMAND, ROUND HATS
UPPER CANADA MILITIA ADVANCING

I've tried to make these figures compatible with the newer plastic figures, so you could augment these with figures from other manufacturers, or wait for my upcoming releases. More uniformed flank company figures are on the sculpting table right now and will be available soon.

Here is a very helpful discussion from an 1812 reenactors site. It explains how the Upper Canada militia was uniformed throughout the war, and the research all comes from primary documents.

If you are not completely decrepit, don't mind sleeping rough in order to reap the reward of a night singing old songs around a snapping campfire, and have a few bucks left to throw around when you're finished filling your Knuckleduster shopping cart, please consider reenacting the War of 1812.

All the best,
Forrest Harris
Knuckleduster

LOWER CANADA MILITIA

2010-12-03T10:17:00.000-08:00

By now, most of you will have seen the new 28mm 1812 figures I am producing. The War of 1812 was a sideshow in the great Napoleonic Wars, but an important one for Americans and Canadians, the latter taking great pride in the defense of their border, and the former who wreaked just enough havoc to declare victory and go home to try their luck thirty years later against Mexico, an adversary with much better weather.

These figures are Lower Canada Milita in round hats from the new Knuckleduster collection (I am ever-so-slowly painting samples to photograph; sculpting always takes priority). These troops were drafted by the Lower Canada Assembly who entitled them The Lower Canada Select Embodied Militia, which is certainly catchy, but difficult to fit on product label. They took part in a number of battles, including Plattsburgh and Chateauguay. Like most Canadian militia, they were ordered to wear red coats and dark blue-grey trousers (not the grey trousers worn by regulars in the Peninsular and Waterloo campaigns), and like most militia units of any nationality, they were chronically short of supply, especially early in the war. They often had to resort to expedient uniform modifications, such as the use of "round hats" (top hats) instead of shakos and olive green coats (see figures on the left) instead of red.

Here are their officers:

In truth, by late 1813, most militia would have received proper uniforms with shakos, but I've always been of the opinion that exotic uniforms are much more fun to push around on the wargame table, and as long as there is the merest historical excuse for using them, I will choose dashing round hats over mundane shakos any day.

In a pinch, these figures will also do for Royal Marines, although to be technically correct, you may want to add the strap that reaches from the brim to the crown on each side (this would be a delicate operation, to be sure, and I'm not sure what material you would use).

The Lower Canada Militia should not be confused with the Upper Canada "Incorporated" Militia that took part in the Niagara campaign. Officially titled the Volunteer Battalion of Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada, they were made up of volunteers from the Upper Canada Militia who served for a longer period of time than the Sedentary Militia. By the time of Lundy's Lane they marched in full British gear, including Belgic shakos, red coats, and blue facings.

[Editor's Postscript: There are perfectly respectable researchers who portray the Incorporated Militia in Stovepipe shakos with green-faced red coats, issued in 1813. The issue of the shako is unclear at best (see my post on the subject) and the cloth for the blue facings was not sent until just prior to the Niagara campaign with instructions for regimental tailors to make the necessary alterations.]

References

Stuart Asquith, The War of 1812, A Campaign Guide to the War with America, 1812-1815, Partizan Press, 2008.

Philip Katcher, The American War, 1812-1814, Osprey Publishing 1990

And that august repository of all useful knowledge, Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Units_of_the_War_of_1812

Comparing Knuckleduster's New Banditos to Artizan

2010-06-13T13:41:00.000-07:00

Knuckleduster has just released a set of six 28mm Banditos. Because no single manufacturer makes enough Banditos to build a collection of figures for a large gang which are to scale with one another and in which no single pose is used twice, figures from different sources must be mixed. In my collection I happen to have a few Artizan figures, and I have placed them alongside my own sculpts so you can see how they match in scale and "heft."

The three figures you your left are Artizan.

The figure on the left is from Artizan's set AWW001,

Ill Buono, Ill Brutto, Ill Cattivo

If the Artizan figures weren't already based, I might have been able to give you an even better comparison, but I didn't have the heart to pry them off the stands! As it is, I think they are reasonably well matched, and could be mixed in one "unit."
Artizan makes two packs of three banditos each plus the Mexican from AWW001. The other large collections of banditos I've been able to find are from Black Scorpion miniatures, although I don't have any. They are beautiful figures, and if someone would like to photograph one of theirs alongside one of mine, please send me the photo and I'll post it.

Adios, Amigos!
Ol' Knuckleduster

February Greens

2010-02-24T20:33:00.000-08:00

Here are some new 28mm greens. I'm going to make the master mold Thursday morning, and thought I'd snap a few pics before they get roasted in the vulcanizer!

The first set are Federal Marshals who hunted outlaws in the infamous "Indian Territory," which is now Oklahoma. They included the illustrious Heck Thomas (suspenders, firing winchester), and were a diverse force, including Native American police (the "Light Horse") and an African-American lawman, Bass Reeves (pointing). This set includes six figures (2 views below).

The second 6-figure set is a collection of outlaws. They include a couple of masked bandits, a Hillbilly of sorts, a leader with a bald pate (can you guess who he is?), and one loading a scattergun and wearing a Mississippi gambler's hat.

Once I start casting these, I'll round up a batch to photograph and post on the site.

Adios,

Knuckleduster

Scratchbuilt 28mm Town

2010-02-20T17:44:00.000-08:00

Recently I saw a YouTube video of a western town built by Viv Chandra of the Battle Bunker in Australia. I was inspired to post some photos of my own 28mm town, some of which is scratch-built, and some of which is resin. I furnished many of the interiors with an eclectic mix of pieces and parts from fantasy and historical manufacturers. Here it is, the town that got me started in Wild West gaming:

ADIOS!

OL' KNUCKLEDUSTER

Knuckleduster's 28mm Lawmen of Tombstone

2009-10-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of my latest 28mm pack. It includes the Earps, Doc Holliday, and Sheriff Johnny Behan. These are based on the historical characters, and not the actors. For instance, Virgil Earp did not look anything like he did in Tombstone. He was full in the face. Wyatt is shown here as he was the day of the gunfight, carrying his gun without a holster.

Doc takes aim.

A wounded version of Virgil.

. . . and of course, Wyatt.

I hope you enjoy these; I had fun sculpting, painting, and mounting them. They are available from Knuckleduster.com or RLBPS.com.

One more note, if you had the original Knuckleduster Earp pack, you will note that the figures have been slightly re-sculpted, and more figures have been added; Behan, Doc, and the prone/wounded version of Virgil which gives you a wounded marker or diorama figure.

Adios!

Banditos!

2009-08-08T18:48:00.001-07:00

This is the first new post in awhile, and I apologize. Vacations, trips to conventions, and contract casting have taken their toll on my sculpting and blogging. I'm happy to announce the release of my first new 40mm set in a couple of months.

What Old West setup would be complete without Banditos! First a small history lesson. Real banditos were not dressed as we see in the movies. The greatest of them all, Joaquin Murrieta, of Old California, dressed like an ordinary businessman of 1854, albeit rather dusty, with no special pinache. No sashes, no conchos, no panchos.

Well, what fun it that? I've chosen to give my banditos the full-tilt Frito-Bandito treatment.

First off, they represent three iconic Latino character types of the Old West. The character with the multi-colored blanket is a Vaquero, or Mexican cowboy. The second is an old California Haciendo, wearing fancy duds (perhaps outlaws have crashed his wedding). The character with crossbelts is one of Ponco Villa's men, a "Villista." They have plug hands which are interchangeable. Each set comes with seven hands: Right: Winchester, Peacemaker one, Peacemaker two. Left: Whiskey bottle, open hand, Peacemaker, cap and ball Colt. The middle figure has an alternate head which is bare. The hats must match the costume for them to be culturally correct, so the other heads are fixed.

The were fun to paint because of the patterns in the blanket and trousers, and because of the fancy stitching and piping on the jackets. If I get around to doing mounted versions, I'll try my hand at a fancy fiesta saddle!

Until next time,

Old Knuckleduster

Wild Bill Hickok

2009-04-23T08:37:00.000-07:00

Of all the western characters I've sculpted, I keep coming back to Wild Bill Hickok. I've sculpted him in three different scales. If you are an artist, perhaps you can see why; the windswept and interesting hair, the dramatic clothes, the unique face, and his uniquely Victorian notion of manhood, expressed plainly in everything from his posture to his dispassionate, but not unpleasant visage.

Here's my 40mm Wild Bill, seen from four angles.

This figure is from KOW48-012, Heroes I. The base is a simple metal washer, and the basing was done by sprinkling sand over white glue, and dry-brushing from medium brown to tan. A tuft of static grass is the one patch of weeds growing in Abilene's street at didn't managed to get eaten by a cow or trampled by a horse.

Wild Bill is interesting to paint because of his penchant for fancy duds. I set off his Prince Albert frock coat with a faint line of gray piping which is not actually sculpted onto the figure. In one famous photo he's shown with plaid trousers, which I did my best to paint (although I chose a slightly different plaid than the one in his photo). His hat is a popular style known at the time as the "Boss of the Plains," or "Boss of the Prairie." It features a low crown but a wide brim, and was usually tan, gray, or white. It pre-dates the Stetson.

His hair was auburn. I began with a dark brown undercoat, a burnt-sienna medium tone, and for highlights mixed burnt-sienna with yellow ochre.

Wild Bill's most famous post was Abilene, the summer of 1871. Cowtowns were dusty, except when they were muddy. His shoes, trousers, and the bottom edges of his coat were dry-brushed with a very faint mix of medium brown and yellow ochre to depict the ever-present filth which was impossible to avoid, regardless of how dapper you tried to be.

His guns are nickel-plated Navy revolvers, with ivory grips. He fastidiously maintained these weapons, making sure they worked when called upon. I have fired a replica Colt's Navy 1851 revolver, the model he used, and I managed a misfire rate of about 50%! He took great pains to clean, shoot, clean again, and reload his pistols every morning to be sure the cap popped, the spark reached the chamber, and the powder ignited.

All the best,

Forrest

Knuckleduster Miniatures

The Lincoln County War

2009-04-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

From 1878 to '81, gang warfare raged across central and southern New Mexico. Billy the Kid, enraged by the murder of his mentor, John Tunstall, formed a posse (of dubious legality) and exacted revenge on Lawrence Murphy and James Dolan's faction, which included not only local cattlemen, but the county Sheriff's department and others in positions of power. The movie Young Guns contains many historical innacuracies, but captures the essence of the conflict and characters pretty well.

Knuckleduster's latest figure set pays tribute to the conflict in 40mm scale.

First we have Billy, himself. He has been depicted in the movies many ways, however the only evidence we have of his appearance is a photo which shows a small, ugly young man with a rumpled hat and over-sized cardigan. (If you ever see this photo, be sure to keep in mind that some versions of it are reversed left to right; he was right-handed). He had buck teeth, so pronounced, he "could eat corn through a picket fence," as the saying goes.

The challenge in sculpting Billy was making the cardigan look like a sweater and not a jacket. I accomplished this by giving it a ridged texture that can be dry-brushed to achieve a cable-knit look. I've sculpted several different types of chaps on my figures. The most dramatic are batwing chaps (see KOW48-02, Cowboys), which require conchose and rawhide ties down the side. Some folk like their chaps with fringe down the side as well. I'm currently putting highly ornamented Vaquero chaps on some Banditos. Billy's are simple, workmanlike shotgun chaps, belonging to a lowly cowhand. One of these days, I'll try my hand at wooly chaps, and the knee-length "chinks" (coincidental resemblence to the racial slur of the same name), rarely depicted in the movies, but used often.

Another challenging part of this sculpt is the awkward backward draw he's doing with his right hand. This comes from a contemporary illustration, which I altered only in making the hand anatomically correct; the Police Gazette illustrator had given him two left hands. This type of draw was more popular than you might imagine, but for the life of me I can't imagine why.

Next, we have one of Billy so-called "Regulators," Jose Chavez Y Chavez. He met his end on account of having borrowed Billy's hat, reportedly a sombrero with a green band. What was known as a sombrero then and now are slightly different, and any cowboy hat might be called a sombrero in those days. In any case, Jose was mistaken for Billy and shot on sight. His last words were, "I wish . . . I wish . . . " Historians have mused that he meant, "I wish I hadn't borrowed that damn hat." He's wearing no hat at all in this interpretation; it's not too late for him to avoid his fateful decision. His jacket is probably an old Mexican or French military coat.

Finally, we have Pat Garrett, the lawmen that cornered Billy and shot him in his hotel room in 1881. Garret was a tall man who suffered from an inflated ego and unbridled ambition. Dee Harkey, a lawmen from a nearby county, considered him a "mankiller," who was too quick to resort to the use of lethal force. In the case of Billy, however, Garrett's instincts may have been right on the money. Billy was unpredictable, reckless, and had killed several lawmen already. Pat is depicted shooting Billy in his bed, giving him the "coup de grace," so to speak.

One of these days, I'll post painted examples of these fellers in action!

Adios, amigos

Forrest Harris

Knuckleduster

Monetize Your Miniatures; Commercial Clutter on Front Street

2009-04-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

I want my Western Town to look like someone lives there. A western town's Front Street (a.k.a. The Row) was no different than Main Street, or "The Strip" is today in a town like Ruidoso, Laramie, or Durango. Advertising is and was rampant, and the thing missing from my town until recently has been the commercial clutter that is the inevitable result of economic activity. In short, I have begun to "monetize" my buildings.

Of course you must have a sign on any commercial buildings. Most lettering in those towns was simple, but examples of fancy brushwork can be found easily enough. Time-Life books and internet image searches should give you plenty of examples to paint your own signs from. If you don't have a steady hand, make your own signs in Photoshop and print them on cardstock.

Smaller signs were everywhere on commercial buildings in the Old West. It seems that everyone sold cigars or tobacco and advertised the fact. Saloons might have signs proclaiming their Faro (card game), Billiards, Whiskey, or Dancing.

My latest addition to the mining town of Knuckleduster is poster art. Large posters were "pasted" up by circus or theater promoters in advance of a show.

Wanted posters certainly deserve a prominent place. It takes a bit of inestinal fortitude to permanently glue a piece of paper to the side of a model you just spent a week building, but the results are worth it and besides, life now or in the Old West is not tidy.

Adios!

Forrest Harris

Ol' Knuckleduster

Piebald Horse and Rider

2009-04-17T07:45:00.000-07:00

Howdy,

This here's what's called a Piebald horse. Piebald isn't a breed; it's any horse with black and white coloring. White with any other color is called a Skewbald (for instance, white and brown, or white and bay). In the Old West, your Piebalds would likely be a quarter horse or Indian pony.

When painting horses, I'm careful not to leave the shadows too dark. I used to dry-brush my mid-tones directly over my dark undercoat, leaving all shadows the very darkest value. This approach worked just fine with bays, browns, or blacks, but not so well with white, palomino, or dappled greys. The extremely dark creases looked less like shadows and more like mistakes.

This piebald has large white patches, to which I applied a grey first coat, being sure to completely paint over the underlying dark undercoat. Next, I painted a lighter shade of grey on all but the deepest recesses, and finished off with bright white on the higest spots.

The black part of the horse was done with a black undercoat and two shades of grey, the final shade being a mere dusting with a dry brush over the tips of the mane and tail. The hooves were done with two shades of a greenish-grey, starting with a fairly dark shade. Horseshoes were painted on because I'm using 40mm figures, and the figure wouldn't look finished without them.

The figure is from the pack KOW48M-031, Outlaw With Pistol. His matching dismounted pose is from KOW48-3, Outlaws (the raggety white edge is because I clipped him out of a photo with two other figures).

I gave him a striped vest. I like to add some kind of pattern to an item of clothing on every figure, even if it's only a bandanna. Many people can do this well on a 28mm figure; I just don't happen to be one of them. 40mm gives me a bit more elbow room. It's also fun to run a fine line around the edges of the fabric as if it were piped or trimmed out "extry fancy."

His boots are called "Napoleon" boots, and are characterized by the high front peak and high heel, small in size and set back on the shoe fairly far. They were a popular style during and after the Civil War. The boots worn during the 1870's and 80's more closely resembled cavalry boots than what we call "cowboy boots" today.

Until next time,

Forrest Harris

Ol' Knuckleduster

New Greens

2009-04-16T21:02:00.000-07:00

Howdy one and all,

I've been busy sculpting more 40mm figures. Here are three upcoming releases. I received a request to show more longarms being fired from the shoulder, so I've put together this set, which includes a big old ranch hand in a ten-gallon hat (let's call him Hoss), a character with a sawed-off shotgun and a Mississippi riverboat gambler's hat, and Teddy Roosevelt. I went with the instantly identifiable Rough Rider hat, although when he made his famous outlaw capture in the badlands, he was wearing a fur cap, which is far less comfortable in an Arizona gunfight.

If you like my 28s, fear not; I will be sculpting more of them eventually. I haven't given up on them. I will say, however, that I'm learning a lot in 40mm, and I'm sure my 28s will benefit.

Here's one of the figures from an upcoming "Lincoln County War" set. I've included a photo of his green, and on of the finished painted sample (pardon the unpainted base).

Next up, I'm sculpting 40mm banditos, vaqueros, haciendos, and Villestas. Rumor has it, I'll be putting out a line of 40mm buildings. I'm constructing them with cost containment in mind, and my goal is to provide them at a price lower than comparable 28mm buildings.

Adios!

Ol' Knuckleduster

Sculpting Pistols

2009-03-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

Howdy, pilgrims,

Today's post concerns the way pistols are depicted on 40mm miniatures. One of the challenges of sculpting any military miniature is making weapons to scale. If gun barrels were 1:48th the diameter of a real .45 caliber pistol barrel, it would be as thin or thinner as a guitar string. Even if you could cast it reliably, it would be so fragile it would snap off with the slightest handling. Here are some photos of people holding real weapons.

First, a so-called "Pocket Navy." If you are playing Warhammer's Legends of the Old West, it would be a typical "sixgun". They were popular weapons because of the speed with which they could be brought into action. Large guns like the Walker Colt were totally impractical as a street fighting weapon due to their bulk:

Here are a number of Colt's cap-and-ball pistols. Notice the variety of sizes available:

Here's a feller on horseback carrying a Peacemaker. Notice how small the gun appears in his hand, especially with the large animal in close proximity:

This reenactor is firing a Peacemaker (or perhaps a Frontier), considered a "Heavy Pistol" in Warhammer's Legends of the Old West:

Finally, here's another "heavy pistol" as defined by LOTW; in this case, a Colt's 1851 Navy:

It's easy to see how delicate a gun diligently modeled to scale would be when scaled down. Sculptors, therefore, have to make compromises. Guns have to be made thicker to be durable, but not so large as to resemble artillery. When you make a gun thicker, you have to be careful how long you make it, otherwise the visual effect produced by the overall massiveness of the gun will make the entire figure look ridiculous. Here are four types of guns I have sculpted for Knuckleduster's 40mm figures:

First, a LOTW "sixgun"; in this case, an 1851 Colt's Navy Sheriff's Model. I have chosen to use small sixguns like these on a number of my sculpts:

Next, a .45 Peacemaker with a 7.5"-length barrel:

Here's a derringer (the generic term; the first company to produce them was called "Deringer," with one "r"):

Finally, here's a full-size Navy revolver:

Finally, a figure on horseback holding a Pocket Navy. Compare this figure to the mounted reenactor previously shown:

The real advantage of 40mm over 28mm, is that weapons can be made a bit more delicate while still retaining the strength needed for handling.

I'd like to put in a good word for the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS). Some of the reenactors pictured on this post compete in Cowboy Action Shooting, a championship target shooting sport which a lot of really nice guys participate in all over the world. The skill, knowledge, and safety record of this organization really can't be beat. We toy soldier people can learn a lot from what they do. More info is available at http://www.sassnet.com/index.php

Until next time, Adios!

Forrest Harris

Ol' Knuckleduster

Johnny Fandango

2009-03-15T11:35:00.000-07:00

Howdy,

Here are a few photos of Johnny Fandango, a character I created from Knuckleduster's Outlaws packs (mounted and dismounted). He is meant to be a Texas outlaw of the sort that roamed the Southwest in the 1880's. There were many loosly-affiliated bands of outlaws who operated in West Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona during this period, rustling, robbing, and causing considerable mayhem. The "Cowboys" of Tombstone fame are typical of the breed.

This hobre features a really capital horse, and a fancy stitched coat. For the stitiching, I chose the "yellow rose of Texas" theme. The roses can be seen in various places on the coat (sorry about the photo quality--I'm still learning). He's toting a pair of Colt's cap and ball "Pocket Navies," which are quick to bring into action.

The next photo shows another character I created with the same body, but a different head.

Adios!

Ol' Knuckleduster

New Knuckleduster Greens

2009-03-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

Howdy, folks!

It was recently suggested to me that I should post my work in progress. I've never been in the habit of doing so, but I can understand how it might be fun to get a sneak peek of what's coming down the pike.

These four characters are among six new items I hope to have finished within a couple of weeks. The are, from left to right, Pat Garrett, Chavez, Rancher's Daughter, and Billy the Kid. Billy will come with a number of different heads, since he has been portrayed many different ways (with many different hats).

I have many other pieces on the workbench, however I'm not at liberty to display them since they are private commissions. I'd be happy to answer questions you might have about these sculpts, or to take suggestions for future projects. Drop me a line at knuckledusterharris@gmail.com or post a comment on this blog.

All the best,

Forrest Harris

Ol' Knuckleduster

Basic Scratchbuilding, Part III; Cedar Shake Roof Construction

2009-03-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

A cedar shake roof is a bit tedious, but it well worth doing, and not as hard as it looks.

I cut the shakes en masse to begin with. Each course is about an inch long. To make life easier, I first cut one-inch swaths across the grain of a wide piece of 1/32" balsa.

I then snap the pieces off to make rectangular shakes.

I lay the shakes down in courses. The shakes should run about a quarter of an inch off all edges--you can trim them back later if one side needs to be flush with a wall. I run a bead of glue in two lines for each course: one line where the bottom of the shake will meet the previous course, and one where the top of the shake meets the roof. When all the courses are complete, you can trim out the ridgeline with shakes running the other direction.

Cut a piece of Masonite hardboard and hot-glue the model to it. I usually do this before building the porch, which makes assembly a bit easier.

Paint your building dark sepia, they dry-brush it up to the desired color. For natural wood, this takes some experimentation with various shades of brown and tan to find the effect you're looking for. I opted for a very weathered look, however you might want a young town with brighter wood.

Good luck and if you have a question, feel free to drop me a line at knuckledusterharris@gmail.com.

Adios,

Ol' Knuckleduster

Basic Scratchbuilding, Part II; Building Construction

2009-03-13T15:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome to part two of my scratchbuilding tutorial. Although only trial-and-error will teach you the nuances of how the process works, it is my hope that I can provide you with a foundation that will both help you avoid some of the big mistakes I made while learning, and show you that it's really not that difficult after all.

A note about the photos. They're not all from the same building! They were taken at random during the construction of an entire town for a convention this winter, at which time I had no idea I'd be writing this article. They illustrate the techniques, but not the construction of any one particular building.

The first step is to design the building on paper. A 40mm scale saloon should be about six inches wide and seven inches deep. I design the floor to sit inside the walls rather than using the floor as a platform for the walls. I design the side walls to be the same length as the floor and the front and back walls to go on last and cover the ends of the sides (they need to be wider by double the thickness of the walls, 3/16", in order to cover them; so instead of 6 inches wide, make the front and rear walls 6 3/8" wide). The walls should be about 3" tall, and the roof is made by cutting out a triangular truss and gluing two roof plates to it.

Your basic measurements for aforementioned saloon would be:

Floor: 6 x 7"

2 side walls: 3 x 7"

Front, 7 x 6 3/8

Rear: 6 3/8" wide. 3" tall on each side and 5" tall at the peak.

Roof: One panel 7 1/4 x 4" and another 7 1/4 x 4 3/16 . The wide panel will overlap the narrow panel at the peak, although the angle will not be perfectly 90%. You will need to trim the excess a bit.

Truss: a little triangular piece three inches long on the bottom and the same angle as the peak of the back wall.

Should I every really get ambitious, I will create a file of "blueprints." You can create your own designs by studying photographs of old western buildings or using commercially available cardstock buildings such as Whitewash City as a pattern, making adjustments to account for the 3/16" wall thickness.

Once the basic design is made, mark your foam core, making sure everything is square. Slice the pieces out with a razor knife. Take care not to slice your fingers off during this step, since it slows down the remainder of the process and leaves nasty stains on the finished model.

Last time, I gave you a laundry list of tools and materials. Not included on that list were ready-made architectural elements. I recommend using pre-assembled plastic or metal windows and doors--they don't cost a lot, and save you a lot of time. I've found that building the windows and doors is the most time-consuming part of scratchbuilding.

If you are using ready-made architectural elements like these, mark their position carefully on the walls and make the cuts before assembly of the building . Make sure you have thought through what part of the window or door needs to be recessed, so that you don't end up cutting a hole too large. Test fit before you continue assembly in case you need to throw out a wall and start over.

After the cuts are made, do your basic assembly with a hot glue gun, wiping off the excess before it hardens (don't use your fingers!). The photo below is sans its front so you can see how it is constructed, and its roof, which will not be attached to the building permanently. At this stage, it is quite imperfect; don't let this discourage you; the siding and details will cover the imperfections.

It is important to assemble the building completely before gluing on the siding. Assembly helps protect the walls from warping, since they are held straight on three edges.

After the building is assembled, measure and cut siding. I do it in large batches, which saves time in the long run.

When cutting trim, I use the snips a lot. I tend to keep them in one hand and snip about every third piece in half to create butt joints in the middle of the wall for a nice rough look. I don't worry about cutting each piece of siding to precise length during gluing. Rather, I leave the siding hanging over the top and trim the entire wall at once after the glue dries. This one simple technique saves an immense amount of time and fuss.

Glue the siding in place. To minimize warping, take care not to use more glue than you really need to get the siding to stick. If a piece of siding wants to curl, super-glue the ends in place while the white glue dries. Trim out the corners with additional balsa.

Using ready-made or homemade architectural elements, trim out the building. Super glue is very useful for securing these delicate parts. I have used Grandtline's porch railings and gingerbread trim to great effect, and I use my own Knuckleduster pre-cast windows and doors. Trim work requires some research. I have found numerous photos of old buildings on the web.

Next time we'll make a cedar shake roof.

Until then, Adios!

Ol' Knuckleduster

Basic Scratchbuilding, Part I; Tools and Materials

2009-03-13T08:47:00.000-07:00

Howdy, Pilgrims!

I prefer scratch-built buildings to resin for three reasons. First, they're cheaper and odd bits of scrap can be put to good use, sometimes in very creative ways (turning scrap balsa into a pile of lumber to hide behind, for instance). Second, they're lighter than resin and more resiliant; that is, less prone to paint or resin chipping off. Third, there are no resin buildings available for 40mm Old West at the present, so if you want buildings at all, you have to build them yourself.

First, let's discuss tools. Good tools will save you time and frustration in the long run.

In the first photograph, I've shown a number of essential tools:

1. Cutting board: this is simply scrap wood meant to protect your desk or table from the razor knife.

2. Foam core: the standard thickness is 3/16". It's easily cut, and easily glued together. It sometimes warps when excessive amounts of glue are used for siding, however its benefits more than make up for that particular drawback. Besides, old buildings often warp! Black foam core is pictured, however white is ok.

3. Cutting tools: all must be perfectly sharp, because dull tools are frustrating to work with and will cause mistakes. Box cutters are good for the really big cuts to carve up your foam core. The Exacto knife is useful for cutting out doorways and windows. The gate cutters (snips) are useful for quickly cutting balsa siding to length.

4. Measuring tools: make sure the edge isn't made of something that will be sliced up by your knives. I like metal rulers for that reason. A square is essential for marking your foam-core wall sections. A good, cheap square is simply a piece of paper (their corners are perfectly square).

5. Glue: white glue for siding, Super Glue for tacking down the ends of siding that wants to warp. Not pictured, but essential: hot glue gun.

6. Balsa and basswood: 1/32" thickness balsa works well for siding. 1/16" balsa works well for trimwork around doors and windows. Basswood should be used for anything that might break, like porch posts. I don't show cardstock in the photo, but I use strips of cereal boxes for lap-siding (clapboard), because even thin balsa is far too thick.

In the second photo, I've shown a few more specialty tools that are not essential, but make life easier.

1. This chopper holds the blade square and has jigs that allow you to set a particular length and make identical cuts repeatedly.

2. When cutting basswood, this mitre box and jewel saw give you nice square cuts.

3. Use a sanding block and nail file to clean up the end of messy cuts.

In the next post, I'll show you how to use this advanced technology to turn styrofoam, paper, and balsa wood into Tombstone!

The Big Game at Little Wars '09

2009-03-11T17:10:00.000-07:00

Knuckleduster exhibited this February at Little Wars in Lincolnshire (Chicago suburb), the yearly convention run by HMGS-Midwest. In addition to having a sales booth in the exhibition hall, we ran two games, each attended by about eight players. Here are a couple of photos kindly sent to me by one of the guys.

We used the classic version of Desperado and a table full of Knuckleduster 40mm figures and scratch-built terrain. I had a lot of help from Kevin Brown of CITW (as always) and another local, James Harness, who has a smashin' 28mm setup of his own and is known to run some pretty interesting games over Peoria way. Here's Kevin (in the red shirt) keeping a watchful eye on the action . . .

These buildings are made from foam core, balsa wood, and Knuckleduster's generic pre-cast architectural details. They're mounted on masonite bases. It's a pretty inexpensive setup. I'll explain more about how to construct these kinds of buildings in other posts, but take note of how the buildings fit on the table. There is an interesting dynamic with 40mm; buildings are larger (I suppose if they were resin, they would cost more than 28mm), but it takes fewer buildings to fill a table. In the Old West, gunfights rarely ranged over block after block like a military skirmish; they occured in short bursts of violence in an alley or streetcorner. A concern some folks have is that 40mm buildings will look too massive. To that, I would say, judge for yourself from the photos. They are only 50% larger than 28mm (3 to 2 bigger), after all.

The scenario we played featured an evil mining baron, Finneas Burns, and his henchmen vs. a gang of cowboys and a couple of good-hearted sisters of the demimonde, who used their feminine charms to lift the keys to the hooskow from an unsuspecting marshal. A massive fusilade ensued as the cowboys attempted to pick up their liberated comrade and escape the hail of bullets hurled at them by the mining company thugs. In both game sessions, the scenario was played to the last man standing.

Here are a couple of the ne'er-do-wells the cowboys were hoping to chase out of town; Doc Holliday and Big-Nose Kate, who had built quite a reputation for relieving unsuspecting cowhands of their hard-earned pay at the card table on a Saturday night.

This alley was a trap for the cowboys each time the game was played. It was a tempting shortcut to the backlot where the hooskow was situated, however the windows proved fatal loopholes for their enemies to snipe at them from. One of the cowboys was blown off his horse by a dove with a derringer (spelled "deringer" when referring to derringers made by the Deringer company). The poor fellers pictured below are about to feel the sting of battle . . .

Adios, pards, and as always, visit my store at http://www.knuckleduster.com/.

Ol' Knuckleduster

Welcome to Knuckleduster's 40mm Blog!

2009-03-11T13:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog about collecting, painting, and wargaming with military miniatures in 40mm scale, also known as 1:48 scale, 1/4" scale, or O-Gauge. Herein, you will find articles and photos about my own experience collecting, painting, sculpting, and gaming in this fascinating scale, as well as general news from Knuckleduster Miniatures, including 40 and 28mm workbench photos and painting tutorials.

A growing number of companies, including my own, have been producing 40mm figures, some for quite some time. Perry Miniatures, Sash and Saber, Hounourable Lead Boilersuit Company, Dixon, Trident, Doug Miller, Germania Figuren, Preiser, First Legion, Flashing Blade and Knuckleduster all have 40mm lines. The periods covered include Renaissance, Border Reivers, Pirates, Civil War, AWI, Napoleonics, and Old West, to name a few.

Why 40mm? I get asked all the time. Bashing this scale is almost a hobby in itself. It's too big. It's too expensive. What about buildings and terrain? I hope to eventually address these points, and if I can't convert you, at least show you why some of us are so fascinated by this scale.

Adios!

Ol' Knuckleduster

http://www.knuckleduster.com/