February Greens

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

New Greens

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

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

New Knuckleduster Greens

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