Oh Sooo Close!
I know the uber popular fancy folk probably hit a million page views every day, but for a blog about toy soldiers, I figured it was something worth celebrating. So how does one celebrate hitting one million - with a sword! I have always wanted an office sword to display, but originals cost crazy money, and my blog is lazy and not generating any cash, so I opted for a prop sword. This Pattern 1803 British Napoleonic Light Infantry sword was used in the production of "The Pale Blue Eye", a rather creepy Christian Bale film in a period piece which includes a portrayal of a young Edgar Allen Poe.
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| I had left a space above this print of Napoleon and Marie Louise with the young Napoleon in the hope of one day displaying a sword there. The print was actually inherited from my wife's grandmother, which we always found pretty funny. I don't think she ever knew how perfect it would be for our home! |
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| Have to love the lion's head pommel. One of the nice things about a used prop sword, is that it shows a little age, and is not all bright and shiny, kind of like me, so I appreciate that! |
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| So the sword was actually a birthday present to myself, which just happened to correspond with closing in on a million page views. The other present I got from my dear one, is this picture of our dog Sammy, done up like Samoleon "Bone"apart. |
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| This is Sammy without the fancy hat curling up with his mom. |
Mesas de Ibor Battlefield - Progress Continues!
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| The Spanish Guerrillas have left the village and headed for the cover of the trees. |
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| Their ultimate goal is to take cover in the rocks of the high ridge to the Southwest of Mesas de Ibor. |
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| One of the nice perks of doing an old school style classic toy soldier look is the ease of terrain construction. Keeping it simple is the goal! |
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| Some insulation foam and a quick coat of paint, and voila, done. |
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| No sooner was the ridge done, than the Germans occupied the town. Here a column led by the Garde de Paris and Frankfort battalions heads down the rode to the west of the town. |
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| The Guerrillas take up position in the high rock outcroppings. |
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| Spanish Garrochistas position themselves on the East side of the ridge. |
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| Two of the six battalions of Spanish infantry occupy the eastern section of the ridge, with some support from a detachment of Cazadores in the rocks below. |
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| Two battalions of Baden Infantry and an artillery battery take up position on a small hill overlooking the village and some vineyards. |
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| Two battalions of Nassau infantry have already crossed the small stream, with more Bavarians following them across. |
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| The local cows are seemingly unperturbed by all of the commotion. |
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| The divisional commander for the Confederation of the Rhine troops oversees the deployment. |
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| The Von Kinkel regiment of Bavarians are taking up a position of support behind the Nassauers. |
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| Nassau forming the tip of the spear for the upcoming assault. |
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| Unbeknownst to the Nassauers, more Spanish Infantry are on the way as soon as they can get glossified and re-based. |
