Workbench

Welcome to the workbench. This page is constantly changing. I aim to update it in the middle of every month, showing you work in progress from various projects. This is a chance to see behind the curtain (or to see the latest mess I’ve made).

	Here’s a glimpse of a forthcoming release in our War of 1812 line: British light companies. Here you see some likely suspects assembled and primed. As you can see, they’ll be available in both stovepipe and Belgic shakos.
	We did these troops in the hunting horn shako plate. It’s already possible to do flank companies with our existing British heads and their full shako plates. Also notice the shoulder wings on these fellows. I already had one man fully painted, and aim to do a complete ATKM unit here.
	A set of figures will consist of 6 men firing or advancing, with officer and bugler. I have combined advancing and firing poses in this set to show them all. This particular unit is in stovepipes alone.
	Here’s a bugler in reverse colors.
	Our light infantry bodies also make Canadian Voltigeurs possible with the right head combination, and here they are. I did a few figures in this group some time back and am now filling out a proper skirmisher unit.
	Here’s one work-in-progress shot of our Baltimore militia, taken from the painting tutorial posted a little while ago. You can see that whole page here.
	Here are our movement trays in production. These are made from birch plywood and bass wood trim, each part 3mm thick. These trays are 8 x 3 inches on outside edges, perfect for holding a whole ATKM infantry or cavalry unit with command to the side. They’re ideal when using our wood bases for each soldier. That lets you move a whole unit quick and easy for “ATKM” games. These trays are available now on our AWI and 1812 pages.
	Our forthcoming US light artillery from the War of 1812. They had plain blue coatees, and could have white trousers on parade, but wore blue in the field. An austere uniform that speaks to the supply shortages the army faced at the time.
	This image is of a toy soldier first (to my knowledge, anyway). These troopers are our forthcoming War of 1812 Canadian Light Dragoons – never done in 54mm before!
	Also forthcoming from us are British infantry flank companies. In this case, grenadiers in Belgic and stovepipe shakos.
	These are our forthcoming War of 1812 mounted militia in progress. They could be a variety of troops, but they're primarily modeled after Kenrtucky volunteers from the period. These figures will be available with round hats, but mixed heads will be possible.
	Milita troops at attention and porte arms. Their various headgear and civilian colors give them a lot of variety. These guys could be used throughout the early 19th century in North America. Here they have Canadian command.
	War of 1812 US Marines being painted up as collector pieces. They and others like them are available here: Painted Figures
	These colorful fellows are British 19th Light Dragoons. This is their 1813 uniform, having recently changed from a Tarleton-style helmet. Left is how they looked upon arrival from Britain. The new uniform was generally disliked by the men for having a French style.
	These are our US militia in fringed hunting shirts. In this case, they’re being painted as dismounted Kentucky volunteers, who generally wore black-and-red shirts. These guys have our new mixed militia heads and hats, which are available now. They could also be done as US Rifles. I recently made masters of just such heads, so look for those troops soon.
	Our new US Dragoons underway. The silver and white features really pop against their dark blue. These guys are available now.
	Here are some of the production molds that went into making our new War of 1812 cavalry. This is the final mold for the 19th British light dragoons, specifically their bodies. It’s been a dream to work with, hitting 100% every time.
	This is the head mold for the 19th. As you can see, there are 20 cavities on it, so that’s 20 heads every spin. Head molds don’t need to get run as often as body molds as a result, so I change out head molds often throughout a casting session. Production molds are made after master molds, some of which are still posted below.
	And here are the results -- three assembled castings of the 19th. The only production molds you don’t see here are for the arms. There are three poses in these cav sets, sword at ease, sword outstretched (officer), and bugle.
	Here are the production molds from our latest War of 1812 additions. They include 4 types of cavalry and a militiaman or US Rifle in hunting shirt.
	In these two pics you see the molds themselves. Master molds are the first ones made from an original sculpture – the first generation of molds. Castings from these are in turn used to make production molds. I use low-temp silicone rubber for master molds so the original greens don’t get cooked – literally.
	The next two entries are group shots of the greens for our new War of 1812 line. These were sculpted by Leandro Ventic, and have amazing detail, as you can see. Yes, these belong to our all-new Army in a Box series!
	Bodies were created without heads to allow for maximum mixing and matching to create all kinds of 1812 troops. The uniforms of the period were so similar across even opposing sides that you can create all kinds of possibilities.
	Here are some new greens being added to our War of 1812 line. They consist of 4 types of cavalry from the period – US dragoons, British light dragoons, Canadian dragoons, and Mounted Kentucky Volunteers. Plus there’s a dismounted man who could be a US Rifle in summer dress, a Kentucky Volunteer, or as an American militiaman. These will go into production soon!
	This head belongs to a man of Caldwell’s Rangers – Canadian militia who fought as light troops alongside their Indian allies. They wore simple, functional uniforms and a similar hat.
	The original of our Congreve rocket battery. These developing forms of artillery were manned by the Royal Marine Artillery in North America, and were fired from ship or brought inland.
	The following are pics of the new and revised ATKM facilities. Shown here is the deluxe painting area with more space than before.
	Here we have custom-made display cases (which is a fancy way of saying, "I put them together.") The shelves are removable so whole armies can be pulled out at one time.
	The mess of a computer station, where sticky notes reminders rule the land.
	The ATKM workshop. In particular, the spincaster and melting pot.
	These two little fellows are vulcanizers, used to create molds.
	The mold cutting and general-purpose area. Normally the place isn't so tidy, but I got sick of my own mess and cleaned up.

Products on this website are for adult collectors. Products are cast in white metal and are not for children under the age of 14. Items also pose a choking hazard.