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).
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I thought we’d start thuis update by looking at 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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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With all this cavalry at large, you need someone to shoot at them, right? Here are early War of 1812 US artillery underway. They have bucket shakos and will get yellow chords. I had the drummer from a previous panting effort, so he’s ahead of the curve. |
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Having recently finished a couple sets of AIP Woodland Indians, I wanted to finish a set of the other plastic ones we carry, by Classic Toy Soldiers. These guys will make for some massive war bands, all combined! |
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For some time now I’ve been sitting on a big bag of AWI casualties for the ATKM collection. With a big game coming up at Cold Wars in March, I’m motivated to get them painted. I have opted with an experimental “speed painting” style that calls for a black undercoat. Here’s one figure before painting begins. |
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The technique calls for blocking in all colors a shade darker than you plan to finish with, but also leaving black lines between different pieces of cloth and gear. |
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Then I come back and apply lighter shades to all areas to imitate highlights without doing any drybrushing or washes. With speed painting, errors are usually overlooked in preference for the mass effect of the table. All the more so for casualty figures, which are really just eye candy to tell the story of a game. Let us know what you think! |
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Here’s a little change of pace for these updates: the production molds from our forthcoming War of 1812 additions. They include 4 types of cavalry and a militiaman or US Rifle in hunting shirt. |
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In these first 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.
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These are master castings of a Canadian dragoon head. These troops wore Tarleton-style headgear, a holdover from British cavalry of the American Revolution.
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These heads are in round hats with a plume on the side. That style headgear was common among militia on both sides of the border. It’s perhaps most recognizable on Kentucky troops.
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These are the bodies of the aforementioned Canadian dragoons. A simple uniform for militia use.
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These are one style of arm intended for our mounted Kentucky riflemen. As you can see, these new cavalry figures will have separate weapon arms and separate heads to allow for variety. Standard cavalry will get swords at rest, outstretched, and a bugle, while Kentucky riders will get a pistol, long rifle, and tomahawk.
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Those swords at rest. All these pieces will get cleaned of flash, vents and molds lines before they get used in their own molds. The products of those molds will be the castings you collect and paint.
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Finally, these are master castings of our new US Rifle or militiaman in hunting shirt. Various heads will make for all kinds of troops with this body.
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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! |
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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. |
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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! |
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Next we have a series of new head masters for our 1812 line. This one wears Maryland militia headgear – a basic stovepipe with a turban and plume on the left side. These fellows defended Maryland in 1814 during the same campaign that inspired the “Star-Spangled Banner.” |
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This militiaman wears an early war round hat with a fur crest. Civilian-soldiers on both sides of the border wore this kind of hat before they were often replaced by more conventional military headwear. |
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The US light artillery wore a distinctive shako throughout the war. It had a faceplate like an infantry hat, but had yellow cords on the right side (not fully visible) and a plume on the left. Other US foot artillery of the period wore the same headgear as the infantry. |
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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. |
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The next few images are also flashbacks, in this case to our new 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. |
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The rockets were notoriously erratic, but could also be devastating, especially in bombarding a city or fortress. Here you see the parts being modeled as masters, before casting. |
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If these parts look delicate, they are (or were). These masters were destroyed to create master molds, from which production molds could be made. Fortunately, master molds last a long time, so it’s no big deal that the original sculptures were ruined. |
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Here you see a rocket casting in the process of being painted, and coming to life. |
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The following are pics of the new and revised ATKM facilities. Shown here is the deluxe painting area with more space than before. |
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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. |
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The mess of a computer station, where sticky notes reminders rule the land. |
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The ATKM workshop. In particular, the spincaster and melting pot.
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These two little fellows are vulcanizers, used to create molds. |
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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. |
