The Imperial Shipyards
Imperial Community => Imperial Blog => Topic started by: Commander_Kurgan on August 01, 2009, 02:54:53 PM
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The wife and I still have another week of peace and quiet before the kids come back from their two-week stay with my parents.
They enjoy spending the time with Oma (grandma) and Opa (grandpa) and we surely enjoy having more time for ourselves, too.
Tomorrow a friend and I will be trying to sell a bunch of stuff at the local flea market as we'll be planning to attend one of the largest wings & wheels events on mainland Europe at Ursel, Belgium, next weekend, and earn some pocket money for the vendors' row (which is over a Mile long).
Its also a good chance to meet some fellow reenactors and to practice some Rangering.
Wanna see a pic of my reenacting?
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The backside:
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I had you pegged as a Ranger/scout-type. Remember that "custom Kurgan" I mentioned? Yeah, these two pics are doing nothing to alter my original idea. ;D
So - is the Thompson an airsoft or a solid dummy? Good-looking kit!
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that is rad, you guys re-enact the american soliders?
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Hi,
the Ranger is the impression I completed most recently. My main impression is that of a German paratrooper.
Just what I did in the military in the early 90s.
However, German uniforms are not universally loved at all events so it is always a good idea to have an alternative in the closet.
The Thompson is a Tokyo Marui airsoft weapon.
Europe has pretty strange weapons laws so if you want to cross borders with stuff like that, the airsoft gun is regarded as a toy pretty much everywhere and won't give you any problems.
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ahh falschirmjeager tough as nails
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That is awsome, Volker! I always was a fan of ww2 stuff! German and American.
You gotta show us the paratrooper outfit.
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Kinda sad that most folks consider the Wehrmacht as part of the old WWII regime. Understand though Volker that there are quite a few of us who do understand German military history and can appreciate the discipline and difference.
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Not to mention excellance and diversity in vehicle and weapon design.
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Lets face it German armor is the examplar all countries model thiers by.
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the only stain on the german wehrmacht were the S.S. but most reasonable people realise that a lot of the german high command and officers despised the S.S. as animals and so did the ordinary german soldier who was just doing his duty...
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and i totally agree with clint altho us brits were no slouchs either mate dont forget ASDIC(SONAR) and RADAR...but yes the standard german weapon design was superb(i love my WW2 history) mind you the spitfire did triumph over the technically superior BF109 (sorry kurgen its the brit coming out ..lol)
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I' m not up to snuff on the planes like I am the ww2 armor. I guess that I didn't know that you all came up with radar and sonar.
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yes mate we invented SONAR or as it was first called ASDIC and RADAR and the bouncing bomb and contrary to the film U571 it was the brits that captured the enigma code machine not the yanks (sorry clint)and it was the code breakers at bletchley park(dept ULTRA) that cracked it we also invented the TANK the MK 1 first fielded in the battle of the somme
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yes mate we invented SONAR or as it was first called ASDIC and RADAR and the bouncing bomb and contrary to the film U571 it was the brits that captured the enigma code machine not the yanks (sorry clint)and it was the code breakers at bletchley park(dept ULTRA) that cracked it we also invented the TANK the MK 1 first fielded in the battle of the somme
yep, I seen a great example of the mk1 at our local ww1 museum.
Kc has the national ww1 museum.
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nice!
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I will have to dig for the pics that I took at the museum. I have some nice shots of that tank.
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Hi,
here's a pic of my Fallschirmjäger impression.
Since I've been a paratrooper in our army, playing that role is not a big problem.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Leopoldsburg%202008/FJ_FW.jpg)
PS: I know that the silenced MP40 was a very rare item back then, I just used it in this obviously posed photograph.
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FJ conferring by the roadside, Leopoldsburg, Belgium:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Leopoldsburg%202008/FJ_Lage.jpg)
FJ in the Ardennes (pics taken in December 2008 on the original battlefield):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Bastogne%202008/Hinterhalt2.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Bastogne%202008/Hinterhalt3.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Bastogne%202008/Hinterhalt.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Bastogne%202008/Yannis.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Bastogne%202008/Bild008.jpg)
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Our unit's propaganda poster (the text says "FJR6, all others only play Fallschirmjäger"):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/FJR6_poster.jpg)
And here my favourite shot of one of our DRK nurses:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Leopoldsburg%202008/Schwester_gealtert.jpg)
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everyone is always so impressed by the german military, but how many wars have they won? They beat, what, the prussians and the French?
I just like how the SS stuff looks, very sinister, very intimidating, reminds me of how I"d like my imperial officers to look.
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Very impressive Volker! Your uniform looks spot on. I love that mg34 and the panzerfaust.
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Pretty sure that's a -42, Clint. Boxy barrel-shroud w/ oblong cut-outs vs. the tubular shroud with round holes. Diff's in the flashider and bipod, too, but I can't pin those down in my own head - I just know thye look different. LOL
KURGAN!! Those are just marvelous!! Man, if you messed with the color on the '08 pics and sepia-toned or B&W-flipped ... I'd be hard-pressed to pick out modern from period!
Do y'all make your own uniforms or can you get ready-made kit fairly easily? I'm asking, because I want to get some of that FJ camo fabric to get a "boonie hat" made to go with my own smock and pants. Not period, but I'm not a reenactor. 8) I like boonies and like the pattern. Same with the Oak A/B patterns.
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Yep, it's an MG42.
Properly de-milled, of course, as our Government doesn't like to see real weapons in the hands of law-abiding citizens.
Acquiring the inuforms used to be difficult, but these days you can basically order everything on the internet.
However, there are significant differences as per quality and levels of authenticity.
In our unit you don't get away with altered ex-Swiss or Swedish army stuff, ex-BGS helmets, etc. Custom reproductions are the standard.
I think you can see this in the pics pretty well.
But it's not only the clothes, you also have to radiate some of what made them the men they were back then.
If you need some Splittermuster 31 for your boonie, I suggest you buy yourself a reproduction shelter quarter through Ebay or one of the reputable dealers (just let me know if I can help you locate one). This will give you plenty of material for the hat and maybe another sewing project or two.
If you do it cleverly, you can even make yourself a reversible hat, because the shelter quarter has a darker side and a lighter side.
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superb volker would love to take part in something like that
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Jay, if you want, this could be arranged.
I'm sure we can outfit you from head to toe with loaner gear.
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The way things look, I'll be taking Zambesi Patrol of my Scout Troop on a four-day hike along the Rheinsteig trek.
This is a 320 kilometer long hiking route along the river Rhine.
We won't sleep indoors, but use our shelter halves and tarps to construct shelter and the patrol will take only the bare minimum of equipment.
Let's see how my Leatherstockings are going to do in case it rains for two days in a row and they got to cope with wet firewood.
Hey, nobody said that life is easy if you want to earn the Ranger patch of the Selousi.
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Wow! That sounds like an adventure! If I did my math/conversions right, I have to say I'd have trouble keeping up. That looks like an average of 48 miles a day, carrying all your gear. What fun!
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Don't worry, it is impossible to do this daily distance with a gang of kids being your average middle-aged, slightly overweight adult.
We'll see how far we can get. Since the trail faithfully follows the river up on the ridgeline, we will be able to catch a train back North on Thursday afternoon.
Still, it's not an easy job to live outdoors for four days if you're not used to it. No creature features like hot showers and McDonald's, a rocky trail and sleeping under the shelter half at night.
Hey, we will have a nightwatch out, of course.
My guess is that D-Day will be fine and jolly, D+1 and D+2 will be tough and D+3 will be the easiest of the whole tour.
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We expect pics. ;D
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Sounds like a fun trip. Let us know how it works out Volker!
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There's surely going to be a ton of pics covering this expedition.
I'll keep you updated.
Next Friday we'll go over the equipment and correct packing of the rucksacks so everybody knows what to bring and how to pack the stuff.
Here’s the kit list:
Uniform
Hiking boots
Change of clothes (T-Shirt, undies, woollen socks)
Sweater/softshell jacket/fleece jacket
Anorak
Rucksack
Personal hygiene kit
Small towel
Sewing kit
Shelter half, poles and stakes
Poncho
Isolating mattress
Sleeping bag with compression bag
Canteen or drinking system
Messkit
Cup
Spoon
Pack of matches
Tinder box
Flashlight
Jackknife
Belt knife
Watch
Songbook
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No food?? Selous Weight-Loss Programme - 320k hike in four days with no food! Burn off that fat!! ROTFL I crack me up...especially before I've had me coffee. (takes sip #2)
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We'll be buying provisions on the way daily. That way we won't have to carry the food with us.
No need to go hungry, though.
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buying? How "roughing it" are you?
I kind of hike from meal to meal, myself, :)
Two knives? Man, I like your style< :D
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We'll be buying provisions on the way daily.
That right there says, "We're European!" to me. See, us Yanks try and figure out how the heck to pack 4 days of food and fishing gear for a trip like that. Europeans? Bah, we'll just knock at the next farmhouse and buy some bread, etc! I need to convert to Eurpoeanism...much lighter on the ruck!
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buying? How "roughing it" are you?
Keep in mind, the oldest kids are just 13.
I can't ask them to steal a cow, butcher it and cut us some steaks...
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buying? How "roughing it" are you?
Keep in mind, the oldest kids are just 13.
I can't ask them to steal a cow, butcher it and cut us some steaks...
Then you've got the wrong kids... :D
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oh don't get me wrong, I would be whining and crying the entire time, :)
My idea of roughing it is driving to pick up my pizza instead of delivery, so. . .
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Teaching that age as my chose profession I can associate with the sheer mental effort Volker is going to have dealing with the young ones this weekend. The world needs more folks like him who are willing to lend some of thier own personal time to show those kids there are better things to do with free time than get into trouble. I applaud your effort Volker. Those kids will never forget it even if you don't get to steal and butcher a cow!
O0
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and no video games, yeah, I hope I can find someone to take my kids camping. . .mostly because I don't want my kid to have to drag my body out of the woods, :)
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Sometimes I feel more like a Drill Instructor in Boot Camp...
Seriously now.
I do run a pretty tight ship, but they are kids and a big part of Scouting is playtime. The Old Chief didn't call it the "great game" for nothing.
But the kids do learn a lot. During Troopnight we sing and play and they learn basic bushcraft. These tricks of the trade are applied on hikes like the one we are going to do and in camp.
Part of the learning is also discipline and a certain sense for good order, both in behaviour and regarding their equipment.
The secret is that as a leader you gotta be authentic.
If you put on a mask, the kids will find that out in notime and you're done.
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Check out the photos of yesterday's activities:
http://frederickselous.blogspot.com/2009/09/wandern-fur-hannah.html
We started with a 7.5 km hike in memory of Hannah.
Almost two years ago this 14-year-old girl was kidnapped only 300 meters away from her home by a pervert, dragged onto the grounds of a neighbouring Ford car dealership, was held there all through the night, repeatedly raped and stabbed to death the following day. This happened two villages away from our town.
Her parents founded a foundation against sexual violence and started many great activities to help those children and adolescents who are in need or have become victims of sexual violence.
Support of the foundation is our Troop's permanent good turn so it was a matter of course to take part in the memorial hike.
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Great pics! I wish I could get my son reinterested in Scouting.
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Send him over to Uncle Volker's Misguided Children or show him the pics so he'll see how much fun Scouting can be if he chooses the right Troop.
I bet there are some BSA Troops in your area which focus on High Adventure activities.
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Nice shots there, Volker! Looks like the kids are having a good time and learning some stuff as well.
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I'm sure there are, Volker. Or, I could just walk in and scream, "GEAR UP! ALIENS IN THE WOODS!!!" and kick him out the door in 2 minutes with a set of coordinates and a radio in addition to his gear.
That's high-intensity adventure.
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Great pics Volker, love the hiking for the cause too.
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Today we went to a local museum which focused on the Varus battle and life in medieval castles in a special exhibition.
They had a special program for kids with historical costumes including real chainmail which you could put on.
Huge dioramas were populated with hundreds of customized figures. Cooooooooool stuff.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Museen/castle1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Museen/castle2.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Museen/castle4.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Museen/castle5.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Museen/castle7.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Museen/castle6.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Museen/castle3.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Museen/castle8-1.jpg)
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It's difficult to remember that living in a castle, you were CROWDED! Those pics go a long way to reminding viewers of that fact. I bet Mos Eisley buildings were cut from similar cloth...
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What a cool trip. Man, those castle dioramas have my mouth watering
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The third and the fourth pic show a bazaar scene in the Holy Land. It sort of reminded me of Mos Eisley, indeed.
The clubs that did the dioramas customized hundreds of figures, all individually painted. I think they mostly used Elastolin and Schleich figures and changed arms, legs, heads, weapons.
Pretty cool. Many scratchbuilt figures, too.
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Oh, I forgot to mention: they announced that they would have three complete Roman legions of miniature figures on display so visitors would get an idea how many Romans were killed during the Varus battle.
I must admit that I was a bit disappointed that
a) they used the traditional flat tin minis
b) not all were tin minis, but the marching legionaries were in fact laser-cut from stainless steel
c) not all of the figures were painted
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Shab, my computer died today.
I guess that the power box has had it.
Now I've got to squeeze a couple of online minutes in on my wife's computer.
So if you don't see much of me in the next few days, you know why.
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Okay, I'm back from a four-day Trek with my Boy Scouts.
We chose to hike along the Rheinsteig Trail, one of Germany's most famous long-distance trails. It leads from Bonn to Wiesbaden, appr. 320 Kilometers altogether.
Our group did the respectable Trek from Königswinter to Rheinbrohl, everybody carried his own equipment and a share of food and water. The nights were spent in outdoor camps, we also had two nights with temperatures dropping below freezing...
The kids did really well, I'm proud of my gang.
Pictures can be found here: http://s302.photobucket.com/albums/nn98/Selous_Scouts/Rheinsteig%202009/
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Nice Photos, Volker. That is a very scenic view. I haven't camped out when it was freezing since I was a boy scout.
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Those are spectacular Castles it looks amazing great talent there and very good pics.
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Tell you what: on Monday we saw the first wild geese flying South, it froze during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.
Highly unusual, the geese are late...
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Here's a shot of yours truly in full hiking gear...
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Wow, now THAT'S what I call a diorama! Those looked awesome, the whole event looked to be a lot of fun!
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i have spent time in germany specifically the westphalen and i can testify that germany has some of the most astounding scenery i have ever seen
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Thanks.
We've met a lot of nice people on our Trek, basically from all over the world.
When you live among tons of half-timbered houses and old castles, you tend to forget that it might be an unusual sight for other people.
What I love about being in the Great Outdoors is that it reminds you of what life is all about.
Our jobs are usually fast-paced and stressful and once in a while it's good to spend some days away from phone, office, internet, etc. and make do with the bare essentials.
In the evening you lean back, look up into the stars and be grateful for what you are and what you have.
For me it is great to see that these kids can apply all those skills they won during those Troop Night lessons and on Outdoor Activity Days. Throw somebody a match, a tampon, a knife and a bundle of wet wood and tell him to light a fire so he won't freeze and could cook his food and most adults won't know what to do.
The kids start chippin' away, making a fuzz stick and in no time it will look like all they are missing is the witch to burn on their bonfire.
Bloody amazing.
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Man, that dio is something else.
Kurgan, you got me thinking I wish I had been in the scouts, sounds like an awesome time.
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Yeah, the dios were very impressive.
Not only were they HUGE, a lot of work went into the construction of the buildings and the individual figures.
When you looked closely, not two figures were the same, some very heavily customized and there were so many various scenes within the dios, all making sense and telling a story of themselves.
Awesome work.
Narc, it's never too late. Just check out your local BSA Troop, talk to their Scoutmaster and I bet he's looking for an Assistant Scoutmaster. It is sometimes tough work and time-consuming, but well worth the effort.
It may sound strange and a bit posh, but you're helping to forge the future of your country.
That's what it is all about: Good Citizenship through Woodcraft.
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I do have a little boy, I'm sure I'm going to at least give him the chance to join.
I had not thought about joining up in any capacity. Interesting, one of my good friends is an executive with the local BSA, :)
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Only two more hours and the weekend starts.
Tonight at Troop Night, we will have the announcement who won the Ranger of the Year competition. Well, it is obvious that all four participants developed themselves and scored. Two bailed out earlier this year by leaving the Troop (taking a stroll down Looser’s Lane) while some joined up too late, but will be in for next year’s competition.
So all four are going to win something.
The prices are damn nice, I must admit: a real divers watch, a Camelbak drinking system, a belt pouch for a personal survival kit or IFAK and a DVD of the A-Z of Bushcraft.
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Thanks for sharing the pic. It is nice to put a face with the name.
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my god, that diorama is insane! I nearly wet myself looking at the pictures, that's astounding
always nice to see pictures of the people behind the net handles and usernames, to try an get some sense of who people actually are. Cute kids too, they look somehow natural/right in those costumes
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Yeah, if we ever get lost in the woods, Kurgan is in charge of ISY's survival program, :)
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No prob, Narc.
So...let's see what's been up since my last blog entry.
We went family shopping yesterday.
Downtown we always split up into two recon teams: my wife and my daughter go and do girly things, the son and I do boy things. Needless to say this includes looking what's new on the pegs Star Wars -wise.
Sean was looking for a cool Luke figure or the McQuarrie concept Snowtrooper, but found out that his allowance and the price per figure does not match.
Let's be honest: one figure cost between 11 and 13 EUR. That's insane and nowhere near the pocket money of a kid and too much for most adults these days, too.
METRO sells the figures for 9 EUR, but you've got to have a business license to shop there as they are not open to the general public.
Well, I'm not general public, but they don't have what I want at this point in time.
Hopefully they get the new Legacy figures in, soon. Then I'll see what can be done regarding the new Commander Cody.
Two of the new Codys are coming in from Malaysia within the next few days along with one Commander Bly (which Sean's been after for a while) and two of the new Gelagrub troopers.
On the pic it looked like they have a newly sculpted belt with free-hanging holsters and a softgoods kama.
I'll give you pictures and a review as soon as I get them in.
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I look forward to those reviews, Volker. I have a Cody on it's way also.
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Cool figures. They will make great basic figures for conversion.
Tunghori also sent the Legacy Commander Bly which Sean has been after for so long.
He got Bly yesterday evening when the kids and the wife came home from the St. Martin's Day parade and bonfire (that wasn't), all soaking wet, lanterns mashed to pulp. Magdalena got a 1000 pc. puzzle 2-pack. She loves these and can spend hours putting them together. So she got two huge puzzles at the price of one.
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Our historical club had its Grand Annual Meeting this last weekend.
It's a great event, we spend the weekend together in a blockhouse in the Black Forest and just enjoy ourselves.
One of our ladies works for a bookseller and they also sell DVDs. She picked me up the new boxed DVD sets of Episodes I-III and IV-VI. She also gave me three vintage figures, a Ben Kenobi, a C3P0 and a Squid Head which her husband found in his attic.
I passed them on to Sean to beef up his collection.
Spent my day at a meeting down in Frankfurt listening to all the new amendments to the various technical standards and opened the package of GI Joes from China which had arrived while I was gone.
Cool custom fodder. I did some toying around with what is going to become a Mandalorian soon. Let's see if I'll find time to paint him up on Saturday.
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look forward to that volker
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Hope it won't look too much of a Spudafett spinoff.
He taught me a lot about super-articulating figures.
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Damn, I finally caught a cold.
Thought I would end the year without a running nose and coughs.
Well, another meeting to sit through this morning, before we can officially start the weekend. I'll spend most of it trying to recover, I guess.
We'll have the last Troopnight of 2009 today, pick up the Light of Peace tomorrow evening so we can march it into our parish curch on the 24th at the beginning of the family service so every family can light their own peace candle on the flame. That's going to be the final Scouting activity for the year.
I've already planned the Scouting contests "Ranger of the Year" and "Guide of the Year" for 2010. It's going to be pretty hard for the kids as more is expected of them than this year. But if they are really into it, they will learn a lot and by the end of 2010 they will not only win a prize, but won enormous pride.
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Today is Christmas.
No, I'm not starting early, in Germany Christmas starts in the evening of the 24th.
Usually people attend church service (Even those who don't go to church often show up on the 24th. We call the U-Boat Christians: under water most of the time, surfacing on 24th Dec. only.) then go home and celebrate with presents, good dinner, etc.
It is, in effect, a real family event. On the 25th and 26th people go to see relatives where more presents are to be collected and more good food is to be eaten.
It is not a good time to think about dieting, to be honest.
Anyway: In about two hours the Troop will assemble at the parish house and form up to march the Light of Peace into our church where it will be made available to every member of our parish during the family service. It is supposed to be kept alive untill Easter.
While I'm away with the kids, the good wife will prepare dinner and arrange the presents for the kids.
Oh, here's a pic of our Christmas tree taken the minute the wife finished decorating it.
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Sounds like a good time to me. I would love to try all that good food! Very pretty tree too. We will see many U-boats are our church tonight too. LOL. I will make use of that term.
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That's a nice looking tree, Volker. Merry Christmas to you, my friend!
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Merry Christmas to all of you.
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As you can see some presents under our Christmas tree, I'll let you in on what Santa brought us.
Sean got a pretty Star Warsish Christmas this year: the old PC game Lego Star Wars he was after for so long, a Fi Skirata figure he always had wanted and the Lego Echo Base. Magdalena got a sweater, a pair of earrings and the complete Narnia chronicles.
The good wife got a pretty decent Netbook computer and yours truly two Scouting books.
Very cool for everybody, I should think.
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Great gifts, Volker! Merry Christmas.
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The last hours of 2009 are on in my neck of the woods.
I wish all of you a great, prosperous and most of all, healthy, new year!
See you again in 2010.
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Have a good end of year Volker. We are about 10 hours away yet here. Happy New Year!
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Hi everyone!
2009 is over and gone, 2010 is on.
Looking back, 2009 seems to having zoomed by.
Jobwise, the bad economy created a lot of work for me, but taking into consideration that a lot of jobs are still on the line, having a full plate of work doesn't seem too bad, after all.
Still, money is in short repair so that means putting in more hours, flea market sales Sundays and trying to get by.
Let's knock on wood that my health will remain good. Besides a bit of a cold around Christmas, 2009 has been free of any major drama.
The family is fine, the kids are doing okay at school, no major dramas here neither.
Sean and I spent some time today painting up some figures and I started working on my contest project.
I also filled up the hollow back on a GI Joe backpack as I want to put it onto an external frame and it would just look stupid if the hollow side of the pack would show. The putty also adds some weight to the construction. I'll show you the finished figure when the pack is done and painted.
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I look forward to seeing that then, Volker!
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Here he is:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Star%20Wars/Outback_Var1.jpg)
And a variation in Reactive Impact Armor:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Star%20Wars/Outback_RIA2.jpg)
As you can tell, I love the Chuck Norris-type headsculpt...
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I've touched base with a Germany-based troop of the Boy Scouts of America and if all goes as planned, we will camp out together in August on one of their High Adventure-campgrounds near Austria.
We agreed that my leatherstockings will take the test for the BSA's Wilderness Survival Merit Badge and we've now started to prepare for the moment of Truth.
The BSA scoutmaster gave us copies of the requirements so we know what we need to work on.
Of course, I want my kids to be well-prepared (hopefully not über-prepared), because they shouldn't just pass so-so, but well. Top of the food chain, not lower dregs.
Let's see what we can do.
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This was supposed to be a quiet, low-key weekend, but no plan survives the first few hours of the Saturday.
Sean got himself a very nasty and deep but in the back of his right hand today while drying off a drinking glass. He put his hand with the towel into the glass and the vessel burst, cutting him where the center sinew runs.
I put on a pressure-gauze pack and we drove over to the emergency room of the hospital.
Of course, it being Saturday, the lounge was crammed with kids waiting to be looked over by a doctor so we had to wait for an hour and a half before it was our turn.
The doc was a pretty cool guy, sent us downstairs to get the hand x-rayed if there were splinters left in the wound.
There were none so he patched Sean's hand up with two stitches.
On the way home we detoured by the TRU and found a price-reduced 1:18 scale True Elite playset containing some kind of roadblock/outpost with oil drums and an M-60 machine gun and a Jeep. Just the right scale for his GI Joes. Unfortunately, they had only one of these sets left, I would have liked one for myself, too.
Well, they have another set with a dirtbike and a Little Bird helo so maybe I'll settle for that one. Or the larger Blackhawk.
Well, we'll see.
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I couldn't do a lot of painting in the last few days so I busied myself with kitbashing:
My interpretation of Sgt. Stone
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Yo%20Joe/Stone1.jpg)
Team Delta: Codename Buster
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Yo%20Joe/Buster1.jpg)
Team Delta: Codename Ridgeback
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Yo%20Joe/Ridgeback_helmet.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Yo%20Joe/Ridgeback_bareheaded.jpg)
I admit, Ridgeback sort of looks like myself when I've grown a beard and have a fresh haircut.
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Not all too long ago, my son turned 9.
Of course, he got a whole load of Star Wars stuff, mostly Lego, but currently we have a special exhibition at a local museum of natural history focusing on dinosaurs.
This exhibition also includes a replica of the world's largest dinosaur skeleton. It doesn't fit into the museum building, of course, so they house him in a separate tent outside the museum.
Impressive. Most impressive:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/museum/Dino03.jpg)
The wife shouting at a dinosaur:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/museum/Dino01.jpg)
Sean and the world's largest ammonite:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/museum/Dino02.jpg)
Night at the Museum comes to mind...appropriately named Rexy:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/museum/Dino09.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/museum/Dino05.jpg)
Not only bare bones, but lifesize dinos, too:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/museum/Dino06.jpg)
The museum also has these guys:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/museum/Dino07.jpg)
and puts most exhibits into huge 1:1 scale dioramas:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/museum/Dino08.jpg)
in most natural scenes:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/museum/Dino10.jpg)
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Codename: OPFOR, the leader of my Team Tango:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Yo%20Joe/OPFOR_1.jpg)
I did this guy from Team Tago some days ago: Codename: Cougar
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Yo%20Joe/Cougar.jpg)
Hellfire, leader of Team X-Ray was done today:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Yo%20Joe/Hellfire1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Yo%20Joe/Hellfire2.jpg)
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Great custom pics Volker. My little girl loved the dino pics too. Neat exhibit. I might have to go to the Smithsonian this summer.
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The dino exhibition was very cool indeed. Really impressive.
I've not been to the Smithsonian in over ten years, so I bet they are even better than they used to be.
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As it is not Star Wars, I'll put my Joes here. You'll note that Delta trooper Zambesi is a disguised Commander Faie, though. His headscuplt with the facial scars is too good not to use it.
Team Delta is one of G.I.J.O.E.'s rapid response teams. Maybe not as widely publicised as Team Alpha with its assortment of flamboyant characters, Delta is the team you want by your side when the going gets tough:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Yo%20Joe/Delta.jpg)
left to right: Zambesi, Long Range, Rover, Ridgeback
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Yo%20Joe/Delta_2.jpg)
left to right: Roundhouse, Blazer, Patches
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Yo%20Joe/Delta_Kitten.jpg)
Kitten
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Volker, those figures look stunning!
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Thanks Clint.
Although I don't know much about the universe of GI Joe, I enjoy customizing and kitbashing the figures nonetheless.
As some guys on this board have already demonstrated, the crossover customizing potential between Star Wars and GI Joe is awesome.
My next Joe project is Team X-Ray, the desert specialists, so stay tuned.
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My business trip to Canada is almost over.
Tomorrow is the last day and I`ll be back home Thursday afternoon.
I`ve managed to pick up a good selection of Star Wars, Gi Joe and Marvel figures as custom fodder and I can tell you already that the idea for a new Mandalorian figure, another Rebel Commando and my favorite GI Joe character is forming.
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Ain't technology great?
After installing the 2011 edition of Kaspersky anti-virus software yesterday, my computer refused to recognize his USB ports after the required re-boot.
Luckily enough, we have an older laptop computer which I can use now while we try to get the "real" computer to co-operate.
Somehow I think we will have to format the hard drive and give him a fresh start.
Well...
Sean's recovering from some minor surgery he had to have done during the fall break. The wounds look okay and have started to itch, a sure sign of the healing process.
The mini drama "The Raid" which we filmed during a Living History event in a museum village can be viewed here:
http://exposureroom.com/members/FrankGlen/3b8e6acbb4594a73a78ef0b01761d59f/
along with more impressions featuring the village and ourselves:
Impressions - Sommer 1945: http://exposureroom.com/members/FrankGlen/0e50c1bb2af641c398b93f4c98e9348d/
The museum usually doesn't have a lot of visitors, but attracted more people on that very weekend than they normally get in three months.
The museum wants us back in September 2011, of course, we will be happy to do another presentation for them as it is a cool playground and we get to use the buildings to live in, cook, etc.
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Glad to see you about Kurgan. Yeah, it's funny how things like a little anti-virus can screw up the rest of the computer so bad. Sounds like a great time at the Museum as well! And best regards to Sean for a speedy recovery.
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Good to hear everything is ok Volker and Sean is on the mend.
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As it is not Star Wars, I'll put my Joes here. You'll note that Delta trooper Zambesi is a disguised Commander Faie, though. His headscuplt with the facial scars is too good not to use it.
Team Delta is one of G.I.J.O.E.'s rapid response teams. Maybe not as widely publicised as Team Alpha with its assortment of flamboyant characters, Delta is the team you want by your side when the going gets tough:
just discovered these guys here, they are great, love the camo and .. I am attracted by Kitten ;D
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The recipe for Kitten is fairly easy: just put an Indiana Jones Marion Ravenwood head on a GI Joe Rise of Cobra Covergirl body and give her a generic pistol belt.
You might be able to pick up both figures really cheap in the toystores in your area as most are trying to get rid off what's left of these toys.
If you like Kitten, you might also like this female Joe: http://kurganscustoms.blogspot.com/2010/05/team-delta-codename-tomb-raider.html
Feel free to browse my showcase here: http://kurganscustoms.blogspot.com
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thanks for the links!
the fem Joe is cool, but because of the Ravenwood head I do like Kitten more.
and of course I checked your blog and your cool looking Joe's already ;) like MaschinenKrieger they are a nice change to Star Wars stuff.
EDIT:
BTW: the Kitten recipe sounds really simple, but I'll leave the model making upt to you, I am just a painter on the run for inspiration and tough ladies or fem troopers ;)
in addition I now had time to visit your renactment images and they are thrilling, some of the have a true WW2 mood.
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This morning the son and I went to Bonn to check out the Christmas Market.
of course, being there too early, we killed some time hunting Star Wars and we scored!
They have marked down prices for SW computer games and we picked up The Force Unleashed - Ultimate Sith Edition and Republic Heroes for a tenner each.
Pretty cool when the games cost 30-40 EUR each just a few weeks ago.
We'll let you know how we like the games in a short while.
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nice score! volker
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For Christmas Sean will get a squad of Snowtroopers to man his AT-AT.
I thought it would be cool to have an Imperial Captain Rex lead the squad. He'll mainly consist of a Snowtrooper and Snow Ops Rex parts.
I just finished the basic custom figure for Sean's Christmas present. As he will want to play with, there will me minimal paint apps on the main figure, but enough to make him look like Rex.
We will find out how he likes the figure in about a week, I guess...
BTW: tested 3M Scotch-Weld SF20 cyanacrylate glue today.
Damn, this stuff sets FAST.
I almost didn't get the plastic part off my fingers within the 2 seconds they say the glue dries in.
It does...
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Yeah!
I'm glad the son likes his custom Rex figure.
It took him a minute or two to find out that this isn't the standard CW series figure.
Now he wants some Hoth Rebels to waste...of course.
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Volker, have you by chance posted a how-you-did-it in your figure thread on using the Snow Rex to make a Legacy Snow Rex? Is head-removal on him easy?
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Doc, I think you might be able to boil'n pop the Snow Ops Rex' head, but I'm not sure.
Bought the figure and cracked the torso as the head is mounted on a blue plastic rod so it can "nod".
I dremelled the hole in the head to fit the ball neck of the Snowtrooper and glued the helmet parts together.
The Snowtrooper got Rex backpack glued on and the grey side pouches cut off.
I took the belt with twin holsters off a Gelagrub Trooper, cut the det can off in the back and glued it to the Snowtrooper so Imperial Rex got working holsters for his trademark twin blaster pistols.
He got Snow Ops Rex pistols and the Snowtroopers E11 blaster carbine.
As a final touch, I covered the yellow paint on the belt buckle with blue paint and gave the shoulder joints a blue stripe as well to achieve the blend between Rex' typical blue markings and the Snowtrooper armor, but I wanted the figure to remain playable with minimal paint chipping off.
Sean put the photo in his Christmas gifts thread, I'm just warming it up here now. If you want other angles shot, just let me know.
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Wow, looks great!! Yeah, I saw K-Jr had a thread going, but honestly, I am WAY behind on reading the forums! Thanks for rerunning the pic here. Nice work!
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Hoover Dam, this week is not really a good one.
First the washing machine died and we had to buy a new one, now the dishwasher died. Looking at the plug, we can be happy that the bloody thing didn't start to burn as the plug and a good part of the cord is black all over.
This could have been a major drama.
Well, no cash for a new dishwasher right now, dishes can be done by hand, washing clothes by hand would be something else.
But today the two Galen Marek figures which Sean has been after for so long have come in, accompanied by an Obi-Wan in Clone armor for yours truly.
Still, I'd rather have working electric house slaves...
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LOL. I like the electric house slaves idea.
Glad to see you are keeping your normal postive outlook. Glad that thing didn't catch fire.
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Fell up the stairs at work today, because I was late for a meeting and wanted to make up time by being fast.
Well, I was...
In fact, I was so fast, coming around the curve, I slipped and fell.
The fall wasn't bad, but the landing was.
Both middle fingers looked odd so I went to the Emergency Room. The x-ray showed the prob: the tendons in both fingers are ripped from the joints and have to be re-attached.
On Monday I will get my surgery where they will shoot wires through the tendons and the joints to put everything back together. Afterwards, I will have my fingers immobilized for 6 weeks.
Try bandaging your middle fingers, pretend they hurt like a bitch and see for yourself how difficult even the easiest tasks become.
Shab.
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DOH! that seems pretty bad
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Well, I've been worse, but this isn't really good either.
They will fix it with a Lengemann suture which seems like an everyday thing for surgeons.
It just isn't an everyday thing for the patient.
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Sorry to hear that buddy. Take care of yourself and good luck with a quick heal.
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Thanks for the good wishes.
I'll try my best to mend quickly.
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Y'know... that sounds like something *I* would do! Best wishes for a speedy recovery, my friend!
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We gotta get you a bacta tank somewhere...Get well soon! :)
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Hang in there, hope the surgery and recovery goes smooth. You are right, it is amazing how when you have an injury you truly notice just how much that affected part works with everything else,
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Blimey! Get well soon my friend hope the surgery goes well
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Daggone Volker, you have luck like mine.
I hope everything goes ok. Let us know how it all works out.
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Hi people,
thanks a lot for all the good wishes.
The surgeon I spoke to on Friday said it is an everyday injury and they do this kind of surgery all the time.
Let's believe them and see how it will turn out. They said that although it is a full sedation, I will be home tomorrow evening.
We will see.
I'll keep you updated on my progress.
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I'm back home.
Fingers are thickly bandaged and still hurt like mad, but anyway.
I'll have to be back to the hospital tomorrow for wound dressing and an x-ray. Let's hope they were able to reposition everything well.
The surgeon said that they didn't use the Lengemann suture, but use Kirschner-wires: one to pin the bone end of the tendon in place on the joint and one to immobilize the joint.
After 6 weeks everything should have grown together and they can extract the wires.
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Good to hear it went well with the surgey, get some rest and hang in there
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Good to hear everything went well. I'll be Paypaling you tonight.
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Well, just back from a weekend camp with my Scout Troop.
My kids (yes, I refer to them all as "my kids") participated in the big singing contest and scored 4th place in their category. Not bad at all. Once more, the competition was fierce and they did well.
I'm proud of them.
Three more weeks before the surgeons can pull the wires out of my fingers and do the final touch-ups on the surgery job. Can't wait for that day. Although the doc told me the other day that it will take at least three more months before I'll be able to fully use my fingers again, maybe even half a year.
Anyhow, we shall see how long and how well when we get to that point.
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Time has passed.
On Tuesday I'll be back in hospital for the remaining bit of surgery when they pull the wires out.
Still, I won't be able to move my fingers correctly afterwards as the capsules of the first joints have shrunk over the last six weeks and I'll have to undergo physiotherapy for a couple of weeks first.
And all that from falling up the bloody stairs...well, the fall wasn't the bad thing. The landing just sucked.
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And all that from falling up the bloody stairs...well, the fall wasn't the bad thing. The landing just sucked.
well that sucks, but, how did you fall UP the stairs? I've fallen DOWN the stairs in my house but never UP....also, if you cleaned the blood off of them they might not be as slippery, besides, what were you doing with blood on the stairs anyway, are you getting ready for Halloween early?
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Daggone, lets get this all worked out so we can get back to seeing more of your great customs.
I know how falling down the steps is though. I am still having back problems from my fall years ago. Keep us in the loop so we can hear how you are doing!
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So, I'm back from the hospital.
The surgery went well, my fingers hurt like a biggs and I'll have to be back to the emergency room tomorrow to get the heavy bandages off and a set of protectors on.
Let's see...
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Well I am glad to hear at least the first part of this went well. Gotta get those fingers back into shape!
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Glad to hear it went well! Good luck with the healing process.
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Good luck to a speedy recovery, Volker.
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I'm back.
Allow me to say - finally as I've been missing customizing.
I'm still getting physiotherapy for my fingers, but I think it's safe to say that they will not be as good as they were before the accident. I might not be able ton close my fists fully so I'll have to do karate chops in fisticuffs next time...
Anyway: I did some minor work on a Captain America Crossbones figure yesterday evening, but I have not gotten around to taking some pics of the little guy. Well, in fact he's a pretty massive guy.
You'll see some pics this weekend.
There are some parts and figures coming my way and there's going to be another Hoth Rebel Commando underway as well as my Sector Ranger and other minor projects.
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I was wondering how things were coming along. Give it some more time, things may yet be as good as of old. Ofcourse if you are like me and getting older I feel like I am loosing a bit of everything everyday now anyhow so it could just be age! Take care of yourself and I look forward to seeing your custom work.
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Today our parish had its annual summer fest. Although the weather was summerlike only in between, my Scout Troop did an overnighter to warrant setting up a full-size camp. During the night we were harrassed by a rainstorm which floodeed two hootchies, but not the teepee or my pup tent. Don't worry, the kids were fine.
Today we experimented with making batches of charcloth and putting it to immediate use as soon as it had cooled off:
The Guides cutting down an old ex-Bundeswehr 100% cotton T-Shirt:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Bushcraft/SF016.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Bushcraft/SF017.jpg)
We stacked the cloth pieces in a Schokakola tin with a hole in the top and put the tin in the campfire:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Bushcraft/SF018.jpg)
That's how our first batch of charcloth looked. To the left is the tinder bundle, steel strikers and flintstone in the center. The Scouts could use either their ferro rods or the more traditional flint'n steel:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Bushcraft/SF019.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Bushcraft/SF020.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Bushcraft/SF024.jpg)
Lena, one of my Patrol Leaders managed to get her embers with flint and steel:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Bushcraft/SF021.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Bushcraft/SF022.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FJR6/Bushcraft/SF023.jpg)
...and was rightfully happy about her success!
The youngest Scout who succeeded starting a fire with this old-time method today is merely seven years old.
More pics can be found here: http://frederickselous.blogspot.com/2011/07/beim-sommerfest-der-gemeinde.html
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Hi everybody!
I know, I have been out of touch for quite some time and I apologize for suddenly dropping off the face of the earth. Some of you I met briefly on Facebook, but that's been it, pretty much.
Life's pace has picked up quite a bit, work is kinds stressful, but family and home are fine.
I'll spare you the details of what's been going on.
Still, it's good to be back.
After all, the Yard is my home base.
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Always good to see you Volker mate !
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Welcome back, sir!