Marx Giant Blue and Gray Summer

The toy soldier table has been cleared, and Navarone is just a pleasant memory.Now the scene is being set for a Louis Marx adventure as 1/32 plastic Civil War soldiers battle it out on the toy soldier table.

This is the supersized fantasy Giant Blue and Gray that I assembled a couple of years ago (lavishly profiled here)

This should be nostalgic for many readers of this blog.

Much work to do, but it's what I need to do in order to...

Soldier on!

Mannie

Navarone postscript

 Since yesterday, I've been playing around with an artificial intelligence ap.  I type in a description and images are produced. fine-tuning of the parameters will get the image closer to what I had in mind.

Here are two images of the before and after of Navarone Mountain.

My original description is the underlined text:

 a craggy, gray, forbidding mountain peak. there is a very large opening about two-thirds from the bottom of the mountain peak. extending, menacingly from the opening are the barrells of two huge artillery pieces. in the foreground, at the base of the monument is a WWII German military installation supported by pillboxes, bunkers, barbed wire and guard towers. German soldiers and tiger tanks are everywhere. all of this is under a gray and threatening sky

I got to a point of diminishing returns after too many modifications, and then the computer starts to drift away from the original concept.

But not to worry, Miss America is on the side of freedom.

The program is chat GTP.  Prepare to start wasting time.

Until next time...

Soldier on!

Mannie

Louis Marx exploding house

I think that CTS reissued these a few years ago, and they can still be found on ebay frequently.  It is made from the original Marx molds but comes without the essential mousetrap-style activating unit.

Frequently, when I go to the twice-yearly Gettysburg toy soldier show, I see these spring-loaded activators for sale at very reasonable prices, and with minimal filing and fitting you can install them into the house.

When a projectile hits the front door, the whole thing "explodes" in a very satisfying manner.

They also paint-up very nicely.  You may remember this Greek cafe from the Navarone scenario.  Several Nazi officers met their doom while sipping strong coffee on that morning.

It's a nice day to get outdoors.

Soldier on!

Mannie

 

Battle of Guam: little grass shack

To set the tone, let's give a listen to Don Ho singing My Little Grass Shack:

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWlvYpJ5pRo)

The years-long Battle of Guam project is soldiering into its fifth year this spring with more construction.

Right now, I'm working on a bamboo hut, which will be a good all-purpose building that will suit many purposes.

I started with a foam core armature; the size will accommodate 1/32 soldiers.

The roof will be thatched and the rows of thatch were made of printer paper and cut with an X-acto knife.

I'm very satisfied with the effect.

I painted them in various shade of yellow and brown.

On Amazon I found paper, bamboo-pattern, drinking straws.  I made a jig to split them uniformly.

It's coming along nicely.  Eventually, it will be slightly elevated on stilts and the porch roof will be made to look like corrugated iron.

Come on inside, and...

Soldier on!

Mannie