I had ordered another PAK 3.6/3.7 because I wanted to use the gun with a sd.kfz 250 that I got at Ft. Thomas, but after seeing how good the gun I already have looks with a full crew, I got to thinking well how good would two gun crews look. I am definitely in an early war mode right now. Thanks Dragon, thanks a lot. Here's another shot of that tank before we go.
Found this latest picture of the Dragon Panzer II online yesterday (think it was OSW) and I have to say that I am now in an absolute frenzy for this thing to come. I have spent this week so far working on early war Germans. Leave it to Dragon to find me a reason to collect something else. I have four guys put together so far and I think (once my War-Toys order gets here) that I will be able to put together another five or six. The biggest problem was coming up with those stone-gray early war pants. Fortunately, a supply of 21st German general uniforms came to the rescue. Remove the red ribbons on the seams and you have the perfect color of gray trousers. Perhaps I can even come up with one or two more pair with a little digging through the spare parts box. One never knows. I had ordered another PAK 3.6/3.7 because I wanted to use the gun with a sd.kfz 250 that I got at Ft. Thomas, but after seeing how good the gun I already have looks with a full crew, I got to thinking well how good would two gun crews look. I am definitely in an early war mode right now. Thanks Dragon, thanks a lot. Here's another shot of that tank before we go. And that's all for this evening, have a good one!
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Well, I didn't get around to getting online last night to do a post. Too busy working on a project. So this morning, I just have a question for everyone;
What's on your 1:6th Christmas wish list? or rather, what are you looking forward to acquiring in the new year? For me, Panzer II says it all, but I am interested in hearing what you think is the hot, must have items this holiday season. Each time I see new pictures of the new Dragon Panzer II, I am really glad that I ordered one. These are the latest pictures to show up online and I am really pleased at the level of detail. Of course I am not surprised. Dragon has a history of taking 1/35th subjects and turning them into 1/6th products. They actually did this model of the Panzer II a number of years ago. The detail in these pictures looks just as good. I think the picture above shows how good that detail is going to be. It's a very sharp looking model. The earlier pictures that were online didn't show a lot of detail. I am pleased to see that there are going to be a lot of tools included, that were not shown in the earlier photos. This is the first time I have really seen a view of the back like this. I really like how they have finished the muffler. That looks sharp. I was telling Hammer Six last week that I sure hoped that hitch was going to be functional. That would add a lot of possibilities. It really does look good. Can't wait for it to get here. I am pretty excited about it. Hammer, Panzercommander and I have already got a shoot planned - Battle of France.
Well, that's all for tonight. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, until next time, have a good one! ![]() Good Morning Campers, Point Man here. I was able to get quite a lot of photos at the Ft. Thomas show and I thought that I would start sharing some of them in the UPDATE. You can get a pretty good overview of the show by clicking on the link on the home page, but there are enough photos that I can fill in a little more detail on a good number of the displays that were there. We're going to start with my own display since I know it best. My display was about Vietnam as told through my online series; VIETNAM STORY. The display was composed of a 1:6th diorama and 1:1 scale elements. My display included an information board that tried to explain just that. Knowing that kids and adults would be viewing the display. I tried to give them a little bit of information about the real world history which provides the basis for my story. Since they would be looking at a diorama depicting a Vietnam firebase, part of what I wanted to do was explain what a firebase was. A portion of the board was also dedicated to talking about my 1:6th version of Vietnam. In the series, Firebase Cooper is a base that supports brown water navy operation in one sector of the Mekong Delta. The base provides artillery support as well as logistical support for the Navy river boats. My particular unit of the 9th Infantry is there to protect the base. The model of the base was built from insulation foam, which was mounted onto two frames made of a cheap pine. The resulting two-piece diorama is very light and easy to move. Once I had the general shape carved out. I covered the foam with a light layer of joint compound and then the entire thing was painted. After a coat of latex paint was brushed on, I used various colors of spray paint to create the look of clay. Some texturing was then added with a white glue/water mixture to seal it. Then details such as the boards on the ground, the oil drums, crates, etc. were added to the scene. The 155 mm howitzer is the Hasbro Korean gun. 155's were used in Vietnam as well. The observation tower is from World Peace Keepers. Both pieces were supplied to me by Dr. Zorkon. Thanks Doc! The hardest, most time consuming part of the project was the 155 sandbags that grace the diorama. These were all sewn, filled and tied by Mrs. Point Man, who deserves the credit for making the diorama work. As I said earlier though, the diorama was only part of the display. The other part consisted of the information board and the 1:1 display. The largest part of this section was the torso mannequin with the Vietnam Jungle Jacket (3rd pattern) and gear. I thought having a uniform as part of the display would be a neat way for the kids to see the connection between real world and the 1:6th models. There were a lot of parts to the display, weapons, personal items, gear (such as the butt pack and flak jacket in this photo. A lot of personal gear as well - sunblock, a radio and a copy of Life Magazine from 1968, a packet of letters and a pack of Kools. The centerpiece of the display was three glass cases. What most people viewing the items didn't realize was that all the items in the cases except the medals and patches were reproduction items made by myself. There were ration pack items and Vietnam personal documents. The center case contained "Doc's Diary" from VIETNAM STORY. It is an exact 1:1 reproduction of the diary in the story. I had to explain to several people that it was not a real diary, which gave me a chance to tell them about the website and the story. Overall, I found building the display to be a very satisfying project. First of all, I needed the diorama for my story anyway, so it was just a matter of adding a 1:1 component to it for a more "educational" display. And the great thing is, I already have my display for next year done. I might change out some of the actors so that the scene is a little different, but it will be a whole lot easier to get ready for next year than it was this year.
That's all for this time, until next time, have a good one! A while back I did an update on Sgt. Rock and I thought that I would finally do a followup with my absolute favorite comic - The Haunted Tank. It is after all the inspiration for my own online comic, Jeb Savage and the Haunted M5. The Haunted Tank is a comic book feature that appeared in the DC Comics anthology war title G.I. Combat from 1961 through 1987. It was created by writer and editor Robert Kanigher and artist Russ Heath in G.I. Combat #87 (May 1961). The feature centers on the ghost of 19th-century Confederate general J.E.B. Stuart, who is sent by the spirit of Alexander the Great to act as a guardian over his two namesakes, Lieutenant Jeb Stuart (named in the early stories as Jeb Stuart Smith, but eventually just shortened to Jeb Stuart) and the Light Tank M3 Stuart that Jeb commands. “The Haunted Tank” was often the cover feature of G.I. Combat and was second only to Sgt. Rock as DC Comics’ longest-running war series. An origin story in G.I. Combat #114 reveals that, at the time of the ghost’s arrival, Jeb is a sergeant in the United States Army who commands a Stuart tank fighting with the Allies in the North African Campaign. Jeb and his men are childhood friends who had volunteered for the cavalry when World War II began. The original crew consists of Jeb as tank commander; Arch Asher, loader; Rick Rawlins, gunner; and Slim Stryker, driver. The ghost of General Stuart does not initially care for his assignment, but is impressed with the fighting spirit of Jeb and his crew. Jeb further honors the ghost by flying a Confederate rather than a Union flag on his “haunted” tank. Jeb, however, is the only one who can see or hear the General. His crew thinks he is crazy, but continue to follow his leadership as he has solid tactical expertise (brought about through his consultations with the General, who usually gives him cryptic hints of future events) and rarely fails in his missions. More recently, DC has published a couple of their large anthology books, The Haunted Tank, Part 1 and Part 2, between the two books you get 1,000 pages of Haunted Tank comics, in black and white, but it is a fun read. Of course all of my favorites are drawn and penned by Joe Kubert (hey, I'm a purist). ![]() A modern version of the Haunted Tank has also been done with an interesting twist that Jeb Stuart, modern tank commander is a black guy. He and the ghost has some interesting discussions. The format is a little more adult, definitely not aimed at kids and the background is the Iraq war. Interesting art and storyline, I can't say that I really recommend it however. Most of you are familiar with my own take on the Haunted Tank. The series was composed of 12 large episodes, followed by a D-Day Saga that was probably equivalent in size to about five more episodes. I have been working at revising them into comic book format and have the first 9 episodes completed. Eventually, I hope to have all of them featured on Point Man's Privy. It all started with these wonderful comics from the folks at DC. I never get tired of that little Stuart tank, always on patrol, always in danger. That's all until next time, have a good one! Some of you might remember this? TIME WARS was a "Traveling Sam" deal that I started over at Green Leader's about three years ago, that combined the idea of a traveling Joe with the idea of a online comic. It actually went through several people before it died the usual Traveling Joe death. ![]() TIME WARS even came with a ready made collection of special effects pieces that could be used by participants to create effects for their own endeavors. Amazingly enough, no one used them, which was a real shame because the effects pieces would have allowed for consistency from episode to episode. ![]() As I prepared for the opening episode, I even put together a primer for the series that gave some background information on the characters. Since it was a Sci-Fi piece, there were some props that had to travel with the figures. Pretty much everything a person needed to put together a story was available and yet the result was pretty much the same as other Traveling Joe efforts. So why is it that Traveling Joes seem to have a rather limited life span? What would it take for it to be successful? Could it be successful in our club such as ours? Is it something that people would like to try, or is it a waste of time? It seems to me that a traveling Joe is a great excuse to take pictures of one's collection and show them off (that is typically how it is handled). TIME WARS was probably too complicated for most folks. I guess I will never really know for sure. Anyway, I would like to hear your thoughts about this subject. That's all for tonight, have a good one!
Well, if you have seen the Home page, you know that I have already posted some pictures from the show on the website. I've got a few shots here though that I wanted to share along with some thoughts... Oh course, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were about smiles, big round eyes and pointing fingers. I was only there on Thursday and Friday, but I saw hundreds of them. The kids really liked the displays and they asked some great questions. Of all the things I brought for my display, the M-79 Thumper was the biggest hit. It wouldn't have even been a show without Hammer Six (on right, seen here with Sniper Joe and his RC Sherman). Hammer Six did so much to make this show happen and then during the show, he was everywhere, making sure it all went right. Somehow, he even managed to have some fun like the rest of us. Thanks Hammer Six, we of the SSCC Salute and appreciate your service. Chick Magnet, the truth behind CK2's Flatboat...it draws gals. The little women just love this thing. What's not to love...it is the perfect Barbie house boat. That's Flat Boat Barbie standing in front of the cabin by the way. Truthfully, kids of all ages love this thing. I was so glad that my good buddy, Okimbored was able to come down from the upper edge of Michigan and spend a couple of days with us. He brought a major portion of his western town, it's citizens and the local garrison of Cavalry. It was a fantastic display that really added tremendously to the overall display. I tried to sneak off with those building fronts, but didn't get very far. Shooting the breeze- from left to right, Point Man, Gray Ghost and Panzercommander swapping stories during a slow moment. The best part of the weekend was being able to spent a lot of time together. It was like a super club meeting with vendors thrown in. Doesn't get much better than that. Surprise visitor - We were shocked when this Dodge weapons carrier showed up at our reenactor's camp. We didn't know we would have any other WWII vehicles besides the Sherman. It was a nice surprise. I think I heard that CK2 was scoping out additional details that he could add to his 1:6th version. THE FORGOTTEN MAN - Caught this old soldier sitting on this bench staring at the WWII encampment. I can only imagine what his thoughts were. Was he transported back in time, seeing a similar scene in WWII or Korea? We met a number of Vets during the week and it was really great to hear their stories.
Yes, Ft. Thomas was a great time, for those that missed it, you really did miss out. And here's to an even bigger and better 2011 show. Until next time, have a good one! Hey Campers! Point Man here at Ft. Thomas. We've got wireless!! The show has been a kick so far. Wednesday, Thursday and Today has been droves of kids from the area schools and they have had a blast looking at the 1:6th displays. We have had a good time with them. A major highlight for the kids has been the big EZ8 Sherman sitting out in front of the community center.
Hope some of you will be able to make it when the show opens to the public tomorrow. Toy Chest and Collectibles will be here as well War Structures and Esumthing4U. Plus club members will be selling 1:6th as well. We'll also have reenactors tomorrow and plenty of great displays. If you can get here, you want to come. It has just been a great, great time so far. Well, here we are on the eve of the Ft. Thomas show. I can hardly believe it is finally here. I started preparing back in July. It started very slowly, putting together publicity, working on a variety of related projects, trying to get together an exhibit that would be meaningful visually as well as educationally. It remains to be seen as to whether I will have achieved all of my own personal goals for the show, but I have given it my best shot. Everyone else involved has done the same thing though, so hopefully it will translate into a successful show. The most exciting thing for me is actually having the Easy Eight Sherman at the show. This thing is a monster and should draw a lot of people. There is a lot of great stuff planned over the next few days.
As a result of the show, this update tonight is going to be just a little short and there will not be an update Thursday night unless there is wireless at the hotel. I wouldn't plan on anything until Sunday night actually. Those of you that are going to make it to the show. I will see you all there. Those of you that can't make it, well... I will take lots of pictures. Until next time, have a good one! This is going to be kind of a quick blog this evening. It was a busy weekend. Saturday I attended the Militaria Show at Robert's Center with Hammer Six. He had a table and was able to sell some figures as well as talk to some folks and pass out some card for the Ft. Thomas show. Me...well, I mostly walked around and spent money. There was a lot of interesting stuff for sale there and I picked up a couple of pieces. It was a really great time. Special thanks to Hammer Six for inviting me. The rest of the weekend was spent getting ready for the show at Ft. Thomas. I finished off the items for my display and got everything packed up. Firebase Cooper is already in one of the cars. We are going to have to bring two cars to carry everything, there is just way too much stuff for one. I also got all my sales merchandise priced and packed up. What a pain that was, I am glad to have it done. With everything done I will not be spending the next two evenings trying to get stuff finished and that is a huge relief. I had imagined that I would still be trying to get stuff together Tuesday night, but all I have left to do is packing it into the other car. Can't wait till Wednesday evening. It is going to be great to get everything set up, knowing that I don't have to touch it again until Sunday afternoon. I know that Hammer six has got a big German setup planned for the show, so I thought we would focus on one of his vehicles tonight. I don't really know much about this particular vehicle, so maybe he can Illuminate us with a little information about the vehicle. I will just take the easy way out and show some pictures of it. HORCH Above is the real thing, pulling what appears to be a Pak 37 in 1941. Below are several shots of Hammer Six's vehicle, finished in early war Panzer Gray with a nice selection of details. I will let the pictures speak for themselves and then maybe Hammer Six can fill us in on the details. What a great looking vehicle, I'll take two, thank you. Really sharp looking my friend. I can envision that Horch in all sorts of dioramas. Well, that is all for tonight campers, until next time, have a good one!
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