Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => VSF Adventures => Topic started by: Steam Flunky on 04 September 2016, 09:34:31 AM
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Found this lovely old photo of my great great grandfather Colonel Percival Fluckinger, taken during his expedition to mars in 1895. His mount, a mountain fathopper (named Boris) got him out of many a sticky situation.
(https://c6.staticflickr.com/9/8505/28821593893_09e9e0d707_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/KUScJD)
Conversion. Figure is possibly from Essex. The mount is from Scotia Grendel. (https://flic.kr/p/KUScJD)
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Haha! Fantastic 8) 8)
Welcome to Mars :D
cheers
James
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Hey Flunky,
Good looking figure and nice 'photograph'!
Cheers
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Thanks so much!
I believe I read a bit of his exploits in Thomas Carrnegan's 'Characters I Have Known Amongst the Canals.' Must say, sounds as if he did your family proud!
Though, I believe there was a bit of brew up concerning Boris and a certain adjutant's pet rock strider... ::)
Really lovely, all around.
Doug
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Thanks all.
Thanks so much!
I believe I read a bit of his exploits in Thomas Carrnegan's 'Characters I Have Known Amongst the Canals.' Must say, sounds as if he did your family proud!
Though, I believe there was a bit of brew up concerning Boris and a certain adjutant's pet rock strider... ::)
Really lovely, all around.
Doug
You are right, Doug. Carrnegan devoted nearly a chapter of his book to Fluckingers expedition to the northern canals and the Highlands nearby. He was visiting the expedition as the incident with the rock strider happened. The adjutant let his strider get a little too close to the fathopper and then blamed my great great grandfather for letting Boris eat it. Terrible manners.
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Grand photograph! Well done!
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The adjutant let his strider get a little too close to the fathopper and then blamed my great great grandfather for letting Boris eat it. Terrible manners.
Can hardly fault Boris; reports are they are DELICIOUS! With a fine Chianti, of course... lol
Doug
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You people are completely mad.....
I like it.
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You people are completely mad.....
I like it.
:D
Can hardly fault Boris; reports are they are DELICIOUS! With a fine Chianti, of course... lol
Doug
This discussion with you Doug has given me ideas. As soon as i have time i must go down in the basement and see if there are anymore old photos of Fluckinger and the expedition. If we are lucky there might be a pic of the adjutant and his rock strider.
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Thems that can, do, thems that can't, teach, thems that are totally hopeless, prattle until, by accident, inspire. lol
...If we are lucky there might be a pic of the adjutant and his rock strider.
*gulp* Ante-mortem, I hope! :o
Doug
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Nice conversion. Enjoy your stay on Mars, bur remember to carry a loaded service revolver at all times :)
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Found them! I knew these old photos of the Fluckinger expedition were laying around somewhere.
Looking through some of Fluckingers notes i have found out a bit more about it.
It seems that Fluckinger was a bit of a difficult customer and refused to scratch the right backs in Londons gentlemans clubs which meant he had trouble financing his expedition. Luckily Alfonso XIII, the spanish monarch wanted to get a foothold an mars and Fluckingers expertise was useful. Alfonso agreed to fund it on the condition that Fluckinger took with him the Marquis de Vallado who happened to be an annoying thorn in the kings side.
Here is part of the expedition in the northern martian highlands. Fluckinger can be seen on the far left on his fathopper, Boris.
(https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8834/29258478870_cebe179025_o.jpg)[/url]
William Gibbons and Dusty Hill were the two american scouts leading the way. In front you can just see a Brunel patent steam tracker.
(https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8541/29438902802_480580c4e8_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Lztmqf)
Here we have a picture of Fluckinger with his adjutant before the incident with the rock strider that Doug (the beast) read about in Thomas Carrnegan's book.
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8432/29467742401_5266b05b40_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/LRq5aG)
I have also found a few photos of the Marquis de Vallado and the rest of the expedition that i will upload when i have sorted them out.
(https://flic.kr/p/LTXTba)
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More wonderfulness :D
cheers
James
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More cool pics.
Is the large animal's skeleton the type you can get for fish tanks? I've looked at them a couple of times for scenery backdrops...
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Obviously, I misread the tome; had the image of a much smaller beast. Not that the hopper couldn't finish in a couple of bites, of course. Starting to feel a bit more for the subaltern. Losing prized beast AND mount can put one's back up.
On another point, Carrnegan intimated that the noble Don had an agenda of his own, outside the interests of his majesty's, not quite the fop he seemed to posture. Do tell if your grandfather had any comments about that.
The American scouts are a bit of a surprise; I had no idea they were common on the red sands.
Quite a mixed group, and am I'm sure the list is yet incomplete. I can't imagine a noble traveling without some entourage.
I do so love when finding a footnote of history opening wide to view!
Thanks so much.
Doug
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Excellent. I am going to ask you to step out of character now: Who makes the Fathopper miniature? And the other reptilian mounts? One of the American guides looks like a Redoubt NNH trooper with a head swop, he looks great.
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More cool pics.
Is the large animal's skeleton the type you can get for fish tanks? I've looked at them a couple of times for scenery backdrops...
Hi captain, the skeleton is a cheap plastic toy dinosaur that i cut apart to make a couple of pile of bones. I am looking for another one to make a dragon skeleton for my 15mm fantasy figs but cant find one at the moment.
Excellent. I am going to ask you to step out of character now: Who makes the Fathopper miniature? And the other reptilian mounts? One of the American guides looks like a Redoubt NNH trooper with a head swop, he looks great.
Hi vodkafan (great pseudonym :D ), The fathopper is from Scotia Grendal. The other reptilian mounts are old GW slann/dark elf cold ones. Most of these figs are quite a few years old so i cant remember where the scouts come from (they are not conversions) ,but most are from Wargames foundry.
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Obviously, I misread the tome; had the image of a much smaller beast. Not that the hopper couldn't finish in a couple of bites, of course. Starting to feel a bit more for the subaltern. Losing prized beast AND mount can put one's back up.
On another point, Carrnegan intimated that the noble Don had an agenda of his own, outside the interests of his majesty's, not quite the fop he seemed to posture. Do tell if your grandfather had any comments about that.
The American scouts are a bit of a surprise; I had no idea they were common on the red sands.
Quite a mixed group, and am I'm sure the list is yet incomplete. I can't imagine a noble traveling without some entourage.
I do so love when finding a footnote of history opening wide to view!
Thanks so much.
Doug
Hi Doug,
Fluckingers notes seem to agree with what you have read.
I have found a photo of Don Guillermo (the Marques de Vallado) with 3 or 4 african servants that he took with him to mars. He seems to have been a brave but foolhardy noble who refused to listen to the advice of more experienced men who he considered below him.
I am afraid i cannot really feel sorry for the adjutant who seems to have been a nasty piece of work, fauning up to the Don and supporting him against Fluckinger even when he knew that Fluckinger was in the right. This led the expedition into the trouble it got into later on.
Cheers
Robert
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Found time to sort out a few more of Percival Fluckingers (my great,great grandfather) 1895 expedition photos.
This photo shows more of the spanish part of the expedition. The Marques de Vallado, King Alfonso's chosen man for the journey is on the right in the white jacket. The troops seem to be spanish Ether-Marines wearing the 1891 pattern uniform.
(https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8027/29055985714_3541103817_o.jpg)[/url]
Here is a photo of Don Guillermo (the Marques de Vallado) with 3 or 4 african servants that he took with him to mars.
(https://c6.staticflickr.com/9/8101/29601155141_ee810ea4b9_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/LgzwfW)
Pack beasts of the 1895 mars expedition guarded by spanish ether-marines
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8817/29571366112_e506126819_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/M6KE8P)
This photo shows clearly the 1891 pattern uniform of the spanish ether-marines.
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7582/29601154961_3de6a48260_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/M47YTS)
Another photo of the 1895 Fluckinger expedition to mars. Note the reverse uniform colours of the ether-marine bugler.
(https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8438/29055985194_189ea2eaed_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/M6KE5H)
(https://flic.kr/p/Lgzw6Y)
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Excellent
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Excellent
Then start adding to the story!
Herr Günstling von Dampf and I shouldn't do all the heavy lifting! lol
Steam, my lad, did your GGGF parlez the Spanish lingo? Not absolutely necessary, I suppose. A British officer can always make himself understood. :D
Of course, I suppose what really had me wondering was the Americans so few on Mars. After all, there was that recent unpleasantness in Cuba, with tensions concerning rumors of President Grover's involvement in the insurrection, always a chance of a flashpoint.
I'm sure there wasn't; not as if the scouts were actually gathering information for the US army on the Spanish expedition...
Doug
PS Sorry, Steam, old chap. Google Translate is just TOO fun not to try. ;)
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Then start adding to the story!
Herr Günstling von Dampf and I shouldn't do all the heavy lifting! lol
What! I was just here for the pictures.
You mean I have to do reading and thinking too ;)
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What! I was just here for the pictures.
You mean I have to do reading and thinking too ;)
Sorry, ol bean, don't know WHAT I was... er...
Damn, that word again. Thinking.
lol
Doug
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