Gorillas go Banana Wars (a 'glorious' find on pg 6, "15 mm" Ford Trimotor)

[FifteensAway]

Was sitting in front of the box in that last photo above and dwelling on what is there last evening.  The count of individually based foot figures adds up to 96 total miniatures.  As to how many are unique within that box?  There are three of same pose of a native male, two of a female mystery gal in eastern semi-dress, two male big game hunters, and six each of serving wenches and more undressed than dressed lasses, that's 19 figures - but five unique poses, so 96-19+5 yields 82 unique figures.  And, of course, there are other unique figures in some other forces not in the box in the photo.  Some included figures are a set for Indiana, Senior, Mutt, and Marion and a couple of 'guards' - and then another Indiana, with his whip this time.  There is a geisha girl.  Then some other women that might be something along the lines of a 20th century Lucretia McEvil.  A mad scientist - with massive ray-gun.  Various natives both armed and not who can be heroes, villains, or sidekicks.  A vignette of an operating table with 'victim', doctor, and nurse.  An aging daughter and younger granddaughter and grandson of Captain Nemo.  And so much more.  While this thread is devoted to the Banana Wars scenario in particular, all these figures can be used in a wide variety of pulp games.  On the famous - or infamous - pulp-o-meter, I will stay mostly around 3-5 but once in a while it might sneak up to a 7.  Now, just where on the meter does Kong land?  Your thoughts?

Given all that variety - and not including the cave men figures I also have - who says you can't do pulp in 15 mm?  Certainly not I.  Not really my thing - the ray-gun figures was in a pack of other figures I wanted - but I'm pretty sure there are a bunch of space oriented figures that would fit for pulp out there (besides the Star Wars universe, plenty of 15 mm figures out there for that now, too).  Again, not my thing, but lots of dinosaurs that can be used for Lost Worlds type games. 

All bases for all figures are prepped now.  Some figures still to wash and file and otherwise prep but by end of coming week I hope to have all the figures primed and ready for painting. 

[FifteensAway]

Getting a lot closer to all the figures being ready for painting - though lots of work to go on boats, buildings, and terrain (and some stuff in transit from the 3D pre-printed world just ordered a bit ago, not all for this game though).



On the lower right of the above image are the 12 'units' of unarmed civilians, in front is a half dozen scientists, some mounted civilians and leaders - the British diplomats.  At the top of the image are the four armed ship's crews to the left and behind them the eight unarmed ship's crews.  And then some mounted crew and their support weapon, an automatic weapon and an old artillery piece.

More here: https://steeplechasingzebras.blogspot.com

[Sunjester]

Another great project, but how do you find the time, especially with the other schemes you simultaneously have on the go!

[FifteensAway]

I'm retired.  That helps, a lot.  The 'great hindrance' is the honey-do list!    . We don't have kids so that probably helps, I guess you could say my vast miniature collections is a stand-in for time that would have been spent on kids and grandkids, though there are great nieces and nephews that we enjoy. 

My priority is to get a lot of stuff ready to paint: assembled, pre-based, and primed.  And then organized into units and storage containers so that I can just pull out what I feel like working on or need for a game and get it painted.  If all goes according to plan this year will end with the full Robin Hood collection ready with much or all painted, same for Jousting game, and the somewhat associated Three Musketeers (use the unarmed civilians), and Stone Age (no dinosaurs), the latter three all at least primed.  And at the same time make real progress on completing my re-vamped/reduced French and Indian War, get a really good start on the AWI collection (well more started than already), and get at least some of my Old West/Pony Wars on the table and in games and the same for my Slightly Cracked Colonials (a variation on the Scramble for Africa).  Oh, and try to finish the French Foreign Legion set-up which is all already primed.

It does help that, mostly, I paint to a game table standard most of the time - but I suspect, at least for the 'main' characters, I'll try to do a better job for Robin Hood stuff.  I do plan to have color schemes of a sort for the whole Robin Hood collection, the Robin contingent will definitely feature green as a theme (though not Errol Flynn tights sorts!), the Sheriff will probably be a darker shade, either brown or gray or both.  Clerics will be divided into different orders both to relieve the painting doldrums that sometimes creep in and also know who goes with what.  And somehow use varied themes for the unarmed civilians.

A critical motivation is a need to reduce storage space used and having as much as possible well-organized is helping.  What scares me is the difference between painted and based and figures in small containers in 'a pile' as it were.  May take even more space ultimately - space that no longer is empty.

The kicker is there is a lot of other stuff not listed above waiting in the wings.

Well, there is also a bit of benign madness that drives me forward - I swim around within my imagination when working on my figures bringing them to some sort of 'life', at least on the table.  Helps with giving it all a back story.

[FifteensAway]

Two more groupings primed and ready or finished:

The Germans, on the right side:



And the presidential guard:



Two more groupings to prep and prime and all the figures will be ready to paint.

[mikedemana]

Having just retired a few weeks ago, I can sympathize and feel your vibe of surveying what you want to work on. I honestly think us miniature gamers have an advantage over other retired people who sit around and watch TV and grow bored. We are NEVER bored. We ALWAYS have something we want to work on, and thus avoid that "Maybe I'll get a part-time job..." trap!   

Mike Demana

[FifteensAway]

First, congratulations on retirement.  I've just passed two years. 

My hobbies are my mainstay that gives me a reason to get up and get going, both miniatures and model railroading.  Plus reading and movies - though the latter could use another 200 titles in the collection if I had the space for them, already have enough to watch a different movie every day for two years or something around there.  I like having the hard copies to look through.

TV?  Sitting around and watching?  That is what I call "entertainment for unfinished dead people".  My TV watching is a bit of news, my Forty-niners during pro football season (mute the commercials or switch to another game for a moment), and DVD movies (not really TV, that) - and sometimes certain commercial free public TV shows, history or antiquities.  Who needs to see that freaking Flo insurance lady for the 873,969th time!  No cable or satellite at our house, by choice!    And no way my wife needs yet more shopping channels!!!!!!!

I started walking every morning when I retired - instead of on weekends and when I could in evenings - and that is also proving beneficial, lost about 10 pounds and working on reducing the waistline a bit.

So, miniatures, trains, books, movies, exercise, and our shared passion of gardening fill our time pretty well, at least mine.  And a bit of traveling here and there, sometimes just a long drive around our neck of the woods.

Enjoy your new freedom - and make sure you have a plan for how to stay busy and self-valued.  That is critically important.  I started focusing on all of this when in my twenties after discovering how many retired people just either figuratively or literally keel over once retired.

Life is too sweet to waste time.

[mikedemana]

Thanks! I also have gotten better at exercise, and now do it daily in the morning (after about an hour at the painting desk).

Take care!
Mike Demana

[FifteensAway]

Photo below includes all six of my "Kongorillians" and six human figures for comparison (well five of the six humans, the other one is sort of hiding in the jungle.  Yeah, I know, still not painted (mostly).  Painting will come, just not quite yet.



And this images shows a well known archaeologist.



And, just for fun, I've folded nine sort of homeless figures into my pulpy Banana Wars set up.



The top three above are female SteamPunk types with three male of the same type below.  The three at the bottom will represent, at least in spirit, the three prinicple sergeants in Gunga Din, they aren't special figures, just three left over British colonial types.  I hope it will be a fun add to the game.

More here: https://steeplechasingzebras.blogspot.com

[mikedemana]

I've bookmarked your blog. I love blogs, and glad to see you have one. I look forward to whiling away summer hours perusing it when it is too ghastly hot to go outside. 

Mike Demana

[FifteensAway]

Mike, enjoy the exploring, there is a lot there - and an awful lot to move along on.  I'm hoping that my decks are clear to put real focus on my hobbies for a while.  Sure, some honey-do stuff and a modest bit of family stuff to enjoy, but time to be a bit self-indulgent.   

And here is what should be the last of the figures to prep for painting:



There is a closer shot of that 'green thing' on the blog - see link above.

edit: Oh, monkey poop, I'm not sure where I put Javier and his banana carrying mule (or donkey); guess I have to hunt them up.  At least I know they are here - somewhere.

[FramFramson]

Is that a wrecked car you added along the intact one?

[FifteensAway]

Fram, yes, that is a wrecked car - both come from QRF models.  The resin one seen earlier is from Peter Pig.  I have a lot more cars to add in that were, mostly, purchased for Prohibition Era Gangsters - lots of assembly and painting to go on those.  Those are in my off-site rented storage unit for now.  Oh, and a bunch of cars from Peter Pig's Mexican Revolution range will see duty in games with this collection as mentioned earlier in this thread.  A car, is a car, is a car.

And in the hunt for Javier Valdez, still hunting - though found a stand in mule until I find the one I had set aside, will need a stand in for Javier, too, but that's easy, I've turned up a few additional figures to add in - odd bits found here and there that are 'orphans'.  They might get added today.  Been a bit hot around here, Saturday hit 113 F (maybe 114), that's 45 C.  Today is slated to hit around 105-107.  I go until I need a break working in the garage with a fan on me.  Then I retreat into the AC space inside.

[FifteensAway]

Found my missing muleteer Javier Valdez and his beast.  Primed up along with a few items from Peter Pig for the wannabe dictator HQs and the palanquin for the "Witch Queen" from Khurasan, based her separate so she can ride the palanquin or not.  Alas, forgot to get a photo.

With that, I believe - hope - all figures are now prepped for painting.

[FifteensAway]

As part of a different project, I've been working through my various and sundry non-Old West scatter terrain and getting into playable condition, way more stuff than I thought but it will all come in handy somewhere along the way.  As part of this, I double checked my Old West to ensure I had certain things there and came across a pack of figures I've had for some years that were 'homeless' as far as where they might be used.  They are Koori (Australian Aboriginal figures) from QRF/Freikorps if memory serves.  I think they'll find a home here, perhaps transported - to their astonishment - in the the Naughtylust submarine.  I do have a few other Australian bits like kangaroos so maybe a hunting game, too.