October 2026 Workbench With Cavalry Conversions & Others & What to do With One's Time when One has a Bruised Rib

October 01, 2026

October 2026 Workbench With Cavalry Conversions & Others & What to do With One's Time when One has a Bruised Rib

This post presents a portion of what I have been currently working on and also some random musings about injuries, movies and other indulgences. Skip the next few paragraphs if you want to get to the toy soldier bits.

A week ago I got up at 3AM, returned to my bed without tuning on the light and instead of landing on the bed fell on the open wooden sock drawer. I don't know if I woke the neighbours because it hurt and my verbal response was very loud! Anyhow I bruised a rib and fortunately don't seem to have fractured it. The pain has subsided somewhat but the whole thing slowed me down a little.

Getting up and laying or sitting down, in such a condition, is not ne of the most enjoyable activities. I found out that comfy lounge chair with electric positioning and stool was going to be put through its paces. happily, this coincided with the recent acquisition of a smart TV. I discovered a free TV network which devoted a considerable portion to old S.F. movies, late 40s onwards. To the modern eye they are quaint and even absurd. The tropes are predictable: 'This no place for a woman' and shoot any aliens on sight. Also there is the occasional sermonising about how humans have been very naughty with wars and such and will be told off or even destroyed by the superior (or just vicious) aliens. Sometimes it is even suggested it is all part of God's plan to wipe us out. Humans generally come out on top, though - but not on top of God as that would be a step too far. They are still a hoot though, for example, 'Aztec Mummy versus robot' or some such.

One gem made in 1961 was 'Night Tide' a very unusual art house movie about a young woman who thinks she is a siren. Surprisingly, for a siren, she speaks quietly. No, silly, I mean the mermaid kind but unlike The Littlest mermaid the kind that lure men to their deaths. There are some interesting twists and it is now one of my favourite films.

(I will add that I rarely watch 'normal' TV channels anymore. I am more likely to watch a multitude of history and UFO documentaries n You tube).

I also have been reading 'Birds of prey' by David Drake. I have read a few of his books so there is something drawing me to his work. This one features an agent for the Roman empire who must defeat aliens before they take over the Earth! However, most of the battles are between humans and the naval battle with pirates is very cool.

Anyhow, as you have probably gathered my usual cycling and swimming have been put on hold. Sitting at my work bench was a little uncomfortable but the past few days I have been spending more time there, completing projects and starting new ones.

BELOW are some figures I have based and varnished. A number of them were in earlier posts. The sheriff is my repaired Marx figure. The bicorne fellow is going to be a possible character for Bogavania. The lady in stary dunce cap is a Fezian sorceress converted from an Aladdin figure.

Left to right: BMC Spanish American War figure kneeling. He can be a Spaniard or a New Confederacy figure. ACW Federal volunteer, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes conversion, Confederate red uniformed soldier.

There is also a European made marching French soldier with repaired musket, A American Revolutionary War metal casting from a plastic figure (I forget which brand) and a marching grenadier. This last was painted as a Mexican form the - wait for it - Mexican War. There was also a uniform of red jacket and light blue trousers. They might have been different uniforms for the same regiment. I already have a unit of the ones in red coats, made form BMC Mexicans. Eventually I'll complete a unit of the blue ones. They are castings made from Timpo Action Pack Napoleonic French grenadiers. I think my my old (and deceased) pal, Dave Bryant, made these and made the muskets longer.

Meanwhile, as you will recall from an earlier post, I have been providing reinforcements for Ruritania. At top is an arm swap between Armies in Plastic Prussian lancer and Napoleonic Timpo Action Pack lancer. (The Napoleonic lancers are another almost finished project I'll feature in a future post. The problem frequently is having too many buglers. Here I solved the issue for my units of Ruritanian lancers. Now the Napoleonic unit has a bugler not available in the Action Pack mounted Napoleonics.

Now the foot figures! One of my favourite figures, from childhood, is the dismounted firing Crescent U.S. Cavalryman. I had the original Crescent figures and also made in Hong Kong copies. the originals were 60mm and the copies were 54mm, common colors being brown and silver. Not that long ago a Facebook friend in the Philippines was kind enough to send me some copies from his country. They remain 60mm and come in some very bright colors.

The officer may be from the infantry. Anyhow I decided to use them as dismounted Ruritanian cavalry wearing the slouch hats. I could have made them from Airfix Germans by modifying the helmets and might still do that. The red figure I have left unaltered other than to cut off some flash. The officer and others have had one side of the brim cut off and replaced with Milliput rim turned up. I added a green Stuff plume. The rank and file also have paper tape extensions to the tops to make them look like jackets and not shirts. I also added ammunition pouches.

Left to Right: Italerie French officer (to be a Bogavanian), made in China very good copy of Airfix but the standing figure was made into a mounted one with more pronounced facial detail, 'scientist' in hazard suit from a bucket of monsters set and some Armies in Plastic Sudan types. These kinds of sword and shield figures are good for both colonial and ancient wargames. Invariably they end up in Fezia's tribal levies. They will join exusting units.

Here is a BMC A.C.W, horse. I think these are presently available under the American label. This is one of my favourite toy horses as it is a little fuss figure saddle and equipment that easily accommodate most riders - they just sit nicely. Admittedly it is almost a static pose but horses are not always charging.
One thing wrong with it is there is a rein on only one side of the horse. For this reason I drill a hole and ill add a rein. Things to use for reins include black plastic coated toy packaging ties, dental floss, strands of metal scouring pads, wire etc.