Confederate Guerilla

I finally got around to completing my most recent project. Below is my (rather long) post from AMHQ;

"Since discovering Stevo’s Toys website some time ago, I’ve been keen to try my hand at a Civil War Confederate Guerilla. I ended up using quite a few of Steve’s custom items and so, in many ways, I consider this project to be more a collaboration, rather than a stand-alone project. For those that haven’t had a look at Steve’s site, just follow the link below…

http://stevestoys.com/index.htm

Steve is a true 1/6 scale artist and I can’t recommend his work enough! The majority of his 1/6 scale weapons are cast in lead-free pewter, then hand-painted. The weapons have a real ‘old-world’ charm about them and because they are made of pewter, they also have some weight to them! Likewise, he uses real leather to construct the 1/6 scale holster rigs and accessories. For what you get, I think his prices are very reasonable. If you spend more than $30.00USD, you get free postage anywhere in the world.

Onto the project itself. I used a blonde bearded VAM that I recently acquired on Ebay. My intention was to create a Confederate Guerilla, perhaps a bit like Josey Wales, but still with some connection to a formal CSA fighting unit, etc. With this in mind, I wanted the figure’s accessories to be somewhat unique and a departure from the common weapons/accessories of the Civil War era.

For those interested, I have listed below the various items included in the project and their origin:

Brown Hat/Gold Cord (created by Steve – I added the feather to the brim)
CSA Shirt (I think this is a Sideshow creation – purchased from Monkey Depot)
CSA Pants (again, I think this is a Sideshow creation – also purchased from Monkey Depot)
Boots/Spurs (purchased from Steve’s web-site, but not created by him)
Sabre (possibly from a Sideshow set – also purchased from Monkey Depot)
Battlefield of Antietam Map (scratch-built by myself, image from the internet)
Dynamite (scratch-built by myself using Sculpey)
Water Canteen (scratch-built by myself using Sculpey/Leather)
Corn Cob Pipe (scratch-built by myself using Sculpey)
Bed-Roll (scratch-built by myself)
Civil War Binoculars (cast and painted by Steve)
1860 Henry Rifle (cast and painted by Steve)
Retail Packaging/Inserts (all my own work, with the exception of the actual box, which was pre-made).

I’d like to make special mention of the holster rig created by Steve. I’m really happy with how it came out. In addition to the bowie knife/sheath and the Derringer pistol, I was keen for my figure to be kitted out with two very unique sidearms – something that would make him stand out in a crowd. I therefore chose to equip him with 2 x custom-made LeMat CSA revolvers (again, cast and painted by Steve).

For those unaware of the specifications of the LeMat revolvers, these babies were something special! About 2500 of the revolvers were said to have found their way into the hands of the Confederate Army. Designed by Alexander LeMat, the revolvers were initially produced in France and later in England, and then shipped to the US. What made them unique was that they had a nine-shot revolving cylinder and were chambered for .42 calibre rounds – they packed quite a punch. In addition, the pistol also had a tenth shot available – a single .63 calibre 16/18 gauge shot round situated underneath the main barrel! Apparently they weren’t all that dependable and were prone to jams, blockages, etc. But what the hell - what a great weapon to kit out a VAM with! As far as I’m aware, the LeMat CSA revolvers were never produced with ivory stocks, but I wanted my pair to be unique. Perhaps my Southerner put in a custom order during the Civil War!"

Photographs to follow...