The 6th Wisconsin are underway!

Another unit of Perry plastics has received the Iron Brigade treatment, with the bulk of the unit receiving the "frock coat/Hardee hat with ostrich feather" treatment.

A few models throughout the unit are sporting forage caps, or sack coats, or shell jackets, just for a little variety. Now it's time to get on with the painting.

Last week my Perry Miniatures order arrived! I now have all the models I need to complete my Iron Brigade (including all five infantry regiments, an artillery piece, the attached 6th Pennsylvania cav (both mounted and dismounted, with horse handlers) and my brigade commander.

Finally, my Movember moustache is coming along nicely. Not quite up to Sam Elliot/Buford level, but on the way. I ask now that you head over to my MoSpace and make a donation!

Click here to donate.

6th Pennsylvania Cavalry (mounted) Completed (almost)

And another one bites the dust!

The mounted version of my assigned cavalry unit is complete (apart from the GMB Designs guidon which is on its way). It was pretty easy to get these guys all wrapped up as I actually painted the first six models back in 2009 for an article in WI261 on Union cavalry. The models are the excellent Perry Miniatures plastics.

It was a fairly simple thing to paint up two more models and rebase the older guys.

I hope you like them. I only have the dismounted version of this unit, four infantry regiments, one artillery piece, and a few command stands left to paint ; )

Our Movember efforts have started with a bang. Already the team has raised over $1,000. Personally, I'd like to see us raise $3,000 but we can only do that with your support. Please head HERE to donate.

Cheers
Dave

Movember is Coming!

It has been a little quiet on the Guns Of April front, as some members switch jobs and move to other states, and some members forget they're supposed to be painting up 120+ models for next year's big game! Well, things are about to change. You'll see a lot more posts on the blog here, and some of them may even have toy soldiers in them. The rest will be about our fun-filled foray into the world of masculine facial hair.

That's right. A number of the Guns of April team have decided to sign up, grow a mustache, and raise funds to fight prostate cancer (and other assorted men's health issues). Here's a link to our team page on the Movember website, where you can find out all about this great (and mildly venerable) annual institution.

We currently have six of the GOA team participating and you can find links to their individual pages here:

Brien Dulaney - Confederate
Dave Taylor - Union
Jamie Welling - Confederate
Dave Pauwels - Union
Rob Chandler - Confederate
Alex Akers - Confederate

The basic idea is this: 

We all start clean shaven on Movember 1st, and then grow our mustaches over the following month. There are to be no beards, goatees, chinstraps, or mustaches linked up to sideburns allowed. We'll take photos of our progress, upload them to the pages above (and this blog, I guess) and you all help out by donating money and telling your friends to do the same : )  We will even have a poll at the end of the month to see which one of us you think has the best 'tache!

You can donate via our team page, or via our individual pages (all the donations go to the same place). Take note, however, that the side (Union or Confederate) that amasses the greatest combined total of it's participants will get to go first in the big game at Adepticon next April.

And to get you in the mustache mood, I leave you with two beauties from the film Gettysburg.

Buford, played by the excellent Sam Elliot, sporting a fairly reserved yet very full top lip caterpillar.

And Chamberlain, played by Jeff Daniels in his best role before Newsroom, sporting the mightiest walrus I have ever seen!

So, what are you waiting for? Get your wallets out and donate!

Cheers

Dave