First Figures Arrived

The first figures for this project arrived today. I ordered them from The WarStore.com. The prices were reasonable and the shipping was phenominal. I placed the order on July 13th & they arrived in my mailbox today, 17 July. The complete order consisted of a blister of Wargames Foundry Vikings, a blister of Wargames Foundry Plains Indians, and 2 Shadowforge figures. I'll start another section later about my Dark Ages project.

The Wargames Foundry Plains Indian blister is PI3A - Mounted Dog Soldiers. I chose this pack to start with because out of the current Foundry range, this pack contains the best figure to use as a war chief. I like foundry figures. They tend to be well sculpted. These figures have a more flash than what I usually find on Foundry figures. The only minor disappointment is that the horses came in only one pose.

I also received in this batch the Shadowforge figure, Madam Orr. This figure is a woman clad in her undergarments carrying a rifle. While she was probably sculpted as a madam handling a disturbance at her brothel, she could also be used to represent someone awakened in the predawn hours by a raiding party. Adobe Walls comes immediately to mind where many of the defenders fought the battle in their night clothes. I not sure of the origin of the name "Madam Orr", but it was the name of the brothel & brothel operator in the movie Support Your Local Sheriff starring James Garner. It is obviously a play on a word used for a working girl, but I don't know if it's first use was in the James Garner movie. As with all Shadowforge figures, it is well cast and has the typical Shadowforge almost cartoon like face. Some collectors don't like the faces used in the Shadowforge ranges, but I like them.

Once I prime the figures, I'll post photos as they are painted.

Starting a Project

It didn't take a celestial omen to foretell impending troubles, but a comet did make an appearance in 1873. The blizzards of the winter of 1873-1874 were harsh and brutal. Isa-tai predicted with success when the comet would leave the heavens. He predicted the winter blizzards. He predicted that the Spring and Summer would be hot and dry, 1874 would be one of the hottest & driest Summers on record. Isa-tai called for a Sun dance in May of 1874 and predicted that the Great Power would aid the people in taking back their land, if they would fight for it. Disenchanted with their current hardships, members of the Commanche, Kiowa, Arapaho, and Southern Cheyenne tribes left the reservations and made war.

My name is Elaine and I'm starting a new miniature wargaming project. This one is closer to home than anyother project I have ever done. I have chosen to collect and game the Red River War of 1874-1875. It is close to home in that my great-grandmother was Kiowa. Anyway, I think this would be a great project to research and model. And luckily for me, all of the historical sites are within easy driving range of the Dallas metroplex.