Mustang Update

It has been a while since I have given any kind of update on the seemingly never-ending Mustang restoration project. But believe it or not, there has been progress!

After getting the engine back in last fall, things really slowed down for the winter and not much got done. But of course the wife gave an ultimatum of get it done by this fall, or get it out of here.

So as of last night, when I got the new driveshaft connected, I thing the only thing left to connect from the engine standpoint is the shift linkage. Then hopefully we can get it started!

In the meantime, I have also been doing some interior work. A friend came over to help strip out some remaining rust, and I repainted it all. Then it's insulation, headliner, carpet, seats...

Oh, I did install some seatbelts in the rear. There never were any, so now there are at least lap belts for the kids back there. As safe as can be by 1965 standards!

Also hopefully soon it goes out for paint. Still trying to pin down who is going to do that. Progress!

Excuse Me, What Time Is the Noon Stage?

Whenever the stage arrives in Tranquility, I am pleased to say there is now a Wells Fargo office to welcome them. Or send them on their way. Or whatever.

Building is from GCMini, and is very nice. Simple, yet effective. Others have noted the doors are a bit small, and maybe they are, but I'm not going to quibble.

I have not done any interior work to this one, but I'd like to include a ticket counter, some waiting benches. Maybe a safe for the Wells Fargo payroll. And possibly a freight area. There will also be a need for an area to care for and feed the horses. And possibly a blacksmith.

And so it grows.

Wargaming 101

Wargaming 101 - that's how a friend described this photo, so I'm sticking with it. That's my daughter Kate learning how to play chess. And she's a quick learner! Game one she pushed me to the limit. It turned into an exchange slugfest, until finally I had her down to just her king and one pawn and could corner her.

Game 2 went a little better for me, but she was still tough. Sometimes I think it is more difficult to play people new to the game, because they do not know what they are "supposed" to do. Their unpredictability makes them dangerous.

She then decided she needed to learn more to learn how to beat me, so I got out one of my old basic chess books. After looking through the first bits, she declared "This is all introdooshin. I don't need introdooshin. I need to know how to beat you." :) O.K., skip ahead to chapter 7, "Strategy."

Sometimes she is too smart for her own good. Scary, that.

Drinks on the House!

Turns out building a western town is thirst work. So shortly after finishing the Sheriff's office and jail, the good citizens of Tranquility built themselves a saloon.

Like the Sheriff's office, this is a kit from Tri-City Laser as supplied by Knuckleduster. Assembly was pretty much the same, with a mix of craft paints, Testors and Vallejo. The bar with shelving I thought was a nice touch. Those classic western saloon doors are cool too!

I have more under construction that hopefully I can share soon. I have plenty of old painted minis to put on a decent game, if only your basic gunfight or rob the bank scenario. I'll have to get a few more painted, as well as some additional terrain bits and bobs to get into the full potential of the genre.

In the meantime, how about that drink, pardner?

Welcome to the Old West Town of Tranquility

It's been a hot summer. Kind of like the old days out west. So what better to work on than my old west town?

I've had about half a dozen buildings for a while, but this is the first one actually finished. It's the Sheriff's Office from Tri-City Laser, available via Knuckleduster Miniatures. It's very solid construction, and has some great details like the jail bars.

Old West seems like it always gives a fun game. We played a few many years ago using The Rules With No Name, and I would kind of like to get back to that. These figures were painted up back then, but I also have some more in the works. Back then we played using paper buildings, but those got wrecked in a basement water incident, hence the purchase of these. I've also included a sneak peek photo of the saloon.

Other buildings I'm working on are a bank (got to have a place to rob), a newspaper office, a stage stop, a couple of stores (hardward and dry goods?) and a two-story building I'm not sure what I will do with yet. Some things I want: Sawmill, blacksmith/livery, hotel, corner saloon, barber/doc, dance hall, mining supply/mine, railroad station... the list goes on. And some houses, of course.

It should be noted I have been able to work on these for a couple reasons. First and foremost I am stuck waiting for parts on back order for the primary summer project: the Mustang. I should provide an update on that, I just haven't gotten to it. Second is the fact we have no air conditioning right now, which has made me kind of lethargic and not wanting to stay inside. So I've set the building construction site up in our screen room. I think the wife isn't too happy about the mess, but c'est la vie. Hopefully more to come!