Miscelaneous mix

A few readers of this blog might know I'm a fan of the Hirst Arts silicon mold system. I recently bought the Small Pipe mold #321, which yields 3/8th inch pipes cast from hard plaster. A few of these are shown below.   

From Hirst Arts site - "Used to make 3/8" diameter pipes with 1/2" diameter flanges. Includes several pipe lengths, tank tops, ells, spacer blocks, a tee, valve assembly and 2 adapters to fit the larger pipe mold #320."

They look the business, and there are enough small bits and bobs to be very useful in constructing VSF/Steampunk vehicles. They can also serve for any sci-fi setting, from planet-side to starships.  

The tank tops referred to are useful for the tops or ends of boilers or compressors. I painted the first batch I cast copper, but they can easily be painted in any color, especially the rich glossy tones used by the Victorian engineers. The plaster takes acrylic paints very well, and a coat of Future/Klear polish gives added protection.

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My wife and I like to browse charity stores, and usually find something useful. This last week I picked up five Bicycle-brand six sided dice for 53 cents, including 3c tax, and the mug for just 50 cents. The latter is a bit of an odd duck. It shows various soldiers and gear from American military history, but the descriptions give the impression of being written by someone who doesn't speak English as a first language. My wife thinks it originated in Mexico. Still, it's colorful, and I'm going to use it to store my dice collection in.

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I'm planning another wargame foray into the Colonial-era soon, with a scenario based on a British attempt to secure their hold on the area around Yabhouti. With any luck, I'll play the game sometime this coming week.