Gneeling Gnomes with Rifles

Forever ago I posted some pics of the prototype of my Gneeling Gnome:





I like this sculpt more than the first one. He looks much angrier:



Shortly after I finished the sculpt, I set about making the rubber jacket mold:



Since the original standing gnome rifleman didn't sell very well on eBay, I decided not to waste time finishing the mold. It's been sitting on top of a cabinet in the workshop ever since.


More recently, I've opened my Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/thorssoli) and it turns out I've sold a few. Enough to justify finishing up a second one at any rate.


So on Tuesday I finally went ahead and started work on the mothermold:



Then on Wednesday I pulled the sculpt out of the mold and poured the first copy:

The lump of green and white on the right is the original sculpt.  They don't tend to survive being removed from the mold.

Now I just need a few gallons of casting resin so I can start production proper.  So go to my Etsy shop and buy some gnomes so I can afford to keep going...

Military Vehicle of the Week: Two Great eBay Opportunities

I should avoid ebay.  But because I don't, I regularly run across things like this gorgeous M5A1 "Stuart" Light Tank.

Here's one of the pictures from the listing:


The seller spelled "Stuart" wrong, so he may not get his modest buy-it-now price of $180,000.  He also neglected to mention that these tanks were manufactured by Cadillac, and ran on two Cadillac 346 cubic inch flat head V8 engines.  Cadillac tanks have to be worth more, right?

The pictures aren't so great either.  Given the terrible angles he photographed the tank from, it's hard to tell just how small and adorable this thing is.  Here's a shot from robertsarmory.com:


This cute little tank is just under fifteen feet long.  You could just about fit it into one of those compact parking spaces down at the mall.  What's more, you can bring all of your friends with you:


If you're thinking this tank looks at all familiar, it may well be because it's the same type of tank that was dressed up to star alongside Lori Petty and Malcolm McDowell in the 1995 movie Tank Girl.  If it doesn't look familiar, don't worry, it's because they dressed it up A LOT:


If nothing else, this pic points out all of the accessorizing options a light tank provides.
On the other hand, if you'd like a WWII vintage war machine and parking is an issue or you're worried about reducing your carbon footprint, the Type 53 Airborne Cushman Scooter for sale for a more modest, $10,000 starting bid.



As the war in Europe raged on, Allied paratroopers needed something light and fast so runners could maintain contact between units and haul small small loads. Answering the call, Cushman Motor Works designed the Model 53, an adorable little vehicle that could be airdropped by parachute or carried by glider right up to the front lines.  Then, when the Germans were overwhelmed by laughter, they would fall easy prey to Airborne troops. 

Starting in 1944, Cushman cranked out about 5,000 of these little bastards.  According to specs, they had a 100 mile range, climbed up to a 25% grade, and could ford rivers as deep as twelve inches.

Think it seems silly?  It gets better. 

The Type 53 was fitted with a trailer hitch to pull a model M3A4 general-purpose utility cart. That cart could be converted to carry a .30-cal. or .50-cal. machine gun or an 81mm mortar.  If the scooter wasn't up hauling the load, the M3A4 cart was also rigged with hand-ropes for manual towing by up to four men.

I suppose they could put the scooter inside the cart while they were towing it by hand...

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How to Wear Your Lifejacket

Some years ago I was working on a hydrographic research ship when it was pointed out that the posted instructions for donning the ship's lifejackets (the very same, picture-heavy, instructions which the manufacturer included with the lifejackets) weren't "clear enough."  As a result, the Captain instructed the 3rd Mate and myself (2nd Mate at the time) to write up a clearer set of instructions.  Here's what we came up with:

Feel free to print this picture and post copies of it on your own ship.  The USNS John McDonnell has since been retired from service.  Also, before anyone asks, yes, that beard I was wearing in the pictures was real.

Unseaworthy Vessel of the Week: Silver Minivan

This morning I woke up on my boat and, like many mornings, went for coffee and a bagel at the Marina Bean coffee shop in the adjacent office building.  When I walked in, the owner asked if I had a nice view this morning.

"Same as any day, I guess," says I, "Why?"

"Some guy tried to park another car next to your boat" says he, "didn't you hear it?"

This bothers me a little bit.  Apparently about the exact time as I was waking up this morning, just before the fog was starting to lift, someone tried to drive around the wrong side of the office building and ended up rolling right down the boat ramp.  Here's a picture taken from the Press Democrat's website:



My boat is just outside of the frame to the right.  The part that bothers me is that I managed to not notice anything at all while the car splashed into the water and later when the towing crew hauled it back out.  

Either way, it's not been too long since the last time this happened.  Maybe when they resurfaced the parking lot they should've repainted the lettering and stripes that warned folks they were approaching a ramp that would dump them into the river.  But what do I know?

Sometimes I Wonder What Google Thinks of Me...