Oswald Bastable - Mounted Reconnaissance. Finished pics pg 7.

[NARSES2]

Oswald is finished.
But as I said above I won't be posting until i've written a little something.  And unfortunately real life is conspiring with an absent muse to prevent production.
So far I have written 1 1/2 sentences.

Shame, but I know how you feel.

Still we can wait 

[zenrat]

Under the dead light of the mechanical moons Oswald Bastable reined in his zebroid as he crested the escarpment in the cover of a stand of Ba-ba-baboobla palms; their swollen purple-green trunks throbbing as they pumped brine to distended fruit sacs way up in the foliage where rustling and chittering betrayed the presence of what were either Razor Tooth Bat-Weasels, or one of the other species of winged reptiles indigenous to this Sphere.

Oswald Bastable - 2 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Scattered through the sickly shrubs of the scrubby lowlands in front of him like acne on the cheeks of a choir boy the camp fires of the Army of the Righteous insinuated their bony smoking fingers into the airspace.  This seeming betrayal of their location to opposing forces was an irrelevance given the topographical nature of a Sphere's internal landscape meant everywhere was viewable to almost anyone anywhere who had powerfull enough optics and time to wait for a clear air day.  A smart commander would of course hide the detail of his command from eyes on the other side of the world by means of various forms of disguise and deception, but the existence and position of a force of this size could not be camouflaged.

Oswald Bastable - 3 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

The job of mounted reconnaissance was usually to ascertain the detail but today Oswald wasn't here to count heads or assess strength, he was looking for Catherine.  He knew she was out there somewhere.  He could feel her presence.  She would be somewhere in the opposing army, she always was.  Every new timestream seemed to be the same; Fate, Chaos, the lords of misrule, whatever you called it, it inevitably put him and her on opposite sides.  She would almost certainly be with the staff corps by now having managed to insinuate her way into the ranks of the leaders, usually with dire consequences for them.

Oswald Bastable - 4 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

The sounds of life happening to the fauna in the flora above ceased as the moons moved on on their armatures and darkness crawled after them.  Oswald checked his weapons, spurred his zebroid out of the Ba-ba-babooblas, and moved on down towards the distant encampment...

Oswald Bastable - 7 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

The model.

Airfix 54mm 10th Hussar 1815 provided the horse, tack (modified), and the legs.
Torso is 1/35 Tamiya WW2 British - possibly Bren Gun Carrier.
Arms are 1/35 Master Box LRDG.
Head is1/35 Hornet Models WWI - WWII British Tropical/Ceremonial Helmet.
Bits and pieces from the parts boxes.

Oswald Bastable - 12 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[PR19_Kit]

MIND Boggling! And that's just the backstory Fred! 

The model's exceptional as well, to say the least.

When do we get the rest of the backstory though, you should publish it!

[NARSES2]

That's come out really well mate 

[Pellson]

I'm really left quite untouched by figurines, even when they're good (which this is), but this backstory!! Damn, mate!! Sod the modelling! Start writing novels instead! 

[kitbasher]

Very good indeed.   

As a lad I built a couple or three of the Airfix 54mm Napoleonic figures and I recall really enjoying the builds.  Out of my comfort zone these days but the sight of this and buzzbomb's build at https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=49666.msg933338#msg933338 I'm really tempted to have a go at one again.

[Old Wombat]

 

[Rheged]

Oswald Bastable......both model and backstory........is well up to your usual high standard.

[Weaver]

That's splendid, both the model and the backstory.

If I ever get around to finishing it, my Trumpeter Aerosan is destined for a backstory from the same source...

[Rick Lowe]

 

[buzzbomb]

Awesomeness abounds

[zenrat]

Thank you everyone.  I dreamed the phrase "Razor Tooth Bat Weasel".  I had to write it down while having breakfast so I didn't forget it.
I'm no writer though.  Took me ages just do that little bit and it's not particularly original.  I'll leave it to those who do it well.  Like Mushi.

Kitbasher - the Airfix 54mm stuff is particularly hard to find.  Maybe they could repop it.