A Drowsy Summer Day in Montana: 1876

Part of an historically mammoth gathering of American Indian plains tribes, an extended family of  Dakota Sioux tends to the day's chores along the Greasy Grass River in Montana.

Ladies stoke the fire, fuss over a little one and bring in wild roots from the plains.

Although a handful of tribal elders are awake, most of the encampment's fighting men were up late the night before, dancing and carrying on as young men will do, and are still asleep in their tipis. But the mid-day tedium is abruptly shattered by an ominous flurry of movement south of camp. Blue Turtle, a Sioux teenager, is the first to identify the threat. "Blue coats!" she cries.

Crazy Horse Triumphant

Battle of the Bulge Diorama

An overview of the diorama of the "Battle of the Bulge" that my son and I created. We incorporated our full arsenal of landscape, figure and armor goodies from Build-a-Rama, 21st Century (RIP), Forces of Valor, Dragon, "Halloween and Christmas Village" stuff from Michael's, etc. Note the King Tigers moving forward on the snowy ridge above a shell-blasted Belgium village. Basil Junior and I invested many dozens hours of fun and thought into this basement salute to the bloodiest U.S. battle of WWII.

Tiger Attack! (with a nod to 'Saving Private Ryan')

My interpretation of the awesome "Saving Private Ryan" scene in which the Americans grimly wait as a German Tiger tank rumbles toward them through the ruins of a French village.

I really like this photograph - a beseiged G.I. perforates a German infantryman with his Model '11 (.45 semi-automatic). The American figure is made by Classic Toy Soldiers, while the German is from Toy Soldiers of San Diego.

A German Marder - open-topped and thinly armored - pays for its commander's folly in advancing down a narrow street. A Molotov cocktail tossed from a second-story window splashes flaming vino across the German anti-tank vehicle, incinerating the crew.

The wreckage of war.

Archival footage

Rare photograph of fort inhabitants 'at ease" around the campfire. A Barzso ranger patiently roasts a spitted grouse (which he stuffed with wild sage) while a Marx Company trapper talks business with Supersize Fort Apache's duly authorized sutler. A cowboy looks on, drowsily.

The 7th Cavalry Tangles with the Fighting Uruk-hai (and sundry other foul beasts)

A mass of clearly vicious, malodorous beasts descended on Supersize Fort Apache through the North Woods, moments after the panicked hobbits arrived. "We will taste man flesh!" they roared. Having no interest in the monsters' dinner plans, every civilian in the territory made for the front gates - with the adults shooing the little ones and livestock ahead of them.

As the last of the civilians staggered toward the fort, Lt. Col. George A. Custer volunteered to lead a small force of dismounted 7th Cavalry troopers against the invaders. Custer, though a malignant narcissist, is personally quite brave - or, at the very least, utterly contemptuous of danger. He and his handful of veterans wade into the orcs, uruk-hai and assorted ocean-themed "Pirates of the Caribbean" villains, pistols and carbines cracking. (Note the Ron Wall Union artillerist in the background, behind the barricade; I once had Wall's entire, hand-painted rifled Parrott set, but this ram-rodder was the only figure to survive my divorce.)

Courage, unhappily, proves futile against the brute numbers and physical strength of my son's mid-childhood toys, and Custer and his noble lads are ruthlessly hacked, skewered and bludgeoned into oblivion.

 

Civilians

Wee Hannah Brothers scampers after a bunny shortly after she and her mother and siblings moved into an unoccupied cabin northeast of the fort. The clan migrated from Missouri in search of "better prospects."

General Grant greets the grass widow Mrs. Brothers. "Need we fear Indians, General Grant?" asks the young mother. "Hardly!" replies the hero of Vicksburg. "We exist in peace with the local tribes - because we keep our agreements with them!" Grant, however, cautioned Mrs. Brothers about rogue pirates and vikings who have been known to descend without warning on isolated settlers. "Stick close to the fort, and you'll be perfectly safe," he concluded. "Our cavalry is superb, our artillery true and straight and our infantry among the best in the world!"

Cole Brothers and his faithful dog Gussie. Note President Lincoln in work clothes in right rear. Fort gossip has it that the president, angered by a series of blistering and accusatory telegrams from Mary Todd, has decided to stick around the military installation for a few weeks and pitch in with the harvest.

Eldest of the Brothers brood, Audrey poses with her prized calf, Ari. Although cautioned by an old timer back home that "you ought never name something that you might have to eat," Audrey insisted.

Robert James Duke, who migrated west with his father, Basil, to locate and secure their wedge of the American pie. For the time being, the two have decided to try their hand at cattle farming. "That huge fort is filled with stomachs that have to be filled thrice daily," explained Basil.

Within days of the Brothers' clan's arrival, a group of helpful and hopeful horse soldiers built an enormous fireplace for the heretofor unheated spare cabin.