This is another example of a horse drawn wagon and another Highway Miniatures kits. As you will note the kit comes with enough parts for two complete wagons. Like the Old Farm Wagon, this kit contains a set of highly detailed and delicate parts. Although this kit does not come with a driver it does come with two barrels and one sack. Take notice of the difference between the two horses.
It was some time ago I posted the assembly instructions for this metal kit. Why I didn’t make a post for the kit parts at that time is beyond me. So here is an image of the kit parts in different stages of completion. Actually, the only thing that is just about complete is the painting of the horse and wagon.
During assembly I accidentally broke one of the “springs” for the wooden seat and I set the whole kit aside for a while. It seems that a few of the parts need a little touch-up and I need to fabricate two spring replacements. I am thinking about using two small pieces of a small diameter solid copper wire here.
"Dr. Fu-Manchu," replied the former, "was the ultimate expression of Chinese cunning; a phenomenon such as occurs but once in many generations. He was a superman of incredible genius, who, had he willed, could have revolutionized science. There is a superstition in some parts of China according to which, under certain peculiar conditions (one of which is proximity to a deserted burial-ground) an evil spirit of incredible age may enter unto the body of a new-born infant. All my efforts thus far have not availed me to trace the genealogy of the man called Dr. Fu-Manchu. Even Karamaneh cannot help me in this. But I have sometimes thought that he was a member of a certain very old Kiangsu family—and that the peculiar conditions I have mentioned prevailed at his birth!"
Chapter 27, The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu, Sax Rohmer
"The fire in the sea: It happens sometimes that sea waves have such a luminous appearance, as if the whole sea were full of fire. If you cast any thing into the sea, it becomes luminous like a star; but you do not see this during moonlight. Wood having in itself no fire, receives a fiery appearance, after having been passed through the water."
From the notes of History of the Pirates Who Infested the China Sea From 1807 to 1810; [79]
Twenty Thousands Leagues Under the Sea, Disney Films
Captain Nemo tells his story and reveals his identity to the settlers on Lincoln Island.
"Captain Nemo was an Indian, the Prince Dakkar, son of a rajah of the then independent territory of Bundelkund. His father sent him, when ten years of age, to Europe, in order that he might receive an education in all respects complete, and in the hopes that by his talents and knowledge he might one day take a leading part in raising his long degraded and heathen country to a level with the nations of Europe.
From the age of ten years to that of thirty Prince Dakkar, endowed by Nature with her richest gifts of intellect, accumulated knowledge of every kind, and in science, literature, and art his researches were extensive and profound.
He traveled over the whole of Europe. His rank and fortune caused him to be everywhere sought after; but the pleasures of the world had for him no attractions. Though young and possessed of every personal advantage, he was ever grave—somber even—devoured by an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and cherishing in the recesses of his heart the hope that he might become a great and powerful ruler of a free and enlightened people.
Still, for long the love of science triumphed over all other feelings. He became an artist deeply impressed by the marvels of art, a philosopher to whom no one of the higher sciences was unknown, a statesman versed in the policy of European courts. To the eyes of those who observed him superficially he might have passed for one of those cosmopolitans, curious of knowledge, but disdaining action; one of those opulent travelers, haughty and cynical, who move incessantly from place to place, and are of no country."
Chapter 19, The Mysterious Island, Jules Verne
As the crew of the Island Princess winched the ships anchor of the up on the bottom of the harbor they sang this sea chantey:
“Pull on and all!
Hoy! Hoy! Cheery Men.
On the catfall!
Hoy! Hoy! Cheery Men.
Answer the call!
Hoy! Hoy! Cheery Men.
Hoy!!!Haulee!
Hoy! Hoy!!!
Oh, cherry men!”
The Mutineers, Charles Hawes
"Often enough, in those days, I found a fitness in the lines of Omar:
We are no other than a moving showBut "the Master of the Show," in this case, was Dr. Fu-Manchu!"
Chapter 24, The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu, Sax Rohmer
My two Mantic Sprue arrived by post the other day. Both of the polystyrene sprue includes multiple parts that are both free from any flash and mold lines. There are enough parts and alternatives on the zombie sprue to create three complete zombies and one partial zombie.
Four random miniatures will be featured. The four featured miniatures will be made exclusively of plastic, unpainted, and be from some sort of game.
The Draken Games Catalogue # 8 is available as a free download from Drive Thru RPG. There are two standalone games included in this issue that can be played separately or can be combined into one game. There is a RPG and a mini war game named Raid on Spurhaven. All of the components, including, counters and game board are include and be printed on any color printer.
Draken Games is the creator of 1871: The Battle of Dorking, and the Last Stand at Surbiton which I still haven’t gotten around to reviewing.
Make sure that you grab your copy soon, because these Catalogues’ will not be available for ever.
"At the bottom of the ladder we came fully into the light streaming out from the singular apartments at the entrance to which we found ourselves. It was fitted up as a laboratory. A glimpse I had of shelves loaded with jars and bottles, of a table strewn with scientific paraphernalia, with retorts, with tubes of extraordinary shapes, holding living organisms, and with instruments—some of them of a form unknown to my experience. I saw too that books, papers and rolls of parchment littered the bare wooden floor."
Chapter 17, The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu, Sax Rohmer
"I grasped the revolver in my pocket, and the presence of the little weapon was curiously reassuring. I have endeavored, perhaps in extenuation of my own fears, to explain how about Dr. Fu-Manchu there rested an atmosphere of horror, peculiar, unique. He was not as other men. The dread that he inspired in all with whom he came in contact, the terrors which he controlled and hurled at whomsoever cumbered his path, rendered him an object supremely sinister. I despair of conveying to those who may read this account any but the coldest conception of the man's evil power."
'To Smith and me, who knew something of the secret influences at work to overthrow the Indian Empire, to place, it might be, the whole of Europe and America beneath an Eastern rule, it seemed that a great yellow hand was stretched out over London. Doctor Fu-Manchu was a menace to the civilized world. Yet his very existence remained unsuspected by the millions whose fate he sought to command.
"Into what dark scheme have we had a glimpse?" said Smith. "What State secret is to be filched? What faithful servant of the British Raj to be spirited away? Upon whom now has Fu-Manchu set his death seal?" '
Chapters 17 & 18 The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu, Sax Rohmer
"THERE may be some who could have lain, chained to that noisome cell, and felt no fear—no dread of what the blackness might hold. I confess that I am not one of these. I knew that Nayland Smith and I stood in the path of the most stupendous genius who in the world's history had devoted his intellect to crime. I knew that the enormous wealth of the political group backing Dr. Fu-Manchu rendered him a menace to Europe and to America greater than that of the plague. He was a scientist trained at a great university—an explorer of nature's secrets, who had gone farther into the unknown, I suppose, than any living man. His mission was to remove all obstacles—human obstacles—from the path of that secret movement which was progressing in the Far East. Smith and I were two such obstacles; and of all the horrible devices at his command, I wondered, and my tortured brain refused to leave the subject, by which of them were we doomed to be dispatched?"
Chapter14, The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu, Sax Rohmer
These zombie miniatures come pre-painted and are a bit ragged and need of a spot of paint here and there. Although there are nine zombies in this collection, I was only able to acquire the eight you see here. All are made from some sort or hard dense plastic and with the exception of two; the miniatures are all close to 40mm tall.
From left to right: Professor, 38mm ; Dude, 39mm; Granny 38mm; Doctor, 33mm
From left to right: Mullet, 40mm; Thriller, 44mm; Cheerleader, 38mm; Clown, 37mm
Original full size public domain image can be found here:
“Hunter went to the stern and looked down at the dreadful sight. The bulbous body of the creature was directly astern, and its many tentacles gripped the ship in a dozen places, whipping and snaking this way and that. The entire body of the animal was phosphorescent green in the growing darkness. The creature’s tentacles were snaking into windows of the aft cabins. Its bulbous body was at least twenty feet long, and trailing behind, a tangle of long tentacles, like Medusa’s head.”
Pirate Latitudes, Michael Crichton
"6.4.1 When rowing around the island, pirates are far from safe. These waters are the home of a giant squid. At the end of player’s turn they must roll 1d6 for any longboat they occupy on that is not in a cove. On the result of a 1 the occupants must give up an item or a pirate to the beasts tentacles."
Image from Wikipedia-Commons
Dead Man’s Island is an economically priced, print and play game. Up to 4 players can play, however it is best played with 1 to 3 players. The downloadable contents include a large game board that measures approximately 16 by 11 inches, 77 assorted game tokens, 4 long boats, 12 pirate tokens in 4 different colors, 24 zombie tokens, 6 treasure tokens, and a 9 page rule booklet.
From Dead Man’s Island Rule Booklet
The object is to land on the island safely, find and dig-up the cursed treasure. While hunting for treasure you may have to fight other pirates that may be looking for the same treasure, and defiantly defend yourself from the zombies who are there to protect the treasure. The pirate and zombie tokens have attack, movement, and defense properties printed in there respected corners.
The game board measures approximately 16 by 11 inches
If you are successful in finding the treasure and staying alive long enough to haul the treasure back to your long boat there are the Kraken to contend with; they live in the deep waters around the island. You may on a roll of die to decide to sacrifice a treasure or one of your crew. (ARR- less crew means more booty for the rest of you)
The objective is to get the required number of treasure:
3 to 4 players: 3 treasures"The pirates went in four divisions to plunder; they took here, an immense quantity of clothes and other goods, and carried away one thousand one hundred and forty captives of both sexes. They set on fire about ten houses; the flames could not be extinguished for some days; in the whole village you could not hear the cry of a dog or a hen.
The other inhabitants retired far from the village, or hid themselves in the fields. In the paddy fields about a hundred women were hidden, but the pirates on hearing a child crying, went to the place and carried them away. Mei ying, the wife of Ke choo yang, was very beautiful, and a pirate being about to seize her by the head, she abused him exceedingly. The pirate bound her to the yard-arm; but on abusing him yet more, the pirate dragged her down and broke two of her teeth, which filled her mouth and jaws with blood. The pirate sprang up again to bind her. Ying allowed him to approach, but as soon as he came near her, she laid hold of his garments with her bleeding mouth, and threw both him and herself into the river, where they were drowned. The remaining captives of both sexes were after some months liberated, on having paid a ransom of fifteen thousand leang or ounces of silver.
Travelling once to Pwan peen jow I was affected by the virtuous behavior of Mei ying, and all generous men will, as I suppose, be moved by the same feelings. I therefore composed a song, mourning her fate:
'Cease fighting now for awhile!
Let us call back the flowing waves!
Who opposed the enemy in time? A single wife could overpower him.
Streaming with blood, she grasped the mad offspring of guilt,
She held fast the man and threw him into the meandering stream.
The spirit of the water, wandering up and down on the waves,
Was astonished at the virtue of Ying.
My song is at an end!
Waves meet each other continually.
I see the water green as mountain Peih,
But the brilliant fire returns no more!
How long did we mourn and cry!' "
History of the Pirates Who Infested the China Sea from 1807 to 1810.
P.S. The sentiments and creative instincts from the likes of these blood thirsty cut throats and scoundrels is astounding.
Sao Feng, Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
"I am Sao Feng."
"Sao Feng, Sao Feng. Nope, never heard of 'im."
"Never heard of me! I'm only the fiercest captain to ever sail the South China Sea!"
An interchange between Sao Feng and Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
Screenshot of the epub’s front cover which was found on the Project Gutenberg site.
I had previously posted a similar and abbreviated list of these regulations sometime ago.
"Being chief captain, Chang Paou robbed and plundered incessantly, and daily increased his men and his vessels. In order to maintain some sort of order in the midst of mayhem Paou issued the three following regulations:—
If any man goes privately on shore, or what is called transgressing the bars, he shall be taken and his ears be perforated in the presence of the whole fleet; repeating the same act, he shall suffer death.
Not the least thing shall be taken privately from the stolen and plundered goods. All shall be registered, and the pirate receive for himself, out often parts, only two; eight parts belong to the storehouse, called the general fund; taking anything out of this general fund, without permission, shall be death.
No person shall debauch at his pleasure captive women taken in the villages and open places, and brought on board a ship; he must first request the ship's purser for permission, and then go aside in the ship's hold. To use violence against any woman, or to wed her without permission, shall be punished with death."
History of the Pirates Who Infested the China Sea from 1807 to 1810
"Sanson bit the gold doubloon, and passed it to Lazue. Lazue bit it then passed it to the Moor. Hunter watched the silent ritual, which all privateers believed brought them luck before a raid. Finally, the doubloon reached him, he bit it, feeling the softness of the metal. Then while they watched, he tossed the coin over his right shoulder." (Pirate Latitudes 181)
Pirate Latitudes, Michael Crichton
I am amazed how often Jack Sparrow is without a ship to command. In the opening scene in the Curse of the Black Pearl, Jack he is seen sailing up to a peer in a small boat as it is clearly sinking. Again in the end of At Worlds End you see Captain Jack Sparrow in command of another small sail boat sailing the ocean blue.
Here Jack is checking his compass that never seems to point north, however, it does seem to have some super-natural abilities and points to whatever Jack wants.
Perhaps when combined with the map fragment that Jack stole from Sao Feng he will come upon some priceless treasure. I will have to wait and see On Stranger Tides.
Screenshots from Pirates of the Caribbean At Wolds End, Disney Films
