tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650770985225450559.post2896825214094781880..comments2024-03-28T22:10:41.636-07:00Comments on Archduke Piccolo: Bring-n-buy and Political Demos..Archduke Piccolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15533325665451889661noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650770985225450559.post-63157703991663799642014-11-19T14:09:30.949-08:002014-11-19T14:09:30.949-08:00The 'third force' you mention so far seems...The 'third force' you mention so far seems to have been the US Congress! I agree: all these alleged 'Free Trade' agreements have been pretty much one-way deals in favour of the more powerful members. The powerful farming lobby in the US has guaranteed that country's complete uninterest in 'Free Trade' in primary produce since at least 1945...Archduke Piccolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15533325665451889661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650770985225450559.post-52854794606656641302014-11-19T12:10:09.670-08:002014-11-19T12:10:09.670-08:00Over here in Britain news on the TPPA is almost no...Over here in Britain news on the TPPA is almost non-existent so the link you posted was a good summary. What on the face of it sounds like an attempt at a sort of Pacific Common Market, is a vast stitch up. The fact that Congress isn't fully "disclosed" is a tell-tale sign. There's free trade, and there's "free trade" - and this sounds like the type of free trade Britain imposed on China in the 19th century when it wanted a market for all that opium from India.<br /><br />Hope your resistance is successful. But with both NZ main parties in favour it's going to be a struggle to stop without the emergence of a third force.nundankethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12895608927860103442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650770985225450559.post-34233012543671763042014-11-14T15:37:43.443-08:002014-11-14T15:37:43.443-08:00The Minifigs are still my favorites, and form the ...The Minifigs are still my favorites, and form the bulk of my French and British armies, and a bit over half my Austrians as well. But I've tended to go for anything I can get to beef up the forces overall. Those Spanish guys will form a kind of composite unit unless and until some more of them come my way.<br /><br />As for the Brit figures, I'll check though my spares and see what's there, and will probably for 2 small units (about 16 or 18 figures each), and one will be Guards. After all, the bearskins were not really issued until after Waterloo, so we are exercising (abusing?) historical licence.<br /><br />On the geo-political topic: I take the view that 'a good guy is as a good guy does', and frankly, on that score, Barack Obama is a huge disappointment. I still recall the huge degree of global goodwill that man accrued to himself, to his Presidency and to his country upon his election in 2008. His only dissenters were the Republicans. <br /><br />And, with the willing assistance of the GOP, he has squandered all that goodwill and more by not even remotely fulfilling his promise, nor yet pretending to honour the promises he made. Perhaps the first sense of disillusionment kicked in when he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize. It has been downhill ever since.<br /><br />Archduke Piccolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15533325665451889661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650770985225450559.post-73277435261816424622014-11-14T05:25:55.020-08:002014-11-14T05:25:55.020-08:00It's always a joy to see old Minifigs Napoleon...It's always a joy to see old Minifigs Napoleonics figures. They were among the first figures I painted, and that is going back almost four decades. I defer to Ross on the difference between a Grenadier and a Fusilier - they are all chaps in big hats to me. Great find on the tanks. Your grass is greener than mine - looks like snow is here to stay today.<br />AS for the TPPA, good on you mate. I don't know who the good guys anymore when what passes for liberal democrats in the US like Obama are pushing for trade. I've come to conclude that there is only one class of society (the moneyed class and the corporate "persons" they inhabit) that matters any more. Interestingly, though, the deal that China was able to strike with the US on reducing CO2 emissions and fossil fuel dependency suggests the advantages of a command and control economy, even a fairly corrupt one. The Chinese seem to have set the pace on that one. The US could never have brought that deal to the table on their own - too many competing interests.Mad Padrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00410143683610813671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650770985225450559.post-83232446043677096942014-11-14T04:55:54.246-08:002014-11-14T04:55:54.246-08:00Now I have looked more closely into these figures,...Now I have looked more closely into these figures, i see quite marked differences after all. Not sure now what I will do with these guys. I already have a fusilier unit, and no Guards. Ideas?Archduke Piccolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15533325665451889661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650770985225450559.post-16117733305370335832014-11-09T16:37:06.803-08:002014-11-09T16:37:06.803-08:00What was available was a bit down on previous year...What was available was a bit down on previous years, but I certainly could have bought more had I so chosen. There was an assortment of Napoleonic cavalry that I seriously considered... Possibly a bit too assorted, though.Archduke Piccolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15533325665451889661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650770985225450559.post-84019550311067161972014-11-09T15:40:43.657-08:002014-11-09T15:40:43.657-08:00I stayed away from the Swap meet on purpose as I k...I stayed away from the Swap meet on purpose as I knew I would spend too much (as in way too much) on things I don't really need but glad to see you picked up some bargains. <br /><br />CheersJackohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01156243437690752780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650770985225450559.post-84474603235927994292014-11-08T18:03:26.315-08:002014-11-08T18:03:26.315-08:00Yes... Maybe you're right about the difference...Yes... Maybe you're right about the difference in the figures, though I didn't notice the bearskin thing. Mind you, with one eye compromised with cataracts, and the other starting to deteriorate as well, it isn't always easy for me to figure out what I'm looking at. Perhaps the gentle application of a file will eliminate the difference. I did notice (but forgot) the breeches and gaiters thing, but regarded that (along with the musket pose) pretty insignificant a difference (which is why I forgot about it). I'm not worried about mixing guys anyway.<br /><br />At that, if one unit remains a Fusilier, that need not affect many figures.Archduke Piccolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15533325665451889661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650770985225450559.post-87207503677098906072014-11-08T15:25:13.403-08:002014-11-08T15:25:13.403-08:00Some good finds and nice figures. Not to nitpick b...Some good finds and nice figures. Not to nitpick but I think you'll find the Grenadier of the Guards is in parade dress with breeches and gaitors rather than trousers and has a rounded bearskin vs a pointy one. At the time the battalion companies of the guards wore shakos. But......... <br /><br />It does seem at times that what seems to be in the short term interest of the few isnt always the same as whats good for the rest of a country in the long term, which is usually harder work as well.Ross Mac rmacfa@gmail.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04053555991679802013noreply@blogger.com