Uncle Thor's Lessons, Anecdotes and Humor

I love history. It is part of two of my hobbies, in fact: electric trains and military miniatures. The history of railroading is a fascinating study of how our nation expanded and how it supplied itself. Military history is a look at a very powerful side of human experience. Of course, being Heathen, there is also the history of the old times.

The people who teach history today seem to have missed the point of it all. History should be a lesson that we can apply today. We learn what worked and what did not, by looking at the past. Those lessons can be applied today.

We do not have to go far in history to find “life lessons.” We have seen many of them in our lifetime.

I have written recently on a few historical episodes. In Uncle Thor’s Magazine, I usually have an article or two that reflect on history.

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Back in grammar school when they first mentioned the Vikings, the Louis Marx Company had introduced a set of painted miniatures called “Warriors of the World.” I had several of the Vikings, but my favorite was a man charging with sword overhead in a red coat. I think they called him “Leif Ericson.” I have unpainted soft plastic recasts of that set, but would love to have an original of Leif and the Viking throwing a spear. Heck, I’d love to have them all, but the one that really stands out is the sword-bearing man in red.

I am trying to find something called Dow Corning 3110 RTV so I can make molds and cast figures in metal. I would love to make metal copies of that Viking and paitn them. There is no place near here that has it, and no place on line that sells it at a reasonable price. So much for that.

Making miniatures brings one closer to history. I cast mine up in metal, using molds. I have molds that make knights, landsknechts, toy army men, classic guardsmen, Civil War soldiers, Revolutionary War soldiers and a few Napoleon guys. Nobody is making full sized Viking molds for homecasters. There are 40mm molds from some Irish company, but I want 54mm to 60mm. (Leave it to the Irish to get the size wrong). Still and all, it is fun to make the others.

I’d really like to make my own molds. I’d make molds of Vikings and WW2 soldiers from various armies. Most of the molds of WW2 figures are crude, but I’d make mine with realsitic details.

So much for hobbies.

Be warned, I am writing a book on Nidhogg. This will give some folks a sleepless night.