@Nicodemus: Wow! Glorious work. And good fun for the whole family.
@MichaelX : That’s fancy enough in my book. Solid work, and smooth finish. Well done mate!
@denelian5 : That’s a beautiful nyckelharpa! A joy to behold. My paternal grandparents owned an old one, though never played on it. Seeing a new one is fantastic. Snyggt!
These are some simple, and most importantly cheap Christmas presents and other gifts made out of plywood and wood for various family members and friends during 2022.
Been preoccupied trying to finish this instrument for a client (almost there now). The last picture is the inside of a lid that covers/opens up over the playing mechanism. This way you can choose to be flashy or not. ^^:
The Swedish kind. It’s an old type of nyckelharpa (yeah, that’s also the english word but it’s sometimes called a keyed fiddle) which is a Swedish music instrument that started to be developed and played in the 1600s (proven, but argued to be older).
This is the kind most common in the 1700s which is called a “kontrabasharpa”, it will have 2 melody strings with a drone string between them together with 10 sympathetic strings. Having the drone between the melody strings means it works similar to a bagpipe, keeping a constant base note (drone).
These are some simple, and most importantly cheap Christmas presents and other gifts made out of wood for various family members and friends during 2023.
Depicted here is Lieutenant Colonel Arpad Heinz Josef Milan von Badenschtoss, a noble officer of the Imperial and Royal armed forces of Astro-Ungaria. Sworn to serve the Duarch and the Emperor, von Badenschtoss is an honest-to-Chorus Ringestrasse soldier, an upstanding exemplar of his dear homeworld’s corset army, according to serpent-tongued detractors. A hard-drinking man fond of gambling, dancing at balls and other forms of highborn socializing, Lieutenant Colonel Arpad cannot be expected to attend to his military duties with the utmost zeal. Standards must be maintained, after all!
And so, a sloppy schlamperei conduct of operations in the field follows wherever von Badenschtoss leads. Yes, the logistics and worn-out uniforms of the men might be in shambles, but at least the bravery, infantry marksmanship and artillery is in fine shape. Too bad about the costly butcher’s bill, but that is a problem for General von Dorfenhötz to solve by shovelling in more reinforcements. It is just the way of things, better not think too much about it. Death must be Ljietranese, after all. It is better instead to drink up and be merry!
A toast for the splendid homeworld! A toast for the Duarch! A toast for the divine Chorus! And a toast for the God-Emperor of Holy Terra!
To waltz! Now let us swagger about and drink like good Loyalists should. Last one to finish their drink is feed for the moon wolves. Cheers!
Ave Imperatore Dei.
Christmas present made for my friend Jaberoo.
Note the suspicious symbols and purity seal writ on the Astro-Ungarian officer. Astro-Ungaria has somehow managed to retain the Divine Chorus (also known as Saint Horus) as not only a revered figure from its past, but as its patron saint. Clearly, the Imperial Cult must have already been festering on Compliant Astro-Ungaria when its star system became isolated by Warp storms at the onset of the Horus Heresy. This background twist serve twofold purposes:
First, it showcases the confused mess of the Imperium of Man in comedic fashion (just imagine the parade of random shenanigans through the ages that has made Loyalist Astro-Ungaria escape great purges for its unwitting heresy). Second, this ancient reverence for the Luna Wolves of yore is a reference to the Austro-Hungarian soldiers that were eaten by wolves in the Carpathian mountains in 1915, during Franz Konrad von Hötzendorf’s threefold offensive to relieve the besieged fortress city of Przemyśl.
All of those wooden ornaments are wonderful, even the filthy high elf is nice
I’m particularly fond of the Austro-Hungarian officer, beautiful that you’ve added an assortment of badges on his kepi, since that was common practice during WW1
@Fuggit_Khan : Thank you most kindly, o Khan of Khans! There will be badges aplenty on all Astro-Ungarian wooden portraits I make for @Jaberoo , be assured of that. The Austro-Hungarians had a wonderful habit in that regard. Here is one with a fez:
Depicted here is Stabsfeldwebel Grga Demir Hadžić, an upstanding First Sergeant of the Imperial and Royal armed forces of fair Astro-Ungaria. Sworn to serve the Duarch and the God-Emperor, Hadžić is a fine exemplar of what this the most loyal of worlds can produce in soldiery. Stabsfeldwebel Grga is known to keep his uniform and his fez immaculately clean, and his collar can be seen starched at all times. A man of brisk salutes and charming manners toward ladies in particular, this First Sergeant is likewise a pious devotee of the Astro-Ungarian sect known as the Hodzician Twentiers, a fiery sect sanctioned by the Cult Imperialis and oft praised in official staff reports for the martial ardour of its practitioners. Hadžić will unfailingly give proskynesis to Holy Terra seven times per day at the allotted praying hours, just as assuredly as he will flirt with the local womenfolk wherever the banners carry him across the galaxy.
Once, when his 7143rd Astro-Ungarian infantry regiment fought alongside the 9001st Death Korps of Krieg regiment on Lucania Supremalis, Stabsfeldwebeg Grga Demir Hadžić was approached by a Major of Krieg, who was surprised to see that the Astro-Ungarians were gambling on the outcomes of wargaming exercises on tabletop. The staunch Astro-Ungarian First Sergeant was in turned surprised and asked how the Kriegsmen motivated their participants, upon which the foreign Major replied that winning and understanding warcraft was the motivation of the officers of the Death Korps. The very same offworlder would later curse his own allies and complain that his disciplined troopers were shackled to a corpse.
No matter. Come what may, the Duarchy will fight to the end. Such an ancient Imperium and its army could not just perish without a fight. For Saint Chorus and the God-Emperor! Take up arms, o you men of war, and howl with the moon wolves as the sky turn red!
It’s an old type of nyckelharpa (yeah, that’s also the english word but it’s sometimes called a keyed fiddle) which is a Swedish music instrument that started to be developed and played in the 1600s (proven, but argued to be older).
