What Good is a Sphinx?

The Sphinx is mostly found in Egypt.  During the First Battle of El Alamein, in July of 1942, forces of the Afrika Korps got to within 60 miles of the Sphinx and Giza Pyramids.   

Sphinx have also been found in Syria, Israel, Turkey, and Greece.

James Bond was in Egypt among the ruins during The Spy Who Loved Me, so international espionage and intrigue and adventure can happen with a Sphinx. 

Ancient artifacts are often taken apart and re-assembled in other nations as monuments, or museum pieces so a sphinx could be found almost anywhere.

Ancient monuments are sometimes copied and used as tourist attractions at locations far from where the original is located.

So a Sphinx could play a role in many different kinds of toy soldier set ups, and miniature wargames and role playing games.
 

Reptile Toys

I like to shop the pet department for terrain.

Ancient Egypt used the Sphinx a lot more than just the giant one tourists go visit.

So having models of smaller ones can be useful.  This pet toy is for lizards.

Add a few palm trees and some beach sand and you have a quick set up of tourists visiting a sphinx.

It is nicely detailed all around.
 

T54 On Parade

Tan tank at Lenin's Tomb.

Brown tank at Lenin's Tomb.

Olive tank at Lenin's Tomb.

Tan and green tank at Lenin's Tomb.

Camouflage green tank at Lenin's Tomb.

Unpainted tank at Lenin's Tomb.

The line up.

As i wait for a few more tanks to arrive in the mail, and cobble together bits from the spares box, the unpainted ones will not be painted until the final paint run.  Probably be a few weeks before that happens.  But all the tanks in the inventory are repaired, had touch up paint done, and are ready to go to miniature war.  Only about 20 or so unpainted tanks are waiting for completion.
 

Painting Turrets

I am painting these on cardboard sheets.

I use this awl to poke a hole in the cardboard.

Like this arrow.

Then I can insert the tank pin into the hole.

And the turret can sit flat on the cardboard.

It makes it easier to paint when it does not move around.

Turret with tank hull.

This shows some of the paint build up on the nozzle.

I wipe it off every few sprays.

The build up will clog the nozzle if you don't wipe it off.