KenBoyle
PlanetFigure Supporter
The Portola Expedition of 1769
Back Story:
Many of the greatest discoveries in history have been stumbled upon by individuals who were completely lost and confused. This certainly describes the experience of the Spanish Portola Expedition, the first Europeans to encounter the San Francisco Bay in 1769.
In late October of 1769, Captain Gaspar de Portola and his party of sixty men were charged by King Carlos of Spain with marching from San Diego to the Monterey Bay in order to create a settlement there. But from their overland approach, Portola’s party failed to recognize Monterey, partially because the place they encountered didn’t match the exaggerated description recorded by a previous explorer attempting to impress the King of Spain.
Ragged, weary, and confused, Portola’s party continued north, climbing over San Pedro Mountain and making camp in Pedro Valley, now in the city of Pacifica. On November 4, 1769, the Portola expedition scaled what we now call Sweeney Ridge and saw “…a large arm of the sea…some sort of harbor there within the mountains.” And so, Portolá and his men became the first Europeans to see the San Francisco Bay.
The above info extracted from https://sfbaytimetraveler.wordpress.com/about/the-portola-expedition-of-1769/
Kit:
This is a great kit from Oniria Miniatures, highly detailed in 36mm and including, to the best of my knowledge, Captain Gaspar de Portola and 2 Spanish Lancers with their horses. I added the lances made from Brass tubing topped with the included blades. The horse reins were made from black electric tape.
The base was made from Magic-Sculpt and sand with artificial grass added. I attempted to portray San Francisco Bay with waves on a sandy beach added using Woodland Scenics Water Effects.
As usual all painting was done with acrylics.
Thanks for viewing and keep an eye out as I'll certainly be doing more Oniria kits in the future.
Cheers,
Ken
Back Story:
Many of the greatest discoveries in history have been stumbled upon by individuals who were completely lost and confused. This certainly describes the experience of the Spanish Portola Expedition, the first Europeans to encounter the San Francisco Bay in 1769.
In late October of 1769, Captain Gaspar de Portola and his party of sixty men were charged by King Carlos of Spain with marching from San Diego to the Monterey Bay in order to create a settlement there. But from their overland approach, Portola’s party failed to recognize Monterey, partially because the place they encountered didn’t match the exaggerated description recorded by a previous explorer attempting to impress the King of Spain.
Ragged, weary, and confused, Portola’s party continued north, climbing over San Pedro Mountain and making camp in Pedro Valley, now in the city of Pacifica. On November 4, 1769, the Portola expedition scaled what we now call Sweeney Ridge and saw “…a large arm of the sea…some sort of harbor there within the mountains.” And so, Portolá and his men became the first Europeans to see the San Francisco Bay.
The above info extracted from https://sfbaytimetraveler.wordpress.com/about/the-portola-expedition-of-1769/
Kit:
This is a great kit from Oniria Miniatures, highly detailed in 36mm and including, to the best of my knowledge, Captain Gaspar de Portola and 2 Spanish Lancers with their horses. I added the lances made from Brass tubing topped with the included blades. The horse reins were made from black electric tape.
The base was made from Magic-Sculpt and sand with artificial grass added. I attempted to portray San Francisco Bay with waves on a sandy beach added using Woodland Scenics Water Effects.
As usual all painting was done with acrylics.
Thanks for viewing and keep an eye out as I'll certainly be doing more Oniria kits in the future.
Cheers,
Ken
. Mike
