Back to the Brushes 295

 A few things on the go at the moment for AHPC XI.

Starting at the bottom left there are two C09 Dark Elf Sorceresses from back in the early days of painting miniatures. 

Next is a Norman Crossbowman to complete a srand of crossbowmen for use in ADLG

Then from Footsore Miniatures a Healer for the Spartan Lochas in Mortal Gods. 

On the top row is the start of the riders for two stands of Prodromoi. Looking for a different look to the flesh on these figures than on some other Greeks and Spartans. The base colour here is Vallejo Heavy Flesh; from here not yet sure how to go, most likely washed with Army Painter flesh wash and then layered with either Foundry or Vallejo flesh tones. 

Thanks for looking. 

Cheers for now

Season's Greetings 2020

 

Merry Christmas to you all near and far.

I hope that 2019 brings you hope, faith and peace in whatever you do. 

Next year will be time for change and restarting faltered projects; regardless of hobby or real life.

Stay safe!

Back to the Brushes 294

Last night saw the start of a few different pieces for the AHPC XI with ancients as the primary focus; in particular Spartans. 

The priest below is from Warlord Games and will join the Spartans for Mortal Gods and other ancient skirmish games.

A characterful figure that will take the role of a seer in the Spartan Lochos.

The other Spartans are from Xyston and will appear shortly as if the above pic is slightly out of focus then the 15mm's were totally out of focus. 

Along with these there is a solitary Norman crossbowman to complete a stand of four figures for ADLG. 

Hope that you found this interesting and stay safe. 

Cheers for now. 

Back to the Brushes 293

And so it begins again: Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge XI. This my tenth year in the AHPC and hoping to more this year than previous years. Pictured below are a selection of the figures ready for painting over the next three months. 

These include in no relation at all to the pictures order:

• 15mm Spartans from Xyston - grey undercoat top pic
• 28mm Fallschirmjager from Warlord Games - bone undercoat - windowsill
• 18mm Seven Year War Austrians painted as Bavarians from Eureka - white undercoat windowsill
• 28mm Caesarian Romans from Foundry - grey undercoat windowsill
• 28mm Norman crossbowman from Gripping Beast - 1 figure top pic
• 28mm Macedonian phalangites from Foundry - on cutting mat
• 15mm EIR skirmishers from Forged in Battle - windowsill pic
• 28mm Germanic Tribes from Footsore and Gripping Beast - last on right on windowsill
• 28mm Prodromoi from A & & Miniatures - painted horses in top pic

Not shown in the pics but ready to be painted depending on how things progress are 28mm pirates, Prussians, ECW, Gondorians and Iberians, 15mm Wars of the Roses, Arabs, Mongols and ACW. More than enough to keep busy with for the rest of the year and beyond. 

Below are the first figures from Wee Eck and the Macs DBA - Prodromoi from A & A Miniatures. Whilst there are 12 figures for this troop type in the cabinets of shame only 4 will be required for ADGL; the others will be up for sale in the near future.

The horses have partially painted for a good few years now. No so much, the riders, however, that's about to change. 

Dotted here and there are suitable figures for the Bonus themes as well. Mostly retro figures being dusted off for the digital age. 

Cheers to those in the AHPC and hope that this has been on interest to you

Stay safe
 

Imperium Sine Fine 26

Finally finished, the one and only unit of Late Roman Cataphractii in 28mm. Figures from Gripping Beast and have been worth the wait in getting finished; figures on the central stand were originally painted as the start of the same unit in WAB circa 2006. 

Then came the move to Impetus and there was no need to paint the other eight figures unless more than one unit was planned. Gaming influences changed again and the central unit was rebased for the "last" time on to a 60mm front for ADLG, DBA and Hail Caesar and at this point the final figures were dusted off and finished over this summer. 

The colour scheme was based on the Christa Hook image below adapted with the Comites Seniores shield colours. When the painting of the shields started for reasons that can't be recalled the plain purple/violet of the shield was changed for dark blue and the rest as they say is a-historic.

An imposing site on the table and a dead weight as well that will hopefully be in use when the "vaccines" start to allow more movement between people. 

One day the colour of the lances may be changed to match in with the shields and other trappings; one day far away.

 Hopefully after 15 years in the painting you have found this interesting. 

Cheers for now 

Back to the Brushes 292

Spent a bit of time last night working prepping figures for the upcoming Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge XI before moving on to some a little less taxing; Normans.

The swordsmen are from Wargames Foundry and the crossbowman is from Gripping Beast. Both manufacturers make great but very different styles of figures, some of which work together others that just don't. 

Sorry again for the poor quality image - just can't seem to get anything well lit at present. 

Will finish these off shortly and then on to the next two stands of Xyston Spartans. 

Hope that you found this interesting. 

Cheers for now

 

Hannibal antes Portas 3

The following Ancient Spanish Infantry have been completed over the last couple of months and finally gotten round to texturing and flocking the bases. Can't beat a good flocking!

All the figures are from Gripping Beast's Punic Wars range and will form a part of both DBA and ADLG armies as allied, mercenary and core troop types.  Shown above are Iberian Scutarii on the left and Caetrari with mixed weapons on the right. 

All of the figures here have been painted using block base colours then wash and highlight with the base colour. The limited colour scheme speeds the process up and the end results pass the rule of three foot. 

Another stand of Caetrari below this time as skirmishers. 

There will be more completed pics soon along with some more work in progress after a few nights off the brushes with a swollen thumb. 

Hope that you found this interesting. 

Cheers for now

Imperium Sine Fine 25

Painted earlier in the year this command stand for a 28mm Caesarian Roman army is now based, flocked and ready to join the other completed stands for this army.

The figures are from Warlord Games and are on the large scale of 28mm figures. Well sculpted and fit the role of commanders perfectly; they should really considering that they are. 

Have another twenty four Caesarian Romans from Foundry prepped and waiting on undercoating as a part of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge XI along with a wide range of other figures that have been getting prepped recently. 

Hope that you found this interesting. 

Cheers for now

 

The Chambers of Challenge - Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge XI

 

Starting on December 21st for three months until March 20th 2021

Needle files at the ready, rattle cans warming its time to prep for another 3 months of painting, blogging and general hobby mayhem. 

This year have set the bar at 600 points which would equate to 120 28mm foot figures at 5 points per figure. The points total will be made up a variety of different projects in 15, 20 and 28mm with a similar range in periods covered including Ancients, Seven Year War, Napoleonic's and WW2.

As always looking forward to the Challenge and the associated banter that goes with it all. 

If you can join in, its always fun and worth while. 

Cheers for now

30 Days 30 Miniatures November 2020

In the end it turned out to be a very productive 30 Days Challenge as shown below

 Complete in this challenge included the following

• 13 x 18mm SYW Infantry - Eureka Miniatures
• 16 x 15mm Spartan Infantry - Xyston
• 11 x 15mm Early Imperial Roman Infantry - Plastic Soldier Company
• 8 x 28mm Caesarian Romans Infantry - Wargames Foundry

The total for the 30 Days is 48 figures

This month's challenge will be announced tomorrow and will be a little different. 

Hope that you found this interesting

Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 291

Several posts ago I mentioned that I would be returning to Romans and Prussians. 

Well, one outta two ain't bad with the first Early Imperial Roman Auxilia archers from Plastic Soldier Company in soft cast plastic or Ultra cast as they call it. 

The original figures were from the Corvus Belli range in 15mm and have reproduced well in this new medium. 

There is a bit of flash on these, no more than you would get if in metal but I'd say harder to remove and best done with a new blade on your craft knife. 

The figures fit well with the War and Empire range from Forged in Battle but stay clear of Blue Moon's EIR Romans as they tower over the PSC figures. 

One other thing to mention - check the box contents throughly against what you need as there are no plans from PSC at present to release additional packs of legionnaires or auxilia outside of the core box. If you need more you either match in lead figures or buy another box. 

The core box is good value for money however additional figures are needed for a DBA  army. 

As the month is drawing to an end the 30 Days 30 Miniatures Painting Challenge is drawing to a close. These will add to the running total as below:

3 x 15mm EIR Infantry

13 x 18mm SYW Bavarian Infantry

So 16 figures done, 14 sitting in the wings to be completed by the 2nd December. 

Hope this has been of interest to you. 

Stay safe and cheers for now

Imperium Sine Fine 24

This command stand was completed over the last couple of months and now finally flocked and photographed to show. 

These Perry sculpts are always a joy to paint and the Legate was previously painted for the original incarnation of this army: 1,500 points in WAB. Seldom paint in eyes now, too damned fiddly for little return.

The figures will now - COVID-19 pandemic - permitting be used in ADLG, DBA and Hail Caesar at some point in the future. 

Hope that you found this interesting and there will be another command stand of Romans shortly. 

Cheers for now. 

Back to the Brushes 290

These SYW War Grenadiers from Eureka finish off the first battalion for the Bavarian army for Black Powder and Honours of War. 

Now moving back to Romans and Prussians for the rest of the month to complete 30 figures by December 2nd. 

The running total so far:

13 x 18mm infantry 

Hope that this was of interest to you. 

Cheers for now

All Hell Let Loose 19

Another DAK squad based and ready for gaming in the future. The figures are from SHQ's Mediterranean German range and were painted a couple of months back in the 30 Days 30 Miniatures Challenges. 

Support weapons for the above squad including a MG42, a Panzerfaust, PanzerBusch 39 and a grenade rifle.

Next from these will be the first of the engineering squad. 

 Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 289

First batch of finished figures for this month sees Eureka UK 18mm Seven Year War Hungarian Grenadiers masquerading as Bavarian Herzog Grenadiers.

Highly detailed and exceptionally well sculpted and cast figures that are a pleasure to paint. Too many figures now whilst detailed and well sculpted go too far sometimes; this takes away the enjoyment in painting them in my honest opinion.

There is another batch of these in the wings waiting for their coat of strong tone to bring the colours together and in the spectrum of light bind them.

When completed these will represent the Herzog battalion and matching line infantry will follow. 

The running total so far this month is:

6 x 18mm infantry

Cheers for now

Fury of the North 25

These maybe venerable sculpts from Foundry's range of Normans however, they are still great figures that have lasted the tests of time. 

Amongst some of the first historical miniatures bought circa 1996 as the move from purely fantasy figures started to gain momentum

These have been waiting to be finished over the the last year and will be joining others from this range for general use in Dark Ages skirmishing games and as mercenaries in WAB. When these games will be who can say. 

There are currently another four figures from this range on the painting table that will be finished across the remainder of November. 

 Hope that you found this interesting. 

Cheers for now. 

30 Days 30 Miniatures October 2020

A bit late considering that almost a third of November has already gone, however here is the round up picture for last month's 30 days painting challenge. 

Managed to complete the following figures last month:

3 x 20mm WW2 terrain pieces

2 x 28mm Norman Crossbowmen

8 x 28mm Prussian Landwehr

11 x 18mm Bavarian Grenadiers

8 x 28mm Caesarian Romans

Just for the fun of it I started another 30 Days 30 Miniatures Painting Challenge the other night, 2nd November. As with last month there will be no theme to this, just to paint and complete 30 miniatures regardless of their starting condition. 

The outline of the challenge is detailed below, however the main point being to have fun with your hobby.

• To paint 30 figures of all shapes and sizes in 30 days
• The figures can be partly painted at the start as the main point is to complete figures that have been forgotten
• Basing is not necessary to count as completed
• Any scale is good
• Too have fun
• The end date is set by your start date - 2nd December will be the end date of this challenge
• To post updates as often as possible
• Lastly to show a round up post with a group picture of everything.

Hope that you will find this interesting.

Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 288

 Last night was a good session at the painting table and the results are below: 

These figures are from Foundry and are the sixth of nine such stands for the Marian/Caesarian army for DBA and ADLG that has slowly been progressing here. Based on 60mm fronts two stands together will be a standard sized unit in Hail Caesar as well so there is a bit of variety in alternative systems they will be usable for. 

The shields were a pain and although they started with a Little Big Man transfers, the green Laurels above and below the boss just didn't show well enough. After playing about a bit with different positions and light decided that the best thing to do was over paint the shields to match the dark grey base. The results you see in front of you. To be honest, for the remaining figures it's looking very much like water slide transfers from VVV instead of the Little Big Men transfers. 

One other thing that has been causing issues lately is using the camera in the phone. Next month going to go back to the digital camera so can do more with settings at taking the picture instead of editing afterwards. It's swings and roundabouts however it will be interesting to see what the end results will be. 

So in terms of the 30 Day 30 Miniatures Painting Challenge these take the month's tally to:

3 x 20mm WW2 terrain pieces

2 x 28mm Norman Crossbowmen

8 x 28mm Prussian Landwehr

11 x 18mm Bavarian Grenadiers

8 x 28mm Caesarian Romans

For a running total of 32 with tonight still to paint for. 

Hope that you found this interesting.

Cheers for now.

Back to the Brushes 287

Finished off the other five Prussian Landwehr the other night completing the first unit for the Napoleonic period ever. 

The figures are from Warlord Games and paint well with enough detail to give interest and not too much to stifle motivation. 

Next for these will be some command figures although this will be in next month looking at the calendar. 

This takes the total for the month so far to 24 figures

3 x 20mm WW2 terrain pieces

2 x 28mm Norman Crossbowmen

8 x 28mm Prussian Landwehr

11 x 18mm Bavarian Grenadiers

Looking to finish a few more this evening to complete for Samhain. 

Hope you found this interesting 

Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 286

This is something completely new and very different - the Seven Years War. A period of history that has passed by here until very recently when a trade was made for these Austrian Grenadiers from Eureka Miniatures. 

The missing figure is the sergeant who is currently on the painting table in his whites.  The choice of colours comes from the Bavarian Herzog Regiment and other units will follow from this theme. A great source for information on this period - for those who like me know nothing - is Kronoskaf Project Seven Years War. Have found this to be a good resource so far although any recommend reads would be appreciated. 

The basing is on 40mm fronts and this will allow the figures to be used in Black Powder or similar, along with Honours of War. The regiment flags arrived this morning although they are not strictly correct they will suit my needs. 

As the Bavarian Auxiliary regiments were often understrength during this time the army will be smaller than other projects. This will suit both painting and gaming time, oh, wait, what is gaming time...

These 11 figures takes the monthly total to 19 figures with 3 days left on the challenge. 

The running tally is

3 x 20mm WW2 terrain pieces

2 x 28mm Norman Crossbowmen

3 x 28mm Prussian Landwehr

11 x 18mm Bavarian Grenadiers

Hope that you found this interesting

Cheers for now

The Sunne In Splendour 4

Started towards the beginning of this year and finally based last week, another command stand for the Lancastrians in Wars of the Roses for DBA and ADLG

Both figures are from Gladiator Miniatures and can't remember who the colours represent at the moment. 

Will be picking up on this project in this year's Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge assuming that it happens. Curt does have another project on his mind at present. 

 Hope that you found this interesting.

Cheers for now.