Back to the Brushes 370

As the Early Imperial Romans begin to leave the painting table their space is quickly take up by the above figures from AB Miniatures; British Line Infantry for a small 1812 -15 project involving the following regiments:

• King's German Legion 5th Line Infantry Battalion
• King's German Legion 8th Line Infantry Battalion
• King's German Legion 2nd Light Infantry Battalion
• British 95th Rifles Battalion
• 42nd Highlander Infantry Battalion (the Black Watch)

The picture above shows the start of the 5th Line Battalion, based on 24 figures per battalion, the same basing model will be used for the other battalions as they progress. In time a several squadrons of cavalry and a small artillery force will be added to round this out. 

The strange thing about this project is it's something that was never planned and but for lock down and an interest in "Wellington's Crisis" moment at La Sainte Haye it would never be here. 

Watch out for future updates for this...

Cheers for now 

Back to the Brushes 283

Been building this watch post or road side shrine based on the blog of Wargaming with Silver Whistle and the fantastic book that has been published as a result of this blog: Setting the Scene Vol 2. Recommend both to anyone interested in building their own terrain and wargaming modelling in general. 

Made from a 60mm round MDF base from Warbases, balsa wood, foam board and corrugated cardboard with grab adhesive and a fair bit of PVA :) 

Texturing and painting next up after the last tiles are added on. 

Hope that you found this interesting. 

Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 280

A quick post on the progress of Warlord Games Prussian Landwehr. Good progress so far although finding the blue harder than thought. And to think it used to be red that that was the devil colour. 

The base colour is Foundry Prussian Blue A which may be just too dark for the tone of Vallejo Dark Prussian Blue. Currently mixing these to create an intermediate tone. Whilst it is helping its also creating another layer that wasn't counted on. 

The command figures are all metal and are good sculpts although the plastic troopers are offering better surfaces to paint. Who would have thought a stuck in the mud on metal figures would be saying that 😂

More to follow on these and some Caesarian Romans soon along with a murky figure or two...

Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 272

Blink and before you know it another month is drawing to and end and this has been an eventful month with a few significant dates happening:

• Reaching the half century
• Celebrating 20 years married
• The young Padawan starting school.

Whilst this has all been good and rewarding in very different ways, there has still been a little time to get some painting done including the following work in progress pics:

The Late Roman archer's horses are already done and these two ponies belong to some undercoated Huns. 

Half of the started Gondorian archers for Dragon Rampant. Been playing about with the base colours for the plate armour with these so there will be some difference in the finished appearance from previous figures in this retinue.  

More Prussian Landwehr moving slowly forward. The blue is taking more time than anticipated for such a large area of colour. The base coat is looking more like a contrast paint and requiring over painting when it shouldn't. 

Hope that this has been of interest to you 

Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 271

It's the final day of the 30 Days 30 Miniatures Challenge set at the beginning of this month. 

Here are the last two pictures for the last figures to complete the target. 

First are two Prussian Landwehr from Warlord Games. 

There should be yellow piping on the hats however after repainting one hat twice thought bollocks to that. At the rule of 3 foot who will notice? 

Next are eight Late Roman Cataphracts of which six have been painted over the last 30 days. The back two at the left hand side were painted prior to this. 

These Cataphracts have been ongoing for about ten years in different ways with the command stand and one other figure seeing use in Impetus last decade. Finally decided to get them finished although there are more to be painted in the future. 

So how does this leave things standing? Well here is the breakdown:

28mm Infantry: 22 figures

28mm Cavalry: 6 figures

15mm Cavalry: 2 figures

Thirty figures in thirty days and will be looking to do the same again next month. 

Hope that you have found this interesting

Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 269

One day, don't know when but one day, am going to regret ever opening this door. Always said that it would never happen and yet here it is. 

The first line of Prussian Landwehr from Warlord Games and will be a part of a force for Black Powder and suitable skirmish games for this period. 

In retrospect should have gone for Brunswick as once undercoated black they are a third of the way to painted. Hey ho, hindsight is a wonderful thing. 

Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 250

As the year draws to an end a new beginning starts: The Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge X, X Marks the Spot.

Prep for this has been underway for some time and has deliberately not been specific to either scale or period offering a variety of choices throughout the challenge.

The question to be answered is what options are there? Well lets see:

• 6mm Ancient Greeks and Macedonians from Rapier Miniatures
• 15mm Arabs from Essex, Minifigs and Old Glory
• 15mm Spartans from Xyston
• 15mm War of the Roses from Gladiator Miniatures
• 20mm WW2 US vehicles from Frontline and AT guns, support weapons and crew from Platoon 20
• 20mm WW2 DAK from SHQ
• 28mm Gondor infantry and cavalry from Games Workshop
• 28mm Late Romans from Foundry and Gripping Beast
• 28mm Prussians from Calpe, Perry Miniatures and Warlord Games
• 28mm English Civil War from Warlord Games
• 28mm American Civil War from Perry Miniatures
• 28mm Moors from Gripping Beast
• 28mm El Cid Spanish from Gripping Beast
• 28mm Samurai from Perry Miniatures
• 28mm Claymore Casting Gallowglass for the Men of Lossarnach in Lord of the Rings
• 28mm Carthaginians from Gripping Beast

As always this only an indicative list of where painted figures will come from and for some of these there are only four or five figures rather than full units or more. 

Looking for progress over a variety of projects in this year's challenge and think the list above gives that and more.

The start date is December 21st 2019 and looking forward to getting some painting done in this year's challenge; the ninth time of being involved.

Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 158

April has seen a change in pace and a rebasing project for a friend started and finished. A large quantity of 15mm British Napoleonics have been slowly removed from their original bases of card and plastic card and rebased on more substantial bases from Warbases in the form of MDF. 

The debris is removed prior to the gluing starting

The rebased miniatures await collection by their owner for varnishing and flocking; flocking glad that's not something to be done here.

 Some of the hairy arsed Highlanders as the rebasing progresses.

Hope to see these figures soon in either Command and Colours or Shako type games.

Next post will focus on work in progress assuming the technology doesn't completely fail; have had to resort to using phone to take images, uploading to Google Photo and then importing into blog as having serious issues with hard-drive on desktop. These first world problems are so testing.

Cheers for now

 

Origins and beginnings

Today, thirty-nine years ago at the tender age of five, the first purchase of "toy soldiers" was made.

These along with one brush and four pots of Humbrol enamels started a journey that is still ongoing today.

The subject matter may have changed over the years as has the medium but the process is much the same. Look over the packaging, check the contents, decide what you like best and then buy. From memory most of this set of figures was painted - sadly none have survived the years. None especially well, then I was only five year old and hadn't yet developed any of the patience required to achieve better results. Still waiting on that coming :)

Well, that is enough reminiscing for one day. However, before this post finishes here is a question for you all - when and what started you all in the hobby of painting toy soldiers?

Cheers for now

Carronade 2013 - the pictures

A selection of pictures from yesterday's show "Carronade" hosted by Falkirk Wargames Club. 

American Civil War action from Dunfermline Wargames Club - Antietam

A Medieval game using Hail Caesar

A Very British Civil War - the picture doesn't do this justice.

A Desert Skirmish game

Dunfermline Wargames and Roleplayers Fellowship - a massive 40K romp over 12 foot long

54mm figures - slightly out of focus

Again slightly out of focus

Dead Mans Hand - more on this in the future

Hex based Napoleonics

Picts versus Romans at the Antonine Wall. All the figures here are cast from Prince August moulds. 

The aftermath of Chalons - more detail on Caliban - somewhen's blog

The show was very busy around eleven AM and a fair number of the displays were hard to see. As the day progressed the show quietened down allowing some time to have a better look at the tables and traders.

A few purchases were made during the show including:

• Bases and markers from Warbases
• A few more Late Romans/Arthurians from Gripping Beast
• A few figures, shield transfers and banners for a new project - Project S - more on this in the near future. These again were from Gripping Beast
• Some MDF scenery from Ground 4
• Some Banditos from Artizan Design
• Lastly, a bargain of 36 Foundry World of Greeks Hoplites for Impetus

It was good to catch up with a few fellow bloggers on the day including:

• Caliban - somewhen
• Saxon Dog
• Tradgardland
• Leadwarriordavek

Now off to start preparing for today's Impetus game this afternoon.

Cheers for now

Carronade Remembered - 2009

As Carronade 2013 draws nearer here are a few pictures from past shows:

The pictures above and below are from a demo game that the now defunct Legion Games club put on titled "Broadsword." This was a conversion of Mordheim for the Viking Age with a card driven bonus system for the warbands. From memory it worked very well and was a great laugh.

The pictures below are from another demo game although the title and group running have long since past from the memory.

If memory serves the windmill above worked during the game. This really is an example of the pictures not doing the figures and scenery justice.

Lastly a warm welcome to the newest followers of this blog

• Itinerant
• Stuart

Hopefully you find something of use and interest in these pages

Cheers for now

And Now for Something Completely Different 6

Really speaking there will be a need to introduce two new themes for the blog to cover the English Civil War and Napoleonics as there will be a fair amount of basing going with these two projects over the next few months. So here are the titles for future reference:

• Pikes and Muskets - for the English Civil War
• March to the Sounds of Cannons - for the Napoleonics

That said here are the most recently based figures for Pikes and Muskets, unsure of manufacturer but think that these may be from Minifigs:

These figures are a part of a second hand collection that is currently being rebased for Baroque.

The Huns will follow shortly as promised.

Cheers for now.

Back to the Brushes 26

A few WIP pictures of various items that are on the painting table at present. Firstly, there are more foederati for the Late Romans. This base will represent a veteran or command stand in the allied troops  complete with priest, standard and raving dog. 

The figures are from Gripping Beast and the front three shields are all hand painted. Hopefully will manage to get a few more completed on this stand over the weekend.

Next up is another Impetus based project, this time the Late Romans in 10mm. These figures have been gathering dust since a failed Warmaster Ancients purchase and very nearly went on sale recently. They were saved from the auctions by a few nearby gamers playing Impetus in 15mm, so they are being slowly painted and based for Impetus on bases for 15mm games. The figures are from Pendraken and are surprisingly good to paint.

The last two pictures are of ongoing rebasing projects for Napoleonics for Age of Eagles and Shako and the English Civil War for Impetus Baroque. Slow progress is being made on both, with the English Civil War being nearest to completion.

Thats all for now.

Cheers