Rocket Man!

I had been taking my hobby a bit too seriously at the back end of last year and getting overly concerned with ‘what is right’. Fortunately, I have my mates to sort me out and inject some common sense into the debate. When it comes to Napoleonics, detail is both a blessing and a curse. It is the details and minutiae of the uniforms that make the period so fascinating whilst at the same time providing a ‘barrier to entry’ to many in the wargaming hobby, who decide that having fun is more important than arguing about buttons and facings and so move into Fantasy or Science fiction for their hobby fix.

That Space marine has got the wrong colour facings!

That Space marine has got the wrong colour facings!

I had fallen into the ‘too much analysis causes paralysis’ mode and as a result some of the projects that I had consigned to the lead pile were being buried ever deeper because I was worried that I wouldn’t make a decent enough job of them. I’m not sure what happened over the Christmas Holiday period but something triggered my JFDI switch and I decided to just get on with what ever I fancied to the best of my ability and knowledge.

I'm not sure if this is the book but I have enjoyed all of them!

I’m not sure if this is the book but I have enjoyed all of them!

So I started on a little project that had been on my mind for a while. I actually first got the idea years ago from reading a Bernard Cornwell Sharpe novel. I can’t remember which one it was but it involved some troopers from a Rocket detachment pretending to be Lancers.  I then saw the Warlord model of a Rocketeer launching his rocket from the ground and thought that he really needed a mate to hold his horse. Put the two ideas together and you have one guy with the rocket sticks looking like a Lancer with his pennant on the rocket sticks and the Officer firing off the rocket on the ground.

Warlord Rocketeer.

Warlord Rocketeer.

As far as I know there is no model of a Rocket detachment trooper riding with the rocket sticks so I would have to convert one myself. So in the spirit of JFDI, rather than wait to find the exact figure or horse, I went through my bits box and this is what I came up with:

Rocket trooper WIP

Rocket trooper WIP

I’ve no idea where the horse is from – it just looked about right. I did have to ‘dock’ his tail though and remodel his hind quarters. I also added a saddle roll from green stuff and a cup for the rocket sticks from a piece of evergreen tube. The rider is a ‘spare’ from the Perry’s British Light Dragoons set. I have shaved off his boots, cut off his sword hand and added an open hand from a spare Victrix arm.

Rocketeer Diorama WIP

Rocketeer Diorama WIP

This is how the Diorama was shaping up but at this point I thought it might be worth doing some research. I found these three pictures on Pinterest and added them to my reference board.

Rocketeer Ref 1

Rocketeer Ref 2

Rocketeer Ref 2

Rocketeer Ref 3 Rocketeer reference 3.

As a result, I changed the saddle roll to two saddle rolls or valises, I also extended the docked tail with green stuff as I thought that it looked a bit short. I also made the rocket sticks from some spears and changed the pose so that the rider was now holding the spare rocket sticks.

Rocket trooper WIP 2

Rocket trooper WIP 2

Having slept on the changes, I decide that I needed to add a stripe and buttons to the troopers’ overall. Again, a dive into the bits box and I found some Evergreen 10/000 plastic strip which I used to make the stripe and some 40/000 rod that I sliced to make the buttons. Evergreen strip is an excellent material to use and reacts well to liquid polystyrene glue, so a few coats of glue and it was relatively simple to mold the stripe to the legs of the trooper. 40/000 is the equivalent of 1mm and slicing this sized rod is a challenge for my eyes but once glued in place, a quick sanding down meant that they too blended in with the trousers. With hindsight, the buttons are a bit on the large side, as is the stripe but the job was done and if I convert another dragoon, I’ll get a smaller sized evergreen rod to slice!  I had intended to photograph the conversion in progress but stupidly undercoated the conversion in my rush to get the project moving. Below is a picture of the trooper, now painted.

Painted Troopers

Painted Troopers

The next job was to paint the horses. I decided to change from my usual ‘recipe’ for brown horses and try a much paler brown. So the base coat was Vallejo Flat Earth, followed by Cork brown with a Green Ochre top coat/highlight. The Horse furniture was painted with leather brown, blanket dark Prussian Blue and I used Brass for the blanket detail. With the colours blocked in, I will either use a quick shade or ink to bring out the details.

Officers horse colour blocked, awaiting ink wash.

Officers horse colour blocked, awaiting ink wash.

The next task was to get the troopers horse painted. I decided on my usual triad of Chocolate brown, Flat brown and Flat earth for the horse. The rest of the model was painted as above.

Troopers horse, block painted

Troopers horse, block painted

Troopers horse, reverse view.

Troopers horse, reverse view.

As you can see, I don’t have a fixed plan of how things should look and use the photographs to modify or correct as I go along! The diorama is coming together though and in the next picture you might notice that I have decided to use a smaller oval base for the diorama and I have decided to ‘quick shade the Officers horse. I will do the same with the troopers horse using the strong tone or dark brown quick shade.

The diorama is coming together!

The diorama is coming together!

A different view - The quick shade will matt down nicely.

A different view – The quick shade will matt down nicely.

Having had a look at the pictures, I decided to add some socks to the troopers horse.

Pull your socks up!

Pull your socks up!

And that is as far as I have progressed with the project this week. I’ll quick shade the troopers horse and then Matt Varnish both horses. I’ll need to highlight some areas on the horse, specifically the blanket and possibily the leatherwork. I’ve also decide to replace the rocket sticks with some Albion Alloys Brass rod that is a bit thinner than the spears that I am currently using. The rocket also needs painting but I am nearly at the basing stage. I think that I will also add some definition to the troopers overalls just above his boots as it doesn’t show up very well.

It is a bit nippy out in my Garage at the moment and even with a heater on, when sitting still, painting, it is easy to get a chill, so my painting sessions are a bit shorter than in the Spring! However, this coming weekend should see a bit more progress – perhaps even basing!

THE COMMERCIAL BIT

Regular readers of my blog will know that most of the materials and models that I use are available post free from my shop here:

ARCANE SCENERY

It’s worth pointing you to the Evergreen plastics range this week – I find this stuff invaluable when converting.

EVERGREEN PLASTICS

The bases are from the Sarissa MDF range here:

MDF BASES

and if you would like to have a look at my references on the Pinterest site just click here:

STEVE’S PINTEREST BOARDS

Incidentally, joining Pinterest is free. If you haven’t got an account, I very much recommend it as a way of collecting reference pictures.

Happy modelling!

 

 

Mining The Lead Pile and Finding Fun!

I started the New Year with a post entitled ‘Bitting and Bobbing’ which is a fair assessment of how my modelling has continued so far this month. In the last fortnight I have gradually been working through some unfinished units and figures that have been at the side of the work bench for some time. A good example being my battalion of Nassau Infantry that were finished last February but were languishing without a flag. Well the flag is now added and I think I’ve got it the right way up….

Nassau Infantry at last have their flag!

Nassau Infantry at last have their flag!

Talking of flags, I decided to ‘reflag’ my Battalion of Coldstream Guards. They actually did have flags but I was unhappy with the quality. I had bought the original flags at a show but with hind sight they were oversized and badly printed on glossy paper and nowhere near as good as the GMB flags that I normally use. So they have now been replaced with GMB printed flags which are a much better size and a much better colour and quality.

New Flags for the Guards!

New Flags for the Guards!

I have also been working my way through some officer figures. This fellow was a limited edition from Warlord, I think, so although not quite finished ( the basing needs to be completed) he is almost ready to join his Regiment.

New Officer - just the basing to complete and a bit of a tidy up.

New Officer – just the basing to complete and a bit of a tidy up.

I am gradually assembling the two Battalions of Highlanders, the 42nd and 92nd Battalions. I have one Battalion of 24 assembled and have started on the next battalion. Once I have them all assembled, I’ll start the challenging task of painting them but I am in no rush to start! Incidentally, the trees behind the figures are from a Garden Centre – it may be too late now but I recommend checking out the sale section in your local Garden Centre, there are bargains to be had for wargamers!

Next Battalion of Highlanders assembled

Next Battalion of Highlanders assembled

In my previous blog, you may have noticed a random Caribbean Maroon figure on the work bench. I have actually painted him before but somehow he has gone AWOL from my cabinet, so I decided to replace to re- complete my set of Trent Miniatures Caribbean rebels and Maroons. Out of the blue, Duncan, of Trent Miniatures, announced that he had released new pack of Caribbean casualties so I grabbed a pack and finished them all in one batch. My Caribbean collection is now complete for the time being!

Caribbean casualties in progress - basing about finished.

Caribbean casualties in progress – basing about finished.

Completed Caribbean Casualties

Completed Caribbean Casualties

Maroon leader - replacement complete!

Maroon leader – replacement complete!

I have long admired the Warlord British Napoleonic Rocketeer and had added it to my unpainted figure ‘collection’. It was one of those figures that I intended to do something with but I wasn’t quite sure what. Well with my new found carefree approach to my painting projects, I decided to get on and paint him as well as converting a horse holder to go with him. I’ll detail how I made the companion in a future blog but here is a picture of the work in progress.

Rocketeer! WIP.

Rocketeer! WIP.

I have a version of this cheeky figure already. As you can see, he’s still a W.I.P. although since writing this blog he is nearly ready to join his officer. I’m not sure whether to make another small vignette with him, an officer and a DeeZee dog (you can see I have two versions of DeeZee dogs that are being worked on in some of the other pictures) or whether to put together a battalion of odds and ends and spare figures just for fun. It’s the latter option that appeals to me at the moment. I seem to accumulate random figures from friends, so it might be fun to have a battalion of characters and misfits.

Cheeky Chappie!

Cheeky Chappie!

And there’s more…well actually, there isn’t but I have just re-read ‘Sharpes Tiger’ by Bernard Cornwell. Once again, I am reminded that history doesn’t have to be a dry subject and with a bit of imagination it can be exciting and fun. I know that some find the ‘facts’ and detail the most important part of the hobby but if you are not careful, the pursuit of absolute accuracy can result in nothing ever being finished. The more I read, the more I am convinced that we really dont know half of what went on, so why get too hung up on micro details? A thought that I will return to in my next blog.

However you choose to make and paint your models, I hope that you have fun and enjoy yourself and if we can help at Arcane Scenery, please drop me a note.

THE COMMERCIAL BIT

If you are interested in the revolutionary wars in the Caribbean, then Trent Miniatures have a superb range of miniatures. You can see them here:

WARS IN THE CARIBBEAN

We have a range of animals, including dogs and tigers in the DeeZee Miniatures range. You can see them here:

DEE ZEE

Bitting and Bobbing!

The Christmas holiday break can be a good time to get plenty of modelling done but for me the opposite is true. We were actually working through the break, as long as the post office was collecting, we were packing. Although there was time off on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day, hobby time was at a premium. After all, it’s a social time of year and sneaking off to the garage for any length of time to paint models is somewhat anti social when you have invited the family over for Christmas. Besides, there was alcohol to drink and food to eat – always a distraction for me!

It's not just models that I like making! Scotch eggs, Cranberry sauce and a home cooked ham - Lovely!

It’s not just models that I like making! Scotch eggs, Cranberry sauce and a home cooked ham – Lovely!

Mind you, nobody complained when my Granddaughter, Emily, came out with me to paint a DeeZee Platybelodon. She decided that a nice light blue shade would be best for her version of the beast! We actually managed to get the model based and she was very proud to take her new model home. At five years old, she did a pretty good job! Kids love painting and modelling, they just need some help at an early age and if they get the bug, they will be producing better models than us old ‘uns!

Emily and her Platybelodon!

Emily and her Platybelodon!

So, apart from the Platybelodon, I actually haven’t finished anything over the break but progress has been made. As a change from painting battalions, I decided to paint four Officer figures that I had in the lead pile to bolster my command structure!

New officers!

New officers!

Three of the figures are about finished but all need basing. The two staff officers are Warlord figures and will just be added to the appropriate battalions. Wellington and Crawford (in the Background) are from Front Rank and I will probably mount these on 60mm round bases as part of a vignette and use them as Brigade commanders but I have yet to finalise details in my mind.

I also cleaned up and undercoated a couple of other random figures as well as starting to assemble some more Victrix Highlanders.

A mixed bag on the workbench

A mixed bag on the workbench

The other task that I completed was to go through my ‘lead pile’ and list down just what I had squirreled away. I wont be making any rash promises about how I will finish everything this year but the exercise was worthwhile and reminded me that I had bought some of the items for a reason and it was time to get them painted! So rather than starting the year with a firm plan and a promise that I wont keep, for the tiome being, I am going to go where ever the modelling muse takes me.

At the moment, that means that I will be making 48 highlanders to complete the 42nd and 92nd Battalions but if I take a break to complete a Samurai or piece of  Caribbean scenery, then I wont get to uptight about it. Having lists, challenges and goals can be very effective in achieving results or kick starting you after a lull.. However there is a danger that they can turn your hobby into a chore. Everything in moderation, is a good motto, and long as I am modelling, I will be happy!

Once again, Happy New Year and I hope that you enjoy your modelling.

THE COMMERCIAL BIT

The Arcane Scenery web store has a huge range of products that will help you to complete your modelling projects and we dispatch post free to most worldwide locations. Just click here to see our ranges.

ARCANE SCENERY

I would like to point you towards the Albion Alloys Abrasive ranges. You can see that I am using the sanding sticks to help assemble the Victrix Highlanders – The sanding sticks are excellent for use with plastics – I wouldn’t be without them and a pack will last for ages;

ALBION ABRASIVES

We also carry the Victrix plastics range – they are without doubt amongst the best plastics around. The highlanders are simply lovely figures.

VICTRIX RANGE

Happy New Year and a Cautionary Tale!

 

The 2/44th advance through the snow!

The 2/44th advance through the snow!

The ‘Old year’ has ended for me with a lesson that I have often experienced but have still yet to learn! When it comes to painting and modelling, if you rush you will make mistakes! I have been working on a really nice set of figures produced by Three Armies and unusually, they portrayed British infantry in Greatcoats. I was in no hurry to finish them until I had this brilliant idea of having them marching through the snow and using them as an Arcane Scenery Christmas card. As with all my Christmas preparation, I had left it a bit late but it seemed like a good idea and I knew just how I would execute it!

2/44th advance!

2/44th advance with colours on the correct side

My friend, Andy Callan had a job lot of snow covered trees – he had picked them up at a bargain price from a local garden centre last year – Andy is not only a very experienced war gamer but a canny bargain hunter! As the scene was going to be a temporary one, I needed a quick, cheap method of reproducing snow. Another of my Gaming buddies had the answer – use salt. So, a quick trip to Sainsburies and for 37p, I had all the snow that I would need.

2/44th full batalion

2/44th full batalion

I just had to temporarily base up the figures and add the flags and I was good to go!

It's cold out there!

It’s cold out there!

I had already ordered the flags from GMB, my favourite flag supplier, but I had to make the flag poles. There are some supplied with the figures but these are just plain wire, lacking the finials. Fortunately, I had some spare and using the thinner wire spears that we sell, I knocked up the poles with finials and painted them. It was then that the problems started. I was trying to attach the flags rather late in the evening – well past 11.00pm and I should have known better and waited a day but time was running out! To make matters worse, the garage where I normally do my modelling was freezing, so while the missus was tucked up asleep in bed I moved operations to the nice warm kitchen. Of course, every time I wanted a tool or paint brush, I had to go back to my workbench. Instead of cutting the flags on my proper non slip cutting mat, I used the breadboard.  So first of all, I managed to slip with the scalpel and steel rule and sliced the top of one side the regimental colour a bit short and at an angle!

Colour party 2/44th

Colour party 2/44th

After some cursing, I managed a reasonable repair and with a bit of careful folding and a repaint job it looked OK. Next up, the Kings Colours, this time I was very careful and made a great job of cutting out. There was a bit of drama when I knocked the PVA over but it cleaned up OK and nobody saw it! I carefully fixed the Kings colour to the flag pole – perfect! Order was restored. I just needed to glue the poles to the figures and once everything was dry I would be ready to take the pictures the next day. Bugger! I had managed to glue the top of the super glue onto the bottle. Nothing that couldn’t be fixed – a pipe wrench and a pair of mole grips and I got the lid off. The fact that it would never go back on again is neither here nor there, I could super glue the flags on and get to bed. Job Done!

It was tough in Russia!

It was tough in Russia!

All was calm the next evening as I set up the photo shoot. I was quite pleased with the result and had some fun not only photographing my new Battalion, but also some Napoleonic Zombies that I had borrowed from Daz at Warbanner. I was so pleased with the result that I put the pictures up on Face book to get an opinion on which was the best picture to use. It was only at this point that it was pointed out that I had attached the Kings colours upside down…Bollocks!

YOU PUT THE FLAG ON UPSIDE DOWN!!!!

YOU PUT THE FLAG ON UPSIDE DOWN!!!!

Ah well, lesson learnt. Again. I have managed to soak off the flag and re attach it the right way up but as you can imagine there has been a bit of damage and I will probably replace both flags the next time I order from GMB.

The flag is now the right way up! Just the permanent basing to do.

The flag is now the right way up! Just the permanent basing to do.

So, a cautionary tale and a lesson learnt again. My New Years resolution is now sorted – I’m going to stop worrying about how long it takes to complete a project and just enjoy what I am doing without rushing. In the mean time, Happy New Year! I hope that you have fun with your modelling!

THE COMMERCIAL BIT

Unusually for me, most of the stuff featured above isn’t available from Arcane Scenery but if you do need paints bases, glue, proper fake snow and a huge range of kits and wargaming figures, they are available post free to most world wide locations at the time of writing.

THE ARCANE SCENERY SHOP

You can see the Three Armies range of figures here:

THE THREE ARMIES

The fantastic range of GMB Flags can be seen here:

GMB FLAGS

The salt is available from any decent Grocers but you do get nectar points at Sainsburys…..

The Blue and the Grey

After Novembers paint challenge, I was expecting a drop off in my output. Finding just 30 minutes a day to paint, is in theory not too demanding a challenge but the assumption is that you are actually at home in the first place. With the onset of the festive season, I have been pulled away from my hobby by the various social activities and the many tasks that arise at this time of year. Work is also quite busy, so it’s not just about the time but also finding a clear space in my head so that I can focus on painting. My output has slowed and although I have yet another battalion on the work bench, it’s very much a work in progress as the picture below shows.

British Napoleonic Infantry in great coats - still a W.I.P.

British Napoleonic Infantry in great coats – still a W.I.P.

There is more to the hobby than just painting though! My regular Thursday nights gaming with my friends continues and last week Andy surprised us with a new army that he had picked up. Actually it was two armies, Union and Confederates from the American Civil war. So we played our first ACW battle using the ‘Glory Hallelujah’ Black Powder supplement rules.

The scenario was fairly simple, a Confederate force was to surprise and capture a Union Village, hold it’s ground and push the relieving Union force from the table.

Confederates advance on the farmhouse

Confederates advance on the farmhouse

The battle initially went well for the rebels with a quick advance to the leading farm house on the right, securing a good platform to launch the attack on the village. However, the second Confederate Brigade on the left was slow to move in support and then surprisingly, found itself facing a superior Union force.

Although cavalry is not so effective in the ACW period as our usual Napoleonic games, the cavalry could skirmish quite effectively and a fast advance around the flank of the Confederates by a unit of Federal Cavalry was enough to cause consternation in the rebel ranks!

Union Cavlry advance!

Union Cavalry advance!

The Confederate response was to forge ahead and occupy the farm buildings but to detach a battalion to guard against a flank or rear attack by those sneaky Federal forces!

Confederates take position in the farm house

Confederates take position in the farm house

Sure enough, whilst the farm house became the centre of the battle on the left, the Union managed to slip around the sides, turning the Confederate flank.

The Confederate commander urges the troops on the left to advance!

The Confederate commander urges the troops on the left to advance!

Meanwhile on the left of the field, the Confederates had pushed forwards, only to find that not only were they were facing a superior infantry force but were out gunned in artillery. Their advance was stopped dead!

Open fire boys!

Open fire boys!

The federal move around the flank of the farm house was causing havoc and the Rebel battalion holding the rear found itself out numbered. They were ordered to stand firm what ever the cost! The Confederate strategy hinged on being able to defeat the Union forces just behind the Farmhouse so that they could push on into the unguarded village.  The Farm house was beginning to resemble the Alamo as Federal forces concentrated their artillery fire here. So with one battalion pinned in the Farm House and one protecting the rear of the brigade, the remaining forces were unable to create a local fire superiority.

Out gunned!

Out gunned!

It was the end of the Confederate push. With the right flank stopped in it’s tracks and the Farm House about to fall, it was time for the Confederates to pull back. Their surprise attack had been thwarted!

Shaken on the flank - those bots wont hold for much longer!

Shaken on the flank – those boys wont hold for much longer!

The game had ended with a Union victory. As our first foray into ACW gaming, using Black Powder Rules, we were pleasantly surprised at how just a few rules tweaks could give quite a different feel to the game. No doubt we missed some of the subtleties in the Glory Hallelujah! supplement but as a first attempt, it was a good introduction into the period. The question is, will we be tempted to start our own ACW armies?

THE COMMERCIAL BIT

If I do become beguiled by the ACW period, there’s no doubt that my first stop for troops will be the impressive Perry’s plastic range. You can see them here:

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR PLASTICS

The Warlord Games Glory Hallelujah! Supplement is available here:

GLORY HALLELUJAH! 

Of course, we have a massive range of wargaming, modeliing and painting accessories in our web store, all post free worldwide at the time of writing!

ARCANE SCENERY AND MODELS

 

Paintvember – The Painting Challenge

Yes, it’s a horrible title, Paintvember, but it did capture my imagination and as a result of a challenge issued on the Painting and Sculpting facebook page, for once I joined in one of the social media challenges. I normally steer well clear of such nonsense (I’m talking social media challenges – not painting), regardless of how worthy the cause, so no moustache growing, abstaining from booze, chucking ice cold water over myself or any of the other mass madness that goes on. This was simple, just commit to painting, sculpting or modelling for 30 minutes a day for the month of November and post your progress up on the facebook group page. It seemed like a good way of focusing on my hobby and it would be interesting to see just what could be achieved if I spent some time everyday doing some painting.

Victirx Highland Infantry assembled ready for painting.

Victirx Highland Infantry assembled ready for painting.

To be fair, it wasn’t a great stretch, I paint for a short period of time on most weekday evenings but usually have at least one evening off, if nothing else than to actually wargame! The weekends can be mixed. In the summer, there is plenty of other distractions and even on rainy winter weekends, there are things to do and people to see, meaning that my hobby is put to one side.

So what have I learnt?

The first thing was that it turned what can be a solitary part of the hobby into more of a social occasion. Social media can be useful when those contributing are not only giving encouraging feedback but also showing what they are painting as well. I looked forward to seeing how my facebook chums were progressing with their projects and the skill and variety of projects on show was certainly inspirational. Getting a few likes was heartening and helped to keep me focused.

Red coats on!

Red coats on!

Batch painting is ideal for this sort of challenge. It helps that I have a work area that I can leave in a mess and know that it wont be disturbed. So if I am working through a batch of figures I can easily find just 5 minutes to get a bit  more colour on a figure. I think that this becomes more difficult if you are working on a ‘masterpiece’, one figure to a high standard or trying to paint a larger model. When I was working through my Highlanders, I had a set sequence, Flesh, Hats, Boots, cartridge case, jacket, bread bag, water bottle and so on. So I always know which colour I would be blocking on the next model.

The 30 minutes a day (minimum – I often did more!) does keep a project moving and so even when I thought that I might stall or wimp out of the challenge, the small goal of just paint for 30 minutes meant that I picked up my brush and did some more. The ‘Elephant’ was eaten a spoonful at a time!

79th Camerons close up.

79th Camerons close up.

It helped that I had a couple of projects on the go at once. As well as painting the Highlanders, I was working on a new batch of movement trays for my collection. So if I wasn’t in the mood for painting or if I needed more than 30 minutes for a stage, I could switch from painting soldiers to the trays. I think that having a couple of different projects on the go at once is quite useful but would suggest that they do need to be different. Perhaps a scenery piece alongside a unit of figures is a good mix.

The 79th Camerons finishe as part of the Paintvember challenge!

The 79th Camerons finishe as part of the Paintvember challenge!

The challenge also focused me on to the question of when could I find 30 minutes to paint as opposed to the oft reached conclusion that ‘I haven’t got time to paint today’. As a result, I have been grabbing short periods of time in the morning and evening to get my session in. The nights when I might have succumbed to watching the idiots lantern have been replaced with something more productive. It’s taken most of the challenge but I now have a completed Battalion of Cameron Highlanders, which in themselves have completed my representation of the 8th British Brigade at Waterloo, complete with their own new labelled movement trays!

Labelled trays completed as well!

Labelled trays completed as well!

I dont think that I will be quite so relentless with my painting over the next 30 days. Sometimes, a break can be refreshing – absence makes the heart grow fonder – but I hope to keep the attitude of looking for opportunities to paint rather than finding excuses not to. As a final thought, social media, when it is social, has been a great help to my hobby. I have been fortunate enough to part of groups that have either provided me with encouragement with my hobby or inspired me by showing me what can be achieved. So no commercial links below, just a few of my favorite facebook groups!

So, finally, a big ‘Thank You!’ to Alfonso Oclaf for posing the challenge. I’ve never met Alfonso but I am grateful for his idea and for helping me to get my Highlanders done!

SCULPTING, PAINTING AND GAMING FACEBOOK PAGE

TEST OF HONOUR FACEBOOK PAGE

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WARLORD GAMES BLACK POWDER FACEBOOK PAGE

And of course!

ARCANE SCENERY

Remember to like our page to receive updates of our latest releases, hobby news, on this day in history posts and you can follow my efforts at modelling!

Movement trays

Perhaps not the most glamorous part of our hobby but a topic that has interested me for some time. I see an awful lot of questions on social media with regards to the best method of basing figures, this is usually referring to the number of figures per base or the base size rather than the landscaping! There is of course no definitive answer to the question as different rules sets will often require different basing requirements – not only the size of bases will vary but the shape (round or square) can vary.

My new movement trays before assembly.

My new movement trays before assembly.

One solution is to use movement trays as a way of assembling units. This certainly helps bridge the gap between skirmish games, for example, Sharp Practice, and games that use larger units, say Black Powder. The problem is that by definition, the movement tray fixes the formation of your troops, making formation changes difficult duing the game.

Assembled trays

Assembled trays

As my Napoleonic collection has grown, I also wanted a way of identifying the different battalions in my army. Yes, I know that they all have flags ( well most of them) but the more my battalions have grown, the harder it has become to remember who was who! So my solution was to design a movement tray system that allowed me to label my troops, but was flexible enough to facilitate different formations. The other benefit of movement trays is that they can help with transporting and organising your army.

As you can imagine, there was no simple solution and a compromise was required. This was made slightly easier by the fact that I play mostly Black Powder Napoleonic games, with the occasional foray into Sharp Practice! I came up with the following system, that has given me a degree of flexibility and solved some of the problems.

Grenadier Company based

Grenadier Company based – four figures to a 40mm square base

First I decided to base all my Napoleonic infantry on 40mm square bases, four figures to a base. That said, some of my figures, usually the flank company’s, are based  singly on 20mm square bases. This gives me some single figures to use for skirmish games if I need them. I’ve then built my Battalions in 12’s for a small unit, 24 for a standard unit and 36 for a large unit. However, the movement trays are designed to take 12 figures, so a standard unit will need two trays.

Flank Company on single 20mm square bases

Flank Company on single 20mm square bases

This has the benefit of allowing me to split the unit into two, facilitating most formation changes but also allowing me to field the Battalion as two units of 12 for small club night battles. My new movement trays also have a name plate at the back allowing me to label each battalion. I was lucky with the design – the name plate is exactly the same width as a Dymo electric label printer, making labelling very straight forward. There are also two cut outs per trays to use for disorder and casualty markers – a simple 12mm D6 is used, different colours can mean different results according to the game being played. This allows any disorders or casualties to move with the unit rather than get left behind on the table as is sometimes the case.

Tray showing dice used for markers

Tray showing dice used for markers

I decided that I wanted to ‘landscape’ the trays to help them blend into the gaming table. Some of my colleagues prefer to leave the trays as they are – it again is a question of taste. There is another advantage to texturing the trays. It covers any imperfections when assembled but more importantly helps to hide any differences in basing on the troops. I have been building my Napoleonic army over six years now and occasionally have strayed from my standard basing formula, which any way has evolved as I have found new products to use.

Textured movment trays

Textured movment trays

To achieve a textured effect I simply coat the assembled trays with Vallejo Dark Earth textured paste as in the picture above. Once this is dry, I just run a sharp scalpel around the edges to tidy things up and remove any excess. It is then a case of painting with your preferred basing colour ( mine is Vallejo Chocolate Brown) and then dry brushing with a lighter mix to bring out the texture. Once the painting is dry, I add patches of green scatter ( woodlands scenic is now my preferred choice) and the trays are ready for use.

Movement tray textured and ready for use!

Movement tray textured and ready for use!

When it came to labelling, I decided on using the regiment name and number and only will indicate the Battalion number if there was more than one Battalion in service. It keeps things simple and allows me to use the largest font available for most of the labels. I used the Dymo Electric label printer to produce the labels on clear label material. As I said, I was lucky that the width matched my design exactly. The label maker was surprisingly inexpensive – just £14.99 from Aldi!

Landwehr battalions labelled ready for action

Landwehr battalions labelled ready for action

Of course the name plate is reversible, so if I decide to change the style – perhaps for a painted plate, I can do so!

British Infantry Division labelled and ready for action.

British Infantry Division labelled and ready for action.

As you can see, from the front the name plates aren’t too intrusive, so my opponent shouldn’t be too distracted from the game. Another unintended benefit is that the name plate at the rear of the tray protects the bayonets of the units behind, helping to prevent damage.

Battalion in line!

Battalion in line!

Battalion in column - simply reverse rear tray to form square!

Battalion in column – simply reverse rear tray to form square!

So the task now is to get all of my units into these trays. With nine battalions done, I still have another nine battalions, or eighteen trays to do, but it will be a nice project to do in between painting yet more battalions!

THE COMMERCIAL BIT

If you would like to use these trays, they are available from my shop here:

BLACK POWDER MOVEMENT TRAYS

We also have quite a range of movement trays and bases here:

MOVEMENT TRAYS

For Woodlands scenic scatter and other scenic accessories, click here:

WOODLAND SCENICS

For Vallejo textures and paints, click here:

VALLEJO PRODUCTS

At the time of writing all of these products are supplied post free to most world wide locations!

Taming the Tartan Terrors!

In last weeks blog, I showed you how I have gone about batch painting my Battalion of 79th Cameron Highlanders for my Waterloo project. In this weeks blog, I show how I went about breaking down the tartan into a process that I could cope with to produce a reasonable table top standard finish to my troops in tartan.

I am no artist, more of a paint by numbers man, so I hope that this blog is useful to other gamers that have perhaps, like me, been put off from attempting to paint this complicated pattern on their troops. The idea is to give a representation of the tartan pattern on the troops that will look nice when the unit is complete. It is entirely beyond my skill to reproduce anything other than this on a 28mm tall figure.

The 79th Cameron regiment of foot, Centre Companies.

The 79th Cameron regiment of foot, Centre Companies.

I did look at a number of references for the actual tartan but decided on a simple version based on what I could actually see when I held the book away from my face rather than the close up scrutiny that would show every colour! I should also confess that I am slightly red/green colour blind, so although I can see close up that there are fine red stripes running through the cloth, my overriding impression is of blue, green and black with a fine yellow/beige stripe, so that is what I would paint!

Before I started on the figures, I tried my hand in a larger scale in my note book to see how things would work out. The base colours that I chose for the tartan was Prussian blue 70965 and Reflective green 70890. I tried painting blue over green and green over blue, but decided that I preferred the latter.

Tartan practice - just going through the process helps fix how I will paint the tartan.

Tartan practice – just going through the process helps fix how I will paint the tartan.

Having had a little practice I jumped in and made a start. First job, paint the kilts prussian blue.

Blue kilts to start!

Blue kilts to start!

Next, I painted a series of vertical stripes in green.

Green stripes added

Green stripes added

Followed by the horizontal stripes. I tried to keep the stripes as uniform as possible, letting the paint brush do the work and determine the width. Having the paint thinned to a milky consistency helps.

Horizontal stripes added

Horizontal stripes added

The next part of the process is to outline the green strips with a fine line in black. I did consider using a fine liner pen at this stage but managed with a fine brush again, thin paint helps the flow. It is obvious from the close up pictures that my brush work is a bit raggedy and the consistency in line width varies from figure to figure.

The green stripes are then outlined in black.

The green stripes are then outlined in black.

Finally, using 70913 yellow ochre, I painted a larger cross hatch to give the impression of the yellow thread that runs through the tartan. With the later figures that I have painted, I was a bit more careful with the placement of the yellow line, trying to ensure that it bisected the blue/green squares. I also have made the blue green squares larger to make the task easier. As I have said, I have chosen to ignore the fine red lines that are woven into the Cameron Tartan. This means that the tartan for my Camerons will be similar to the tartan used by the Gordons. Fortunately the facings are different, yellow as opposed to green, so I hope that will be enough to differentiate the units on the gaming table!

Tartan completed - or is it..?

Tartan completed – or is it..?

So with the Tartan done, the next job was to paint the red cross hatching on the bonnet and the socks. Once again, I have cut corners to make life easy. The cross hatching on the bonnet should have small green squares at the junction of the checks – I’ve left these off.

Red Cross hatching added to bonnets and socks.

Red Cross hatching added to bonnets and socks.

The next stage was to lightly dry brush the bonnets with light grey to bring out the detail of the feathers and then I carefully painted on the Army Painter Dark Tone quick shade. This really brings out the detail on the figures, covers up some of the smaller mistakes that I have made  and seals the paint onto the figures.

Quick shade carefully painted over the models.

Quick shade carefully painted over the models.

Once given a coat of matt varnish, I go back and re highlight the lighter colours, particularly the white. I also paint the bayonets in bright silver and paint the bases with chocolate brown to tidy things up.

Figures retouched and white highlighted.

Figures retouched and white highlighted.

The figures are now ready for basing. I may need to retouch some of the figures with matt varnish in places. I tend to be sparing with the varnish as I have had too many accidents with it in the past!

STOP PRESS!

After all that I had said about ignoring the red in the kilts, my OCD circuit was niggling away at me saying ‘the Camerons were the only one’s with red in the kilts – how could you leave it out…’ I also kept thinking that I didn’t want them to look too much like the Gordons, with their Yellow square pattern.

After much thinking I decided hell, just do it, and painted a red cross hatch pattern in between the large yellow pattern. I haven’t got a picture to show the close up of the technique – I was too busy just cursing myself and getting on with the painting! I even went back over the troops that I had finished.  But painting red was the same as painting the yellow stripe, just exactly in the middle of the yellow grid. The result is below. My concern was that the tartan would look a bit ‘busy’ on the small figures but I think it looks OK.

Red added to the tartan!

Red added to the tartan!

This is typical of my approach to my modelling! I convince myself that I cant do something and then decide to have a go any way! So, with 16 of the troops completed there is just another eight to go to finish the battalion. Having learnt how to paint tartan, I suspect that the next eight will be a bit more straight forward, especially as the officers and ensigns aren’t in kilts! Give me a couple of weeks and I’ll show you the final results with the battalion all based and ready for action.

A close up of the Camerons

A close up of the Camerons – the red stripe is a bit broad on some figures!

Past experience has shown that once the basing is done, the figures will look even better.  Having completed the Camerons, my intention is to paint the other two Highland regiments in kilts, the Gordons and the Black Watch. It looks as though the tartan for these two are actually less complicated than the Camerons and having now tackled one set of tartan, I’m hoping that these other two battalions will be more straight forward.

The Commercial Bit

Another lazy link this week…nearly everything that I use in my hobby is available post free from the Arcane Scenery shop. So Expo Brushes, Vallejo Paints, Victrix figures, Renedra bases, tools and sanding sticks – they are all there , just have a browse! Use the manufacturers category or the general category to browse products.  If you want a specific paint or item, just type the number or description into the search box, hit return and it should appear!

ARCANE SCENERY SHOP

 

From Spartans to Tartans

Last week I mentioned that I went along to a play test of the forthcoming Ancient Greek skirmish game, Mortal Gods – A test of Courage. I have on the work bench a small band of Greeks and Skeletons for this game and I will return to these in another blog – they are providing light relief from my ongoing Napoleonic project.

The next Napoleonic unit on the paint station is the 79th Cameron Highlanders. I have started to batch paint the 24 figures that I need for the battalion and the first 8 are about finished. In this blog, I’ll show you step by step how I went about the task of painting these eight. Incidentally, I had initially thought that I would paint 28 figures for the battalion but I have reined in my ambition and will go for the usual 24 figures. This isn’t quite the climb down that it looks like. Having painted the first eight, my confidence has grown and I have decided to paint all three Highland regiments at Waterloo, a total of 72 figures. The other reason for the smaller Battalion is that all the Highland regiments at Waterloo had been quite badly mauled in the fighting at Quatre Bras, two days earlier, so a standard sized unit makes more sense.

I’ll rely on the pictures to show the sequence in which I have painted the models, so a picture heavy blog – hopefully more use than me waffling on…I hope that the step by step method that I use will be useful.

Step 1 Flesh

Step 1 Flesh

Once the figures have been primed with Army Painter grey, I start with the flesh – face, hands and knees! Vallejo Flat Flesh 70815. I’m using an Expo sable ‘0’ brush for most of the painting.

Step 2

Step 2 Black

Black 70950 for Hats, Cartridge Box, Bayonet scabbard and boots.

Step 3 - gaiters

Step 3 – gaiters

Black grey 70862 for the gaiters.

Step 4 Hair and sideburns!

Step 4 Hair and sideburns!

Chocolate Brown 70872 for hair, although I painted one as ginger haired using 70981 Orange brown!

Red coats on!

Red coats on!

Flat red 70957 for the Jackets.

Food bags painted

Food bags painted

Iraqi sand 70819 for the food bags – you could do these in white and I should really paint the strap in Iraqi Sand to match but I actually paint them white as it makes the front of the figure look better -call it artistic licence or laziness…

Water bottles painted

Water bottles painted

Pastel blue 70901 for the water bottles. This looks on the light side but when I use quick shade on the figure the colour will darken and the texture of the bottles will show. Painting the unit number on the canteen is beyond my skill, eye sight and patience!

Facings in Green.

Facings in Green – spot the ginger….

Flat Green 70968 for facings – collars & cuffs.

White lace & straps

White lace & straps

The longest stint in one colour! 70820 Off white for tufts, turnbacks, belts, socks and lacing.

Muskets & Water bottle strap

Muskets & Water bottle strap

Flat Brown 70984 for Musket stocks and I cheated and used the same colour for the canteen strap – leather brown 70871 would perhaps be a better choice. Some painters like to paint a grain effect on the wooden musket stocks – again, a step too far for me and I think unnecessary.

Metallics done.

Metallics done.

Metallics! Steel 70864 for the musket barrel and other details, Brass 70801 for the buttons, belt plate and details on the musket.

Tartan Paint - it's magic!

Tartan Paint – it’s magic!

Vallejo Tartan paint….Well, not exactly but just to tease, I will explain how I went about painting the Tartan for the Cameron’s in more detail. This was the test shot and once I had gotten my head around the process I reverted back to the batch paint job.I’ll say up front that it is by no means an accurate representation, more a nod in the general direction of how Tartan looks. When it came to it, painting the tartan to this standard wasn’t as difficult as I had thought but it is time consuming. The first 8 figures that I have finished are looking OK for the table top, though I say so myself – you can an idea for yourself next week! But, there are a few steps yet to take, including the daunting task of painting the figures with quick shade and hoping that I didn’t lose too much of the detail.

I’ve also painted the red cross hatching on the hat bands and the socks. So until next week,  you can see how I tamed the tartan terrors!

The Commercial Bit

A lazy link this week…nearly everything that I use in my hobby is available post free from the Arcane Scenery shop. So Expo Brushes, Vallejo Paints, Victrix figures, Renedra bases, tools and sanding sticks – they are all there , just have a browse! Use the manufacturers category or the general category to browse products.  If you want a specific paint or item, just type the number or description into the search box, hit return and it should appear!

ARCANE SCENERY SHOP

Mortal Gods – Play Testing

I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Mortal gods play test event at Boards and Swords in Derby last Sunday. The venue is well worth a visit and if you are anywhere near to the Derby/Nottingham area, you might consider using the venue for a gaming event or hobby day with your mates. There are plenty of tables and the venue is very easy to get to by car, with safe free car parking on site. I think that the growth of such venues is good news for the hobby. Not everyone can find a local gaming club but a venue such as this can soon provide contacts and of course opponents! We have ‘bookmarked’ the venue as a possible location for one of our future Black powder grand scale games! The web site address is at the bottom of the page.

mortal gods

As usual, I digress, back to Mortal Gods. The demo games were organised by Andy Hobday and Mark Farr of War banner, so there was plenty of expertise to help facilitate the games. The game is based on the same game engine as Test of Honour, with all the Samurai background and flavour stripped out and of course, plenty of Ancient Greek flavour added back in! If you are not familiar with Test of Honour, it’s worth explaining that the game is essentially a skirmish game built around small war bands. This makes the game an ideal entry point into a genre that perhaps you hadn’t considered before. I certainly had not planned to start a Samurai Army, but Test of Honour facilitated the start of my collection and allowed me to try the period without having to commit to buying and painting hundreds of figures before I could start gaming.

Test playing Mortal Gods

Test playing Mortal Gods

Test of Courage will do the same job for Ancient Greece. If you have been tempted by such films as ‘the 300’ – the Battle of Thermopylae – or other such or tales but never had the enthusiasm to paint a massive Ancient army, then this game will help to scratch that ‘itch’. A typical war band or Lochos will consist of around 20-30 figures, although it is possible to use more or less, depending on the scenario and the players involved. The other point to make about the game is that it is designed to be exactly that, a game. Whilst Test Of Courage is firmly set in the Ancient Greek realms, it is not designed to be a simulation or does not claim to represent an accurate view of combat in the Ancient world. Andy Hobday is very much focused on producing an enjoyable, cool game with some clever gaming mechanics, whilst Mark Farr and the War Banner team are steeped in the detail of the history and keep the game close enough to the period, with the appropriate troop types and weaponry, to make it feel like you are battling in Ancient Greece.

Not the best dice roll!

Not the best dice roll!

And so back to the play test game. I played two games, the games being superbly umpired by George and Jade, who were there to help with the rules and offer guidance when required. Having played Test of Honour, it was easy get get the general thread of the rules and we were soon focusing on the game rather than the rules. Your units or heroes are activated by drawing tokens and placing them on the appropriate card. The cards of course contain most of the stats and character rules that you need to play, so there is little need to refer to a rules book once you get going.  Most of the action is decided by rolling the special test of Courage dice. Three swords will give you a pass, Medusa’s are bad news! One of the cool changes is the ability to form your hoplites up into a ‘mini phalanx’ making them very tough to take on from the front. However, if you can get around the back….. The other change I like is the ability of your Hero or commander to use activation’s to give orders to other close units. Another mechanic is the fate tokens that are much more influential on the game but easier to come to terms with than drawing extra cards as in Test of Honour. Fate affects everyone in the game – watch out!

Combat begins.

Combat begins.

So when is the game released? Well actually not until March of next year. Which is another cool thing about the guys at War Banner. They are giving the basic game plenty of exposure to gamers and therefore the opportunity for the community to be involved in it’s development. The basic framework is there but in the light of play testing and feedback from gamers they are open to ideas. An example of this was on the day, the test for giving orders was moved from the receiving units stats to the hero giving the order, making it more likely that the order would be passed but still leaving the possibility of a fail occurring.

My Lochos is under way!

My Lochos is under way!

The other point to make is that whilst there may be some changes to the rules, Andy and Mark are working hard to ensure that the presentation of the game is top class. The Art work for the cards, rules tokens and all the other kit that you will need is already looking brilliant. With Stavros Zouliatis busy scuplting figures for the game to supplement the superb Victrix range that is already available and Sarissa Precision in the wings working on some evocative scenery, I can guarantee that the final product will be amazing!

THE COMMERCIAL BIT

If you would like to visit Boards and Swords here is the link to their website:

BOARDS & SWORDS

If you would like to know more about Mortal Gods: A test of Courage, checkout the Facebook page here:

MORTAL GODS 

If you would like to make a start of a mortal Gods Locos, we have some great models in our range of Vitrix Models, available POST FREE to most worldwide locations!

VICTRIX RANGE

Happy Modelling!

 

Forward, the 79th!

One of the pleasures of the wargaming hobby for me, is watching my collection grow as I add each new unit. My Napoleonic collection is broadly themed around the Battle of Waterloo and the 100 days Campaign. This gives me a structure to work to when building my army. I don’t intend to make every unit that served in the Allied army, although sometimes it feels like that is what I am doing!

32nd Foot ready fo action!

32nd Foot ready fo action!

I have been working on what I think is one of the most interesting of the British Brigades that fought both at Waterloo and at Quatre Bras, two days earlier. It is the British 8th Brigade, commanded by Major General Sir James Kempt. The brigade consisted of the 28th North Gloucestershire’s, 32nd Cornwall, 79th Cameron Highlanders and 6 company’s of the 95th Rifles.

As I have mentioned, the brigade fought well at Quatre Bras, with the Rifle Battalion occupying ‘Cherry Wood’ just north of the Namur road to stop the French encirclement. With just 550 men, they managed to throw the French into confusion and push back the 2e Leger, some 2000 men. The French unit ‘fled without awaiting the enemy and the rest of the division fell into disorder and, not content with abandoning it’s ground, did not stop, even on reaching the high ground beyond Gemioncourt.’

Lady Butlers painting of the 28th at Quatre Bras.

Lady Butlers painting of the 28th at Quatre Bras.

If the rifle battalion had performed well, so to did the rest of the brigade who were thrown into the battle against the French advance. They blasted away Bachelu’s leading regiment, 61e Ligne with their disciplined fire, again causing the French 5e Division to fall back. Later in the battle, in what seemed to be a rehearsal for the events that would occur two days later at Waterloo, The brigade formed squares to resist the French Cuirassiers, pouring volley after volley into them without breaking.

The Brigade went on to Waterloo and faced D’Erlons attack – but that’s another story – back to the modelling!

As well as their contribution to the 100 days campaign, from a modellers point of view, it is the variety of units in the brigade that interests me. The 28th were wearing Stovepipe shakos and had yellow facings as well as having an additional badge on the rear of their shakos. The 32nd Cornwall battalion was a standard battalion with Belgic shakos and white facings. The 95th, are of course the famous green clad rifles, which leaves the 79th, a Tartan clad Highland battalion with green facings.

I have already completed the 28th and 32nd – you can read how I went about modelling them in my earlier blogs. Here are two of the articles to get you started!

THE 28TH STARTER ARTICLE

THE 32nd STARTER ARTICLE

I had decided to use the Victrix Plastic Highlanders to make the 79th Camerons. I am happy with plastics as opposed to metals and like the process of putting plastics together. It also means that my army is lighter when it comes to moving them around! The other benefit of the Victrix set is that you get 60 figures plus plenty of spare pieces, so conversions are straight forward. The Victrix Highlanders come as either a centre company boxed set or as a Flank Company boxed set. I went for the Centre company set as I have a box of Flank company line infantry and I will use the arms from this set to make my Flank companies.

Victrix Centre Companies Highland Infantry.

Victrix Centre Companies Highland Infantry.

Assembly of these models is quite straight forward, there is minimal flash and mould lines to remove. As always, I use polystyrene cement to glue them together. This gives plenty of working time and results in a much stronger bond than using super glue. You will also find that the joins fill if you let the cement soften the plastic for a minute before you press the pieces together.

Victirx Highland Infantry assembled

Victirx Highland Infantry assembled

The assembly instructions are sparse but do make it reasonably clear what arms go with what body. There is a choice of heads. Some have a peak on the highland bonnet, some do not. I am told that the highland troops were ordered to remove the peaks for the Battle of Waterloo but I haven’t worried about this level of detail and my unit has a mixture of peaks and no peaks! I know that some modellers will find this casual attitude unacceptable but I am happy to mix it up. My troops aren’t meant to be frozen in time to one Battle and I’m happy to believe that whilst the troops may have been ordered to remove the peaks, what they actually did at the battle when the sun came out may have been different to what they were ordered to do!

The 79th Cameron regiment of foot, Centre Companies.

The 79th Cameron regiment of foot, Centre Companies.

I have assembled 28 figures. The main Battalion will be represented by 24 figures, this includes the Grenadier Flank Battalion. I have also put together an extra four figures to represent the detached light company so that I can use them either for skirmishers in Black powder or as separate figures for Sharp Practice.

So I’m almost ready to start painting. Indeed, I have undercoated the first batch of eight figures. I will use the Mont St Jean reference sheet ( shown above) as my main painting guide but I will also have a quick scan of my other references, Franklins British Napoleonic Uniforms, The Companion to Waterloo, the appropriate Osprey and of course pinterest/google. I don’t expect this to be a quick project as I am concerned that the Tartan and detail around the head band and socks will really take time. If all goes well I’ll update my blog with my progress. I have half a mind to carry on and paint the other two highland regiments but one step at a time….

THE COMMERCIAL BIT

If you would like to get hold of the Victrix Highland sets, we carry them as part of our Victrix range here:

VICTRIX MODELS

We supply post free to most worldwide locations. If you are looking for glue, paint, tools or basing materials just click the link into our shop – we have a huge selection!

Happy Modelling!

Artillery, Greeks and Highlanders!

I’ve been bitting and bobbing this week, finishing off one project, my British Artillery, starting the next, Highlanders and being distracted with Greeks!

My Artillery Project Completed - well nearly!

My Artillery Project Completed – well nearly!

The above picture shows that both my limbers are now completed, with traces added and all five cannon are completed and based. There’s just some tufts to add to the foot artillery limber and two of the guns, although at the time of writing, this has all been done and the figures are now safely in my cabinet ready for battle.

Foot Artillery Officer and Surgeon

Foot Artillery Officer and Surgeon

I also have a Foot Artillery Officer and a surgeon to finish basing. This will be done over the next evening. I tend to complete my basing in short bursts due to drying time and I’m happy to finish this sort of job when ever I get a spare 5 minutes. Incidentally, the surgeon was a limited edition figure given away free with one of the Painting war magazines. He is a bit on the small side, compared to other figures but he paints up well and it’s not too noticeable. With hindsight, I should have put a bit of plasticard under his feet to give him a lift. Clearly he is more Tom Cruise than Clint Eastwood!

Beware of Greeks but watch out for those skeletons!

Beware of Greeks but watch out for those skeletons!

I’ve also been working on a ‘test shot’ of Greeks for the up and coming game of Mortal Gods. It’s not actually released until next year but having seen the development that is taking place, I thought that I would put together a small Locos. I’ll give these models a separate blog in the future, perhaps with as much detail about the game as Mr Hobday will let me give away!

Highlanders!

Highlanders!

And so to my next Napoleonic project. I will be making the final unit, 79th Battalion, to complete Kempts 8th British Infantry Brigade at Waterloo. As you can see I’ve started assembly, using the Victrix plastic boxed set. I very much like plastics and prefer these to the metals available, despite the need to assemble them and the perceived lack of legacy value that some of my colleagues talk of. Once again, I’ll revisit the background to this project in a future blog.

The thought of painting the tartan is quite daunting, so I’ll take it slowly ( more so than ever!) and show you how I get on. So, A short blog this week as I gather my thoughts to focus on the next stage of my painting projects!

THE COMMERCIAL BIT

Again, very brief! Most of the models, paints, tools bases and basing products are available post free, to most Worldwide locations, here:

ARCANE SCENERY

Happy Modelling!