Jons Mini Blog

Huns

2011-07-07T06:18:00.000-07:00

Here we have some dastardly Hun allies for my Gothic led raiding party.

Here are the armies I have lined up for next Tuesdays game.

Goths

no	Name
1	Commander avg (2)
1	Poor cmd structure (10)
4	CP Nobles
4	FP Warriors (large)
4	S Javlinmen
2	CL Huns
3	re-rolls
Late Romans (eastern) 285-378

1	Commander avg (2)
1	Avg cmd structure (30)
2	CP Cataphractii
1	CL Maurii
4	FP Comitantenses
4	+Sagitarrii supports
4	FL psuedocomitantenses
1	re-rolls

Somebody asked for a guide on how I based my figures. The image below shows the layout - click on it to get a readable view.

Goth Progress

2011-06-04T07:14:00.000-07:00

Early Visigoths to be precise - I made a last second change to my army list by replacing some cavarly with hunic allies. 12 figures left and project will be 'completed'

Note the severed head on the banner - one of about 6 unfortunate romans the goths have brought with them.

"Dont kiss me Ginger"

A not the best picture of my favourite goth

Wappinshaw - Glasgow - this Saturday

2011-05-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

See here for details.

finished 28mm late roman army including camp

2011-05-14T07:47:00.000-07:00

Here we have one complete, 300 point, impetus army. I can already get this well over 400 if I included the goths, which I have painted so far, as allies.

Note the only thing here I haven't blogged yet is the camp diorama. Given the scale, I made up my mind not to do an actually "camp" as such. I opted instead to represent a sort of fortified position. This is built around the gripping beast artillery piece that I had little use for in the end. I didn't actually unbase it though. Just built the camp around it using thin modelling foam and filler.

A few modelling points about the camp.

The banners turned out well but didn't photograph that good. I used a linen based product that you can put through any inkjet printer. I then frayed the edges with a pin and added a quick wash to make them look older.
The base was made using thin sheet foam which was cut into a multilevel hill. I then coated in cheap filler and attached the figures with "hard as nails" adhesive.
Grit/small stones were then added with PVA and painted/drybrushed with raw umber.
The stakes are toothpicks and the figures are a mixture of Warlord games, Musketeer miniatures, gripping beast and crusader.

Those who follow my blog and have a good eye may have noticed something different about my cavalry - more on that next time.

The Camp ...

the mastif has spotted a mule bringing supplies - the figure itself looked curious

The Whole Army ...

Click on below picture for close up of the heavy infantry

Gothic style Bucellarii cavalry - to be used as cataphactii in this list

Foundry make good lights/archers due to their smaller stature

Bows Strung with brush bristles

My archers are based in a single rank - this allows be to field them as independant units or supporting sagitarii, to the rear of the heavy foot.

Click below for a nice view of the cavalry to the right.

a swede

2011-04-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

I am currently awaiting a final order of goths so as to complete two, full 300 point armies. Along with my first order I also bought this single figure from Bills "Great Northern War" range.

Rather like him. Could probably be tempted...

oil painted horses

2011-04-22T14:16:00.000-07:00

Quick and easy horses.

1 - Base coat in chosen colour. I have used various redish or light browns .. not too dark. You can also paint the tail and mane if you wish at this stage.
2 - Paint horse with a thin coat of oil paint - Use darker colours here. I used burnt umber over all of them except the "orange" one. For this I used siena brulee which is a dark, redish brown.
4 - leave 10 mins then gently wipe of the oil paint. Unlike other washes you will see the results immediately so take your time until you get the hang of it, judging the results as you go. I start with a gentle overall all wipe then target the raised bits with my finger wrapped in an old t-shirt.
3 - leave three days then paint the straps, markings etc as normal. I also added an optional touch up used the original base coat.

Romans I missed

2011-04-09T05:33:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to show some pictures of the troops I haven’t blogged yet.

Light foot Comitatenses – These guys seem to have been more flexible than their earlier counterparts. Impetus allows both light and heavy incarnations of the legionary. I plan to have a double line with the lights passing through the heavy’s when needed.

The Equites – The native italian cavalry - These take the form of light or medium cavalry in impetus. They seem to have focused on the skirmish/scouting role in the historical context, leaving the crazy charging stuff to the cataphractii and “barbarian” allies.

Ballistarii – Pretty useless in the rules but I fancied painting one up. I will probably only use it occasionally.

TIP - make your final stage of painting a deep shading one. I use GW badab black wash. Just darken the dividing lines betwen areas such as the hands and shirt. This is similar to outlining but much easier with a good wash than with paint!

400 points - completed

2011-03-31T10:05:00.001-07:00

Well my first target has been reached. Here we have a 400 point, Late Roman (eastern empire) impetus army. Oddly, they happen to fit perfectly into two of the type of storage boxes I use ("really useful boxes" A4 size). I couldn't even squeeze in one more skirmish base!

Mundane coincidences aside, my appetite for Romans is still healthy and I am looking forward to stage 2! I have painted a further four bases since my last post but will get the pictures after I finish my left overs.

I have Enough leftovers to make two additional light foot units. I'm rather chuft about this because it gives me the option of have two supporting lines of infantry. Four will be heavy comitantes (FP), backed up by four comitantes (FL) with javelins. The new amendments to impetus give a lot more flexibility here than before. FL can now now through, or be moved through, by FP. FL, falling back as they are interpenetrated. Also, they no longer cause damage to rear units after being destroyed. FP units still do though. A further option will be to form the supporting archers into two seperate units.

TIP

Don't use brown to colour your bases. Use a dark umber or "british khaki" and lighten/highlight with cream/sand - looks much better, especially with dry brushing.

O

Late eastern Romans
Fair CNC (2) 20
Avg cmd structure 12
1x re-rolls 5
2x CP Cataphractii 60 (using musketeer bucellarii on their new armoured horses) DONE
2x CL Maurii 46 (GB arthurian + BTD late romans) DONE
4x FP Comitantes 84 (BTD late roman armoured swordsmen and spear) DONE
2x FL Comitantes 38 (foundry infantry with javins) DONE
4x T supporting Sagitarii 40 (foundry archers) DONE

301 points

Goths
1x fair commander (2) 20 DONE
Poor command structure 0
6x CP visigoth nobles 126 (musketeer goths pictured) IN PROGRESS
4x FP large warbands 42 (musketeer and GB saxons want to expand with goths) IN PROGRESS
4x SK skirmishers with javlins 48
3x rerolls

301 points

next time! left over Romans, including a special unit ...

bucellarii

2011-03-20T12:29:00.000-07:00

Rather liking these chaps. They are listed on the musketeer website as being“Bucellarii/Commitatus Cavalry” The term Bucelarrii refers to private armies that had existed ever since they republic. Though technically illegal they seem to have become more common during the 5^th century.

For my purposes they will be either Cataphractii or gothic nobles. Not sure which yet! The term “Cataphcractii” Is a bit uncertain and and would probably be more likely to involve the two handed “kontos” – two handed lance that sometimes serverd as a Pike when dismounted.

Either way, the below figures are in my opinion a perfectly suitable representation of either late roman, or gothic, heavy cavalry.

Revised lists:

Late eastern Romans
Fair CNC (2) 20
Avg cmd structure 12
1x re-rolls 5
2x CP Cataphractii 60 (using musketeer bucellarii on their new armoured horses)
2x CL Maurii 46 (GB arthurian + BTD late romans)
4x FP Comitantes 84 (BTD late roman armoured swordsmen and spear)
2x FL Comitantes 38 (foundry infantry with javins)
4x T supporting Sagitarii 40 (foundry archers)

301 points

Goths
1x fair commander (2) 20
Poor command structure 0
6x CP visigoth nobles 126 (musketeer goths pictured)
4x FP large warbands 42 (musketeer and GB saxons want to expand with goths)
4x SK skirmishers with javlins 48
3x rerolls

301 points

Todays TIP:

Some horses have "stronger legs" than others. By this I mean how solidly they are joined to their bases. All four feet on the ground usually makes them stronger of course. Put these horses on the edges so that they dont start to wobble when handling/lifting the base.

nearly there

2011-03-07T08:47:00.000-08:00

Without realising it I am now pretty close to a 400 point impetus army. Only 20 cavalry to go after this. Still, I fully plan to build out the Goths so that I can have two 300 point armies for quick games.

Following on - I will at least expand the Romans some more as Bills forthcoming range is sure to suck me back in.

… so here is the roman infantry battle line. These will each have a supporting archer unit to the rear, thus forming an impetus “large unit”

TIP

Make a wet palette if you like to mix your paints. It keeps them nice and wet/thinned for a couple of days. Here is mine below.

Fedorati completed

2011-02-21T08:23:00.000-08:00

Here are the saxon infantry to go along with my gothic cavalry. This completes the Fedorati contingent of my late roman army.

A Gothic Horror

2011-02-10T11:55:00.001-08:00

dudes,

Here are the two Goth Noble cavalry units who will be serving my Roman army as Fedorati.

I really enjoyed painting these and am very happy with how the pictures turned out.

I have decided to base my large barbarian units in the same was as I have my romans. That is, I will have the rear unit as half thickness, as per skirmish bases in the rules. This will save on figures - given my habit of cramming them on.

I have also modified my army list to account for some second hand figures I got hold of. I would like a second line of roman infantry but will wait until musketeer miniatures release their new Justinian range before I buy more lead.

Poor CNC (1) 10
Avg cmd structure 12
2x re-rolls 10
2x Cataphractii 60 (using musketeer bucellarii on their new armoured horses)
2x equities 46 (GB arthurian + BTD late romans)
4x Comitantes 84 (BTD late roman armoured swordsmen and spear)
4x supporting Sagitarii 40 (foundry archers)
3x Lanciarii 42 (foundry infantry with javins)

1x poor commander (1) 10
2x visigoth nobles 42 (musketeer goths pictured)
2x large warbands 42 (musketeer and GB saxons want to expand with goths)

398 points

Roman Comitatenses plus supporting Sagittarii

2011-01-27T07:05:00.000-08:00

Hello,

This is something like what my main battle line will look like. The heavy infantry can form large units with supporting archers. Also, notice the mini dice I have stuck to the base with tacky glue. This will be used to count VBU losses.

PS selling my 18mm french rebublican army.

Late Romans

2011-01-18T07:03:00.001-08:00

hello again,

So here we have some late romans. Both Sagittarii (archers) and Lanciarii (javlin/skirmishers).

The bows are now all strung. 24 in total. Wasnt that bad at all. I used superglue to hold the the arrow and string in place. I then added a dab of epoxy glue onto the joints for strength. Using two pieces makes it much easier that trying to bend a single piece.

Anwayways, heres is the list I plan to use for me impetus army.

Avg cmd structure
1xAvg Commander
3x re-rolls
2x cataphractarii
6x comitantes
4 x supporting sagatarri
3x lanciarii

305 points plus ...

1x poor commander
2x visigoth heavy noble cavalry
2x large warrior units

94 points.

This will of course give me a 400 point army that I can expand into two matching armies. Eastern romans vs goths.

Interestingly musketeer miniatures are branching out into justinian romans which is what I think ill be basing mine on. Bill did some sculpting over new year and will be releasing in march. His goths and saxons will make excellent fedoratti.

This arrow is too big

2011-01-11T08:25:00.000-08:00

And the string needs to be tighter. Any tips or should I just give up now?

EDIT - Read a guide and used brush hair and copper wire for the arrow.

Grendarmes

2011-01-08T05:10:00.000-08:00

Here are some Eureka figures I painted up for a friend. Never seen them painted before so maybe I'm the first to post them, finished, on the net? Anyways, hope you like.

Finished french side

2010-12-23T07:17:00.000-08:00

I now have two respectable skirmish forces of around 50 per side. The french have 24 marines and 24 Indians. The British about the same regulars and militia. I also have plenty of civilians, scenery etc to put on a good sharpes practice game. I would like to expand on this army at a later date to include more regulars. However, this subject to Eric actually releasing them!

Until then I will proceed with a new Impetus army. My BTD late roman "part order" has arrived. I may yet manage to get a Late roman base made up. These are the front runners for the next project but those middle imperials keep tempting me back ..

r

some greasy French marines

2010-12-17T06:12:00.000-08:00

I know I bang on about figures that have character but these really are exceptional in that respect.

I have just received my order from conquest miniatures from the USA. All four packs of their famous Compangies Franches de la Marine. These are the first four figures I have painted. I am playing around with blues. The guy in the red cap has Ultramarines blue as a base colour unlike the others.

Still no late Romans from BTD so will have to hold off on the Romans for a while. Cant decide which I prefer yet but the copplestone Marian Romans surprised in that they are the front runners.

Third Century Romans

2010-12-10T06:06:00.000-08:00

SO... another week and another impetus base full of lovely Romans. These are a curious bunch. I bought them from A&A miniatures and as far as I know they are the only ones who cover this period. n fact when I first saw the pictures I wasn't even convinced they were Romans!

Certainly these figures do have a certain charm. They remind me of the goons in the flash Gordon movie. Something almost sci-fi-camp about those helmets.

The figures themselves are a bit big and clumsy looking. Having said that they do have character and paint up ok. Some of the faces are a wee bit deformed though that may be moulding issues.

They would also be ideal for fighting the early pagan goths. I'm still musing over which barbarians I like best and early goths are the front runners.

Next up should be late romans. Only problem is the infamous BTD still haven't delivered. Going by some bloggers I could be waiting for up to three years. Seriously ..

Early Imperial romans

2010-12-04T04:32:00.000-08:00

So here we have the next chapter in my Roman painting project. These guys are foundry and are sporting some LBMS transfers on their shields. It took me a week to paint these fourteen figures which is pretty good going I think.

These are the Classic romans. Arguably the most popular wargame army there is. Although I like the sculpts very much I think I prefer the Marian romans below. Just the little bit more character in the figures and I like the helmets.

Next up are the far more unusual "Middle Imperial Romans".

l

A tale of two romans

2010-11-30T08:01:00.000-08:00

So back to dipping again...

Now romans seem to be the ideal candidate for dipping. The reds, dark creams and armour should all work well. They are quick to paint anways and much of their aesthetic is derived from the shields for which I used transfers.

I painted two foundry romans. Both were done fairly briskly as I would when doing a large batch of grunts. However, one of these got base coat, GW dylan wash, one/two further highlights. The other got just got one coat plus dip.... Actually, for the flesh I couldn't resist adding a couple of highlights but this was done BEFORE the dip so not cheating.

See what you think. Hard to capture it on camera as always but I think they are pretty close to be honest. Anything over two feet and you cant tell with my eyes ...

Red and Romans

2010-11-26T07:21:00.000-08:00

Having re-watched the second series of "Rome", I couldn't help but grab a pack of these on my recent visit to static. They are made by "companion miniatures" and are modified perry sculpts. Very cute figures with loads of character.

I used these to practice my red and I am now happy that I have a system that works. Most of what you see in the pictures is just two colours. Actually, two tones applied well is far more effective than three done "wrong" I think.

What I do is first apply a dark red (GW scab red in my case).

When it comes to the shading stage I used GW dylan mud as a wash. You must ensure that not too much wash gets on the raised surfaces. You can either be more careful where you apply the wash or simply wipe off the excess afterwards (this is what it says on the bottle as it happens). The result should be scab red which is darkened even further in the recesses.

For the highlight I apply only one colour but is several layers. I use coat'd'arms "British scarlet" It is best to use several thin layers. This sounds tiresome but it is not. Apply one layer that is thin enough so that by the time you finish the whole model the first bit you did is dry. You can then go over it again with a second layer. You ll notice as you apply the layers it seems like you are using a lighter shade. The aim is to build up a bold, solid red that contrasts well with the base. The shading adds that bit more depth.

A third highlight may improve things a bit but light reds/pinks take time to do right. Not worth it for bulk troops.

Anyways, think that's the longest post Ive ever written. Hope it is of use to someone!

PS I forgot to mention the dustyness I added to the cloak and shields. I really like doing this though curious of what others think. Its just tan earth drybrushed on. A very useful colour for all sorts of things.

l

l

beardy horde

2010-11-18T09:23:00.000-08:00

Heres base of pagan saxons/germanic types. I'm still thinking about adding a few severed heads to the banner pole... Have been looking on eBay for zombie types I can decapitate...

Now here Ive gone back to my old school basing in terms of the dirt bits. I used the standard grit, paint, dry brush method. This was british khaki with two rounds of drybrushing (linen to lighten). I find it gives a much better look than brown. Trust me on that one!

One more small tip regarding the linen/cream colour of their clothes. When you want to use a light colour but not a boring old white use "linen" or a light cream. Wash with GW serpia and then add more linen. You can then add a final highlight mixed with white if you can be bothered. You will find it this method gives easy results.

The potential for an dark age pagan horde is quite appealing to me. Perhaps a wicker man as a "baggage train" for impetus?

PS I just edited this post to make a point about my basing mentality (or menalism for those who know me). Although it may look a bit random I actually took an unusual ammount of time positioning them. The impression I want to give is a unit close to the action. Although they are "barbarians" this is an elite unit (as you can tell from their atire). I want them fighting more close ordered than a "horde" but not too ordered.

To get this look I put the outer four figures perfectly aligned as the four corners of a rectangle. The rest of the inner two ranks are staggered to look more ragged. I think this gives the impression I was aiming for.

painting outside my comfort zone

2010-11-13T06:31:00.000-08:00

Now my lead pile ain't that massive but I had a few moors left over from my crusader project. I decided to make up an impetus base (current ones are on 60mm squares).

I went for the "comic book" style. Normally I find it easier to do subtle, natural stuff but I want to learn to paint more boldly.

Next up the Saxon impetus base!

a red Indian ..

2010-11-07T09:22:00.000-08:00

Got an extra figure thrown in with my order from thunderbolt mountain. Decided to go all devil boy on this one.

Couple of new things painted

2010-11-04T09:23:00.000-07:00

Here are the last of the saxons I bought at the Edinburgh Show. I actually ordered a few more to make up an impetus base. Looking foward to finishing that. Incidently Musketeer miniature orders now go through Gripping beast.

And here is a FIW whale boat (made by Redubt Enterprises). I have been spoiled for painting 1st class miniatures of late. Poor redoubt seemed very dated when compared to the likes of perry/conquest. Also, they dont answer their emails .. ever ...

Army painter DIP

2010-11-02T04:55:00.001-07:00

Hello,

Bought some Franco Prussian figs on Ebay. They were going cheap so I stuck in a bid on impulse.

I decided to use these to test the dip method. I block painted a single coat then added the dip. Actually thats not quite true. For the face I wanted to see how the dip would look over two layers. I put on a GW flesh base and then highlighted with elf flesh creating a high contrast. The red also required a bit of touching up. I have yet to find a red that works in a single coat over black.

BEFORE

AFTER

Some additional shots

2010-10-09T14:34:00.000-07:00

Including the new baggage train and two btirish 6pdrs.

Flying Pink Pony Unicorn with Magical Ballerina Fairy

2010-10-05T15:43:00.001-07:00

The title this post is in respect to the sculptor Tom Meier from Thunderbolt mountain I am now the proud owner of one his sets and he has, consequently, now become my new favourite toy maker. Oh and yes he did actually sculpt this!

These figures come as a set of eight french and Indian war personality's. I say personality's but the majority are just humble grunts. In fact there is only one clear leader amongst them!

Now I have to say that this were a real pleasure to see for the first time. You can see straight away that these guys are something special. In a strange way they do, at first, look like they have elongated limbs. This illusion comes from my familiarity with the "perry standard", who now look positively stumpy! To be fair to the others these are not 28mm. They are 1/46 but you have to put this into perspective. Their heads, hands, chest width, arm/leg thickness is about the same as your average 28mm. The greater mass comes more from the length of their limbs.

Here you can see "from left to right" A perry 40mm Napoleonic figure, one of the Indian's from our pack, a perry 28mm Indian. and a conquest ranger. I included later to illustrate how these would struggle to mix. I would consider using them as "big men" for a game of sharpes practice!

Really, I couldn't be happier with these guys. I have never enjoyed painting so much although I have to say they certainly did intimidate at first. I will be buying at least one of each of these that Tom releases. I can quote him as saying these are aimed at "small skirmish gaming" My hope is that this will be at least 20 variations. My fear, as you will see from reading his blog, is that this guy gets somewhat easily distracted.

I would ask that anyone else who would love to skirmish with these guys makes contact with him to show your interest through Thunderbolt mountain. I did.

PS My thoughts on the minimum required. The grunts would need at least four variations to look good in number. Of course the perry standard of 6 is best but lets not be greedy.

french regulars
Indians
officer/character

British regulars
rangers/irregulars
officer/character

A river

2010-10-03T05:15:00.001-07:00

I have made a river to go with my fur terrain mat. I'm fairly happy with it apart from the colours which are a bit off.

The basic process was.

The base - flexible sheet (like some ring binders) - cut to shape - The transparency made this easier.
Tine Foil - glue crumpled tin foil over the base
The riverside - Add Glue and various pebbles, flock to the edges, in a few stages.
Paint the river - dark in the middle, blue either side, muddy Green/brown edges
Add two layers of "still water" product to finish (wasn't cheap)

basing ...

2010-09-21T06:18:00.000-07:00

Hmmm wondering which to go for per 40mm sq base ...

3 figures

4 figures

5 figures

Crusader Impetus game

2010-08-31T14:52:00.000-07:00

Played a game of Impetus against Mike today. Good fun though the lighting in the club aint the best. Also, didnt manage to snap many good pics of the franks which is annoying! Anyways, hope you like!

PS found a bunch of flags I didnt know I had. Even more over the top (in number) now ... just how I like it!

Two posts in two days!

2010-08-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

Thought you were going to focus jon!! FIW eh? That's what you said didn't you ...

Well, I was at claymore and its written in the rulebook of life that you can be naughty and go off track when at shows. I bought some musketeer Saxons which I have been eyeing up, on various miniature porn sites, for some time.

Wonderful figures and great fun to paint... Its strange I used to find the late Roman/Early Dark age period amongst the most dull. Ever since discovering the Musketeer/gripping beast ranges though I have been converted. Mostly due to:

- Cloaks
- Big beards
- shield walls with LBMS transfers

Ive also added a couple of pics at the end there. One is highlighting the last of my Copplestone "Glory of the Sun" figures. I just had to use some warlock purple. I have two pots of the stuff and its hard to find a use for it. Dead easy to use by the way. Just block paint the Warlock Purple, wash with GW purple wash, then add a single highlight.

10mm Lasalle army

2010-08-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

Hello chaps,

Here is my finished Lasalle, 1813 French army. This list requires a LOT of guns and they are all 1:1 (which is a very satifying).

While I hate painting 10mm they are very quick. I rushed through them without fixing any mistakes. I am only interested in how they look two feet away ie the mass effect.

I used army painter and 1.5mm plywood for basing. BW is 40mm.

Enjoy :)

78th Regiment

2010-08-14T05:31:00.001-07:00

So here are the highlanders (frasers). Some may have noticed that I have posted pictures of some perry higland grenadiers before. I have actually had these for years now and only recently gave them a repaint. Something I rarely do.

Im quite happy with the paint jobs here and the basing (in terms of flock). Not totally happy with their positioning on the bases though. It was hard to fit them on given the pose and space avaliable. Putting them directly, one in front of the other, gave the look of having pairs, back to front, with a large gap in betwen files. I didnt like it. I tried to therefore create an irregular look but am not totally satisfied with that either. See what you think.

The French and Indian War part 1

2010-08-05T05:45:00.000-07:00

Here we have, at last, the first figures for my FIW project. I had completed some rangers before and you can see them mixed in with the American militia below.

The pictures hopefully show the effect I am trying to give. While these miniatures are singly based, I will be using multi basing for the regulars.

Glory of the Sun .. and Dip

2010-07-26T06:37:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post. Ive been painting some of copplestones new Glory of the sun range. Nice figures but some mould errors on the faces which I find very annoying.

Anyways, I used army painter dip on two of them and it tool less than half the time. See if you can guess which ..

I love my Staedtler

2010-07-23T07:59:00.000-07:00

So I bought myself the thinnest pigment liner I could find in the art store. I find it really useful for outlining and doing eyes! The best thing though is that you can use it on a finished figure. In fact I would recommend this because you want to grasp the figure firmly during the process ie need it varnished ...

My painting process has now changed to.

1 - undercoat with gesso
2 - base coat - leaving black only on parts of the face
3 - wash with GW washes
4 - first highlight
5 - add chesnut wash to face
6 - second higlight
7 - third highlight on face and some other areas.
8 - apply humbrol gloss brush on
9 - after 24 hours apply cryla soluble matt
10 - use pen for outlines (especially to define belts, clothing divides etc)

Here are some figures that I have done using the pigment liner. See if you can notice where I used it ...

Oh and I have to draw your attention to these figures. I have been wanting to do the french and indian wars forever but never found the figures..... Now I thought I had decided apon perry and conquest 28.. but these images have thrown a big spanner in the works.

https://www.thunderboltmountain.com/preview.php?osCsid=65e75320dd7e55b0fb66482cc7a44053

I emailed Tom Meir about these, guessing that it would only be a very limited release for painters. He replied to say that they were aimed at 'small skirmish games' and would contain about 20 figures. This would be enough for me so I will have to give it some thought ....

Basing ideas, cont

2010-07-20T07:21:00.000-07:00

Hello again,

I thought I'd post my first finished sample of my new basing scheme. I agreed with some of the negative comments that the test mixes were too rocky. This mix has much more earth flock/ballast. Even, so it looks better in person than in the pictures.

The idea is to make them look like they are on the edge of rough terrain, skirmishing. hope you like...

bunch of stuff for sale

2010-07-19T04:00:00.001-07:00

Given my switch to 10mm, Im selling a bunch of Napoleonic 18mm AB on ebay.

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/cheechocheecho/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

There is some good stuff there and all bids start an 99p so you might get lucky!

New basing ideas

2010-07-18T06:04:00.001-07:00

I'm quite keen to experiment with basing ... I have far too many different bags of flock, sand etc lying around to the point where I just threw away a bunch the other day ...

Anyways, I am going to try a new approach for my FIW skirmish project. Though I've experimented with basing before its always followed this basic sequence.

Add flocking gel or sand/grit to base
Paint a dark colour
Dry brush lighter colours
Add patches of tacky glue
Attach various static grass, clumps or other stuff

Now, the only real changes Ive ever done is with the paint colours and the type of "stuff" I glue on.

My new idea is to add a mix of "stuff" as a ground cover and then seal with more glue (no annoying painting). The second stage will be to add more "stuff", including static grass, in patches. I'm hoping this will both, reduce the basing time, and give a more natural look.

This pictures show some figures placed within a ground cover mix. Ive been playing around with what looks good. The second stage will brighten this up a bit by adding bright green grass patches and perhaps tufts.

Finished army (again)

2010-04-30T08:40:00.001-07:00

It turns out I was mistaken when I said that my Saracen army was finished. For the FOG starter army required somewhat more cavalry. I really couldn't be arsed painting these so commissioned DPS to do it for me. For those interested I would recommend bidding between 60-70$ of their asking price on eBay. Multiple quantity's give better chance of success.

I do think they give a good and fast service. There were a couple of lances broken off in transit but you have to judge these things on all factors. I would personally recommend them for eBay orders such as these but not so sure about more detailed commissions with complicated specifics. Communication isn't the best I have heard.

Anyways, here are some shots of the whole army. These pictures arnt great. For better close ups you can look back to my other posts.

need to focus ...

2010-03-03T06:46:00.000-08:00

Im making the same mistake again! I often buy figures without having any use for them. I know Im intending to do 18th century small actions but havnt focused on a set of rules, or a specific theatre yet. In my defense I dont have all the bad wargaming habbits. I dont have a lead mountain for example ...

Ok Ive now promised myself no painting until a decission is made. Im probably doing the FIW but need to get into specifics.

Below are some pictures of the sort of things Ive been painting.

So to clear things up a bit im thinking about selling this lot. Was planning to build a large sharpes practice battlaion. 6 companys of 12, but not sure I can be bothered. Besides, Im already doing napoleonics in 10 and 18mm.

A bit more work on my scenics

2010-02-19T11:19:00.000-08:00

I recieved some trees the other day from the always reliable http://www.barrule.com/Workshop/scratch%20builders%20paradise/trees,%20arbres,%20baume.html

Very nice though quite delicate. I was wondering whether to i could spray it with glue or varnish to harden them? I tried some 4m spray to try and attach flock but it wouldnt stick. Still considering whether to add flock actually though because they look quite good as is.

This is all the SYW stuff I have so far. Yes the dragoons are actually AWI and I wouldnt use them for this period. Will be ordering some more highlanders (early uniform) from their AWI range however. They fit in just fine and are lovely models.

Rangers

2010-02-13T04:33:00.000-08:00

The other day I needed to kill some time before a hair cut. I wondered into Static Games in glasgow for a wee browse. I have nothing to paint at the moment so was hoping to get something to pass the time. To my surprise they had a few packs of conquest miniatures, tucked away in the corner.

Ive been admiring these on the web for some time but avoided any big orders until their regulars are released. Now these arnt the easiest of miniatures to paint. They dont have the over-defined details of producers such as front rank. What they do have though is an abundance of character and I like them very much. I think this purchase has pushed me a step closer to the french & indian wars.

Note I experimented with basing a bit here. I used two 1p coins for extra weight. This should help when placing them on fur terrain. Im not satisfied with the result as far as the flock goes though. I think I need a more 'busy' mix. Something that looks like woodland with perhaps some small twigs and undergrowth. Ill be looking into this further in the future.

A few more pics

2010-01-15T08:55:00.000-08:00

Well Im fairly happy with it for now. I want to see how it looks with trees, rocks/cover on it.

May still need more trimming on some of the bits. Ive decided not to flock the middle of the road for now. I stuck some test flock on and it didnt look so great.

Fur + figures

2010-01-14T10:37:00.000-08:00

I added paint and some bits of flock to the road today. It looks OK but its starting to annoy me. I made it far to wide in places but there's no going back on this particular feature.

I still need to flock the middle of the roads and perhaps do some more trimming. Never the less I decided to stick some figures on for inspiration.

wolf fur matt - cont

2010-01-13T06:18:00.000-08:00

So Ive been working on this thing for a while now. Its not finished though I thought Id update with my progress.

Here shows some of the wolf fur after a coat of die. I used dia-na-flow brass and yellow. I diluted about 1-1 water and then just rubbed in my my fingers. You then need to iron the fabric to make the dye stick. Notice the dark green/blueish pieces here. I made these ages ago and will get back to them.

I decided this was too brown and started to add some green and yellow acrylic paint. This requires a bit more effort but uses a similar approach. Rub the paint into your hands and then work it into the fabric with your fingers. Just pretend your drying your hands well.

I then made a start to the roads. I first painted them brown and then added glue. I used a PVA glue called bartonline. Its listed as a PVA sealer so a bit different to the craft stuff. Its cheap and comes in a big tub. I then added a mixture of sand and grit to the glue and covered with newspaper, weighed down with books. It says 24 hours for this stuff to dry. Below are the pictures Ive taken today after removing the newspaper.

I'm fairly happy with the lighter greens though not so happy with the dark. They look ok in this picture but not above. Interestingly this comes down to the type of light. You see the dark greens look very blue in the above pictures because I used natural light. Below they use common lighting which has added yellow in it! This actually makes the matt look better IMO.

Anyways, comments welcome as usual. Im now going to start painting over the roads.

til text time...

wolf fur has arrived

2010-01-05T07:59:00.000-08:00

So,

I now have enough materials to build my faux fur terrain matt for real. Below are some pictures Ive taken of the layout. Here you can see various pieces of material that will make up the fields and grass. I will glue these to an underlying piece of felt that can be painted for roads.

This is the layout. I didnt do any measuring. Just cut it by hand.

This is the uncoloured wolf fur. Its the best fur Ive found so far. I am currently experimenting with dye to get a patchy ground effect.

This is the field colour Ive attempted. Can say Im totally happy with it though it does look ok in this picture.

This is a green fur that I made some time ago. I used accrylic paints and spray paint.

spanish bandits on sample terrain

2009-12-30T00:42:00.000-08:00

Hello,

Not posted in a while due an internet problem. I havnt had it! Thanks Sky: youve just reminded me why I hate you.

Anyway, here are some test shots of my spanish. This is just a small force for a sharpes practice group game at the club. The terrain is a test piece Ive made for my new project. This will be 28mm seven years war.

Im looking to sort our the terrain before the figures for a change.
hope you like - Ill be posting more pics of terrain soon - comments welcome.

16th century spanish contingent finished

2009-11-29T10:03:00.000-08:00

Ok so still waiting for flags to arrive so "finished" may be jumping the gun a bit.

This was never intended to be a full army. Actually it was never really intended to be anything. There is a mix of foundry and GW figures I’ve hand for ages. I decided to do something with them so added some eureka horse and TAG pikes.
The end result I would call a contingent. The basing is for Spanish fury actions, hope you like!

Hessians on a teddy

2009-11-29T09:20:00.000-08:00

New project time! Doesn't seem that long since I started my last project but this is something Ive wanted to do for some time. The french and indian war really insipres me in terms of visuals. I think its the contrast between the indians/militia and the smartly dressed europeans. Both the french and the British also have quite different styles which again helps in regards to variety.

Now Im not 100% sure on the figures yet but it is going to be a semi skirmish affair, probably using Sharpes Practice for rules. Im planning to make an ambitious set of terrain for this. Below you can see a sample of the teddy bear fur I am going to use. I think this will involve attaching "patches" of different painted furs to a heavy undersheet. The space in between the patches will be used as roads, rivers and walls. I have a fairly good picture of what I want im my head but Its hard to explain here.

As far as figures go Im torn between 40mm and 28mm. For 28 I have the wonderful conquest collection to choose from as well as some of the perry AWI range. 40mm still tempts me however. I can really let loose with my painting with these and the overall effect should be very striking.

PS One thing I learned from taking this pictures is that you want a fairly heavy figure base for fur. 1p coin + metal figures is ok but a 2p coin might be better. I plan on using a combination of close order regulars, skirmishers and irregulars. There will be lots of trees, boulders etc to use as cover.

Eureka conquistador cavalry

2009-11-02T08:43:00.000-08:00

Here are 12 spanish cavalry that I have painted. Im building a small marine type force at the moment and will post more pics when finished.

Army for 'Blucher'

2009-10-13T11:15:00.000-07:00

Ive had some 10mm GHQ figures painted up for some time now but couldnt decide what to do with them.

Ive decided to throw my lot in with Sam Mustafa's 'Honor' system. http://www.sammustafa.com/honour/

Im confident these will be good if not great. Anyways, the basing for this system is 'flexible' but in a more honest way than some games. By that I mean some games claim basing "wont matter" for their rules but this a bit lazy IMO. Sam's rules do have a basing system but they show you HOW to make it flexible. Infantry, artillery and cavalry are all given the same base width. Depth doesnt matter too much but should really be less than the width to look good. You then use these base widths as the games primary measurement. I think this is a good approach although best to make your own measuring sticks.

Now here is my question for today. Im basing my 10mm army DBA style. 40x20 inf 40x30 cav, artillery and limbers. As you can see Ive just added sand but no flock or paint yet. The thing is that I think the sand alone looks quite nice next to the wooden finish. Should I add paint, drybrush first or just flock it as is? Perhaps someone has other suggestions?

Return of the Cossacks

2009-08-28T11:11:00.001-07:00

paper terrain

2009-08-24T05:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a wee village I whipped up from some paper buildings. Ive had these for a while but couldnt be bothered opening them. To be honest the first few almost put me off. After the third though it became very easy and much quicker than painting (and cheaper). Make sure you score the folds with a sharp knife. Makes it childs play to assemble. All the work goes into the cutting.

Other prussians

2009-08-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

Here we have some other units from Yorcks corps. We have ...

Lithuanian Dragoon Regiment (4 squadrons)(Lt-Col von Below)[445] (from cavalry reserve)

1st West-Prussian Dragoon Regiment [472] (from cavalry reserve)

3rd Silesian Landwehr Cavalry Regiment (from the 7th brigade)
2nd Leib Hussar Regiment (from the 1st brigade)

Next up here are some prussians I have that are not part of Yorcks corps. I bought these before I dicided to base my figures on historical OOB's

Oh and here a just a few pics that midpoint took for me the other day :)

8th brigade

2009-08-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

This is the 8th brigade of Yorcks corps, commanded by von Hünerbein. Ive included a small description of each unit within the same post this time.

8th BRIGADE (MG von Hünerbein)infantry (Lt-Col von Borcke)
Brandenburg Infanterie Regiment (3 battalions)(Lt-Col von Borcke)[2,306]
12th Reserve Infantry Regiment (3 battalions)(Major von der Goltz)[2,327]
Freiwillige Jäger (detachment)[84]
14th Silesian Landwehr Regiment (4 battalions)(Colonel von Gaza)
Brandenburg Hussar Regiment (2 squadrons)(Major von Knobloch)[287]3rd
6-pdr Foot Battery No. 15 (Lieutenant Anders)[134]
(total 7,447 men, including 84 Freiwillige Jäger)

von Hünerbein

14th Silesian Landwehr Regiment (4-2=2 ) - 2 btns. were in Wartenburg, not present at Leipzig other sources say they were in the advanced guard – yellow collar/cuffs

Brandenbourg Hussar Regiment no3 Dark blue dolman and pelisse, poppy-red facings, white piping, buttons and cords, poppy red sash with white barrels (officers black and silver). If the figures have a shabraque and not the black sheep skin, then that will be dark blue with red "wolf's teeth" (wedges) piped white (though these were rarely used on campaign and weren't issued until later in the period, 1814 from memory).

no 12 / 2nd Brandenbourg Infantry Regiment & 12th reserves. These had red collar and cuffs and red straps reserve uniforms in Leipzig The 12th line is the closest you can get to a crack reserve regiment. As reserve battalions of the Lieb infantry regiment.. With the removal of the Guard from the line, these two battalions, together with a reserve battalion from the First West Prussian regiment, were the first of the reserve battalions to attain line status. They were then present at every major engagement in which the Prussian army was involved during the 1813-15 period.

2009-08-17T11:18:00.000-07:00

So there we have a brief overview of the second brigade of Yorcks 1st corps (army of silesia). Ive posted a couple of pictures of the entire brigade in typical attack posture. Note how the fusiliers deploy in front, in line. These are drawn form the regular line regiments. In front of these would be the Freiwillige Jäger detachments. I presume that fusiliers would be the first to reenforce these if needed, followed by the third rank from the musketeer battalions.

East prussian Infantry regiments

2009-08-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

Hear are the regular infantry from Mecklenburg's 2nd BRIGADE. They are the 1st and 2nd East prussian Infantry regiments. A total of 6 battalions. Each regiment has one battalion of fusiliers and two battalions of musketeers. The fusilier battalion has black straps and no flag. The musketeers battalions do have flags, and also white straps. The colour of prussian facings depending on their province of origin. For east prussia this was the colour red. From what Ive read it seems that this was an orange type red so I just painted the orange. Note how the shoulder straps indicate the battalion number. White for first, red for second.

6th Landwehr

2009-08-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

Ive been working on my prussians of late and now have two full Brigades finished. Thats half way to my ultimate goal of completing Yorck's corps in 1813. Im going to post pictures of all the units at some point. The first is the 6th Silesian Landwehr regiment. It has yellow collar/cuffs and different coloured straps for each battalion - white, red, yellow, light blue. Ive given one of the battalions pikes for their first rank. This would not be the case by the later battles but I likes the idea anyway :)

battle of loewenberg 21 aug 1813 – 2nd brig schweidnitz battalion fought beyond all expectations like old line troops attacked enemy twice with bayonet stopped them breaking out of plagwitz – retreated in good order only once all ammunition ran out. Digby-Smith writes: "The Prussian Landwehr received their baptism of fire at Lowenberg. The Schweidnitz battaalion braved canister fire and threw the enemy back at the point of the bayonet. They were only taken out of the line when they ran out of ammunition, and when they marched past Yorck he had his line regiments oresent arms to them. Blucher wrote: 'At first it was only so-so with the Landwehr battalions, but now that they've had a good taste of powder, they're as good as the line battalions.

CENTRE: PRUSSIAN 1ST ARMY CORPS (Hans-David-Ludwig von Yorck)
Chief of staff: Colonel von Zielinsky
Commander of artillery: Lt-Col Schmidt
ADC: Cpt. Delius
Kriegskommissar: von Reiche
Medical Officer: Doctor Voltze

1st BRIGADE (Colonel von Steinmetz)
1st East-Prussian Grenadier Battalion (1 battalion)[722]
Freiwillige Jäger (detachment)[35]
Leib Grenadier Battalion (1 battalion)[798]
Freiwillige Jäger (detachment)[147]
West-Prussian Grenadier Battalion (1 battalion)[756]
Freiwillige Jäger (detachment)[67]
Silesian Grenadier Battalion (1 battalion)[800]
Freiwillige Jäger (detachment)[81]
East-Prussian Jager Battalion (3rd & 4th company)[349]
landwehr (Colonel von Losthin)
5th Silesian Landwehr Regiment (4 battalions)(Major von Maltzahn)[2,485]
13th Silesian Landwehr Regiment (4 battalions)(Major von Gädicke)[2,198]
(total 12 ½ battalions; 8,438 infantry)
cavalry
2nd Leib Hussar Regiment (4 squadrons)(Major von Stöffel)[555]
Freiwillige Jäger (detachment)[143]
artillery
6-pdr Foot Battery No. 2 (Lieutenant Lange)[134]
(total 9,270 men, including 473 Freiwillige Jäger)

2nd BRIGADE (MG Prince Carl von Mecklenburg)
infantry (Lt-Col von Lobenthal)
1st East-Prussian Infantry Regiment (3 battalions)(Lt-Col von Lobenthal)[2,471]
Freiwillige Jäger (detachment)[151]
2nd East-Prussian Infantry Regiment (3 battalions)(Lt-Col von Sidholm 2)[2,319]
Freiwillige Jäger (detachment)[43]
6th Silesian Landwehr Regiment (4 battalions)(Lt-Col von Grumbkow)[2,206]
(total 10 battalions; 7,091 infantry)
cavalry
Mecklenburg Hussar Regiment (4 squadrons)(Lt-Col von Warburg)[404]
Freiwillige Jäger (detachment)[46]
artillery
6-pdr Foot Battery No. 1 (Captain Huet)[133]
(total 7,674 men, including 240 Freiwillige Jäger)

7th BRIGADE (MG von Horn)
infantry (Lt-Col von Zepelin)
Leib Infanterie Regiment (3 battalions)(Lt-Col von Zepelin)[2,236]
Freiwillige Jäger (detachment)[273]
Thuringian Infantry Battalion (1 battalion)[483]
Guard Jager Battalion (3rd & 4th company)(Captain von Bock)[399]
4th Silesian Landwehr Regiment (4 battalions)(Major Graf Herzberg)[2,067]
15th Silesian Landwehr Regiment (4 battalions)(Major von Wollzogen)[2,382]
(total 12 ½ battalions; 7,840 infantry)
cavalry
Brandenburg Hussar Regiment (2 squadrons)(Major von Sohr)[279]
Freiwillige Jäger (detachment)[195]
3rd Silesian Landwehr Cavalry Regiment (3rd & 4th squadron)(Major von Falkenhausen)[252]
(total 726 cavalry)
artillery
6-pdr Foot Battery No. 3 (Captain Ziegler)[120]
(total 8,686 men, including 468 Freiwillige Jäger)

8th BRIGADE (MG von Hünerbein)
infantry (Lt-Col von Borcke)
Brandenburg Infanterie Regiment (3 battalions)(Lt-Col von Borcke)[2,306]
12th Reserve Infantry Regiment (3 battalions)(Major von der Goltz)[2,327]
Freiwillige Jäger (detachment)[84]
14th Silesian Landwehr Regiment (4 battalions)(Colonel von Gaza)[2,031]
(total 10 battalions; 6,758 infantry)
cavalry
Brandenburg Hussar Regiment (2 squadrons)(Major von Knobloch)[287]
3rd Silesian Landwehr Cavalry Regiment (1st & 2nd squadron)(Major von Kalinowski)[278]
(total 565 cavalry)
artillery
6-pdr Foot Battery No. 15 (Lieutenant Anders)[134]
(total 7,447 men, including 84 Freiwillige Jäger)

CAVALRY RESERVE (colonel von Jürgaβ)
Brigade Colonel Graf Henckel
Lithuanian Dragoon Regiment (4 squadrons)(Lt-Col von Below)[445]
Freiwillige Jäger (detachment)[158]
1st West-Prussian Dragoon Regiment (4 squadrons)(Lt-Col von Wuthenow)[472]
Freiwillige Jäger (detachment)[8]
Brigade Colonel von Katzeler
Brandenburg Uhlan Regiment (4 squadrons)(Major von Stutterheim)[561]
Freiwillige Jäger (detachment)[25]
East-Prussian National Cavalry Regiment (4 squadrons)(Major Graf Lehndorf)[473]
Freiwillige Jäger (detachment)[120]
Brigade Major von Bieberstein
5th Silesian Landwehr Cavalry Regiment (4 squadrons)(Major von Ozorowski)[524]
10th Silesian Landwehr Cavalry Regiment (4 squadrons)(Major von Reibnitz)[456]
1st Neumark Landwehr Cavalry Regiment (4 squadrons)(Major von Sydow)[357]
(total 28 squadrons; 3,599 cavalry)
artillery
6-pdr Horse Artillery Battery No. 1 (Captain Zinken)[146]
6-pdr Horse Artillery Battery No. 2 (Lieutenant Borowski)[151]
(total 297 artillery)
(total 3,996 men, including 311 Freiwillige Jäger)

ARTILLERY RESERVE
12-pdr Batteries No. 1 & No. 2 (Witte & Simon)[408]
6-pdr Foot Batteries No.12 & No. 24 (Bulle & Barenkampf)[237]
3-pdr Battery No. 1 (Lieutenant von Hertig)[79]
Horse Artillery Batteries No. 3 & No. 12 (Fischer & Pfeil)[249]
Park Columns No. 1, No. 3, No. 5 & No. 13 [110]
Artisan Column No. 2 [16]
(total 1,099 men)
Pioneers (2 companies)[149]
(total 1st Army Corps: 30,117 infantry, 6,038 cavalry, 1,917 artillery, 149 pioneers; total 38,221 men and 8,367 horses)

Mecklembourg-Strelitz Hussar Regiment

2009-07-05T05:07:00.000-07:00

Ok so these were some of the hardest cavalry Ive ever had to paint. The details are not the problem though. The problem is the colours which are black and yellow geeez... Lucky for me though I have a friend by the name of badbar black or whatever its called (GW black wash for those people who dont know the lingo).

Just apply over a grey to give a convincing black without the need for dry brushing tricky areas. I then applied pure black over the straps - after the dull cote I actually added more gloss varnish over the staps to make them shiny. This doesnt show up so well in the pics but looks quite nice.

Fairly happy with these though the AB prussians aint perfect for this regiment which, actually, wasnt really prussian at all....

Im now pretty much done two full brigades from Yorks corps. Im planning to do a big post with all the units soon.

Basing

2009-06-20T16:33:00.001-07:00

I actually quite enjoy basing and do it quite a lot. Thought Id post my latest method because for the first time Im happy with a process. I used to mess around with superglue and basing gel but found them both a little fiddly and slow.

Sep 1 -Apply the product 'No more Nails' to your bases. Use a decent amount. I like this stuff because it gives some hold straight away, while at the same time giving you about 5 mins to adjust your placing. Its also cheap and the gun makes it easy to apply. One tube like this will last for several armies.

After your happy with your figure placement grab an old brush, dabbed in water to break up the paste. Water doesn't ruin the holding properties for our purposes. It does allow you to build up some area a bit and provide a base for the sand.

Now add some smalls rocks, followed by fine sand. Allow to dry over night. The instructions say 24 hours but we are not too fussy. We are not building shelves here.

Once dry use a steel ruler to rub down the edges a bit. You don't want any texture on the edges of the base so that they line up together. Now add some undercoat. I only really bother with the edges as these are the parts that get abuse. You may choose to be less lazy than me.

Mow apply your top coats. I use the anitas, three shade earth colours as provided by barrule.com.

This was a heavy dry brush. Don't rub too much paint off the brush as there isn't much pigment in cheap paints like these.

Final highlight is very quick, just to bring the detail out. Doesn't look great here due to my camera and lighting.

I now apply tufts and bits of scenics with a tacky glue. PVA doesn't work so well for these bits I find.

Finally I water down some PVA and paint onto the base in patches. Make sure the edges have more "clutter" if you want to make them blend in together.

Hope this helps someone.

Bashi-Bazouks

2009-06-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

When I make a big order I sometimes get some extras just for painting. I have no real interest in the Perry Sudan range but these really caught my eye. If they ever do see battle it will probably be again french or brittish during the napoloenic wars. I would say they could probably be used from 1700-1870 or so.

A complete army

2009-06-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

I think its now fair to say that I have an armies worth of Saracens. Its taken about six months and I have enjoyed it ... most of it.

Look out for the cloth flags. I bought some A4 sheets from ebay. You can put through your printer and then just "peel off".. I also added stirings to most of the bows. I used thin fuse wire. Not sure if it was worth it but found it strangely relaxing to do .. ??

New Cossacks and Old Prussians

2009-06-07T11:32:00.000-07:00

Ive just finished painting some AB/eureka cossacks. I decided use some of their Russian SYW bunch for variety and they match up well.

Why am I painting up cossacks? Planning to do the "Battle of Hagelberg", this year I hope, which requires five regiments.

Ive also brought out my old prussians for a wee parade... They looked pretty drab next to my new french so I decided to give them a bit of frech paint. My prussian army is based on Yorcks corps during 1813. I have around two brigades so far and am building up slowly.

What you see here is a fictional brigade made up for a game Im playing on Tuesday.

Here come the Cavalry

2009-04-21T10:27:00.001-07:00

So here we go again, this time with some rather splendid perry sclulpts. There was very little flash on these models compared to gripping beast and they are very enjoyable to paint (for cavalry that is).

I do intend on putting more flags on however. Ive just bought some cloth which is designed to be put through a printer so Im keen to get some good images of flags. I was advised I could use photos of persian rugs but the images Ive found dont look like theyd work too well. If only LBMS made more!

Ok so now I just have horse archers, skirmishers and command to go. Not long now ...

Romans

2009-03-28T10:03:00.000-07:00

As mentioned earlier I was painting a few odds and ends while in between projects. Here is a Roman unix of 24. The figures are gripping beat (which were a pain to assemble) and the bases are 60x20 ply.

Not sure what to do with these cos I have no intention of doing a full army. Might stick em on ebay some time, who knows..

Saracens - first of many

2009-03-05T15:02:00.001-08:00

Well I decided on a project and heres the first batch. These are six bases of arab speamen. Im basing my army on a FOG seljuk turk list. Im not sure if these are the rules for me but the lists look good. Im currently painting archers and will be moving on to cavalry soon.

Cloth flags

2009-01-25T03:31:00.001-08:00

So I was in the "pound shop" killing some time and waiting for a bus. I often go in there as its great for buying bits and pieces for use in wargaming. I had been thinking about cloth flags for my new muslim crusades project and was keeping my eye out for the right cloth... A pack of three dish cloths caught my eye. I liked the criss cross patters of the fabric so bought them and hoped to myself that they wouldnt jam my printer.

Predictably it did and I spent some time fixing the jam. When I finally got it out (I had been quite rough) the thing made a dreadful screeching noise. I had broken it... Luckily my flat m8 has a printer I could have a go at breaking so I borrowed his. This time I put a few dabs of glue on a piece of A4 paper and placed some cloth of equal size on it. I fed it through and the print came out surprisingly well. I then soaked it in some very diluted brown ink. This made the cloth look much more rugged but smudged the print argh!!!

Attempt no 3. (successful)

1 I applied the brown wash to the cloth and cut to A4 size
2 dabbed a few patches of white glue to A4 paper and joined
3 Got a bunch of images from google
4 fed through the printer using basic "windows photo gallery" print function with the "contact sheet" setting. This made a perfect size for 28mm flags. VERY little messing about.
5 cut the flags to size and tore a few fibres off here and there to fray the edges.
6 Glued to flag pole, rolling it up with normal white glue.
7 folded and applied lots of Matt varnish to stiffen.

And that was it. Easy and I think they look quite good. They arnt that rigid though Im not too bothered, They hold their shape well enough but ill keep my eye out for a way to make them more so..

PS 1 of the flags here (the purple on) was made from an actualy war flag image. This meant that it has two hlafs you fold together. I thought this would make it too thick but It was ok. In fact it was perhaps better becuase the glue I used made it more stiff and it is of course, double sided...

Googbye to my ECW Stuff

2009-01-12T10:17:00.001-08:00

Well its time to say goodbye to my ECW sots and irish armies. Its sad to see them go but I need to make space for a new 25mm project. Will be putting them on ebay in various auctions if anyones interested.

A base of arabs

2009-01-05T09:26:00.000-08:00

Another test base. Enjoyed painting these guys. Used lots of GW washes. Was intersting to see the effect of the black wash over dark grey to make. It makes a nice black with subtle highlights. I then added one more highlight of slightly lighter grey.

Fur terrain

2008-12-23T05:50:00.000-08:00

So here is my first attempt at fur terrain. Its on a 4x4 piece of wolf fur I purchased from ebay. Ive learned a few lessons from this so when I do my proper 8x5 it should help.

Think I will try roads next and add how I get on.

PS fur terrain is hard work!!

basic steps

trip fur with both hair clippers and scissors (my cheap hair clippers found it hard to cut this stuff...

Dry brushed with water based craft paint of various shades of green. Better to use lighter greens I found.

spray can some other green and yellow over top...

Finished ancients unit

2008-12-23T05:36:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

So here is my hoplite unit finished. I painted these in batches of 8 and my last batch made me sad :( - somehow my dullcote got infected with some paint or something and they came out quite ugly. Not ugly enough to force me to repaint however ... One thing I have learned from painting these is that I aint gonna make a greek army. Did enjoy them at first but not so much.

Some lovely Ebob sculpts

2008-12-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

Hello,

Blogging quite a lot recently due to these lovely holidays I have. Here are some Ebob knights and mongols I painted some time ago. Not sure whether to sell them or try and find a use for them...

Carthaginian Comparison Pictures

2008-12-18T06:12:00.001-08:00

Hello again,

I quite fancied painting up some ancients so decided to buy some sample packs of Carthaginians. I bought one pack from gripping beast, A&A, Crusader and Renegade. Renegade actually had a rather tempting sale on at 6£ per pack of 8, they were the cheapest.

Here is the Renegade figure. Although its proportions are not really that accurate I do like this figure. The head is far too large and its overall look stocky.. It also has a very large shield compared to the others of a similar size. I don't know if this is historically accurate or not so I wont comment. 7/10

This is the Crusader figure. I actually bought a spearmen here with quite different armour to the others. This is perhaps not the best idea for a comparison. Its body proportions are more accurate that the former but for some reason I don't prefer it. This could be down to its dull uniform which I did not enjoy painting. 7/10

Now we come to the A&A figure. I have to say I don't like this chap. It is a very flat sculpt and lacks definition for its features. For example, its hard to see where the arm ends and the hand begins. The details are not so easy to pick out as the other figures due to this and I had trouble highlighting. 5/10

Not we come to my favourite. This Gripping Beast sculpt is the smallest by far and is the only one that wouldn't mix in my opinion. Its hard to say why I like it the most but I do. Its face has come out looking sharp and is proportions look right. My biggest problem though is with its grip for the spear. It was hard to get the thing to stay on and I had to make several attempts. 8/10

Its a shame the gripping beast figure doesn't mix with the others.. I have 24 big chaps which would make a nice unit were I to build a whole army... Te problem would be finding other ranges to match because although the gripping beast range is a decent size, it doesn't cover everything..

My first Ancients

2008-12-12T03:59:00.000-08:00

Hello,

Ive been planning on building a small anicient force for some time but cant make up my mind on what to do. Its not a period I have much knowledge of and so I bought a few sample packs. Here are some gripping beast Carthaginians and some foundry Greeks.

WARNING - if you click on the image you will see all the ugly errors that arnt there to the human eye... My cameras "super marco" is too good sometimes...

These are the foundry greeks. The poses are quite unusual and might be hard to rank up. Lovely sculpts and fun to paint but MUCH larger than the gripping beast ones..

These are the Carthaginians from Gripping beast. I really liked these but have other packs on the way from Crusader, A&A and Renegade. Ive been told they dont mix well due to their small stature. Notice I painted three of them in gleaming white but one in a more diry sand colour similar to the one on the

The Battle of Stockach

2008-12-10T09:50:00.000-08:00

Hello again,

Tonight We played a game of LFS at the local Phoenix club. I think it went rather well considering that two out of the four players had never seen the rules before. We got 8 turns done in about 3 hours which was just enough to get a result.

Austrian CNC Solid/Cautious

1st infantry Division solid/bold (1)

Orders - ATTACK - Advance to take village directly to the south, then move on to the village, south east on this

1st brigade .
Line C SK+1
Line C SK+1
Line C SK+1

2nd brigade
Line C SK+1
Line C SK+1
grenadiers B SK+0

Attached grenzer rifles C (6) SK+2
attached medium battery C (6)

1st cavalry brigade solid (2)

Orders - MOVE - support 1st infantry divisions right flank, by move 2

Hussars Light B
Hussars Light B

2nd Cavalry Brigade Poor/cautious (3)

Orders - MOVE - support 1st infantry divisions left flank

Curas heavy B
Curas heavy B
Dragoon medium C
Dragoon medium C

Scenario
The Austrian army enters the map the to north west with any orders you choose. Your objective is to secure all villages shown on the map. You secondary objective is to retain as much artillery as possible as this is in short supply. There is a single battalion of landwher (D) protecting the farm to the east but it wont hold out long. You have 1 additional dummy blind which enters with the rest of the army in any order you wish.
Victory
The game will last a maximum of 8 turns. If either side reaches 10 victory points then the game will end immediately
+1 Per enemy unit routed from the map
+3 per village held
-1 if battery lost

French CNC able/bold

1st infantry Division solid (1)

Orders - MOVE TO hill/town forming defensive line roughly in line with road joining village to hill.

1st brigade
Line C SK+1
Line C SK+1
Line C SK+1

2nd brigade
Line C SK+1
Line C SK+1
Line C SK+1

Attached medium artillery (6) B

1st Cavalry Brigade solid/cautious (2)

Orders - MOVE TO in advance of above division but do not engage the enemy. Once main enemy is spotted, MOVE to support left flank of main body

Dragoons Heavy C
Dragoons Heavy C

Light Division able/Bold (3)

Orders - ATTACK town to the north of current position then HOLD

3rd infantry Brigade
Chasseurs B SK+2
Chasseurs B SK+2

1st cavalry detachment
Chasseurs cheval light D
Chasseurs cheval light D

Scenario
The main French army enters the map from the south-west with any orders you choose. The light division will enter from the South east with orders to take the farm to its north-east. You have 1 additional blind which may enter from either route.

Victory
The game will last a maximum of 8 turns. If either side reaches 10 victory points then the game will end immediately
+1 Per enemy unit routed from the map
+3 per village held

Pre Battle

These initial orders were sound on both sides. The French planned to build a defensive battle line joining the village in the north to the village on their own side. The Austrians however chose to abandon the village to the north, seize the village to the west and then march everything eastward. I could see that this may well work due to the Austrian superiority on the southern half of the table.

Turn 1

The Austrians moved forward their entire force in a single block with the infantry division in the centre, supported by cavalry on each wing. Their Dummy blind Marched North. This was probably to try and divert attention from what was to be the main battle. The French moved the light division to take the town as per orders. Their Infantry advanced to take the hill while their cavalry guarded the flank. I could see that they were using their dummy to bluff a larger centre.

Turn 2

The Austrian Left wing (heavy Cavalry) was spotted semi deployed. The French then moved their Dragoon Brigade to match off to the Austrian left wing. Both players fully deployed before choosing to reveal their troops here. I think both were keen to get their figures on the table and it didn’t much matter at this point anyway. The Austrians main infantry division also revealed itself so that it could garrison the village to its front. This was the Austrians first mistake. By positioning their blind behind a village, they gave themselves very little room to move. They would struggle for the rest of the game to get their forces around it... To the North the French light division also left its blind to prepare for an attack against the village there.

Turn 3

Early in this turn the French took the initiative by charging the Austrian hussars on their right. It seemed like a decent idea but when it came to adding up the modifiers things looked bleak. They were enfiladed by a town and also outclassed in quality and quantity. Their commander and supports were unable to even the balance and they were beaten back, shaken. The hussars then drew their card but couldn’t charge due to a poor/cautious draw. I decided to make all the cavalry commanders cautious, just to be evil :) Things were going better for the French in other areas of the map. Their cannon were firing into the semi deployed Austrians, bouncing through and causing much bloodshed. Their Light infantry was also making good progress in taking the northern village. They chose to move their dummy behind their village in the east to give the impression this would be garrisoning it. The Austrians spent most of this turn trying to get their army in order. Fully deploying their Heavy cavalry and getting their infantry round the village was eating up their pips.

Turn 4

Hussars missed their turn due to another poor/cautious card. The CNC takes control of the situation and leads the elite hussars to victory against the shaken dragoons. Interestingly they also rolled a 6+ which forced them into pursuit, taking the CNC with them!

In other matters the French B class Cannon fire at the heavy cavalry, causing yet more carnage but the Austrian horsemen hold their ground. The town to the north taken by the elite Lights and the battle starts to sway in favour of the French.

Turn 5

Austrians reform their over impetuous cavalry and prepare to support the centre. The Austrian heavy also came to their senses and started to take action. They charge the guns who had killed so many of their comrades but are beaten back from murderous grapeshot. The French finally occupy the eastern village. While this was clearly in their zone of control, I reminded them they needed to garrison it to get the victory points!

Turn 6

By this point the French had moved two regiments of the northern light division to threaten the Austrian left. These light cavalry (D class) charged the Austrian dragoons but were beaten back mercilessly. It was turning out to be an embarrassing battle for the republics cavalry arm...

Turn 7

Very little action. The French light cavalry reform after their defeat and lick their wounds. The Austrian hussars move in to support final attack while a single infantry battalion prepares for an attempt to take the village.

Turn 8

The Austrians prepare for a last ditch assault..

In one last push to snatch victory the Austrians hurl their infantry battalion at the village. Although the olds are against them, even a fire fight result could force the French back and lead to a contested village. This would perhaps just be enough to win the game. It was not to be however as the brave infantry were forced back after a brief round of musketry.

Conclusion

Although the Austrian plan was sound they seem to have lost the battle on turn 4 due to deploying to early, behind the village. They were unable to take advantage of their greater numbers in the south of the map and drive the French back. It must have been frustrating for poor Euan to see the weakness of the French village to the east but be unable to get his main force into position. All in all a good game which everyone enjoyed. Even with fairly large forces it seems that we can get 8 turns completed in club time. As we get more experienced with the rules I expect it could be done in perhaps 2 1/2 hours rather than 3.

Viva la republic!

basing issue resolved....

2008-11-28T05:45:00.001-08:00

Hello again.

Im an self confessed basing obsessive and have been musing over my napoleonics for some time. I decided that putting them in 3's, while flexible, is too fiddly and i prefer a more irregular look...

I tried two methods. One was to use the DBA standard 40x20, the other to use 30x20. While I always base shoulder to shoulder I decided to make the second rank thinned out. This allows more frontage, per figure and gives a more irregular look.

Prussians based 24 figs, 6 per 30x20 base

This pic shows how the line looks very think compared to the NB standard.

With 26 figs (4 bases) you get an ok square

and an ok column

With 36 figures you can a really nice column and square which really suits my ragged 1813 prussians and early french I think..

This is 40mm x 20mm which is less flexible when I want to use 24 man battalions. This is because with 3 bases you cant make a decent square as above. It is however perfect for my ottomans who cant form square anyway :)