Sunday 3 September 2017

The last month in pictures

Hi Chaps,

It would seem that despite grabbing 30 minutes painting time before work (6AM ish) units can still be painted even if in a bleary eyed way! Grabbing figures off the shelves to take pictures of them made me realise that I have painted a fair few, they just happen to be from different armies.





It would seem that I have accidentally started an undead army and a Dwarf army! The spirit hosts are a nightmare (pun intended) to put together as the instructions are so unclear and joining pegs etc non existent but they look pretty impressive. Worth the effort now but the unit will only ever be three models.

The Dwarves are from ebay and I have another unit of 12 armed with hammers. Ebay can be kind or it can be a disaster. The corpse cart was partly built when I purchased it and I had to snip off limbs and cart parts to finish the model which when you look closely is still not right. In the end it painted up OK for the table and was 1/2 the price of a new one so..... The driver is to undergo surgery and will function as a dark wizard type and I do need a few wizards as I re bought Frostgrave and intend to play this on my new 3 foot square board which was completed today.

Pics of the board are to follow, it has been such a pleasure having two days off together.

Keep blogging Chaps! Most of your blogs slip through the security net at work and I get to read what you are up to.


Saturday 2 September 2017

WarHammer Great Swords ... almost

Hi Chaps,

It's been a while and I apologise but that damned work thing has been keeping me busy which in a way is good as I get to buy models.

Anyway as a quick update I thought I would pop my latest purchase on here which are some excellent Artizan designs Landschneckts acting as proxy GW Great Swords. The figures are very similar in size to the GW figures that I already own and should paint up a treat.



I am looking forward to working on these as currently I am painting some Perry medieval cavalry....I don't know what it is about Perry plastics but I always fall short of achieving even a half decent job of them. The models themselves are obviously perfect and I see others painting them with great results but I do fail with them constantly.

Tomorrow I will have pics of my completed board and a few models that I have managed to paint in little bursts of 15 minutes at a time. Who knows I may even get time to have a game with my son Conrad-if I can drag him away from the Call of Duty Beta which does indeed loo amazing. If only my war games table could look as good!

Saturday 12 August 2017

Scratch Building for Spectre

Hi Chaps,

Well the painting bug has not returned as of yet but I have been busy preparing a board and scratch building a church for some expected Spectre games.

So far I have ordered a lot of figures from Empress and Spectre (arrived within 2 days and are excellent. Sadly my order to The Assault Group over two weeks ago has yet to arrive....when it does I will pop a comparison pic on here so we can compare miniature sizes.




The board is 3' square and is only 12mm mdf...I should have gone thicker or used some other material as it may not stand up to being moved about-it's all a learning curve.

Hopefully the church will end up vague enough to be used anywhere from Spain to the middle east and Mexico! Lots of detail to be added and paint to be slapped on, plastic tile sheets are on order.



Also on order are a couple of Humvees from Grubby and a Technical which should be enough for games of this size. To end the spending spree I am looking for a desk, it seems I am expanding my empire!

Thursday 3 August 2017

Thursday night in with Spectre

As an antidote to not wanting to paint/game or scratch build I bought the Spectre modern rule book. This book is a little on the expensive side for me (just the same as the Black Powder series) but it is well illustrated and after just a casual flick through seems well thought out.

I already have a collection of modern figures but the photo's do want me to buy more...I have not given this thing a proper read so as for the rules....who knows? I do suspect that they will be the same quality as the layout though as others gamers rave about them.

Roll on Saturday when I can give this book the reading of its lifetime and then I can compare it with Black Ops and At close quarters. I do so hope it will bring back the desire to paint or build a middle eastern town.


Friday 28 July 2017

No Inspiration

Hi Guys,

Well this does happen to me-all of us? On and off. I just have not picked up a brush in over a month. I am not sure what does this but I suspect that the warm inclement weather plays a part and the deire to be outside during the summer months must contribute?

Anyway I have slowed down in my stockpiling of miniatures though I must have a couple of hundred waiting...so I decided I would like something to read. Enter Spectre Miniatures Modern Ruleset. At £24 delivered this is not a cheap war gaming book so I have high hopes that it will re start my desire to paint and maybe even play a game!?

So...I have a few weeks off work lined up and a desire to start a project for the new season in the Autumn...has anyone played this? Are scenario's available?

This has been the longest spell I have had away from painting in a number of years, working has played a part but painting boredom is in there as well, one can only paint X number of models without any reason before one runs out of steam

A couple of family photo's, first is my son in a WW1 German overcoat, it is original and in the sun almost reed green (Vallejo have nailed it)




Second with youngest daughter and third with Bex, eldest daughter who just graduated. Not really solo or war gaming but I am pretty proud of them all and it does show I have been busy. Just noticed Bex is holding a beer.....so proud.

Sunday 11 June 2017

Transport Models Preston

Hi Chaps,

This weekend has gone quickly but it has been a bit of a delight on the hobby front. My local model shop, Transport models of Preston are having a sale with 25%  off everything. Naturally I was impressed and bought the beginnings of a Sigmar Bretonnioan army in the form of two Fireforge boxes of European medieval types.


Previously I have put together hundreds of plastic 28mm and 20mm figures but for some reason these little b#####ds just did not co operate. The fault is all mine...it could have been my cheap superglue or just my poor performance but assembling these 36 figures took longer and was much more frustrating than I imagined. Parts flew off never to be seen again and the glue refused to join anything other than my own flesh and then it was to everything!

Oh well there are lessons to be learned from todays experience but I have not processed what just yet. I did buy a spray tin of Humbrol German red brown to undercoat with so this is my first experiment with anything other than black or white.

The last hobby problem I face is a strange one! My cabinets are full! What to do? I certainly wont be purchasing any cabinets soon as they tend to be expensive so it is either storage or ebay for the less used/loved figures....now I just need Fireforge to release the promised Bretonnian mounted knights and this army (with a few bits I already have) will be complete.

I do hope you have all had a good weekend? If you have any tips on building a gaming PC I would appreciate it as I am trying to get one for my son but my kidney money went to Games Workshop already!

Keep blogging guys I need your adventures to read whilst at work.

Sunday 4 June 2017

A few figures painted

Hi Chaps and Chappess's

What a sad few weeks this has been with religiously inspired nutters going on murder sprees up and down my beautiful country. I do hope the politicians start to confront this before the people take matters into their own hands. As for the families and victims words cannot convey the injustice that they have suffered, I am sure that we all grieve with them.

On a lighter note despite work trying it's best to sap all my time and energy I completed a unit of 10 Warlord Germans and a command unit of 3 (which I forgot to photograph). These early war Germans are to compliment the 222 which I completed a couple of weeks ago. The infantry are almost complete but I may scruff them up a little with some more highlights and a dry brush of dust here and there.



As you can guess I am struggling to crop my pics but this will be addressed soon...I had to rely on my sons i phone to take these! Only 10 more infantry and maybe a mortar to complete this as a small Bolt Action force and then onto Russians or French.

I recently have had a lull in my enthusiasm for the hobby, maybe this is the warm weather or just lack of time but I know that this is only a brief thing as it has happened before. Does it ever happen to you Chaps/Ladies out there? Even a trip to my new "Warhammer" shop in Preston did not lift my spirits though I did buy 3 new paints which brings my paint collection total up to 120 (why?). Whilst in there I did notice that the Start Collecting boxes seemed like really good value...£50 for a vehicle and infantry with support is almost reasonable!?

Keep blogging Chaps I read you at night!

Friday 19 May 2017

First 28mm Vehicle Kit.

Hi Chaps,

This was a week to forget so I bought a little treat in the form of an Sdkfz 222. I always liked this vehicle and as a child I treasured my Matchbox 1/76 version for many years (where did that go?). Anyway I have never built a kit bigger than 20mm scale so when I saw this monster sized version for less than £10 I thought that I would give it a go.


Possibly this is an old Tamiya model but I cannot be sure....what I do know is that some of the lugs did not seem to fit or be in the right spot to take the front mudguards. Obviously I am no model maker but this kit seemed odd to make. The wheels are a weak point and I will have to base the model to protect it but other than that it looks OK.




At some point I will add stowage and a few helmets/jerry cans to give a lived in look but overall I am happy with how it turned out. Indeed this has been a great distraction and a welcome change from Empire figures.

As every war gamer knows this is how new armies start and next payday may well see an order to Warlord Games for just a few more figures.....and then Plastic soldier company for their excellent value Russian box. I am so used to this process now that I don't even bother to fight it...

Keep blogging guys.

Saturday 13 May 2017

Another friend gone

Hi People,

Blogs about miniature war games are not meant to be sad places but on Monday I lost my best friend.

A memo has been sent out to my remaining friends to stay alive because this is the second friend that I have lost this year.

As you can imagine not much painting was done. Just the usual visits to relatives, platitudes and sorrowful moments. Anyway please have a look at the pictures of my mate who had just had enough. Mental health is a real issue here in the UK.









The first six pictures are of my great friend Lee who was best man at my wedding and a superb friend to myself and my children.

The last two pics are of Calvert, a gentleman, a friend and an unstoppable force of nature. I really thought that these guys were immortal.

So. Sorry for the downer. Mental health is a real issue and please just savour every day it really is a gift.

Keep blogging people, my next post will contain hobby stuff I promise.

Sunday 7 May 2017

Dwarves. This week has been about Dwarves.

Hi Chaps,

How was your week? I hope you all had it swimmingly easy as I am now having to relearn the art of making the most of ones time. If I rise at 6AM I can grab 30 or 40 minutes of silence at my painting table....the bliss of it. How do you Chaps or Chappes's fit your painting time into your week?

Using little nibblets of time to paint in is a new phenomenon for me and the techniques needed to complete a unit are rather novel as well. Monday and Tuesday usually see the base coats completed and by Thursday I can see the figures looking a lot tidier than before which spurs me onto completing the unit. Since restarting work I have only painted Games Workshop figures which tend to need a lot of attention so it would be interesting to see how this method would work on simpler figures.

Below are a unit of 10 Dwarves that got paint thrown at them this last couple of weeks (5 figures a week which is so slow...)...



The bases are under construction for the last 5, it is just a time availability thing that has slowed my painting to a Dwarf's pace. I do have a miniature plastic mountain to choose from so this next week will see yet more short guys on the desk...




All the models here were second hand from ebay and cost a lot less than 50P per figure so I can paint them and base them without worrying if they are ruined or are "game legal" to use jargon picked up on the Dakka forum which is an excellent read by the way.

Lastly is a work in progress-a standard bearer for my Empire troops...I really need to either buy some late medieval banners or develop a way of doing these better as I need a few more....



Keep blogging everyone it makes me happy to see your work and I get to use some of your great ideas.

Saturday 29 April 2017

Too many Paints and Old Style Dwarves

Hi Chaps and non Chaps,

Work has been intense this week so I only managed to paint a handful of models which as you could guess are older Games Workshop products bought cheaply on ebay. I have no idea about the lore regarding Dwarves, Elves or anything else that GW produces-my "background" info comes from The Hobbit so I may be missing a lot of detail!

The figures are almost complete but I will give them another pass over tomorrow to eradicate any glaring errors, after all these are rank and file guys and not characters...




It was a refreshing change to work on something other than Empire-these guys were really cheap off the internet and are now the beginnings of yet another army. I am not complaining but I do need to get a couple of new shelves

Earlier today I visited GW Preston to buy some bone coloured paint. Needless to say I bought 6 lots of paint but not Ushabti Bone or whatever it is called now as I forgot.

On arriving back home I had a look at my paints and I seem to be collecting more paints than figures


Vallejo/Others paints =35
Vallejo/other washes  =8
Citadel washes =9
Citadel special paint= 5
Citadel paint=58
Other paint = 2

The reason I mention this is that the 6 paints I bought today cost £17..OK I am old but bloody hell £17. This hobby can seem a little expensive especially if like myself you are on a bit of  budget.

Keep blogging people, I love reading your stuff.

Saturday 22 April 2017

Greenstuff World, Ebay and old GW figures

Hi Chaps,

It is a lovely sunny day here and all is well with the world (well my part of it), I do hope all you chaps are feeling just as zen?

Anyway this morning I took a few snaps of this weeks early morning painting sessions, I have ordered another lamp and some different colour backgrounds in an attempt to improve my photo quality...we shall see.

Mostly I have been painting older GW figures for my Empire army but an order from the Perry twins arrived so now my General/Warlord has a bear to make himself look even more impressive when I finally buy him.


This pack came with horn blowers who will be handy to flesh out the three units that I currently have completed.



This is another older figure that I managed to win on ebay...I do remember looking at him back in the day he was new and thinking wow how expensive! I probably paid the same amount for him second hand though!


Above are the latest motley crew of second hand figures that required either stripping, repairing or just altering to make servicable. In the end they I think they will be OK for line troops but I will try to purchase unpainted figures in future.


Perry twins Siss musicians are about right height wise but look a little slender-I will just have to tell myself they are younger troops or just effeminate. Price wise the Perry twins are great value even more so if you buy plastic-the plastic heavy cavalry is on my list for this army. The list for this army is actually quite large and I have many wants including figures from Artizan, Gamezone and Foundry.

Today I ordered the Generals Handbook but almost forget to mention my favourite little purchase in a long time...Greenstuff Worlds leaf punch!

This little punch could be sold in meditation centres all over the world. Just insert a fallen leaf, press the button and 4 perfect little miniature leaves get pressed out of the machine....different coloured leaves add to the variety....leaves are free! Now my bases get a little extra attention for nearly no cost....treat yourself to one of these if you like your bases to be full of character or you just need to relax.


Keep blogging Chaps (and our lady Chap sisters) you keep me going.

Saturday 15 April 2017

Veteran GW Spears

Hi Chaps,

Well I have just completed the most decrepit group of figures that I own. Thank fully I will never have to look at them closely again....on the table they will hopefully look OK but these guys arrived with spears glued on in the wrong position and detail obscured..ughh.



The unit is of 10 spears but only seven appear in the pic as the other 3 were still awaiting paint...as it turns out 30 or 40 minutes hobby time through the week before work is a useful way to complete line units. I can give myself a treat  of a character at the weekends.

The muskets are awaiting paint but the non standard guy is holding up the proceedings because greenstuff takes a good 24 hours to dry.

It has been a rather standard week on the hobby front but some old figures from the 90's arrived....I always wanted the drinking figures from Games Workshop but could never find them. The Priest will work as a stand in Wizard for my Empire army which I now realise is made from figures from very different era's.



Keep blogging Chaps you help me through the day with what you create.