WIP - Winter painting season plans .

It’s been a fairly hectic back half of the year. The painting and modelling that has been completed was focussed on getting stuff done for the film shoot in Paris. This has made though a decent dent in the Sudan lead/plastic mountain - there really isn’t that much left that I want ( and I sure don’t need) to do.

I have given the cave a decent sort out and the preparation and paint desk are ready for some serious production . The AHPC paint challenge will be kicking off in just over a months time so it’s time to get ready.

I do like  a clean desk , but it’s a rare occurrence ! It won’t last long 

It’s been a poor few months for gaming , but that should straighten out now with no real commitments over the next few months

Plans for the winter ( in nothing but scale order ) are :-

1/300th Team Yankee , terrain items . Ruined buildings etc
1/300th Cruel Seas , 2 Fairmile MGB , and with luck a full size destroyer

10mm Fantasy units to contribute to JamesM “For Joshua” project
10mm ACW , Confederate and Union , a brigade of each , plus bits n bobs

15mm WW2 terrain , more Normandy buildings and large bridge
15mm WW2 USA , specific items for D Day games (bulldozers , wading tanks etc)
15mm WW2 USA , 101 AB round out of the stuff I have
15mm WW2 USA , Infantry units
15mm WW2 USA , 82AB company
15mm WW2 , German , Panzer Lehr Tank units
15mm WW2 , German , Grenadier unit.

28mm. Sudan , British . 36 Figure Infantry . KOSLI
28mm. Sudan , Egyptian/Sudanese 48 Figure infantry, gendarmes
28mm Sudan, Beja , about 100 figured
28mm terrain , for Necromunda

Well that looks pretty busy ,...and of course no plan survives first contact. Though at present nothing else is piquing the interest, well maybe something horse and musket related but who knows. Certainly all of that won’t get completed , but with a fair wind there will be some decent damage to it.


On a side note . I have been enjoying the latest “Setting the Scene’  book by Pat Smith . All good sound technique , and well photographed. Plus some extras from Nick aka Molterie .. all good stuff. Recommend.

Sudan - Bit more work to do

I have been doing a bit of an audit of the Sudan collection to go through and decide what I want to do with it next in terms of adding units and there is bit of project coming up too (more later) that requires some specific items. I took the opportunity for some new photographs while they were on the table. I need a much bigger table!

Bring on the angry mob!

NSW infantry man the barricade 

I have around another 200 mahdist foot to add .. the build is under way at the moment

4 large bases built and base coated - another 6 at least to go 

I found some old connoisseur 21st Lancers - so they are getting prepared too 

Maxim guns being added - made from Foundry set added to an gn carriage from Irregular and plasticard shield . 

WIP - Back to the brushes

I have finally got some brush time in. I have a game coming up at the Battleground show with the Old Guard group. We are getting the ACW stuff out again - so I am topping up the Union infantry with another 30 or so stands , and doing 6 limbers for my Confederates.

Limber teams coming along nicely

Stockton on Tees 24th November - its looking like a good show 

I am working on clearing out some other long term paint desk squatters as well to clear the decks prior to the AHPC winter challenge.  Some tanks, bash bazooka and unit a of Naploeonics need clearing out by Xmas .


Martin, James and I are down to run a game at Hammerhead and it looks like we are going Pulp style to recreate "Tales of the Gold Monkey"

I managed to source a 1/48th kit to make "Cutters Goose"

its something a bit different which is nice. Anyway - back to wielding brushes which is nice

Challenge prep time is nearly up..

I have cleared the paint desk of its last lurkers - and they are winging their way across to Canada.

Stradiots - done... ready to grace a table in Canada

As for challenge preparation I have kicked off some big units for early submission, and to get the unit with the most work done early - well as no one has invented tartan paint it will take a while 

Yes - it a very big unit of Highlanders

Camels - of course

And something a bit different - I will leave you to guess. 

I have a load of other various  stuff cleaned up and ready to go. but not too bothered about the undercoats not being done yet as its not a sprint , more a marathon. My winter challenge will I think be pretty diverse this year. looking forward to it. 

Time to prep... winters coming..

My peak painting production time is fast approaching - I have been stocking up on lead and mdf over the summer , so I have made a start on going through it , just to see if there are any extra bits required. I will be at the Battleground show in Stockton on Tees later this month with a small shopping list !

I intend to take the Sudan project to its final phases - ok it will never actually finish but all the major items will be done. I have some key Imperial units left to do and a significant uplift to the Egyptians and Sudanese army units. Well with 3 x7 litre boxes of lead there is still a lot to do.

There are some interesting mdf kits in the to do list

A bunch of resin items to add to the river options 

and I have a pretty good stock of bases , but you can be sure I will need some of some sizes I don't have  

Oh and another whole new project in the wings .. back to tanks!

As for other bits on the go ...I am working on clearing the desk of 10mm ACW terrain and Union infantry , and some 28mm Stradiots for the Snowlord. They are getting there, starting to get some nice colour on them 

Its going to be busy!

Paint desk and mancave updates

Since the Partizan show I have re tidying up and re-organising the storage boxes to make better use of those I have - and they are all now stored away until the next big game on August at The Other Partizan event on the 20th of August. In the mean time I have an upcoming game of VBCW to look forward to with the guys from the Old Guard club near Northallerton. Its being run by Martin (28mm Heroes blog) so look forward to seeing what he does with it.

The paint desk now has a few different things on it for a change as I am doing a few units for friends,

28mm Stradiots - Italian Renaissance cavalry for Curt  

10mm Napoleonic Mamalukes for Gerry 

my own 10mm ACW , and more bits of railway track for the Sudan and my cowboys.

The man cave works have been progressing in between things. My display cases are all now up.

The preparation , airbrushing and soldering area. 

Additional shelving added above the main painting area

The central area of the room is clear - awaiting my new bespoke games table. 

Central area from the other side ... 8x4 table to go in there..

hopefully the new games table will be built in the next week or so...