New Camera Joy

I'm having great fun with this camera as now I can take photos anywhere and anyway I please.

In between Turks I painted a space marine off a GamesWorkshop Youtube clip. I played a single game of 40k in 1996 - I can't stand the game but I have 20 Space Marines simply as I wanted to paint them. I've yet to master a decent lighting system for my photos yet.

 Next are the 100 or so Hotspur french for the Waterloo re-fight. They have been undercoated black and have had the dry brush of grey on the black bits as per Chasseurs Painting guide. I am following this for a large task to see if I can save any time or better my own processes.

 As such for Waterloo I need 14 Generals. So the old classics are being retouched and below is an old figure. I don't know the make - it almost looks like Hinchcliffe.

2 minifig Guard units ready to be blacklines (Im not repainting these guys - just a subtle blackline)

 And I found a bag of these lads. Very old figures and I have yet to determine the make.

Hinchcliffe

In my new role I have been extremely busy with some long days recently, hopefully in the next week or two things will settle down. I have not done any painting at all apart from put some 54mm figures together and fill the seams.

I did take some pictures of my painted Hinchiffe Saxon's. They are yet to have their bases completed as I simply don't have the time. I've tried black lining for a change to see how they look - not bad I think given the state of the figures when I picked them up 2nd hand.

A Minifig unit !

And some hotspur figures.

Blast from the Past.

My first purchased 25mm Napoleonic unit was from Military Miniatures in Auckland and was 25mm Hotspur French - I picked up 50 odd figures and 12 Chasseurs. Over my 10 year hiatus and the next 15 or so years the infantry dwindled down to 34 odd figures so I looked at finding if any more. I found the sculpter had passed away, some if its other ranges still existed under other companies but the Napoloenic line had dissapeared from the world. I managed to find another 10 figures at a swap meet and I also asked on a few forums if anyone had any (Surely i coudnt be the only person that had them) but no luck - Some NZ war gamers mentioned having them but they were sold.to others and their fate was unknown.

As they are my first ever unit (and my favourite figures to be honest) they are my favourite so I gave up getting more.  But a few weeks ago I tried one more time and I asked on the yahoo groups NZ forum if anyone had 4 of the figures so I could finish one of the units and a fellow wargamer replied. The end result is this, 100 or so beautiful little 25mm Hotspur French figures FREE. Thanks to the Brian at the blog Woolshed .

He wanted them to find a home (He had a load painted up himself) and gave them to me free and I am very thankful. (Of course I have his address from the packet so I'm sure something will find its way into his letterbox soon ;) as a thank you).

So I now have enough for 5 Units (plus my existing re-painted unit (Finished last night) which then leads onto another problem - I've been repainted a napoleonic unit every few weeks and that urge to do more is starting again. Considering I have 150 Hinton Hunt Saxons, 40 minfigs,40 Italians and 30 odd cavalry to finish up (As well repainting 6 existing Front Rank units) I could do with a good French Napoleonic phase - (The Russians and Prussians need a rebase and touch up too but the few British I have I might sell). What is the grand total of the French - well its a lot (Too many to be honest but you can never have enough can you).

French - 6 line (@24 figures), 1 Cuirrassier (@12), 1 Chasseur, 2 Dragoon, 2 Lancer

German Allies - 20+ units (@24), 1 Cuirrassier, 2 Hussar, 1 Dragoon

Guns for Africa.......

Prussians and Russians (About 12 units each plus 4 cav each)

I should really have a game with them.

A side note - As part of my 6mm armies I picked up a few aircraft and I have been painting them as I do the ground forces. Below is a Me109 for the France 1940 games I plan to play solo. I quite like how it turned out though I have to say basing them on the stands has been an epic journey. I drilled some holes but my first attempt failed so after about 4 attempts as a last resort I used super glue.