2 weeks worth of Painting updates.

Hello for the second time in as many days...

Painting, what have I been doing over the last 2 weeks?
I've done some work on my Early Imperial Romans, including a Legate on horseback, Aquilifier, and the Praetorian's Centurion - all from Warlord Games range of models:

Legate

The Legate again.

The Aquilifier as of last week.

The Centurion of the Praetorian cohort.

From two weeks ago on my painting table.

Progress on the Aquilifer from this weekend

 And I've assembled another second rank Praetorian:

In 54mm Napoleonic news, I've at long last completely finished the Rifleman I converted from one of my Victrix Peninsular Infantry set:

I'm quite pleased with this one.

Slightly different angle.

And that, rather unfortunately concludes this painting update, until next weekend after I've done some more painting.

New Updates of the Week - Warmachine, Dystopian Wars and Napoleonics!

Hello again folks, 
Well, I've been doing bits and bobs in terms of modelling and painting this weekend past.
My Exemplar Cinerators I bought for £7 instead of £26 (Cheers Ebay!), arrived and I've managed to build 4 and start painting 1. Despite believing I was missing a head for the one, I found it and so all models can be finished. Here's a work in progress picture:

The Unit so far

Close-up

The one painted one work in progress so far

In the realms of Dystopian Wars I've glued some more of the tanks to the bases and started painting the Landship, and it's coming along well:

The Landship so far, with the St.Paul's Cathedral styled top HQ section on (leaving these interchangable for turrets and mortars etc).

A  better view of the Landship. I do like the details on these rather small models.

More tanks ready for painting.

And after a long break, I've started doing a bit more to my Napoleonics, both 28 and 54mm tall models, I've removed the crew from the base of the 9 Pounder cannon to make the job of painting easier, and so I've started detailing a crewman, having done the basics on all of them, and I've started finally painting the actual cannon; pictures below:

A crewman so far, now just to recolour the hair, and add the yellow detail to loops and then paint the bandolier.

The cannon, I'm thinking of doing a more basic silvery metal rather than brass now I see how it looks.

In 54mm, I've been painting my rifleman, that I converted from a Victrix Penisular War infantryman. Its an interesting model, as the photos don't show the true extent, but the uniform is a dark green (Ork-hide Shade from Games Workshop), and the trim is black. I did some more work to the rifle, now just the base and a few details and it'll be done.

And that's this week's major updates done folks, hopefully some more finished stuff will be in next week's updates, certainly some progress will be done.
Until next time.....

6th July 2012 Painting Competition at Dice and Decks Gaming Club

On 6th July 2012 Dice and Decks Gaming Club is having one of it's reasonably regular painting competitions, with a variety of categories for members to enter. I have already got two entries ready to enter the Single Miniature category (Professor Erazmus from West Wind Productions Empire Of The Dead series, and a British Steel Armoured Suit from the same companies Secrets Of The Third Reich series). I'll stick pictures of these up post-competition, in case club members who visit this blog get an early glimpse of their rival entries.  I have effectively painted the British Steel model twice, as I washed it with badab black a little too much to begin with, dulling it to the point of no detail being visible, so I went back and re-painted it all. I'm pleased with it alot - and 4 more are en route and will be delivered to me on the 6th.
However here's some work in progress images of the Secrets of the Third Reich British Steel model:

Front View

Side View

Close-up of the Union Jack symbol on the left shoulder

 

However, my latest idea is to enter a 54mm miniature into the Open category, in this case I decided to use a figure from my 54mm Victrix Napoleonic Infantry set. Instead of doing a red coat, I've decided to convert it a bit; and turn it into a member of the 95th Rifles (fans of the Sharpe series will like this one!). 

I've chosen the body with the least work needing to modify it (it already has a belt which the others lack, for example). The shako hat needed to be the most modified thing - requiring a filing on the badge, before being redone with green stuff to create the right symbol. 

The next stage is to remove the bayonet from the musket and then turn the musket into a rifle. As well as add a few more details to make the weapon look better.
Work in Progress images here:

The Shako badge basic shape

The body I selected to convert into the Rifleman

Converted rifle, made from a musket

 

Pictures from my Work in Progress Dystopian Wars fleet are finally here (Sorry this has taken so long, folks!):

Two Attack Class Frigates with a Tribal Class Cruiser.

I apologise for lack of turrets on the Cruiser, but I'm still painting those! I am greatly pleased with my WWII style "Spitfire" style colour scheme, being used on all units.

One completed base of Tiny Fliers!

Mixed Updates

Along with a few members of Dice and Decks Gaming Club. I attended Firestorm Games Bring and Buy Sale in Cardiff today, and used the profits to purchase some more miniatures, and the West Wind Productions rulebook - Empire of the Dead.

Along with this the Napoleonics took a step forward with the addition of:

- 9 Pounder Cannon and Crew from Perry Miniatures

- 60 British Napoleonic Highlanders from Victrix

- 20 French Napoleonic Dragoons from Perry Miniatures

Also I purchased some new paintbrushes from Army Painter to help paint Tartan!

My Newest Project.

To go with my current wargaming theme of delving into various wargames that are set in the different military time periods in history. I have delved into the period of big hats, red jackets and Officers with incredibly posh and long-winded names! - The Napoleonic Era. 

This is likely to be the last of the time periods I delve into; I've covered Ancients with my Romans, Modern times with my Force On Force collection (which is coming along swimmingly) and now the Napoleonics. This hopefully won't result in me collecting another massive force, since the rules I'm using are more for fun then serious playing of scenarios - the rules come from a company called Too Fat Lardies and is called Sharp Practice; based on the heroics of the character from the novels and the TV series. It involves between 30 and 120 men, and is based on most literature. You have the normal Men/Troops (the background characters) and the Big Men (Main Characters/Leaders and so on). The idea being about Skirmish games rather than large scale battles.

To the hopeful end of me not going over the top as usual, I am using a larger 54mm Scale for the Miniatures. With a 54mm box of British Peninsular Infantry from Victrix starting off the team. They arrived as of yesterday and are massive compared with the normal size I use for wargaming (28mm Scale). I have two assembled and one painted, but all need bases - in this case I'm using 40 x 40mm Square Bases from Games Workshop. The painted individual is one of the Big Men from the rules, representing a Squad Leader, since the Victrix box contains two sets of 8. 

I have generated a character using the generators for Main Characters found in the rulebook, and came up with an average leader, not super fit, not liked nor disliked and an average swordsman, and given a status of "Fine Fellah". I as usual for most of my main characters for any wargame a name was generated using a random name generator found on the net; and Sgt. Maxwell Isiah Holt was created. The second character is the other Sergeant, a "Sickly Cove", and slightly under average, however he is a General's Son (wealthy) and universally loved by his men - Sgt. Darwin Sandford Melchief. Using these two as a review of the character generators, you can end up with some strange mixes of characteristics, men who look ugly as sin and are poor soldiers might be incredibly rich and liked by the soldiers? Seems a good system to me, and creates an amusing feel to the game.

Victrix does alot of Napoleonic Miniatures in 28mm and has only recently started 54mm, with the British being the only set available, but with French coming very soon!

Pictures:

New Stuff!

Unboxed - 4 Sprues - 16 Troops

54mm v 28mm Size Comparison (Games Workshop Space Marine representing 28mm)

Assembled Troops

Assembled and Painted Sergeant

Close-up of Sgt. Holt.