More French

Well, those that paint certainly know the dreaded doldrums when nothing is interesting and there is no motivation fora period. but I am having the opposite effect with the wind at my back and the excitement of painting is making it fun again. here are the latest finished figures. once again old glory 28mm French pre-1807. I really enjoy these figures. Great fun and lots of variation.

With all of the new Nap rules on the market it is something of a renaissance for Nap gaming. I am going to base these 4 figures to a base with what seems to be an emerging standard of 40mmx40mm bases. 1 stand per company. this will allow me to use either the rank and file rules by crusader or black powder of general de brigade. all of which I own. I will wait until the last 9 are finished before basing them. current total 19 figures done in 2 weeks. wow, that's something of a freakin record for me!

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In praise of Old Glory

I have seen a lot of postings on sites bashing old Glory by people that do not like them . First, I have to say to a large degree figure beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Anyone remember the old mikes models? They where definitely in the eye of the beholder. and if you don't like OG ,then you don't. However, I have to say I am generaly impressed with what I order. The Boer war line I felt was solid. Thier 1812 range I loved. Here are some napoleonic French pre 1807. When I first got these I was not really impressed with them and they sat on a shelf for the last several months. I finally pulled them out and am glad I did. they really painted up well and have a lot of character. I really love the NCO with the pipe in his hat and the bareheaded guy showing his war face ...ahhh. and in a day and age when 28mm guys are $1.90 to 2.30 apiece these are less then $1.00 apiece.

My long suffering wife ordered a small saxon army for me for my birthday. I have long wanted to do an 1806 campaign. so here are the first.

huzzah! a new period

Well, only sort of a new period. These are Helion miniatures Austro-Prussian war of 1866 figures. I bought them back in October but have just started painting them. This is part of a great line that should encompass all of the major troop types for this period. the figures themselves are on the big side of the 28mm size. lots of detail and a joy to paint. really I haven't had this good a time painting miniatures in awhile. crisp lines that make painting easy. very recommended.

The period it self is a little obscure even for me. but has a lot to offer a gamer. first a great mini line in Helion! plus a fair amount of books on the period also offered at their site. Second it has an interesting array of tactical possibles. Austria had Superior artillery combined with shock tactics for the infantry against Prussians with a superior rifle in the needle gun. I am already thinking it looks like it should have been closer than it was except for dismal Austrian command. Uniforms are mostly colorful with a different mid 19Th century feel about them.

5th Lancers

Here are the latest figures for the week. Cavalry proved to be very valuable during the Boer war. scouting, finding, chasing the Boers but not so much the charge. Lances proved to be even less valuable and soon most lancer regts would forgo the lance for the remainder of the war. The lance was used to great effect at of the first battles of the war, when the 5Th Lancers charged the retreating Boer commandos at Elandslaagte.

These continue the old glory figures using the dip. These figures would also be real nice for northwest frontier figures which are gaining an interest for me.

This brings the year total to 15 infantry and 5 cavalry.

wargames factory

Here are some wargames factory British infantry. I finished last week. The army painter really makes painting quick but I find I don't enjoy the painting process nearly as much. I find I am much more satisfied with the end result when I layer paint.

The figures themselves are good, lots of different looks and poses. The assembly process is not too difficult and they paint up pretty well. There seems to be alot of Zulu war figures on the market these days. These figures are not the best I have seen and not the worst either. but for the price they are hands down the best value. I will buy more.

year to date total 10 boer war and 5 Zulu war infantry

2nd batch

Here are the latest from the work bench. 2010 has got off to a good start of 10 figures, not bad for me. just 8 more KRRC to go to finish up what I have for the battalion. Instead of doing the "dip' on these I used a paint brush to put it no them . I like the result better, less pooling on the figures and a more uniform coating. It's funny, I am already looking past the Boer war at what other period I can use for these figures I am definitely thinking of NWF somewhere down the line.

Kings Royal Rifle Corps

Here are the 1st 5 figures of the new year. Note the black belts and equipment and rifle green patch on side of helmet. 2nd five just need a dull coat and hopefully I will finish the last 8 this week. Figures are old glory 28mm figures which I like but with reservations. The helmet with pugree is not really correct for most units. Most wore a cover over the helmet which concealed the pugree. in case you don't know what a pugree is, it's that band in the middle of the helmet and was designed to help keep it cool. also I have seen a lot of pictures with the haversack worn on the back instead of the side. having said that they are good figures with a lot of character and poses are nice.

Having just criticized the pugree I noticed the picture on the front of the blog have it on!