Update on what I have been doing.

I realised that it has been ten days since I posted here on the blog. I have not been idle during that time and have a few photographs to show what has been taking up my time. With the completion, for the moment, of the Wars of the Roses project, the War of the Three Kingdoms or English Civil War project, has been resurrected. The Montrose Irish and a unit of Scottish Covenanters have been completed and the final unit of Highlanders is currently on the painting board.

This is the box set from Warlord games, with four casualty figures and a few other figures added. All are metal and are about 80% complete. They will make a great warband to add to the army of Montrose.

Mixed dress and weapons as you would expect, I have some ink pens to apply the tartan at the very end.

A piece of old carpet tile, which I had put away for future use was cut up into rectangles and made into crop or ploughed fields. The usual method of painting the tile, which was a ruby red colour with Mocha acrylic paint to tone it down. Then PVA glue applied to attach the clump foliage around the perimeter and a mix of PVA/water liberally spread to allow flock representing crops on the tiles themselves. The whole thing then was sprayed with hair lacquer and left for about three days to thoroughly dry. They turned out pretty good I think.

Of course my consignment of trees also received some basic treatment. Various sizes and shapes, all were glued onto pennies and flocked, again given a generous coating of hair lacquer to hold everything in place. You can see for yourself how many there are in the containers, with almost another 100 still to be done!

I only ordered one packet of these trees, but they really are excellent and are of a size suitable for my 28mm troops. I will be ordering more packets of these,(they come in tens). I also gave them MDF bases with some rocks, flock and flowers.

The whole lot laid out, so I now have plenty of terrain especially for 6mm but also some can be used for 28mm.

I really did need a shed load of trees to create realistic looking battlefields for my 6mm American Civil War. Trees tended to be in great abundance on most battlefields. This little lot, added to what I already have, should do the job nicely.

Taking Stock?

As we race along to another Christmas and end of year, thoughts turn to gifts for the loved ones etc. My wife asked me what I wanted this festive season and for the life of me, I couldn't think of anything that I need! Lots of things I would like, but nothing I need.

Since that question, I have been doing a bit of a stock check, I know most of us in this hobby gather a mountain of lead or plastic, or in my case, a mountain of each. So many projects, but how many actually get finished? On my return to the hobby a number of years ago, I simply built up a stock of 1/72nd scale figures, similar to the Airfix troops of my childhood. I have two large boxes full of unpainted troops from various time periods. They all need finishing and there is enough in those boxes to keep me going for months, if not all of next year!

I also have not completed my English Civil War or War of the Three Kingdoms forces, yes I have completed lots of them but I still have a number of regular regiments in plastic to paint up, that have sat in their boxes for close to a year now. I have barely started on my Scottish troops, The Montrose Irish, the Scottish Covenanters and of course the Highlanders photographed below, all remain untouched.

Beautiful sculpts, already primed up and ready to go, once again, enough painting to keep me going for a good two or three months.

I also have the two box sets shown in the following photographs.

Add to that two boxes of Ancient Britons, giving a total of close to 300 figures. I have actually painted up about a dozen of the Roman bog standard legionaries, the remainder sit untouched in the boxes again! There is certainly a good few months work there.

I have completed a box of Anglo-Saxons and half a dozen Dark Age Warriors for SAGA, the rest of the DAW plus a full box of Vikings sit untouched. Add to that a 1/50th scale Viking Longship for use in a SAGA battle, again, pristine in its box.

Next up is the 28mm War of the Roses armies I am currently working on, still quite a lot of plastic figures to paint up as well as all the metal command and a couple of wagons drawn by oxen and horses!

Finally, the 6mm American Civil War armies, granted the lion's share of this huge project is done but I still have some 17 or 18 infantry units for each side to paint up as well as a few more wagons etc.

So do I really need anything! No of course I don't. I have more than enough to last me beyond next Christmas. My N Gauge model railway is scheduled to be resurrected in the New Year also, that is going to be a lot of work and take up lots of time, not to mention war gaming with all the completed figures I already have.

Fortunately, I retire at Christmas so will have more free time from now on to achieve all of these goals, of course retirement means a tightening of the purse strings so I just won't have the cash to spend that I have been used to. Maybe that is a blessing in disguise, as I won't be able to add to my plastic and metal piles quite so easily in the future. All those little guys sat patiently waiting in their boxes might finally get a little love and attention.

English Civil War Diary - Entry Number 13

Well after being neglected somewhat over the last few weeks, yet another diary entry is ready. A bit like buses eh! You wait for ages then four come along at once.

I have been busy conversing via email with Ringo and Kurtus, regarding the Quick & Dirty Rules, some modifications that are needed and thanks to the suggestions made by the two commanders, I can now write the first revision, excitedly named Version 1.1

I hope to use the new version of the rules to fight another battle in the near future, Both Ringo and Kurtus, have agreed once again to take command of the forces.

On the painting front, alas, my poor Scottish Highlanders are stood looking at me, with just the flesh added to them, I really am going to have to get cracking on them, as the Montrose Irish are also mounted on their pennies, awaiting a coat of primer and will be the next job. A box of Covenanter Foot sit in their box, claiming third position in the painting queue. I also have three sets of plastic Warlord Games regiments of foot, still on their sprues, also shouting for some attention. So all in all, I am going to be very busy on the painting front for some time to come.

However, I have been watching and admiring the Perry 'War of the Roses' figures, now that was also a Civil War set in Britain, a couple of hundred years or so before the one I am currently building armies for. I am very, very tempted to pick up a box of Mounted Knights and a box of Archers/Bill men, just to see for myself. A future project methinks!

Well enough of all that, here is the next diary entry, hope you enjoy it.

Seize What Fate Offers.

Twiston Hall

28^th March 1642. 1pm.

Sir Royston had finally regained full consciousness that morning. When he first opened his eyes and recognised his own delicately painted ceiling with its cherubs and flowers, he thought he had been dreaming, when he tried to lift his head, he realised he had not! It felt as if it had been cleaved in two by an axe, and that the woodcutter was now stood on his forehead, trying to extract the said axe by riving it back and forth.

His hand felt the bandage that swathed his head, and he tried to remember what had happened. The musket fire, men screaming and dying, Captain Parr's face or what was left it, kept floating before his eyes. He closed them tight, but that horribly mutilated face was still there, staring at him in accusation.

'Please to take a drink sir.' a woman's voice, one he recognised, one of the hall servants. It was the first time he realised that there was someone else in the room. He opened his eyes, the girl, Margaret of was it Mildred, was offering a goblet up to his lips, she gently lifted his head a few inches and he felt the cold liquid, and realised it was milk, he drank deeply, so thirsty he hadn't realised how dry his mouth and throat were.

'How long?' he barely recognised the croak that came from his own throat. The girl smiled and put the goblet back to his lips, again he gulped down the cold milk.

'I shall call the physician sir, he can answer all your questions.' She gently lowered his head down onto the pillow and was gone.

Harold Auchinleck, appeared beside the bed. 'How are you feeling sir? we have been much worried.

'How long have I been here?' His voice sounded a little more like his own now, Sir Royston noted.

'Tis three days since you were carried here from the York Road sir, what a state you were in, covered in blood with a huge wound to the head, truly I thought you were done for.' He moved to the window and opened the drapes slightly to allow some daylight into the room. 'It seems the regimental flag, or at least the pole holding it, came crashing down on your head, during the fight with the rebels. Completely knocked you out sir.'

Sir Royston narrowed his eyes, the flag, he had ordered it thrown down in surrender, he remembered the fear he had felt, not wanting to die, his life being more important than anything else. John Parr's disfigured face, once more drifted before his eyes. How many had witnessed his cowardice, surely John had not survived that injury, but Major Cunningham, that boring major who's phantom army had indeed been real, once he reported what had happened not only would everyone know that Sir Royston Twiston-Rawlings was an incompetent fool but a coward in the face of the enemy too!'

'How is Captain Parr?' Sir Royston asked, 'I know he suffered a tewwible wound,' hoping that he would never be able to attest to his actions.

Mr Auchinleck shook his head, 'John Parr was killed sir, along with many men of the regiment. It will take some time indeed to recruit the men to fill the missing in the ranks.'

Sir Royston didn't give a damn how long it would take to replace the dead, just so long as John Parr wouldn't be able to speak out. 'Major Cunningham of the horse wegiment, how is he?' Surely, he couldn't be that lucky that he too was no longer around to tarnish his name.

The same shake of the head, sadly sir, he too was killed in the battle, bravely leading his troopers against superior odds, a sabre blow through the chest I'm told, replied Harold Auchinleck.

Sir Royston's spirits lifted instantly and he had to concentrate and not allow a smile to show on his face.

'Two fine men and many of their twoops gone.' Sir Royston put on as sad a voice as he could muster.

'Very true sir, but you have been spared, not only that a hero to boot.'

Sir Royston's ears pricked up, 'A hero, me, why a hero?'

This was getting better by the minute, someone was looking down on him for sure.

'Why sir, you were found where the fighting had been the heaviest, wounded and with the regimental flag draped across your body a true hero without a doubt. It is why the king instructed me to care for you.'

Sir Royston felt like jumping out of bed and dancing around the room, from coward to hero, fate truly had been on his side, his reputation not only saved but enhanced. He calmed his thoughts, 'The king himself instructed you? That is most kind of his majesty.'

The physician placed his hand on Sir Royston's forehead, 'You are still hot and fevered and need complete rest, however, the king is arriving here within the next two hours as he wishes to thank you personally for your efforts against the rebels. You are far too weak to leave your bed and king or no king, he shall have to sit by your bedside.'

It was too much, Sir Royston could not believe his fortune could be this good, the king riding from York to Twiston Hall to personally thank him. He must get up and be suitably dressed for the occasion, but wait, he was a wounded hero, much better he be laid here looking as wounded as it was possible to be. This was an opportunity to be savoured and seized and Sir Royston was just the crafty, conniving cad to do both...

Scottish Highland Clansmen

With the farm animals now complete, I have returned to finishing off the Civil War Leader Figures. They have been bumped down the painting queue, due to the January Painting Challenge, however I have done a bit of work on them today and they are to the point were I can now varnish and then flock the bases. With them almost clear of the work bench, I opened the box of Highland Clansmen, cleaned up the flash, based and primed them, ready to start work in the next couple of days.
A few photos of the primed figures.

The figures consist of the original box set, plus a pack of six, amusingly called 'Errant Scum' to which I have also added four casualty figures in the front row. Painting the tartan should be an interesting challenge.