A long time between drinks!

Well gentlemen long time between drinks,

lots of painting done but sadly not much in the way of the 18th century, late Romans, Imperial Romans, Celts, some 20mm ww2 French and Polish Renaissance have hogged my little painting time I have had. So this weekend just passed the Queens Birthday holiday here in OZ, I decided to get my digit out and take a few Pics and post them up. These are all from the from the French Indian participation game at “Highlander” , and a few pics of some Front Rank wagons and Militia I have done in the last 4 months, I will post the pics from the Might and Reason game also later on in the week.












cheers
matt

80th Foot "Gages light Infantry"

Colonel Thomas Gage raised the 80th Regiment of Light Armed Foot
in May of 1758. The regiment is best know for the fighting at Bernetz Brook on
July 6, 1758, just two days before the Battle of Ticonderoga. It was at Bernetz Brook
that the British Army suffered at great loss because of the death of Lord Howe.

Uniforms and Colours of the regiment shall remain a subject of speculation.
Some sources speculate that they carried no Colours at all. Thought as to their
uniforms seem to run the gamut as well; ranging from 'brown coats with brown
facings and black buttons' to 'light brown coats with white facings and flat
yellow buttons' to finally 'scarlet coats with orange facings and yellow buttons.
The 80th Regiment of Light Armed Foot was disbanded in Canada in 1764.

I have used the Front Rank figures to represent my first company of Gages light Infantry, with two more coys yet to be finnished. I went with the med brown coat with brown facings as it was easy to do. The individual officer figure looks a little dark as I tried to achieve after five shadow on his face, it looks better in the flesh.





cheers
matt

Supply

I have been working on some fine front rank wagons and some foundry pack animals to make up my 18th century supply trains. The front rank range is excellent and most equipment is available. Here is the first wagon i have finnished as i have three others on the go at the momement.



I will take some photos of my Gages Infantry that is finnished and my French militia also.

Cheers
matt

1 year old!

Well the last 12 months has certainly flew along since I started this blog, I am happy with my progress of my foray into the Lace wars period. I have had about 4500 page hits on this site in the last 12 months, a big thanks to those who have linked from their blogs and websites. The encouragement from reader’s comments on TMP and various other discussion boards and websites has helped me try to keep up with my promises.

My main goal this year is to get the Goulburn Wargames Club “Lace Wars” convention off the ground, I also intend to this year complete a few more units of my British and French 7YW and FIW armies and make a return to AWI in some way.

On the British Army front, I have replaced all of my British First Corps figs with Front Rank figures from the Wolfe’s army range of FIW figures. I have also joined the Battlescape group build for a Hanoverian mainland Army, please if you have interest on a correctly uniformed figure for the Hanoverians, please join the battlescape’s groupbuild.

Front Rank figures will also fill up the ranks of the French European army which need to get a move on for our Lace Wars Convention. I am eagerly awaiting Conquest’s French line will replace the First corps and FR figs for the Line infantry for FIW. I have already bought some Conquest Coureur De Bois and Canadian Militia to replace the Front Rank light French Infantry.

I have also recently purchased a bunch of Conquest and Perry Indians to add to the Indian warbands, this will bring the warbands up to about thirty figs each.

On the AWI front I picked some Foundry British light Infantry on the second hand stall at CanCon, so they will make it to the painting desk very soon, I also managed to pick up some more Eureka miniatures, one gun and crew and few command figs at Moab last year. I hope to soon get the guns and crew painted in the coming weeks.

Still building a few wagons and bits and pieces, and a few buildings, I will post them in the coming weeks as I complete them.

Cheers
Matt

CanCon "whew"

Well this year three of us shared space with Kevin Jowlett from Battleline Scenics, at the Canberra Convention. Colin, Kendo and myself bought along a lot of goodies for sale, a good 95% of the figures for sale were well painted and based examples of wargames figures (this is what we aim for).

Colin finally finnished selling off his entire FOW american division (as seen in the original army book centrefold) its only taken three years! Kendo had a fine selection of very well painted 28mm figures and a few 20mm. Myself I peddled miniatures that I pick up from flea markets and ebay during the year, paint and then sell, the profits I pour back into new figures for my current armies.

Several thousand dollars changed hands over the weekend, but sales were down on previous years, and I discounted a lot just to move it along, as it was I returned with three unsold units which is unusual.

I did purchase a reasonable amount of figures and books, I picked up a ACW book and two scenario books, FR FIW figures, some FR WOTR figs, some 20mm french vehicles and guns and some 20mm buildings, and finally a few bags off other flea market stands, to sell in the future.

What am I working on at the moment within the period, some FIW gages light Infantry and some line infantry, I will post them on the weekend.

cheers
Matt

Back into the Breach!

I trust everybody had a grand Christmas and a superb New Years celebration.

I had a very Family related holiday and a quick break down the coast where I managed to read three books in a wee as I decided not to take minis to paint as usual. St Nicholas was very generous as i sent him a extensive list of needs and wants and he didn't fail!

Late last year after a long discussion with Boyd, Greg, Dave and Guy I finally sat down and made a list of what I have half completed this year and a new painting schedule for 2009, so I can up with a list that revolves around our club plans and games for the year.

This year I really want to put a dent in the unpainted lead pile, so I have promised not to buy or start any new periods (sorry retailers), or armies until I have put a very sizable dent in the boxers of unpainted lead and unmade plastic kits.

The guys down at the club will try stopping me from spending my cash on some new flight of fancy, so for the first time in years I have made a list of items required to complete armies instead of starting new ones ( I will publish this next week as I need to make the list before Cancon)

As I play a multitude of periods from 2500BC to moderns and only two scales being 20mm WW2 and 28mm for everything else, I plan to finish a number of half done armies that are making my lead pile look almost depressing.

I also plan to paint and sell off some half painted armies that are laying around, as I am a fairy quick painter, If put my mind to it, I have only two weeks till a major convention so I had better get my digit out.

As the year progresses I will post pictures of my projects and as this Blog is for horse and musket stuff I will only post related items here, the remainder will be on my other period blogs.

My Goals this year is to complete my French Napoleonic (16 battalions of 32 for GDB), my French 7YW (10 battalions), and my Republican Roman and Allied army (4000pts for WAB)the plans are flexible as long as the goals are completed by the end of the year I will be happy.

January Plan
Paint 40 ww1 28mm French (for sale)
Paint 40 WW1 28mm Germans (for sale)
Paint five battalions of Foundry Napoleonic Russians (12 figs each For sale)
Paint 96 Foundry Napoleonic Austrian’s (for Sale)
All of these are to be sold at Cancon in Canberra and most are at 50% or more

I also plan to start 28mm Foundry Polish Renaissance army 106 figures for the Guild Surprise Build and so I can play one of my mates Cossack or Imperial armies (see Scott Robinson's Blog Wab Ramblings)in late Feb or early March

February Plan
20mm WW2 French 1 battalion of 30 figs and paint five plastic kits (required for a ww2 Rapid fire 1940 club game) currently at 50%
28mm Ancient Germans and Celts about 60 figs (part of my Roman army and the Germans are for the first corps website) currently at 60%
28mm Foundry Polish Renaissance army 90 figures (for the Guild Surprise Build )
28mm Republican Romans (complete this army) shields, basing and faces hand and thirty cavalry, currently at about 70%.

March Plan
Complete Polish Renaissance!
20 and 28mm Buildings I want to finish a number of Resin Kits that are yet to be painted, all are built and two are actually finished out of 30+ buildings.

April Plan
7 years war Front Rank French four Battalions of 24 figures (some battalions are at 80%)
French Indian War Conquest and Perry minis 30 figures (more Indians!)bare metal!
20mm Germans 160 miniatures most are at 70%
start 28mm Baron wars army

May Plan
28mm Napoleonic French Infantry 140+ figures in 32 figure battalions with skirmishers some are at 50%
7YW Front Rank French continuation
finnish 28mm Vikings off 50 figs at 80%

June Plan
28mm Napoleonic French Infantry continuation
20mm 60 German Volksturm miniatures (bare metal)

July Plan
28mm Napoleonic French Cavalry three regiments of 24 heavy cavalry
20mm German vehicles numerous (+30) plastic kit and resin kits (bare)

August
28mm Napoleonic French Cavalry, three regiments of 24 heavy cavalry
28mm War of the Roses army and start scratchbuilt Castle (partial completed)

September
Revisit 28mm Napoleonic German Battalions (Rebasing and touch ups and new GMB flags)
ECW 28mm three pike and shot blocks at 70%
finnish War of the Roses army and start scratchbuilt Castle

October
Revisit 28mm Napoleonic German Battalions (Rebasing and touch ups and new GMB flags)
ACW 28mm Perry Union Brigade for JR3 most at 50%

November
Revisit 28mm Napoleonic German Battalions (Rebasing and touch ups and new GMB flags)
Finnish off 28mm Babylonian chariots and infantry (actually built just need some finer detail done)
ECW cavalry and more scots and Irish legion

December
Start 28mm First Corps Imperial Romans none started 120 figs
Start 28mm A and A Sassanid’s 70 figs

Well there it is,

I have a few Armies I would Love to start this year that are bare metal, my Byzantines, Jacobite 1845, 1815 British Brigade (180 figs) and Nassau Regt of 70 figs and 60 more Samurai and scratchbuild a early Baron wars castle.

I have also committed to the 7YW Hanoverian Group build at Battlescape and some Eureka 100 18th cent club builds which technically don't breach the rules as I signed up in 08!

Now back to the work bench
Cheers
Matt

Silly Season is approaching!

Sorry guys I haven’t posted lately but I have been very busy with work lately with the economic downturn our company has laid off about 100 people Australia wide, I still have a sales position but my area has tripled in the last month and we have closed our Canberra office, so my car is now my office, I have driven almost 12000klms in the last 10 weeks so little time for painting, and with the silly season approaching I won’t improve till I am on holidays in two weeks.

I have been reading a lot (as I have been staying in Hotels a bit) and I have bought a number of great books in the last 10 weeks. Whilst I was competing at the Australian Pipe Band Championships in November, I picked up a few books from one of the highland suppliers, l will give you a short review of these period books I have picked up.

For all of those people who love the Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1745 (like myself) you will enjoy “the White Cockade” and other Jacobite tales by Stuart McHardy.

A cracker of a read with lots of short stories and tales of the coming of the Stewart’s and the support and loyalty of the Catholic Scots, McHardy is a great storyteller and has gathered a wide selection of tales which paints a vivid picture and really captures the feeling of frustration among the faithful Jacobites and their doomed cause.

I rate it ten out of ten (as I am one of the faithful!)

The second book is “Culloden Tales” by Hugh G Allison, another book of short stories and tales from the Jacobites perspective.

Unusually past and present tales are told, history of the clans and the Jacobite Regts that fought and died for the cause makes this book a great buy and has really got me fired up about painting up some of the FR Jacobites that I have awaiting some TLC. The Author works as a guide on the battlefield and he relates stories that he has gathered over the years he has worked there. I found it to be a most useful book that filled in a few gaps especially about units and clans that fought on Scotland’s most famous battlefield.

I rate it ten out of ten (see above rating explanation!)

I have been painting a little, some 18th cent supply wagons should be done this weekend, I have also been busy adding to the lead pile, I will get some pictures up later this week.

Cheers
Matt