I am finding lately that no gaming plan goes unaltered after I start it... and this one is no exception.
I have found that I really do not like to paint 15mm minis. I had not painted any for many (10+) years but I thought to give it a go but it is a struggle. My wife pointed out to me that I was 'avoiding' the 15mm's, and mentioned that I had tried to paint 6mm and 10mm minis in the past - at least I tried, but 25mm seems to be the winner. And it has the approval of the missus which actually is a big benefit! There are some pros and cons in the switch however:
PRO:
1. No duplication of effort in the minis for the skirmish and mass battle ranges - I intend to use these minis for both.
2. No duplication of effort for terrain of different scales.
3. Hopefully 1 and 2 will mean a bit less in monetary outlay!
CON:
1. Mini selection will be more important - the 15mm minis were more forgiving in their appearance for specific HC details.
2. Bigger surface needed for mass battles.
So, more info later as I continue to peruse mini selections...
On a brighter note, I have doodled up some preliminary drawings of a HC naval vessel...
27 September 2010
25 September 2010
Austrian ironclads, part 1
Just to show that I had not forgotten the ironclads, here is a pic for you:
Erzherzog Ferdinand Max
No other progress however! I am a bit puzzled by the lack of sails for the mini - typically Figurehead ships come with enough sail pieces for each mast that needs them, but this one only has one. I will need to check with some pics of the actual ship to confirm but I am pretty certain that there should be sails on the fore and main masts.
No other progress however! I am a bit puzzled by the lack of sails for the mini - typically Figurehead ships come with enough sail pieces for each mast that needs them, but this one only has one. I will need to check with some pics of the actual ship to confirm but I am pretty certain that there should be sails on the fore and main masts.
11 September 2010
The project
I have always been a bit of a butterfly when it comes to projects. Most all periods of history fascinate me, and unfortunately that makes it hard to narrow down a project and keep focused. Take this post from Jet at Geektactica - lovely stuff there. Makes it hard for me to keep to the Greek/Persian project. So, I am also thinking about a 13th century set! The pertinent army lists would be Feudal French, Imperial German, and Communal Italian.
The big deciding factor will be the availability of good minis, although the feudal armies might mesh better with the eventual fantasy armies project...
In the good news department, the bases order from Litko has shipped, so I need to get going with getting some paint on my minis.
09 September 2010
Pinning
If you remember back a bit on this blog, I had a problem with this:
My secret weapon is there on the right. That is no ordinary drill bit - that is a high-speed bit salvaged from the recycle pile at one of the circuit board shops that I once worked at. They are sharper that the typical bit, and the 1/8" shank makes them easier to handle - I do not use a pin vise to use these bits; the shank is big enough to use by itself. The number on the collet - 74 - refers to the diameter, which in this case is 0.0225". I have seen these bits on sale at various hardware stores, so keep an eye out for them!
The drilling process underway - slow and steady is all you need with these sharp bits. The metal Eureka uses is soft, which helps the process. You should stop every couple of turns to clean out the bit. You do not need to go far, a millimeter or so is enough - make sure to drill both pieces!
Once you have the holes drilled, then you need to cut your wire to size. I found out the hard way that small pieces of wire can go flying, so I cut the wire over a small cup or container, to make sure that I do not lose the pieces.
The bows on the Ever Present Glory archers are fragile. That is now fixed, and below are the steps I took to repair it.
You will need a couple of tools to pin your mini:
1. A suitably thin piece of wire - I typically use brass, but steel is fine; even a paper clip will work.
2. Wire cutters, to trim your piece of wire to size.
3. A drill bit, just larger than the thickness of the wire.
Here is everything laid out (except the cutters, hmmm):
My secret weapon is there on the right. That is no ordinary drill bit - that is a high-speed bit salvaged from the recycle pile at one of the circuit board shops that I once worked at. They are sharper that the typical bit, and the 1/8" shank makes them easier to handle - I do not use a pin vise to use these bits; the shank is big enough to use by itself. The number on the collet - 74 - refers to the diameter, which in this case is 0.0225". I have seen these bits on sale at various hardware stores, so keep an eye out for them!
The drilling process underway - slow and steady is all you need with these sharp bits. The metal Eureka uses is soft, which helps the process. You should stop every couple of turns to clean out the bit. You do not need to go far, a millimeter or so is enough - make sure to drill both pieces!
Once you have the holes drilled, then you need to cut your wire to size. I found out the hard way that small pieces of wire can go flying, so I cut the wire over a small cup or container, to make sure that I do not lose the pieces.
And the completed mini. I use super glue on both ends of the break to secure the wire and broken part in place.
Now, I can get back to paint... um, no - just broke another one!
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06 September 2010
New download site for Impetus Fantasy
Previously, the rules for Impetus Fantasy were only on eSnips. They are now (as per this post on the Impetus forum) available through Hotfile - see this link
UPDATE (10-2011) - Basic Impetus Fantasy is now here as per this post on the Impetus forum.
UPDATE (10-2013) - Basic Impetus Fantasy is now on the main Impetus site - download it here.
UPDATE (07-2015) - Basic Impetus Fantasy is now available at Wargames Vault - get it here.
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UPDATE (10-2011) - Basic Impetus Fantasy is now here as per this post on the Impetus forum.
UPDATE (10-2013) - Basic Impetus Fantasy is now on the main Impetus site - download it here.
UPDATE (07-2015) - Basic Impetus Fantasy is now available at Wargames Vault - get it here.
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01 September 2010
Slow progress
Small steps toward getting the first battalion done!
1. The minis are about half-way done with painting. I am finding that, for the mainly darkly-colored units, white primer is not such a good choice. The second battalion will be using black gesso for primer.
2. Bases - I forgot about the bases when I placed the order for the minis. So, I sent off an order with Litko - hopefully they will arrive later this month.
3. Rules - The delay in ordering bases corresponds with my indecision on a rules choice. In the end, I am going to try a modified Impetus set. Miniatures Wargames #322 has an interesting article on a conversion of Impetus to the AWI, which I am using as a starting point.
I'll post pics when I get something done!
1. The minis are about half-way done with painting. I am finding that, for the mainly darkly-colored units, white primer is not such a good choice. The second battalion will be using black gesso for primer.
2. Bases - I forgot about the bases when I placed the order for the minis. So, I sent off an order with Litko - hopefully they will arrive later this month.
3. Rules - The delay in ordering bases corresponds with my indecision on a rules choice. In the end, I am going to try a modified Impetus set. Miniatures Wargames #322 has an interesting article on a conversion of Impetus to the AWI, which I am using as a starting point.
I'll post pics when I get something done!
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