A new year!

Looks like 2013 is on the way out, and 2014 is at the doorstep, so here is yet another post on the blogosphere about it all!



2013 was quite a mixed bag for this blog.  The fact that there were posts here at all marked a major improvement over 2012!  But, what was accomplished?  Just about the only thing that happened was acquiring some sense of what and where I would like my naval projects to proceed.



Despite some verbiage to the contrary, I keep coming back to a few projects:  ancients, now headed by my Tékumel fantasy ships (using Langton ancient naval miniatures); Renaissance (although this is the outside chance of all); ACW naval; and pre-dreadnoughts, buoyed by the excellent new releases from WTJ.  With the exception of the ancients ships, no decision has been made on these.  I think it best to stick with getting this one set out and usable before tackling others (my lovely wife agrees!).







I would like to thank everybody that visits/follows/comments my blog - it is appreciated more than I might let on!







Happy New Year!











p.s.   In case anybody is counting, today is this blog's 5th anniversary...

Obligatory year-end post!

Along with most other bloggers, here is my take of the 'previous year/upcoming year' madness!

I have to admit, 2013 was an improvement over previous years.  Just on the blogging view, there were more posts here than several previous campaigns.  I do try to hold to the 'one-post-a-week' theory; it fell short this year but closer than before.

Some miniatures were actually finished in 2013!  My long-suffering First Legion of Ever Present Glory troops became the first to be fixed into the basing style that should work, no matter what comes.  Much more needs to be done, but progress, however small, can be stimulating and I hope the trend continues.

The element basing that I have chosen will also help me keep up some momentum.  It has been a sticking point for a longer time than it should have, but no more.  I will make the rules fit the basing and get on with it.

My Tékumel naval project also took a turn, for the better I believe.  Abandoning the 1/600 ships for 1/1200 might be seen by some as a step back, but I really think that it is going to work out in the long run and I am looking forward to getting on with this also.



There are a few other loose threads to deal with soon...

The first is the lack of game-play.  It has been far too long since I have pushed the troops around on a table-top (we are talking years here).  As the projects get farther along the line towards completion, that will be settled.  I am looking forward to the games, maybe even (though probably not this year) returning to local shows to play games, perhaps even hosting them!

Another is the nagging desire that I have to get a historical project off the ground.  Ancients would be the logical arena, but narrowing down 3000 years or so of history is a problem unto itself!  I really want to do something along historical lines, however;  we will see.



Finally, I want to say thanks to all of the people that visit/follow/comment at this little corner of the 'Net.



Happy New Year!


.

Langton ancient naval rules available

It would not surprise me that I am, once again, late to the party on this, but the set of ancient naval rules from Langton Miniatures, Naumachiae, is available as a free set of downloads... at this link.  



It is in PDF format, and fairly large, but worth the download wait!

Too quiet...

Unfortunately, I have been off-line for a bit, a situation that should be resolved by the week-end.  I have been able to get some things done, and pics will appear as proof soon.

No posts!

I am mostly off-line - our router decided on an early retirement!  The replacement should be here and working by the week-end...


.

A brief note...

Some time ago, I had started up another blog (!!) concerning some medieval miniatures that I had purchased.  In the thought and hope of simplification, the posts from that blog (only a small amount) are being moved to this one, and the blog deleted.  Thanks to Alan for being the one and only follower over there!  If I ever get that bug again, I will continue the series here.


.

MAATAC, maybe?

In a sudden fit of inspiration, I dug out those long-abused MAATAC miniatures of mine and subjected them to more torture:

Two views of the same thing!  Two Terrans, one Carnivoran, and two Entomolian vehicles wearing some snowy paint.  I did make the mistake of giving the center Terran a grey wash before putting down the camo pattern, and the Entomolian camo is not quite finished.

Monsters, part 8

The slow rumble of progress continues...

The first finished monster of the project!

The base decoration is simple, deliberately so.  Just an assortment of model railroad-style stuff, with green flock added.  I think the rim of the base will be a close match to the tabletop.

Now, I just need to finish some human troops...

Tékumel naval, part 10

Before I start to abuse more miniatures, maybe it would be nice to post some pics of the subjects before undergoing the knife:

This is a Langton deceres, which is destined to become a zírunel. 

Two pics of a goblin miniature, 15mm in size, that will supply the basis of a new prow for the zírunel.  At first glance, it does look a little large for a 1/1200 ship, but I intend to blend the head into the ship structure somewhat.  Hopefully the conversion will look something close to OK once the knife is set down!

Also up for consideration are a few more add-ons, such as towers, and a decision on nationality - is this a Tsolyáni vessel, or is it Mu'ugalavyáni?  Blue, or red?


.

Lesquins, part 2

Just a small bit of progress; here is my first attempt at a scheme for the uniform colors:

Belts and straps will be black, I'm thinking, and the cuff trim and cravat might be red.  I am uncertain of the color for the pockets, and the leggings will be a cream color with red trim.

Hlutrgú and a Priest

These were finished at the same time as the Ever Present Glory troops, but only now are being photographed.  First up, a priest of Hrü'ü:

Very simple scheme compared to others.  I did not try to add lettering to the scroll - that might be a bit beyond my meager skills.  The face mask is pure speculation also.  This miniature, if I recall correctly, is from 1979!

And, two Hlutrgú:

The leader of the warband is on the left, with a shaman on the right.  The leader is wielding a weapon converted from a Sérqu trooper.  Just one more left to finish off the Hlutrgú warband.


.

Head hunting?

Not much in the mood for painting lately, but I am finding something to occupy myself:

I am in the process of coming up with a plan for my 1/1200 ship miniatures, and the few modifications that I think would be needed to give them a bit of Tékumel flavoring.  If you look at this excellent post at Pagálnikèlikh gàQadóshumashumámrakoi, you will see some artwork that I find very interesting and I intend to shamelessly steal the inspiration for my own!

So, I am digging through some old miniatures, looking for heads and other bitz that I can use.  In the pic, above, you will see several different types of 15mm miniatures, fantasy and historical, that might be useful.  There are some 10mm figures around here as well.  Then, I will need to come up with a plan...


.

Legion of Ever Present Glory, part 15

It has been a long time; here is a finished result:

Three elements of finished troops!  That is not quite right... For the time being, these three elements will represent three cohorts, three separate units, of Tsolyáni heavy infantry, as my table space is limited.  In the future, I hope to have more room for a larger table, and then these three will be equal to one unit in a game.


Any way, these three are done.  More views:

And, a couple of pics on the future playing surface:

I am not sure why, but the color of the felt is grey in pics.  It definitely is not grey in person, but more of a light tan.  The felt and the base edges are much closer in color than it appears above.  The bases might have come out with a little too much green flock on them, and the mix might change for the following elements.


This marks a turning point in this project.  For so long, I was not certain of the basing scheme, but I have settled on one I like (those are 60mm squares), and everything will be based around that idea.  Also, these were the easy ones.  The only work for these elements involved re-basing painted miniatures.  The rest of the troops are not finished, and progress is going to slow down.  More miniatures are waiting for completion:  three more elements of Ever Present Glory troops - archers; three elements from the Legion of Sérqu - more heavy troops; and three elements of Ahoggyá.

Then, of course, I will need some opposing forces...


.

Ahoggyá, part 6

Here is a quick work-in-progress pic of my first element of Ahoggyá:

And, another:

Slowly, slowly coming along.  I am not staying with one color for the Ahoggyá.  This element will have some variation: two brown, one grey, and one buff.


.

Foot troops, part 1

Another set of pics on some of my first purchases:

OT05 Scots Spear

 OT19 Billmen

All of these are from Claymore Castings.  It would not be too much of a stretch to interchange these miniatures, to add variety to your units.

Slowdown...

Well, the progress here has taken a bit of a back seat to the surprising amount of work I have done with my Tékumel miniatures, but I should mix it up.

I am still undecided on the color to paint the bases; once I finally make up my mind on that minor detail some of the bogles will be nearly complete.  Currently, I am thinking a mid-grey will work.  Also, the search continues for a uniform scheme for the lesquins, but nothing decisive there as well.

Pics, of course, when something gets done...

Legion of Ever Present Glory, part 14

Another week, another pic of my poor, abused Tékumel miniatures, specifically the First Legion of Ever Present Glory:

I painted the base, and after letting that dry coated the back half with Liquitex Matte Medium, then quickly dumped an assortment of flocking materials on the wet medium.  I am a bit concerned about the interior spaces of the base, where the brush found it difficult to reach.  I hope that I have not, once again, painted myself into a corner with these miniatures and my basing scheme.  The fluid but reasonably slow drying Matte Medium should do the trick, though, as compared to PVA or a similar glue.

This first base of troops will sit under the dusting of flock for a while, then we will see if it worked...


Meanwhile, another pic of a slightly different part of the desk:

More miniatures, waiting their turn!


.

Legion of Ever Present Glory, part 13

Another poorly lit pic:

Work continues on the rebasing of this fine legion.  On the left, the base has been replastered, and it will receive a new coat of paint shortly, then a new bit of flock for decoration.  On the right is the start of the command stand for the legion.  I have tried to save as much of the original groundwork with the command stand, but now I am not sure that was a good idea.  I will make it work, one way or another!

Also, one can see the difference in the shield trim.  I forgot to repaint the shield on the right-hand base before gluing it down.  Quite a difference.


.

Legion of Ever Present Glory, part 12

Just a brief update with a pic of some of my long-suffering miniatures representing the First Legion of Ever Present Glory:

That is the first element of them with their new shield trim.  The element is not done yet, as I still need to finish off the base.

Also shown in the pic:  some of my Sérudla, waiting their turn under the brush; a couple of priests and a Hlutrgú that just need their bases decorated; and some Ebor WSS troops...


.

Direction

After a bit of a break, I have re-started work on this project.  But before I flood my hobby table with miniatures, I ought to put some thought into a plan!

First off, I do not intend to use the miniatures for skirmish battles, no matter how tempting it will be to do so.  This means that single basing is out, and element basing is in.

Second, rules.  I have a couple of sets that I think would be suitable.  My preference will lean towards simple and quick sets, suitable to element basing.

Third, a schedule of purchases.  Much of this will revolve around the rules chosen, so as to prevent too much duplication and overstock in miniatures actually needed for the project.  Also important for this aspect will be to have an actual list of units and therefore miniatures, flags, etc. to buy.  I am going to avoid willy-nilly purchases and then try to assemble units afterwards!

New ships at War Times Journal!

It appears that War Times Journal, a producer of 1/3000 naval miniatures, has greatly expanded their selection.  By shifting to rapid prototyping methods, several new ships and many old favorites are now available in several scales, 1/1500 (!), 1/1800, 1/2400, and 1/3000.



For more information, please visit their web site here.



Please note that if you are a fan of their pewter miniatures, you should get them while you can as they are being phased out of production in favor of the new material...

Monsters, part 7

Several months ago, I posted this pic of some old miniatures that I am going to repurpose as nickers for the Half Continent:

The chap on the right spent some time (err, a long time...) soaking in some Dettol, and came out looking like this:

And now, with some fresh primer and a new, round base:

A fresh start for a miniature that was purchased over 12 years ago.


As for the other three miniatures from the first pic, they have been finished, mostly, and are just awaiting a final decision on how to complete their bases.

Where to now?

It has occurred to me that I have reached a milestone of sorts, finally, on this project.  With the veritable flood of new miniatures that have arrived (and another set that has been delivered happily - more on those later), the miniatures needs for skirmish gaming have been met.  I definitely have enough monsters and troops for some good gaming, so the procurement portion of the project will need to tack to a new heading.

Which direction is that?  Terrain, of course!

Simply put, I have no terrain pieces, save one, that could be used for a proper setting for gaming.  Everything will need to be obtained, from trees to fields to streams to buildings.  The one piece that I do have is a table covering, which I purchased very late in the previous century.  Simply described, it is a four-foot square of green-flocked rubberized felt.  I will need to drag it out from the closet and see if it will lay down flat on a table, and to check the color for base matching purposes.


Slow but steadily, the project plods on!

Paint stripping, part 2

It has been a while since I started this little experiment.  But before seeing the results, here is a pic of the test subject before taking the plunge:

The little fellow on the right is the star of the stage.  I do not remember the name of the miniature; it is from a range of D&D miniatures from WoTC a decade or so ago.  I intend to use it for a slightly different genre - as seen here.

So, what happens after a two-and-a-half month soak in Dettol?

99% of the paint and primer came right off under a stream of hot water and some gentle scrubbing.  I think that if I had a stiffer brush most of the rest would have come off as well.  The miniature had a mixed bag of coatings on it - enamel primer and acrylic paints.  This is quite good enough to start over!  NOTE:  Do remember to wear some gloves and eye protection when handling/scrubbing miniatures fresh out of a stripping solution - the left-over paint was quite messy when I first removed the miniature from the vat...


.

Lesquins, part 1

The first set of miniatures from Warfare/LOA is now primed, and as stated before they are slated to become my first unit of lesquins, or the Half Continent's version of mercenaries.  Here are a few examples:

The details are a bit easier to see now that they are primed.  I am trying grey primer with this unit, as I do not expect the uniforms of this unit to have large expanses of black, or even dark colors.

The variety of poses is impressive.  There are few repeats within the battalion pack which will give the lesquin unit a more relaxed appearance, especially as compared to Imperial troops.  I intend to use the poses in firing positions as skirmishers for the main unit once they are used for a large-scale battle.

Now, to decide what the uniforms will be, and a spandarion as well...

More progress

And just a brief update:

I have completed the 'build phase' on most of the new miniatures - the jackstraws have yet to be opened however.  Priming is next, except for my new big beastie which needs some serious green stuff help with the join of the left arm to the shoulder.

More pics after the primer sets, including some more side-by-side comparisons!

Part Two!

I had intended to continue the wall of text approach with my decision of a genre to pursue more closely.  But, I think it makes more sense to just cut to the chase and get going.  WW2 naval it is, specifically The Med as a starting point.



Now, does this mean that I am taking the narrow historical account?  Nope.  The collection will start with some hypothetical French/Italian actions, maybe even as early as 1939.  It is my intent to collect the proper forces to do historical battles, but I do not want to be limited to only that approach.



Slowly, this will include the British and Americans as well.  Plan Rubber has not been forgotten, but I will not be working on it to a large extent for a year or more.



The task has started already:

The pic above shows what is left of my WW2 naval collection, being re-organized.  These are all miniatures from GHQ.  Over years past, I sold off all of my completed ships, including a large Italian contingent.  Now, I am starting with two battleships, a Littorio class and another BB which I have yet to identify - probably Cesare.  One French ship is there - Dunkerque.  Two US ships were spared, Arkansas and Texas.  Four British ships are waiting - King George V, Hood, Rodney, and Barham.  And, a lone German ship - Graf Spee.  I have a large quantity of bits from past work, and one can see that they are being organized into a more sensible system.



It is a start, yes, but much more needs to be done.  Basing, rules, paints, and more are still to be determined...  Clear for action!!!

Fish, or cut bait!

Well, for quite a while I have floundered along with my naval projects, and maybe it is time to put that to an end.



The key is, as always, the perfect plan.  Well, I have yet to figure that one out so a close facsimile will have to suffice.



The easiest way to go about it is to start eliminating options.  I want to try and keep this project to a 'near historical'  aspect.  It could never be completely 'historical', as that just is not how I do things.  Close is enough.



So, what gets eliminated first?  It is easiest to talk periods, so let us start there.  Now, I enjoy all periods of naval gaming, but I will need to draw a line somewhere as my lovely wife (and current gaming partner) has some preferences.  One of those preferences is the ability to maneuver freely.  This will mean that the various 'Age of Sail' periods will be shunted to the back burner.



Next to go will be the 'Ancients' period, as this will be covered quite adequately by my fantasy Tékumel naval project, which will continue to get coverage here.



The two strokes of the knife described above just pared over 2000 years of naval history from The Plan!  This leaves just the past 150 years or so left...



The Modern naval era, or maybe more precisely the Missile era, is also out.  As I have stated previously, I do enjoy all sorts of naval gaming, and it pains me a bit to narrow my focus, but it needs to be done.  I am not stating that it is not a possibility in the future, however  :)



What is left?  'Ironclads', 'Pre-Dreadnought', 'WW1', and 'WW2', as the groups are commonly known.



And now, the choice becomes much more subjective.  Sending off the other periods was easy compared to this task, as each of these periods has special charms and obstacles.  Scale of the miniatures also has an impact.









Enough text for now, more later!

More new miniatures

Well, when it rains it pours sometimes!  One more set of new miniatures have arrived:

Starting from the left is a Reaper War Dog, which will be pressed into service as a proxy for a tykehound or guard dog.  Second from the left is a trio of Mites, also from Reaper, which seem to be a match for the Reaper gremlins I have already purchased, and will also be used as grinnlings.  This will make a total of 11 grinnlings!

Second from the right is a set from Crooked Dice - Corn Dolls, commonly known around these parts as scarecrows.  On the Half Continent, these are called jackstraws, and are a particularly vicious kind of revenant (or undead construct).  Jackstraws are mentioned in the third book of the series, Factotum.  These miniatures will get some modifications, including some with tricorns.

The right-most miniature is a Reaper Troll, and I think it is a great proxy for a large monster.  The miniature is reasonably similar to the 'Swarty Hobnag', which is also mentioned in Factotum.


I will have more pics of these later, after the League of Augsburg miniatures are primed at least!

Try again?

Once again, I find myself wondering how so much time has gone by since the last post.  Of course, not working on the plan makes it difficult to produce content!

However, the gears and cogs are slowly turning again.  Housecleaning has turned up some old almost forgotten books, and a recent purchase is going to add to the stack as soon as it arrives (hopefully tomorrow).  I will post pics soon, most likely on the week-end.

Two more issues need to be sorted - theatre of operations and rules.  I would like to work on both a WW2 segment and a sci-fi segment for the project, using the same basic terrain lay-out.  A long time ago, I told myself that if I ever got back into 6mm it would be in a setting that would be completely different from the settings I was using for larger size projects.  This advice is being ignored and I am leaning towards a desert setting at the moment.

A few new miniatures...

I think a break from baskets and nickers is in order, so how about this:

This is the better part of my first order of Warfare/League of Augsburg miniatures!  (Technically, I purchased them from Le Roi Soleil Miniatures, the US distributor).

Shown above is pack 'B008 At ease, no pike.'  There is a great variety of poses in the pack which is something that I really enjoy.  14 musketeers and 6 command make up the pack for a total of 20 miniatures, plus the separate weapons as shown.  No flagstaffs but I prefer it that way personally.

Also included in my order was this:

This is pack 'WLOA01 Musketeer firing line'.  The three firing miniatures are all slightly different, in weapon pose and hat variations.

It is my intention to use these miniatures as the first of my lesquin units.  Lesquins are the mercenaries of the Half Continent, known for flamboyant dress and high fees!  Compared to the Ebor WSS troops, they are not so flamboyant, but they are different enough for a start.


And, a comparison pic:

From the left - Wargames Factory, Warfare/LoA, Ebor, Imperialist

The LoA miniatures do have a very thin base, but they match up with the Ebor miniatures very well I think, in stature and style.  The Wargames Factory figures are somewhat taller, while the Imperialist miniature (specifically a Palatinate musketeer) is shorter - Imperialist does bill this as a 25mm miniatures, whereas the others are 28mm.

Grinnlings, part 1

The first pack of grinnlings have been pulled out of their package.  Now, the grinnlings on the Half Continent are small monsters that have taken to wearing the clothing of humans and occasionally sneaking into human cities.  This bit of background gave me an idea for a simple conversion of my gremlins from Reaper - adding a tricorn to one of them:

Here they are, along with a piece from the Wargames Factory WSS infantry set.

The bit I'm using is highlighted by the hexagon.  It is a simple conversion - trim the hat off, drill the bottom of the tricorn so it fits the top of a grinnling better, and some super glue to stick it on.

And, here is the first set, as of yet unpainted unfortunately:

The tricorn does not quite sit on the head properly, but I think it looks good.  This little conversion also re-acquainted me with the usefulness of the Wargames Factory plastic WSS boxes - even if you do not use them as designed, they are full of all sorts of bits that can be used for conversions and base enhancements.

My grinnlings, as compared to an Ebor infantryman.  These baskets are quite small, but a pack of them will be dangerous if underestimated.

3rd Tékumel art Kickstarter...

Jeff Dee has started his third Kickstarter for Tékumel artwork - take a look!  The subjects this time around are some of the Beasts of Tékumel, and the stretch goals are the non-humans that had not been covered previously.


.

Monsters, part 6

A little dab of paint here and there, and the result:

The smaller baskets are nearly done, with just a little something needed for their eyes.  It is unfortunate that these miniatures are bent over in the way they are - the faces are hard to see from the usual wargamer's perspective at the table during a game.

The taller one needs touch-up and details after a black wash, and of course all four of them need proper bases!

I did make another monster purchase today, after taking the above pic... We went to a small shop in Seattle called Gamma Ray Games, which has mostly board games and Magic cards (which was the primary reason for stopping - a birthday present for my oldest son).  The shop also has a small selection of miniatures, and I found these:

These are 28mm miniatures, but being gremlins they are rather small.  Although I am not too thrilled with the inclusion of weapons, I think that they will make great grinnlings, and, due to the store celebrating its 4th anniversary, the second one was 50% off!

Hobby table...

I have not posted a pic of my hobby table for a while:

Lots of old projects on there, but some progress is being made, albeit slowly.


.

Basing, and a small conundrum

Slowly marching on here, and some pics to prove it:

Here you see one of the bases I will be using for the mass-battle portion of my Tékumel stuff.  On the right is a 60mm square of 3mm thick plywood, from Litko.  On the left is a piece of magnet, also from Litko.  The magnet is self-adhesive - one peels off the wrap from the magnet and it sticks to the bottom of the base.

And, the first test subjects (apologies for the quick and poorly-lit pics!):

Ah, my long-suffering First Legion of Ever Present Glory troops!  I popped them off their washers in order to glue them to the 60mm square.

The first rank of troops, glued down to the base.  With the front rank being ones with leveled spears, I took some care to get this rank far enough back on the base so that the leveled spears will be mostly on the base, mostly...

And this is as far as I got today.  Two issues popped up at the same time as I looked at this.  One, the miniatures are going to be tightly packed onto these bases - a good thing in my opinion but there is a catch:  it would be difficult to terrain the base if I glued all of them onto the base at the same time.  So, I will need to start the groundwork and then glue down the front rank, then finish off the base.

Second is a quirk that has lingered in the back of my mind for a while now, and it is the shields.  I do not remember where I saw the paint scheme - maybe the official Eureka painted miniatures or another pic on the 'Net, but I painted the trim on the shields red.  Now, in the 'canon' army guide to the Tsolyánu forces, it clearly states that the shield trim should be black!  Now, my rivet-counting and bricole-gathering days are pretty much over, but I think that the black trim might be better looking, and I am going to go with it.  It will not take too long to re-paint each unit as it comes up for rebasing.


.

Monsters, part 5

Here is a quick pic of what little I have been doing with these fellows.  The black wash, as you can see, was heavier than I expected.  Some drybrushing of the base color brought the scheme back together but I am not certain if it is right yet.  And a quick highlight to the teeth on these baskets does help the look.

Still more work is needed but they are slowly coming together.

Brief update...

Sorry no pics this time - upon the week-end perhaps!

Slow progress continues - the little monsters have been given a dark wash and a bit of drybrushing to attempt to rescue the job!  They are still darker than I wanted originally but they should be fine.  The Grackle's cousin is soaking in some Dettol; I hope the paint is loosening off of it.

Pics later!

The first pics...

And now for some real content:

OT01 Command

This is the first set of command types from Claymore, usable by the Scots and English forces.  One shield, pictured at right, is included in this set.

WP01 Weapon Pack 1

And, for more variety, Claymore offers a Weapons Pack with more bills and shields.