Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Prince Charming

Don't you ever, don't you ever

Stop being dandy, showing me you're handsome



Don't you ever, don't you ever

Stop being dandy, showing me you're handsome



Prince Charming! Prince Charming!



Ridicule is nothing to be scared of



Don't you ever, don't you ever

Stop being dandy, showing me you're handsome


Sunday, May 19, 2013

Action on the Frontier!


Mise en Scene:

It is 1759. The siege of Fort Niagara has begun. The British have sent our small ranging parties to scout for any French relief forces. They are small companies of Rangers, troops from the New York Regiment and light infantry from the line battalions in the area.

One has blundered into the path of the van of the force of Captain François-Marie Le Marchand de Lignery and is now racing for the relative safety of the lines at La Belle Famille. A large party of militia, Compagnies Franches and Iroquois.

I'll be making the rules up as I go along.

The raiders appear on the table.
 They will move 4+d6" per move. -3" in difficult terrain.
The British Lines - formed regular troops fiore with added effect.
The objective for the British player - reach the British Lines.
The French mass
 The Freench task is to run the raiders down and destroy them before they reach their lines.
 There are a lot of them. The British Light infantry have elected to run down the portage road, whilst the Rangers have entered the woods. As a result they have the Iroquis hot on their heels.

French Regulars are just out of range.
 The pursued elect to keep on running. The Light infantry have widened their lead slightly and are just outside of the musket range of the French regulars. The Iroquis are gaining on the Rangers - indeed, they are within musket range, but having moved, cannot fire. What will the Rangers do? Try to out-run them? The Indians can run as fast as them. The Rangers are better shots, though.

Pincer Movement?
 The Indians win their initiative roll. Their front rank is within short musketry range. They need a 6 to inflict a casualty. Ten dice are rolled. A single six results. A ranger bites the dust whilst his pals scurry along. The Light Bobs roll well and wheel into the fringe of the forest. The Militia and CFdlM start to sweep around toward them.

The Indians suffer three casualties from return fire from the Rangers. The Militia, having moved in conformity with the CFdlM take two of their own from the British Lights.

 The French move up to the limit of long range. The CFdlM take three casualties at the hands of the Light Bobs. The Militia having moved up with them cannot return fire either. Unseen by the camera, the Indians have attempted to charge the Rangers but have just fallen short. The Rangers give a withering close range fire - needing 5s or 6s to kill at lose range they lay 5 of the Red Men low.

Indians bowled over by a volley.
The move started off with the English winning the initiative and electing to fire. Fifteen muskets spoke. Three Indians fell. oh dear me. Because...
The Militia promptly charged into the Light Infantry who had been depleted by very effective fire from the CFdlM.
Ouch!
Ample revenge for being shot up last move.
And so did the Indians likewise charge the Rangers.
Who fared extremely poorly in the ensuing Melee.

By this stage both the British units had fallen below fifty percent of their original strength and I thought it best to draw a merciful veil over the susequent proceedings. More tomorrow.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

The All-Highest and his pals

Just a last few inclusions in the painting challenge: Stadden 1871-1914 "Germans". Ha! We know who they really are.

You know, all-Highest, I bet you're taller than even Blucher with that hat.
             

  
Oh, really?
 And some better pictures of the Hungarian Army.
Like my bedsheet camoflage?

 I've enough to do a battalion for Rapid Fire, now. Finns next.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Strelets Hungarian Infantry

 The Royal Hungarian Army at Stalingrad, figures by Strelets.
 I am loath to do this kind of photography. Flash photography done at night rarely looks terribly good and one has to fiddle the results so much in Photoshop afterwards that I myself doubt how accurate a reflection of reality they are. Nonetheless.
 They were all painted over a white undercoat. The basic colours - the flesh, the uniform colour - went on mostly as washed-on, thin coats of heavily diluted colour which I then ink-washed to pick up the detail. The black items (boots, gunmetal bits, balaclavas) were all painted a mid gray then given a thin wash of black. I find that this technique models the shapes nicely. I stumbled across it whilst painting my Alzheimer/Bavarians and Prussians.
 I used a little selective layering, mostly on the packs and a little dry-brushing to pull up the textures of the fur garments.
These prone infantry have yet to be varnished.

Best thing about these figures for me is the unusual subject and that you more or less get a battalion in a box. 

Thursday, May 09, 2013

Thought Bubble

Wouldn't it be great, a really fun project to do this:

Only about 50 figures all up, and I do hear that the RSM French have recently been remastered, too. You'll need a stockade, two buildings a gun and a crew made from a couple of militia men. Maybe a few conversions - the French NCO, the walking officer in the rear, the pointing and loading Brits.

Wednesday, May 01, 2013

More crappy figures

Slovaks busily collaborating in Fascist aggression
On the topic of ropey-looking castings, I have been painting a few of my old Raventhorpe Slovaks these past few days.

They look pretty unpromising in the bare metal, but respond well to some washed on block colours followed by another wash of Gryphonne Sepia and a little lining-in with a dark brown.

I think the trick with them is that they are quite uncluttered with detail. Where there is some, it is sculpted in quite sharp relief which helps the washes get to where they need to go. The areas that are smooth are very smooth which with a good matt white undercoat also helps the painting along.

Three PS's:

One - I like the two artillerymen playing "Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes in the centre there, don't you?

Two - I painted my 100th and 101st Spencer Smith Franco-Prussian War figures last night. My Painting challenge targets are bang on time for once!

Three - It was Erin's 4th birthday yesterday.


Erin's new scooter. She looks rather pleased with it, doesn't she?

I should have known this would happen!