Stirrers etc

 Another day at home, things moving forward on many fronts . Spent much of day doing this-

The building nearly finished, touch up bits, highlight stones on pavement and maybe front door painted.

The pink after toning down a little.

The pink paint applied and drying on the radiator.

Coffee stirrers added to give a 3 d look rather than flat mdf.

The Austrian pioneers were keen to help in this project.

I didn’t have to cut the stirrers/ timber all on my own.

The initial gluing of stirrers to mdf with school glue and l am liking the look

Found the mdf  building and horde of coffee stirrers. We will see how it turns out…

Chchanges

 Over the last few days our plans had to change due to a member of the Ducal Household not being well. Events were cancelled and commitments unable to be upheld. In practice it meant that l was at home when l expected not to be. A case of being around if needed and waiting a lot . I wasn’t feeling terribly like wrapping gifts or sorting things or even painting figures. So I pressed ahead with rebasing and painting some mdf buildings l had got cheap at a Wargames Show in 2024. 

The buildings were bought from a Warbases rummage box, built and ar an excellent price.

I thought they would go well with my Conflix resin buildings I use for gaming 15th century to 20th Century.

Undercoated and left to dry on the radiator.

The painting process begun…

Figures soaking in water prior to removal from their old tired basing . 

Rebasing on acrylic clear bases, a controversial choice to some folk.

The job continues…

Cavalry and skirmishers completed, with most infantry done. Command bases coming along…

The first of the buildings completed. Not bad at all and table top useable. I will be in the house today mostly and hope to try the other building. The Ducal House member is moving forward but it will probably be a marathon rather than a sprint…

W of the W

The chances of anything coming from Mars
Are a million to one, he said
The chances of anything coming from Mars
Are a million to one, but still, they come

Photo opportunity suggested by 
Orlando Keily tea light lantern blown over in the storm and lying where it landed. Curious figures added…

An amiable array

 There are many rules that I have enjoyed using over the years but one that stays with me is the Wargames Holiday Centre Malburian Rules. Not that l used them there but often in my own home. They were fun to play, easy to learn and gave an excellent game. I look back on them with great affection. The other day l came across these on the shelf in the Ducal Library-

I got them nineteen years ago and they are an adaption of the aforementioned rules for the mid 18th Century. They were penned by the redoubtable Phil Olley. A quick read through and they came back to me and are just the ticket to use with my mid 18th century collection- mainly Hessians, Austrians and Jacobites. However there are a few basing considerations to take into account-

This is the basing suggested by the rules and the one l use currently with the Austrian forces. Four bases with four figures on each. Has worked well for me . However the Hessians and Jacobites, not to mention the 1780s imagination collection are based thus-

                                Six figures per base and a unit in Grim Panoply would look thus.

 I am thinking of running with the above five figures a base and a unit in Grim Panoply would look thus.

So that’s where we are on Thursday morning. Real life has intervened and my plans have changed so part of today will involve the continued rebasing project.

On that subject a big thank you to the Saturday Virtual Wargames Club members who gave me excellent advice on how to remove figures superglued to washers and pennies. It worked a treat- thirty minutes in the freezer and a tap or twist and bobs your uncle! Here are these fine fellows ( not painted by me and an unexpected retirement gift some years ago) off their old bases and ready for action-

Stormy Weather

 Been wild of late here in the Duchy. I have braved the rain and wind to go about my business successfully kept dry with a decent coat . However matters were a tad more dramatic on the Penedredfel Light Railway where this this happened-

Work to repair the station and perhaps make it more wind and watertight will begin today.

Finally an appropriate musical treat to start the day-

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RmSqzQt05A8

Rules

 

I rarely buy big glossy sets of rules but made an exception for these. Nice Wright’s rules are always interesting and engaging , pop by here to see his other work- https://irregularwars.com/collections/all

These are for skirmishes and look very interesting so far.

Secondly, to scratch the itch I have for the late 17th century l bought BTLB in its latest form. Visually impressive and interesting, accessible mechanisms. Just the reads for wet, windy , stormy days…

On the painting table - resin & lead

 A wee change of period painting wise and a return to the 18th century. Firstly some 28mm resin figures l bought to see how they painted up-

Ignore the bag at the top , more of it anon. The resin Hessian jaeger came with heads attached to the support they were printed on. Easy to release from this and stick on with super glue. Resin was shiny and not brittle, l know as a figure was dropped after being glued to a 1p and the ankles did not shatter.

I also bought some command figures which came as one piece , involving no assembly work. They seem quite solid and are nicely animated.

A close up of the figures and heads prior to being given some heft by mounting on 1p pieces.

Next a braw wee bag -

Can’t recall who gave it to me, possibly Ronnie. I found it on the desktop under some detritus. I had forgotten about it. It was great fun to open and contained a selection of diverse highlanders just waiting to paint up. A judicious find indeed. After having a good look at them they were stuck onto 1ps. A great mix full of character.

Here they are with piper to the fore and possible leader.

Finally some shots of the other bag of figures and undercoated troops-

The metal Hessian Hussars were in another bag l had forgotten about. I had started to paint them, became overwhelmed by the task a popped them away. I will have another go in the coming days…

Undercoated figures ready to paint.  I am imagining , a what if , if you like . I am imagining someone found some documents saying that some Hessian jaegers were in fact part of the Hessian continent that came to Scotland to fight in the Forty Five. It is a fun conceit to have jaeger v highlander games. Well it could of happened, nearly did happen, well almost…