Normal{ish} Service is resumed...

At last, I might add! The effects of jet lag seem finally to have departed, though I still feel very cold here in the UK! I have managed though to get back into some sort of rhythm here in GHQ, at least as regards painting, if not gaming. I'd prepped some figures before leaving for the holiday, so there was a choice of subjects on the painting desk. I'd got the ACW painting bug really since "Bull Run to Gettysburg" came out, so I started with two Army Command bases for the game ~ Dixon's ACW figures of course, to chime in with all the rest of my collection. First up, The Union Command ---

Next up, the Confederate Army Command base. I added a couple of spare infantry figures cheering on 'Bobby Lee' ---

Now, I must be honest and say that its quite hard to recapture a painting style from days long gone, but basically I wash the figures' base uniform coat colours with a thin black ink wash and then highlight with a very light dry brush dragged across the figure with the side of an old size '0' brush. I don't know that I would choose this approach now a days, but it suited the large Dixon Miniatures armies I was building up in the 1990's. I have one remaining unit of Union Regulars to paint up using this approach and then I'll be done ~ oh, apart from some limber teams I've acquired recently...

Next up, a small command base for the Indian Mutiny game, comprising some odd figures from a Foundry £5.00 Bargain Blister at the Summer Open Day --

Finally, some pieces from Empress Miniatures for my Anglo-Zulu War project, a Command base for the British and Imperial forces ---

Together with a Naval Rocket team from their rather esoteric Maori Wars range  for the Indian Mutiny project ---

I've also started work on a new unit for the Indian Mutiny games, the Raja of Rhanli's Guard, an Infantry unit of four bases comprising an ecclectic mix of Foundry figures from the Sikh Wars and Mutiny ranges of old ~ now somewhat confusingly conflated on their site into Colonials. More of them when the unit is completed, though I have finished two bases for now.

I've added to the 'Lead Pimple' too in recent days as well as aquiring some books while I was away. Starting on the Book front, I bought three books from a Salvage and Antiques Centre in Moonta, SA. Odd place to find wargames related stuff perhaps, but pleasing aquisitions: for the ACW, "Lightning at Hoover's Gap" by Sunderland, a consideration of Wilder's Brigade in the ACW for A$5.00; "Galloping at Everything" by Fletcher, a study of British cavalry in the Peninsular and at Waterloo, for A$10.00; and finally, "Dettingen 1743" by Orr for A$4.00 - I saw this later in Adelaide Booksellers for A$38.00 so thought it a great buy!

In terms of adding to the 'Pimple', I've bought some more AZW figures from Empress ~ the Mounted Infantry, in both mounted and dismounted order {Perrys take note} and the Native Horse, together with horse holder sets for Natal Carbineers, Natal Mounted Police and the Native Horse. From Foundry's recent Open Day for the Mutiny I bought a second Horse Artillery limber set , a pack of Mutineers, and a 32lb Howitzer and crew in airpipe helmet; while I also got two packs of British SYW infantry and command to raise the third Guard unit for my army. I also got heaps of paint at a discount price, mostly metalics as my Valejo paints are almost used up. That brings me finally to my best holiday buy: three pots of the old GW Flesh Wash! A great buy for me, although they did cost me A$12.00! I got them at a model store in Kadina, SA and carried them home without mishap too!

So, that's me for the moment; back in the swing of things at last. Thanks for visiting my new Blog! Please do pass the link on to anyone you think might be interested.

David