The Camera doesn't Lie...

...well, at least that's what the old saying would have us believe. As to the reality of the situation, folk will be able to judge for themselves in the New Year when my next article for Wargames Illustrated rolls of the presses. Dan Falconbridge, the WI Editor here in the UK, was here in GHQ yesterday taking photos to accompany a piece I've written about 'Imagineering' on the North West Frontier; well, about our Rhanzlistan Field Force project specifically. If you have ever wondered about the process involved from tabletop to finished magazine photo as you've scanned your monthly copy of the hobby's pre-eminent magazine I can throw some light on the process after this latest day spent posing and photographing our figures, terrain and game set up. In all Dan was busy for about four and a half hours and took 78 photos in that time! I suppose about 6 will be used in the final piece next year!{Perhaps the February or March issue, as January's is already printed now.} More may make the digital format of the magazine for those of you who subscribe that way and three have appeared in their 'raw' form on the Facebook WI site already!
Between moving stuff around, finding bits and pieces, holding the backdrops Dan carries around with him on photoshoots, and trying not to fall over the lighting supports or trip over the power cables I managed to take a few illustrative photos ~

Three shots of the same thing really: Dan the cameraman in action under the strong lighting he brings to the sessions; Phil acting as 'Atlas' holding up the world, or at least the backdrops {which are interesting in themselves, one being painted and the other photoshopped}; and the third showing the scene captured in that one shot. Although the two backdrops are alarmingly different where they meet, judicious editing and photoshopping of the final pictures will render that invisible in the end product I'm told.

The photoshopped background is downloaded from the web and then blurred slightly to create the illusion of depth in the distance. Where the board meets the table edge can be blurred away too to give an even greater feel of the scene stretching away into the 'distance'. In some shots the background is used upside down to provide a gentle blue backdrop too. These are my Mutineer Miniatures resin buildings with the two scratchbuilt shrines I made. The trees and vegetation are a mixture of The Last Valley, plastic palms of various sizes from Tiger Miniatures, and the ubiquitous aquarium plants from a local Garden Centre or Pet Store! It really does look much better in this photo than I thought it would before we started!

Several scenes are set up at the same time, to make the photographer's job easier, as this is not a battle report article but a guide to how we set about the project, illustrated by photographs of the finished collection. {Finished? What am I saying?} So in the picture we have: a cavalry charge; aerial combat above the table; a Bhurpa ambush; and an encounter with two Yetis! The 'mountain range' in the back right was a £4.00 buy at the Garden Centre, reduced because it was cracked. Phil washed it with Sepia ink to tone down the in your face orange colour and dry brushed it with creamy white so that it almost matches the buildings' colour scheme.

So many photographs are taken in a session, far more that you might imagine, and all posed specially for the effect Dan wants to create to accompany a piece. The main camera has two different lenses; for table shots and for close ups; but I was also surprised to see Dan using his mobile phone to take even closes shots of figure groups than the one in the picture above. By the time the session was deemed to be over Dan had taken 78 photos as I said at the start and I was really tired! Anyway, I hope this is of general interest to some of my visitors at any rate. As I said, keep an eye out for the finished piece and the pictures from yesterday in the New Year. Now, back to painting Dragoon Guards for the Wars of the French Revolution project...

Latest additions to my Back of Beyond Project

A shrine to the 'Little Yellow, Green Eyed, Idol ~

The first figures for the Shropshire Yeomanry, all from Brigade Games WWI ranges ~

There's some background information on Rhanzlistan over on the dedicated Blog, which you can link to from the side bar.

Almost there now...

The Rhanzlistan Field Force is moving ever closer to making its debut on the tabletop here in GHQ. Its not quite finished, but its just seven figures from being completed; or at least all those white chaps I showed in the first post about the project! I've still to sort out some artillery and a second mounted unit at some stage, but opportunity and finance are really controlling that move.
First new member to show you today: the District Officer for Rhanzlistan, Albert Atkinson ~

Albert is a Copplestone's Miniatures figure, representing the Empire on the ground, so as to speak, in Rhanzlistan. Next up, the first of the Shropshire Yeomanry, Sergeant Easthope. He's a Brigade Games figure from their WWI range. Not my favourite sculpt I'd have to say, but I hope I've done it some credit ~

Finally, the first of the Russian presence in Rhanzlistan, the Russian Mission, headed by the veteran of the Revolution, Hero of the Soviet Union and pilot extraordinaire, Ivan Justukov. He is supported by the Femme Fatale, Anna Pavlova, and the Commissar for the putative Bhurpa Freedom Force, Pietre Roczoff, and some drunken sailor in the background ~

These are all from the fine Pulp Miniatures by Bob Murch. I'd like to have added some of the Scots he makes, but for some reason they are portrayed in steel helmets! Odd folk sculpors some times...
I hope to add something to the RFF this weekend as a result of visiting Colours, but it all depends on the elusive finance...

My name is Bond...

...Howard Bond, Gentleman explorer and special agent of His Majesty in Rhanzlistan. A Copplestone Castings 'Jolly Good Chap'.

In addition, the Royal Surrey Regiment has been posted to the Rhanzlistan Field Force as of today. They are Pulp Miniatures, which I always enjoy painting as they are very 'paint friendly', which is important to we chaps of limited abilities and failing eyesight...

That just leaves the only cavalry unit the RFF has so far, the Shropshire Yeomanry I expect, and the Russian Mission to Rhanzlistan of course. I still need to sort out some artillery, but that will have to wait on a replenishment of funds sadly...

Ayo Gorkhali

"Here come the Gurkhas!" The latest additions to the Rhazlistan Field Force are the Gurkhas, in this case from Copplestone Miniatures.

I found them fairly easy to paint, though the castings left something to be desired in places, with vague detail formed. I don't really like to moan about sculptors, after all I have little or no talent for the art and even less patience, but it would be nice if there were officers in the correct uniform and support weapons too, after all he managed the latter for the Indian units, albeit with only one type of NCO.

I also painted four figures for the Command Group the the force: a mixture of Copplestone, Pulp Miniatures and a Great War Miniatures dispatch rider.

Next up on the GHQ painting station are four figures to represent the Royal Geographical Society's Expedition to Rhanzlistan, hoping to encounter the mythical Yeti or stumble on the lost kingdom of Shangri-La perhaps. But, most likely they'll just get lost and be slaughtered by some passing Bhurpas in a game... There are three Pulp Miniatures and one Copplestone in this group by the way ~ see an earlier post.

Our friends Pam and Chris from Adelaide are arriving on Friday for a stay, so don't expect anything new now until much later in the month, as real life has far more important things going on for us all now.

Tales from the Sub Continent

"God, Carruthers, is there no end to the heat, the blasted flies, those damned Bhurpas?"
Well, no, not really. Instead, just a brief update on my very limited progress with my Back of Beyond project, the Rhawnzlistan Field Force, which I previewed in an earlier blog post while they were all in their pristine white undercoat stage. Despite the hot weather meaning that GHQ is often too warn for painting after about 10.00 a.m. I have something to show for the project.
Firstly, the South Staffords take the field, as they do in most of my armies. They are Copplestone Castings figures which proved easier to paint than I had thought before I applied the first brush full~

A closer view of the command element and the Lewis Gun section ~

A couple of machine guns and a spotter, all Copplestone Castings figures again ~

A Rolls Royce armoured car, probably by HLBS, but I've had it so long I can't really be sure ~

The Diplomatic Corps and a young Prince, the true heir to the throne of Rhawnzlistan. The figures are all from Pulp Miniatures ~

The first of the 'loyal' tribe of Bhurpas. Empress Miniatures Jazz Age figures ~

Finally, the Mad prophet of Rhawnzlistan, Mustaph Leahk. Again, all Pulp Miniatures ~

The movement trays are all from Warbases, whose service and product I heartily recommend to you! The texturing are all hobby products aimed at model railway enthusiasts and bought from Hobbycraft. The tufts are from Mininatur which are stocked by Mutineer amongst others. I'm working on more Bhurpas at the moment, as well as the free Warlord Japanese figure and some Foundry German sentries for 1940 games.