Yet more SYW Highlanders

It's been slow painting progress because of the hot weather. But at last I've completed the 77th Foot (Montgomery's Highlanders)


The mix of figures is the same as I used for the 42nd Foot and the flag came from the excellent Project SYW site


Another reason for the slow progress was I slipped away back to the South West for a few days and managed to visit Bovington and the Battlegroup South show, unfortunately I didn't take my camera.

Half year progress report

First the good news, the tests show my problem was normal for my age, so carry on as normal. Now a quick review of how far I got in the first half of the year


The major project is Tricorne rebasing, covering all my Seven Years War and American War of Independence armies, this is ambitious - around 2,000 figures, but hopefully it should just be "cosmetic" as I won't be physically changing the units or bases.- I've just finished the Prussians and about to start the Austrians

Painting/Modelling - moderate sized projects

• Napoleonics - carried over from 2017. I've got quite a pile of figures (mainly cavalry) available to replace/upgrade some of my oldest units. Plus Spanish infantry, Polish infantry, French artillery and Russian Guard artillery - not started
• Egypt 1800 - adding more French, British and Ottoman troops to my existing armies, probably by doubling up the existing units. - Not started

Smaller projects

• WW2 Ardennes - finishing off various bits- completed what I had planned
• WW2 North Africa - expanding my US forces to cover North Africa by adding Stuarts, Lees and any other new units that the new Battlegroup book might require.- Stuarts and Lees added, now I have the book and all I need is some T19 GMCs , but having used a couple of substitutes I'm not sure whether to bother?
• WW2 eastern front - extending my winter Russians for late war winter warfare, mainly by adding tanks.- all done
• Some desert sand-dunes/wadi sides - carried over from 2017- not started
• Various houses to add to my Eighteenth Century town, including a model of my daughter's house - carried over from 2017- not started
• Need to create those Renaissance galleys - carried over from 2017 - any useful ideas welcomed- not started but I have an idea
• Adding some Highland regiments to my SYW British, also for use against the Jacobites!- one completed, the others on the way
• Plus a number of bits to fill in odd gaps in existing armies- not started

Gaming

• Continue to support the Lance & Longbow Society games at various shows- We passed on Vapnartak this year
• Nothing decided yet for the SOTCW game at Gauntlet- for various reasons including my medical issues this is a miss for this year
• We plan to hold a big Battlegroup event in May, so I may be a major contributor to the terrain and troops needed - - Completed successfully
• I need to organise one or two large games, one SYW and another to be decided, hopefully my rebasing will be an incentive.- not started
• Again try to get to Crisis in Antwerp- not organised yet

Painting/Modelling

Total of 905 items completed so far this year

SYW	430	Mainly rebasing except the Highlanders
WW1	166	Selection of Poles, Serbs, Ottomans & Arabs
Renaissance	123	Ottomans & Russian
WW2	99	Indian Infantry & plenty of tanks
Terrain	87	Mainly for Market Garden

On the workbench - July 2018

June has been a bad month and July is not looking any better. I bailed out of Phalanx slightly early due to medical problems and then missed the Gentlemen Pensioners game on the Sunday. I'm now having to undergo various tests, which will have an effect on my painting output. Also add in a planned holiday, so the limited number of items I will concentrate on are:

• Two more SYW Highland regiments - one started
• French Kings/Cardinals Musketeers - also started
• Ttwo Arabian/Afghan buildings bought at Phalanx
• Start rebasing my SYW Austrians
• A new replacement Napoleonic French Cuirassier brigade to replace my old Airfix figures

Our local show Gauntlet is next weekend and, if the tests turn out OK I may try and get down to Battlegroup South at Bovington.

SYW Prussian Commanders

Another batch of rebasing completed and also the last of my Seven Years War Prussians. Additional figures have been added so that each brigade commander now has two figure bases and the more senior three.

The couple of odd foot figures are a commissary officer and a preacher

SYW 42nd Royal Highlanders

I always underestimate how time-consuming painting highlanders is. This is even though I used a very simplistic dark green blue check pattern for the Government Tartan at the time.


I've painting the facings in blue as they became a royal regiment in 1758, but I'm not sure when the change in facings took place.

Figures are Redbox Jacobite Rebellion Highland Infantry

Arab Foot Rebels

These are the really lovely Strelets Arab Revolt Foot Rebels. They have plenty of character and go well with their cavalry






The reason for the long break in posting was the loss of my laptop due to a corrupt disk drive and its replacement under warranty with a new drive so it took quite a while to sort out and get all my files reloaded from backup (Hurrah, I remembered before going on holiday)

Phalanx 2018

Some of the games that caught my eye at the show (apologies as always for the lighting)

Our Lance & Longbow game, the battle of Stamford Bridge in 1454 a classic Neville/Percy scrap


Zulu War in big boys scale 54mm


The Zulus, thousands of them


The plucky Brits


Seven Years War - Torgau 1760 at the start


the battle well underway


The cavalry action


ECW played with baroque


15mm ACW



My pile of loot, mainly from the B&B. I also acquired a large bag of Warlord War of Spanish Succession figures that I plan to use with my 28mm pirates.

Thanks to John for the military transport book.

David's report (link)