15/01/2018

You can never have enough T34s

Another batch of "The Works" diecasts repainted, this time the T34/85s. They were originally white and I thought I could dirty them up enough, but in the end I decided to repaint from scratch.

Tagging along in the rear a pair each of SU100s and SU122s

This brings my overall total of T34s to 29

12/01/2018

Some winter repainting

After the panthers, some more heavy metal - five IS-2s

The vehicles are the Fabri die-casts sold by "The Works" and stored away for a rainy (snowy) day. I replaced the decals on four of them to add variety.

10/01/2018

Some winter panthers

Finished the trio of Plastic Soldier Company panthers, lovely models but a bit big.


05/01/2018

On the workbench - January/February 2018

A plan for two months to kick off the year.  This is partly as I'm only just getting started but I also have quite a lot of other commitments. So I hope to work on the following:-

  • Finish the winter Panthers started last year.
  • Paint up all the late war winter Russian diecast armour I have in the stash
  • Assemble and paint the six PSC US M3 light tanks for Tunisia
  • Repaint Russian diecast Lees as their original owners again for Tunisia
  • create six British Honeys from the remains of the PSC kits.
  • if possible start work on more Renaissance Ottoman infantry and guns

04/01/2018

Plan for 2018

This years major project will be Tricorne rebasing, basically 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.

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
  • Egypt 1800 - adding more French, British and Ottoman troops to my existing armies, probably by doubling up the existing units.
Smaller projects
  • WW2 Ardennes - finishing off various bits
  • 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.
  • WW2 eastern front - extending my winter Russians for late war winter warfare, mainly by adding tanks.
  • Some desert sand-dunes/wadi sides - carried over from 2017
  • Various houses to add to my Eighteenth Century town, including a model of my daughter's house - carried over from 2017
  • Need to create those Renaissance galleys - carried over from 2017 - any useful ideas welcomed
  • Adding some Highland regiments to my SYW British, also for use against the Jacobites!
  • Plus a number of bits to fill in odd gaps in existing armies
Gaming

  • Continue to support the Lance & Longbow Society games at various shows
  • Nothing decided yetfor the SOTCW game at Gauntlet
  • We plan to hold a big battlegroup event in May, so I may be a major contributor to the terrain and troops needed - this event is still in the discussion stage.
  • I need to organise one or two large games, one SYW and another to be decided, hopefully my rebasing will be an incentive.
  • Again try to get to Crisis in Antwerp

03/01/2018

Review of 2017 - part 2

Following on from the progress against projects, here's how the 2.269 items I painted breaks down

Period
Total
Renaissance
1,532
WW2
552
Medieval
93
WSS
57
Terrain
23
WW1
12
Grand Total
2,269


  • Renaissance was obvious top with all the rebasing, but there was also quite a number of new figures painted, especially the Muscovite Strelets and French Musketeers.
  • WW2 was made up of about 50% winter, but included a number of extras for the desert, BEF, etc.
  • Medieval was mainly the Swiss and the Vikings painted earlier in the year

Type
Total
Rebasing
1,112
Infantry
540
Cavalry
212
Gunners
141
Vehicle crew/riders
68
Vehicles
47
Commanders
42
Other figures
25
Buildings/Terrain
23
Artillery guns
21
Tanks & AFVs
19
Limbers
10
Misc Equipment
7
Wagons
2
Grand Total
2,269

Again the dominant theme shows up as rebasing

02/01/2018

Review of 2017 - part 1

Looking at my plan for 2017 the progress is not so good as I under-estimated the work involved in the rebasing project. However numerically I did a lot (see part 2 for a breakdown) achieving an even higher total than last year, but like last year rebasing was a major component.

Painting/Modelling - moderate sized projects

  • Renaissance - sorting out and rebasing all my Thirty years War figures. This will involve deciding how to restructure my units and then painting any addition figures needed to make the units up to strength. - completed,I also extended the work to cover my Poles as well.
  • Napoleonics - I've got quite a pile of figures (mainly cavalry) available to replace/upgrade some of my oldest units. - Not done, postponed to 2018
  • WW2 - extending my coverage to US and German for the Ardennes - US completed, the Germans still need to have a trio of Panthers painted
  • Scratch build some small renaissance galleys, probably a pair each of Ottoman and Venetian to go with the guns and crews I received at Christmas. - Not done, postponed to 2018 - I need some inspiration

Smaller projects
  • Work through the Plastic Soldier Company Kickstarter kits once they arrive. - Completed I just have a box of CMP trucks left for which I don't have an immediate plan
  • Adding another medieval Swiss pike block - Completed (just)
  • Various renaissance units to cover war in the Balkans, Stradiots, Sipahis, Ajinkis, etc. - Completed
  • I need some desert sand-dunes/wadi sides so I'll get on with them once the weather warms up - Not done, postponed to 2018
  • Various houses to add to my Eighteenth Century town, including a model of my daughter's house - Not done, postponed to 2018
  • Two or three units of Vikings to add to my Dark Age armies. - Completed
  • More Swedish cavalry for the Great Northern War. - Completed
  • Plus a number of bits to fill in odd gaps in existing armies
  • - continuing to work on odd bits

Gaming
  • Continue to support the Lance & Longbow Society games at various shows - ongoing, the last main shows with games were Phalanx, Britcon and Recon
  • Vaasgo 1942 is planned to be the SOTCW game at Gauntlet - Successfully completed
  • I need to organise one or two large games, one SYW and another to be decided. - Nothing done - the timings for the club gaming weekends always seemed to clash with other events
  • Try to get to Crisis in Antwerp - A failure due to my Pacemaker replacement. The Lance & Longbow are planning to attend in force in 2018, so my plan is to be there.

Stash reduction
Not a formal target for 2017 - it's now 6,946 items up 279 from 6,667 last year. So just as well it's an aspiration.

01/01/2018

Happy New Year - Medieval Swiss

Finished in the final hours of New Years Eve and photographed this morning.

The figures are all Miniart except the command base of Niklaus Von Diesbach, which are Redbox.

The various flags are from the cantons of Zurich, Graubunden and Schaffhausen.