On the workbench - October 2022

So I only painted 32 cavalry last month, so I felt I needed to breakdown the cause for my loss of output. I was away for aa third of the month and once I returned I spent most days printing a batch on the 3D printer. Given that this takes at least 2 hours per batch sorting out the files, then printing and cleaning up, so there goes another third. As for the rest a lack of motivation and being distracted (see below) explains it. So there are loads started, but not much finished! So of the items carried over

• Pegasus bridge - now base painted
• A river or suitable base for the bridge that hopefully links to my existing river. - apart from measuring up nothing has been done, I think I will use some plastic sheet that I have used before for a sea edge, but I need to source it. Banks will be added separartely.
• A Horsa glider to go with it. - I've openned the box and looked at the instructions
• An early war Spitfire from the stash - almost finished I have to add the decals
• A pair of Boer War Pom-Poms and crews - started but I tend to just add the occasional bit of colour left over from other work
• Cisapline Republic Infantry - well underway, the basic colours have been blocked in.

Items started but not planned for

• Russian motorcyclists, universal carriers and T60s - all straight from the printer
• French motorcyclists and cavalry - ditto
• A pair of British Sextons, an M10 and an Achilles - ditto
• Upgrading Austrian Napoleonic limbers - replacing the old Airfix style limbers with a 3D printed version
• Upgrading a couple of old French half tracks - with 3D printed Somua MCG tracks.

WSS British Dragoons

After what seems an age I have finished painting some units. These are the Strelets British Dragoons and I have painted the units from Ross's Dragoon Brigade plus one extra.

James Wynne's Regiment of Dragoons lated the Royal Irish Dragoons

John Hay's (Grey) Dragoons later the Scots Greys, some writers think they rode grey horses, but the Grey Dragoons title came from the coat colour immediately prior to the WSS and there is one picture that might show a couple of dragoons from the regiment on grey horses at Schellenburg.

The Erbprinz von Hessen-Kassel Dragoons made up the third regiment of the brigade

There were only two British dragoon regiments that served in Flanders through the WSS, so for a third I added Cunningham's/Killigrew's Dragoons that served in Spain

On the workbench - September 2022

Total loss of momentum last month with lots of accidents and incidents to reduce progress to a crawl. For example Pegasus bridge was undercoated, but the spray paint ran out after 3/4 was completed and Poundland didn't have any more stock and eventually when they did it was a slightly different shade. Bur at least it is now ready for tarting up. The other factor was that I went off for two weeks holiday walking on Exmoor and visiting family. So I will continue to work on

• A river or suitable base for the bridge that hopefully links to my existing river.
• A Horsa glider to go with it.
• An early war Spitfire from the stash
• WSS British and Hessian dragoons (these have been started)
• A pair of Boer War Pom-Poms and crews
• Cisapline Republic Infantry
• complete the latest batch of 3D printing

WSS yet more French Cavalry

I could easily have painted all the new Strelets Garde do Corps figures as that unit as it comprised eight strong companies, but instead I only painted one "company" from that unit and painted the rest as Gendarmerie de France.

For the Garde du Corps company I selected the 1st Scottish company, this will join the Grenadiers a Cheval and Gendarmes of the Guard in my Maison du Roi Brigade

The Gendarmerie also formed a strong Brigade and I selected the Reine, Dauphin and Bourguinon companies. I much prefer the paper flag I used for Bourguinon rather than my attempts at hand painting the moulded on Strelets flags.

Printer back in action

I've restarted the printer and I'm working on a mix of new stuff and replacements for the recent failures.

Cripes - when 3D printing goes wrong

It looks like a bomb has hit it.

All of these were printed hollow and I thought I had manged to drill and drain all the uncured resin inside. But the recent very hot weather has proved me wrong - there was still uncured resin inside and as it seeped away it blocked up the drain holes. It then expanded and forced its way out through the weakest points giving the impression of an internal explosion.

So back to the drawing board for these and attempt to find a better solution and replace the damage. I also have other models that have suffered collateral damage and have resin sprayed on them. Hopefully I can solve this by painting over with matt varnish.

On the workbench - August 2022

Reasonable progress last month, almost everything completed and Pegasus bridge is now assembled.

So I will be more ambitious and work on

• A river or suitable base for the bridge that hopefully links to my existing river.
• A Horsa glider to go with it.
• An early war Spitfire from the stash
• WSS British and Hessian dragoons
• WSS French Garde du Corps and Gendarmerie
• A pair of Boer War Pom-Poms and crews
• Cisapline Republic Infantry