More Surgery ... Less Painting

One problem with all this NZ sunshine is that it's not always good for you.

I had an area of sun damage in my right eye and the eye specialist finally decided it should be removed for analysis.

Crumbs is my eye sore now! Feels about the size of an orange and like it's full of grit, very sore indeed. Having eye surgery really is rather 'orrible. I'm sure you're probably thinking I'm a big girls' blouse - and may be you're right! Having an injection in your eye ball - yuk! Needed two stitches and as he tightened the thread you feel it pulling your eye around - extra yuk! All whilst having to keep your eye focused on a fixed spot.
It was at a private clinic so all very swish I must say. After surgery I returned to the main waiting area wearing a pirate eye-patch complete with skull & crossbones, as I thought it would amuse my kids. But they were waiting outside ... how to feel like a total twit!? Glad it's done now.

Here's a pic - the swelling means it's hard to see the stitiches.


(click for larger picture - if you really want to!)

Anyway, it's meant a delay in painting recently.

Now for something completely different

As some readers may know I'm very interested in the Napoleonic era. I even started to collect a 28mm army back in about 2001. However, like many gaming projects of the time, it faltered and was abandoned. Most of the figures were sold on Ebay, but I did keep a few with the intention of doing something along the lines of a Sharpe-esque skirmish game.

The figures were gradually painted and I wrote a few sets of rules but nothing quite took off until GW brought out the 3rd version of their excellent LOTR skirmish system for Return of the King. We wrote some extra rules and played some really fun games. Have a look at

http://www.spiritofthegame.org.uk/voltigeur/index.htm

Then the figures went in to storage again.

Now, some years later, I've added a few extra figures and spruced up the rules I drafted. The aim is to have a few games of Sharpe-skirmish with my chum Rich. He's very in to military history but has done little war gaming ... no problem I said!

If you're interested, then my current (and rather incomplete) rule set may be found at

http://www.mediafire.com/?blddg49ylde

Forward the 95th!


PS - I'm also thinking of expanding the collection in order to play proper 28mm Napoleonics with another friend, but more on that at a later date.

More Plastic Figures!

Just like buses ... you wait for ages then two come along. First I heard about Wargames Factory, now it's Warlord Games. Check out this link.

http://www.warlordgames.co.uk/index.php

It's former GW-ers John Stallard and Paul Sawyer starting up their own games outfit. Well at least I assume they're not still working full time for GW. Perhaps this is their 'hobby' company.

The advance picture of the plastic EIR legionnaire is fabulous. Really looking forward to seeing more of their range. No news on pricing but it's sure to make WAB (or other inferior systems) more affordable.

Whilst I still prefer metal man-dollies, all this new plastic can only be a good thing. I'm sure metal figure sales will hold up well as gamers buy a mix of figures.

Brilliant!

EIR Auxiliaries & Celt with hounds

Here's some pics of my most recent efforts. The Auxiliaries are Black Tree Design figures painted with mostly Foundry paints with a bit of GW. The scuta (shields) are awaiting some splendid LBM transfers. The bases will be flocked after I've varnished them.

15 Auxiliaries

(click for larger picture)

Another view of the same unit

(click for larger picture)

Allied Celt packmaster with 5 hounds. The Celt is an old Foundry figure I found in my bits box, hence his slightly well equipped nature - it's more of a Celt Noble really - but it will do for now. The hounds are from Gripping Beast.

(click for larger picture)


Hope you like them! I've made a good start on the next unit of 15 Auxiliaries. After that I'll probably paint a few Celt slingers or skirmishers before starting on the Legions.

Yet More Romans Arrive

At last my latest order from BTD has arrived! I expect that they've been snowed under with orders as a result of their splendid "35% off" sale - which is still going on.

New figures are another unit of 18 legionnaires, 9 Aux Cavalry and 2 Scorpios. I'm particularly pleased with the cavalry. The casting is crisp, the figures correctly proportioned, etc. Really looking forward to getting my army painted. I do need to get hold of some Foundry metal spears. Scrounged a few off Darren for my first figures, better see if I can get official approval for a purchase ... ? Then of course there's the shield transfers that I'll need from LBM. In order to avoid the need for another Litko order for wooden bases I'll be mounting my skirmishers on 1" circular GW LotR bases. The little extra real estate of the round bases will give me a chance to add some scenic features to make them look rather more "skirmishy"

Haven't done much painting recently as there's been so much other "real world stuff" going on in my life. Ho hum. Really need to get back to it if I'm to have a 1,500pt army painted by the middle of the year. Depends on a lot of other factors really.

Can't wait for Wargames Factory to release pictures of the plastic Celts range they're planning. It's due to include cavalry and chariots as well as hordes of hairy infantry, hurrah! I've been reading quite a bit about Celts recently. The typical image of crude hairy barbarians is, at best, rather misleading. The Celts developed a sophisticated calendar centuries before we adopted the Gregorian calendar we have now. They were masters of metal work both for arms and armour and for works of art too. Well worth finding out a little more about.