Tuesday 22 June 2021

Work in progress & a new chair!

I removed the previous interim video post, with apologies to Phil who left a comment. Fact is that I was far from happy with the aesthetics, the grid lines are way too heavy and the hills require a lot more work. Overall, that is not what I envisage for my ECW games, I want the terrain to look more natural, don't mind at all something a bit Old School, but if I am to play in a gridded table then the effect must be far more subtle. Plenty for me to think about.

Meantime I'm bashing on with my painting, the 12 Strelets cavalry for John, some ECW clubmen, a couple more field guns and starting a new regiment of foot in off white coats. 

The cavalry are not finished yet, more detail work and finishing off the horses, but I like it when I get to this stage of all the main colours in. The flag will be hand painted of course, probably more an impression than a detailed flag but should compliment the regiment OK. There is lots of yellow lace here which gives them a nice lift and I have tried to vary the horse colours while keeping the overall look hopefully in balance. 

The new chair was a Fathers Day present from my youngest Daughter and her partner, as chocolates and alcohol are out for me they thought I deserved a comfy painting chair, quite a surprise I must say, unusual  but very welcome. 











14 comments:

  1. Love those strelets figs, nice work!

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    1. Thank you FMB. Soft plastic 1/72nd figures have come a long way since Airfix, but they were pretty good too in their time.

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  2. Love the chair always nice when the kids break from tradition. The painting is coming on nicely, would never think those cavalry were plastic.

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    1. It was a nice surprise when the chair was delivered Graham. Fits perfectly against my undersized desk. As for the Strelets once I had them undercoated they looked like metals. Johns box always contains plenty of variety, next up are 6 Delhi Light Horse, Ral Patha and dated 1978 on the bases. Winged shields and turbans :)

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  3. Nice chair, you better not get any paint on it or you’ll be in trouble for dissing the gift.
    Those Strelets cavalry are beautifully painted, I shall have to consider asking for a commission myself.
    If hexes are a problem aesthetically you can always use rules with fairly relaxed movement systems like the free Brevis Tercios set that have become our favourite for TYW.

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    1. Hi Rob, I'll look those rules up, cheers. I think my main issue is with the (expensive) printed mat, the grid is far too strong with heavy lines, I might try a 6" hex just dotted out lightly, could only manage a 12 x 8 grid on my 6x4 table but I see no reason why not?

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  4. As the two chaps above said…top stuff. I too spent many an hour struggling with natural and subtle over visible and abstract. The best I’ve managed was hexon since I seem to have a problem with squares - just to complicate things further. MS Foy once joked that my rounded square single height “hills” looked like pasties. Sadly he had a point. You’ll get there.

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    1. JBM, I think I'm getting there slowly. A 12 x 8 grid of dotted 6" hexes, at least I could still play some games. Hills are a big issue for me too, but I have a bit of an idea how to avoid those pastie hills possibly :) Square hills would be a no no for me. Gawd, you would think we had better things to be filling our heads with wouldn't you?

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  5. wonderful pressie, comfort when painting very important, my WSS lads looking superb , love horse colours, impressed, best of luck with standard

    stay safe
    cheers Old John

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    1. Many thanks John. Delhi Light Horse on the desk next, again lovely figures.

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  6. Lovely looking cavalry, soft plastic? Surely not! I like my 6" grid for TtS where you barely see it,I'm working on some hills that just go beyond 6" square and a bit organic looking, wish me luck!
    Best Iain

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    1. Cheers Iain. The Strelets 1/72nd scale plastics are amazingly detailed figures. I look forward to seeing your hills, one thing I cannot abide is square hills and not that keen of hex ones really! No reason why the edges can't flow outside the grid slightly if the grid is large enough?

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