It's that Old 'Black Dog' time of the year plus some C&C artillery units and a new video!

What feels like weeks of endless rain and grey skies here in the UK is certainly affecting lots of people but for those of us who suffer from Depression and Anxiety it's more than just feeling a bit low. It can be a right bast**d to live with at times and impacts seriously upon your daily living. It's hard to get motivated and to find pleasure in anything that you used to enjoy. As one who has a clinical diagnosis and lived with it for the past 18 years at least I know that it will pass as we move closer to Spring so in the meantime we battle on as best we can. 

The Royal Mail situation continues to frustrate me! 9 days ago I ordered a couple of pots of Vallejo varnish from my regular and reliable supplier which were  dispatched via RM Tracked 48 the same day but have yet to arrive. As a result I'm backed up with painted figures waiting for their protective coat, all paid for awaiting shipping including all of the recent wagons etc for Old John. Really annoying to say the least. I noticed that this story has now made the front page on the BBC News online so it's clearly a nation wide thing. Must admit that I was not aware that RM was sold to last year to a foreign Billionaire so is no longer a UK owned company?

Family History Project.

Finding some great info and old images. This is Lyndhurst Way, London SE15 in 1915 with the Royal Artillery exercising the horses on the street. Its a road I knew very well growing up as it was the home of my late Aunt and I spent a lot of time round there Great photo?  Also a poor quality Google screen image of the same spot today. I hope you find these of interest.

I'm still painting to keep myself busy and focused which is a good thing. Having painted the most recent batch of Epic ACW's for Noel - also awaiting varnish - I have a couple of units of Epic French Napoleonic battalions next for new customer Tim, we have agreed two units per month going forward on the usual rolling basis which is good.

Onwards and Upwards my friends :)

Latest YouTube video on the C&C project below>

C&C Napoleonics - progress report!

I seem to be motoring through these figures! Just a few artillery units and I'll have enough for a small solo game to get myself back into the swing again. My initial aim was for 10 foot units, 4 cavalry and 3 gns per side before I expand to take in the first published scenario. I have gone for the 1812 uniform style as I like it! 

So far I'm really pleased with how the individual figures both look and feel, the steel washers add a little more weight to each of  them and offers me the chance to magnetize my storage box (see photos below) using magnetic steel paper.to line the bottoms. I decided to use a larger washer for the guns with the 3 figure crews based individually for casualty removal as per the game.

Storage is the large wooden boxes shown below bought fairly cheaply from Hobbycraft for which I have made two shallower trays from 5mm foamboard to sit inside, the cavalry tray being slightly deeper. All very neat and tide, just as I like things!

Off Topic - Cromwell Buildings, London SE1.

 Nothing to do with wargaming this one, but following on from my previous post re the house I was born in my research tells me that by 1962 -  then aged 3 - I was living with my parents on the third floor of  Cromwell Buildings, Southwark London. Built in 1864 this was an early example of Social Low Cost Housing in London. Strange to think these were built 20+ years before Jack the Ripper stalked the streets of the East End of the city across the River.

Still look the same today and you can see them if you pass on the train between Waterloo East and Charing Cross ( You can see the railway bridge in the third photo). My abiding memory is of the stench of vegetables from Borough Market a stones throw away! 

I hope that some find this of interest?

A busy February ahead!

Sorting through what I have here this morning, lots to do. A quick rundown:

2 more Wars of The Roses Factions for Noel ( huge bag of Peter Pig figures).

WW2 German resin gliders for Noel. (These are in kit form)

ACW Black Powder command stands for Noel - 2 packs of metal Warlord command strips and 4 sprues for the rear ranks.

Assorted Wagons for Old John - plastic kits and very fiddly to put together with the ttraces etc!

Resin Cossack  command figures, a Cossack wagon and load, a couple more Winged Hussars (3D) and numerous assorted other figures etc.

I also have a few Epic sprues to do for new customer Tim, just a couple of Black Powder units per month going forward and that's me at full capacity now for several months ahead :).

I have also had another week adding to my own C&C Napoleonic figures to replace the wooden blocks.

Lots of photos!

 

Result!

On Friday we received some letter post dated from 3 weeks ago and spoke to the nice Postlady who informed us that the 'Big Boss' had visited the office following contact by our local MP (Tristan Osbourne - Labour), to whom I had written. Clearly we were not the only customers complaining. The washers arrived plus some very late letters. Around an hour later I was shocked to see another delivery van pull up and TWO posties got out carrying further bundles of mail, one of which was my Jiffy Bag package from Essex Miniatures containing all the French infantry figures and a few initial cavalry ......... Oh Yes!

At last the boys are starting to get fixed to their 15mm steel washers for Commands & Colors. I  wanted to keep the colour coded edges but went with flock (Javis fine turf) to disguise the figure base edges. This was applied with PVA glue and then set hard with varnish when dry, I'm pleased with the final look. I decided to keep cavalry figures on the same size washers and let them overhang front and rear rather than use larger washers as they need to fit in a 55mm hex bearing in mind that French cavalry units are of 4 blocks while British only 3. I think overall that I have achieved the kind of glossy gaming piece look that I am looking for. Very tactile to pick up and move around the board.

First of the French.

Light infantry in front (5 blocks) yellow dots to edges to identify.

I'm now starting on the French infantry beginning with the line Fusilier units of 4 figures. On order are all of the remaining cavalry and artillery plus Generals etc to complete the project and as it's a £90 order I'm taking no chances and going with Royal Mail Tracked shipping this time.

I must mention here my poor long suffering wife who has endured my moaning and complaining these last weeks, especially my time spent staring out of the front window or occasionally jumping up shouting 'Is that the Post Van' when it was not :) These things are sent to try us as they say?

The Royal Mail Debacle goes on!

 It is now THREE weeks since we last had a letter post delivery from Royal Mail and I have at least FIVE items, all posted 1st class, undelivered. This includes steel washers (bases) from eBay. a box of figures from Essex Miniatures and a few Warlord Epic  sprues for painting in addition to a couple of important letters. We did get a Special Delivery box from Old John a couple of days ago and my wife spoke to the driver who confirmed that the letter post was - in his words -'stacking up' down at the sorting office. They are under instructions to focus on the parcel post only. Our own postie will be out for at least another two weeks following his knee operation. 

I have now written to my MP informing him of this situation who has conformed that he will be taking this matter up on our behalf. When you purchase RM postage you enter into a legal contract with them to deliver in reasonable time.

Once again I'm on the lookout for the Lesser Spotted Postie again this morning, it's driving me a bit mad now!

Thank you all for the lovely Birthday comments on my previous post :)

68 years ago today..........!

I was delivered into this world  in the upstairs front bedroom of my Nan and Grandfathers lovely Victorian house in SE London. Thanks to Google Earth I am able to revisit and take another look, of course today it's no longer in the family and worth an absolute fortune :) My memories are of having the run of the place and the large garden where my Grandfather grew fruit trees and vegetables. He later bought me my first very first box of plastic soldiers.