Just in time for Christmas!

I'm pleased to report the timely arrival of the first of my planned 15mm tanks for Memoir 44, I was hoping that they would be here so I can work on them over Christmas. Two Shermans and a Panther as a tester so I could see what they are like, and I have to say I'm well impressed with these little models. They are suitably hefty and the quality is everything I have come to expect from Peter Pig ..... plenty of Oink! They should paint up really well and I have been reading up how to paint model tanks.

Also I managed to get a bit more work on the hull of the 74gun, the decking woodwork will be inked down a shade. I'm taking my time with this one, next up the masts and sail sets and drilling out the 0.5 mm holes that the cotton rigging will pass through later.

On the commission front, as the year draws to a close I'm happy to say I have some some interesting projects for the New Year, more 20mm from Old John, more 10mm AWI's, more 20mm ECW's, 6mm ACW's and even some Napoleonic Hinton Hunts that I'm rather excited about.

Currently I'm working through 5 foot units for Tony's ECW collection which includes Covenanter Scots and the first was finished this morning with the addition of some extra highlights to lift the Hodden Grey look. Again superb 20mm castings full of character.

The 10mm British AWI army - for the same customer that I painted the large American army for earlier this year - is coming along nicely now that I have settled into a comfortable painting routine with them. This is battalion/regt number 7 the 5th Foot. Usual 24 figure units which will look good once based up.

I'm sure I'll be posting pics of the first tank very shortly.

Moving swiftly on ...... Germans!

Firstly, I would like to wish everybody who reads this blog a very Happy Christmas and a Peaceful and Healthy New Year.

Tonight I have been playing with the camera again, in my never ending quest to take half decent pictures of miniatures. I'm fairly pleased with these, taken from various angles while shuffling the 6400k bulb about above them. Flash on and flash off for contrast, these are the Memoir 44 bases painted over the past couple of weeks or so. The US Airborne 10 bases are completed and I have the last 3 German infantry bases underway now. I have Sherman tanks and Panthers on order from Peter Pig to keep me going over the festive period. The good thing about Memoir 44 if you choose to do it with miniatures is that you don't need vast numbers of figures to do it and so can enjoy producing nice character bases, and for this PP figures are perfect. I'd like to find a way to work in the lovely 'Germans having lunch' pack!

Plan for tank and armour bases is to have a single model replacing the usual 3 small plastic models and counting off 3 hits. I am looking forward to painting my first tank in 30 years. As I said before, I have no idea where this will go, but I'm enjoying painting them and who knows, if I can get a local opponent for this one - as I think I might have lined up - maybe I'll even stick with it.

Favourite shots from the past 12months.

One thing with a blog like this is that older posts are often buried and seldom read. I have been looking back through the commission work of the last year or so and so thought I would just bring a few old favourites back to the top here for those like myself who simply enjoy browsing images of painted figures! So here we go. Just a small selection of images of course representing the many hundreds (certainly thousands) of figures painted this year on commission. A sort of online portfolio.

In January I was still working through hundreds of 6mm ancients - Rome v Carthage. I'd not painted ancients before and so was pleased with how they turned out.

As usual, please click to enlarge.

IN particular I liked the tiny horses, and I now regard 6mm horses as something of a speciality!

By February I was playing C&C Napoleonics on the game board using the rebased 6mm figures. I later sold off all of the 6mm stuff! I also started painting for 'Old John' - lovely 20mm Les Higgins figures.

By March I was painting 6mm Russians for the new C&C expansion.

I also got started on the 20mm ECW's for Tony. I believe that to date I have painted 15 regiments of horse? 

April saw more lovely 20mm castings for 'Old John'

April saw the early stages of the 10mm AWI commission.

I was especially pleased with these Baccus 6mm casualties for a regular customer for whom I also painted hundreds of Wars of the Roses figures and Napoleonic Austrians.

More 20mm for Old John!

May - still going with the 10mm AWI's.

June - several units of French Napoleonics by Essex - sold on ebay.

July - Old John has continued to keep me busy all through the year!

August - nice crisp shot this one - a couple of 'test paint' Scots Greys - 15mm.

10mm AWI artillery crews.

And Old John sent me piles of 20mm ACW's to paint - lovely castings - I'm still going with these!

A plastic 20mm Russian command group for Konrad Kinch.

September - still painting 20mm ECW's for Tony - another three units of horse here.

October - John still keeping me busy!

And most recently - more ECW's and ACW's.