German generals

I have approximately 70 28mm WW2 Germans to paint up. I also have a blister pack of Foundry German officers to go with them. I usually like to watch a film or read something to give me inspiration when painting officers. They have to be character paint-jobs rather than rank and file. German officers are usually stereotyped as being stylish, barbarically cruel, or often stupid. Most of the stuff I found on the Internet seems to be along those lines....

Very rare big WHFB set from the last century!

I have a vary rare Warhammer set on Ebay. Sorry but this one is UK only as it weighs a ton.

Tanks for the memory

I have 3 new/boxed 40K Imperial Guard Tanks on Ebay right now.

• Chimera
• Basilisk
• Leman Russ Exterminator

A link is available in the top left column of this page while the auction is still active.

Rare Praetorian Captain for sale

I have a rare Praetorian captain for sale. He has the special "colonial" helmet. There will be a link to the auction while bidding is open. Please check the "Items currently for sale" box in the top left column of this page.

I'm pretty sure this is the last Praetorian I'll be auctioning, so don't hold back on your bidding!

I need space - not Space Marines!

I have a couple of Classic i.e. discontinued 40K tanks for sale on Ebay. They were becoming expensive insulation bricks in my loft, so they are being offered at a good price. Links available in "For Sale" section in left hand column of this page.

Campaign Fighting

I had a go at playing the Flames of War "A Bridge Too Far" campaign system the other night. We (me, Shaun and Tom) played the historical version. This involved me trying to take the bridges from the Germans. The system involve declaring moves which result in several simultaneous battles. It is complex, covering things like supply routes, terrain types etc. For instance Falsheemeger Flashimiger Fishmonger German paratroops have better ability on certain terrain. So you may beat them in a conflict because your units were better on that sectors terrain, but it may not be wise to pursue them as they may fall back to a different type of terrain where they have the advantage.

Skink Time

 

 I have a job lot of metal Skinks for sale on Ebay. There is also a command group for sale. A link will appear top left of this page while the auction is still active.

War Veteran

I took a trip to another local beach/port at Shoreham, to get some more ideas for my Seaford project. The main interest was seeing if the area had the makings of a WW2 German invasion scenario, which it did due to the railway bridge, port, deep(ish) river estuary etc.

Newhaven Fort

As part of my Seaford project, I'll be making some WW2 coastal defence scenery. Thankfully, 2 miles from my front door is Newhaven fort. I was able to take some photos when it was closed to Joe Public.

Sadly, its hard to get into the fort these days unless there is a public event there, which then means you can't take decent pictures because of advertising, grotty kids and ice cream vans etc. So i think these pics may be some of the few decent reference pics available. Also, the beach has been closed off by a French company who operate the port. They are able to do this under some legal clause. Its so ironic because the fort was originally built to keep Napoleon at bay!

Macro photography

I got a new camera. Its an Olympus SLR E420. Not leading edge, but certainly beyond my photographic talents and a step up from point and click digital cameras. Having said that, I got bored reading the instruction manual, and decided to do some point and click close-ups.

What I've learned is:

• I still have a lot to learn about photography
• macro photography can give great detail - which can be quite unforgiving to basic paint jobs

Be warned, some of the pictures below are very close-up for 28mm.

Tau for sale

I have some Forge world Tau models on Ebay at the moment. The 2 white dudes are Air Caste pilots, and the grey guy is a tank commander. I also have a Forge world Heavy Bolter Pit for auction. Links at the top left of this page while auction is still running.

Brightorian Comms Trooper

I promised to post this for somebody, and forgot. So now I've remembered. Sadly, the picture only shows a glimpse of the large holster. Because the trooper is part of the command squad, he has a sword and pistol. However, the Brightorian guard have a command trait. They carry pistols in large rigid holsters. These holsters clip onto the handle of the pistol to form a stock, thus giving the trooper the range of a rifle, but still able to holster the weapon for hand-to-hand combat.

Wings of War

I got to play my first game of Wings of War. Its a pretty amazing game system. It uses cards, counters and model planes and simulates the art of WW2 pilots getting into a good kill position. Its hard enough working out if the plane you are chasing is going to break right/left, bank sharp or wide etc, without the pilot suddenly doing a stall (in which you overshoot with him ending up on your tail), or an Immelmann manoeuvre (where he turns 180 degrees and ends up coming at you).

Rare Praetorian Army for sale

I have a rare 40K Praetorian army for sale on Ebay. See the auction listing for full details of whats included.

Stegadon for sale

I have a fair few Lizardmen items to sell over the coming weeks. Most of them classic or special e.g. Limited edition Standard bearers from old Army box sets. The first batch are up on ebay now (links on top left of this web page while auction is active). Included is a classic Stegadon like the one above, but new/unpainted in its box. If you love painting and inking scales and horns, then this is the best miniature you'll ever paint (although the word "miniature" is not really appropriate in this case!).

Lots more to come including job lots of classic skinks and Sauruses Saurus' Sauruss Saurii? more than one Saurus. (All new taken from army and starter game box sets).

Rare Confrontation miniature for sale

I've got another Rackham miniature for sale. As usual, its stylish and has cards and rules with it. It even has a second character in the pack. Bid now as its only got a day to go.

Click here for auction listing: Rare Rackham Confrontation Cadwallon Syth Mornis

Scenery

I took part in a fantastic WW2 game on Friday evening (thanks Shaun & Paul). Using the Crossfire rules we continued from a previous game with the Germans counter attacking american Airbourne troops in a French town.

The star of the game had to be the scenery in my opinion. Crossfire is a fantastic set of rules, but with the right scenery, it is even better. I shall let the pictures do the talking.....

Mechanized infantry and support moving up narrow French roads

Imperial Guard Officers for sale

These 3 classic officers are up for auction on Ebay at the moment. These older style sculpts look a lot better than anything released recently. Even if you have to field lines of the new plastic guardsmen, a couple of these guys will make them look just that little bit better.

I'm painting and buying using a points system now. This basically makes me sell off a few bits of my collection before buying new stuff. OK, it probably won't reduce the collection, but it should halt its exponential growth!

Giant Rat for sale!

I currently have a large scale ForgeWorld Skaven for sale. This is a new mint condition resin piece which is very rare. The model is very detailed and will probably take some effort to paint. Because I've gone totally mad, I've started the auction at £30 and I've thrown in FREE World wide shipping! with some nice insurance options (which could also be free).

I'd advise people to get bidding because new EC laws come into force next year that require every man, woman and child to have one of these resin models with them at all times. (OK, I made that bit up!).

I'll let the pictures describe the detail.....Click on them for more detail.

For clarification, these are 2 leather pouches under the rat's cape.....and not what I first feared they might be!

Clan Gobelin les ecumeurs des oceans

I currently have a mint set of "the sea scum" up for auction of EBay. This amazing set of Rackham produced goblin pirates is very rare. Rackham stopped making them a couple of years back, and then destroyed the moulds. These guys are notoriously hard to paint well as they are caricatures rather than just miniatures. The set I'm selling is 100% complete with cards, counters and books.

There will be a link to the auction listing in the top left corner of this page, while the auction is still active.

Not tonight Josephine.....

...because I'm playing Napoleonics with Paul and Shaun.

I'm really getting into Napoleonic wargaming now (as well as WW2). This is mainly due to finding some local players, who are easy to get on with and have the patience with teaching me the rules etc. Thankfully they both have lots of painted miniatures I can use, so that I don't have do a rushed paint job to get my own army on the table.

For anybody who thinks Napoleonics is just a pitched battle of attrition with evenly matched firing lines, its not. For instance the British infantry have a higher ballistic skill than the French. Then again the French can change formation without it reducing their rate of movement. (Something I personally witnessed this week when about 100 French language students tried to negotiate the ticket barriers at Brighton station, and then tried their hardest to queue single file for the bus).

I've just ordered myself a box of Victrix French Old Guard. There are 60 in a box, so I can practice more painting with my new glasses. In the meantime, here's a couple more pics from last nights game. Pay special attention to the advancing single British column with a casualty in front. That was the first kill of the game....and it was mine!

India Rifles

Well, I finally got around to finishing them. (Although they need a little more inking and basing). I can't say more about them at the moment, except they are for my Seaford project. I can't tell you about the Seaford project as its top secret and I'd have to kill you if you found out. OK, I'll throw you a teaser.....

These are a WW1 retained India unit, that will fight on the south coast of England in WW2. There are other clues elsewhere on this site......hint: South coast?, WW2? Also think of a war film with Michael Caine in it (yes I know that doesn't narrow it down much).

All will be revealed....slowley, over several postings.

Slow going!

I started to paint the India Rifles for my Seaford project. This is the first time (apart from some tests with night goblins) that I've tried painting since my eyes got damaged and subsequently "repaired". Progress was slower than I expected. I also realise that I will need to change my painting style. I got as far as base-coating and a first layer on the 28mm stuff. As usual, I have mitigation (excuses):

• I was still jet lagged from the Miami work trip
• I was using a Citadel brush that turned into a loo brush after 2 minutes
• I was using some awful Foundry paint (or it could be green clay?).
• I initially forgot to put my special new glasses on

Anyway, I still enjoyed myself and found it relaxing. I have a little problem painting mid-to-dark colours on black base coats. Its OK on the bigger 54mm miniatures, but I can't see the detail on 28mm, and I can miss bits out! - hence the green base coat. I may have to start with white base-coats and use heavier pigment colours in future. My optician says it may take a few goes to get used to the glasses, so perhaps all my problems are temporary. If not, I'll adopt my style, perhaps to something more caricature using a 4 colour method (stuff like blending is definitely out for now).

At the end of the day, I'll do whatever I need to as long as I still enjoy it. If it all goes wrong, I'll just train a small monkey to paint the 28mm models, while I concentrate on the 54mm stuff. Hopefully I'll get the first lot of India rifles done this week. In the meantime, my thanks go out to:

• Specsavers
• Virgin Atlantic - for the free upgrade to Upper Class
• Various totally unqualified people who gave advice about eyesight
• Clint, for telling me to watch a film called Minority Report which contained a possible solution for my eye problems (So sick it actually becomes funny)
• Sheila, for telling me about green base coats

Considering that just a couple of months back I was very ill, I think things are going rather well!

A change of plan

I haven't posted anything for a month as I couldn't paint again. I had a little bit of treatment that improved my eyesight, which then meant I needed my glasses changed again! But I'm all set to paint again now. I've just started on the following projects:

• 28mm India Rifles for my "Seaford" project
• 28mm Rolls Royce armoured car
• 54mm Sikh infantry
• 54mm Hyderabad State Force Cavalry Brigade
• 40K Cyber hounds (hard to explain these!)

Thanks to a couple of introductory games with some local gamers (big thanks to Shaun, Paul and Tom), I am now really into WW2 and a big fan of Crossfire rules. Also, against all my intentions to not impulse buy, I bought some Bolt Action Falshcumoger, Filshmergens, Fulshjoggers, German Paratroopers. I would try to mitigate this lapse of discipline with an excuse, but it would be a poor one involving aliens or ash clouds - so I won't. I guess I shouldn't even mention the North Star figures I accidentally purchased on the internet, while testing to see if my PayPal account was funtioning correctly.

Anyways, work is busy this week, so I'm just priming stuff. But next weekend will be a full-on painting weekend. I am also going to impose a painting points/reward system on myself (infantry = 1, large stuff = 5 etc) in an effort to a) get some of my collection actually painted up, and b) limit the growth of my unpainted collection! Watch this space.

Where's that damn bridge?

This is the artwork for Masterbox's fantastic 4 figure set called "Where's that damn bridge?", which depicts British paratroops asking a local for directions after missing their drop zone at Arnhem. Checking the background of the picture reveals they have been dropped several hundred miles off course, and the only bridge they are likely to take and hold will probably be Tower bridge or London bridge. On the plus side, the paratroops can easily request support by posting a first class letter or making a local phone call, either of which will cost no more than sixpence (old money). However, the Dutch gamekeeper/hunter, will have a tougher time trying to make a phone call or post a letter to occupied Holland. Even if his communication got through, he would then have an even tougher time explaining how he tracked a rabbit across Holland, the English channel and finally cornered and shot it in England.

OK its just a case of somebody enthusiastically adding some "English stuff" to an illustration of British troops without thinking it through. The important thing is that these are pretty good miniatures and I have treated myself to some to paint - purely on medical grounds to test my new glasses.

Goblin Therapy

The reason I've not posted anything lately is that I've not been able to paint. This was due to me sustaining some damage to my eyes from a recent illness. Most of my sight has returned except for some slight damage to my short range vision, but this literally means I couldn't see miniatures I was holding with one hand, or where the paintbrush was in the other hand.

Thanks to some great people (GP, A&E staff, junior doctors, HCA's, local nurses and even very benevolent complete strangers), I'm well on the road to recovery. I'll need to wear glasses, and after some tests over the last week, I will have these next Wednesday - in time to paint something over Easter. (I'll also be able to read WD and other magazines that have been stacking up!). In the mean time, the optician suggested I try reading or painting with a magnifying glass for short periods only. I had a go with some Skulls Pass Night Goblins (cheap and cheerful on Ebay). I've struggled with some bits like spotting belts/chains if the whole model is base coated a dark colour. I kept missing teeth - but this is due to the magnifying glass mis-leading me into thinking the brush was still miles away - and then bang - a gobo gets a mouthful of white paint.

All in all, I'm happy. My confidence is boosted as a few weeks back everything was a blur. Also, the magnifying glass is a stop-gap. It is nowhere near as good as the lenses I'm having made up. So thanks to everybody who helped me out. I know this sounds ungrateful, but I really think the NHS should pay for the Night Goblins and paints on prescription as part of my sight rehabilitation.