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.

It is big......and it is clever.

This is a ForgeWorld large scale Beastman that I am putting up for auction on eBay later today. These pieces are so rare that anybody who gazes at them instantly falls to their knees (well the cat saw it and then he sat down on the floor near the radiator soon after). The 2 miniatures at the beastman's base are a 28mm night goblin and an empire soldier. The House rules I use for this model in 2000+ point games go as follows:

• Opponent deploys army.
• I deploy big beastman.
• Opponent removes army from table, packs up and goes home.

If opponent wants to play on, then individual combat rules apply as follows:

• attacker rolls a single d20 (twenty sided dice).
• On a roll of 1 - 19, the attacker dies instantly.
• On a roll of 20, the attacker re-rolls (and keeps re-rolling if they get a 20)

Basically, the above rule means you die if you attack Mr Beastman, but sustained good dice rolling can be rewarded by a lingering drawn out death. There is only one way to beat MR Beastman and that is with the "lucky marksman" ranged combat rule :

• Opponent drops a single D6 vertically from a height equal to the tip of the Beastman's raised axe.
• On a score of 1 - 6, the marksman's shot misses. The Beastman will attack the marksman next turn using the combat rules. (And you already know how that turns out)
• If the dice stops one inch from hitting the table, defying gravity and physics to spin in mid-air, then the marksman scores a lucky shot and the Beastman takes a wound*.

*I should mention another house rule here about large scale Beastmen having 250 wounds.

If you want to get your hands on this Beastman, the bidding will start at £50. Insured delivery will be about £3.50 UK, £7.50 rest of world.

Skaven and Cadians on Ebay

I've just put some old mint condition "Marauder" Skaven Gutter runners up on Ebay, as well as some limited edition Cadian Guardsmen "at ease". All auctions should be listed in the top left column of this page (while the auction is in progress).

The picture above is one I so wanted to use in the auctions, but just know it would have caused me trouble. A pet hate of mine is when people supply a picture of an item they are selling, with something more impresive in the photo...with the rider "the whats-it shown in the picture is just for scale and not included in the sale". I was going to say "the Giant Forge-world rat is just shown for scale against the 28mm one, and is not included in the auction".

Like I say, I bottled out. But don't let that stop you bidding on them!