FIASCO, Wargames Show 'Loot'

Hello There! After looking through my posts I realised I had not described the items I had purchased at FIASCO.

In an attempt to resist the 'OOOOH! Shiney!' syndrome, which is the downfall of so many wargamers, I had a fixed idea of what I might buy if I saw it for sale, in the show.

I have used a few combinations of enamel paints, to represent old worn wood. I normally paint scored plastistrut and then add various coats of thinned enamel washes. With enamel paints, you have to clean the brushes with white spirit. This not only knocks hell out of your brushes, (so I have a set of designated brushes that I only use for enamels), but it gives off a lot of spirit odour, which is not healthy for you!

I visited the Great Escape Games stand and found these on the stall. I had asked about these two sets at the Partizan show and he had not yet received them in his stock. A few weeks down the line and here they are!

I will do a further post on these when I have tried them out.

I purchased some latex roads from Early War Miniatures, at the last Partizan show, and the dry grouns if to go on them to provide a gritty finish to the roads.

This company has been very helpful to me in the past. There website is here.

I usually browse the Stonewall Miniatures stand, when I see them at a show. This time I was able to purchase some figures for some planned and current projects. Above are 20mm figure packs of Indian troops in the desert, LRDG crews and WWII NW Europe British.

As the work on the cabin nears completion then I can start to change the composition of the 20mm Rapid Fire units I have at present.

This will include increasing the company sizes from 6/8 figures to 8/10 figures. Also the squadron size of tanks will be increased from 3 to 4.

New Wargames Den!

 Hello There! After changing employment, moving house (again), and other life changing moves I have now settled down again!

Here is the latest reason why I have not been painting enough figures.

Finally the stars of lifestyle, money, home, work and hobby have aligned and this has now been built, painted, (mostly), loaded up and is now the headquarters of Wargames Control!

The last job now is to clear the gaming board. There is a 10' x 6' table in there with a storage area under the table and most of the board surface is hinged to make it easier to put things under it. I requirement as I am getting 'less flexible' to clamber around things!

This is now the painting centre and I am working on a small job for a friend. Then its back to 28mm Napoleonics again. It is a great improvement on the temporary ad hoc set up I have had since I moved in and my partner was only too happy to help me move my stuff in here!

As you can see I use Vallejo paints but also have a supply of enamels  for priming, Oils for some horses, using the 'Peter Gilder dry wipe technique', a range of artists paints for metallics, some suitable Wargames Foundry triads and a load of airbrush paints.

I finally have loads of light, both natural and artificial, and a light box from a colleague from work. I have deliberately kept to a smaller table as it will not allow me to spread out, which I have a real problem with. I wonder if other gamers and painters have the same problem?

Vapnartak Show Spoils

Hello There! Well another quick post with some pictures of new and forthcoming painting work.

First up, I have a few Allied tanks and other vehicles planned for North West Europe. I have done some research into the colours used and after experimenting with a few Vallejo paint mixes and browsing the AK website, I have taken the plunge and bought the above.

The paint sets cover Normandy and Late North Africa with a spare SCC15 as I feel I may need a lot of that!

The weathering powders are for the next group of tanks as after using some other shades on the Waterloo building recently I have decided to try them out on a few other things.

The tufts do make coving figure bases a lot quicker and add to the realism. I have used static grass manually placed into a dab of PVA glue, coconut fibre from a broom, sweet chestnut cases made to look like clumps of flowers and various items from the Woodland Scenics range of products in the past, and still do to add a variation to the foliage seen, but the above do save a lot of time as well. 

Although rather expensive, I also use the range of triad paints from Wargames Foundry. I purchased two different Confederate blues and greys, Prussian blue and a butternut, again for the Confederates.

ABC Brushes were also in attendance and I replaced some brushes previously purchased from them, which only started to give out after a long period of use. 

I also wanted to give the larger white handled brushes a go for dry brushing. I keep hearing reference to borrowing the girlfriends wake up brushes for this so will see how they perform.

Another pack of AB Miniatures, WW II desert Sikh troops. These are the usual very high standard from AB. I also caught a glimpse of Tony Barton on the stand. I was diverted to another stand and did not get back in time before he had departed. Shame as I would have loved to have a chat!

Wargames Foundry WW II desert DAK. I have used a couple of these packs in the past and wanted to recruit a few more German troops. I am still keeping the bulk of my Axis desert forces in the same proportions, nationality wise as the Italians made up to 80% of the Axis forces in that theatre.

And some Italians in the Colonial helmets. These are to go with the Mirleton troops I already have. 

To save getting a phase of the 'OOhhh Shiny@ syndrome I also went to the show with a list of what I needed and had preordered what I really needed to complete existing things and resisted and careless spur of the moment purchase decisions.

The day was very productive and we even left just after one pm after doing everything we wanted to, photographed some games and felt like we had been there a lot longer! 

Paints Table and Paint Storage

Hello There! I have seen how a number of painters keep 'control' of their painting table, (or not!), and thought I would post what I have done with mine.

These would all sit on a large lipped plastic tray. When the number of colours I had became unmanageable I separated the rows using strips of plywood. This then grew some more and the tray was not large enough!

I saw this laser cut MDF tray, which for the life of me I cannot remember where I purchased them from!, and clipped the standing ones together with bulldog clips on the back.

The Vallejo paints are in number order and I have become accustomed to the order they are in, although from another view the colours and shades of the same colours are spread through the entire range! 

The other products I use for painting are equally messy and I found some small boxes for sale in 'The Works' They are only in lightweight wood, (probably balsa), with a small clip on the front.

I used some different colours paints for each one and when I still could not find what I wanted quickly I then printed some labels off and encapsulated them and glued them to the boxes.

It took a little time but had saved far more time searching since.

10mm Waterloo Buildings

Hello there! I recently completed painting one of the building from the Hundred days range from Total battle Miniatures. Their website is here.

It is their representation of La Belle Alliance. It is cast on a single base and is crammed full of detail. The end building had a rough brick finish which allowed me to use weathering powders for the mortar work.

I copied the illustration from the suppliers website and this had enough views to help me finish this painting work.

I included the usual variable shade of roof tiles and the walls were finished with a number of dry brushed to get a suitable grainy staccato texture.

British Napoleonic Painting Guide

Hello There! After reading a facebook post about feeling disillusioned about painting some Napoleonic British Infantry I offered to post my painting guide. I make one of these up for each nationality or troop type that I paint. I find it easier to refer to than a pile of paints spread across my work table!

Also as life keeps getting in the way I do not have to remember what colours I have previously used!

Over the years this system has proved invaluable, especially as some projects have been delayed by many months or even years, but I think many wargamers have had that problem! 

My Painting Table

Hello there! I have heard and seen other painters and wargamers commenting about their 'painting tables' and how they feel either comfortable or overwhelmed by it. This includes the amount of work they have to do, how much of it is in front of them or how they feel they are working and seem to get nowhere.

Here is my painting table.

Jesus Christ! Until I took a photo of it I did not realise what a complete bomb crater it was. Contrary to popular opinion, (after looking at this), yes I am married and my wife is very tolerant to me having a permanent painting table and I realise this. Although I do use the excuse that I do earn a bit of money painting this to photograph for features for WSS magazine.

I do also feel that if a burgular gets into my house he will realise that another burgular has already just been and leave immediately, so I also consider it a security measure.

I do clean up regularly, when one unit or project is finished and I move on to the next, as the reference material to hand has to change. I also clean up when I tell my child to tidy her room. This is so I can claim the morale high ground as I have tidied my mess so she has to do hers.

I was once asked 'How do you work in this?' and I answered 'I don't know' That was accepted as a valid answer.

Thank you for listening, end of broadcast.

Metallic Paint

 Hello There! In an effort to find a metallic paint that provides a realistic finish and does not go 'claggy' as soon as the container is opened I have purchased some items from the Roberson Artists range of metallic paints.

I will admit that these are expensive, (a 30ml bottle is between £6.10 to £7.10 depending on colour). However this amount shouls last forever!

The consistency is midway between water and single cream. It is water based and can be thinned with water but this is not necessary from the bottle. Although not in a dropper bottle it can be transferred to you if required but I have had a bottle of this 'Classic Gold' for three years and it has been fine to use. It has started to thicken up but adding water returns it to it original consistency.

I have varnished my figures using a layer of aerosol gloss artists varnish and then two layers of matt varnish. With this finish I have still noticed this metallic paint shining through the varnish.

As it is waterbased there is no odour, (unlike Tamiya!), and does not seem to damage your paintbrushes.

Lastly I prefer to support my local art shop which is a small family rrun business and they also provide a lot of advise as well.

Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy Issue 112

 Hello There! I have recently received my complementary copy of the above magazine after having a couple of features published in it.

The feature on the battle of Medina de Rioseco comes from a renewed interest in the Peninsular War. The availability of figures for the Spanish army and reading about the experiences of Spanish forces has opened up a completely new view of this area to me. It is really well illustrated with figures from the Perrys collection and sets it off really well.

The other is a continuation of my previous feature on highlighting and shading yellows and reds on wargames figures and covers white. This comes from the first Austrian Napoleonics I have painted and what I finallt settled on for their painting.

I hope these features are of help to the gamer and I am currently working on a mini campaign of three battles again fought in the Peninsular. 

Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy Issue 111

Hello There! I received my complimentary copy of issue 111 of Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy magazine today. In it I have had a feature published in it which goes into painting some of the more difficult colours that wargamers like to avoid. 

Reds and yellows can be hard to shade and highlight and here is a few pointers to help you out.

The idea for this feature came about while painting figures for my 'Maida' project. This started with the Watteville Regiment then a battalion of Swiss in French service. When looking into the sources of red dye and the shades of red that were used in uniforms, it became apparent that, as the Illustrious editor of WSS would say, 'There is a feature in that!'

I also included white, in the original feature, however it was lost in the editing but that will be rewritten and shall make an appearance in a future edition.

Maverick Models

Hello There! Among the many projects I have been working on is a Spanish force in 28mm to refight the Battle of Medina de Rioseco.

One of the problems with this project is that the flags available for the Spanish Army of the Peninsuar War is limited. While there are a few suppliers that supply some flags, (Flags of War and GMB). The scope of units covered is small. Many cavalry units are not covered and many of the 'Provisional Militias' are not covered at all.

This situation is not helped by the fact that many of these flags have not survived from the Napoleonic Wars and we are reliant on many accounts to vague eye witness accounts which are often unclear or 'best guesses' which are hypothetical.  

After some searching on the internet I came across Maverick models who had a small list of examples but I saw a comment saying that if he did not have what I was looking for I should contact him.

The owner of Maverick Models, Stuart, was very helpful and kept in e mail contact often. I supplied sources and pictures for the flags I required and after a few weeks they flags arrived.

Here is the order and a copy, bottom right, of a similar item I obtained from another supplier. The flags were printed on a high quality paper and there was the option of what size I required and a choice of paper or cloth. Also if I wanted a 'plain' or a  'effect' print which has a 'ripple' effect on the finished print.

The units are the La Reina Dragoons, Guardias du Corps and Queens Carabiniers. These are not supplied anywhere that I could find. These are a print and not a photograph of an existing picture or illustration and include a surrounding fringe which I can cut into strips for realism. 

I was very impressed with the service and communication from Stuart and the prices were very reasonable. I also sent some extra money due to the amount of Stuart put in to this project.

Here is the flag fitted to the figure.

Apologies for the white background not covering by painting table. These are Eagle Miniatures Spanish Dragoons painted as the La Reina Regiment. These are also the figures which will be appearing in issue 111 in the painting 'Red and Yellow' feature.

'French Blue' What the hell is that then?

Hello there! I am currently doing a number of projects in between working at the hospital and one of them is to complete a battalion of French light infantry for a refight of the battle of Maida. They will also be used for the 1809 campaign and the Peninsular.

I have not painted Napoleonic French for over twenty years. I used to paint 15's and 25's, (as was then), but am now collecting Perry's and Front Rank for my work now.

After searching around the internet for suggestions of what shade of blue to use (even to TMP), I found a wide range of suggestions in many different makes of paint.

I use Vallejo paints, which narrowed it down a bit but I do use the triad system so looked at the Wargames Foundry paints and bought a few from their range as they looked very promising.

To help me find what paint I require and what colour or shade goes with what I make my own colour sheets and write up a painting plan for each of the units I paint. This stops me having to refer to different books all the time when painting and then weeks or years down the line I can still remember what colours I used to paint them if I need to paint more!

Here are a few examples of what I mean. I group the colours in, for example, Greens (above), then red triads on the left and a colour chart for the 4th Swiss I painted recently. I have similar for each colour triad and each main colour, (red, blue, green, brown and yellow). This helps me find the colour I want straight away.

Back to the French blue. I did a test figure and thought well that's done then! However I stopped and thought 'That's maybe a bit bright?' I looked through my reference material at home and did a few searches on the internet and started to think it was too bright after all. I feel I had been influenced by the illustrations from the Osprey books on Napoleons light Infantry from many years ago.

I did some colour swatches for the blues I was thinking of using, including the Foundry paints I had brought and started to do some more trial figures.

Foundry Paints:      Blue 65 a,b,c    These are intended to be used as a base, middle and highlight. I started with the first shade but on painting the mid coat and leaving it to dry, (wet paint appears brighter as it reflects more light), I  found it very hard to tell the difference between the two shades. The third, highlight, shade was noticeable but did not stand out enough for me.

I was beginning to think I had either 'blue blindness' from looking at so many different shades of blue I could no longer tell one from the other or they were only slightly different!  I left it for a couple of days and found the same thing. So on to something else.....

Vallejo Paints:     899 Dark Prussian Blue, 965 Prussian Blue     I have seen this combination suggested a number of times. I first tried a black undercoat with the dark Prussian blue but found it was miles too dark for me. The indigo dye used in real life was VERY dark and when it faded, quickly, started to give off a definite green hue. I was beginning to feel that going with reality was not going to pay off as it was looking like I was going to give my French troops black uniforms!

With this still not looking good after adding the 965 Prussian Blue I tried it with a lighter undercoat but still not fun. Next up.....

Vallejo Paints:       965 Prussian Blue, Various mid coats and highlights, (840 Andrea Blue, 925 Intense Blue, 930 Dark Blue, 962 Flat Blue, 963 Medium Blue).      These combinations just got lighter and lighter and while I knew this colour did fade in real life I was just not satisfied with the result. 

I started to mix paints to get what I wanted. Starting with an empty dropper bottle I used a two ml syringe and a drawing up needle to mix fixed quantities of 899 Dark Prussian Blue and 965 Prussian Blue. This started to get near to what I wanted and used a grey undercoat on the figures to help the shade of blue look lighter. Things had started to come together.

One night I had a few minutes to spare so I went back to the Foundry Paints and instead of using the triad I used the 'a' shade as the shadow and the 'c' shade as the main colour and added some 840 Andrea blue as the highlight. Bingo! All's well with the World and I can now get on with the light infantry.

Here is a colour comparison of the colours I was using. Top left is 965 Prussian Blue. Below it is 899 Dark Prussian Blue. Along the top is mixes of 899 Dark Prussian Blue with progressive additions of 965 Prussian Blue. Top far right is 899 Dark Prussian Blue again. The group of three lower down is the Foundry paints. The large square is Foundry 'b' and is done to show that a larger area of the same shade dos look lighter than a small area.

I was not expecting this photograph to come out as clear as it has but I was surprised to find the different shades of blue are apparent.

An interesting article on different dyes available in the Napoleonic period can be found here

I will hasten to add that this is for 28mm figures, not 15's as the smaller areas of paint will make things look darker.

Now on with the French!