End Of The Week - An End In Sight (24)

So I made my target despite the real world. It was a week where I enjoyed myself more than painting. Time with my daughter was much more fun. Time with Atomfall was also good. I might have found my next genre for a tabletop skirmish.

I even managed to get the minis on a base and apply two separate textures. I haven't quite made up my mind up about what is next. Let's face it's probably going to involve more Sludge. Whilst I can see many options, this process is coming to an end. I can see another two cavalry units but as one involves twelve models, I suspect that this is less likely. The stuff I wanted for the Quar hasn't been released yet so that is currently a no go. 

Atomfall is lighting my candle at the moment. I have done some rough calculations and I am already thinking this is more than I want to spend right now. Maybe I don't need to have all of the minis right now. Part of me is thinking I still have an arguement to settle with a Saracen. No, don't even ask. 

A Cock Up And A Recovery

So I sat down to start painting and I realised that there was an unprimed mini in the queue. Somehow I had missed it out. So rather than putting everything on hold till the morning I decided to take a different direction.

These were already in the queue. I got them, pre-assembled, two weeks ago. I think their original owner was planning to use them for Turnip 28. They definitely look better from the front. I hadn't realised how bad the monkeying around was until I started painting. By then I was all in. Not sure I will win any awards but then they are probably going to end up on a shelf or in a box.

I get to speak to my daughter soon and I am kind of excited about it. 

So this would be three posts in three days. I must be losing it.

Start Of The Week - The Furlong Before The Final Furlong

Last night I was not feeling the idea of doing something Sludge related. Since then I have assembled a unit of lancers, a unit of crossbowmen, a unit of jagers and diddled with another unit of musketeers. So I wonder what I am doing next.

I decided it was probably best to nibble away at the cavalry. These will double as light cavalry and hussars. They are probably not flouncy enough to be lancers but if I paint them as bright as I can it will probably work. Turquoise maybe? My daughter likes turquoise.

The musketeers are actually the first unit I put together. This was probably about six months ago. I seem to have lost a few so I needed to tinker.

Then there are two units of jagers/shock troopers. I got the ones on the left that were premade about two weeks ago. Another good find. The others are more of the same. Just an attempt to have more options.

Speaking of more of the same the last unit in the current plan. A unit of line crossbowmen. 

This brings to the end of the plan. I can justify having painted an army now so these really are just for funsies. Just need to get them outside so I can prime them. Whilst I feel the urge to do something else, I should be able to knock these out in the next two weeks. Then I will feel like I am done.

End Of The Week - Barely (33)

So here I am again at the end of the week. It has been interesting in terms of getting stuff done and I will sleep well tonight. In the end the planned project for the week is done. I have some shields to glue on but will wait till the bases are done before I do that. As for the bases, these now have two textures and most have a few rocks on. I have a few things to work out for the artillery and flamethrower stands. I would be painting them now but I need the glue to dry.

This is a unit of lancers. I recognise the lances may be a bit short but I have to store them. They need shields attached but these are done.

Then I have a unit of mounted knights with knightly weapons. Just clubs with pointy bits. Or maces. 

Just so I can cover the bases, there are a couple of mounted bodyguards. One for the commander and one for a planned mounted chaplain. When I say plan, I mean aspiration as I am not sure how I will do it.

Having read the rules I wasn't sure if a mounted commander was a good idea. It seemed a good idea to have at least one. So this is it. It also means that I have two commanders with sufficient painted units to create two small forces.

Finally I have the artillery crew and flamethrower. Nice to haves but not essential. These are the only ones not based yet. So when I finish these and paint the bases I can call this project done. Which I won't be doing just yet but I am claiming it as a bingo win. 

Now I have to work out what I am going to do next week. There are some crossbowmen I want to put together. Then there are a couple of units of line infantry ready to go. Or maybe something else. I could do with a unit of hussars. Kinda want to have a unit of heavy cavalry. Not sure if I like the idea of painting more cavalry. 

Been thinking a lot about my daughter this week. Have been missing her. The place has seemed empty without her.

Hard Week Coming To An End

My time this week has all been about making things hard for myself. It's been mostly about painting cavalry minis, which is something I don't do a lot of. So for some reason I decided to paint fourteen of them in in week. For perspective, it's at least twice the numbers I have painted in the last three years and probably five years.

The burden I put upon myself, and it feels like one, is to finish, ish, an army. An army I have gone to town on (in terms of numbers at least) despite promising myself I wouldn't. I look upon painting horses as a challenge. With human minis the paint process seems easier. In general it is all the same except perhaps the hair. With horses there are multiple different colours. Each colour has the same basic profile but requires a knowledge of different patterns. If you can tell the difference between blaze and snip, and star and stripe then you know what I mean. When I paint horses I want to get the white bits in the correct place.

So there are a few details left to finish. Highlighting, some metallic area and of course the aforementioned white bits. Time I was back at the coal face during which I will take consolation from the fact that they are not actual Napoleonic minis and the fact that I intend to paint some more. At least as many again if not a few more.

Start Of The Week - Sludge Cavalry And Heavy Weapons

It is starting to feel like I need to put my money where my mouth is. My plan was for twelve cavalry and half a dozen foot, probably with a small artillery piece. When I have looked again there were fourteen mounted figures. Somehow I had forgotten about the mounted commander with a standard bearer or a couple of mounted bodyguards.

In the fairly recent past I have discussed my love / hate relationship with horses, especially the 28mm painted ones. Fourteen cavalry is a big ask for me. A lot are covered in cloth, knights are a little ostentatious for my liking. The infantry are easy enough and I have the planned shields done already.

Somewhere along the line I need to have something prepped for next week. My heart tells me to prep the next twenty four infantry. This would be eighteen crossbow equipped infantry and sux crossbow equipped jagers. 

When I started this project it was abundantly clear to me that if I ever wanted to get a game together I would need to field two forces. This involved paying for and painting them. This was, err, perhaps a little off putting. In the past I have been able to do so but I think the last time I did this was not in this millenium. I was worried that I was going to struggled to get to where I wanted to be in this regard. With the figures in the queue I should be able to get there quite easily. If anything I should be able to field two larger forces.

End of the Week (23)

Despite Google, this was another good week. The New Cruelty is pleased. 

The eighteen figures of the pikemen unit is a bit of an affectation. I am not sure if I will use them. They are here really for completeness. I guess it means that I am getting closer to being able to field two forces.

I put a little bit more effort into the two officers. Again, I am not sure if I will need them but they give me options. Something to do though.

Now for the other ranks. I have done three arcanists but wanted a sorcerer as well. This is the guy in blue. I hadn't done an army chaplain. The chaplain brings some useful glam to the army. As he is likely to be important he rates some bodyguards. These were done in the same livery. I could have just used bodyguards from the pool of what I have finished but, well, you know.

I have tried to keep, as best I can, to the idea that weapons and colours define the mini. It just makes it easier if bodyguards have axes, infantry where green and if you are clerically orientated you are rocking purple. So officers carry swords and knights use maces (the closest thing I could come up with to knightly weapons).

Then the pikemen need shields. Don't start. The arms were designed for shields and looks odd without them. So maybe they are spear rather than pike. I am trying to get ahead so I need some shields for the lancers. Don't start. It's my army and I want what I want and again the arms are designed for shields. Then I need some for random officers, knights and bodyguards. They look too clean and too French.

Next week is also looking good. Time is on my side so I might push the numbers a bit. As a form.of motivation I put up a weekly plan. I was thinking that I might be starting to burn out on the Sludge front. This isn't the case. If anything the opposite is true. So it's looking like more Sludge. Whilst I have promised myself that I can buy some more minis, I am also kinda doing a deal with myself (although it seems like the devil) not to buy any more minis untill I finish what I got in February. 

I was planning on doing the same numbers again but adding in my flamethrower team. Whilst most of the Sludge stuff is technically a conversion, this is a bit more chop and change. Looking at what is prepped, it's going to be cavalry. I have six lancers, four mounted knights and a mounted commander with standard bearer. So that sounds like twenty six minis.