Hey all! Remember this girl? Well, I finally got the men she is about to kill all painted up, and started in on the
base!
The idea is she is an assassin, and is going to kill the Yakuza-looking fellow in the suit. He has two bodyguards who will do everything they can to stop that from happening.
The idea for the piece came from the fact that my college roomie and I did a 
comic based on this for a magazine in college. A friend was the editor, said he could use eight pages... we said sure. A few things have changed (she had black hair in the comic, the body guards had guns and not swords in the comic) but generally the feeling is the same.
Some good news/bad news on these guys. Good news; they look pretty
good. Bad news; I dipped them, and the dip REALLY screwed up the back of the guy on the right; you can see where I chipped away a bit. The damage is not good, and it will take some major repainting, I think, to get it looking right:(
Once I get the base all done I'll post some more photos as it gets close to done! I still need to add a bunch of details, touch up the paint on one of the guards, add shadows to the whole thing, and whatever else pops up.
Below is a panel or two from the comic itself.
Well, I cleared the French, and thought I would get a few group shots of the Russians, who have never really been seen here that much before!:)
The Russian collection is roughly 65% complete... two more big blocks of infantry (including a unit of Guard that is half done,) 12 cossack lancers, three more guns with limbers and an ammo cart, three more foot officers, and the diorama of the Russians capturing some French. Then, they are done.
That's a lot:)
Anyway.... here they are. They are, I think, the most nicely painted of my collections, and being the most recent I think my stuff has just gotten better and better over the last few years.
I actually have this post scheduled to be posting on a timer this weekend, as I am away... I hope it works. Even being away doesn't keep me away from the wargames blog!:)
Well, the Warhammer army is gone... so I had some room on the table! I am 
going to be clearing and setting up a few possible 15mm ACW tables to prepare for Fall In and the game we are doing there, but before I did, I thought it was a good chance to get a few photos of the entire 25mm Napoleonic French collection up!
The collection is a good size; eight units of 24 infantry, three units of 12 cavalry, two
units of 2 artillery pieces and limbers, three stands of officers, and two centerpieces. Most of the infantry is Perry, although the Guard is Old Glory. The cavalry is also Old Glory, as is the artillery, the limbers, and some of the officers. While I don't love the Old Glory figures, they fill the army out nicely and, more importantly, cheaply.
I do love this army; the movement trays are all custom made from balsa, and the men fit into their specific spots. All stands are labeled on the underside, so 
they are easy to get into the right spot, but when all else fails, just line the grass up!
I call the shot to the left "The Advance of the Eagles;" if you count there are like five or six in this one shot!:) Good stuff from Rick "The Flag Dude" O'Brien.
My Russian collection will basically match in many ways, although with fewer infantry units (of more men.) However, the same basic structure will run throughout, with mounted officers commanding foot officers, and centerpieces
in both armies.
Anyway... hope everyone enjoys the photos! Let me ask... is there anything people want closer photos of?
Well, its time to say goodbye!
My Middenheimers are all packed and ready for their trip to Illinois. After each was wrapped, the whole was packed into a box with peanuts on all sides, and a lot of FRAGILE written all over. Good lord I hope they survive the trip... I think they seem pretty secure. Tomorrow I figure out the shipping, and then in a few days... goodbye, boys! I hope I get some battle reports of how they are doing under their new commander!
Well, I've had a lot of Civil War recently (the Federal collection and Fall In plans) and a lot of fantasy stuff (the Lord of the Rings and the Middenheim stuff)... so I thought it was time to bring back the real crown Jewel, the 25mm Napoleonic stuff, and the top of the collection... my 25mm Napoleonic Russian armies. What better piece to show
than the Blessing of the Pavlov Guard?
In my current design plan phase of my life, I collect my armies such that they are functional. But I also like to collect for the art of collecting, and I have, in my Napoleonic collection, a series of "centerpiece" pieces for my armies. These pieces are usually of a neat military scene or piece of equipment or a set scene that has no "immediate" value in a tabletop wargame, but is still a real nice piece. The French army has two; the Surgeon, and the Blacksmith. The Austrians... I am still not sure for them. The Russians? Well, they will get some Guards guarding French prisoners, and this piece; the Blessing of the Pavlov Guards as they march to war!
The Pavlovs are, of course, a favorite among Russian miniature collectors. I knew my army would not be large
enough to justify a unit of these traditional favorites, and I couldn't even find any Pavlovs in greatcoats that I liked, but... how can you do Napoleonic Russians and NOT have them?
So, I compromised. Rather that a full unit of 32, I decided to go with just 16 guys on a display base, a scene of a rabid priest blessing the men as they march to war. I found a good Pavlov officer, who was doffing his cap, and a mounted officer, doing the same, both from Foundry. The Priest is another Foundry fellow, from their Cossacks range, cross firmly in "I AM BLESSING YOU!" position towards the troops. I tried to keep the various lines-of-sight in the piece correct... both officers and the men on the front and 
front right of the column looking at the priest, with the men whom the mounted officer just passed looking at him. The end of the column? Either hasn't seen the priest yet, and doesn't much care more than a second an officer canters past... they have a lot of miles to march!
All the figures are magnetized, and are removable. The priest is mounted as a single figure and so can fit in other places as well, the mounted officer on a
standard cavalry stand, and the Pavlovs mounted in 4s, so you could even use them in other places if you want.
Hope everyone likes it... it is my favorite of the current centerpieces:)
All figures courtesy of Foundry!
I am, as I mentioned in a few other posts, selling my Warhammer Empire army. My Middenheim army, which is 
around 5000 points (not sure about the latest edition of Warhammer) is a biggie, and I've had it for years... in fact, it was my first big, complete army.
However, while I am selling the army, I think I am holding onto my General, an Elector Count mounted on a Griffon. He was always my favorite, one of my best old-school paint jobs, and I thought he would always remind me of the army. The tiger pattern turned out pretty good, and I think his armor looks appropriately ornate. The dip worked nicely on the wings of the griffon. Plus, I just put him on his cool new base!
But anyway... I am not convinced that I should keep him. Part of me wants to just throw him into the auction as an added, free bonus, so that the General isn't removed from his men! But at the same time... I feel like that is not only a bit wasteful (I could get some money for him) but also I would really miss him, and would love to keep him as a final reminder of the army itself, my first biggie!
So... I figured I would post him here! So... sorry to the historical folks for TWO fantasty posts in the last two weeks...
Howdy all, Well, I thought I would share a sad miniatures moment from last night. As many people know, I am selling my Middenheim army on ebay. The auction is almost over, and there is a prospective buyer. So... last night I started packing the guys up to ship out! And lo and behold... I got a little misty eyed! These guys are one
of my first large, complete armies, and they have come a long way with me, killing enemies as they go. I put a lot of work into them, and they have never looked better (I am still touching them up and adding to them, even knowing they are leaving me) and I am a bit sad to wrap them all up and ship them off to a new home! I am trying to comfort myself by saying "Self, you can buy a cool army at Fall In with the money and give them a new home," but I am still a bit sad to see them go:( Anyone else ever sell of their soldiers and have one of these moments?
Something a little different today on the workbench!
I am currently working on a small, four mini diorama for my old college roomie, based on a comic book (of approx. seven pages length) that we drew together. I saw this mini, which matches EXACTLY the hero of the comic we drew, to the point of my wondering if someone at the company that made her read it. So I am working on putting it together. The photo doesn't really get across the detail in her... the face was five shades, the hair five as well, and the black bodysuit has four, although you cannot see them... it is, in reality, a deep, very dark blue. Man, it is HARD to photograph dark dark blue! I tried taking these shots without a flash and her body suit just turned out BLACK... these shots are with a flash, which sort of ruin the subtle blending a bit, but
at least you can pick up the blue. Minis just look best in person!
Anyway... I'll put up some more photos when I get them done. I have some 15mm ACW troops ready for paint as I prep for our Fall In game, and I have to finish two bodyguards to go with the diorama of "The Guest." I think I need to get the ACW troops done first!
Time for a little more 15mm ACW!
This time it is the second set of commanders that I have for my Federal collection. Unlike my "Officers gathered at a table" command stand, this one is a bit more appropriate for the front line. Two officers on horseback consult, one pointing out the weakness in the line and where they need more troops.
As always, these guys are courtesy of Battle Honors.
Just figured I would let everyone know that myself and a friend will be hosting a ACW game down at Fall In on Friday night at 9 PM in the main hall, so if you want to come by and say hi and check out my 15mm ACW collection and scenery, please do!
Well, I recently got in touch with my Irish side!
This meal was some bangers and mash. Picked up the bangers from Whole Foods... cooked them in a touch of oil in a skillet. When they were nicely browned on all sides I took them out and dumped in an onion, cut into rings, and a half-stick of butter. Sauteed the onion until golden brown, then added some beef gravy. Brought it to a boil for a minute to reduce it, then dumped the bangers back in and took the whole thing off the heat. Some homemade mash, and voila! Bangers and mash.
They were fantastic.
Time for some more 25mm Napoleonics!
This time I wanted to post the first of my four units of regular Russian infantry. In my head I always envision the Russians attacking in huge hordes, so I decided to go with units of 32... plus, that is how the Foundry army packs come! Also I wanted all of my Russian infantry to be in greatcoats; again, I feel like the image of Russians in my head is always freezing cold, so I wanted the Russian army to reflect that.
I know a few people have said they thought Russian overcoats should be grey;
however, I've found a few references to brownish colors and decided to go with this, to give the Russian army an overall earthy, muddy, natural look. My grenadiers are in grey, but the regular infantry are all in brown!
Flags are, as always, courtesy of Rick "The Flag Dude" O'Brien.
Figures courtesy of Foundry.
Hello all,
A buddy and I plan to do a 15mm ACW game down at Fall In, and wanted to expand the armies a bit. Well, I grabbed a few of my old 15mm ACW collection... it is maybe 15 or so units a side, with 40 men per unit. I thought I would see if I could reclaim them, with a little paint and a rebasing, for the current collection!
So far... not sure. The old figures (on the right) are from Stone Mountain, and they simply are not as nice as the Battle Honors guys (on the left.) The proportions are off... also, the blues don't match exactly; I'll have to tone the Stone Mountain blue down a bit, it didn't look so bright to the naked eye. However... if I made entire units of them, would they stand out? I am not sure; opinions welcome!
Figures on the left courtesy of Battle Honors, on the right, Stone Mountain.
Below is a shot of my three groups. At the left, my most current 15mm ACW troops. Center, the reclaimed troops. Far right; my old school troops.
In honor of the upcoming Fall In, I thought I would get back to the 15mm ACW collection with a nice unit of infantry!
on the stands, and I made sure to include a dead man from this regiment in another regiment in my Federal army to tie it in.
