More Italian Mounted Shot

This is my first entry in the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge that went up over the weekend. There are really wonderful pieces of painting going up on their site.

A new unit of Italian Mounted shot.  Figures like those before are TAG - I really like them.  They are very easy to paint.  Horses done with the oil wash - quick and easy (other than allowing 2 days to dry before over painting for the tack.

Next up - against my better judgement - is my first unit of Landschneckt.  Figures are Foundry Landscheckt arquebusiers.  They will form two 6 figure skirmish units for Impetus.  A couple of hundred of these will drive me crazy.  They should be done in the next week.

Am I getting lazy?

I'm getting sick of shaking Vallejo bottles to get the pigment distributed.  Some colours always seem fine, while others require serious shaking at all time.  And that is without thinking about the Humbrol enamel that may have been sitting in the tin for a while!

So I have finally acted on advice offered by my friend - the proprietor of The Cardinal's Painting service - some time ago: to get a paint shaker.

This beauty arrived today.  Haven't tried it yet as I don't have a plug adapter that will take a US plug - but a trip to Dick Smith tomorrow should fix that.

And back to that Humbrol.  Shaking those tin lid enamel pots around could be a disaster waiting to happen.  Maybe some experimentation in the back yard to work out how to hold them securely without the lid coming off.

I know it has been a long time .....

It has been months since I posted and even longer since I picked up a paint brush.  Lots has been happening that has kept me away from painting through this period.

But I have taken up the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge as a way of getting back into the swing.  Lots have been prepared and under-coated - just need to get painting.

The photos below will show that as usual I cannot make up my mind on what to paint - so started many things and will wait to see what takes the fancy.

Painting started yesterday with the hope of a base of four mounted arquebusiers for the Italian Wars collection to be completed by end of today.

Landschneckt shot and mounted shot

20mm WWII (SS and US Rangers) and Adler Prussian Landwehr cavalry

Last of the Venetians .... for now

 

Here are the last of the Venetians for the time being.  Again all are based for Impetus.  Firstly an FL of Shot 



 

Foundry Arquebusiers

Then two units of Skirmisher Shot.

Foundry Arquebusiers

 

And finally the obligatory camp or bagage stand.

 



Redoubt camp scene plus a tent from I don't know where

Pike blocks

These are nearly all TAG from their Italian range - but as they didn't deliver the whole order I needed to pull out some Old Glory which forms the front base of the bottom picture. 

 

The TAG are lovely figures - but the Old Glory are very good as well - definitely one of the best ranges of theirs that I have seen.

 

TAG Italians

TAG Italians

Old Glory from base - TAG remaiinder

Detail on the Knights and Light Cavalry

Here are close ups the Knights and Light Cavalry

Foundry Gendarmes

 

Foundry Gendarmes

TAG Mounted Arquebusiers

Perry Stradiots

Venetian Artillery

Here are some close ups of the artillery stands

Venetians on the field

My new Venetian army got its first outing at Wintercon in Canberra last weekend.  In fact they bucked the trend for new units and ended up coming second.

I will put up posts over the next few days of close ups of the units.

But here are a few shots of them on the field - doing a lot of damage to a Swiss army.

Arrayed at the start of the game

Awaiting the 'off'

Doing a fair bit of damage to a Swiss pike block

Men at Arms disordered but that didn't stop them

Very brave Swiss about to meet their end

Basing time for the pikes

Now for a day of basing fun !

Arquebus ready for varnish

The three units of Arquebusiers are ready for the varnish and then basing.

 

 

Next up is a large pike block.  Just finished the dry-brushing of the armour and steel.  Sorry for the photo - it is early morning / darkish and it was a quick shot with the handheld camera in not enough light.

Close ups of new Impetus bases

These are the new bases done for the Impetus comp at Goulbourn a month ago.  This is the first time I have had the camera out so sorry they took a while.

Performed very well as well - three wins and a defeat (well a drubbing - thanks Tarty :) )

 

 

I've been told the standard is way too late for these guys - oh well ... it does look nice!

 

 

And the camp bases was upgraded with much more scenic material, fallen amphora and kitchen supplies on the table / bench.

A start on Renaissance Italians

New project that has been pulled out of the cupboard.

I am planning a modest start with a 350 point Impetus army that will be Venetians - but will stand in for generic Italians in many other places.

Here is the start - some guns, knights and a few guns.

That was a few weeks ago. So tonight a few WIP photos - first things I have ever done for the period so would welcome any comments or suggestions.

First up are a few guns - pretty much done except for assembly.

Next a few gunners - lots to go on these.

 And a few cavalry - even more to go on these.

I will post some more photos as these ones get done and  move onto a few pike blocks.

Goulburn Impetus comp

Ten of us had a great weekend of Impetus at Goulburn.  Only got photos of my boys on the field in the first game.

And finally the camp / baggage base which is a must in Impetus.

They performed pretty well - getting me a second place in only my second Impetus outing (got the wooden spoon last comp!!)

Needed a few more Huns

Have a tournament on next weekend and changed my lists around a bit from last time.  As a consequence I need two more Foot stands - hence the 24 foot troops.

Also taking the opportunity to change some of the existing stands so that the Generals are part of the stands, and have some more things to add to the camp scene that did not get finished last time.

Someone will also be very relieved to know that I am making a concerted effort to fix all the errors made in the painting of the horses.  I'm sure I'll be informed if I they remain genetically erroneous :)

Just brown undercoat on at the moment - hope to have a lot of paint on today and hopefully some better photos very soon.

Three new horsemen to make a command stand and two foot units

Werfers finished

Just finished these - already pieces are breaking off.  But they won't get onto the table too often so all will be fine.

Breaking the back of the Werfers

After undercoating the first two I noticed a big gap that needed filling.  This put plans back a bit and while sitting at the desk playing with the filler I spied the third Werfer sitting in it's box and decided to knock it off while I was in the right mindset.

So approx 5 hours (family all out today) of swearing at this plastic mess got me another Werfer and then undercoated and have just spent a hours putting the basecoat on.  I am going to leave the two of them in plain Dunkelgelb and just go with the one camoflaged.

I'll let it all dry overnight and then when I get back from the Dawn Service start with the weathering.

More to come tomorrow.

Werfer building finished

The work on the plastic has finished - I had forgotten how much work it can be doing a plastic kit (that doesn't fit too well).

As a small example, three of the track units went together well once I discovered a good glue - the other too three goes to join with the same glue.

Anyway off to get painted (over the next three days I hope).

Work on Panzerwerfer 42

I have made a start on a pair of Panzerwerfer 42 and an ammunition resupply vehicle for them.  The kits are Rode.

Roden kits and their contents

Assembly has not been as easy as I would have hoped.  I am looking forward to being able to get back to a resin Milicast or metal SHQ or MMS kit after this experience.  Progress has got this far when I tried to join the tracks (which is proving difficult and then put them over the running gear only to discover that the axles and mountings are no where near strong enough.

One Werfer and the resupply vehicle

So, had to cut the bogies off the one that had been made and fashion some mounting blocks from plastic card so that I can use brass rods for the axles to give them extra strength.

Hopefully good progress will not be made......

Looking for a bag of flock

I am on a bit of a mission to sort out what I have stored in various nooks and crannies around (and under!!) the house.

This afternoon it was the turn of the scenic supplies.  So I found the four boxes that contained materials that I have been collecting for over 20 years and decided to sort them out.

That's about half of an 8 by 5 foot table

I think that Woodland scenics may not have made any foliage product that I do not have.  There is fine turf, course turf, extra course tufy, underbrush, clump foliage etc etc etc.  Also a mere 400 odd trees (to make) for my 6mm stuff and about 200 for the 15/20/28mm scales. Plus all sorts of other wonders.  It really has been a great 2 hours sorting through it.

I threw out a little bit as well - early 80s era chipped sawdust made to look like ballast and earth blend and a few other things that had gone very sticky with the passage of the years.  Think some forms of rubber that have deteriorated as they have aged.

Next is to get a few sheets of card and spread some of each of the colours and different coarseness of foam so I have a reference to select the ones I want for different jobs.