Welcome to the New Year.

 So welcome to the New Year. 

Looking back the last year has been really lame as far as my painting goes. Whilst overs got locked down with CoVid, as a teacher my work seemed to pick up with having to design online lessons, in writing lessons (for those with no internet) and in person lessons (for those who were still going to school). After that things never seem to get back to normal. My last post was back in April 2020 and I have painted very little since.

I did get some things painted but always in a rush for a game so I never seemed to get them photographed or have time to update the blog (well down on my list of things to do). I will catch these up some time soon, just after we move house (which is the thing I have been getting ready to do of late). Nothing like being a little busy. Sure!

Anyway I have managed to get a few things done I have managed since the change of year. Now of course the items in this group had been started last year but I will soon have 24 cavalry finished which have been entirely painted in 2021.

 So to start with. Austrian Commanders. All from Perry Miniatures in metal. 6 figures.

I got a pack of their Austrian Commanders and a pack of Hungarian Field Officers which the figure below is from.

Now the Perry plastic figures all represent "German" troops but with a little trimming of the buttons of their trousers and they can pass as Hungarians. 16 figures.

As they were meant to be, German troops. 16 figures.

Uhlans. Warlord Games plastics, their Polish Line Lancers, with lots of odd spare bits and pieces used to convert the headwear to the right type.

 

 

The figures themselves are plastic but they come with metals heads. The one on the right below shows how they come, the one on the left how they need to end up.

For parts you will need the head of a Perry plastic British Light Dragoon. The cords hanging down the side of his hat needs to be clipped off to make the cords that go across the czapka.

 

Then you need one of the short shako heads of a Perry plastic French Hussar. You need the pom-poms from the side of the head and the plume off the top. These will go in the same places on our Uhlan to be.

 

Finally you will need the cockade and field sign (the leaf) of the Landwehr head from the Perry plastic Austrian Infantry. (you can see a lot of left over bits being used. And also get and idea of how many figures and types of figures I have lying around the place.)

 

The final modification we will do is model the Austrian style saddle cloth using some Greenstuff.

 

Now basing was a complete pain in the arse. Because the Warlord kit comes with only two right arms, one hold the lance in line with the horse (so could be up for marching or down as if about to stab someone) which is fine. The other arm holds the lance across the body. This means that the lance head with pennant is in their neighbours face whilst the butt end is tripping over the horse on their right. In the end the mucking about to try and get them based as a unit has detracted from the joy of creating this unit. It rally was that much of a problem and still is. They haven't even made the table yet and already two of the lances have been broken. Humpf!

Very soon, 24 Austrian Dragoons.

Seeing Red.

So of to a better start this month, at least as far as painting goes. The CoViD19 lockdown has actually meant more work for me at school as preparing lessons for home use, in two forms (online and hard copy) at at least three levels (standard, supported and very supported) has taken its toll. Thank goodness that once Easter is over, life will calm down a bit until next term. Oh well.

Anyway to the painting. Got two more of the "Maverick" 3D printed vehicles made. With these two you can begin to see the versatility of the models design. The hull sides remain the same thought the centre side panels have alternative designs, solid, gun mounts and hatches. There are alternate front and rear plates, different top decks as well as a range of weapons all designed to have magnets installed to allow easy swapping around.

First the MBT type build.

Next is the Medium tank type. 40K players might find the general theme familiar.

 And finally a family snap shot .... so far.

Making tracks.

This time we have a printed project. This a "Maverick" from a Kickstarter I was in a couple of years ago. You got the .stl friles from which you could print the model in a wide range of variants. This one is the basic APC variant.

The model is designed so that you can make it with operating doors and hatches. The roof doors on this one are stuff open as I had a heap of trouble with the hinges.

I was going for a well used, dirty look.

There is a full interior including drivers position.

So I even added a driver. A GW servetor as this will be joining my Space Marines.

Itsy Bitsy Spider...

....so of course it is huge!

This figure actually belongs to my son but he let me paint it. Its a GW model from their Age of Sigmar Goblins box set.

Really pleased with how this turned out.

Keeping up is hard to do.

Now I know I have been quiet for a while. I got busy finishing stuff for CanCon and just life in general that I didn't get around to posting. I didn't paint much early in the year and I am only now getting back into it. I was always thinking that I would do another post soon. Yeah, real soon. Then I looked back and realised that I hadn't posted anything since August. Since AUGUST! Opps.

So this is an attempt to get back on track.

Seven Years War.

Austrian Chevuax Legers. Figures by Eureka Miniatures.

 Austrian Dragoons. Figures by Old Glory.

Austrian Curassiers. Figures by Old Glory.

Austrian Horse Grenadiers. Figures by old Glory. Coat and belt colours vary as these units were made up of the combined Horse Grenadier companies of 3-4 regiments.

Napoleonic.

Austrian Dragoons. Figures unknown.

 

I have had these guys so long I have forgotten who made them. Also I had the riders but no mounts. So I printed the horses on my FDM printer but as the model I used had no harness on the horse I had to model that afterward. And I had to modify the model to make the riders fit. A lot of work.

 

Warhammer 40K.

All of these figures are at least 25 years old, some are more than 30. Many are the old plastic "beakies" from the original box set. Some are the first release metals.

First Tactical Squad.

Second Tactical Squad.

Scout Squad. A mix of the first Scout blister pack metals and Veteran blister pack metals.

Librarian. Original metal figure.

Captain. From the first "Space Marine Leaders" blister pack in metal. Rather boring compared to the sargent in the first squad from the same pack.

Role Playing.

Cleric of Cayden Calien for Pathfinder. Figure from Reaper Bones.

Android Operative for Starfinder. Figure by Dark Sword.

I think that gets me up to date. Lots of stuff not quite finished sitting on my painting desk. Here's hoping that I can keep up ... this time.