“News from the front sir, the April breakthrough failed………………for gods sake why?…………. ……………………………………..Apparently a lot of kit just wasn’t ready sir……………………..}#%^*^<~|~\{}{]}#$$ ………..ranted General MukerZpreeeder.
Oh well, it was worth a try.
Sadly the very fine weather meant all manner of outdoor activities took hold this month.
Maybe there will be an afv August – don’t hold your breath though.
Still there is always John and Zauberwurfs mighty works to appreciate.
Usually it’s a biplane – but today it’s a ME109 and spitfire…..
I just missed the end of AHPC15 with some 1848 era artillery.
Rather than park them like last year I decided to get these Properly finished.
Jumping on the back of John at just needs varnish and Zauberwurfs duel over some mechanised models I determined to follow up my AHPC15 logistics Lorries.
https://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/2025/01/?m=1
Well it seems experimentation is the order of the day. Instead of just painting some vehicles in plain military colours I seem to have drifted into a look at contrast colours, and it’s a right mess. I had no plan – just paint a lighter base colour and let the contrasts do the rest.
Not the best outcome since I undercoated in grey or white then the Vallejo olive green seems to be quite translucent. End result is the shading is just highlighting my poor main colour work.
Ho hum.
My last entry in AHPC15 was another oddity. This time I delved into my medieval collections/plastic pit. One theme in the challenge was to paint something to do with heresy.
I have a project on the back burner aimed at raising armies for the period around 1403 – Shrewsbury and King Henry IV and Prince Henry (the future Henry V).
I lighted upon a friend of the King – one Sir John Oldcastle who just happened to be a big wig in the Lollard community. Now these guys were basically objecting to the monetisation of the church and other bad practices. I suppose you could say they were proto protestants or puritans in their outlook – they were still very committed christians.
It did not end well for Sir John – not even being a buddy of King Henry IV would save him from execution.
https://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/2025/03/from-johnb-sir-john-oldcastle-lollard.html
An AHPC15 entry again and this time it was in pursuit of one of my pet projects. Fauxterre 1930 is a catch all for my 20th century escapades. I started with ww2 but have inexorably been drawn to an earlier time period. Basically I want the look of armies from the 1930’s. So thats most of the kit available in 1939 but also kit that went out of service after 1930 as countries mobilised for impending conflicts.
My recent lorry posting covered the origins of this project.
https://thewargamingerratic.home.blog/2025/04/13/the-painting-portrait-25f-logistics/
In this “later” between the wars period 2pdr guns were fine as were 37mm Anti tank guns – the bofors version being the subject of this entry.
First to Fight make a lot of kit I can find a use for and these anti tank guns caught my eye. They are slender and making them is not as easy as the few parts you get suggests. Complete with figures – I particularly liked the prone gun aimer?
Fauxterre 1930 remains a slow burn project not least because it started out as a “bricks and mortar” project – buy things from real shops by walking into them.
In this case these AT guns came from Monkbar Models in York, North Yorkshire.
Also from the same shop – the venerable airfix 6pdr with Bren carrier.
During AHPC14 I got into modelling instead of painting and specifically building models from household recycling – cardboard and plastic. The net is repleat with simply magnificent models done this way. I thought why not have a go.
Skinflint Games was an early discovery….
https://skinflintgames.wordpress.com/2023/08/08/hau-nau-haunebau-diy-flying-saucer/
https://skinflintgames.wordpress.com/2024/10/
Anyway back in October 2023 I started off my SciFi adventures on Fauxterre….
https://thewargamingerratic.home.blog/2023/10/18/painting-pedestal-23x-tacfos-the-game-episode-3/
I started to collect bits together for some spacecraft only to see the idea fade during AHPC14 as WW2 models took centre stage including a white reconnaissance spitfire – my first aeroplane kitbash in years.
https://thewargamingerratic.home.blog/tag/fantasy/
Well AHPC15 rejuvenated my modelling again. And so the scrapheap challenge spacecraft arrived – in fact two!
First up was my take on the Red Dwarf TV series red spaceship – now mine is a “klim” class space freighter often used by rogues.
https://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/2025/02/from-johnb-filthy-lucre-or-wheres.html
Second was my Policing vehicle – a space customs machine in blue. Again its basis is a “klim” class frame!
https://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/2025/03/from-john-b-abyss-violence-oi-their.html
Into the bargain I managed to paint up some magazine “freebie” dwarves and hobbits. AHPC15 as with AHPC14 drew me away from my projects and regular painting. While that meant less progress with my chosen periods the change was as good as a rest – as they say.
Indeed I have tended to use these APHC challenges to experiment with painting and modelling methods. Also the AHPC participation has certainly speeded up some of my painting habits. And that must be a good thing for a slowcoach like me.
Another entry from AHPC15. This time I was preoccupied with the challenge theme – Dantes Comedy where you had to descend each level into the abyss. Gluttony was the theme.
This is the link to my AHPC15 entry
https://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/2025/01/from-john-b-28mm-space-marines-of-puls.html
AHPC15 not only saw me make progress with my mid C19th century armies. Much delayed Fauxterre 1930 or my Lockdown Bricks and Mortar Shop project actually got in on the act.
Back in Covid times I decided on a whim to try and build some WW2 armies by walking into shops and physically buying stuff! Yes I know this is a bit of an old technique nowadays. At the time the logic was “get out and about”.
As it happened I had found a book in a shop window and snapped it up by………walking in and buying it. At the time shopping was a weird but satisfying escape. Sold as a vintage item it was Charles Grant Snr’s Battle! Practical Wargaming (B!PW)
Now this book gave me a way into WW2 on the limited basis I was looking for. Also Grant was quite happy to use german and US kit for his Russian forces – in other words country kit for that country only was not that important (of course the Russians used any kit they could lay their hands as did the germans) and indeed his forces were RED v BLACK – pure fantasy. Ok so that meant Russians versus Germans in reality.
Now this fed my need for a “fantasy historical” WW2 set up. I would use the technical aspects of the period but mess up the actual forces involved and of course the countries would be make believe. Thats Fauxterre. Sorry no zombies or rayguns.
In keeping with a theme I had developed, Fauxterre 1930 started to take shape. Why 1930? Well I had on this particular journey become more and more interested in the early war set up and less and less the final years. This escalated into pre war when I started to look at aircraft. I was quite taken with the transition from biplane to monoplane. And before you know it I was looking at AFV technology.
Did you know – the fairy swordfish biplane flown by the British Royal Navy fleet air arm in the 1930’s was still in combat duty in summer 1945 armed with rockets! so much digression….
The net result is I am trying and failing to get Fauxterre 1930 off the ground. My Plastic Soldier Company US and Russian troops were my first choice for figures when it was Fauxterre 1940 and are fine for the early war period but somehow I don’t like the figures if I roll back a decade. I do like them but not for Fauxterre 1930! They work for Fauxterre 1940 so would be ok but that is parked for now.
On a trip to a toy show I picked up some bin end corgi trucks.
And before you know it I had added to my Fauxterre 1930 logistics kit.
This is a link to my AHPC15 entry.
https://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/2025/01/from-johnb-sinews-of-war-143-corgi.html
Lets face it the channel system is alive and well when it comes to the Arts. Take York Open Studios for example – you will not see gaming miniatures on display.
As the front of the brochure says – you will see fabulous art in ceramics, collage, digital, illustration, jewellery, mixed media, painting, print, photography, sculpture, textiles and wood.
Of course wargamers can claim a few of those techniques for themselves.
The work on display at open studios is fantastic. They are clearly successful in their business – as long as they keep producing. And this production need is often at loggerheads with the creative drive or passion. Imagine making a piece of art as a one off then discovering its a best seller – yet it is a subject and technique you have only passing interest in while your passion garners few followers – what to do?
May be the wargamers equivalent is finding out they enjoy painting figures for the period they least like to game…………
The channel system is extremely helpful simply because art by definition could be anything. It helps signpost what’s in store. In the same way, Gamers would probably not value sculpture or oil paintings for sale on stands at a wargames show simply because of some “miniatures” aspect – whats the point.
So its horses for courses or channels, perhaps “categories” of art might work better. The art on display at York Open Studios is mostly to be used solely through its visual impact. Whereas gaming miniatures have a visual value of course but are then primarily to be handled in a gaming situation. I am excluding “models” made for viewing – ship and aircraft models spring mind here.
I have always found a visit to Open Studios rewarding not least because you do get to see peoples work areas and even the mess they operate in – kitchen table – often the neatest simply because of necessity or a fabulous dedicated work room. One particular artist I missed this year had years of oil paint embedded in some carpetted rooms along with the fragrance of turps. Their work was fabulous for me – and thats what matters.
Thoughts this year?
With over a hundred studios open I can only offer a very few of those I have visited.
Ala Jazayeri operates from the South Bank Studios, Southlands Methodist Church, Bishopthorpe York YO23 1NX. Her oil paintings are best seen in real life as the colours and textures differ from the digital image. I enjoyed viewing her work.
Donna Maria Taylor also operates from the South Bank Studios and I really liked some of her winter landscapes. Her approach includes acrylic, watercolour, collage and inks – truly mixed media.
Peter Baker also at South Bank Studios uses wooden blocks to create installations. I thought his work was great fun.
In Franklins Yard off Fossgate YO1 9TA some fascinating artwork exploring rust and verdigris on plaster and wooden panels – demanding reflection. Alongside were screen prints advertising music bands – great colour – fun.
Pica Studios in York Centre – on Grape Lane YO1 7HU – lots of strong prints with vibrant colours – but again I opted to picture their tools and paints.
Not far away at 16 Feasegate York YO1 8SQ is Lincoln Lightfoot who has some fantastic work. In my view something both refreshing and reassuring.
Then over in holgate was
Mountain man
The Wargaming Erratic 