Tag: 25mm metals

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wargaming

Fragment 26/2 supply chain

My main miniature scale is 1/72 or 20 to 25mm (because scale creep has a very long history). So I am not in the current mainstream 28mm (whatever that height that means anyway) or 15mm (another much varied war gamers scale).

28mm dominates the supply chain these days while 6-15mm seems to be prospering as a counterpoint – skirmish versus mass battles?

The ubiquitous 1/72 “do it all” scale is now largely unloved by gamers although the modelling fraternity still love it for aeroplanes, ships, vehicles and railways.

I have a soft spot for the “ubiquitous” scale and therefore trawl the supply chain accordingly.

Sadly metallics in the 20mm to sub 25mm are in decline – quite simply sculpting and casting in metal is an art and craft which you don’t start doing at the drop of a hat.

The mainstay of this production industry is not getting any younger and of course 3d printing from digital models inevitably looks the modern progressive thing to do if your starting out as a maker in this hobby

Many of the 20-25mm small metal casting businesses revolve around one of two key people and when they stop working there is often no one else to take on the business.

My current figure collection includes

B and B miniatures

SHQ

Irregular Miniatures

Warrior Miniatures

Frontline

B and B miniatures shut up shop a couple of years ago. They had one of the few extensive ranges for Franco Prussian forces in 20mm.

I should have bought more when I did but did not see the writing on the wall.

SHQ sold out to grubbies tanks who will cast some ranges to order – notably for me Kennington although I always liked the WW2 ranges.

Ian Kay at Irregular hung up his working gear this spring after 45 years. His vast range of figures in so many scales will be a loss to many gamers. I believe the 2/6mm ranges live on through a former employee taking the plunge.

Warrior miniatures run out of Glasgow by John in his 80’s has been on hold due to poor health but he did restart in 2025 only to find he needed to rework his manufacturing to make things possible. Since the June announcement I think things have gone quiet again.

Frontline and IT UK closed its doors this spring as well. I have some of their very nice ww2 vehicles.

As I have a broad tolerance on scale and indeed figure matches I can still access ranges to support my gaming, notably using injection moulded plastics sold as toys back in the fifties and sixties.

Yet today they produce some outstanding miniatures for gaming. Even so this industry has seen rocky times with Hat Miniatures seemingly stopping production at one point – think warlord just stopping – you get the picture.

Right now I am painting 1/72 metal medievals from Tumbling Dice. They come with separate shield and some separate heads. Casting is crisp with no flash and minimal mould lines – a fiver gets you 8 foot but I buy the discount packs where you get an army for 70 quid.

In the pic are some SHQ crusaders mounted in the middle and foot in foreground while some Caesar 1/72 plastics are at the right rear of the picture. Tumbling dice 1250 era mounted blue/yellow plus foot with large kite shields are to be seen middle left.

Happy gaming whatever your scale.

Categories
wargaming

Paint what you got – cowboys

These figures are by Dixon except The leader who is none other than Jesse James modelled by Blue Moon 2007 slice of americana distributed by old glory in the uk.

Both ranges remain the cowboy figures of choice in my view. They have superb character even if they are slightly oversized.

Rusty Maguire’s Iron Ore gang all together the blue moon Jesse james figure centre is slightly slimmer and taller than the fulsome Dixon figures.

Facial details on these figures remain stunning given these mouldings are decades old.

The gang is led by Rusty Maguire…..

My figures were bought at the last Sheffield triples show. And then they joined the lead pile.

The bauxite brothers

Pinky bauxite
Rhett bauxite

During lockdown they finally got white primed and then craft paint red sienna washed.

https://thewargamingerratic.home.blog/tag/contrast-paints/

Now they have had some extra washing with Windsor and Newton sepia ink plus the odd brown/cream clothing picked out.

The original very Matt sienna paint reminded me of Rusty iron so that gave me an idea for names – after all you have to give these wonderful characters names!

The ore brothers

Magnus
Sid
Lim

I varnished them with Vallejo Matt varnish and then top coat of Vallejo super Matt varnish.

Not sure when these guys will get out and about – but watch out – they carry a lot of lead😁

Based on old coins they received a pva coating then “games workshop” era stoney sand.

The gang……..

Rusty Maguire gang leader

The ore brothers

Limonite (Lim)

Siderite (Sid)

Magnetite (Magnus)

The bauxite brothers

Pinky

Red (Rhett)

Categories
miniatures painting

Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge 16

So AHPC16 is upon us – well the 21st December is storming towards me far too fast.

In previous years – well the last two to be exact – first year I started preparing on the 21st way too late and then last year did prepare one primed unit beforehand but held off having a plan before knowing about the themes which then derailed me with a sci fi bug.

I found I was doing stuff (deciding about theme models or simply digging out figures to clean and prime) but not actually painting colour – much before the January deadline loomed into view!

So this year I started my plan in November!

And I have primed some of the planned pieces.

And I decided to ignore the theme and just see what came along.

And lucky me this years three themed pieces have fallen nicely into place within my plan.

Declining Empire should see some planned 1848 Hungarians appear

Childhood toy memory fortunately gets the wild geese treatment from the 1700’s

And rebels hopefully will see some Covenanters appear before the various deadlines

Alas last years failed star of my show might fail to appear yet again. As its anniversary related this is a constant theme – I started my 28mm stoke field armies in 2015……still not much progress ten years on!

And now I have scenery options nudging their way into my plan.

I was hoping to get some more Fauxterre 1930 kit done.

Then there were the 1848 Hanoverians, 1848 Neapolitans, 1700 French Dragoons, 1848 Roman infantry all crying out to be on the plan – the list goes on and on.

Way too much of course for this painting snail, which having done a plan shows so well. It means the exercise has proved its worth already.

However real life is very very busy right now so I might fail on all fronts!

The optimistic wargamer marches onwards……

Categories
miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Portrait 25k: AHPC15 leftovers

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.

Three types of artillery on show
I have added to my Danish artillery
Irregular miniatures bell shako British do good service as Dane’s of the 1840’s
Guns were different to the Russian 1850’s version.
Full complement with earlier model to fore.
These are 1848 Duchy of Parma
Same manufacturer as the Dane’s
Same guns as the Dane’s
B and B Miniatures provided these chaps posing as 1848 Schleswig Holstein rebels.
They are actually 1870 Prussians
One 4 pounder horse gun and one 6 pounder field gun both rifled breechloaders
But it’s hard work getting pickelhaubes for the 1840’s and the figures come with the guns – waste not want not. At three feet I can live with the difference.
Categories
wargaming

The Painting Portrait 25f Logistics

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

Categories
miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Portrait 25b 1848 Bavarians 4th Line

Next up for my Painting Portrait is another Paint What You Got effort, this time it’s the 4th line who differ only from the 7th line in their facings – yellow for the 4th with white metal buttons while the 7th sport pink with yellow metal buttons.

Painting Portrait 25a details the scenery.

My mid nineteenth century units are four 40mm square bases coated with pva and budgie grit followed by a three colour paint job – burnt sienna then heavy dry brush yellow ochre finally light dry brush a yellow white to highlight.

Firing line

Peco railway scenic grass is the final addition. I tend to match the base greenery to the uniform colour accepting my armies are mixed based.

In column
March attack
Categories
Scenery wargame rules wargaming

Off Season? or what?

The Football season properly got underway this weekend (although the hard workers were already on their second weekend) after the summer break and it kind of gels with my view of the wargaming calendar year.

My off season is spring and summer. Well yes I know there are lots of wargamers who are of the 24/7 variety and make up the engine room of this fine hobby.

I am much more the peripheral player – wargaming fits in with lots of other activities. In summer I like to get out in the daylight and enjoy the warm rays of sunshine – not too warm though!

So it occurred to me the other day that it was odd that I might post a plan for the year at the turn of the year. Yes thats when many other things get planned and reflected upon – makes sense to do the wargame planning stuff at the same time in those dark months.

The reality is that my transfer season (= all those painting plans or rules/gaming period changes) and this disruption really happens between May and August. And thats because as my painting tails of in Spring my mind starts wandering.

Looking back I have noticed Summer has been quite fruitful for projects going awry and new ideas popping up.

I mentioned earlier those 24/7 wargamers. Well even if I dont paint much in Spring and Summer I do tend to read and that is the devil in my wargaming. Or rather it is the seed point for another idea or ideas.

What has seeded this summer?

Back in early spring I was on a roll (no pun intended!) painting, well inspired by the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge XIV.

Trojan horse…..

My main project – Schleswig Holstein Wars were well served yet also some new material like a kit airplane – first in decades, retro citadel fantasy figures, gameshow freebies and even a magazine WW2 freebie figure Sci Fi carve up.

And then the finale posting by Karl at AHPCXIV featured a trojan horse. How apt, as it drove the Bronze Age front and square into my wargames thinking.

Soon I had the books out, which rules, which figures to paint, heck which scale? I am the sad possessor of 15mm and 1/72 chariot armies none of which are complete – in the case of 15mm not even started……

Scale – not a chariot in sight….
25mm subs for those non existent 15mm chariots – in dba cavalry or chariots it matters not!
High water mark of this summers Bronze Age push!

In the end I managed a strip or two of Assyrians undercoated and then opted for my version of 2mm armies. A successful campaign with DBA using a previous mapped world followed and then nothing.

Back to reading again. Suddenly William the chivalrous knight sprung upon me – I got all medieval and then it passed: And so did the book.

A great period for heraldic colour

The same happened to my wild west thoughts.

The cowboys got as far as the rockery before getting shot to pieces…..

The season of scenery challenge popped up. and I briefly made progress on a long overdue Italian hilltop town.

And then the Pike and Shot 16th century erupted with books on history, rules and uniforms spilling out of cupboards. A whole set of stockpiled figures got cleaned, reading progressed and rules were contemplated. Taking a lead from my Bronze Age moment I created some 0mm, yes 0mm armies for the Italian Wars – France versus Spain. I had intended them for testing rules including Pike and Shot by Warlord but bailed out using Neil Thomas Wargaming an Introduction instead – Pike and Shot Rules. These are easy and simple to use.

A promising start with 0mm scale armies to test a myriad of pike and shot era wargames rules including warlords pike and shot soon petered out….

One wargame later and dust started to gather on the abandoned field – no second game.

The pike and shot did get washed and desprued but alas that was it…..

So you see spring and summer has been properly, my fragmented wargames season. Its not an “off season” or indeed a “low season” but its definitely a season of sorts.

And its still going on………….pretty much what you would expect from a wargaming erratic I guess.

Categories
miniatures painting wargaming

A tale of two painting events

Winter 2023/2024 proved to be quite productive painting wise. I don’t keep stats on numbers painted although I do record my painting colours and techniques in case I wish to replicate a figure/unit.

“Paint What You Got” by Dave Stone and “Analogue Hobbies Painting Competition” (AHPC) by Curtis Campbell and Co. both provided a big push to my painting in a very positive way.

In both cases I had planned a limited involvment to secure yet more mid 19th century completed units for my Danish and Germanic forces of the 1st Schleswig Holstein War.

Initially all went well and the fruits of my work can be seen on the AHPC14 site and in previous posts on this blog.

Paint What You Got

Paint What You Got II – better late than never

Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge 2023/24

Then I fully succumbed to the “Library Challenge” on offer with the AHPC event.

So out went the 19th century and in came whatever thematic library section I found myself in next.

The result?

  • One 1/72 Reconnaisance Spitfire – now gifted to a lover of all things aerial.
  • One 28mm Noggin the Nog super hero from the 1960’s childrens black and white TV. Bought from the Little Toy Soldier online shop.
  • One 28mm General Siskorski hero of the free Polish during World War 2: A Partizan Newark freebie.
  • One 25mm veteran (1980’s) games workshop fantasy Cyclops: found at Doncaster Toy Fair.
  • One 28mm Empress Matilda (12th century): A Partizan Newark freebie
  • One home built “button monster” (DeathZap Pastor created these inspiring SciFi/Fantasy creatures)
  • One home built “Nissen Hut” left behind in some village in the East of England after world war 2 “upcycled” – before the term was invented – to a village library.

Quite a haul and it was a very satisfying period of painting and making. The AHPC served up some great contact with the other painters as well.

After what was in effect for me a serious 12 week painting/creating blast – I literally hung up my paint brushes. March has rapidly become April and I have been drifting: I cannot blame outdoor activities like gardening as spring has been one soggy wet mess and still is.

So much for getting on with the 1st Schleswig Holstein War forces. That project has been a case of two or three steps forward yet now stopped.

Maybe that stop was coming anyway. My Wargame projects have that way of shuddering to a halt for no good reason.

1940 France – mk1 spitfire in camomint camouflage
1980’s games workshop fantasy cyclops rescued from Doncaster toy fair!
12th century Empress Matilda – a freebie from Newark partizan show
Just squeezing onto the painting pedestal is a scratch built ww2 Nissen hut library from the post war
Polish General Siskorski again a Newark Partizan freebie and the link is double in that Newark was home to polish air squadrons during ww2 and after General Siskorski and his family died in an unexpected plane crash over Gibraltar in 1943 the general was buried in Newark until repatriated in the 1990’s
Noggin the nog
A German ww2 magazine freebie with mods to make a sci fi character of sorts
A button monster made from a 54mm ww2 soldier.
AHPC 14 proved to be very productive!
Categories
miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Pedestal 24d The Cavalry

From the 1970’s era I have had three cavalry types – Cuirassiers, Hussars and Lancers in my collection.

They are all minifig.

The Lancers and Hussars have done sterling service especially in more recent times appearing as mid 19th century units for my Italian Wars of Independence forces and their Fauxterre equivalents.

These French lancers have served many a country both real and imaginary across the nineteenth century
These French hussars have also become generic as well – often appearing as Austrians
These minifigs cuirassiers don’t get out much as the battles in the mid nineteenth century were the twilight era for cavalry

In addition I have some Warrior Miniatures French dragoons. The first batch were in green and were sold years ago. Then I got inspired by a funcken image of French napoleonic dragoons in red……

These warrior metal french dragoons have been a more recent addition long after they were bought!

https://thewargamingerratic.home.blog/2021/10/12/the-late-running-1800-from-oxted-to-victoria-has-just-arrived-on-platform-1-45-years-late/

Categories
miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Pedestal 24c More French Line

I guess these might be Hinton Hunt but I think they are early Minifigs before they ate all the pies!!!! – I simply can’t remember.

Any how they have a certain simplicity in design that I find very enjoyable.

No colours or musicians but there are a few officers present. I really ought to backfill….