So well into first month of scenery season and yep – zero progress….
However my late Romans are moving along nicely and not only have I started rereading some great books but I have added to the book mountain.
Heathers better book – the other one is technically fascinating but hard work. JJ’s trilogy remains my all time Byzantine favourite and of these the first book is brilliant. Hearder’s Italian sprint is just simply an enjoyable read.
I already have some useful material for later Roman armies.
My Byzantine leanings have always caused a problem
However I happened to search for 4/5th century eastern Roman books and lo and behold there was an osprey on provincial forces and specifically units.
The book I found was only available to order……
I took a punt on the western publication instead that came out in 2024.
Initially I was dissatisfied as a quick flick through showed no shield detail discussion in the text or contents.
A second detailed read revealed a more interesting approach in this MAA. The book illustrations are composites of western empire wide discoveries carefully matched to recreate a likely dressed soldier. And the image notes are brief because the whole book is dedicated to the illustrations with its content referenced to the illustrations.
So no generalised text padding – it’s straight in and descriptive. In fact Latin terms are only partially explained with no appendix so you need to get online if they are not tripping off your tongue already.
So I actually like this offering – maybe not for all subjects but it (they) will complement my other books.
2024 publication whose Eastern compliment is due out in August It’s always good to buy loads of flat pack furniture for the season of scenery challenge…….
Trouble is what do you do with the furniture left over……..
I do hope to get going on my scenery but before embarking on scratch build items I think this small bridge might be in order.
My beloved first small stone bridge by Bellona has long gone to scenery heaven along with its larger sibling. So this EWM item caught my eye when I was shopping for Fauxterre 1930 kit.
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.
I have had a successful third year in the analogue hobbies painting challenge.
I kicked off with some Fauxterre 1930, trucks 1/60 scale lledo models
This year the challenge was less heavy on a theme and returned to a greater focus on the painters choice.
The theme was about rebellion and resistance – 3 subjects and in my case the first was 1848 Hungarians rebelling from the Austro Hungarian Empire (Hat 1/72)
In my case that focus on figures paid dividends as I got plenty done.
A second theme entry was the Duke of Berwicks Irish Regiment (strelets 1/72) the wild geese
In fact it’s my most productive AHPC so far. The constricted theme helped.
More Fauxterre 1930 trucks by PSC in 1/72Tumbling dice 1/72 English civil war figures – Covenanters made my third and final theme submission
These Covenanters were painted in standard block method
A show freebie king Stephen in 28mm
King Stephen was painted with contrast paints
A scratch build of an 1848 Hungarian steam engine using 2 Airfix Stephenson rockets in 1/72
I had made the steam engine for AHPC15 but it missed that boat because it was only part finished by the end of the challenge
This was a garden rescue figure – games workshop era elf – another contrast paint excursion 40mm Vikings by Irregular Miniatures who retired their business this Spring
I used a combination of block, contrast and washes for these figures
Two “days past” OO gauge railway model transporters carry as it happens John at Just needs varnish gifted Renault tanks for Fauxterre 1930
Johns Renault tanks have some campaign colour while most of my AHPC16 trucks are fresh from the factory
1/76 Airfix Morris tractor and bofors anti aircraft gun
At this point the challenge entered its last month and you can see entry photos prep seriously declined…….
Three 1/72 plastic soldier company Opel blitzes 1/72 plastic soldier company Valentine tank Hat miniatures 1/72 World War One British lancers
Just for fun I returned to using static grass without applicator.
Mardav printed 20mm Italian support group
These Italians got a mix of craft paints, contrast paints and dry brush to get the green I wanted- they too are rookies with shiny new helmets
Left to right antitank gun, medium machine gun and a light mortar The challenge was a successThe ones that got away!
My idea for “afterglow” is mainly centred around what nearly got painted during the challenges. In this case 1:72 strelets War of the Spanish Succession, French Dragoons which were fun to paint. I really like the sculpture work in this range – the wild geese Irish also being from that range.
The uniforms were done in Vallejo yellow ochre topped with deep yellow while the bags and cuffs were done in Oxford blue The horses received coat d’arms chestnut brown followed by citadel contrast gore grunta
My 1700 era armies are based in a toy soldier style – these are perry bases from the 28mm box sets
Paint What You Got ran in parallel to AHPC and I aim to post about an “afterglow” for that too.
I got distracted yesterday – the last day of “paint what you got”. Instead of knuckling down with some final painting I legged it to Newark for Hammerhead. That’s Newark, Lincolnshire, old England.
Anyway I did finish a few more pieces although there is no “painting portrait” show as such.
Lots of figures!
Only joking – that’s a hammerhead participation game.
The reality
So “Paint what you got” has been very productive with a lot of miniatures stuck in the paint queue making it over the line.
I finally finished B & B miniatures Prussian limber. 20mm Franco Prussian war figures. Sadly the business shut its doors last year I think?
Then there are 3 wagons from Irregular Miniatures 20mm ranges – I think these were all ACW. I have a couple Hat miniatures ww1 French artillery men on them.
In the background two types of cavalry but from the same company. Strelets are a Ukrainian company who make plastic injection figures.
I quite pleased with the cavalry as they look a bit brutal in the raw plastic
In this case the figures are from their Crimean War series – British Dragoons and Russian Lancers.
I had only minor tweaks to the models before a paint job transformed them to 1848 Prussian Dragoons and Lancers
The lancers are 5th Westfalia
The dragoons are 3rd Neumark
I have a very good funcken uniform book for 19th century European armies. It covers the transition from coatees and shakoes to frock coats and casque type helmets.
*the phrase last knockings as well as knocking off at the end of the day relate to the end of something – a task, process or activity and completion.
Last year I started some posting ideas around bits of things which did not really make a post but when combined with others could justify a post in their own right.
After the first two fragments of 2025 things sorted of dried up a bit. Or rather my focus was on specific miniatures or gaming posts.
I am going to have another try this year and ironically the first driver is the same as last years – magazines. And with further irony the second idea mimics fragment 25/2 – books.
However to kick off 2026 fragments I am going to mention painting challenges. These have kind of taken over my painting activities to the extent that three define my painting year.
First up is “paint what you got”. Now this challenge by Dave Stone works for me because it drives me to dig out what I have either half painted or abandoned. It has proved its worth.
This challenge has caused problems in that it got my ideas flowing and instead of reducing the lead mountain I ended up scratch building models during the challenge as the “themes” caught my imagination.
On the positive side I have found a use for those magazine freebies and indulged in my recycled household junk heaps to create spacecraft.
Klim class Intra planetary trader from AHPC15
I also think it propelled me into painting a background for my model displays – retiring the painting pedestal in favour of the painting portrait. In fact I even produced a sci-fi background last year.
Ahpc invariably overruns well into spring so now absorbs about half my painting year!
The third challenge is Dave Stones scenery season which runs over the summer. Or in my case summer into autumn. This has proven a godsend as scenery production was nil and an ever increasing list of kits, models or ideas were tying me up in knots.
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 thing about one hour wargames is it’s genuinely “pick up” attraction. If you want to throw dice, move figures and get that war game with a purpose feeling for minimal preparation, then I find it’s a winner.
Yes, the mechanisms are abstract but you have to compromise somewhere and Neil Thomas rules generally offer that blend of compromises I like.
In the first game the Royalists held the hill with some rookie blues and grays in actionThe royalists divide their forces to hold both enemy objectives The royalists include this new blue unitRoyalist artillery hold the town road The royalists are none other than DanesDanish volunteer horse make up the royalist cavalryMore Dane’s this time by HatStrelets Danish Royalist GuardsEverything hung on the defence of the town
Rebel forces enter the fray
A mixed brigade of cavalry The rebels mass their infantry before the town The royalists are caught outThe rebels quickly assault the town The royalists seek to outflank the rebel attackThe rebel cavalry attack the rookie blues royalists
Rebel victory
The rebel attack on the town is overwhelmingThe rebel cavalry destroy the royalist right wing infantry The rebel cavalry move on the second objective – the hillThe royalist defence stiffens around the town The rebel cavalry are destroyed Rebel infantry struggle in the townThe royalist cavalry rush to aid their compatriots in the town but it is too late
So the second battle ends in Royalist defeat. It’s all square and all to play for…..
The royalists needed to escape through the town and up the great road……
Rebels held the river line woods The rebel cavalry brigade – lucky toys and hat miniatures Irregular miniatures garibaldeansMore irregular miniatures garibaldeansStrelets rebel sharpshooters hold the town roadThe royalists pour forwards The royalists choose the remote river crossings on their left wing to make progress The royalists are peppered by the rebel skirmishers The royalists attack the townThe royalist left wing cavalry lead the way The rebels abandon the river line The royalists begin to make progress The rebel cavalry are swept awayThe rebels are fleeing pell mell Some royalists race up the great road The royalist cavalry take a beating getting to close to formed infantry The royalist cavalry break The last few royalist units must make good their escape up the great roadAgain the rebel infantry shoot well The last royalist infantry are driven away
And so victory to the rebels in the action and also the short campaign.
Today of course saw the end of 3 days of fighting at Gettysburg – the great Union victory which along with the capture of Vicksburg saw the war finally turn against the Confederate Southern States.
The figures are hat Nassau Napoleonic infantry. 1/72 or 20mm plastics.
I picked them because they have the nearest shako look for the Dane’s bell shako.
I have started to use a furled flag approach as invariably my flag production does not match my figure painting!
I could do some head swops to get other sets in on the act but wanted to try a straight paint job here to see if I liked the result.
The basing is my standard 40mm square mdf with budgie grit pva then 3 colour brown, ochre and yellow/white highlights. As it’s nearly spring the grass is dead tufts from gamers grass over Javis sawdust green.
My first entry into the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge No15 were figures left over from last years challenge. They were primed but that was it.
So having a LIMBO section in this years theme of the Divine Comedy by Dante was most helpful.
The figures were Hat 1806 Prussian Hussars repurposed as 1848 Prussian Hussars. Fortunately the Prussians in 1848 were going going all new with frock coats and pickelhaubes but also retro with flugelmutzes!
The Wargaming Erratic 