Tag: miniature figures

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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

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wargaming

Spring Clean or Spring Board?

I suppose participation in the annual analogue hobbies painting challenge (No15 has just finished) has affected my normal year end musings.

AHPC15 started in December and finished in March. It meant I was heads down painting for that time – so no looking in the rear view mirror let alone out through the front wargamers truck windscreen at the turn of the year.

This maybe explains why I suddenly had the need to look at my plans for 2025.

Out of the blue I created a sharp pencil production tool.

A sensible flow

Really it’s a funnelling idea with the visual aim to get to the point!

Of course I have two versions already…..

Just chuck it all in

Of course the second image could be a virtual “log jam” with nothing getting through as they say……

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miniatures painting wargaming

Painting Portrait 25e Danish Line Infantry 1848

My project Schleswig Holstein in 1/72 continues if a bit slowly.

This time this unit – piquet field of battle battalion, is offered up as my final entry in this winters paint what you got painting challenge https://wargamesculptorsblog.blogspot.com/2024/12/paint-what-you-got-painting-challenge.html?sc=1734736394728&m=1#c801656457305268158. It is run by Dave Stone.

Buildings are ceramic

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.

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miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Portrait 25d First War of Italian Independence

Quickly following on from breaking my duck in the analogue hobbies painting challenge I submitted these fine horsemen.

Now Modena was a small duchy in 1848 and the Dragoons were both mounted and a foot based part of the ducal army.

In fact the mounted arm stretched to just a few squadrons.

That was fine with me – I just had to have some sky blue cavalry in my collection.

The miniatures are Irregular (now based in Kingston upon Hull). They are easy to paint and have the detail I want for gaming.

My AHPC15 entry is here http://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/2025/01/from-john-b-friday-crew-1848-modena.html?m=1

Back to the paint table as they say.

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miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Portrait 25c Flugelmutzes in 1848?

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!

You can read the entry here

http://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/2025/01/from-john-b-friday-crew-1848-8th.html

This year I have got off to a slow start with AHPC15 and Dave Stones Paint What You Got challenge is well challenging me.

hey ho.

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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
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miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Portrait 25a 1848 Bavarians

This is my first contribution to this winters “paint what you got” by Dave Stone. Last year I managed to get going by 7th January so it’s even slower progress this year.

Anyway this post also marks the switch to “painting portraits” after the demise of the “painting pedestal” before Christmas – it has a nice new home – just not mine.

The portrait approach should enable me to show scenery as and when it appears.

First up then are 7th line infantry of Bavaria who were sent on behalf of the north German federation to fight in support of the Schleswig Holstein rebels against the Danes.

The 1848 war was a victory for the Danes.

The figures are in fact Newline 20mm Prussian Napoleonic Landwehr. I simply trimmed the hat top and used some liquid green stuff to mask the officers coat long tails.

I must say these figures were a pleasure to paint and I really like the colours I chose in the end. This makes it all the more surprising in that I actually primed these figures back in March 2023!

The building is total battle miniatures bought ready painted – still my favourite piece – it no longer features as the range has changed. I think it was from their 15mm range or old 25mm one now they advertise only 28mm or 15mm.

The trees are mainly S&A Scenics by Lancashire Games. Again some of my favourite off the shelf pieces.

Finally I tend not to do flags straight away so came up with a furled flag option using some black tubing and a ball topped pin head.

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miniatures painting wargaming

Slow work in progress

Well AHPC15 has started but I have been very slow out of the traps.

I have made a start with some irregular miniatures that arrived very promptly in the Christmas post.

An Irregular miniatures haul

They are Neapolitan Dragoons circa 1860, but I took a punt on them for my 1848 Tuscany Dragoons.

To roach or not to roach that is the question in the 1840’s (image from nypl vinkhuisen collection – public domain)

Ok so they have some incorrect details – I can live with that.

I did manage some model prep for AHPC15 as well. Not sure when/if they will make an appearance.

Hmmm what can this be?

For AHPC15 you need points on the board in January. The Tuscan dragoons will remain my focus.

Dave Stones “paint what you got” is all about clearing off what you have already. And that’s a rich vein for me.

All abandoned 2023/24 painting efforts! Queuing is no problem here.
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miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Pedestal 24i

Ralph Weavers’ book on the Hungarian Army of 1848/49 was my source for this unit or rather legion. They represent the Romanian or Rumanian legion who fought for the Hungarian side in the war for independence. The Austrians crushed the rebellion as they saw it but the empire was diminished.

The Romanian troops came from ethnically Romanian areas that ultimately became Hungarian ruled in the Transylvanian region after World War One ended the Austrian Empire.

Again I have used Austrian World War One infantry turning a blind eye to ammunition pouches etc.

The flag is homemade and again it suffered some bleeding when pva coated.

A trim of the peaked cap and a paint job gives me what I wanted. The fact is I bought these Austrians speculatively during lock down when I was in the hunt for capped infantry. The 1840’s is a difficult period to model as you often get the right hats with the wrong uniforms or vice versa!

World War One era figure ranges are useful if you ignore the equipment errors.

The uniform was a bluey purple so I tried contrast paints and was very happy with result.

Again I used Ralph’s text to help me decide on uniform details – the flag says Justice Fraternity.

This basically clears the decks for two painting challenges. AHPC15 started last Friday and “paint what you got” starts Boxing Day. They finish 21st March and 28th February respectively so will keep me occupied.

Merry Christmas and thanks for stopping by.

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miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Pedestal 24h

It’s been quite a gap since June when I posted the last of my AHPC14 miniatures – Danish artillery 1848. And I had not clocked a pedestal moment since my French cuirassiers appeared in May.

In fact the pedestal has physically moved on to a new home but I plan to keep the post title for now.

Today on parade are some irregular miniatures I painted as part of a challenge I did with John@justneedsvarnish.

https://justneedsvarnish.wordpress.com/

The figures are actually 20mm Austrian World War One infantry.

I like irregular’s style of figure which works for the relaxed 3 figures per 40mm square basing I use for my nineteenth century armies

I trimmed the peaked caps and a paint job later I got my 1st Roman Legion (who became the 10th line infantry) of the Roman Republic.

My reference is Ralph Weavers Garibaldi and the Siege of Rome published by Partizan Press. I used his text description which differs somewhat from the colour image in the book.

As I mix old 25mm, 1/72 and 20mm figures from different manufacturers basing sometimes includes height adjustments.

2mm washers help these 20mm figures blend in.

The flag is homemade and the emblems in ink bled when I pva coated them! So that flag will need replacing-one day!

Finally the background tree was a bring and buy find while the two very nice trees to the fore are from “scenics ?”. The cottage is one of my very old airfix models given a makeover during Dave Stones season of scenery this autumn.