Frustratingly slow work.... and reduced hours

I told you all it would happen...

I have started painting a unit of 24 roman velite and a second of 24 Thracian peltasts, the first look finished except shields, and the second are taking forever as they are all diferent colours, hate irregulars...

I have also only been able to get in around 10 hours of work this month so far, as i have been playing'Field of glory', Rich is happy and convinced they are us and good, i am still thinking they are too slow, maybe the spate of boardgames has removed my ability to appreciate the grind of a real wargame, i dunno.

I have been mostly basing up ancient units for the my mythical Roman campaign, allies now exist for Spanish troops, Africans and warbands from Gaul and Germany, i also found my chariots i had in storage, 5 foundry chariots are mid construction, didnt find a Boudicca tho, so she is on the shopping list from Salute. Still wainting on my elephants from Newline too.

Hopefully should be able to get thru this painting slump and get 10 units ready for the Bring and buy, then i will crack on with the last of the painting orders. Then i will push at the Tricorn boys, the whole reason for here!!!!!!!!

cheers Shaun

public answer to maccwar's query

Hiya
Should probably put up things like manufacturer and scale. do'h

The Romans are all Foundry, 28mm. I would have purchased these around about 5 years ago, they were based and sprayed black in January.
The Acw are a mix of Dixon and Redoubt, 28mm. Painting Orders.
THe Napoleonic are Elite and Newline Designs, 28mm. Painting orders or Bring n Buy.

To be honest i really dont know how i am getting this much done, well i do know, its all down to hours served, thats 2 hours before work, and then 3 evenings of 4 hours and then usually another 8 hours over the weekend. SO around 30 hours per week on average. on top of a 9 til 5 job... and yes i am tired now, and have had a weekend off so far, altho my son wants another painting lesson with some orcs he found of mine. Also the time available will now be reduced as my GFs college courses are ending, also the Larp season will start in full force reducing time down again, the winter months (September to April) will be more productive for me than the summer ones.

Not having to set up/take down the painting station has increased productivity, also the non based painting orders sped things up and i owe the roman figures their shields, so a leeeeeetle bit cheaty. On average i prep 4 units at a time all the way thru to black, then i paint in pairs, so at between 48 and 96 figures completed a week this soon adds up.

I will be doing some 10mm soon, i count these at 1 PP per 5 figures painted. The figures are for use with 'Field of Glory' which we are grinding our way thru slowly, but having just read that dadie&piombo have a new set out for Salute 08, using large bases of troops and single pieces which take markers, have ordered some as they claim to be Fast Play.... FOG plays in 4 hours at a minimum so far, not encouraging for me..... dragged up on 40k and Warhammer, I need my rules fast, fun and furious, from turn 2 i need blood and turn 6 i am expecting to see some distinct winner, we could always go back to Warmaster, which i did like a lot to be honest.

I was gonna do some Magazine reveiws, but i am too harsh a critic i'm afraid.

Wargames Illustrated is still pretty
Wargames - Strategy and Soldiers is still hit n miss (even with pictures of Graham Wards Austrians in it, yet again uncredited figures painted by me... altho around 10 years ago)
and BattleGames is still informative.

Still miss the Journal tho, Rich is still waiting for Neil to 'hand over the reigns' but its been 6 months now....... ho hum

Please feel free to ask any more questions, might start doing aerial shots of the painting table at the start of play each day...

cheers shaun

635 - 738 Painted this year

Well that finishes February's painting, 48 Auxilia, 48 Preatorians and 8 commands, for a total of 104 figures.

so that is 350 for the month of February.
and 740 for the year so far.

What have you missed.... well i went to Cavalier, sold the 3 French units and various bits of unpainted stuff and went and spent it all on NEwline figures for the ANcient Armies, 10 units of Infantry, 4 units of cavalry, 4 units of French to paint to sell at Salute and 4 Elephants, Yay.

cheers

Shaun

515-634 Napoleonics for Sale

THe figures are by Newline Designs and come in 24 figure bags, giving a mix of command, flank and centre companies. The flag is from warflag.

Bases are 60mm across and 20mm deep with 4 figures on each. I put these on the bring and buy at 60£ each, the last lot of Austrians and British all went last year, the french i had painted didnt even make it through the door at one show.

Painting point wise i have another 56 points waiting from the Romans, but need to flock and sheild them, if i get the flock done i will suffer the sheild missing to count them in, or else i will wait til next month and have a shield-athon for all the Romans on Project2

Cavalier at Tonbridge on Sunday should provide me with more Ancient figures. Field of Glory arrived so i will try painting up some units or BattleGroups for those rules instead of WAB, then if WAB player buy erm they can just put them on Sabots or use casualty markers, hell at 2.50 a paint job they can afford to rebase them.

cheers shaun

Playing the long game...

Well Hammerhead last Sunday was a bit disappointing to be honest, nice show, excellent BringNBuy, but i couldnt get any Ancient figures as it has completely gone over to Fantasy and SciFi figures...... NExt Sunday is Cavalier at Tonbridge, there WILL be Elephants.

I have been painting, despite the lack of posts, but havent finished anything, i have 48 PReatorians awaiting there flock and sheilds, meanwhile the a further 72 Napoleonic French are getting their base colours to be sold next Sunday hopefully, which should fund the Ancients Purchases. Want to add an Egytian Axeman unit to the Roman Eastern Army and as it is my world i was gonna add an Indian Army. So that is 144 Painting Points waiting in the wings and a pretty big shopping list for next weekend.

'Field of GLory' hasnt shown up yet, but Amazon say Tuesday. Will see how that effects my painting schedule. From initial read ups i think these rules will prove to be just the right mix of what i like to play, just need to fit the games into the 3 hour playing slots i have. I think my choice for a 50mm frontage for the my Ancients will mean i wont play in many torunements, but if i place then on Sabot bases it shoul be ok, but for private games on a 6by4 i think the bases should be ok, 18 figure Roman units tho instead of 24..... will have to see.

HAve also started playing some games against my 9 year old, he is very lucky on the dice, which is why i hardly ever win. He uses his Skaven Ratmen Army in the game i created for playing at LARP events, i called it 'Warleader' and the armies are multiple figure, based on 70cm GW circuar bases, while the board is an 8 by 6 grid. I have created armies for most of the Fantasy forces available in GW Plastic, and themed each army to fight diferently. Will post some pictures on here sometime.

Cheers Shaun

February 77 - 124 (467 - 514)

These are the last 2 units of cavalry for Graham from my 'spare' figures. These are French Napoleonic Chassuers 'a' Chavel, one unit is red faced, while the other is yellow. Colourful and will be gone come Wednesday, gone to be with the rest of Grahams figures, mostly painted by me over 20 years of orders.

This leaves just 4 units of 24 French 'Old Glory' figures to be painted as Danish troops and 18 Union Artillery on the painting order book, then its back to prepainted figures for Bring n Buy tables at shows, or sold off of here i suppose once i post the unit as finished and for sale.... another use for the blog i suppose, just dont think i have many uk based viewers.

Tomorrow is first of the annual treks to Newark, around 250miles round trip, to the Hammerhead show, have to drop off an order for ACW and hopefully pick up the last from Pat to complete his latest project. Also will be picking up some Ancients 28mm figures for the Roman Project, African Allies including elephants. Might even pick up a 'Field of Glory' ruleset in advance of the cheaper preordered one off of Amazon, which i could then sell on to one of the club guys, splitting the diferance on the 2. Wont get any Campaign books tho. Will wait for those.

Wish i could get ahold of the new plastic ancients figures too, especially the warband celts..... patience is a virtue i guess.

cheers Ox

February 1- 76 (391-466)

Painting for Graham has progressed a little further too, finishing a French gun Battery I started last year, Bavarian Garde Du Korps, Heavy Cavalry and then a Unit of French Cuirrassier.