The figure that nearly never was

Well I didn't think I would ever finish painting this figure, which has been standing on my modeling bench for months. I started painting him a while back and painted the kilt as a red with yellow and black stripping (and actual tartan, the name escapes me). However this came out rather badly as I rushed it and in a fit of pique I stopped painting the figure.

Now I came back to him today as I needed a 2ic for the Partizan game at the weekend. I painted over the terrible red kilt which we will never speak of again, with this nice green kilt. Its a lighter tone variant on the dark green tartan I have painted previously, and I quite like it. The top was of course painted as a red coat. I'm particularly pleased with the stock on the tommy gun which I think came out rather nicely.

All in all I'm chuffed with how this turned out, given that I previously started and cocked up this figure!

In other things war games related I purchased a silver membership to the Osprey site, and have to say its the best £3 a month I have spent in a long time. The site is heaving with uniform plates similar to those usually found in the osprey books. Basically I can now go onto the site, search for a period/soldier etc and it kicks up a plate showing the requested uniform.

Personally I think this is great, you also get money of books and some other stuff I (to my shame) haven't looked into yet. But if you reference the great osprey plates often then I recommend the subscription, which at £3 a month is about as cheap as it gets.

Car Geek

Just ignore this post if your not a massive car geek like me. This is my new (to me anyway) car, I mentioned the other day I think.

Its a Vauxhall Vectra SRI, 3.0 Litre V6 CDTI engine, which developes 174 BHP with a 0-60 of circa 8 seconds. Limited to 140 Mph (although I cannot imaging going that fast). This is my baby, puts out a ridicoulous amount of power and torque on acceleration, but I still get like 400 miles to a tank.

With the traction control turned off I rekon I would kill myself on the twisty back roads where I live within about 5 minutes. I've been driving just shy of 10 years and waited a long time to pick up a lovely motor like this.

Cargasam over, I just wanted to record my lovely new toy for posterity as the wife says that when this dies (hopefully far far in the future) I have to buy something sensible...............some chance (said very quietly in case she's listening.

Standard Bearer

 Just finished converting this figure into my standard bearer for "The Other Partizan" next week. The figure is from warlords Crimean war range an the standard hand usually holds a hat. I previously removed the hat, and attached a pistol. However this came loose in transit somewhere (can't remember where) and on finding the figure in my drawer waiting for fixing I decided to drill out the raise hand and insert a flat.

I free handed the flag (I'm not a great free hand painter) which is a simple union jack design. The pictures are a bit dark as I cannot get into photoshop at the moment to sort out the light levels. But I like how the figure looks, should make for an interesting figure to accompany my force. Luckily the paint job fits with my forces anglo-zulu war paint scheme.

I also finished off some walls for Partizan which I built a while ago using some preprinted textures but never got round to finishing the bases for. Its all go for next week now.

More modern red coats

Well I completed another squad of my modern red coats, and a heavy weapons team. Again these guys are all repaints and I like how they came out. Some of the faces are a bit rough as the build up of paint on them from the earlier (poorer) paint job had covered over a bit much detail. Overall though I think there good to go!

Picture quality is a bit poor as I am working away from home at the moment and don't have access to photoshop to increase the light level.

Heavy weapons team, was fiddly to repaint as its all mounted together on one base, turned out okay though.

For some reason this Artizan figure reminds me of my good friend Mr Ook from GWP, I have no clue why, and unless my memory is playing tricks on me he doesn't have a mustache. So no reason why but for some reason I think he looks like Ook. Also just looking at the picture I've realised I didn't paint the figures buttons. So need to sort that out sharpish!

Just a few more figures to paint up as the command squad and my platoon for Partizan is ready. It will also be the first time in a while I have fielded 30 troops who all look like the same unit. I'm usually distracted by shiny things before I get to the 30!

Modern(ish) Red Coats

 I've not been entirely idle the last couple of weeks. I have painted up 10 more modern red coats for use as the Friends and Rememberers of Rorke's Drift (F.R.R.D) which is my little VBCW force for use at the other Partizan next month. Some of us chaps from GWP are putting on another demo game, same as last year, and earlier this year (Different game each time). I know there are only 9 guys in the picture, one of them is undergoing a bit of surgery as the legs snapped.

Which leads me quite nicely to the paint job quality. There a bit rough around the edges as they are re-paints of figures I painted about 2 years ago. I already had one squad of these guys but I needed another two so hence the re paints. I have another 10 and a command squad and machine gun to paint before 2nd September (no pressure right)

Anyway more to follow, and if your coming to Partizan pop by.

Screaming Eagle

I'm pleased to say I am back to painting, I have a new job in Glasgow where I will be living in a flat for 5 days of the week and going home to Aberdeen at the weekends. As I will be spending most of my week in Glasgow I decided to take the opportunity to do painting. This is the first of 20 Offensive Miniatures 101 Airborne troopers.

I painted this guy up as a colour test to make sure I got the right "look" to the figure. Colours are a mixture of GW and Vallejo. I really like how he turned out, although I botched the face and skin tone slightly due to attempting a new method which didn't quite work, but ultimately turned out okay.

In other news I changed my petrol guzzling Rover 75 for a monstrously powerful Vauxhall Vectra 3.0 Litre V6 CDTI SRI, Its lovely and fast but I get like 450 to 500 miles from the tank. Economy and speed for the win! And even better its in go faster red.