In The Grand Manner

Time I Got Out Of Here!

2011-09-27T21:32:00.003+01:00

There is a very similiar post on my "Waterloo To Mons" blog tonight.

Recently a lot of changes have taken place-at work in particular.

Without boring you all with the details I have decided that running two blogs is too much.

I am therefore creating a new blog which will cover everything I am working on, irrespective of scale and period.

Matt's Little Soldiers (how original is that for a name!) is situated here.

It will feature my continuing ACW collecting (plus the AWI) in 20mm, as well as the First Schleswig Holstein War in 25mm and loads of other stuff too. It all starts in November/December.

Hope you choose to follow this new blog, but for now please feel free to "unfollow" this blog as it is now officially shut.

Regards,

Matt.

Dutch Jagers

2011-09-05T19:33:00.002+01:00

I went back to work last Tuesday...that wiped the smile off my face I can tell you!

A busy weekend followed getting the kids ready to go back to school plus I dug up, cooked and pickled loads of beetroot. My fingertips are still a fetching shade of magenta.

I also managed to finish the Dutch Jagers! That just leaves a handful of Dutch casualty figures and then the Newline Napoleonic stockpile is gone!

Next up, back to the American Civil War!

Airfix American Civil War Union Infantry

2011-08-29T19:27:00.002+01:00

My favourite wargames memories are of the old Airfix Civil War figures played out with simple (Featherstone type) rules and scenarios based on all those old John Wayne era movies.

I even remember using the US cavalry standard bearers as French Lancers a la "Major Dundee" (these were quite complicated conversions using heads from the WW1 German infantry with Milliput and plastic card squares to make the lancer helmet).

I originally started this collection over on the Waterloo to Mons blog but I have now transferred them to here. I have re based and expanded the unit sizes from 20 figures to between 30-36 figures for Black Powder rules. The paint job is deliberately basic-although I resisted the temptation to have simple green painted, untextured bases. I am saving that look for another project!

Anyway, I have loads of these Airfix figures which I will be adding to using metal figures such as Wodensfeld, Jacklex and Newline Designs.

Next up will be the Newline Dutch jagers hopefully before the weekend.

Dragoon a Pied Drummer

2011-08-26T22:00:00.009+01:00

As was pointed out in the comments on my last post, I have been busy posting stuff lately. Not sure how long I can keep this going but here we have that Zvezda/Italeri conversion of a few of days ago (soon to be joined by a bearskin wearing Sapper).

The colours are a bit washed out for some reason, his tunic is a pleasing yellow shade but for some reason looks sand coloured. My photographic skills are very limited I am afraid!

The Dragoons a Pied are an interesting topic, but I think a 30 figure unit should be enough to grace my wargames table.

However that is a little way off-my immediate plans are to finish the last of the Newline figures for my collector friend in the USA and to update my own Airfix ACW project that I originally started at the end of 2010 over on the "Waterloo to Mons" blog. This also involves the curse of the wargamer, re-basing!

Oh yes, I also want to finish that Airfix British Waterloo infantry battalion! That should keep me going for a while.

What I Did Last Night After Watching "Zulu"

2011-08-23T16:58:00.023+01:00

As mentioned in yesterdays post, I had a bit of quality time watching "Zulu" last night. Afterwards I received a text to let me know I had the house to myself for a few more hours. Hoorah! What to do with this unexpected gift? Well, I painted a few more Hinton Hunts (Ian-3 more French to go and then I start the British!) and then decided to start chopping up the Zvezda Grenadiers of the Imperial Guard I bought last week (yes I know I wasn't going to buy more figures!).

Using the head and sword from an Italeri French Dragoon and a bit of "Greenstuff" for the horsehair mane (these guys are walking not charging after all!) I have my first Dragoon a Pied! For some reason the Superglue Activator did not like joining the Italeri and Zvezda plastic (it joined the two Zvezda components perfectly), so I had to resort to my old 80's method of "welding" the head and sword to the body using a Pyrogravure (a kind of low heat soldering iron I bought from Historex Agents when I was a lad). It brought back memories of using Airfix Guard Grenadiers and Cuirassiers to produce the same unit (back then however I would have managed converting the whole unit & painting them before bedtime!).

He is now sitting in the "to be undercoated next" queue.

Jeb Stuart (& His Banjo).

2011-08-22T16:24:00.008+01:00

I remember seeing the adverts for Wodensfeld Miniatures years ago (in Military Modelling I think). At the time I had switched from 20mm figures to Hinchliffe 25's and so never bought any first time round.

Well the world has turned and here I am with a batch of these figures, some for myself and some, like these, for my friend in the US.

I particularly like this group, simply because of Stuart's banjo carrying buddy! Oodles of character all round and destined to play a significant part on my own ACW collecting.

The full ACW range is now available once more from John Cunningham (along with the Wodensfeld SYW range plus the Douglas and Les Higgins Malburians amongst others).

A full list is available from John at CunnJoh@aol.com

Not sure what will be next-I have the last of the Newline Napoleonic Dutch/Belgian figures started but also have Longstreet and Stonewall Jackson to compliment this set.

But for now the kids are away, the house is mine for a couple more hours and I have not yet watched the "Zulu" DVD I got for my birthday.

Belgian Jagers

2011-08-20T20:47:00.003+01:00

It has been very busy since my last post and so the Jagers are very late. Fortunately I have clocked up so many hours (days actually) in the last two months that somebody felt sorry for me and I do not have to return back to work until the beginning of September. Or until the next emergency, whichever comes soonest!

Obviously with it being the school holidays I cannot paint every day, but I hope to put in a few hours starting with Jeb Stuart-from the Wodensfeld range and who should be finished by Monday.

It's Been Like History Repeating Itself...

2011-08-07T19:43:00.006+01:00

Sunday afternoon, everybody else was doing stuff and my presence was not required for hours (a rare situation chez Matt I can tell you).

So like turning the clock back 30 years I grabbed my original copy of Blanford's "Uniforms of Waterloo" and a plastic box full of battered old Airfix British Infantry. Scrape off the old flaking paint, a quick wash and undercoat (the figures-not me) and I was off!

The 27th Inniskilling Regiment have now been started; intended for some future 100 Days battle when I have enough of them one day. And do you what? It was real fun!

Neopolitan Napoleonic Command Base

2011-08-04T18:12:00.007+01:00

Here is the completed command base. The figures are all from the Italeri French Imperial Command set, apart from the Hussar's head which comes from the HaT Light Infantry set.

The General Officer was originally mounted-I simply cut him in half, chose a suitable dismounted figure from the set and used the bottom half of that.

I then cut some holes in each half, joined the two halves together with a pin and "plastic" superglue. The gap that was left was filled with Greenstuff and that was job done.

All in all I am happy with the final result. I have loads more plastic figures that I have picked up over the years, which is handy as the current economic climate means no more figure purchases for me for a while!

Neopolitan General-WIP

2011-08-01T21:33:00.002+01:00

I had to work the weekend and today (even though I was booked off on leave) so I have lost the first three days of my week off.

Consequently there was not much painting going on. I did however manage to start this command base by chopping up a couple of figures from the Italeri "French Imperial Command" set. He represents a General figure for my upcoming Neopolitan "army"-the other figure may be finished tomorrow...but only after a visit to the beach with the little ones!

Picture is not all that-but you get the idea.

Back Painting At Last!

2011-07-26T21:30:00.002+01:00

Finally managed to start painting again Sunday. Output is only modest I am afraid, I have finally managed to finish the Scots Grey casualty figures here and the Belgian Jagers are coming along now.

Hope to post more stuff by the weekend (but I reckon you have all heard that before....).

Belgian Infantry Casualty Markers

2011-07-04T19:59:00.002+01:00

Quite useful figures these even if they are a bit grisly.

I have some Scots Greys and some Dutch infantry casualty figures to complete next plus Dutch and Belgian Jagers before the Newline stash has been completely finished!

By Way Of A Complete Change.

2011-07-03T16:00:00.003+01:00

This little chap -he is a 20mm Irregular Miniatures figure and so I really mean it when I say "little", has been sitting undercoated for years. I decided to take a quick break from the Napoleonics and actually finish him last night.

He is a Chasseur D'Afrique I got as a sample figure from their Franco Prussian War range and is basically a "paint conversion" suitable for North Africa through to Mexico in the 1860s.

Later tonight I will finish up the Napoleonic Belgian infantry casualty markers.

You Wait Ages For Something New....

2011-06-30T11:48:00.005+01:00

...and then two come along at once!

Yep, the Dutch 1815 Militia are finished, two 20 figure units soon to be hot footing it to the a better life abroad. Newline Napoleonics, of course, with banners courtesy of warflag.

Apart from an abortive attempt to make a unit up from some ESCI British plastics years ago, I cannot remember ever painting up any Dutch Militia. Not sure how well they fight but they do look rather good.

I have very nearly completed all my outstanding Newline figures (Napoleonics at least) and only have a couple more posts worth before I start on some "vintage 20mm" stuff. Which clumsily brings me onto my latest purchase. While browsing the net last night I discovered that Garrison Miniatures have released their old 20mm Napoleonic range again. I placed an order for some French infantry and a few odd cavalry types and will let you see the results as soon as possible.

14th Light Dragoons

2011-06-19T19:31:00.005+01:00

After what seems an eternity I have finally been able to finish the Light Dragoons!

These are the last of my current box of Newline cavalry (apart from some Scots Grey casualty figures). I am starting some Newline Dutch infantry later tonight-hopefully they will not be taking as long!

I hope to be posting again before the end of next week with the results.

14th Light Dragoons-A WIP Shot

2011-06-12T21:51:00.008+01:00

Progress has been slow this week, here is half of my total painting on all fronts.

The original plan was to have all 24 finished and based up but it has just been one of those weeks.

Anyway, I should have this lot finished by next weekend and hope to start the last of the (current) Newline pile-more Dutch/Belgians.

After that I plan on more vintage 20mm Napoleonics and loads of ACW figures.

Napoleonic Dutch Infantry #2

2011-06-06T21:01:00.003+01:00

The title says it all again! A small 20 figure unit of Newline Designs Dutch Napoleonic infantry. These are to be part of a batch destined for another's collection at the end of the month.

I am actually running out of Newline figures BUT I have a load of various vintage DK, Scruby and Douglas miniatures plus a whole load of ACW figures including Wodensfeld, Airfix, Kennington, Jacklex and Newline. Enough to keep me busy for a while!

June will be a busier month on this blog than in May. Apologies for the lack of Airfix Ancient Britons, they have been put on the back burner for the moment.

Next up-Newline British Peninsular Light Dragoons.

British Penninsular Heavy Dragoons

2011-05-18T19:23:00.006+01:00

I finally finished painting and basing the KGL Dragoons last night. Suitably "heavy looking" figures they are now hot footing it to their new owner while I take a quick break and am painting something totally random.

So, if it looks any good the next post will be an "Airfix-Ancient Briton" chariot. I cannot remember if I have ever actually completely painted one before!

Quick Post

2011-05-11T21:34:00.004+01:00

A quick shot of the Newline British Heavy Dragoons with a base of DK Russian Hussars...quite a good match size wise actually.

The remaining British Dragoons should be finished and based by the weekend.

Jean Pierre, The French Fighter Pilot

2011-05-05T22:15:00.004+01:00

I know a joke. It is a good one. It is about "Jean Pierre, The Frrrench Fighterrr Pilot". Like most of the jokes I know it is rude (so I will not be repeating it in full), but involves Jean Pierre, an amorous young lady, two glasses of wine, one of brandy and a household match!

Relevance? Well the punchline is Jean Pierre saying "When I go down, I go down in flames!"

I think you get the idea about the joke anyway!

Now this blog stopped many months ago because of the gloom of real life intruding into my family and hobby time.

Nothing has changed really but what the hell - you only live once and I am fed up with others dictating my spare time!

So until I go down fully "flamed" I am opening up this project again. As regularly as possible. Starting with these chaps, more Brunswick Hussars, this time from Newline which I will be shipping off to my American friend with some other goodies early next week. Next up, the Newline 1809 British Dragoons which are going with them!

The Last Post.

2010-11-23T11:02:00.002Z

As promised weeks ago, the Prussian Jagers. Newline figures again, I was surprised to find flag bearers in the command pack. However after a little reading I discovered that many Jager regiments did carry flags, especially those that had been formed from existing line regiments. I will be sourcing suitable flags at my leisure.

Normally when I photograph figures I will take several from various angles and use the best one. However, this time after the first shot I had a "battery exhausted" message pop up. Quite apt I suppose! So, this is the last "In The Grand Manner-A 20mm Wargames Blog" post.

Hope you have enjoyed it as much as me!

The Last Stand...

2010-11-20T23:08:00.002Z

You may well have noticed that it has been very quiet on my blogs lately. Sadly the work/life balance has gone into free fall which has left me with virtually no time for my hobbies.

This state of affairs has been pretty much been formalised at work now. So my next post, the long overdue Russian Jagers, will be my "last stands" of figures for the foreseeable future I am afraid.

My "Waterloo to Mons" blog will, hopefully, still be sustainable. Last post will be blogged next week.

Lubny Hussars

2010-10-30T21:48:00.003+01:00

As previously mentioned a small 6 figure unit of Russian Lubny Hussars completed a day later than planned as last night I became an emergency plumber (is there no end to my talents!) following an overflowing cistern.

The flag is in the loft and will be added as soon as I can get back up there. The combination of blue uniforms and yellow facings really make these attractive fellows-the photography is harsh due to the flash.

Next up, Newline Russian Jaegers!

Cossacks

2010-10-28T17:13:00.002+01:00

I made one last entry into the loft this afternoon. It involved a lot of orangutan style heaving myself around and is frankly bloody dangerous-so I will not be doing that again!

However my intrepid adventure has brought some results. First off I needed the basing materials to finish these 4 DK Cossacks (could not see a code number on these guys I am afraid). I photographed them as well while I was up there and have now brought down enough stuff to keep both blogs running while my heavy duty loft ladders are installed (hopefully within the next two weeks).

I have one small 6 figure Newline Russian Hussar unit nearly completed and I will be starting more Newline cossacks and Russian light infantry by the weekend. Again, all destined for service elsewhere-but I have wisely invested the money and placed a further Scruby/Historifigs order which even now is hot footing it across "The Pond" to me.

Wargaming Can Be Dangerous!

2010-10-26T21:04:00.007+01:00

PN73 Prussian Cuirassiers from Hinton Hunt...plus one Scruby in the rear rank to make up the numbers! (Actually a nice match size wise).

I hope you like the picture because it nearly cost me my life! Let me explain, while I paint my figures at the kitchen table, I base, photograph and store the figures in my loft* with my wargames table. While bringing down the next batch to be painted plus camera one of the hinged joints of the folding loft ladder snapped...I managed to cling on for dear life. The loft* hatch is directly above the stairs and a good 5 metres to the bottom! Note to self...diet harder! Much harder!

Fortunately I have enough figures to keep me going while I arrange a replacement ladder, in fact I have 4 DK cossacks finished waiting for the PVA to dry before I paint their bases, so I should be posting again in a couple of days.

*Attic to our American cousins I think.

Having An Airfix Fix

2010-10-18T17:11:00.004+01:00

It has been a quiet month I know so far, but I have been busy with other stuff including the start of an Airfix ACW project over on my Waterloo To Mons blog.

I have caught the Airfix bug a little and finally painted up some of the RHA I have had knocking around in the loft for years.

I will hopefully be posting again soon with some more Hinton Hunt cavalry, so its all a bit nostalgic this October!

Hinton Hunt (?) Prussian Hussars

2010-10-03T11:49:00.004+01:00

After what seems like an eternity I have managed to photograph the Hinton Hunt Prussians (HHF PN85 on the base)-albeit using my back up camera so the picture quality is a bit naff.

Painted to represent the 9th (Rhenish) Hussars they are the first ever Hinton cavalry I have painted. I also have some HH Prussian Cuirassiers and some DK Russian Cossacks which are next in the to do list. October painting may be a little slow-apologies in advance but it is very busy around here at the moment.

Brunswick Avant Garde

2010-09-22T20:40:00.003+01:00

It has taken over a week, but they are finally based. In fact I have just noticed a cobweb(?) on one of them in the picture!

I am currently rebasing some of my other figures and have a basing backlog you see.

The uniforms look rather muted and the green facings have merged into the grey in the photographs-which is a shame because in the flesh the colours are quite "pingy".

Next up are some Hinton cavalry (they really are HH this time-I checked!)-again they are finished but they are sitting behind some 28mm Danes in the basing queue! Hopefully I will be posting again by the weekend.

Belgian Infantry

2010-09-13T13:57:00.003+01:00

The title pretty much says it all! Not the Brunswickers I said would be next (they will be finished in the next 48 hours or so), but a tiddly unit of Newline Belgians. I undercoated them at the same time as the Avant Garde and could not resist painting them.

The next few weeks will be small units-basically I am filling the gaps in half completed units. Next are the Brunswickers and then I have some rather lovely Hinton Hunt cavalry, all of which I want to complete by the end of the month.

Has Anybody Else Noticed....

2010-09-10T00:22:00.002+01:00

.....that since Blogger have introduced their "Spam Filter" that the dreaded SE Asian Dial-A-Bride rubbish has gone?

Progress At Last!

2010-09-03T20:19:00.005+01:00

Yes, the kids go back at school and suddenly my painting output picks up...could the two be connected or is this just a spooky coincidence?

Apologies for the slightly naff quality of the shot, this was the pick of the batch tonight for some reason. Now looking ahead at what is in the pipeline the future is a little troubled.

Cutting a long story short my real life job has taken over and my painting time will be curtailed. It means a lot of projects that I had started will be postponed. This includes the Crimean collection and "my" Napoleonics for a while. I still have a large number of Napoleonic figures destined for the collections of others, including these Russians and I really want them all finished and shipped out by Christmas. Next up some Brunswick Avant Garde.

Colonial Wargames

2010-08-12T13:58:00.007+01:00

I returned home from holiday yesterday and decided to finish off these two figures before picking up on the Russian Napoleonic cavalry.

The painting style is a bit of a retro experiment, with a lot less black showing through-it does look rather neat in the flesh but I am not too sure it photographs well.

The figures are original 1980's Pax Britannica figures, now available from DPC in the US. The figures were sculpted by the late Steve Hezzlewood and really are at the top end of the "anatomically correct" style of figures. The detail is there but it is very fine. I had large numbers of the ACW figures because they matched the plastics so well. Lovely!

Work In Progress Russian Cavalry

2010-08-01T21:02:00.006+01:00

There has been a total lack of posts since the middle of last month. Annoyingly this has been caused by work commitments.

At the end of this month my office is relocated further away so my commuting time has probably been doubled.

Not sure how this is all going to affect my painting timetable.

Tomorrow I go on holiday and plan to catch up on some reading (and try and forget work). So for now I leave you with the first of the Newline Russian Cuirassiers, the start of a 15 figure unit that I will finish when I get back.

The Kinburn Dragoons

2010-07-14T21:24:00.003+01:00

At last-something worthwhile to post! 15 Newline Russian Dragoons painted up in yellow facings as the Kinburn Dragoons. They will be followed by some Russian cuirassiers which I hope to get started on tomorrow night.

The looooooooooong summer school holidays are looming and my real job continues to dominate so I really need to take every opportunity to get painting. However I also have a large potato crop that needs digging up, school sports days and a WW2 game on Friday!

I also have a major reorganisation of my own Napoleonic collection but more of that later.

Back To The Workbench

2010-07-08T00:21:00.003+01:00

Work has continued to dominate my time at the moment and I cannot see that changing in the immediate future. Here is the sum total of my "Russian Cavalry Horde" - two Kinburn Dragoons!

The plan is to complete the rest of them by next week and then to get cracking on with the Cuirassiers. Here's hoping!

Russian Brest Litevsk Regiment

2010-06-22T21:54:00.005+01:00

Well that seemed to take forever! Everything was going swimmingly one minute, the next a huge dose of real life gets in the way. Finally I have completed the 40 man Russian musketeer battalion.

They seem so less showy than their Grenadier friends! However they look determined to get the job done and my next posting will be some cavalry to back them up. Not sure if I can get them finished by the end of the month as I have a lot of other stuff to do-but I will give it a go!

Finally I had to use my back up camera tonight so cannot achieve the full depth of field I usually manage. PLUS what have Blogger done to their templates? I like the old style of updating etc...how do I get it back?

Siberian Grenadier Regiment

2010-06-08T13:35:00.004+01:00

Here is the first of June's big units-40 figures in total for this Grenadier Regiment. Another 40 figure musketeer unit is primed up and well under way.

These guys are wearing summer trousers and are packing everything with their backpacks, blanket rolls and large mess tins. Apart from some old ESCI figures (which I never finished) I think this must be the first unit of Russian infantry I have ever completed... June certainly is a month of "firsts" for me!

Flags courtesy of Warflag. Next up Russian musketeers and then some cavalry.

My First Hinton Hunts?

2010-06-01T17:01:00.006+01:00

The whole of June is "Russia Month". All figures posted on this blog will be from the land of Vodka and solemn music!

To kick off are four Napoleonic Grenadiers-the first Hinton Hunts I have ever painted*. They are actually a lot more delicately sculpted than I had originally imagined and I can see their attraction to collectors. The ebay prices are quite incredible for a reason!

I have more HH cavalry to paint for their true owner but next up will be a battalion of Newline Napoleonic infantry.

*See comments re identification!

Finally-for those interested in the ACW collection I will be posting more in the next few days over on the "Waterloo to Mons" blog (including comparison shots of Jacklex vs others).

Jacklex ACW Range

2010-05-29T22:07:00.007+01:00

Before I start posting the Russian infantry I just wanted to paint up a few Jacklex figures. The reason is quite simple-over on The Old Metal Detector blog are images of a new range from Jacklex, the "Pancho Villa" range.

Now I do not have any of them (yet) but what I do have are a motley collection of used Jacklex ACW figures which I picked up on ebay last year. As you can see from the image on the bottom left a repaint was in order.

The figures, available from Spencer Smith Miniatures, are JA16 Mounted General and two JA17 Cavalry Lancer. With a bit of bending, tweaking and adding swords etc we get a rather charming little command base. Now they are smaller than my other ACW figures (Kennington/Tumbling Dice/Qualiticast) but I plan on producing a "Nostalgia Brigade" just for the hell of it.

I am currently basing up the first four Hinton Hunt figures I have ever painted and will post these in the next few days.

2nd Battalion, 1st (2nd Pommeranian) Regiment

2010-05-21T15:34:00.001+01:00

The first full 32 figure Prussian battalion of Scruby miniatures is now complete. The flag is a 1/72nd scale Rofur flag (I got mine from Miniatuurewereld when I last ordered some Art Miniaturen figures). Printed on adhesive backed paper they are nice and crisp in detail. I have placed an order for more. I will not ramble on about the Scruby figures again, suffice to say I like them a lot.

I am continuing to clear the backlog of undercoated figures but the next few posts will be Russian Napoleonics. Their real owner has been very patient and now I can at least see my painting desk. So coming up are lots of Newlines plus the first Hinton Hunts I have ever painted.

"Sir, We Are Turned!"

2010-05-14T14:08:00.004+01:00

"We certainly are Carruthers, we certainly are!"

I have gone glossy (on the Crimean figures anyway) for a number of reasons:

DC's Unfashionably Shiny blog-very inspiring!
I want the Crimeans at least to be very much In The Grand Manner style, i.e. the (big) units are the focus, not the individual figure.
The Scrubys lend themselves to the "retro" look.

The gloss varnish has dried a little cloudy in places-but not as bad to the naked eye as this shot suggests, so I am off to invest in a new pot.

More posts to follow soon-in modern parlance (which is very irritating for a forty-something like myself to say) I am really "in the zone" at the moment and getting to finish up a lot of the undercoated queue. Plus I have started the Newline Russians.

Next up the Scruby Prussian Napoleonic Pommeranian battalion. In matt finish.

Clearing The Way!

2010-05-11T20:30:00.005+01:00

I have finally finished the French Light Infantry which I cannot remember starting it was that long ago! Here they are clearing a path-a path blocked by half painted units.

These include:

Scruby Prussian Napoleonics
Scruby Vistula Legion cavalry conversions
Newline Empress Dragoons
Tumbling Dice and Scruby Crimean British
Newline British and French artillery

Plus about 100 or so Newline Russians for someone else's collection!

I have had to start tidying up the lead queue before I even start on anything else.

For those interested, these figures are up for grabs on ebay-I need some more Scruby's!!! Link to my ebay is on the left.

"Qu'ils sont terribles, ces Chevaux Gris"

2010-05-09T20:29:00.005+01:00

The 2nd (Royal North British) Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys)-even Napoleon liked them!

The only other time I have ever painted a unit of these guys was using ESCI plastics when they were first released.

I was a bit concerned about painting them up* but they were actually far more enjoyable than I thought-I have gone for various grey shades, including dappled and flea bitten. The back of unit shot gives some idea of the various finishes. (*The photographs do not actually do them justice as I think they look the best Newline cavalry unit I have yet painted).

The "Frenchies" shot is a sneak preview of what is (probably) coming next!

British 7th Hussars

2010-05-01T17:07:00.003+01:00

Finished! Following a rather rainy Saturday afternoon the base work is now complete.

I will start the Scots Greys tomorrow (15 figures) and then all this British cavalry will be sent out to the US.

After that I have found a half finished battalion of Newline French Voltigeurs which I will be completing alongside the first of the Crimean battalions.

Break Time Over!

2010-05-01T00:12:00.004+01:00

Yes it has been very quiet for a while. I am in fact 3 weeks or so behind schedule. This has been a combination of preparing for Salute (which went very well) and family stuff.

I made a few purchases at Salute during a quick break from the Continental Wars Society stand, shopping at the Tumbling Dice and Kennington stands.

I need to finish the base work for the British Hussars I have been promising so I am hoping to post them by the end of the weekend. I will be moving onto the Scots Greys so that I can send them all out to the US and then get stuck into my Crimean War figures.

This picture is of the Black Watch at the Battle of the Alma...just to get the imagination going!

Brunswick Leib Battalion

2010-04-10T21:28:00.009+01:00

Here are some vintage Brunswick Leib Infantry being painted for a friend.

I believe they may be Kirk Miniatures-but I could be very wrong. The bases are round and they are quite flat when looked at head on. They are 1/72nd scale 20mm figures-the same size as Hinton Hunt, Kennington etc.

Any ideas?

Lovely little figures so I would be interested in views from the vintage 20mm experts. I also have some unidentified ACW figures I picked up on ebay last week-I will be posting pictures of them soon.

After a bit more digging on The Old Metal Detector I am convinced that these are, in fact, Douglas Miniatures. Thank you Paul for pointing me onto the right direction!

Pommeranian Infantry-WIP

2010-04-07T22:36:00.003+01:00

I took a quick break from the Hussars this afternoon to finish off a base of Scruby Prussian infantry. I bought them off ebay months ago and had tweaked and undercoated them at the same time as the Vistula Legion cavalry (which I want to pick up again soon).

Poses are 3149 Standing on Guard, 3151 Advancing and 3158 Infantry Officer. I plan on using a surplus Prussian artilleryman (3157) as the standard bearer.

Now it is back to the Hussars and some vintage Brunswickers, which I think are Kirk Miniatures but I could be wrong!

British 8th Light Dragoons

2010-04-01T21:06:00.003+01:00

These are actually the first unit of British Light Dragoons I have ever painted! I have started a unit of British Hussars to keep them company-a little "Light Brigade" in the making.

Which very tenuous link leads me onto the arrival of my first order of Scruby Crimean War figures which arrived last week. I chose a selection of British infantry, very nice indeed. My first unit will be Tumbling Dice infantry that I have started followed hot on their heels by the Scruby's.

So, next up the Hussar's followed by the 30th Regiment of Foot at Little Inkerman.

RSM/Pax Britannica Catalogue 1986

2010-03-27T08:56:00.013Z

A huge thanks to Don for sending over this catalogue (I have only posted the 20mm pages here). Looking through the catalogue I realise that at one stage or another I have owned examples of about 90% of the released figures. By comparison, the Dayton/RSM catalogue would appear to be missing a few figures (I cannot see Grant, Lee for example). However their are no Austrians etc. in this catalogue and as I recall they were Hezzlewood sculpts.

Next up will be some proper painting!

Pax Britannica 20mm Catalogue c.1984

2010-03-24T20:59:00.012Z

For those interested in this kind of thing, I was very lucky to get my hands on this original catalogue of the Steve Hezzlewood 20mm figures. Now I know that at least some of the Napoleonic figures marked *Available January 1985 were released as I owned some, but I am pretty sure a lot of the Colonial figures were never made. Which is a real pity.

Remember This Kind Of Stuff Corp?

2010-03-21T22:30:00.007Z

Well my good friend and wargaming buddy Barry has started a website for those who played with Airfix soldiers, Action Men and read this kind of comic here:

http://www.v-for-victory.co.uk/

So to all of us who threw modern day collectors pieces (with gripping hands, realistic hair and eventually Eagle Eyes) out of the top bedroom window in the hope that the parachute worked and remember reading phrases like "Achtung Spitfire!", "Aaagh!", "Ye Gods!" and "Aiiiyeee!", fill your boots!

1st "Koningin" Prussian Dragoons

2010-03-15T21:32:00.003Z

As promised here are some more Newline figures, this time Prussian cavalry to back up the Silesian Landwehr. I have changed my mind a lot about the Prussian army of the Napoleonic Wars. They really are quite colourful and these light blue uniforms really will stick out on the table.

Obviously the smaller Newline figures do not fit with the figures intended for own collection. These guys are destined for the United States. I still have a few hundred cavalry and slightly more infantry to paint up and will be using the proceeds to continue with my own 20mm projects. The next few posts are mainly British Cavalry and the first of my Crimean British.

Scruby Prussian Artillery Crew

2010-03-08T20:55:00.009Z

Here are the first of my Scruby Prussians, a four man artillery crew. The gun itself is a 12pdr Kennington piece-but I will be replacing it with a genuine Scruby piece in due course.

I have gone a bit picture heavy* with this post just to explain how the figures work.

The artillery crew figures come in one pose (bottom left). Due to their "slender" proportions all that is needed is a little bending of arms/twisting of heads and legs to produce a convincing crew. I used wire for the trail spike and rammer and Greenstuff for the cannon ball and rammer sponge head.

Although described as 25mm in the Historifigs catalogue, as you can see from the comparison shot (bottom right), they match Kennington perfectly. Both are 1/72nd scale (as are Art Miniaturen and Tumbling Dice for that matter).

Now then, when I rediscovered Scruby figures the obvious problem could have been their availability. Hinton Hunts, Minifigs S range, Lamming etc are no longer made and so collecting might simply have been a case grabbing whatever I can, when I can. However, I am very pleased to say that Mike and Alison Taber run a very efficient mail order service at Historifigs and I can pick my figures to suit.

Finally, of the figures themselves. Elegant is a word I keep repeating-but it really is the best word I can use to describe them. I really am taken by them. It could be "rose-tinted glasses syndrome", but they will be forming the backbone of my Napoleonic (and later) armies.

* And finally, finally, there is an absolute dearth of images of Scruby figures on the internet, so this will be my continuing contribution to the wargaming community!

Dutch Infantry

2010-03-05T10:40:00.002Z

The Dutch/Belgians were not held in high regard by Wellington during the Hundred Days Campaign and while they may not hold the French back forever, they will look good while doing it (or not)!

Back in the days of yore, the marching figures from the Airfix French Artillery box made adequate Dutch infantry, these Newline figures are a massive improvement.

Newline have updated their website recently to the much more user friendly "click to buy" type. I have such a huge lead pile I have been good so far, but the Austrian artillery limber and ammunition wagon do look good. Mmmmm.

Next up some Scruby Prussian artillery and then some more Newline stuff.

It Has Been A While....

2010-03-02T20:59:00.005Z

Apologies for the lack of postings last month. It is Salute 2010 in April and I have been painting up figures for the Continental Wars Society display game-I had put the painting off for too long and just had to stop all other activity. I posted all the painted figures out yesterday.

I can now get back to the other jobs in hand. I have 3 more figures to finish and base for a Newline Dutch battalion, so I will be posting again this week with them.

As you can see* from the picture I have a quite a few Scruby figures in my collection now. (I received my first order from Historifigs last week, a fast and efficient service). I am making up a Scruby Napoleonic gun crew and will be posting them after the Dutch post.

*For those interested the figures in this picture are mainly French Old Guard with a single British Light Dragoon and a Standard Bearer in a plumed bicorne.

Project 2010: The Crimean War

2010-02-17T15:02:00.006Z

When planning for this project I had a number of requirements. Big battles with an achievable painting schedule and a good old fashioned "20mm" wargames feel. I narrowed it down to the Sudan (Jacklex), Zulu War (Newline), Ancient Greece (Garrison) and the Crimea or English Civil War (Tumbling Dice).

I finally settled for the Crimea using the Tumbling Dice range...using a 1:20 figure ratio I will have average strength infantry battalions of 30+ figures, the battles were big, the fact that the figures are all wearing greatcoats will speed up painting time and finally the Crimean War was one of those wars I did "way back when" using plastic figures. The real work starts after Salute in April-this is just a taster of what to expect.

I had started to collect the 18mm Eureka Crimea figures a couple of years ago. A lovely range, they had one very frustrating drawback...the muskets,bayonets and swords were so delicate they snapped off at the earliest opportunity.

Tumbling Dice are nicely sculpted, solid figures and they run an efficient internet/mail order service (the longest I have had to wait is 5 days before they arrived). Figures from their ACW range will be drafted in to serve as French Zouaves and best of all they are compatible in size with the Scruby Crimean range. I have added the Tumbling Dice website address.

Next up are the Newlines I promised.

3rd Silesian Landwehr...Who Else?

2010-02-11T21:28:00.003Z

When it comes to Prussian Landwehr, the first unit to be painted must be the 3rd Silesian Landwehr in homage to the Airfix HO/OO figures box artwork...or is it just me who thinks like that?

The Silesian units, if I recall correctly, were among the first Landwehr's raised and by the time of the 100 Days Campaign amongst Blucher's best, unlike the Westphalian Landwehr for example (who had been fighting for Napoleon a few years before).

24 Newline figures, flag courtesy of Warflag.com.

Next up, a sneak preview of "Project 2010" and then lots and lots more Newlines!

More French Artillery

2010-02-06T20:21:00.005Z

First of all apologies for the delay in this latest posting-real life got in the way again.

Now, especially for Rafa here is a 12pdr Newline French gun and crew and below are comparison shots against the 8pdr & Kennington figures completed last month.

As you can see the guns are reasonably close in size (the Kennington piece is slightly taller and definitely wider) but the figures are significantly different.

I hope to pick up the pace again next week...I have some lovely Prussian Landwehr started and I am still tinkering away with my "new" Scruby figures.

Vistula Legion Lancers-Work In Progress #1

2010-01-16T18:23:00.007Z

I managed to get myself distracted this week and here is the reason why:

When I first discovered wargaming in 1976/77 I was given a couple of back copies of "Battle" magazine and two metal Napoleonic cavalry figures. They fitted with the only soldiers I had available for my new hobby, Airfix, but even cooler than that they came all the way from America!

Until this week they were the only Scruby figures I ever owned, but that has all changed courtesy of ebay.

They are listed as 25mm (no I will not be getting into that size argument) but as you can see from my trusty Airfix RHA officer (below right) they fit my notion of 20mm! Scruby figures are "detail light", the ethos being a strap or belt is the thickness of a coat of paint in this scale. The lancers actually have a moulded on saddle, all of the other cavalry I have seen have none-you paint the saddle directly onto the horse. The French lancers come in one pose (below right) with an upright lance. My two command figures are modifications of this figure. The officer is armed with a pin sword and the bugle is taken from a miscast Newline Designs infantry figure.

They may not be everyones cup of tea but I find them extremely elegant and frankly, I am having an absolute blast with these guys.

Next up will be some French Newline/Kennington artillery comparisons especially for Rafa!

French Artillery

2010-01-07T11:54:00.003Z

A completed Kennington/SHQ Miniatures French 8lb gun and crew. The generous sized base is 60x70mm and used for 25mm figures in the "In The Grand Manner" rules. The figures are "big" 20mm sculpts, like Art Miniaturen. I will complete a Newline gun and crew soon for comparison, but next up are some French cavalry which I cleaned up and undercoated months ago, then left after an "Oooh Shiny" episode, like Art Miniaturen!

Looking ahead at my plans for 2010 I will be continuing with the Newline figures and will be introducing my "Project 2010" some time after Salute in April. The reason is simple, I will be on the Continental Wars Society stand with a display of some of my 19th Century figures. Only problem is most of the figures (I am doing a seperate Franco-Prussian war display) are still unpainted and so I will be working overtime to get them done!

British Cavalry Casualty Markers

2010-01-04T21:47:00.002Z

Bearing a remarkable resemblance to the aftermath of one of my typical "charges" are these Newline British casualty figures.

Top to bottom, Heavy Dragoons, Hussars then Light Dragoons.

I have a Kennington French artillery gun and crew nearly finished and hope to be posting again this week.

French Cavalry Casualty Markers

2009-12-21T13:59:00.003Z

Last post before Christmas!

As promised, the first of the cavalry casualty markers (like the mounted officers, they are destined for a better life abroad in the New Year!).

Newline figures again, Cuirassiers and a single Hussar, with more to follow before the end of 2009.

Just remains for me to say "Merry Christmas" to one and all.

Mounted British Officers

2009-12-19T22:35:00.002Z

More Newlines, this time the mounted British officers. The figure on the left is the mounted artillery officer, the middle is painted as an infantry officer and the far right is the "proper" British infantry officer.

There will be one more post before Christmas as I am currently painting a batch of Newline cavalry casualty markers, French, Prussian and British.

2010 brings a new project as well, the first batch are undercoated and I just need a bit of time over Christmas to get them done.

Vintage English Civil War Figures

2009-12-10T15:05:00.010Z

John Niblett is probably most famous for his work with Airfix, but he did produce his own figures, including a range of small 20mm figures. Rather than go into a complete history check out Vintage 20mil in the links section (after all I would only be copying the information from there!).

I had never seen them in the flesh but I found two packs on eBay a couple of weeks ago. One is completely unopened and contains two ECW cavalry in helmet and coat and an opened pack of two cuirassiers. Incredibly the horse is made up of two halves and the base and sword/scabbard are separate. The detail is amazing on such delicate figures. According to the Vintage 20mil site the original moulds are sadly incomplete and so this range will never be produced again.

The Airfix RHA figure and horse are for size comparison. I am not sure what I will do with the figures-they are almost too good to tamper with (now I know some model train collectors never get their toys out of the box-but a wargamer?).

I hope to post more Newline figures which I am doing for a friend and have promised him before Christmas, so next up mounted British officers.

French Artillery Command Stand

2009-11-24T21:56:00.003Z

Now I do hope my photography and painting do these figures justice, because they really are fantastic sculpts. Art Miniaturen produce an absolutely beautiful range of figures (perhaps with the 1/72nd scale modeller more in mind than the wargamer?), and I absolutely love them!

They come at a price, this vignette cost over 7 Euros (I have left one foot figure off). However, the biggest problem is how to get hold of them in the first place! Unless you live in Germany and can pop into their workshop, you can only pay by balance transfers to their bank account. Like most UK banks my own have their call centre based in Asia...now try telling someone with a limited command of the English language you wish to transfer money to a German bank account to buy some toy soldiers!!! However Miniatuurwereld (see links) does accept Paypal, even if the ordering system can be a little slow as you have to email your requirements to check if items are in stock before orders can be raised etc. However it is worth the extra little effort just to get your hands on these guys!

Prussian Infantry Battalion

2009-11-18T12:57:00.003Z

Finished at last-all 32 of them! I fell ill after my last post and it has only been in the last couple of days that I have felt good enough to resume painting.

I am rather pleased with the overall look of the Prussians-my main fear was that they would be too dull an army to build, but in the flesh they look very neat as a unit. I will be conducting a similar experiment with some Austrian infantry later to see if I could face the prospect of "snow blindness" in my search for the best looking opponents for my French.

Next up I have sort of promised some comparison shots between the main metal manufacturers I use, so I plan on painting up various French artillery in the coming weeks.

Work in Progress Prussians

2009-11-05T11:35:00.002Z

Back at last! I have had time enough to finish these two bases for my 32 man Prussian Line Infantry unit, the command base glue is drying and so all that is left to do is finish off the last 8 figures. I hope to have this all done by the weekend.

I still have a backlog of primed mounted officers and casualty markers which I really want to finish off soon so I can move onto the proper cavalry and infantry units.

But for now I am off to catch up of my "watched blogs" and see what everyone else has been up to.

Blucher & Ney

2009-10-21T22:39:00.002+01:00

Here are the last of the current batch of Napoleonic personality figures, Messrs. Blucher and Ney. I actually have Blucher from 2 other manufacturers sitting in the lead pile but looking ahead I should be posting a few Prussian battalions, French artillery as well as French Imperial Guard cavalry (Lancers, Chasseurs and Dragoons) in the coming months.

However all this must wait as I am away from home all next week. I hope that on my return my real life workload will calm down a little (actually a lot) and I can spend more time with my family and hobby! I missed SELWG because of work, which was very sad...but I suppose I saved a small fortune. Ho Hum!

Mounted Austrian Grenadier Officers

2009-10-14T23:24:00.002+01:00

A quick post showing the mounted Austrian Grenadier officers from Newline Designs. Now I have always liked Austrian Grenadiers-did anyone else convert Airfix AWI British Grenadiers in an effort to depict these guys? Ahhh, pure nostalgia!

Officer, Chasseurs a Cheval of the Imperial Guard

2009-10-09T19:22:00.005+01:00

Well here he is in all his painted glory! Having spent all that time creating him I decided that I would ignore my previous comments about not using metallic gold for the lace and see if I could replicate the results of other modellers. I am not sure how well it comes across in the photographs but in real life he looks dead smart actually!

So would I do tackle project like this again for just one figure? Actually yes-but not right now! I want to paint some real units and get cracking on with the mounted officers.

Do NOT Try This At Home!

2009-10-08T22:58:00.008+01:00

This figure has taken me ages! In that time I could have painted a battalion of infantry (or two), but like a lot of ideas that enter my crowded little cranium, I just needed to do it!

For a list of ingredients take one rather famous painting of an Officer of the Chasseurs a Cheval of the Imperial Guard-which has been copied time and again by modellers (so I was not even being original!), a Newline Designs trooper of the same Regiment, a suitable looking Newline horse, "Greenstuff" and an encyclopedia of swear words (oh-and a family pack of plasters*!) and you can begin.

The first job was to remove the carbine from the trooper and then cut off his head, right arm and then saw him through the middle (apply plaster* to thumb at this stage!). I then shaved off the arms from his jacket, the bag from his busby and bent the sword into a more convincing curve. It was at this stage that I had run out of regular swear words and resorted to the double-barreled variety!

The horse was in a charging pose which had the left and right legs extended in the opposite order to the ones I needed to achieve. The left leg bent backwards quite successfully, but the right front leg snapped off. Have you ever tried to glue back a leg to a Newline horse? If so, we can swop questions as to the horses parentage "off blog". The only solution was a bit of a bodge by securing the offending (half) limb to the top half of the right leg and the more secure left with Super Glue. I then proceeded to shave off the mane and tail (more plasters*!).

Looking at the mess I had created a lesser man (i.e. someone with more imagination than I), would have stopped and gone back to those Prussians he started weeks ago. However I persevered and reattached the head and upper half of the torso after bending the legs to match the painting. "Greenstuff" was used to create a new mane and tail, a new saddle cloth (the leopards head you see is the third version). Glue the rider to the horse, recreate two jacket arms, a left hand and "flowing" busby bag and allow to dry. Saving the best till last-reattach the right arm-this was as much fun as the right horse leg saga, but could not be attached to anything else. This took time!

Et Voila-I am now one paint job away from deciding if it was worth the effort!

* For our cousins "across the pond" I think plasters are called "Band Aids " (?)-sticky tapes from the First Aid box to stem bleeding from vicious little scalpel cuts.

Qualiticast Brunswick Hussars

2009-10-02T23:34:00.007+01:00

Now these figures are "Cuckoos"...I only painted the rear two middle troopers, but I based them for a good friend some months ago. They are the only Qualiticast Napoleonic figures I have images for. Slightly larger than Newlines they are a better match for Kennington figures in size and stature.

I have now finished the 3 Newline mounted Grenadiers of the Imperial Guard officers and have started on 6 Prussians mounted officers (line and landwehr). The 32 man Prussian infantry unit has stalled a bit but should be finished within the next couple of weeks.

Qualiticast 20mm ACW Range

2009-09-29T22:17:00.013+01:00

Does anybody remember these? Qualiticast produced quite a wide range of 20mm figures (and later a range of 25mm Medievals I believe). The 20mm's included Ancient Romans & Gauls, Napoleonics, ACW & Pony Wars and a rather lovely Zulu War line. In my time I owned figures from all the 20mm ranges. The Civil War figures fitted in well with my Kennington ACWs and I have used their mounted officers in a lot of my command bases.

At the top we have General Buford from the "Union Army Camp at Gettysburg" set, why-oh-why didn't I get the Confederate camp as well?! He is the only figure from that set which I painted. The remainder, including the tent, Meade etc and Zouave Guards remain untouched.

Next we have a Confederate firing line (which I varnished gloss after a weekend at the Wargames Holiday Centre-Second Bull Run if I remember correctly that year). The Union infantry marching are bottom left and who can forget their ingenious casualty figure. The same figure could be layed down on all four sides to produce a different casualty pose. The two right hand figures are as produced, the two left hand casualties have been tweaked slightly. All painted about ten years ago, still in use today!

Until I moved house two years ago I had a number of the Zulu War figures (including a really great 9pdr gun and crew) and the Ancient British chariot. Sadly that box of miniatures, which also included my entire collection of B&B Miniatures Franco Prussian War figures, appear to have been lost due to a mix up when loading the lorry...I have sworn a few times over that!

Who knows, one day Qualiticast may come back!

Casualty Markers

2009-09-27T23:01:00.006+01:00

Newline also produce casualty figures for both infantry and cavalry. Very useful as casualty markers or as general "battlefield clutter". Here we have French, British and Prussians, painted ages ago. These are mounted on metal washers and come in handy for such rule systems as "Age of Eagles"-the Napoleonic version of "Fire and Fury" ACW rules.

The Austrian mounted Grenadier officers are now complete (bases are drying as I write) and the French mounted officers have been started as has a 32 figure Prussian battalion. I hope to start posting some of these in a couple of days.

Austrian Mounted Line Infantry Officers

2009-09-20T21:11:00.003+01:00

Moving on from the numerous artillery postings I am now turning my attention to the many Newline Designs mounted officers, in this case Austrian Line Infantry. The Grenadier officers have been started and will probably be my next post.

All of the Newline Austrian mounted officers are wearing grey overcoats, it would be nice to see some in their white tunics as well. The range is being added to still, Austrian Horse Artillery were added this month according to the website (so there is hope).

I have also started a Prussian 32 figure battalion as well as picking up some French Empress Dragoons on eBay. All I need now is some interruption free time!

Emhar Plastic Zouaves

2009-09-13T23:28:00.003+01:00

As I mentioned last week I have been very tempted to tackle some plastic figures. The Project Liepzig and Will's Wargaming blogs are to blame!

As it happened I saw these figures in my local model shop and was intrigued at the prospect of the "Poseable, Paintable & Can Be Glued" tag on the box. (OK, they are also 19th Century French figures as well!). This might not be the final "Nostalgia Project" I mentioned-but I had to have a go!

On examining the figures they are not made of "soft polythene" like my old Airfix warriors-but they do not appear to be made of the same plastic as the vehicle kits either. I particularly like the convincing baggy trousers, much better than the trousers-tucked-into-your-socks-look of some plastic Zouaves I have seen. There are some "silly" poses-but if I can cut and glue them I imagine the results could be very interesting. I will try and fit these in somewhere in my painting schedule and let you see the results. I feel like an investigative journalist!

Prussian Foot Artillery

2009-09-09T21:05:00.004+01:00

Here are the first three completed Prussian artillery bases-the other three guns and crew are drying off at various stages of the basing process. They have come out a little lighter in these shots than in real life.

Over the holidays I have had time to think about future 20mm projects as well as continuing with the Napoleonics. After much research I have decided not to continue with the WW2 Desert War project (I have a growing 15mm collection of Italian campaign Germans and it seems silly to duplicate), but still fancy doing something "modern". I have a shortlist of two options-I plan to have a look at the figures at SELWG in October before making my final choice. Also, heavily inspired by Rafas Project Leipzig blog and the results achieveable using plastic figures I have been re-visiting the sites of various manufacturers and think I might like to do a real "nostalgia collection" i.e. a collection in plastic that I last tried to achieve when I was a lad! These are all longer term projects...but I like to plan ahead.

Russian Mounted Line Officers

2009-09-05T19:17:00.003+01:00

It was great to watch "Waterloo" again last night, it really was an epic! Suitably enthused I have finished these 3 Russian mounted officers and am now half way through 6 Prussian guns and crew. They should all be ready by end of play tomorrow (then I can start that French artillery I was planning to post next). Once again I have been struck at how good the Russians actually look in their green uniforms-plus they can appear with Prussians and/or Austrians at the same ttime, which makes for a colourful battlefield.

Best War Film Ever?

2009-09-04T13:48:00.003+01:00

I have not had the time to pick up a paintbrush this week-thanks to all of those last minute jobs that needed to be done before the kids return to school (such as trying on last years school blazer to find it covers less than the Tee shirts they have been living in all summer x3!).

So I decided to treat myself to what I consider to be "The Best War Film Ever" on DVD. It arrived this morning (I had the video cassette version but no video player!) and tonight I will be sitting down with my youngest son, a big bag of Doritos and some Dr Pepper and introduce him "Waterloo".

I am sure we will then spend the rest of the weekend setting up lines of his plastic figures. To say he is a "chip off the old block" is something of an understatement!

Brunswick Artillery

2009-08-29T21:16:00.004+01:00

More guns! This time Brunswick foot artillery in their distinctive black uniforms-I am glad they painted their gun carriages blue!

Newline figures again, checking their website I notice they have now added pictures of their 1/72nd Ancients and they have a sale on! Mmmm, temptation indeed!

I have to finish the basework on two other Brunswick guns before moving onto my next posting-French artillery, but with a bit of a difference.

Russian Mounted Grenadier Officers

2009-08-26T00:43:00.003+01:00

The Brunswick and Prussian artillery are now well underway, however in the meantime a quick post of some more of the Newline Designs Russians.

Newline mounted officers are very handy for "generic" command stands in their own right-or to give the personality figures someone to talk to!

They also do some very useful casualty figures-ideal for morale/status markers etc. I will show these in a later post.

I finish with a question-does anybody have a link to a colour image of "Blucher at Ligny"-the painting where he is being pulled from under his horse? No surprises that this is something that will be appearing in (another) later post!

79th (Cameron) Highlanders

2009-08-22T21:39:00.002+01:00

Well I am back from my holidays, unpacked and back at work already! I have not been able to resume painting so I have dug out an older picture of a unit now living in the USA.

The figures are Newline again and represent the Cameron Highlanders. I have more of them-but find I need to be in the right frame of mind to tackle tartan!

The flags are from the 15mm Revo range and the British flags work well (the French just seem a tad too small). However, I have placed my first order for Rofur 1/72nd flags and am looking forward to seeing them in the flesh.

I will be continuing with the artillery, Brunswick and Prussians next before starting some cavalry from the "half-started" pile.

Yet Another Gun!

2009-08-09T22:22:00.002+01:00

I have not had the chance to start the Prussians before heading off for the sun so, while running the risk of "artillery overload", I present British Foot Artillery c.1815, again from the excellent Newline Designs range.

I have ordered my first Rofur flags and should have them by the time I return. I have also made a small eBay purchase-the good old Airfix "Waterloo Farmhouse"-I will be tackling it soon.

Otherwise it has been the usual holiday "grab your paintbrush when you can" story. Slow but inevitable in other words. I am off to finish the packing-I have my bucket and spade and some factor 25, so let's hope the weather is good!

Royal Horse Artillery

2009-08-02T22:10:00.005+01:00

Here are some of the Newline Royal Horse Artillery- pure nostalgia for an old Airfix freak such as myself ! It would be nice, I suppose, to have a few small buckets etc. to add to the bases-but does anyone make that kind of stuff in 20mm?

I have never purchased the matching limber set but as I am saving my pennies for SELWG in October I am sure my budget can stretch to it!

Anyway I am taking the entire clan to visit my younger brother in France in 8 days time, so I hope to get one more post in before then. Probably something a little more Prussian!

The War Between The States

2009-07-30T17:10:00.007+01:00

These figures are from my oldest (surviving) collection, started about 15 years ago. They are all Kennington Miniatures in these photographs-but the collection does also contain figures from the, sadly, no longer produced Qualiticast range.

They are veterans of many battles (the last being a refight of Sickles Corps defence on the second day of Gettysburg over 2 years ago) as well as three house moves!

My painting style was more basic when these guys were painted and I noticed that some of them are getting a little ragged around the edges. The bases are a bit boring, as well as bent and so I think that the whole collection needs sprucing up and rebasing (not a total repaint there is roughly 1,000 figures!). The two unbased figures were the last figures I painted-again, about two years ago. I will keep them based for "Fire &Fury" as this will also work for "Rank & File" from Crusader.

Some More Older Images

2009-07-23T22:39:00.003+01:00

I found these images for a Duke of Brunswick and Wellington & Uxbridge command stand which I completed months ago. The figures are Newline Designs again-the Hussar is from the Brunswick Hussar Command Pack. Wellington is a particularly fine sculpt and the nose is nice and pronounced.

As the school holidays are now upon us I can guarantee that painting will be a lot slower-but I will be dusting off my 20mm ACW collection some time soon and taking a few pictures.

OLIAT*

2009-07-19T01:21:00.004+01:00

About 5 hours ago I "found" this tank which I built a few years ago in a box in my attic. Without further ado I decided to paint this little fellow up!

Officially it is a PzKfpw III Ausf L of the 15th Panzer Division, DAK, 1942. To the rest of the English speaking world it is the old Matchbox Panzer III kit.

I wanted to depict a battled old war bus that had chased the 8th Army to El Alemain. I am not sure I haven't overdone it a little-but I was copying the style of some rather lovely 1/35th scale models I have drooled over for ages.

This is Painting Style #1. I have two more of them to be made up and am using them to practice some different techniques, although I must say I am rather chuffed with my first result. All I need do now is add the Air Recognition flag and this fella is finished. Now I am off to bed as it is 1.30 in the morning! Night All!

*OLIAT- "Oh Look It's A Tank!".

Bringing Up The Guns

2009-07-15T22:50:00.004+01:00

I like artillery. They look pretty with guns lined up wheel-to-wheel and give me (in gaming terms) a morale boost knowing that eventually I have something up my sleeve to beat my lousy dice throwing!

Okay, this tactic does not always work in my favour but I still like artillery. These are Newline Designs Russians, who clearly did not have time to make a redoubt (grand or otherwise). Excluding my old Airfix collections, I have probably painted more Newlines than any other manufacturer but have never touched the Russians. They are actually more colourful than I gave them credit for. Anyone know of a manufacturer of 20mm vodka bottles?

Not sure what is coming next, that knight I was thinking about or perhaps a tank-I haven't made a tank for years. Before that however I have neglected my Waterloo To Mons blog for too long.

Especially For Peter....

2009-07-13T10:05:00.003+01:00

...the only other photograph I still have of my older figures. Newline Designs French Dragoons c.1815.

In the cavalry painting pile I still have Guard Chasseurs and Lancers and a few Cuirassiers.

French Infantry In Greatcoat

2009-07-10T23:12:00.003+01:00

A 36 figure battalion made up from the Newline French infantry wearing greatcoats. They took about a week to paint on and off-the greatcoats helped speed them up! The flag is a Revo 25mm flag which just fits with a bit of tweaking. I am looking around for some "proper" 20mm flags at the moment and will report back with my findings. Any pointers would be gratefully received. Next in the painting pile is either some Newline Russian Napoleonics or perhaps another knight (or two!).

The Guv'nor

2009-07-08T22:42:00.006+01:00

Before I post the first of the "big battalions" in the next few days I thought it best to start with The Man Himself-Napoleon.

This is, of course, the Newline Designs personality figure. When I first saw these figures at SELWG, many years ago, they had an Airfix French infantryman next to them to show the compatibility. As the range progressed the figures got a little larger-but they are still "small" 20mm figures, more 1/76th scale than 1/72nd.

Rather than go into comparison shots I highly recommend the "Plastic Pelisse" in the links sections. Here you will find a whole blog dedicated to comparing 20mm plastic figures with their metal counterparts.

Next up, a 36 man French battalion from Newline Designs.

Peter of Dreux, Duke of Brittany c1250

2009-07-02T18:02:00.005+01:00

Welcome to my second attempt at the In The Grand Manner blog. The aim is quite simply to produce large numbers of reasonably painted figures so that I can play the "big battles" I could never achieve as a lad. Initially the plan was to use Peter Gilder figures but unfortunately my output was far too slow. So, I have cleared the decks and started again in a scale I know I can produce in quantity-20mm.

The figure collection will be strongly Napoleonic, however with such a loose description as "A 20mm Wargames Blog", I can spoil myself. Which brings us to the first post. Now I freely admit that I do not know too much about the Medieval period, but I find it very appealing. Peter here is a Valdemar Miniatures figure from one of the two "Crusaders Charging" packs. The figures are designed to match the existing plastic ranges very closely and some of the horses, I believe, are modified Italeri mounts. Figures are produced in metal (like this one), resin and plastic. They have some oddities, the base on this one is about 6mm thick, others in the same pack are about 1mm. They are however lovely figures to paint and if you look at the Gallery on their web site you will see the kind of results that can be achieved.

I hope you enjoy the blog, next up-Newline Napoleonics.