PANDY`S QUEST

Rain

2010-08-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

It`s absolutely peeing down here in Sunny Oldham,yet the Sun`s still shining,should be a rainbow somewhere,not Ritchie Blackmore`s i hope.Everything is still Foreign Legion,Danjou and his Boys arrived the other day good looking figs .

cheers,
Andy

Rain

2010-08-11T11:51:00.000-07:00

Holidays

2010-07-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

I need one,that blast of heat as you step off the plane tells you,"you`re there".Then you`ve got 14 nights of arguing kids,irritable spouse/partner,and really annoying foreign locals who steal your kids and tell you that their bar is better than their brother`s/uncle`s/father`s,whatever.
I still want one though.We went to Marmaris,in Turkey,two years ago-what a shit-hole!We stayed in a suburb! called Armuatalan,2 km from the beach-yeah in a straight line, more like 6km by dolmus.I`d still rather be there than here though.
Our next hols are Florida for the kids either(more than likely)DisneyLand or Universal,either way the Police speak English(i hope)and it`s clean-it`s gotta be cleaner than Marmaris ,the corporation dump is!

Anyway,wherever you`re off to have fun,enjoy yourselves,remember you`re British,and we probably used to own the country and above all wear Manchester City shirts and play cricket on the beach/park/any grassy area you can find.

cheers,
Andy

Pheww!!

2010-07-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

E-mail from Caliver-everything Ok.

Good Day

2010-07-29T05:47:00.000-07:00

Today the new Perry French Foreign Legion arrived and they are super little figures,plenty of character and detail,just what you`d expect really.I`m going to use the Foundry "Storm Blue" palette for their overcoats as this gives a darkish blue with a definite grey tint to it,trousers are going to be the Winter red ones as i think this is more appropriate for fighting in Spain and it can get quite cold and wet in Algeria,as at the seige of Constantine in October 1837.I will paint some in the Summer white trousers in time.
On a more unhappy note i`ve just realised that my order to Caliver Books for a book on the battle of Camerone and some of the excellent,Mark Copplestone sculpted figures (Captain Danjou and friends) may have gone astray as i gave my adress as being in Afghanistan,oops!I`ve e-mailed Caliver pointing out my mistake and i`m still waiting for a response,but i`m sure they`d have spotted the mistake and contacted me if there was an issue,the Post Office on the other hand.........

cheers,
Andy

Camerone

2010-07-23T15:27:00.000-07:00

It`s all Matt Golding`s fault! You see over on his "Waterloo to Mons" blog he`s talking about themed painting ie "this month it `s Russians",so i get the idea "Great last stands on the American sub-continent".We all know about Custer(sorry Keogh)and Billy Travis at the Alamo,but what about Danjou,and his 64 legionnaires at Camerone in 1863
?outnumbered 30 to 1 and they still held out for 12 hours,and just what were the French Foreign Legion doing fighting in Mexico?Very interesting,i`ve ordered the (first) book and the first pack of figs.(which includes Captain Danjou,himself)and we`ll see how(if at all) it goes.

cheers,
Andy

School Holidays

2010-07-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

They start today,seven and a half weeks of the little b£$t%&ds,sorry,darlings.I should have been a teacher,I actually studied for my degree at a teacher training college,Edgehill College,in Ormskirk.Instead i got my B.A. and ended working for Morrisons,what a result!
But never mind everything is French Foreign Legion and the new(ish) greens from the Perry`s First Carlist War range-Algeria 1830`ish here i come.
They`ll look good skirmishing against Carlist guerillas in 1830`ish Spain as well,plus i recently bought "The Best of Devo" what a band!!!!!!!

cheers,
Andy

Latest Urge

2010-07-10T03:08:00.001-07:00

Not an urge as such,as it belongs to my core period,but i`ve really got the Schleswig-Holstein bug at the minute,could be the super new artillery models fom Waterloo to Mons.Perfect war to game,small battles,good looking troops,and a really nice(and inexpensive) range of figures.

cheers,Andy

Urges!

2010-07-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

We all get them,the urge to buy shiny new figures for no good reason,we rush out,buy the latest releases,drool over them,maybe even undercoat some,posibly even paint some,the put them away when the urge passes.
I was rationalising my collection a few days ago and i put my figs into three groups:
1) current projects
2) future projects
3) urges
Believe it or not the current projects are by far the smallest group with "urges" the largest.I can`t believe the amount of figs i`ve bought on impulse and the amount of money i`ve wasted.
Of late i`m managing to control my "urges" and i find the impulse to buy passes after a few days,but i`m starting to wonder if i`ve got some kind of medical condition, am i a `holic of some sort?Who knows, i have been drinking a lot of coffee recently.

cheers,Andy

Keogh`s Last Stand

2010-07-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

The Hollywood version of the battle of The Little Bighorn has General Custer and his band of gallant cavalry surrounded by yelling Indians.As the Indians circle the cavalry shooting bullets and arrows into the heroic troopers,the circle gets smaller and smaller until only the great man,himself stands against the savage hordes,and then they swiftly kill him,or if you watch "Custer of the West"starring Robert Shaw as Custer,they actually give him the chance to clear off home,but seeing as how all his men are dead or dying and he`s a thoroughly decent chap he decides to stay where he is and the Indians obligingly knock him off pretty quickly.
Now,we all know that Hollywood`s grip on the truth can be rather loose to say the least and that the famous last stand didn`t actually happen,as such.
The Little Bighorn,was actually three seperate actions,it began with Major Reno`s attack on the lower end of the Indian village the idea being to drive the Indians into Custer`s force which was trying to locate the upper end of the village.Reno lost his nerve and legged it up some hills and dug in,losing half his command in the process.Custer was blissfully unaware of this and he carried on along the Bighorn ridge trying to find the upper end of the village but came under increasing Indian pressure until his command was surrounded and wiped out,then the victorious Indians went back to besiege the remains of Reno`s force,now allied with the third cavalry force under Captain Benteen,for the rest of the day until the entire Indian village pulled out when the rest of the Dakota column arrived on the scene.
Did Reno and Benteen do enough to support Custer?Could they have pushed on through to relieve him and hold out until General Terry and the rest of the Dakota column arrived?I,personally, very much doubt it and I believe that Reno and Benteen should be given credit for salvaging part of the 7th cavalry from what could have become a complete massacre.
But let`s look at Custer`s action in more detail.There he is with five companies of cavalry moving along the ridge,Indians are sniping at his troops and there are several hostiles hovering around the rear of Custer`s column,the pressure is starting to become a real concern as more and more hostiles leave the Reno fight or get mobilised and start to make more daring attacks on the rear of the column.Custer`s force is operating in two wings the right wing consisting of three companies under the command of Captain Miles keogh is ordered to form a rearguard to see off the hostiles and then continue the advance.Keogh despatches Lieutenant James Calhoun`s "L" company to form a skirmish line at the base of some high ground whilst Keogh and his other two companies take up position on the rise.
Unfortunately by now Reno`s men are well and truly beaten and most of the 1800 or so warriors in the village are out and about and Calhoun`s men,all 57 of them,don`t last very long,as do neither of Keogh`s remaining two companies.Custer, three quarters of a mile further along the ridge(that`s how long Keogh`s chaps lasted) can only watch in dis-belief,three fifths of his men are down and where are Benteen and Reno?Well nowhere to be of any use to Custer,and now to make matters worse here comes Crazy Horse from the other side of the ridge to completely encircle the cavalry.There`s only one thing for it Custer gives the command to dis-mount and the rest is history.Or is it?What if Custer had ridden into an ambush and the head of the column had been wiped out first,Custer,his brother Tom,Captain Yates,the adjutant lieutenant Cooke,all killed early on?Command of the force then passes to the senior surviving officer in this case Captain Keogh,who,seeing the hopelessness of the situation in front attempts to get back to Reno,Benteen or even the rest of the Dakota column.
Will he make it?It`s an interesting thought and would make great game.

cheers,Andy

Two in two

2010-07-02T15:37:00.001-07:00

That`s two posts in two days,i really am setting blog-world alight!
Anyway,what about my hobby exploits! Well,I`m still well and truly ensconced in the mid nineteenth century and what a golden age Helion Austro-Prussians,Boothill Miniatures Texan war of independence,GWM Crimean war figs.Waterloo to Mons First Schleswig-Holstein War,Perry Minis First Carlist War need i continue? I think i`ve run out anyway,but not only do these figs make the wars mentioned possible what about the sidelines?
Combine Helion Austrians and GWM Russians and the Magyar war of 1848 bcomes a real possibility,I know the Austrians wore a bell topped shako in that war,but who`s counting?Let`s not forget my other interest`s: Early WW1 on the Western front and the American Indian Wars,well Custer`s last stand actually,although on reading several accounts it could have been Keogh`s last stand! interested? me too,you never know that one could actually get off the ground.

cheers,Andy

Still Alive

2010-07-01T06:18:00.000-07:00

Is it really July 1st?
Of course it is and just where have i been?well,still here but what with one thing and another i just haven`t had chance to post.
So,what`s been going on?Well,firstly we`ve moved house,just five minutes up he road and round the corner then another corner and another etc.but the house is about four times the size of our old "rabbit hutch"and is in much better order,so we`ve been busy moving,decorating,paying for carpets etc.which hasn`t left much time for owt else `cept work of course which still sucks.
I hadn`t done much on the hobby front for a while but today i actually did a bit of painting,it was only a bit as well,the recipients being Captain Fred Benteen`s and an "enthusiastic" Austrian infantry officer` s trousers,well the basecoat anyway;more of which later.

cheers,Andy

Crikey

2009-12-11T09:26:00.001-08:00

It`s been a while,too long in fact,but what with work and family life etc. the hobby`s had to take a back seat.
Anyway,where am i up to?Well none of my self-imposed targets for the year have been met,so,i`m not setting any for next year,although i can see Great War Minis new Crimean War range getting a great deal of attention.I attended Recon in Pudsey last Saturday and enjoyed myself very much,some great games were on show and it was very busy-good news for the hobby.I bought the latest "Grant-Olley" offering "The Annexation of Chiraz" and found it compulsive reading,in fact,i`ve already drawn up plans to transport it 113 years into the future and set it in 1868 using Helions "1866 war" range and Eureka`s "Tyroleans" for the civillian population of Chiraz.
To be honest not much has caught my imagination recently,i await Helions new releases with happy anticipation and really can`t wait for next years Crimeans from Great War,but other than that there`s not much going on,i`m tempted by Empress` Zulu war colonial cavalry,but the thought of painting about 400 Zulus leaves me cold,maybe i`ll just concentrate on what i`ve got for now and wait for a really attractive late 16th-mid 17th century Eastern European range to be released in 28mm(sorry TAG-no offence meant).

cheers,Andy

Many moons ago!

2009-10-05T14:53:00.001-07:00

Back when i was at college ,in fact,i remember reading the "Military Modelling Annual" circa 1983 and i was very taken with an article about a skirmish game set in America in the 1750`s during the French and Indian wars.Now,i don`t have much interest in the FIW,but i remember thinking about setting the game in mid 17th century Ukraine and having a fort garrisoned by Poles or registered Cossacks attacked by rebel Cossacks supported by Tartars.At the time the only 28mm range available for this was the one by Essex minis and to be honest there wasn`t a great deal of variety in the figs available.
Now,earlier today,as i was killing time before setting off to work i was flicking through my back issues of "Battlegames" when i came upon Stuart Asquith`s article about an attack on a fort in the FIW and i got to thinking about TAG`S ranges of 17th century Poles,Cossacks and Tartars.I`m very tempted to make a serious investment in time and figures in this period and TAG make a very very extensive range,the figs are very well detailed and they don`t charge postage,which is all very well and good,but really all that armour and all those horses,but here`s a small project with only a few Tartar cavalry to worry about,my initial plans would require:
44 Cossack infantry
12 cossack cavalry
8 Tartar infantry
12 Tartar cavalry
and for the defenders:
12 Polish infantry
8 Wybraniecka infantry
4 command figs
4 Registered Cossack infantry
and maybe a small gun.
Small enough forces to start with,but i could expand to include relief forces and in time build up a Muscovite garrison and move the game further east,we`ll see how it goes.
My next purchases will be some Russians,Turks and Bulgarians from Outpost to paint up as test figs for the war of 1877-78.
I`ve got up to the equipment stage of my Hungarian inf and i expect to finish them off over the next couple of days and the prepare the next six for painting on Wednesday.I`ve got an early start in the morning so i`d best get off to bed.

cheeers,Andy

Renaissance

2009-10-03T17:34:00.000-07:00

I don`t know why,but i`ve got the painting bug at the minute and i`ve actually painted three days running.The lucky recipients of all this attention are six Helion Austro-Hungarian infantrymen and whilst six may not be a very high number of figs it`s good for me.I`m hoping to finish them tomorrow and then start another six on Monday(although i do go back to work on Monday).
As i said earlier i don`t know why i`ve got this urge to paint,maybe it`s the realisation that if i don`t get a sizeable number of figs painted soon i`m never going to get to game anything,also with the release of a very nice range of 28mm figs for the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-78,just imagine Bulgarians and Rumanians fighting against the Turks,and i believe there`s talk of a range of 28mm figs for the Hungarian uprising of 1848 in the offing(from Great War Miniatures no less) I need to get my skates on.

cheers,Andy

Imagi-"Nation"

2009-09-30T01:39:00.000-07:00

Whilst perusing the internet i happened upon The Miniatures Page and as usual i had a look at the new releases therein and i was really taken with the new range of Tyroleans released by Eureka minis of Australia.Now these figs are intended for the first decade of the nineteenth century to do battle with Napoleonic French and Bavarians,as i have very little interest in Naps i immediately stated to think of other uses for them.
I assume that Tyrolean dress stayed pretty much the same for most of the 19th century so i`m going to buy some figs paint `em up and use them as irregulars/rebels but i`m going to put them in a later 19th century setting,the 1860`s to be more precise,and use the Helion Austrians and Germans as opposition,obviously this never happened in real life,but i have been thinking about setting my later 19th century games in imaginary lands,basing the armies on their German and Austrian counterparts.
One thing i have a problem with are suitable names for the protagonists,the common way seems to be to use the names of German beers,so we could have "Bakalar"(that`s a Czech one),or "Zwiec"(that`s a Polish one) it`s something i`m going to have to work on.
Anyway, i have decided on a name for the area inhabited by the "Tyroleans" and it`s going to be the "LechMark" with a principal town of "Koneigstadt" and several smaller towns and villages and the population will be organised along the lines of the Scottish clans-should be interesting,i`ll post more when i know more.

cheers,Andy

Hussars

2009-08-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

The Austrian hussars from Helion arrived today and they are beautiful figs.I`ve bought the 2 "skirmishing" packs,the "casualties" pack and the command in reserve pack,i`m going to paint some as the 14th regiment,but i`m going to paint some to represent the other regiments,which ones i`m not too sure yet,and make up some vignettes and skirmishing bases.When i buy a full regiment of figs the first will be painted as the 14th and will consist of 3 command figures and 15 rank and file(12 troopers and 3 ncos).The question is will they be charging or in reserve?

cheers,Andy

The ASHES come home

2009-08-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

What a fantastic display from the England cricket team,a truly worthy win,we`ve been the best team this series and the result is a fair one,and we`ve done it without Freddie or KP enough said,Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad we salute you!Johnathon Trott,you are English despite your accent.
Belgian infantry are still number one on the painting table,but i`m wondering about chasseur a pied uniforms and the exact colour of "Marengo Grey"although the sources say it varied.
I`m still waiting for my Austro-Hungarian hussars from Helion,but they`ll be here soon,i hope,and the uniform will be for the 14th regiment,nice red trousers.

cheers,Andy.

Belgians,Belgians,Belgians!

2009-08-10T16:00:00.000-07:00

Not only did i recieve the first pack of GWM WW1 Belgian infantry,then 3 days later the first pack of carbiniers turn up,so at the minute,what with the cricket finishing a couple of days early,i`m painting up one of each to get the colours right.The line infantry are pretty straightforward with very dark blue overcoats and grey-blue trousers,but according to the Osprey book,the carbiniers` dark green coats were actually black and their "marengo grey"trousers varied in shade.So i`ve gone with the Foundry "Russian Green"palette for the coats(it`s a green shade of black,i know what i mean) and i`m using the "Granite"palette for the trousers,it`s a brownish shade of grey and it looks right to me,so i`m happy.At the moment i`ve only painted the coats and trousers so the figs still look very dark,but once i get some flesh on them they should start to brighten up.
I`ve just finished watching "Mongol"so i`ve now got the urge to go and buy some TAG Tartars and start dabbling in 17th century Eastern Europe again,maybe one day?

cheers,Andy

Normal service has been resumed.

2009-08-07T16:19:00.001-07:00

102 all out,says it all,ah well,we had the Ashes in our grasp,still there`s always 2011 in Australia.On a brighter note the GWM Belgians have arrived and they are stunning,and i mean STUNNING,great looking figs and the poses are pretty similar,so i could actually use them as a formed unit,who knows,the little heard of Franco-Belgian war of 1911 could soon be gamed on a table-top in Oldham.
The S-H jagers have arrived from Waterloo to Mons and they`re pretty nice too,well worth the wait.Artizan have released some Sharifan infantry in their WW1 range and i`m very tempted,although they are just British infantry with Arab head-dresses.
Next week sees the release of Helions Austrian hussars,so that`s cool.

cheers,Andy

At Last

2009-07-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

Great news the first of GWM WW1 Belgian range has been released,just one pack of infantry,but it`s been ordered,also Waterloo to mons have the S-H jager available and,they too,have been ordered,the Helion Austrian hussars are next and let`s hope England make it 2-0 in the third test starting tomorrow at Edgbaston.All in all a pretty good day.

cheers,Andy

Inspiration

2009-07-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

To be perfectly honest,inspiration,has been sadly lacking of late,i`ve reached a place where i know what figs i want and i don`t seem to be getting tempted by passing fancies the way i used to.
GWM have released some WW1 dis-mounted cavalry for the BEF,but they`re in moving poses rather than the firing line i was hoping for,still at least they`re here and i believe that French and German cavalry are in the pipeline so that`s all good,the only ones lacking are Belgians and then the Western Front in 1914 will be all systems go.
I`m waiting for Waterloo to Mons to release marching infantry before i buy any more figs although i`ll be ordering the S-H jagers as soon as they become available on the site,hopefully the end of the week should see them here,the mounted command figs are super little castings,so the cavalry should be a treat.Speaking of cavalry the Helion Austrian hussars should be out soon,and the pre-production figs are looking great.
Finally TAG have got some figs of Spanish artillery on the work-bench page,along with a very impressive looking Hernan Cortes personality figure,some Conquistador dog handlers,and dogs,and for me the pick of the bunch,a fully armoured Spanish Sergeant who,i think,would look equally at home leading a Scottish pike block at Flodden,as slaughtering Aztec priests,or struggling up the Amazon in search of El Dorado,although in full plate armour i think Central America would be extremely uncomfortable.

cheers,Andy

England Victorious

2009-06-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

A cracking win against India in the 20/20 world cup,we only have to beat the West Indies tomorrow and,let`s face it we`ve been beating them all summer,we`re through to the semi-finals,come on England!
I`ve just found out that Brigade Models have released WW1 Belgian cavalry and i am sorely tempted(readers may remember i`m not overly keen on Brigade`s WW1 Belgian range),with Father`s Day only a week away a few "samples"may be in order.

T20-tastic

2009-06-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

Well the 20/20 cricket world cup is upon us and the mighty "Proteas" powered to their 6th straight 20/20 victory,a world record,and Pakistan crushed the Kiwis,and Sri-Lanka are still unbeaten where are England?Well we`re still in it(just) after the humiliation of losing to Holland and the pasting handed to us by South Africa on Thursday evening we need to beat the current world champions,India,tomorrow afternoon or it`s curtains.Let`s hope they can do it and keep our hopes alive for a little longer at least.
The new Osprey about the Belgian army in WW1 arrived today and it`s t`rific,i hope it presages the release of the (promised for so long) range of early war Belgians from Great War Minis.I can honestly see a Franco-Belgian conflict set in about 1910 on the cards,that`d be fun.Speaking of fun,i`ve been delving into the "War Game Companion" quite a lot just recently and i am seriously thinking about nicking Charles Grant`s ideas and moving them on 100 years and using Warterloo to Mons and Helion figs to represent the VFS and Grand Duchy of Lorraine in their mid-19th century incarnations,i don`t think copyright would be a problem,would it?
Lastly,on the subject of new figs Rifraf minis(http://www.rifrafminiatures.co.uk/) have released the first of their Rifian war(1920`s variant) Spanish infantry and very attractive they look too,i`ve got the first 16 Rifs still to paint and then i think i`ll treat myself to the first 16 Spaniards(i was tempted to a flirtation with early Medieval Russia using Gripping Beast`s 28mm range but i think i`m over it,all those horses,all that armour and the size of those crossbowman`s hands,yeuch).Speaking of treats Waterloo to Mons` Schleswig-Holstein jaegers should be available by the end of the month and along with the Helion Austro-Hungarian hussars are definitely on my wants list (yes that is a hint,Sarah)

An Apology

2009-06-04T13:55:00.000-07:00

First off i`d like to apologise for my very negative last post,i`ve now read the "War Game Companion",properly and i now realise that it`s all about sharing a personal history from one of the luminaries of our hobby and whose father was one of the giants and giving us an insight into their views and core beliefs about the hobby.Also,about sharing some very interesting and inspirational ideas,so it was just me,being me after all.
Anyway,the new Great War Minis BEF limber and crew arrived yesterday and to be really honest i do think it`s over-priced for what it is,it`s very nice and well detailed,but you don`t get a lot for your money.You get 3 ridden horses,3 un-ridden horses,2 limber riders,and one limber,going off Great War`s current pricing system i feel that £20 would be a more realistic price or if you`re going to charge £25,then throw in an artillery piece as well,still you pays your money and you takes your choice and ,let`s face it ,you`re not going to buy very many are you maybe 2 just for a bit of interest on the gaming table or maybe just a one-off for the desk or the side-board.After all that i still reckon Great War are the best WW1 minis around(although they are faced with stiff competition from Musketeer,and the Austrians and Italians from Scarab Minis are looking very interesting-wrong part of the war for me really,but i could be tempted)and are my chosen range for my 1914 Western Front project-just,please release the Belgians and dis-mounted cavalry with horse-holders and i`ll be happy.
I was thinking the other night about how much i admire people such as Phil Olley and Bill Gaskin and their single-minded approach to the hobby and i was basically blaming my complete lack of focus on there not being a suitable range around which i could build my armies and how the 18th century was beckoning and if only Musketeer would crack on with the GNW range when i got to thinking that the Helion 1866 range is everything i desire in,what i would call,a core period,plenty of gameable actions,a wide variety of troop types,pretty flags,colourful(ish) uniforms and they stood up,and marched around in full vie, to fight.So i`ve no longer got an excuse.
Now i`m off to the Scarab Minis website to check out their figs and who knows maybe buy a few samples,and i`m going to have a look at the Helion range of Prussian flags and lance pennants.

cheers,Andy

It`s been a while

2009-06-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

Since my last post,a combination of new baby(she`s gorgeous,only seven and a half weeks and she`s already sleeping for six hours at night and shows all the signs she likes cricket,just like her eldest sister),a complete twat for a boss(he`s not my boss,he`s a c*&t)and aol taking the piss with our wireless connection(i`m back downstairs using the DSL cable).
But what`s been happening on the hobby front,well Susan Boyle really,that`s a big fat zero,(Susan Boyle rhymes with "fuck all" says everything really).I`ve bought some books,an absolute belter about Baron Ungern-Sternberg and the various atrocities he commited in Mongolia in 1920-21,and the "Wargames Companion",which i`m enjoying,but i find a somewhat cynical attempt to cash in on the current renewal of interest in "old-school wargames",don`t get me wrong i like it a lot and i`m getting a lot of inspiration from it,maybe it`s just me.On the figure front i`ve ordered the WW1 British artillery limber from Great War Minis,at £25 a go i think it`s going to be a one off purchase and i just hope it`s worth the price,can`t wait for those Belgians.I`m struggling against Empress Minis and their Anglo-Zulu war range,after Isandlwhana,what`s the point,but they intend covering the war in great detail,i just can`t imagine painting 400plus Zulus,although there`d be no cavalry,well very few anyway.Anglian continue to tempt me with their Italian excursion into Abysinnia in the 1930`s,i just wish i could find a good book on the subject and work out what to do with the figs.
Musketeer have released Russian pikemen for the GNW and to be honest i was a little dis-appointed,they don`t seem to have the same detail or production of the earlier figs in the range,a little bit like they were rushed out in an attempt to keep the GNW fans amongst us interested let`s face it this is the 300th anniversary of Poltava,which has got to be one of the most crucial battles of all time(i suppose all battles are crucial for the poor sods who have to fight in them),still let`s hope they release some more Russians and Swedes and keep up the very high standards the Swedish and Russian musketeers attained when they were first released.

cheers,Andy

Adventures in the Lead Pile

2009-04-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

I`ve just been delving into my mountain of un-painted lead and i started to think about WW1 Russian figures in 28mm.When i first started in the hobby the only 28mm WWI Russians were available from Tradition at exorbitant prices(to my pocket at any rate)but now i realise that i have figs from 3 manufacturers,(Musketeer,Brigade and Copplestone) and Scarab minis have a line planned for release very soon,makes you think,dunnit.

cheers,Andy

Sunday Afternoon

2009-04-26T06:27:00.000-07:00

They`ve all gone to her mother`s for Sunday dinner and the silence is quite deafening.I used the morning to undercoat some Great War minis French and British figs i threw in some Copplestone BOB Czech legion as well,they`re really nice figs,nice simple uniforms and still fit the bill for WW1,I`m going to start painting these figs later in the afternoon,Surrey arer playing Gloucester and i`ve got some re-arranging in the front room to do while they`re out.
In an earlier post i said i was going to concentrate,exclusively, on 28mm WW1,well my resolve lasted about 3 seconds,i am going to concentrate on WW1,but not exclusively as Copplestone "Glory of ths Sun" figs will be getting ordered very soon and i`m still toying with the TYW,i intend painting Pappenheim and his buddies as soon as i get the metallic paint palette from Foundry.
So i must get on,i have no idea what actual war the later 17th century figs will be for,but i`m looking at the wars in Central and Eastern Europe as a setting,maybe the Scanian war of the 1670`s and the wars against the Ottoman Turks from the same period/decade i just hope that Mark`s range will sell well and he`ll expand it to cover some of the more specialised troops from these regions,such as Poles and Croats etc.the one problem with the Copplestone figs is that they are so much bigger than the Eastern Renaissance range from TAG,which contains all the necessary Eastern types.

cheers,Andy

And Then....

2009-04-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

Today,the Pappenheim and staff command group arrived from TAG,lovely figs and the new TYW German musketeers in "boothosen" have been released,just perfect for Graf von Pappenheim`s retinue!

Decisions,Decisions....

2009-04-24T10:06:00.000-07:00

Today,i`ve been,mainly,sorting through my lead pile and i`ve come to the conclusion that i`ve got nearly £1000 worth of un-painted figs,now with the country in recession and whatnot i really can`t justify carrying on like this,so i`ve made a decision,that from now on,today,April 24th i am going to concentrate exclusively on gaming/collecting WW1 in 28mm.
I get paid on Tuesday and my target is the Great War minis British artillery limber and a 13pdr gun and crew.
Just what time on tuesday will i buy some Copplestone "Glory of the Sun" figs is anyone`s guess,but i bet it won`t be too late into the day.

cheers,Andy

ps Regardless of previos posts i do rate Andrew Flintoff very highly and would always inclue him in any England team,i just don`t think he is consistent enough with either bat or ball to justify all the hype that surrounds him.

Freddie`s home

2009-04-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

Well,there you go,Mr Flintoff is back in the UK for knee surgery,what i want to know is,does he still get paid his 600 grand?

Oops!

2009-04-20T11:39:00.000-07:00

Well would you believe it ,one game into the IPL and not only does Fred`s bowling get carted all over the park and his team get beaten,thepoor love`s only gone and picked up an injury,"Andy Flintoff injured? NEVER!!" i hear you cry,but i`m afraid it`s true,when oh when will we just accept he`s NOT Sir Ian Botham,NEVER has been Sir Ian Botham and NEVER BLOODY WILL BE Sir Ian Botham?Having said that,though when are we going to pick the best wicket keeper in the country to play test match cricket and not the best wicket keeper-batsman?
Ok, got that off my chest,now back to the hobby,the Carlist war book arrived from the Perries this morning and it is a gem,the sort of book that just has it all for us War-gamers,plenty of highly detailed text to inform and lots of pretty pictures,to inspire and delight.What`s more the original book the Perries sent still hasn`t arrived and when i e-mailed them on Friday to ask for any posting details they could give me to assist my enquiries at the Post Office,they sent me another one,no questions asked, first class service from a first class company and very much appreciated.
I`ve been scouring Copplestone Castings` site all day for details of their new "Glory of the Sun" range,but so far no luck,i can`t afford any just yet any way and to be honest the new WWI British Artillery limber from Great War minis will be taking precedence when Northstar get the details up on their site.
All in all,great times,oh the new Riffian infantry from Rif Raf minis have arrived and they`re just what you`d expect from Richard Ansell sculpted figs,the proportions are perfect and the figs are slim and elegant with quite under-stated detail,i put a Riffian "grenadier" next to a Helion Prussian grenadier and i know which one i`d back in a fight,the Rif ,obviously he has hand grenades and a 20th century rifle.Will i ever paint them,of course i will ,one day.

cheers,Andy

Saturday Afternoon

2009-04-18T08:25:00.000-07:00

I`ve just heard that in his first game in the IPL Freddie Flintoff has gone for 22 runs off one over,and he`s getting paid in excess of £600,000 for it,honestly, they`d score a lot more off me and i`d do it for less,anyway i`ve got 26 Helion Hungarians cleaned up and ready for under-coating and Essex play Northants at 10am tomoz,so i`d better get going.

cheers,Andy

Saturday Morning

2009-04-18T02:53:00.000-07:00

Well City managed to beat Hamburg on the night,but we were still able to exit Europe on aggregate and that Donkey Richard Dunne got himself sent off,which you could see coming pretty much from the start,never mind the first domestic one day cricket starts tomorrow,we`ll see how poorly Lancs perform this season(I can`t believe they`ve let Stuart Law go!).

I`ve just been reading John Preece`s latest post all about a "themed" Medieval game sounded great fun(remember that word,Andrew) and got me thinking.I`ve never been a great one for the Middle Ages,all that armour and Heraldry must be a nightmare to paint,but i`ve always been drawn towards a Germanic themed and located scenario,local barons fighting small scale skirmishes over local issues and pretty much doing their own thing,with just a little bit of fantasy thrown in,not amorphous blobs of slime,but stuff such as witches and wizards,ghosts and vampires,the sort of thing that the people of the time had a genuine belief in,if you believe something is real then it is real,at least to you.
Anyway,the point is i have an interest in the Thirty Years War and i`ve always seen it as a dark and quite forbidding period of European history,people really did think that the world was coming to an end and there was a breakdown in central authority in large parts of central Europe,just the sort of enviroment for local barons,nobles,mercenary leaders to exploit.Plus i`ve always thought that the most frightening image of a soldier is an early 17th century cuirassier,especially the ones who blackened their armour.
Now TAG do a very nice line in TYW cuirassiers and they do some very ,very nice TYW command groups-who could be anyone really so you never know i`ve got the "Pappenheim"command group on order(as we all know Pappenheim commanded the Imperial cuirassiers at Lutzen,getting himself killed in the process)so we`ll see how they turn out(all that plate armour)and take it from there.

cheers,Andy

Progress?

2009-04-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

Maybe? I`ve under-coated a Carlist infantryman,an Eritrean Ascari,and another Helion Hungarian,maybe i should specialise more?
Can`t decide what unit to paint my Carlists as,i`m wondering whether to paint the current figs up as Chapelgorris,who fought for the Isabelinos and were present at the battle of Oriamendi,the "orbat" of which i`m using as a basis for collecting my armies.
I`ve cleaned up an Artizan Arab camel rider but i`m not happy about his actual position on his camel,he looks too far forward and very uncomfortable,oh well we`ll see.
I`m going off to listen to Porto beat the Manc. SCUM now and make a start on preparing some more figures.

cheers,Andy

Sunday,April 12th

2009-04-12T12:56:00.000-07:00

No figs painted ,listened to City lose 3-1 at home to Fulham(HOW??)and drank a lot of beer,cooked a nice roast dinner and played with my children,good day on the whole,with regard to the hobby..pure crap!

More Easter Thoughts

2009-04-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

Ok,were was i,oh yes,the point is even if i limit myself to the wars /projects mentioned before it`s only a matter of time before someone brings out a new range and i`ve got to buy them eg Copplestone Castings will be releasing a new mid 17th century range sometime within the next two weeks and i`m very tempted,rumour has it that GWM are going to be releasing a Crimean War range soon and i`ll be more than tempted,and it`s only a matter of time before someone releases a US-Mexico War range and then i`m sunk.
So what is the answer,well i`m hanged if i know,i suppose i`ll just plod on and try to get summat finished,maybe i shouldn`t set myself targets?or maybe i should just get on with it and start painting some figures and stop thinking too much about the whys and wherefores of it all.
I `ve actually started the Helion Austro-Hungarians that arrived last week and they are little beauties that will make fantastic looking units,i`ve also got some Carlists from Perry minis sat in the kitchen and i`ve got a Conquest Seminole primed and ready to go,so starting tomorrow,new baby,3 daughters and extremely tired partner allowing,i`m going to begin painting them.I`ve got some Anglian Eritrean Askaris on order,Artisan Arab irregulars and the Rif samples to get on with as well and the "very nice man" i work for has told me i don`t need to come back to work until May 4th,so we`ll see how it goes.

cheers,Andy

Easter thoughts

2009-04-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

Crap title really,but it`s Easter and i`ve been thinking so it seemed appropriate.What about?i hear you cry,well the fact that even if i streamline my interests and i only collect and paint the figs i really really want it`s still going to take forever,or is that the point?a collection of wargames figures is always a work in progress and it`s never really complete,or do you take a project to a certain point and then move on to something else,maybe to return to it later,or draw a line under it?Or,am i missing the whole point,that it`s a hobby,meant to be relaxing and fun and i should stop f*&king worrying about it and just get on with it,maybe?
For anyone interested i`ve narrowed my current interests down to the following,not in historical order:
First Carlist War 1834-41(you know i`m not too sure those are the correct dates)
First Schleswig-Holstein War 1848-50
WW1 Western front August1914-(about)April 1915
WW1 in Palestine and Mesopotamia
Second Seminole War 1835-42
Austro-Prussian War 1866
Italian invasion of Abyssinia 1935-36
The Thirty Years War 1618-48(including Poles,Turks and Muscovites)
And i`ve just sent off for some samples for the Rif War 1927(ish)

But i can hear my baby daughter crying and i`ve just heard Sarah singing "All By Myself" which i think is a non too subtle hint so i`d better go......more on this subject later.

cheers,Andy

17th March

2009-04-09T14:09:00.001-07:00

Oh,by the way,i never got to the Triples,but i got the figures,Result.

Back to the Wargame

2009-04-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

Anyway,things have been happening at speed on the Gaming front.The Helion Hungarians have arrived and they are GRRREAT,really really like them,they`ll make some great looking units when painted and based,they`re just right for units and i`m very impressed,and they`re dead easy to paint,unlike their German opponents.My Seminoles arrived from the States and they are quite simply the most Stunningly detailed and proportioned 28mm figs i`ve ever seen,they are beautiful,absolutely amazing,God knows how i`ll paint them.
I`ve ordered the first four camel riders from the Artizan "Arab Revolt" range these figs look really good and i can see this being a major developement in my WW1 gaming,if anyone has any ideas on painting camels with the Foundry paint system i`d be very grateful,Hamburg have just scored their second from a penalty,Micah Richards handled the ball in the box,come on City.Speaking of gaming in the desert,i`ve also ordered the first packs of Eritrean askaris from Anglian`s 1935 invasion of Abysinnia range,beautiful figs,really obscure war,just my thing really and i`ve still got no idea how i`m going to game it.
The Carlist war BAL riflemen arrived from Perry minis yesterday,although i only found them when i got home from the hospital at 5 am,and they are mighty fine,i think first Carlist War is going to be a major project here at "chez Andy"and i`ve seen such luminaries as Giles Alisson(i know i`ve spelt that wrong) and Phil Robinson have been sub,sorry con-verted to the cause.
I`m even starting to think about a group of mercenary BAL riflemen getting hired by the US government to hunt down some Seminole renegades in 1840`s Florida and believe it or not i got that idea from watching the latest Rambo film which i`ve got to admit i enjoyed still with John J what you see is what you get and he`s still the best.
Is there more?you bet`cha GWM have got WW1 highlanders in kilts in the pipeline,oh shit 3-1 to Hamburg,Given had no chance,and drool, drool a BEF artillery limber,my favourite, WW1 lancers and Horse artillery just sums 1914 up to me,so "as soon as" they`re mine.
And finally Marky Mark Copplestone(yes he does sculpt and cast the best figs in Britain)is producing a new range for the later 17th century and you just know i`ve got to buy them,but for which war?I fancy the Scanian war of 1675-6 and who knows,maybe a full range for Eastern Europe and the Ottomans,just imagine a Mark Copplestone sculpted Polish winged Hussar or even bettwer a wargames table full of them.

word up y`all

Andy

It`s a girl!

2009-04-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

At 01.57 this morning(obviously)my gorgeous partner gave birth to our fourth daughter,another stunner(they all take after their mother).We`ve named her Orla-Grace Epiphany,or "piffy"for short,she weighed in at 7lbs 13oz,considering the size of Sarah`s baby bump i expected at least 10lbs,but there was a lot of water.She`s a bit snotty,the baby,but ,otherwise,both mother and baby are doing fine and the girls and i can`t wait to get them home,which will be,hopefully,tomorrow lunch-time.So i`d just like to say "Thank you",Sarah for another perfect child,I love you very much.
Does anyone honestly think i`m going to call her "Piffy" in public,at least not sober,or maybe i will just to annoy people.

cheers,Andy

At Last

2009-03-17T09:15:00.000-07:00

A reply from Conquest minis,my Seminoles left this morning,halelujah,it`s only been 3 months,they are great looking figs though,i just hope my painting can do them justice.They`ll probably arrive alongside the Helion Austro-Hungarians and the Perry BAL Riflemen,i`ll be spoilt for choice at the end of March,oh i`ll have a new baby as well,due date is April 1st-no chance of going to the Triples,then.

cheers,Andy

Memories

2009-03-13T03:32:00.000-07:00

I`ve just seen on the Steve Dean forum that a new range of figures for the Crimean War is on the cards,there`s no mention of the manufacturer,but suffice to say if it`s one of my favourites then a new period is definitely on the way.

Which all takes me back to the halcyon days of the late 70`s when i had no money to buy figs with but plenty of time to paint them.In those sun-drenched days of school i used to buy Peter Laing 15mm figs and they used to cost 7p for infantry,14p for cavalry,21p for a mg and 28p for artillery(if memory serves).I used to save up my pocket money until i had £7 and then i`d ask my father to write me a cheque and i`d buy the required amount,always £7worth,because p&p was free on orders over £7.The point of all this is that i used to buy Crimean War figures a 15mm Russian infantryman took about 2 minutes to paint,black boots battleship grey coat and muffin cap,bit of flesh on hands and face,brown line for his musket tipped with silver and "hey presto"complete.
If i wasn`t buying Crimean figs i was buying Belgians and Austrians for 1914 and then re-fighting the table-top teasers printed in "Military Modelling"magazine and my WW1 armies used to manouvere and fight in the manner of their 18/19th century counterparts.
Was i happy,you bet i was!

What a difference 45 minutes makes

2009-03-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

Well,that didn`t take long,a quick look through my lead pile and i`m back in 1830`s Spain,painting up a Perry minis Isabelino mountain gun and crew and the 18th century is forgotten(for now).

cheers,Andy

New Periods

2009-03-12T05:07:00.000-07:00

In my last post i wrote about an early 16th century set-up,now i`m seriously thinking about early 18th century.I`ve always fancied The Great Northern War,and i bought and painted quite a few Musketeer Minis Swedes and Russians before the range stalled,but now i`m thinking Duke of Marlborough and Front Rank figures and GNW and Reiver minis,i`ll give it a few weeks and see if i`m still enthused,the great thing about the two manufacturers named above is that they produce almost complete ranges for the wars mentioned and i do fancy an 18th century set-up(Phil Olley`s site has tempted me once too often)

cheers,Andy

Thursday

2009-03-12T02:51:00.000-07:00

Whilst i wait i`ve started to paint up some Great War BEF cavalry and some Anglian regular army Abysinnians,it`s odd,but,no matter how many figs i`ve got in my lead K2 i still yearn for new figs to arrive rather than paint the "must haves"/"can`t live withouts"that reside in numerous shoe boxes on top of my book shelves.
I ordered some TAG Spanish sword and buckler men for the early Italian wars yesterday,i`ve gone off at a complete tangent and am now contemplating building up armies for the opening conflict of 16th century Western Europe,i`ve always been interested in the Italian Wars,but all that plate armour to paint was just too much to contemplate.
I`ve been tinkering with the Schleswig-Holstein figs and i have now decided to go with a white under-coat and to shade the figs and possibly use "washes",although this was a technique i was never very good at,we`ll see how they turn out.
Over on Phil Olley`s site he speaks about the "Macdonaldisation" of our hobby,people want a quick fix paint an army up in a matter of days and then move on to the next,that`s fine if that`s what you want,me i prefer my more leisurely approach,and i genuinely enjoy having several armies/periods on the go at the same time,i really envy people like Phil who can stick to one period for years build up a beautiful collection and then move one,but is a collection ever finished?Do you ever have all the figs you need for an army?I don`t think so painting is an integral part of our hobby and i think we never just play with our figs we`re always tinkering with them in some way,re-basing or touching them up(ooer).
Makes me wonder if we`re ever satisfied.

cheers,Andy

Still Waiting

2009-03-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

For Conquest to send me my Seminoles(or just answer an e-mail),the Helion Austro-Hungarians(well worth the wait)and for Perry minis to send me some BAL Riflemen and Carlists advancing at porte,i haven`t decided on the unit yet.I could also say for England to win a test match,but that would just be silly.
cheers,Andy

Feeling Strangely Fine

2009-03-04T01:21:00.000-08:00

You`ll have to excuse the use of a Semi-Sonic title for the post,but it sums up my current mood,must be the sunshine and the knowledge that Spring(or something like it)is fast approaching.

Bad news this morning,an e-mail from Duncan at Helion tells me that the Austrians won`t be available to send out until late March,i was in that "could come any day"mood,but now i know i`ll have to wait,oh well you never know the Seminoles might make it over the Atlantic one day,i`ve noticed on the Northstar site that they have started to stock one pack of the pre-order figures,so you never know my order from December 6th might not be far behind!

Grreat news about the Carlist wars book from the Perrys that should be out for March 28th,i really like the way that when the Perrys do a range they do the lot and they also give you a great deal of background info the period covered,oh nice figures too.Speaking of all things Carlist,i may have to order some figs i`m very taken with the BAL rifles and i`m thinking Richard Sharpe 30 years later(maybe his son-now would that contravene copywright-is that spelt right?).

Over in Schleswig-Holstein,1848,things progress slowly.I`m finding the figs a bit awkward to paint using my usual style and i`m thinking of going back to the old "white undercoat"method that used to work so well.Matt has posted pictures on his site of the new Schleswig mounted officer and i have to say he is a superb figure,speaking of Holstein,we currently have a 4 pack of Holsten pils on offer buy 3 for a fiver,buy a full case for a tenner.With staff discount that`s 24 bottles for£9 or £1.50 a litre sounds good to me so good i`ve got a case chilling in the fridge right now.
Anyhoo,i`ve got the house to tidy and the washing-up to do and i`ll probably stick a load of washing on before i go and pick my daughter up from nursery.

cheers,Andy

March

2009-03-01T15:27:00.001-08:00

Already!doesn`t time fly when you`re getting older and your mortality is starting to become a real issue?Will i have enough time to paint all the figs i want and game all the periods i`m interested in before i die?will England win a test match???will Man City win an effing game?It`s all pretty depressing innit?Will i ever paint those TAG Polish winged hussars that have sat in my "to do" box forever?Iknow i said that 17th century Eastern Europe was off the cards,but who was i kidding(only me)and now the Italian Wars are looming and we all know that landsknechts and Ottomans means Mohacs(1526 not 1697)so now 16th century Eastern Europe beckons,where`s Elisabeth Batory when you need her?
Before i go,it`s late and i`ve got an early start tomorrow,i am the only one who thinks all the publicity about Jade Goody is only that and that there`s nothing wrong with her or am i just an evil ,old cynic,who`ll feel really bad when she dies(my mother died of breast cancer and i don`t remember Mohammed Al Fyed giving a shit about her).

cheers,Andy

March

2009-03-01T15:27:00.000-08:00

502 in the lead

2009-02-18T09:41:00.000-08:00

There is no way England are going to lose the test match,there i`ve said it and i stand by it! At least getting visited by the local scum (were they united fans?probably)has solved the problem of what to get my beloved for her B`day a new phone in the shape of a LG Cookie,job done.
The new Danes and Schleswigers have arrived,very nice "old school" looking figs they look really good as a unit and by the time i`ve got an army assembled and painted (and Man City are champions of Europe) well the table will look really good.
Forty one days to go to the due date of our happy event,at least i get two weeks away from that shit-hole i work in.
I`m suddenly rejuvenated with the hobby as a whole 1848,1866(end of the month for the Austro-Hungarians ) and ,sod it,i`m going for Carlists as well.I seriously think that Eastern Europe in the 17th Century has had it,sorry TAG i like your figs and i love the period,but i`m ony human.WW1 has taken a back seat of late but it`s only until the Belgians are released and then i`ll be back in Flanders in 1914.Oh well at least i`m now fully focused on the later 19th century(if you can call 1830`s-40`s later?) i can and at the end of the day it`s ony a hobby isn`t it?

Thieving BASTARDS!!!!

2009-02-16T02:40:00.000-08:00

Once again the slime that infects our society have decided to help themselves to other peoples belongings,in other words we`ve been burgulared again.They didn`t get much,just Sarah`s handbag which contained her phone,purse,bank details etc. but that`s not the point, i bought her the bag in Turkey last summer and she loved it,it cost 245 ytl about £120,but again that`s not the bloody point it `s her bag and these thieving scumbags think they can violate our home and help themselves to our things.They also took a dvd player which contained a Laurel and Hardy dvd,which is probably worth more than the player,they also left behind well over £100 worth of easily accessible perfume which just goes to show that not only are these people shit they are stupid shit,but no doubt think they are some sort of "gangstas" as i said they are nothing more than stupid,thieving slime.Rant over they aren`t worth it.
On to more interesting things,the figs for the First Schleswig war should arrive mid-week,and a painting post will follow i`m really looking forward to getting some paint on these figs as it`s a very colourful period and should look great on the table-top.I`m still waiting for the Seminoles from Conquest but i`m waiting in hope and you never know what today`s post will bring.
Anway i`m getting pestered to let my youngest play on "bunnytown" and i need to get them ready to go out to McDonalds for lunch so i`d better go.Oh but just one last thing,surely after the start we`ve had in the Third Test(301 for 3) we can`t lose this one,or can we?

cheers,Andy

The Ashes 2009

2009-02-08T16:55:00.001-08:00

We`re going to get screwed!

Poor Punctuation

2009-02-08T16:52:00.000-08:00

Should have been ? instead of ! but still.All i can say is bring on the Ashes.

51 ALL OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-08T16:49:00.000-08:00

What the f"@k was that all about!

And on the Third Day......

2009-02-06T13:09:00.000-08:00

It seems like the first test is heading for a draw.As i type this the West Indies are approaching a first innings lead,with only an hour left to play on the third day it seems there is little chance of a result,still at least England won`t loose,or is that the kiss of death?
Hopefully the first battalion of Danes for the war of 1848 will be with me in the next week or so and the Helion Austrians by the end of the month,so there`s much to look forward to,i`m really looking forward to getting the 1848 project underway and i`m sure that it`s going to be the start of something approaching an obsession,in an earlier post i mentioned 16 figure battalions,but that`s just to get things moving and to build up gameable armies,i`m already toying with the idea of mid nineteenth century imagi-nations(uniformed as Danes and Germans of course) and using a larger unit organisation,but that`s for the future.
Helion are hoping to have Austrian hussars released for March,so i`ll be building up a balanced force of Austro-Hungarians for the war of 1866,along side my 1848 armies.
Sarah,my partner,is currently at work for her last shift before she begins her maternity leave and becomes a full-time mum,so with the kids in bed,even though they`re still awake,i`m going to go and make my supper and watch England finish off the West Indies tail.

cheers,Andy

First Test Match starts today,HURRAH!!!!

2009-02-04T01:28:00.000-08:00

2.30pm and the first test between England and the West Indies gets underway,i can`t wait,i`ve reserved the BIG television for exclusive viewing rights and i have beer chillin` in da fridge mon.My beach towel is ready to be spread out and all i need are the Carib Beer girls to make the day complete,suppose i`ll settle for my 3 little angels,make that 4 or is it 5 i should count my better half as two as she is only 7 weeks away from driving the final nail into my coffin and giving birth to our fourth daughter(only kidding,Sarah).
On other fronts,Work`s still a pile of SHIT,and 99% of my colleagues are TOSSERS,still at least i`ve got my home,family and hobby to escape to(if you`re reading this Mark,yeah that is aimed at you).
Speaking of "hobby" i picked up my two pasting tables yesterday so i now have a 6ft by 4 ft gaming table,Matt Golding has made his figs available for pre-order,at a very reasonable price i may add,so Schleswig-Holstein,1848 here i come.I`ve decided to go for the orders of battle given in the wargamer`s guide to the battle of Schleswig booklet,using a 16 fig battalion size just to get things moving,and the plan is to have the armies bought,maybe even painted for the end of the year,the only distractions allowed are Helion 1866 figs,Great War Belgians and Seminoles if they ever arrive,only 2 months,but they look worth it.
I`m on day off today,so i`m cooking brekkie so i`d better get off and do it,eggy crumpets and kippers for me and ready brek for her.

cheers,Andy

Friday

2009-01-30T07:53:00.000-08:00

Last night went well,i had a laugh,got drunk,and spent a lot of money which i could have bought figures with,still it`s only once in a while,yet i still have a deflated feeling about the whole going out thing,probably my age.
The Anglian Abysinnians have arrived,top class service from Mr Higgins and i`m going to undercoat them forthwith,as usual no flash and very little in the way of cleaning up needed,just a couple of mould lines to remove and i`m away,so without further ado...

cheers,Andy

ps I`ve really got the urge to order some Carlists from Perry minis,but i`m going to resist,it`ll pass,i hope.

DIY

2009-01-29T06:45:00.000-08:00

Been to B&Qtoday to price up flooring and paint for the kitchen,measurements have been taken and duly noted and tomorrow we are off to purchase the requisite amounts and then to the enemy(Asda)to do some shopping,i feel the need to buy beer to stimulate/lubricate my DIY nodules.Should be a fun weekend,City won 2-1 last night and we play Stoke on Saturday should be 6 out of 6,but you never know.It`s a lunch-time kick off and i`m sure she`ll let me off diying for 105 mins to watch it.
On the wargaming/painting front i still haven`t been into work to pick up my tables(i can`t be arsed)and i`ve decided to wait for the Anglian minis regular Abysinnians to arrive before i attempt to paint anything else,i seem to go in fits and starts when it comes to painting nothing for ages and then non-stop until i hit a full stop,bit like Kevin Petersen`s run scoring.I definitely intend to paint some of the Abysinnians up as gendarmerie,just so`s i can give them a nicely coloured rosette on their sun-helmets.Should be an interesting army,but i still can`t figure out how i`m going to use them,any info on the 1935-6 invasion of Aysinnia would be gratefully recieved.
Oh well,she`s complaining that her back and leg are hurting again,so i have to go to school to pick our eldest daughter up,suppose i`d better put some trousers on i think they`re essential for the school run.

cheers,Andy

Wonderful World

2009-01-27T07:56:00.000-08:00

What a great time to be a wargamer!Anglian minis have released some regular Abysinnians for their 1935-6 range,Rif Raf minis have a range of figs in the pipeline for the Riffian war of the 1920`s and Matt Golding`s figs for the First Schleswig war should be in production by the middle of February,oh and have i mentioned the first test match between England and the West Indies starts on Feb 4th.Helion`s Austro-Hungarians should be released any day(if not already)and Great War`s Belgians can`t be far off,if only i could motivate myself to paint something!!!!I know,i keep buying figs,prep them then consign them to a box for "the future-i`ll paint them one day scenario".
Still at least i`ll have some English cricket to watch soon,and we should be able to win this one although after the Stanford series,who knows?Australia have been less than impressive against South Africa(or have the Proteas been truly awesome-a bit of both i think)so there`s a good chance of regaining the Ashes,especially on our crappy wickets.
I`m going to wait for Matt to release his Danes and Schleswigers before i buy any more figs,as i still have the Helion Austrians and Conquest Seminoles on order.Although i`ve e-mailed Anglian for a paypal invoice for the Abysinnian regulars,although i can`t imagine what sort of game to use them in,maybe i`ll just paint them(yeah,like i paint anything these days).
I`m off out on Thursday night for the first time in forever,so much beer will be drunk,many women will be ogled and much bollocks will be talked,still it`s nice to get out once in a while.

cheers,Andy

Progress?

2009-01-25T12:22:00.000-08:00

Just to say i`ve put two wallpaper pasting tables away at work for me to purchase on payday.This will give me a playing surface some 6 feet by 4 feet,now i just need to paint some figures and it looks like Danes and Schleswig-Holsteiners will be first,as the new figs should be available for mid-Feb,Great news.
cheers,Andy

Update

2009-01-16T02:34:00.000-08:00

I thought a quick update was in order,well i`ve done absolutely nothing in the last ten days!No motivation,or maybe just a lack of sunlight,who knows?Over on Matt Golding`s blog his range of figs for the First Schleswig war continues to grow and hopefully next month might see the first releases,I hope so,also i recently recieved an e-mail from Conquest Minis,the new Seminoles have been held up due to moulding issues,it`s a relief to know that i will be recieving the figs and that i didn`t muck the order up.I recieved my copy of Battlegames "Table top Teasers" yesterday,i`ve had a quick flick through and there looks to be a great deal of interesting topics therein,if only i could find a spare couple of hours to read it,and do some painting and read the books i got at Xmas etc.
Oh well real life(work) is calling me,so until the next time....

cheers,Andy

New Year Thoughts

2009-01-06T03:14:00.000-08:00

I know it`s late,but `appy new year everybody!I have a new baby due in April and all the signs are it`s a girl,so that`ll be four daughters,can`t wait for puberty,hormones and five sets of periods a month,rockin`.On the gaming front i`m waiting for the Helion Hungarians to arrive and in the meantime i`m painting up some TAG Krakow militia and some Great War British cavalry,should be fun.I got a 21 disc box set of Laurel and Hardy dvds for Xmas,as well as the book on Ivan the Terrible`s military campaigns and all the other bits and bobs we chaps get,speaking of "bobs"my sister-in-law bought the girls season four of "Spongebob Squarepants" which now resides in my dvd cabinet,essential viewing,has anyone else noticed the numerous levels that spongebob works on,or is it just me?
Just been reading Dave Woodward`s blog and i am very saddened by the news therein,but i hope he`ll keep his chin up and get through it,he is truly a great asset to our hobby.
Anyway,my 3 year old is downstairs and it`s all very quiet so i`d better go see what she`s up to.

cheers,Andy

It`s Just Not Cricket

2008-12-15T12:03:00.000-08:00

The title says it all,HOW did we manage to lose the first test against India? I really do give up sometimes,but i`ll still be getting up at 0400 to cheer on the boys in the second test.
On the wargaming front things are looking good,i`ve finished the first four Helion Prussians,just got the shoulder-boards to paint light blue and then base them.Next up are a Great War minis WW1 German artillery crew and 77mm gun,and then(hopefully)the Helion Hungarians will have arrived and i can start my production line.
Great War have released the cavalry and i can feel a last minute Xmas pressie coming on,still they`ll have to wait until payday on Friday,until next time....
cheers,Andy

PS

2008-12-10T10:21:00.000-08:00

Oh,by the way,New Zealand start their first test match against the West Indies tonight at 10pm and then at 0345am it`s the mighty England against India,come on KP and the boys no matter how bad you become i`ll always support you,actually,we`re not that bad at test match cricket,just the other types,oh well you can`t choose your obsessions.

cheers,Andy

Update

2008-12-10T10:09:00.000-08:00

Good Evening,
First up,a big thank you to Matt Golding for my first ever comment on the blog,it`s seriously appreciated.Painting has been going slowly,due to a serious case of the dreaded "man-flu" and the fact i work for a complete set of "tools".Anyhoo,i`ve only got the metal work and the heads to finish on my Helion figs and they should see the light of day,any day now(i hope).
Went to Recon in Pudsey at the weekend,it`s a nice "regional" show,but it did seem a lot quieter than previous visits,may have been the affects of the "flu!" Pre-ordered some Seminoles from Conquest at the weekend,and i am currently planning a Vietnam type game set in the 1830`s rather than the 1960`s(no Jimi Hendrix then). I`m currently awaiting the release of the Great War Minis cavalry with baited breath and they will hopefully be my last purchase before Xmas.

cheers,Andy

Great News

2008-11-25T04:08:00.000-08:00

Ive been looking over at Matt Golding`s blog and the great news is that he has comissioned a range of 28mm figs for the first Schleswig-Holstein war of 1848-51.Nice size battles,great looking figures and ,what i really like about the mid 19th century,real "chocolate box"uniforms,definitely a project for the new year.
Speaking of projects,all mine have now been boxed up and i`m concentrating on the Austro-Prussian war of 1866.Helion have pre-released the first of the Hungarian infantry and i have pre-ordered my first battalion,these are going to be organised on a 4 figure company basis,but will have 6 companies to a battalion,3 battalions to a regt,each battalion will have a 4 figure command element which will give a regimental strength of,a massive ,84 figures.
I intend starting with IR2 "Kaiser Alexander" and then IR23"FML Baron Airoldi".
The only deviation from this plan will be the afore-mentioned first Schleswig figs,Great War minis WW1 Belgians and any WW1 cavalry for the Western front and,possibly any 17th century Eastern Europeans that grab my attention as "must-haves",but the main thrust is going to be building up my two brigade sized forces for 1866,more of which later.

cheers,Andy

Painting(at last)

2008-11-22T06:08:00.001-08:00

I`ve just undercoated the first of my Carlist infantry,and another 4 Helion Prussian infantry,the Helion figs are going to become no.3 company of IR11,2nd Silesian Grenadiersand the Carlists either the Tortosa battalion or maybe a battalion from the Guides of Alava.More on them when i get some colours on them.

cheers,Andy

Grrr!!

2008-11-21T05:57:00.000-08:00

Just recieved the Belgian machine gunners from Brigade Models and,unfortunately i`m underwhelmed,they`re nice figures,anatomically correct with good detail,but they just don`t do it for me,if you know what i mean.I really wanted to like the mgs,and i really want a WW1 Belgian army,looks like i`ll have to wait for Great War minis to start producing them.
cheers,Andy

Typical

2008-11-20T02:19:00.000-08:00

Well that lasted a long time!Iwas trawling through some of my favourite blogs last night and i found a First Carlist War yahoo group.I`ve had a love /hate relationship with the First Carlist War for some two years now,ever since the Perrys released their 28mm range,i love the uniforms and the eminently gameable scale of the battles,but i hate painting the uniforms and those flaming espadrilles are a nightmare.Anyway i`ve succumbed and i`m going to buy the 3 packs of BAL riflemen and 3 packs of non-uniformed Spanish to set up a skirmish scenario initially and then periodically add to them over time.

cheers,Andy

Great news

2008-11-19T06:29:00.000-08:00

Fantastic!!!!!!!! 2 emails one from Brigade models to say the Belgian mgs have been posted and another from Foundry to say the paints have been posted,the new regime starts(hopefully)tomorrow.

cheers,Andy

Forgetting the past

2008-11-19T02:56:00.000-08:00

Today is a great day,well actually it`s Wednesday,but today is the day i forget past projects and make a concious decision to paint and game what i want in my collection.I look at Phil Olley`s blog and think "what a great set-up--if only",but Phil`s set-up didn`t happen overnight,it`s the result of time and objectivity and that is what i now intend to bring to my collection.I`ve made my decision as to what conflicts i`m going to collect in and i`m limiting myself to 3,they are
1)The Austro-Prussian war of 1866-using Helion figures
2)The Western Front in 1914-using Great War minis and Brigade Models figures
3)Early Thirty Years war(pre Lutzen)-using figures from The Assault Group
In time these projects will expand and include other areas of the same conflicts,eg Cossack revolt of 1648,the Eastern front in 1914,and also new conflicts will be added,but for now i intend to bring the three listed above up to a gameable level.I also intend painting one item at a time and not jumping around from one to another as i`m doing at the moment.
First up there is a WW1 Belgian machine gun company from Brigade Models and some 17th century Croat and Polish cavalry from The Assault Group.If i can i will post picures of the finished models as and when they are available,but until next time,
ciao barbella,

Andy

New Start

2007-11-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

That`s it!!! just when i`ve got a plan life just gets in the way!Brigade Models release 25mm early WW1 Belgians ,and they look brilliant, Conquest Miniatures start a Second Seminole War range and all my plans are knocked into the proverbial.So here`s the new plan-everything goes into a big box and i concentrate on the Great War until i`ve got a PLAYABLE SET UP- yeah like thats going to happen, I know as soon as the Perry`s bring out some new Carlists or Musketeer release the new GNW Russians i`ll have to buy some.Any way i`m sticking to the plan for now and we`ll see where we go from there.

Told you so

2007-10-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

Well that didn`t take long. Musketeer Miniatures release GNW Swedish flags and i just have to buy one,then i buy some Swedish pikemen to go with the box of Swedish infantry that live in the cupboard next to the sink,all this time the Sikh artillerymen stand folornly on their shelf watching. So,the new plan- Copplestone Chinese spearmen by the end of next week(26/10) and then Swedish infantry Upplands regiment by the end of my hols.(04/11) YEAH RIGHT!!!! Speaking of plans i planned to visit the gym after work tonight,finish at 6.30pm train for an hour(legs and a bit of cardio-vascular work- that`s an exercise bike to me and you ) showered and out for 8.00pmand home for 8.30pm easy. Not a bit of it at 6.29pm the area manager walks in and i`m running round the food hall like an idiot attempting to bring some sort of order to the chaos that is Morrison`s Oldham branch at that time on a Friday night.The end result was i left work at 8.20pm and i`m in an hour early in the morning to try and sort out the fall-out from his visit,ain`t life great?

Early Days

2007-10-17T03:52:00.000-07:00

Well day one really.I`ve started this blog basically to give my hobby life some direction and i`m going to use it as a tool to plot and record my successes or lack of them with regard to the hobby orientated goals i set myself. My main hobby is wargaming and basically i have no focus with regard to the various collections of figures i am attempting to put together,it only needs a new figure release and i`m off , all my plans come to nothing whilst i`m in the grip of the latest craze.So, i`m going to start setting myself some targets.At the moment i`ve recieved my first packs of Foundry Sikh war artillery and i`m expecting some Copplestone castings Chinese bandits any day,so the first target is a full Sikh horse artillery crew painted up by Sunday followed by a unit of Chinese spearmen then i`m on holiday for a week,i get paid and i need to crack on with some early WW1 Germans if Great War minis have released them by then.