Building of the Week The Slums

This is part one of of Building of the Week as I will post the town as it stands but tonight you just get a large slum tile I have at least one more slum section to do yet, just need to order the buildings before they get their extension though!

The tile is made up of previously painted buildings shown on the blog but finally based up. All but one of these are the Leven Miniatures medieval buildings with the top right building being also Leven but from the Fachwerkhaus range, though it fits in well with the medieval ones which I am using as just older dwellings.

I wanted a congested feel to the tile with the houses right on top of each other in a very unhealthy way. This of course means a lot of models per inch of base but fortunately at Leven prices you can afford such luxury.

I also based up a few other buildings so the town is starting to take shape. I still want to add a fair few more tiles to the set not so much to use at the same time but to give lots of options.

On it's own it does not really tell the story well though I think if you wanted a single tile to represent a town or city this would work well. Later in the week you will see the majority of what is finished which I hope will show what you can do if you have enough buildings.

This month won't have a lot of finished painted figures as I am working on getting the last French done this month and they will finish all at the same time, so you may get a few more posts based on other subjects, you have been warned.

Santa Clause and Secret Santa Are GO

First up the hot news is that Santa Clause is Go as in gone elsewhere. Chris over at Wargamer's Odd's and Ends has kindly offered to host Santa Clause after Cath said it was to confusing to run both from the one blog. Top man and we already have a few of us signed up. Some of the originals and nice to see some new faces as well. So if you want to join in the more the merrier, it would be great if we can double last years entrants. Everyone enjoyed it last year and the opportunity to get two wargame related presents under the tree was just too good to pass over for me.

Secret Santa is already buzzing with interest and looks to break last years record. This will be three years running at a participant increase. Again it's great to see old faces, most back for the third year and just as good to see so many first timers getting into the fun. I was really spoilt last year and still am taking pleasure from looking at my gifts (I will be watching both films again over the winter). 

I actually enjoy the giving the best. The item I picked for my target went down well and I had spent a fair bit of time going through first his blog then the suppliers website until I found the perfect present. The supplier went the extra mile as it needed sending abroad and it arrived in time. The item was ordered in time but I missed that the supplier was on holiday and had a backlog when he got back off holiday but on finding out it was a Christmas Bloggers gift cast the item after hours so as not to hold back other peoples items and that's what I call service!!

So if your interested in giving and receiving a gift of around £15 value (anywhere in the world) then comment below stating your interest and send an email via the Email Me bit on the top right hand of the blog. I will pass your details to Chief Fairy and your in baby.

Adler French Lancers 4th and 6th Regiments

So many posts so little painting shown. OK lets correct that a little with these great Adler Sculps. I had already painted one regiment of Adler Lancers so I knew they could paint up real nice. As such I thought I would add a little more effort to the faces.

Here we have the 4th Lancers, at Waterloo they were part of the 1st Corp, 1st Cavalry Division and 2nd Brigade. Their commander was Col (Baron) Deaf, of the laughs we could get out of that one. Battle honours cover a wide period, Ulm, Austerlitz, Jena, Eylau, Friedland, Borodino and Montmirail. I really like Lancers and whilst they loose some of their punch after the first charge they should not be ignored later in the battle.

I added cavalry officers to my last order and this is one of the two Lancer officers you get for 29p, the quality of the figure stands out and I am very happy to have added them to the order. I have banged on enough about the pro's and cons of both Adler and Baccus so will pass over that topic and just enjoy the pleasure that comes from painting up these two regiments.

I have yet to add the flags will do this when I do the two other cavalry regiments I have painted and then put them all away. Just love the way the pennants flutter on the lance tips. Also the two different posed lancer figures really add to the fluid feel of these guys.

The colour you get from a full green uniformed rider the red and white pennants really make these stand out a great deal, I am expecting good things from my Lancer regiments and will use them to stop any Allied cavalry counter attacks and if I get the chance I will smash a few battalions as well.

With the blankets and the rolls all being the same colour green you don't get any contrast but that just adds to the mass effect. I painted up nine figures for the regiment whilst I used ten for the heavier cavalry from the next relevant post.

The 6th Regiment had a troop of elite so I painted up a couple with red plumes, total show offs. These form part of II Corps, 2nd Cavalry Division 2nd Brigade with their commander Col Baron Nicolas Galbois being wounded at Quatre Bras.  Battle honours for Borodino and Montmirail.

Painting of these was a little slow as I had too much on the paint table and seemed to be going between one project and the next. Now they are finished though I can feel I am on the homeward stretch for the for the French. 

Santa Clause A Plea for Help

I mentioned after last years festive fun and again before launching The Secret Santa that Cath would not be willing to run both Secret Santa and Santa Clause as it caused too much confusion last year and as such I would be looking for another blogger to take over the idea. I really don't want it to die out as I had loads of fun painting up the Si-Fi stuff for Ray and of course receiving my gift as well.

So is anyone willing to either take on the role of running the Santa Clause painted gift or getting their better half to do so, so they can join in like I did last year?

Obviously new house would mean new rules if wished. If no one want's to take it on I have a solution as I have a second blog and could run it on this but it would be a little less smooth than on a known blog.

Calling Secret Santa's III

Yes it's that time again, the call for those interested in the Secret Santa to put forth their names. I will do a post a week so anyone missing today's still gets to play. After two successful years of Cath running this for me I have great hopes for this coming year. See below for the rules and list your interest if you want to take part. Also can bloggers help with spreading the word about this even if it's not for you a plug would be great.

1. To enter you need to either have a blog or be a regular follower of this blog already. This is to give confidence to all involved that everyone will follow through to the end. If you have a blog and don't follow this one it's OK to join in.

2. The present should be around £15 plus postage (best to buy the present actually in the country the receiver lives in so cutting down postage costs)

3. It's OK to have a wish list but it's just as good to buy something you think the person would like. Blog details of your target are given so you can snoop.

4. Whilst it's not essential it really added to Cath's enjoyment when the SS checked in with her to let her know target had incoming.

5. You should pimp the Secret Santa on your blog to hopefully increase the numbers joining in.

6. You should sign up by 15th November so to allow time for picking gifts.

7. Gifts should arrive by 20th December if possible. It's fine to get the supplier to send direct and I would be cheeky and ask them to gift wrap  ;-)

8. Item/s should be wargame related though it's OK to throw in something odd if you want to.

Well that's all I can think of at the moment regards rules etc. You have right up to the 15th of November to sign up but I would appreciate some early birds as it makes organising it that much easier. I will need the blog name and an e-mail address for you (plus your real name) if you go to my profile you will get my e-mail details but also mention your interest in the comments section to make sure I catch you.

So lets slip the (slay)dogs of war and looking forward to seeing this baby develop.

Tomorrow will be a quick post regards The Santa Clause, where you paint something for another blogger.

Building of the Week - Something Different

No buildings were painted this week, but I still have another entry. Again these are Leven Miniatures with all the buildings painted by the talented Chris Hudson. I have had to be contented with the support role of doing the station platform, track and groundwork. I have had this project for ages but in the end it took far less time than I had expected, far far less, the embarrassment of it all.

The track and platform arrived in place with nifty bits of paper showing where each building needed placing. This was fortunate as I received from Chris more buildings than I had locations so I would have been in a right pickle.

Lots of drybrushing over a black undercoat for the platform, a total of three different greys used to try and get the finish I had in mind. The texture of Leven creations really responds well to drybrushing so it's not too difficult to get a nice effect.

I dabbed different amounts of grey also between the sleepers for a gravel effect. I did not want to overplay it, especially off the main line as the amount of oil and dirty water etc. that would have gathered on the gravel would have turned a good part of it black or dark grey. For the sleepers I used Mahogany Brown from Vallejo and I drybrushed Oily Steel for the rails. The main line tracks received a heavier treatment of the Oily Steel as they would get more use.

It's a great set of railway buildings, from Station, through kiosks down to lamp huts. It really is a good selection of buildings totalling 12 buildings, three different track packs and a tunnel entrance. 

This is destined to be part of the display stand for Mike when he does the shows and I think it's well thought out and shows off what is on offer. So congrats to Chris for great work on the buildings and especially to Mike for the actual layout work. It made my task so much easier through their hard work.

The nice big carriage works is my favourite building a stunningly low price of £3.00 given the size and heft of it. Whilst this set as it stands looks very English I am betting that adding a few other buildings to the range could make it more European and even Russian, perfect for those Stalingrad games!

I used my basing style, just on a grander scale and it came off well. I have used the static grass a little sparingly as using it to greater effect could well have lost it's effect. Also from spending some of my misspent youth in a shunting yard grass is not something that grows in abundance so seemed to look right to me. I added a few bits between the rails in the shunting yard but none on the main line, again I wanted the appearance to be subtlety different.

Last of all, bomber eyes view as maybe the Luftwaffe come a calling. 

Angst of August

I am willing to bet that August is the slowest month for production of figure painting for the majority of bloggers. For me it certainly is as a mix of a weeks holiday and a week off work sick has all added up to make this month really flat. Sure it started well but even with this under consideration the month looks bad as you will see.

It was also a slow month for buying with only thirteen 28mm figures (twelve being half price so I could not pass them up. So at least I did not increase the mountain by much and whilst I reduced many sections I am still up on almost every category since starting to keep track!!!

6mm Infantry are still suffering from the 24 battalions bought recently but with six more painted I am up by just nine Battalions and plan to get that number painted in September so should get this back down to zero for the worlds.

6mm cavalry just got 4 regiments under the wire meaning I still have seven more to paint before I break even. These won't be touched till possibly October and it's quite possible I will be buying more at the Worlds so still looks some way off before I can get these under control.

6mm command and limbers remain the same with no change which I am afraid is as good as it gets.

6mm Guns and crews well I have 4 guns painted as well as 4 guns and crews so only the crews need to get painted. Unfortunately I bought 8 sets in July so technically I am still up by 4 sets until I get the crews done. At least that will also happen this month.

6mm Wagons remain plus 4 as I did not manage to get the one I planned done. Just like the artillery it's no big shakes as is a small paint.

6mm Planes after the first rush I have failed to paint any. As I plan to get more in October I had better get a shake on this month. Still up nine.

6mm buildings, this is going to sting as I picked up 36 in July but at least I got a good lick done painting 10 bringing the mound down to a still dizzy plus 25. Given the nature of my buying of Leven I will always have this sudden bulge appear in the mountain but each time it should be brought under control with regular painting sessions.

28mm also see's a bunch painted, this time 13 figures bringing the increase down to a manageable plus 12 and as they are for Saga I can get these off the table in October if all goes well. Nothing to worry about there then.

28mm wagons and horses remain untouched through the whole month, I really need to get those horses out of the blisters!! both remain plus two.

In case your late to the show, in May I started to record purchases against painted. Rather than reset the clock each month all buying is carried forward so it's a real record of the growth or culling of the lead and resin mountain. 

Project Waterloo and the aim of buying and painting each new Napoleonic French model released by Baccus will keep the 6mm under control and should see the end of 2014 with a reduced stash of unpainted 6mm, though this does not mean I will have no 6mm left in hand at the end of 2014!