Baccus and Blacktree Delivery

I actually got the Baccus late last week and the Blacktree on Saturday but other posts were more urgent so have been pushed down the list.

Of course the Baccus figures would have come all that bit sooner if I had, errm paid for them!  Ooops sorry Peter. It's a good job my e-mail enquiry regarding an update on my order was polite given as usual it was my fault the figures were yet to be sent. Dosh sent and here they are, two packs each of French and Prussian guns.

The new French 12pdr's on the left and the old style Prussian guns. You can see the attraction of one cast guns but I am not so convinced we can really appreciate how clever it is. These may get across my desk during the painting contest but if not they will get done sometime over the next twelve months as I don't actually need them till 2015 but well you know....

The Blacktree figures on the other hand are expected to feature somewhat heavily in my Challenge points haul as I need to paint these up to pay for some of the toys I hope to get next year and bring me back into the black for this year. The figures arrived eight days after ordering so rather impressed as the Black Friday sale was on.

Above we have the eight basic Russian figures from the mixed lot you get when ordering riflemen. I did however request no figures lying down in this batch and was happy to see this request fulfilled. I have already had a couple of these figures when I have ordered before but no problem as they are rather good figures.

Four Russian snipers finish off the set and these I have also painted a couple from though previously you got two upright and two lying down, for me this is a better set. 

I also went for 2 packs of Germans and I have to say several of these have really got me wanting to paint them as they are just great looking figures. None of the figures have me wanting to pass them buy and I can even see me getting a small force of several nations to add to the Fins and Early Russians that I will end up keeping to play against Lee and of course include my Son and Daughter in if they want to try something different to the cowboys.

Last up is the German special packet that includes the Sniper I had to repaint. It will be interesting how I fair painting him for the third time. I do like this pack and I may actually keep the rifle grenade guy for myself this time.

So that makes another 24 Blacktree WWII to go with the 40 odd others I have in a stash, some prepped BEFORE last years Challenge so I hope to get those done as well. All are now cleaned up and primed in white and ready to go. I am almost ready for the Challenge to start right now but want to get what I have on the table finished and have four clear evenings to do this before being out on Friday for a game.

I still have some prep work to do though. The last stand all needs cleaning, some conversion fork and undercoating then that's ready for the last two weeks of the challenge. I still would like to get more of the Roman's cleaned up and undercoated but that may be wishful thinking from a painting point of view. Not that it matters as I will just continue to paint them post challenge anyway. 

Other than that I think I won't do much more prep, maybe some more 6mm but they are quick to do so not really a time saver but I will get some of those Finns and Russians primed if they arrive before Sunday as I really want to get some of these all painted just as soon as I get them as they are such new castings.