Fredrick The Great in 15mm

I needed to add at least one new command stand for my army as it is growing at a reasonable pace. So who better than the gaffer himself?

All figures are Old Glory via Timecast and have a good amount of detail, not all of which I have graced with paint ;-)

Normally command bases have two mounted figures but this being the C-in-C gets three models on it. Being THE commander, i.e. Fredrick The Great himself I wanted a bit of a cameo look about it so here we have one commander pointing, a ADC looking and Fred ignoring. Classy yes...........? eh ok I get your point :-)

The base is larger than the other command stands so it's obvious who the boss is. I actually have another base with three figures on that is on the normal size so being a bigger base will help a lot.

Painting up three? well five takes about the same amount of time so why not get another stand done. So I should have enough to keep me going until I get a few more cavalry units painted up, then I will need more so I guess I will be painting up another couple of bases worth in the not too distant future.

I like everything about these figures except the standing horses front legs. They should really have a gap between them but are cast with this filled in. After too much time trying to cut the metal out on previous figures I have just left it well alone. No deal breaker but a little annoying as it did not have top be done this way.

With just under two weeks left till the painting challenge kicks off you won't see any big units cross the table but I hope to get a few more single figures and maybe a small unit or two done before it all goes OTT. I still have time before the challenge starts to finish off more prep. I am mostly slowed down by opportunities to prime prepped figures. I have plenty ready to prime but now have ran short of sticks to put them on, I need to paint something then!

La Belle Alliance For Sale

As I am going with the Leven model for Project Waterloo I am looking to sell my Timecast model. This will be a first come basis if someone want's it via the blog. Simply message me via the Email me tag on the right, leave a message here or on Facebook if your reading this there.

I am looking for £10 plus cost of posting for this and can except PayPal or other methods such as Cheque etc. I only charge the actual postage charge as I have plenty of packaging hanging around.

If it is still available on Saturday I will be putting it on E-bay but I wanted you guys first dibs at it. I will also be putting some figures up for sale on e-bay that are left overs from my Persian Army that under FoG are excess, just need to neaten them up and rebase.

La Belle Alliance Face Off

OK this is actually light hearted so please don't take a fence (or hedge) on the following....

I decided some time ago that the only reviews worth a jot are those that you actually paint up the figures, buildings etc. Too often something is rather dull looking but paints up lovely or you find on painting that a strap somehow goes missing on one side of the mini whilst it's bold as brass on the other side. So after painting these fine models what's my thoughts?

Well as I expected both painted up well with plenty of detail and the sculpting made the job easy for both. Small details are different on the models such as the shutters and some of the windows as you can see from the picture above. I chose not to paint the black lower brick section on the Leven models as that looks to be a modern change same as the grey roof tiles that I missed off entirely. However the black trim is almost a must on the Timecast version as mentioned in the earlier post.

There is a slight difference to the small chimney stack as well, I like the way the Leven one pokes over the edge of the roof but that's just a personal taste rather than one is more accurate that the other. One point of correction to my previous post (and reason painting is important) the Leven building does have a slight plinth type edge to it but fortunately can be painted over. I would advise to remove it if possible from production as I know the other Leven buildings don't have it and may be a nod at the black lower wall of the modern building. In all it's a small quibble.

It's round the back that Timecast has an advantage over the Leven building, whilst I doubt the items stacked out back would have long disappeared by the time the battle was fought they really do add to the model and with a bit of effort painting the crates up in different colours you can have a nice distraction. Again slight differences such as the windows set them apart a little but again without actually pointing to one being the better.

So at the end of the day not a lot separates these two models from each other. With the Timecast building 25% larger it may attract the 10mm gamer more for those who scale down. Those who want to pack the table full with figures and fight Waterloo then maybe the Leven one would be the choice. I think I prefer the Timecast roof finish over the Leven model but I stress that it's no deal clencher and I repeat that if I could I would have a finish somewhere between Timecasts neat rows and Leven's lived in look. In neither case would I be put off buying the model and in many cases the Leven roof style really is a selling point for me.

As you can see from these Adler cavalry both fit the scale well if at different ends of it. Leven tip the balance for me in regards purchasing, but do so with the view that Leven have a range already in place to support Waterloo and beyond which is crucial. I have a bunch of Timecast buildings and they are actually the better models in isolation but 6mm seems to have become a backwater for Timecast whilst it's the lifeblood of Leven. Leven also continue to expand both the Napoleonic range but also plenty of others including other new ranges I am unable to speak of. In all honesty their is so little to choose between the two models and will be very much down to what you already own but if your just starting out or wanting to refresh then it's a no brainer, it has to be Leven as they whip everyone on the key points of price, range and future releases.

On a slight change of topic but related, See note below and thanks to Tamsin for bringing it to my attention) Total Battle Miniatures have stated they will be releasing Waterloo buildings this year and whilst they are a closer fit to Timecast than Leven no sign of these buildings yet and with the anniversary coming on fast they need to get cracking if they want them on the table painted in time for all those games that will be going off through this year.

Typical I checked yesterday and did not see anything but I can report they have released a rather large range that you can see here. Please note these have a smaller footprint than the typical TBM buildings so as to work with big games. Not sure if they will fit with their other buildings by just having less buildings or that they have made the buildings smaller. Looks to me to be a mix of the two. Again thanks to Tamsin for bringing this to my attention.

Building of the Week - Timecast and Leven Get it On

Ok so it's been over a month since the last Building of the Week so I thought I should heat it up a bit. Some of you will remember my buying the Timecast La Belle Alliance at The Worlds last year. I still had not started it when news of Leven Miniatures announced they would also be adding this building to their Napoleonic range. Well given that all the other buildings in our Waterloo game are going to be Leven I decided I would have to wait and get the new building once it was ready. Whilst not yet available for sale Mike was kind enough to send me a couple of the test pieces, one for me and one for me to paint for his display stock. 

As such the Timecast building was likely to be surplus to requirements unless the Leven one was a real dog. That is not a statement of prejudice against Timecast, they make great looking buildings but more that it makes absolute sense to use all Leven to keep all the buildings the same exact scale.

The Timecast building is at the back with the Leven front right. As can be seen the Timecast building is about 25% larger than the Leven model so it's a big difference. Detail wise the differences are much smaller as you would expect given both companies are producing models of an historic building.

In both cases the quality of the model is high, Timecast provides a VERY neat tiled roof whilst the Leven roof is of slightly larger tiles with bigger gaps. This really should be a negative for Leven and I am sure that will be the case for some people, for me it makes the building look a little more lived in and I like the effect though I would actually prefer a finish somewhere between the two. In fact neither finish would put me off either building.

Timecast also have a tendency to add small extra details to their buildings, usually bushes and in this case it's barrels and boxes. I am always torn by these additions as the buses just don't paint up well for me, though I have learnt to cover them with clump foliage which works well and enhances the finished model. In this case the additions will paint up a treat though I would suspect in real life these items would be hidden away or stolen by one side or the other.

One effect that always annoys me regards Timecast is the bottom 1mm (ish) of the base of the building. The way Timecast cast thei models they seem to have to have this area of no detail whilst Leven have full detail to the very bottom. Fortunately in this models case the bottom few rows of the wall are painted black and this will help hide the unfortunate aspect.

This has to be set against Leven's issue of the outbuilding joint on the door side. As can be seen on the photo above it looks quite unsightly after I primed both models and was a fly in the ointment at this point.

However I am happy to say that once I set about painting the building the crack faded out of sight on both models I am working on and looks not to be a factor for finished models. 

Both suppliers models have a few casting defects, resin bubbles for Leven and air bubbles for Timecast. In both cases prep work can sort these out. For Leven popping off the bubbles with a scalpel which is easy. Better still any you miss that show up on priming can still be popped off without leaving a mark. For Timecast you can fill the holes without too much effort or indeed just paint round them as at table top view they disappear into the model so again not a real issue unless your seeking perfection.

I am about half way through painting these buildings at the moment and am pleased with the results up to date. I think given the points I have made so far the biggest factor in which to buy disregarding price will be size, which suits you the most, though in the Waterloo game this building is far enough away from other buildings to even make this point somewhat mute.

On the subject of price the Timecast building costs £6.00 whilst I have yet to find out how much the Leven one will be though I am sure it will be at least 25% lower based on the other buildings within the range but that's a guesstimate.

Early next week I will have all three models finished and post the results here. After that the Timecast building is Ebay bound unless someone here wants it before it gets it's marching orders.

Building of the Week Spanish Farmhouse by Timecast

This Spanish Farmhouse 8/007 by Timecast £4.00 has been sitting part painted for the last six plus months so I thought I had best finish it off. This is the last of the Timecast buildings that I currently own now all finished but I am fairly sure it's not the last of their buildings that I will buy. Indeed they have finally released an English windmill that I will probably pick up at the next show I go to that they are there. I think it could sit well with the Leven one though having metal sails it comes in at a much higher price but also has a rather nice millers hut/house.

This is one of the larger Spanish buildings that Timecast do. I decided it was another of the posh gaffs so it also managed to get a white paint job as only the toffs can afford. Unlike the previous building I just based this one on my standard 60x60 base. It's a bit close to the edge but I am OK with that.

Typical of many Timecast buildings it has built in bushes around the sides of the building which I always feel the need to cover with Woodland Scenic's bushes. Often they look really good and I accept I would not think to do this otherwise but in the odd case like this one they go overboard. They cover three of the four sides almost totally and with the added height of the added more realistic clumps kind of dominates the model.

I do like the model and actually also like the result from the clumps but it would have been better if it was a little bit more restrained. At least it's not like this on all the buildings and does give a point of difference to the rest so it's not all bad  ;-)

One door way though is quite obscured but I guess no one wants to see the smelly peasants coming and going. The usual attempt at a terracotta roof, but that was part of the building done months ago. In fact almost all of the building was painted months ago. I had a little painting and a lot of basing to do to finish it off. Sometimes I wonder why such things get so close to being finished and then crash to a halt. 

I now have eleven Total Battle Miniatures Spanish buildings left to paint and when they are done I will have all the Spanish buildings painted, and boy will that be a lot of buildings. Not that that will stop me buying more at some point but for now I think I have plenty. 

I am fairly sure what the next few buildings of the week are but I also have brought home from work some packaging materials that I have a few ideas for so it's possible the next building may be a week or two away.

Timecast 6mm Spanish Large House, Building of the Week.

Well the week nearly managed to slip by without a building being posted but fear not here we go. It's a bit of a cheat really as the building was already mostly painted but did need finishing off. Anyway part of the building a week idea is to push more buildings up the painting queue so a result I say!

As mentioned in the title this is a Timecast model and is part of a set of three 8/008 costing £8.00 for the set. So rather good value given the quality of the buildings. I do like the Timecast building's my main quibble is that they tend not to finish ranges off, and you are left with just a few different buildings as a rule. Not so with this range as it is fairly large and as it's well supported by Total Battle Miniatures the result is the ability to build a large sized collection.

Most Spanish buildings of this time would have been left unpainted with the colour of the walls based on the colour of the rendering over the stone. But with this being the largest Spanish building I have I felt it would need to belong to a rich family who could afford to paint the outside of the house. as such I decided that the plain stone part of the building would be best served as servant entrance and working area which led to the base work being done.

Typical of Timecast you get that little extra detail such as the barrel beside the back door. I have recently been given a number of small resin extra's from Mile at Leven Buildings, one of which is this great well. It just screamed at me that it needed to be added to this base (120mm by 120mm) and of course you have servants to draw the water.

I think the brush work could have been a little better and it's amazing what you pick up when you get this close in. For the table I guess it's fine and it certainly passes the two foot rule.

The walls started super flat and it's been made a little rough with lots of white coats of paint then dirtied a little just so it's not offensively bright. Same style of basing as my figures but due to the size of the tile I needed to do the base paint and sand dip, sections at a time rather than the whole base in one go.

Rather disappointing was the chimneys, it's almost like they ran out of interest at the end. Whilst it's possible the chimneys were a crude affair these just look unfinished and given the location of them it does lose style points do to this. Not that I don't like it but could have been a bit better in my mind.

Given that I had a well I felt I needed someone to do all the work so added a Baccus Sappers/Pioneers figure from EQU13 £3 a pack. You get four poses this one with a spade (I had this as a all wood affair) one with a pick axe, another chopping wood and a fourth one leaning on his spade. You get more than enough in a pack which is why Lee now has a bunch of them. Of course if I have a gardener then he needs something to garden, so here we have vines or whatever you want them to be. All in nice rows just like my Grandad tried to teach me.

Last look at the well, this is one of three water features Mike sent me along with a few other bits and bobs but more on those on another post when I have finished them. At this point Mike has not got these up for release but I hope he does add them to his lists as the 6mm wargamer will be very happy to get their hands on them, but as I say, that is for another day

ECW Buildings

I painted up the three buildings I bought from Baccus last Sunday. These were as easy to paint up as the Total Battle Miniatures I had bought way back in March. The problem is that the only other building available is a church, so I will have to buy repeats of the cottages and made do with a few from other periods as the ECW does not seem to have the support of other periods in 6mm. This obviously is no surprise, after all it's one of the minority periods of 6mm.

 

The watermill is a tall brick building (or stone if you wish) and has an obvious disadvantage. Being a water mill it should only come into play when your fighting a battle with water involved. Not the best situation when you are already limited in period buildings but I am sure it can still get used ignoring it's real use. Overall it's a nice building, I really like the slate roof and timber lean too. I dry brushed the roof tile and used a wash on the every thing else.

 

As I said OVERALL it's a nice piece but some of the detail is spoiled with pitting and air bubbles typical of Timecast (who make these for themselves and Baccus). The waterwheel in particular is somewhat spoilt by this effect. Total Battle Miniatures seem to not suffer nearly as badly as Timecast for this. I was pleased with the water effect, painting bright green as a base coat and two watery blues washed over and white lines and squiggles for rough water.

 

The basic cottage is the same building for both models but one has stale and the other thatched roof. What makes them look even more different is that the building is turned around on the base and they have different dressing to the bases which helps a great deal.

 

Opposite view of the same building. Note the stone base of the building which goes round the whole building. The wash really added to the plaster type effect for the walls.

 

I used a lighter wood effect on the doors of this building for more distinction. I assume that wood at this time would have been treated rather than painted. I also went for a grubby thatch on this building, though it does not look so shinny in real life (being mat varnished).

 

 

The second cottage is also slanted a bit on the base which I like.

 

Overall I like them a fair amount, they were quick to paint up, will look different enough on the table with a few painting changes such as darker wood on the odd one and darker or lighter thatch on others. The cost for a pack of two was very reasonable as well. Expect a small village sprouting up over winter.