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Tuesday, September 12, 2017

W.I.P and other happenings.

I'd been planning on doing a solo game over the weekend, but it didn't happen. Instead, I've been beavering away on a batch of Xyston 15mm pike.

They're almost done, but are proving to be quite a lot of work. It's actually the first batch of phalangites I've painted myself: the first bunch of 200 was done by Fernando in Sri Lanka. I think I'll appreciate this lot more having painted them myself, and I'll also be forever grateful to Fernando now knowing how much work must've gone into the other batch!

So this is why I used a painting company first time around!
Just for my own records, this is the painting process (please feel free to skip to the next section!):

1) Prep, drill out hands, attach shields, undercoat in light grey.
2) Wash metal bits with dark brown ink wash or Tamiya smoke.
3) Block in flesh and do bases green.
4) Undercoat linen armour in Turner Acryl Gouache Grayish Green.
5) Do tunics in Turner Light Blue.
6) Do back of shields, belts, scabbards in Turner Burnt Umber.
7) Do waist band with Turner Crimson
8) Do shields in Steel.
9) Highlight linen armour with Turner White.
10) Do helmet feathers for officers in Crimson or Mixing Purple.
11) Highlight Crimson with Permanent Red.
12) Do metal areas in Turner Antique Bronze.
13) Wash flesh and metal with my brown dip.
14) Nervously attach pikes (previously undercoated and sprayed brown).
15) Highlight shields and spear tips with silver, helmets with gold.
16) Give a gloss / semi-gloss spray varnish.
17) Klear / Future wash.
18) Matte varnish.

Other things I've been doing include finishing off an overdue book review for Slingshot and doing the odd turn for a couple of ongoing play-by-email games using Vassal.

The games are the Age of Sail game Flying Colors by GMT, which I'm playing with my Italian mate Andrea, and the WWI Tannenberg game A Victory Complete by MMP, with my mate up in Kobe, Pat.

I don't really know a great deal in depth about either period, but am certainly learning a bit more through the games.

Anyway, that's all for now.


11 comments:

  1. The Xyston figures are lovely. A wargame shop that was just 10 miles from where I lived (closed down now sadly) used to sell these in preference to any other 15mm line.

    A 100 is a big batch, I think I would be a little over-faced, as my batches if 16 feel like hard work :-)

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  2. They certainly are, Norm. I wouldn't buy anything but Xyston or Greeks / Macedonians now.

    This batch is 64, and that's about my outermost limit I think!

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  3. Wow, they look great, Aaron. The look like 28mm Foundry figs!

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  4. Xyston have a nice looking range these guys are looking good so far. I have 32 pikemen sat on my desk
    they have been sprayed white for the past few days I really need to get cracking with them!

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    1. Nice one, Tony. Are you going into 15mm as well as 20mm?

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    2. mine are 20mm pikemen still, I bought some Thureophoroi from xyston for some reason a few years ago. I'm not sure why but they may be useful for head swaps with my 20mm minis.

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  5. Xyston do make some nice figures. Nice work Aaron.

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  6. Very nice. I should give another look to 15mm figures - most just do not work for me. Maybe Xyston would fit the bill.

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    Replies
    1. I think Xyston are great, but everyone has their own preferences. I love looking at other people's 28mm figures, for example, but am not so keen on the idea of painting any myself!

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