Spartan cavalry done

The latest batch to come off the painting line is now ready for flocking. These are more Xyston cavalry with light infantry mixed in. It took me a while to get through these but last night helped by a little cider and some loudish music we got them finished off.

I used three shades of brown alongside grey and black for the horses. 

Tunics and cloaks were crimson with washes and highlights used selectively.

The light infantry I used crimson for either tunic or cloak and then other colours to add some variation.

  

I finished them off with my magic wash and a dousing in matt varnish.

Xyston are just lovely to paint. They have a lot of character and you never feel ashamed to plonk them on the table. Just as well - I have plenty more of them to do yet!

In other news, I'm off to Auckland tomorrow to meet up with my brother, who's coming from Adelaide, to go and see Iron Maiden. The old metalhead in me is getting quite excited. If you're wondering what the loudish music that attended last night's painting session was, you can now probably guess! 

I'm also really looking forward to catching up with my brother. We've not seen each other (apart from video calls, of course!) since 2019, so it will be a mighty reunion. We might even have a beer or two. 

Greek light cavalry - Xyston

 Another few figures finished. More Greeks, Xyston again.

Greek cavalry and Successor elephants done.

And together at last! Thebans and hamippoi from Xyston along with a test pair of the Potbelly Miniatures Successor jumbos (sans towers).

 

There's nothing negative to be said about Xyston, and the Potbelly models were good to work with. I do fear for the pikes, as the 3d printed plastic is quite brittle. To replace them was going to cause problems as well, so I decided to leave them be and if they break I will cross that bridge when I come to it. It would be great to have the option to order them with open hands, but they are very good value and take paint nicely. They are a little larger than your usual 15mm Indian elephant, but they should look good on the table and on the whole I am very pleased with them.

A new approach to painting.

As a painter, I've tended to be one of those people who works in big batches. In my case it has made for periods of great progress followed by long fallow patches. Having just come out of a fallow patch that, for various reasons, lasted about five years, I've been wondering if it's time to change my approach.

Back in May I took stock of the leadpile and thought about what I was going to do with all these figures I had yet to paint. Was I going to give up further progress as a bad job and start selling things off or was I going to get back on the metaphorical horse? I wondered if I could set myself a goal of painting two figures a day until the end of the year. If I could do that, I thought, it would give me a) more figures to game with and b) a potential way to move forward with the rest of the unpainted collection.

As per usual, my default was to go into big-batch mode. I got about 80 foot painted, and then started on a large cavalry lot, which I have just finished. All of this of course requires decision-making at scale, time spent prepping in large numbers, and then painting one or two steps a session (64 spears in brown, 32 tunic base colours in light grey, 32 in a variety of others, etc...) until the batch is finished.

What this means in practice is my hobby space is completely taken up with prepped figures, paints, bits and pieces, and the sense that you are on a big job. You can't, for example, set up an evening game if you feel like it, because to do so would require you to pack everything away to clear space, play the game, and then put everything back out again.

So I decided to try a new approach. For the moment, I'm calling it 'four for now'. Four to a base is how my infantry figures are organised for painting, so why not just do four figures to (almost) completion in a session? You see immediate progress, you shorten the time frame for playable numbers, and you can do it all in a much a smaller space footprint. I can store prepped figures elsewhere, so when I want to play a game, I can. 

I suppose the idea is to make painting less of an all-or-nothing thing, so that I can work on getting through the figures I have but without making it all-consuming, and by making painting something I am always doing in little bits. 

My first 'four for now'. Washes, base painting and shield patterns to come when I'm up to bigger numbers.

We'll see how long I last! 

Next batch of figures

I had previously harped on here about how keen I was to next get stuck into painting some Persians. Well, so much for that: this next batch (due for magic wash tomorrow) is Greek cavalry and hamippoi of the Theban variety. 

Xyston figures. My goodness, they are a treat to paint. I am a workman, not an artist, so am not able to quite do them justice, but even so, they are wonderful to work with. They do take a bit of prepping, mind....

I'm also working on some 3d printed elephants and from the Xyston pile have another 50-odd Greek cavalry and 80-odd Theban hoplites prepped. 

Successor beasts from Potbelly. Drybrushing underway.

With work extremely busy at the moment but without much tangible to show for it it has been nice to come back home to practical hobbying and feel like you are getting somewhere in at least one aspect of your life!

Libyans on base

There have been a few delays but we've finally got to the fun part - taking the freshly varnished figures off their temporary strips and arranging them on their bases. I think I've said it here before, but it's the part of the painting process I enjoy most. 

The hard work is done and the game - as it were - is almost afoot.

To delay things further, the reason it took about four weeks to get these chaps to this stage is two-fold: one, I decided to bolster the ranks a little, and two, it has been difficult to find the right paints I use during the basing process.

The extra figures I got are from Potbelly Miniatures, a 3d printing enterprise based in New Zealand, of whose existence Mike of Bucellarii kindly apprised me a few posts ago. They are nice figures, but the resin used presented a challenge - none of my glues would work! It took me a bit of time to find the solution, which turned out to be Cyanoacrylate from Avetek NZ. 

The other problem (still not resolved, unfortunately!) is paint. In Japan I used to finish figure bases in Tamiya Flat Green, cardboard bases in any variety of green or khaki, and the edges of said bases in Mr Hobby H58, Interior Green. In order to maintain consistency, I wanted to use the same colours over here, but had not got them yet. I therefore ordered a few pots of the H58. These took about a week to arrive. When I went to use them, I found to my surprise that it is no longer the same colour. I wondered if I'd ordered the wrong code, and went to check: apparently Mr Hobby changed the formula in 2019. 

So I was stuck. I had two pots of paint that won't do the business. Do I order some black and try to mix them to the right colour or find something from another manufacturer that's closer? In the interests of saving time and shipping costs I tried buying a Humbrol pot from a local store, but that is not quite right either. Hmm.

It wouldn't be so bad if this were Japan. It would take ten minutes to find an alternative hobby paint at the local Joshin, and even if you got things wrong it would cost you about $10 for the various paints and thinners I've picked up so far. In New Zealand these mis-steps have cost me $80 and I still don't have the right colour. Oh well. It's never going to do much for your equilibrium comparing prices of hobby products between NZ and Japan!

So I will just use the wrong colour in the meantime and hope it is only me that notices the difference.

The figures drying on their bases (with the offending H58 in the background!)

One thing I have reason to be thankful for is that I was able to bring my non-hobby acrylic paints back here from Japan with me, so it's rare for me to need to actually buy any paint. I shouldn't grumble too much!

Anyway, on to the flocking stage, and I have a game planned for tonight with SP, so it should be a good long weekend.

On the painting table

A little later in the year than I'd hoped, but we're finally making a spot of painting progress at the house of Prufrock.

I had planned to have these ready to do Ilipa for the Society of Ancients Battle Day, but as so often happens, the plan did not come to fruition!

These are work in progress Carthaginian spearmen with hoplon, who can be used as Sacred Band for earlier periods or Libyan infantry for Hannibal's war. They are from the Corvus Belli range, but produced in plastic by the Plastic Soldier Company. They are lovely figures. I'm a little pickier with their cavalry, but the Corvus Belli infantry ranges are superb. Unfortunately, they seem to be out of stock at the Plastic Soldier Company now, so when or whether they will be available again I don't know.

Getting close to completion...

Which means I'd best make the most of the ones I have. There are enough for four 16-man units, but as my initial purchase was a couple of figures short, they sent me an extra 8, meaning if I scrounge the bits box and repurpose some command figures I can probably field 72 altogether.

Batch 2 still has more work to do

I'm yet to decide whether to leave the shields as they are or add designs. 

Painting guide:

Dark grey undercoat

Mid brown for spear shafts, sandals, shield backs

Flesh for arms, legs, hands, faces

Light grey for linen armour and shields

Red brown for straps, scabbards

Red for tunics

Dark silver / iron for spearheads

Antique bronze for helmets, shield edges.

White highlight for linen armour, shields

Gold to highlight bronze, shield edges

Silver highlight for spearheads

Highlight for tunics

Green for bases

Magic wash

Highlight for flesh, other areas that might need a touch up

Spray varnish x 2

I haven't been in a painting routine for a long time so am just trying to do a bit each night before dinner and/or after the kids are in bed. I'd like to get some Greek cavalry done next and then try to make a dent in my Achaemenid Persians.

We'll see how we go!

First figures painted in five years

There is a minor celebration underway at house Prufrock - we have painted out first figures for, as the title suggests, five years. It doesn't seem that long, but it is. 

Anyway, the figures are from the Fighting 15s (old Black Hat) Punic Wars range: their Carthaginian elephants and crew. 

The painting is a bit rough, and although I have glasses now, four years working with computers eight hours a day has taken its toll, and I just don't see the detail as well as I used to. These photos do show me that washes are going to have to be even more of a friend than they have been previously! I might also have to look at contrast paints. I can still 'paint between the lines' but I don't see well enough to highlight in a way that is not blobby. That may improve with practice, but definitely some technical adjustments are in order. 

Anyway, I'm glad to say the duck has been broken, and I will now have enough Carthaginian elephants to be able to stage Bagradas in Lost Battles. 

The next picture really shows the 'blobbiness' of the face highlight I did post-magic wash. I will be able to improve this by adding another wash to bring out the detail. Possibly more damning, it also shows my failure to properly file off the seams in the models, which I will have to watch out for in future.

And a comparison to a Chariot 15 Hellenistic jumbo painted some years ago. Size works well, but you can see the difference in the painting. The old painting was not especially good, but the more recent ones are clearly less carefully done.

But, to be honest, I don't really mind. Given that my painting output has been zero for as long as it has (and for a while I wondered if I would actually paint anything again at all), I'm just pleased to be back on the horse - or elephant, if you prefer.

While I was rummaging around I also tidied up a few other figures that had lost shields or spears in the move over to New Zealand. My next plan is to look at the Numidian horse and bring those bases up to standard. I painted them a very long time ago and they never got a coat of varnish. Some paint has flaked off, and the mixture of matt, satin and gloss finishes from the various paints used is not very pleasing. The idea is to patch them up a bit, give them a bit of the magic wash, and then hit them with a matt spray. 

As for what's after that, we'll see what happens. 

Recent painting, and other goings-on

It's been a busy few weeks on the hobby front. The 15mm Achaemenid Persian army I had doubts I would ever get around to making progress on has started to take shape. Once flocking has been done, light infantry, bowmen, and Egyptian spearmen can now join the light and heavy cavalry already finished.

The light infantry and bowmen are Old Glory 15s with a few Essex thrown in. The Egyptian spear are Xyston. Lovely figures, but the shields are huge!

Anyway, the upshot is that I should be able to play some Phalanx or Commands & Colors scenarios soon.

I'm now working on painting up some useful bits and pieces: 16 Gauls, 4 Carthaginian heavy chariots (thanks Jonathan!) and 25 Dark Age types (thanks, Aaron!).

On another scale entirely, a bit of progress has also been lately made on my What a Tanker! project. Some 1/72 kits are now primed, have had their base colours done, and are awaiting some spare space on the painting table.

Last but not least, an Aussie guy whose eldest boy started at the same school our kids go to and who lives just up the road from us came round the other day for a drink and a game.

He's a video gamer, but seemed to enjoy a hastily put-together Commands & Colors scenario. He processed the rules really well, has good strategic sense, and quickly got the hang of a number of the tactical nuances.

He's a top guy too, so it's very nice to have him in the neighbourhood.

Hopefully he'll be available to join in next time we have a big game day.

You can never go wrong with C&C:A!

So, a good month!

A prize, some work in progress, and a few books

In the mail today came a prize from the USA (via Magister Militum in the UK): Jonathan of Palouse Wargaming Journal recently had a competition on his blog, and as the wargaming gods would have it, yours truly was lucky enough to win a prize.

To cut a long story short, there are now four more 15mm Carthaginian heavy chariots for me to paint up, which will be just brilliant. Since Jonathan is a master of painting chariots, these will also be a nice reminder of who they came from, and of the kindness of wargamers.

Thanks Jonathan!

Another thing that has been happening the past few days is some paint work on Forged in Battle Seleucid elephants. I'm doing a review for Slingshot, and have been enjoying beavering away at them in the hobby room. Here's where we're at so far. I can see I've been a touch heavy-handed on the drybrushing, but the old magic wash ought to sort that out later!

Lastly, over the last ten days or thereabout some books on matrix wargaming have been dribbling into the letterbox from the Book Depository. It's a form I'd like to learn more about and play around with because of its educational applicability. I've already written a little about using games in the ESL classroom, and would like to experiment more.

Painting

There's been a little more painting here over the past week or so.

Some Old Glory Persian slingers. I've quite enjoyed working on these.

Note the difference the dip makes (centre figure).

That's a start made on my Achaemenid Persian foot, though there are about 400 more to go!

Then some more figures from the American purchase. These ones I've just touched up and based. I'm not a big fan of these riders. They sort of look like gormless rabbits.

The Donnington Italian foot is OK, but I'm badly missing my matt spray varnish, which has decided to go all cloudy on me and I've had to use semi-gloss to clean them up. Don't like the look very much. Too shiny...

Functional stuff, but I think I prefer my own painting style.

Essex phalangites

Another batch from the recent US deal. These are Essex phalangites which were quite nicely painted already. The pikes needed straightening out and tidying up, then it was a white highlight on the linen armour and a dose of the dip. I needed to paint up and add 7 other figures from my Old Glory command set (the gift that keeps on giving!) to make up the numbers.

And here's a wee size comparison to some other 15mm ranges.

Black Hat 15s:

Xyston 15s:

These guys will be handy for big Successor battles, even if they are a lot smaller than the Xyston...

WIP: Touching up older figures

Back in July I posted about a shipment of various already painted Italian and Greek figures I'd received from the USA.

It's taken longer than I thought (doesn't it always?!), but I've been slowly working on getting them ship-shape and based. I've been out of a painting rhythm, so it's been a bit of a struggle, even though there's not a lot to do. First step was to touch up the paint jobs so that no bare metal would be showing through. I've then given them a little brush with my magic wash, and will come back to do a few highlights here and there.

     Before                              after
 the dip treatment

I should have taken proper before shots to see whether my tinkering is going to actually make them look better!

They'll be handy figures to have around, anyway. These are from the Donnington's Italian States range, codes IT32 and IT48.

A few more Italians

Have got a few more Italians done over the last couple of days. These chaps are (again) from the Strategia e Tattica Polybian Roman range, and although they are nominally hastati in attacking poses, they are going to be used primarily for my Roman Civil Wars armies, and have been based accordingly. With their mix of equipment and different coloured tunics they could be locally raised legions pulled together in a hurry, renegade Latins, slaves armed and fighting for their Roman masters - or slaves fighting against their Roman masters - Roman-trained Numidians, deserters in the east, disaffected Italians fled to Sertorius, Spanish armed as legionaries, ruffians gathered around Catiline, toughs pulled in to intimidate a crowd on voting day, etc etc. In short, they could be anyone or everyone. Should be quite useful, I think.

The painting is nothing special; I just wanted to get them done.

They can be fielded as six units of 12 if veterans, or four units of 18 when poorer quality.

15mm Roman cavalry

With the 'primed-and-ready-to-paint' boxes almost empty, I've been rummaging around in cupboards looking for figures that a) I feel like painting, b) might be useful and c) won't require spray priming in the current summer heat and humidity.

Fortunately, I found a box of Republican Romans I got in a deal with someone, and on looking more closely saw that all the cavalry was ready for paint, so I decided to make a start on those.

I actually feel a little guilty about this lot.  It is made up of a mixture of Chariot and Strategia e Tattica 15mm figures, which is a bit of an unusual combination. I know, because I did a post here suggesting that the two go together reasonably well.  Anyway, someone had bought selections of figures from the two lines, primed them, and then decided that they didn't really want to paint them up after all. I saw him advertise this fact, got in contact with the chap, and bought them off him.

The guilt comes from my wondering whether my original post (which I'd also put up to a wider audience on TMP) had been somehow instrumental in him making the purchase, and then of course in his being disappointed.

I hope not, but in any case, the best way to deal with the situation is to paint them up and use them!

So, to the painting.

These were done a little differently to my old style of painting Romans. I didn't bother with washes or stains prior to painting; my conversion to the dip method means that I now leave that to the end.

I did the horses in various shades, did the browns, the flesh, then cloaks in different reds. I did give a quick black wash on armour and spearheads, then painted on the bronze and silver. Shields were next, then plumes, belts, horse furniture and, finally, whites on the tunics and pteruges. There was a little highlight for cloaks and plumes, and then it was time for the dip.

There is quite an over-representation of command figures in this lot, but I'm sure I can find a use for them!

The photo above shows the problem that comes from skipping the pre-paint wash step I used to do - you can see I've missed a couple of spots on the hand and scabbard. If I'd used a brown wash to begin with those would not have been so obvious. Fortunately, due to the wonders of digital technology I've now seen them and can go and fix that up!

Here is a comparison with the older style painting.

You can see that the cloaks are darker and the folds more pronounced. I do quite like the slightly more cheerful look of the newer paint jobs though. Six of one, half a dozen of the other...

To finish these completely I'll bash out a few blazes and socks on the horses, then it's a case of waiting till autumn so I can give them a hit with the spray varnish.

QRF cataphracts done

It's been quite a while between drinks, but I've finally managed to finish off the final 16 Quick Reaction Force cataphracts I bought about seven years ago (note the quaintly optimistic 'I hope to get a unit finished in time for my game on Friday.' If the Friday in question were two years later, I might've had a shot!).

The first lot was finally finished in 2014, but it wasn't a great experience to prep and paint them and I now see it's taken me four years to do the rest.

They have a lot of flash to remove in tricky places, and require spears. Unfortunately, the hands don't lend themselves to drilling, so you just sort of have to glue and hope. On top of that, I didn't really enjoy painting the armour, had other figures I could use in the meantime, and just sort of put them off, then put them off again.

But they're done now, so that's the '15mm mounted' duck broken for 2018.

And to finish, here they are with their cousins painted in 2014. I thought I'd done a better job on the new batch, but they don't really look all that much different! These will have to wait for their coat of matte varnish. Summer here is not kind to sprays, and nor is winter, which is what the season was when I finished the last batch. I'll have to give both lots a nice going over with matte when spray conditions improve...

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Thanks for viewing, sorry for the whinging, and may all readers' cataphract models be completed in a far more reasonable time frame!