Enter the dragons...

…Lizardmen on show!

Jim: So Saturday sees the much vaunted arrival of the South Coast Saurus to our little league.

Bob: Should be a show Jim, can't wait to see them on the pitch, but who will they be up against?

Jim: I understand that a Pro Elf team will be making the trip - let's hope they travel well.

Bob: But I thought this was a triple header?

Jim: It is Bob, but the Nurgle coach is worried that his team just won't be up to the job.

Bob: Running scarred already?

Jim: Yep!

Saturday will see 'Bullcher Feb' and the 'Dark Templar' travelling down to the home of the mighty South Coast Saurus and bravado aside it should be great fun; hopefully the rules will start to make more sense when I finally see them in context.  As for who will win?  Just remember, 

"Everything is better with Dinosaurs."

Salute 2014

I had hoped to post something truly unique and erudite to mark another successful venture to the United Kingdom's largest Wargaming event - Salute 2014.  Alas this would have involved me actually taking some decent photographs and sitting down promptly on one's return and taping away at a post, which I didn't.  Consequently there are already a good many erstwhile weblogs that have beaten me to the line and I would suggest you pay them a visit to actually see what this year's show was really like.

For the 'Provost Marshal' and myself, it proved to be an expensive day out.  I hadn't planned to have a list this year, but something, Mike 'The Dark Templar' Reynolds (thank you for my blocking dice and Aetherium Miniature!) had said last year saw me jotting down a few prices of items that I might be interested in, the idea being that it might be better to save one's pocket money and order them up on the return to 'Awdry Towers'.  This sounds all well and good in practise, but what you end up with, is of course, a list!  

So what was I after?  Well sourcing miniatures for the new diversion, 'Witchfinder General' was the priority this year and I took advantage of 'Hersey Miniatures' generous offer on the day to pick up no end of unholy denizens of the night - namely hell hounds, werewolves and ghouls, although I notice a man bat got in under the radar as well.  It was impossible to resist the '4 Ground' timber framed houses and by this stage my shopping lust was in full rage and I was advance ordering a giant wicker man and a gibbet set without even breaking step - I was doomed.

The Bloggers' meet couldn't come quickly enough and I was determined this year to catch up with a couple more chaps that my naturally shy and reserved nature prevented me from doing so last year; my apologies again, however, if I missed you.  This really is a highlight for me as it is lovely to actually have a physical conversation with those that spend a good amount of time supporting, viewing and even commenting on each other's work in cyberspace.  There was much talk of the fact that it seemed quieter this year, but I'm not so sure myself, certainly the stalls that I was trying to get to were constantly busy throughout the day and if I'm honest I rather like a little space where you can just stop and think without been constantly jostled.  So I certainly enjoyed the day, but the old painting/buying tally counter has taken a hit!  As we left for the show yesterday, I had actually painted more than I had bought this year, that is most definitely no longer the case - whoops! 

Covering Fire!

With only four more get ups to 'Salute 2014' and given this year's theme is D-Day, I thought that I would share some World War II related miniatures with you all.  I was sorting through the masses of photographs that I have taken over the last six months or so, when I came across these.  This was my contribution to the 'Santa Clause' an idea conceived by Ian, from 'The Blog With No Name' and magnificently organised by his lovely wife Cath.  Whilst Christmas has now passed it only seemed fair to check with the recipient that they were happy for me to display them and when I was given the OK, set about choosing the best images.

Once again great fun to do as I'm always looking for an excuse to paint something new and shiny and so when the first things I saw on my intended recipient's blog were the 8th Army it was too good an opportunity to miss.  This then is an 'Artizan Designs', British 8th Army Vickers MMG Team based on a 'Warbases' MDF disc.  Good clean sculpts and plenty of detail to get your teeth into without overcomplicated things.

Rest assured I'm not planning any more World War II diversions just at the moment, but with 'Salute' just days away the wallet is starting to look a little apprehensive.  I've no real shopping list this year, but I have jotted one or two things down that I might like to pick up if the price were right.  Of course one of the highlights will be catching up with fellow bloggers at lunchtime, so who am I looking out for this year?  

2nd Punjab Cavalry Command

Part two, as it were, of my 'Mutineer Miniatures' Punjab or Sikh Cavalry, this time the command group.    Those of you who have a copy of the 'Indian Mutiny' from the Osprey Men-at-Arms series will hopefully recognise the officer in the middle from its cover illustration, resplendent in his cold weather poshteen, which in turn rather dictated how the rest of the unit would evolve.  The choice of red for the alkaluk might be contentious as different colours were certainly worn by other ranks, but the red certainly gives them some presence so happy to ride the derision of the 'button counters' on this one.

Fighting with distinction at Delhi and Lucknow, the 2nd Punjab Cavalry were made up of Sikh cavalrymen that remained loyal to the crown during the mutiny.  The Sikh religion forbade the cutting of hair, including facial hair and many would sport wonderfully fierce beards so I was delighted to see that this detail was carried through into the sculpting of these miniatures.  Having failed to source the appropriate guidon, the standard bearer has been given a bamboo lance for the interim period.

2nd Cavalry, Punjab Irregular Force, 1859

Nineteen officers and other ranks of the 2nd Punjab Cavalry received a total of twenty-three Order of Merit awards, including four advancements, for gallantry during the Indian Mutiny. The photograph, shown below, was published in the 'History of the Second Punjab Cavalry from 1849 to 1886' (London, 1888), and shows some of the recipients of that award.

Back Row: Dafadar Bishan Sing (3rd Class) & Jemadar Jeewun Sing (3rd Class)

Middle Row (seated): Ressaidar Hukdad Khan (3rd Class, advanced to 2nd Class) & Risaldar Bishun Sing (3rd Class, advanced to 2nd Class)

Front Row (seated): Jemadar Shere Sing (3rd Class, advanced to 2nd Class), Dafadar Punjaub Sing

(3rd Class) & Dafadar Sirmook Sing (3rd Class).

Paint Table Saturday#22

Now I wasn't going to submit anything this morning on the grounds that there wasn't much to see, what with the recently completely Punjab Cavalry awaiting their close ups at the Daguerreotype studio.  As you can see, however, there have been one or two developments!  With the completion of the '4th Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge' the pressure to constantly produce something to raise one's tally has lifted; don't get me wrong, I love taking part in the challenge and the process was vital in keeping me on track with all things Victorian, but now, as they say, it is time for something completely different!

Regular readers may have heard mention in recent posts of yet another 'secret project', but rather than have it skulk in the shadows, I felt it was time to 'out' this latest diversion. From the outset it is important to apportion the blame for this dalliance at the door of my good friend the 'Provost Marshal', after all it couldn't be my fault!  You see some years ago, when I was taking my first tentative steps along the glorious bridleway of this most wholesome of hobbies, he managed to sneak into 'Awdry Towers' a veritable mountain of English Civil War lead!  

Now I ashamedly know very little about the English Civil War past my rudimentary schoolboy level and certainly had no desire to invest my precious time in it when I could be painting scarlet clad warriors armed with Martini Henry rifles, but guilt is a terrible thing!  Every so often I would hear them calling from afar until one day, I stumbled across 'Witchfinder General - Days of Revelation'.  This imaginative rule set from 'Dashing Dice Games' looks to combine 17th Century folklore with historical warfare at a skirmish level; Imagine all those Hammer Horror movies played out on the table top!

So as you can see the first stages of prepping have taken place as I have cherry picked through the vast assortment gifted to me.  Mostly from 'Redoubt Enterprises', I have added some 'Wargames Foundry' witches and plague doctors and intend to have a blast painting them.  I have absolutely no idea where this will lead or even if it will make to the table, I'm just glad to be finally doing something with what was a hugely generous gift.

"Move along there, nothing to see here!"

Finally, please remember that you can see many more 'Paint Tables' by popping over to Sophie fabulous weblog here.

2nd Punjab Cavalry

A very brief post this morning (with no fooling) to showcase the first of my Punjabi Cavalry, the command group should follow shortly.  Some gently ribbing from a few of my fellow bloggers (Thank you Pete and Millsy!) has seen these chaps push past the London Bobbies to get to the front of the paint queue.  They are from 'Mutineer Miniatures' and were lovely to work on with plenty of detail to snag my brush.  

28mm Rustled Livestock!

I've been thoroughly enjoying Loki's posts regarding the recently released range of miniatures from 'Warbases'; this new menagerie of animals are just perfect for adding a bit of depth to any table and reminded me that I had recently picked up some exciting new additions for my own collection.  Yes those talented chaps over at 'Mysterious Minis', purveyors of the perplexing and enigmatic have done it again and released another must have box of miniatures. 

Sculpted by the mischievous Ffwl Ebrill, this set really is a delight to behold with the box containing all you need to give your cows or sheep that just rustled look.  With fencing, barbed wire and enough livestock to keep even the most fervent thief busy on a moonlight night, the magical ingredients have to be a couple of pre-sculpted base plates.  

The box contents.

Designed to provide the evidence of foul play, the two sculpted base plates give you a couple of options to depict either the tracks of a horse drawn cart of perhaps a more modern alternative by using the one with tyre tracks - ingenious! 

These were some of the most exquisitely detailed miniatures you could wish to find, provided of course that you could find them.  The fences and base plates aside, it was the livestock that really sets this set apart from the rest, but they are proving somewhat elusive - yes it would appear that some ne'er do wells have liberated my prize steeds and on the first day of April as well!   

The tyre base plate painted up.