A Ruinous Proposition!

I think it would be fair to say that my foray into the world of Napoleonic Gothic Horror, courtesy of Joseph A. McCullough's The Silver Bayonet, has been something of a slow burn.  By my reckoning, I first started gathering resources and rules back in October 2024!  It therefore comes as something of a surprise to find myself actually maintaining a degree of momentum and steadily working towards completing the various bits and pieces required for the second scenario of the solo campaign.

A Mooost Unfortunate Discovery!

So, Zomtober has come and gone, and what a thoroughly enjoyable experience it has been! There is something immensely satisfying about digging out long neglected miniatures and bringing them, ever so slightly, back to life.  It has also proved rather rewarding, whether through manipulating plastic sprues to create undead French artillerymen, researching revolting revolutionaries or rediscovering forgotten painting techniques in the form of Army Painter Quickshade.

The Quick and the Undead!

With the end of the month fast approaching, Zomtober hasn't proved quite as prolific as I had hoped.  That said, I felt that I probably had enough revenants to tackle the second solo scenario of The Silver Bayonet, having already completed my unfortunate French artillerymen and, of course, Napoleon Blownapart's revolting revolutionaries.  I was of a mind to leave matters there, but whilst rummaging through the 'Trays of Trepidation', that peculiar holding area where prepared and occasionally primed miniatures languish in a sort of plastic purgatory, I came across a selection of Zombicide: Black Plague Walkers and NPCs, or Notorious Plagued Characters.*

Liberté, Égalité, Morbidité!

Another undead themed offering for Zomtober 2026, that splendid annual opportunity to clear the backlog of miniatures that have been shambling around the periphery of the painting table for what seems like an eternity.

These Zombie Napoleonic Infantry from 'Eureka Miniatures' were very much an impulse purchase and, if truth be told, a project that I had started some considerable time ago. I had been aware of these wonderfully gruesome little chaps for a while, but it wasn't until The Silver Bayonet became my latest obsession that I finally felt able to justify acquiring them. Not, I hasten to add, that the absence of a suitable project has ever proved much of an obstacle to buying random miniatures before!

The Resurrection Reshuffle!

Oh my goodness me, what a couple of weeks this has been! With the academic year now well underway, I had started to turn my thoughts towards Zomtober; that wonderful opportunity to awaken some long neglected undead miniatures from the pile of shame and have them shamble across the painting table. With this in mind, I had already earmarked a couple of likely candidates and was preparing to make a start when, without warning, the gremlins descended upon my beloved 28mm Victorian Warfare!

A Scene of Untimely Demise

Just a very quick post this time, to showcase a rather macabre little casualty stand that has been quietly waiting in the wings.  When I was looking to produce the devastated camp for my Silver Bayonet project, I spent some time trawling the infoweb in search of suitable casualty markers.  Amongst the various possibilities I came across were a couple of stands of Napoleonic French artillery from 'Offensive Miniatures'.  They looked rather useful and, for a while, I had visions of creating some sort of devastated artillery position around them, complete with exploded barrel and splintered limber.

The Spectre of Summer

The start of any new academic year is always a busy and exciting time.  New names to learn, departmental development plans that need revising and the obligatory safeguarding refresher courses all leave remarkably little time for hobby related fluff.  That said, I was so buoyed by the enthusiasm generated through the summer's series of posts that I am keen to keep a little momentum going if I can.

The difficulty, of course, is finding the balance.  One of the great pleasures of the last couple of months has been reconnecting with friends across the blogging community, and I would very much like to maintain those connections.  However, I am also conscious that once the school year is in full swing, finding time for the hobby desk becomes rather more challenging.  There are only so many hours in the day and the Charcoal Avalanche, that heavy, dark and slightly messy physical weight of sketchbooks requiring marking, remains stubbornly indifferent to my own artistic ambitions.