Everything stops for tea.

Just the briefest of posts today as I have just realised that I hadn't posted this small collection of loosely themed miniatures that were part of my efforts in the 'VII Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge'.  In the back of my mind, I have an inkling that the new 'Congo' rules are something that I need to have and in order to justify that purchase, I have dusted down a few bits and pieces that might be suitable. 

Various manufacturers on show here, Copplestone, Dixon and Northstar, I believe, but do correct me if not the case.  I was actually quite surprised at how many potentially suitable miniatures I already have for this departure and so who knows where this may lead?

Colonial Steam River Launch

I think that it would be fair to say that my challenge did not go exactly as I planned insomuch that larger* units of historical miniatures were been overlooked in favour of smaller, more interesting items. I am squaring this away as a direct result of my inability to focus on one thing at any one time and although initially frustrating I decided to embrace it wholeheartedly and enjoy the ride - so to speak! 

*larger for me anyway

To that end let me present to you one of my last offerings to the challenge in the shape of a 'Sarissa Precision' Colonial Steam River Launch.  Whilst I know that not everyone is a fan of the seemingly relentless march of MDF in our most wholesome of hobbies, I have to confess that I am a bit of a fan.  I really enjoy putting these kits together and in the case of the 'Sarissa Precision' models there is plenty of scope to add your own personal touches.  

Having said that when it came to mine, I shamelessly cribbed much of the colour palette and additional extras that I had seen on the Sarissa display stand when I last visited 'Salute'.  The Coal Sacks were sourced from 'The Battle Forge' and I affixed some rivets to the boiler before swapping out the somewhat angular funnel for a more cylindrical piece of tube.  

As with all MDF models, priming is essential as the nature of the material means it will absorb great quantities of paint if you do not.  That said a liberal spray with 'Games Workshop' black undercoat seemed to do the trick, followed by a couple of passes with the trusty airbrush before the details were picked out with a brush.  

Once completed, I set about looking for a suitable skipper and felt that a 'Wargames Foundry' Stouthearted Brit, enjoying his cup of Earl Grey was perfect for the job, but wait, what was that breaking the surface of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River?

As I mentioned at the start of this post, I am often misdirected by the smallest of things and in this case it was the notion that there might be something lurking beneath the waves, ready to ensnare this humble craft. Perhaps lured by the rhythmic thumping of the steam pump, something long forgotten has been stirred from its slumber. In this case some plastic tentacles from my 'Rum & Bones' Kickstarter sufficed and they seemed perfectly responsive to paint. Not content with paint alone, I used a little Vallejo water effects to give the impression of them breaking the surface.

So this was another entry for the challenge completed, but perhaps more importantly another itch scratched.  Maybe the launch will resurface in a 'Congo' scenario, or be seen ferrying troops ashore along the Irrawaddy, but either way it has proved another hugely enjoyable distraction for yours truly.

Dinosaur Detector™

It will not have escaped many, that I have a ‘thing’ for dinosaurs.  I’m not sure why, but as a small chap something about them sparked my imagination.  The different shapes, the different sizes, the ridiculously long names that a precocious young Master Awdry seemed to be able to reel off at will, all combined with a heady mix of fear and mystery; yes it is true, everything is better with Dinosaurs.

Now a tad older, if not wiser, this love of all things prehistoric is as strong as ever and occasionally the passion is indulged.* One such indulgence is the recently discovered Dinosaur Detector™ – surely every Dinosaur lover’s perfect gift?

* The less said about the six foot inflatable Tyrannosaurus Rex that resides in my study at school the better!

I can’t deny that I was a smidge sceptical when I first saw this listed on a well known internet auction site, the scepticism somewhat heightened when I recently discovered that the company has changed the listing description, which you can see here, but all said and done this did present a thoroughly reasonable investment.

In a fit of childlike enthusiasm, I brushed aside all doubts and clicked ‘buy now’ and didn’t give the matter another thought until, that is, the Dinosaur Detector™ arrived on the doormat of ‘Awdry Towers’.  The excitement was palpable as I fell upon the package and in a ripping frenzy only matched by the king of lizards himself unearthed my prize!  Following the instructions to the letter I carefully filled the dinosaur detector with water and waited…

and waited, and waited.  In fact just when I had given up all hope and had started to scour the company’s webstore for a returns policy something amazing happened – another shudder and it was clear to all, the dinosaurs were coming!

Now good reader you have been patient for long enough so it is only fair that I share with you my record of this morning’s adventure.  I leave you with incontrovertible proof that my Dinosaur Detector™ is fully operational and hope that you enjoy the rest of this first day in April.

Post Script

To see another Dinosaur Detector™ in action you might be entertained by the following link: "Where's the goat?"

The Command Stand

As part of the ongoing Spring Clean, and by way of marking the recent BlogDay anniversary, I have added another page to this humble weblog. ‘The Command Stand’ is just an opportunity to showcase, in one place, those flights of fancy that I have indulged in over the last six years. Small collections of miniatures or scenic bases that were created, often for no other reason than I fancied doing something a little bit different.

The ‘Command Stand’ was going to be the name of a bespoke painting service that myself and the Provost Marshal were considering, the idea being to focus on smaller units or command stands and give them a little more attention  than perhaps you might the rank and file.  Sadly our respective day jobs and the fact that I seem incapable of focussing on one thing for any length of time have put paid to that idea, at least for the present.

More recently these ‘distractions’ have proved the mainstay of my entries in the ‘Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge’ but even without this impetus there always seems to be time for fun and I hope to update the page as and when a new piece is created with a link back to the original post.

Good Bye old friend…

… A Spring clean.

I’ve always enjoyed a Spring Clean, a rifle through the collected detritus of life, rediscovering long lost treasures.  A chance to organise, evaluate and possibly discard those items that inexplicably accumulate around the periphery of oneself.

With regards to this humble weblog, I had considered redesigning the décor, perhaps even updating one’s avatar, but over the last six years, ‘28mm Victorian Warfare’ has proved such an invaluable escape that I simply couldn’t bring myself to do it.  Instead I resigned myself to checking and updating the hyperlinks, returning my library books and generally titivating the front page.  It was during this time that my tired eyes fell upon the banner for the Gentlemens Wargames Parlour and I felt a pang of sorrow stab my hardened heart.  The Parlour was my first foray into the often troublesome world of online forums.  I had been lurking around its hallowed corridors for a while, before finally applying for membership, and was heartened by what I saw.  The quality of posting, the use of language and general good natured comments made by the members were all in stark contrast to other notable forums who were suffering from the curse of banter at that time. 

Having made my introductions in the Duke of Wellington Bar, I would be found, more often than not, in the Rudyard Kipling Suite, which whilst not as busy as say the Edward VIII Cocktail Bar still attracted enough passing trade to allow this novice contributor a real boost form the positive comments and general helpfulness of the members.  In short, I could not have been happier I had found a window for my creativity and was starting to consider the enlightened members as friends, many of whom are still with me today as we continue to pass comments on our respective blogs.

I can’t tell you exactly why and how the Parlour started to decline, many theories abound, but it did seem to happen very quickly.  I suppose the simple truth was that it didn’t have the numbers to sustain the interest, but whatever the reason, the end was inevitable.  Ultimately I followed the lead of many other respected Gentleman and commissioned my own blog, ‘28mm Victorian Warfare’ with a clear mandate to replicate the enthusiasm, kindness and jolly good manners that I had come to expect from the Parlour.

Every so often, I venture back, dust the cobwebs from one of the virtual armchairs and make a polite enquiry as to the whereabouts of the chaps, but these comments seem to dissipate down the now silent corridors.  My last post in March 2016 was simply not acknowledged, there was nobody there.

So the unescapable truth is that the Gentlemens Wargames Parlour is no more and I am resigned to take down the banner, fold it neatly and place it the virtual drawer marked ‘gone, but not forgotten’.  If I could beg your indulgence just a little longer then I would ask you all to charge your virtual glasses and raise them in one final toast,

Goodbye old friend.

Post Challenge Round Up

So there we have it, the conclusion of the ‘VII Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge’.  Spring has finally sprung and the hugely successful hobby juggernaut, so masterfully steered by Curtis Campbell and his merry band of minions can, once again, be parked up for another year.  This then is the obligatory personal review and more importantly an opportunity to thank those involved in the running of the event for their collective efforts.  Over the course of the challenge I took a series of work bench shots that I will publish here by way of accompaniment to my rather dry narrative.

I feel as if I have been a bit of a spectator this year, not able to find the time to comment on the challenge blog as much as I would have liked. Instead I have tried to show my support to my fellow challengers by commenting, where I can, on their personal blogs.  This has left me feeling slightly uncomfortable about the whole process as I’m not sure that it is really in the spirt of such a collaborative event.

The bonus rounds continue to prove to be a wonderful addition to the format.  After initially declaring that I wasn’t getting involved in them this year, I completely disregarded my own decree and set about planning something for each and every one.  In my defence, I did consciously scale down my ambition for a couple of the rounds, but the remaining three sapped a huge amount of time and effort, but were great fun nevertheless.

As for my own personal goals and tallies?  Well this year, I failed to reach my target score of a 1000 points. (892points 30/96) I had hoped that my cunning plan of priming larger (larger for me anyway) units in coloured undercoat, inspired by the likes of the ever productive Tamsin, would help to speed things along, but instead it would appear to have had the opposite effect.  I found that as I glanced over at the massed ranks of Guards, Cuirassiers and Mutineers that I would do anything rather than add to the already colourful start I had made to them, I even caught myself taking out new, unprimed miniatures and started to prepare them for next year - madness I tell you.

As the challenge went on, I soon realised that not sticking to my plan, no matter how convoluted, was going to leave me well short of my target.  After initially getting myself in a bit of a tizzy about this, I soon realised that the easiest solution was to stop, pack away anything that was proving to be of a distraction and concentrate on having fun – after all, when your hobby starts to become a chore, then it stops being a hobby!

Whilst I may have struggled to paint enough miniatures in the time permitted to reach my target score, others didn’t.  Some challengers went on to exceed their own expectations and the quality and sheer quantity of what has been produced this year is truly staggering, yes Dave Docherty, I am thinking of you.  A particular highlight for me was a collaborative project with Sander and Stefan, which proved not only successful, but a ringing endorsement of all that I have come to cherish from most wholesome of hobbies - thank you Gentlemen. 

I would just like to take this opportunity to congratulate all my fellow challengers for their often Herculean efforts over the winter months and to once again thank Curt for his tireless enthusiasm in continuing to run this event.

Happy Blogday '28mm Victorian Warfare'...

...6 today

Today marks the sixth anniversary of the creation of this humble weblog, something that I find quite staggering given my complete inability to focus on anything for any given period of time. This has become particularly evident in the wide range of projects often started, but then callously abandoned. There have even been suggestions that the title banner be torn down and a new one proclaiming something along the lines of ‘28mm Whatever’ be hoisted up instead. 

The fact of the matter is that there are just too many shiny temptations out there for me to resist. There are signs that, I am starting to have more of an idea as to where my hobby time is headed and I was heartened by the fact that when I sat down to consider what I might want to look for at ‘Salute’ this year there were very few surprises. ‘Congo’ is certainly on the wish list as this fits loosely into the tales of derring-do of the late Victorian era, but of the surprises, I am still intrigued by Black Ops and have been considering possible scenarios based around this. In addition there has been the playful exploration of the Ghostbusters world and the possibility of looking to expand this to include Mystery Inc. doing battle with various Hollywood monsters. I have to confess that I have no idea how this might work, but I do so enjoy the fun of it all.

So another year done and there would appear to be life in the old weblog yet! I think part of the reason that I have stuck with the idea of posting my progress has been the level of support and genuine comradery that has been a most welcome by-product of the process. I am very fortunate to have met some of the more persistent commentators and often humbled by their generosity of spirit with regards to all things ‘hobby’.

So once again I need to thank all of you that stop by ‘28mm Victorian Warfare’, but particularly those that leave the odd comment; your encouragement greatly appreciated.