Spanish Napoleonics - Phase 2 Complete

You know I like to talk about the phases of my 28mm Nappy project.

Well I am excited to report that I am complete with my Phase II portion of my Spanish Nappy Project.

Phase I was 3 Infantry Units and a couple of cannons. Well 2 weeks ago I finished the last unit in Phase II. The last Line Infantry Musketeer unit. So for the forseeable future, I am complete with a spanish Army that has a good core of Infantry and a couple of Cannon and a Dragoon Unit. Good enough for a full command in Black Powder or to be parceled out to the rest of the British Army to bolster the ranks.

I have not completed bases yet. I will do that once the Baron paints me a couple of Generals for the Spanish. I convinced(blackmailed) him that he could have the Giants in my Bones order if he would paint me a couple of mounted generals for my Spanish. They are cleaned and primed, I just need to get them to him.

Here's some pics:

 
4 Musketeer Units, 1 Militia Unit, 1 Converged Grenadier Unit, 1 Dragoon Unit, and 2 Cannon.

I have figs for another Musketeer Unit and Militia Unit as well as 3 Cannons and a Dragoon Unit. So that is Phase 3. Who knows when I will get to that. But for now, I will enjoy that my Phase II projects for the British and Spanish are done.

I have fallen in love with the old Victrix metal/now Bridgae Games Portuguese that Paul Hicks sculpted. I think they will be my next Nappy Purchase when I am ready. But til then I have boxes of French that may actually see the light of the painting table. Because they are woefully understaffed at the moment. Looks like fall and winter may be the winter of the Tricolor! and basing. goddamn basing. I only have 160 stands to do right now for the Allied Army. And I still need to add Flags to each unit.

Taking a break from historicals for the moment.

I have been painting 28mm SF for the last 2 weeks when i can steal some time. Pics to come on Monday. I have had a nice sized Pig Iron Heavy Infantry army languishing in primer for a very long time. As well as a bunch of Kolony and Rebel minis and extra heads. So I cranked out a nice big squad of them and some support weapons and command. I have a couple more leg units to do and a nice collection of Wardroids (I love their wardroids and their accessory packs make them even better) to work on this weekend. simple 3 layer paint jobs. Been a lot of fun. Bright and spacey!

Happy painting

Weekend Progress - 8-16-13 to 8-18-13

Well gentle readers I continued to make progress on finishing out my current Spanish and British armies for the Penninsula.

I finished 3 new stands of British Foot Artillery, plus a Division and Army Commander as well.

In addition, I got boots, pants, belts, sheaths, and jackets finished on a unit of Spanish Musketeers as well as my missing grenadier stand. Hopefully can finish them tonite.

Happy painting.

Spanish Napoleonics - Pics

Well finally, some pics for you kind readers.Been a while.

Quick set up of Spanish village buildings a too-blue background and poor lighting and you have a patented Lead Addict photoshoot!

Spanish division where it stands now. 1 Dragoon Unit, 2 Foot Cannon, 1 Provincial Militia Unit, and 3 Infantry Units. All Front Rank. I have another Dragoon unit on paint sticks, another infantry unit, 2 stands of grenadiers for a converged gren unit, 2 cannon, command, casualty counters and another militia unit to wrap it up. I also have the guerillas as well, but they will be mounted on singles for skirmishing. Need to do bases and flags, but this is a nice start for a Spanish Division to bolster the British Army for Black Powder.

Update 2-14-13 Happy Corporate Forced Feelings of Intimacy!

Happy made up holiday from the greeting card companies! (I'm looking at you Hallmark. No really, I'm looking down the street at the headquarters)

On this day of love and false hope of story book romance, I thought I would give my gentle readers a quick update of things I love.

1. I love that I have an embarassment of riches in the hordes of miniatures slumbering to be painted in the Workshop of Doom.
2. I love that my gamers ADD has manifested itself in way that I can literally change to almost any period at any time and have at least one unit to paint or play with.
3. I love old GW boxed games. Boy they have really tanked it after that.
4. I love 3d CAD sculpts for machinery and equipments. And the sculptors just keep getting better. Thanks for pushing the envelope Spartan.
5. I love that my family knows how much I love the hobby and that at XMas and my Birthday, there is always at least one gaiming or mini gift for me.Usually lots.
6. I love my gaming group. They are a great group of guys, who know how to enjoy the hobby. Each brings something different to the mix and we are all better for it. Thanks BG's. Wish I had been there more recently.
7. I love the Wife, the Boys and the Family, etc
8. I LOVE MY DOGS. Nothing puts me in a better mood than playing with the two of them.

And here's a picture of a cinnamon roll in the shape of a vagina that the BAron sent me this morning. If you turn it upside down, it looks like a heart. Kinda.

On the Update side of things:

I finished 3 support cards of troops for the Ultra Marines. 3 units of Dreadnaughts, Robots, Tactical Detachment.

I base painted a unit of Dreads and a unit of Land Speeders for the Imperial Fists as a test go cause I was tired of painting blue.

Spartan Games have now put up for free in pdf their spaceship rules - Firestorm Armada, and their Fantasy Naval Rules - Uncharted Seas. Can't go wrong with free. And their sculpts are second to none. I am going to pick up some US fleets for my BDay and probably order some more assorted stuff. I have to admit, I am as intrigued by their scenery lines as their mini lines. Beautiful stuff.

The Numancia Dragoons taunt me from their perch. I really must finish them soon. Probably on my B-Day weekend when I can carve some time away.

Enjoy your loved ones. Hold them tight and tell them you love them on every other day besides today so they know you mean it and you know they have heard you. Nothing else really matters cause despite the great gathering of toys, you can't take them with you, and the worms don't like gaming. All the love, LA.

Some little progress...

 So last night, I climbed this creaky a bruised ole body back up on that horse and started to paint again. Painting is a mind game for me. And I have to be in the zone to do it well. And much like good writers will tell you, you can't wait for inspiration. You have to write, everyday, to really get good at it, so that when inspiration does strike, you have exercised enough to capture it and ride it out. So following the loss of my father in law, I just hadn't felt like painting. So I hadn't picked up a brush in 2 months, and only then was I painting cause I was painting a gift. So after getting excited by seeing the Portuguese Nappies that Eureka picked up from Victrix, sculpted by Paul Hicks, and various other stuff from the interwebs, I dipped my toes back in the water for a couple of hours last night. I had Season Three of Community on the DVD, a box of Dots, a big glass of ice water and a unit of all YELLOW Spanish Dragoons staring me in the face. Oh well, better dive right in. It took a bit of time to get brush control, and the brushes them selves working in unison, but, when I was done, it felt good to be back in the saddle. I see some time this weekend spent at my paint table to finish the Numancia Dragoons.So here's to being back at it. As sloppy as it was, I still enjoyed it.

Sadly, the state of my brushes is not good.  It took a little bit to get my favorite 2 brushes up and running last night. But at the end they were soldiering through. So I need to go get a couple of new ones to get in the rotation.(and now... a brush rant)

I want to say that I am pretty hard on brushes. I have spent really good money on really good brushes (Sable W&N, Foundry, Reaper Pro, endless others) and for me, I keep coming back to two lines. First is the Reaper Pro line of takalon brushes. Blasphemy #1! I know as a painter I should use sable. I should prefer sable. But ya know what, I hate sable. Too supple, too soft, to blah for me. I use cleaner and soap on my brushes and take good care of them, but I also use the hell out of them, and the sable is always the most expensive and the first to fail. Side hairs, won't hold a point, split tip, you name it. And for all of the advice to keep paint out of the ferrel of the brush, how is that even possible when yo are pallette mixing, and paint a unit of 36 line infantry at a time? So for my money the Reper Pro line is a good value and they last the longest. runner up is Brush Blasphemy #2 - I like Plaid brushes too. You know the ones at Hobby Lobby, or Jo Ann's or Michaels craft stores, that you always get a 40% off coupon for. Yeah, those. They last as long and hold a point as well as my Repaer Pros do. Now when they go, they go fast, but up to that point, they are the tits. And Blasphemy #3, I never paint with anything smaller than a #2. Never. Oh I have them all, I just don't use them. I don't even know what I would paint with the 000 that I have. I just got it cause people said you had to have one. I use a #3 for almost everything, and if it is keeping its tip, I don't have to go smaller. I will admit, for my British, I started using a # 2 to make sure I wash getting definition on all that lace, but that's really it. And if I paint eyes, which I don't do on bulk troops, a good pointed #2 will do it. So like many things, its all about what you are comfortable doing. and I guess I really did listen when an art teacher said, paint with the largest brush you can to accomplish your goal. Done!

Scale Creep Miniatures is having a crazy clearance sale on Derivan Minis Paint. Its a 37ml bottle(about twice the size of Vallejo) for $1.00. I don't really need a bunch of paint, but they had several great and interesting colors, and they have gotten favorable feedback on TMP, so I thought I would pick up a few. And with all this 28mm Nappy, 15mm Sci Fi, and 15mm Fantasy to paint, plus Sedition Wars and Bones coming, you can never have enough paint. When I was done, I had 25 pots in my cart. So if nothing else I have a bunch of new terrain paints. And if I can ever get the boys to paint again, they will have some good paints too. My hope lies in the fact that they have a French Blue that I like for my Nappies. We shall see.

Update- Spanish Napoleonics, Dystopian Wars, and Firestorm Armada?

Well kind readers, its been a bit since an update. I posted a quick one on Albion Triumphant for Black Powder, and that's been about it. We have had some family tragedy with the loss of my father in law. He was a great man. I was lucky to have known him. He was a father to me. And will be greatly missed.

So not much mood for frivolity and the fun things that seem so minor when the big stuff in your life happen.

But one thing this hobby can give us is a release, a place to go hide and enjoy the simple pleasure of painting, or terrain building or even gaming with your friends. So as minor as this may all be, its a nice place to call home too.

So as far as the Workshop of Doom and progress goes, not a lot has been done. I have a nice series of long weekends coming up for xmas and new years so in between the family stuff, and a great friend daytrip to a stellar BBQ joint, I hope I can carve away some real time and paint.

Spanish Nappies - I finished the 1811/12 militia uint. They look good. Pics of the whole Spanish Infantry when they are all done. That's 4 of 5 units complete. I have one infantry unit to complete. Plus one stand of grenaiders. This would give me four units of line, and one militia, plus one converged grenaider unit(pull the grenadier stands from each line unit. I got the horse flesh completed on my first Dragoon Unit. Numancia of course. So maybe, just maybe, by the end of break, I will be done with my Spanish Army. (1 line unit, 1 grenadier stand, 2 dragoon units, 2 cannon, and  4 commanders left to paint). Once they are done, I am going to do all the stand base work for both the Spanish and the British, so they will be ready to play. Then - START ON THE FRENCH.

It must have been hard riding around looking like a banana!

Dystopian Wars - Gonna paint a couple units for someone on my xmas list. Maybe entice him to play, or just paint something different. Should be fun. Gotta get it done before xmas. The clock starts now!

Firestorm Armada - Seriously thinking of buying a couple of fleets and the new rules and campaign book with my xmas money. I love spaceship combat. and this is a great line. I have a couple of tubs of vairous stuff from othe rmanufacturers that I play Full Thrust with, but would be willing to try this.



That's a pretty sexy looking fleet.



Update - 11-22-12

Here's a quick update on the goings on in the Workshop of Doom:

I have two units, plus 2 stands of Spanish Line Infantry for my Nappy Spanish Project on the table. One unit is base painted, the second unit is 3hours from completion. Once these two units are done, I will have 4 Line Units ready to go, which I can pull out a Grenadier stand from each unit to make a Converged Grenadier unit. Yeah. that's 5 Units, hopefully completed by the end of Thanksgiving Break. After that, I need to do a large Militia unit (8 stands), and the Spanish Infantry will be done. The Spanish Artillery is done. Then its 2 Dragoon Units and the Spanish Army is complete.

We had a great playtest of Gruntz the other day, so I think 15mm Sci Fi is gonna move up the list.I need to Finish the Humanist QRF(CMG Recon Infantry, GZG Hi Wheeled Mobility Vehicles, DP9 Mechs) Vehicles so I can move on and Finish my Garn (Khurusan, GW).

I am on the verge of Pulling the Trigger on painting my 15mm Fantasy Undead Army for Hail Caesar! But it's kinda either that or 15mm Sci Fi. Right now Sci Fi wins cause I think GRuntz is really workable for the group and me. But all I will have to do is pull out the blisters and away I'll go.

Contemplating what my next Side-Side Project is (there's always one). With Nappy's and 15mm Sci Fi going strong, I will need to take a break I am sure. So the leading contenders are Pulp Eldritch Horror(a little Cthulhu action), Some Fantasy Chaos Warband stuff (old Marauder and Citadel lead) to fight the Brettonians and Undead warbands, Or maybe some Epic units. Side-Sides are just for breaking the tedium of big projects that really don't have an end point.

I printed out the Dropzone Commander free downloadable buildings. They are great. Expect some quick cobbled together goodness for my Mechwarrior Repaints for Robofire!

Enjoy the long weekend and keep painting!

28mm Spanish Napoleonics for Black Powder - Irlander Unit

Here is the completed Irlander Unit for my Spanish Army for Black Powder.

I am doing the Spanish Units at 20 figs, instead of the 24 for my normal units. But I may go back and do the extra stand. Not sure.

Banners and Basing when I am done with the Army. I will do them at the same time with the British.

Regiment Zargossa(Green Facings) is next, Then the last unit will be Cordoba (Red Facings), and two extra grenadier stands from Regiment Princesa(Black facings, light blue jacket, red piping) for a converged grenadier unit, when you take all the grenadier stands from the other units.

I have a nice large militia unit to do after the regular infantry. So that's 4 line, 1 converged grenadier, and 1 militia unit. That's 1 big division, or two small ones for Black Powder. Add a couple of cannon and cav units and I am all set.

Thanks for looking.

Spanish Napoleonics - First Line Unit complete

OK, So I know the photos are gonna be crap cause i took them quickly with my iPhone, but here they are, quick shots of the first completed unit: Regiment El Rey

 Here's a few of the sticks that are ready as well. Artillery in the back, And the light blue is the start of Regiment Irlander(baby blue with yellow facings and lapels, beautiful). Theya re like the Classic San Diego Chargers of Nappies. In front is one of the Grendier sticks. Those two stands will probably be a red faced unit, for Cordoba or Guadalajara and so will be converged grenadier command stand, then a green faced stand, and a black faced stand.

Overall, these are a dream to paint. they were clearly made with a painter in mind, and they finish very nicely. Bravo Front Rank.

Spanish Napleonics-update

A quick, no pic update on my Spanish Napoleonics. I have the first two units, El Rey and Irelander, base painted. El Rey is almost finished except for metalics for braids and buttons and gun metal barrels. I think I will finish both units by the end of the weekend. I also have extra grenadiers to do a converged grenadier unit, and I need to clean two more units of line infantry.

So when complete, the Spanish Army will consist of: 

So there you have it. the next phase of the Nappy Project. I have all the figs ready to go, except 1 militia unit and two line units. 

The Baron nears completion of his French unit, so I am anxious to see it. That will make 5 French units. Once I finish the Spanish, I will start the long road that is the French. I of course will have to do the Portugese when they are done.