Gerrr arrrggg...errr...arrrggg Gerrr?

 I've been painting zombies. These ones:

They are 1/72 scale miniatures from Dark alliance. They are pretty nice, not much flash to deal with and with a good level of detail.

 

 They are for another of my planned projects for this year, Osprey publishings Last Days.

 A very simple but charming set of rules with a  nice looking campaign system.

  Hence this lot. The rules say you need twenty zombies but I've done twenty two because I'm a rebel to my very core and no books going to tell me how to game. Next up is the collection of poor sods that have to deal with the shambling masses...

 'till next time...

A turnip for the books

  Would you believe it, I've only gone and finished another project from my new year to do list!. Namely these:

    My Turnip28 force I started a year ago is finally table ready (they need a gloss varnish but I'm running out of light so they are done for now).

   Turnip28 is a great setting, sort of a post apocalyptic Napoleonic/medieval mash up with roots. Lots of roots. (you can download a copy of the rules for free Here.

  It's really character full and very charming (gross but charming) so I had to have a go. Also there are no official miniatures, you can pick any parts from medieval to first world war miniatures and just go wild kitbashing whatever you want. This is what my soggy brain came up with:

The 14th East Spaffington Irregulars (aka the Spudulikes)

 The fodder, these are the basic infantry in the setting. I've gone for a seed potato theme hence the 'eyes' on each miniature.

Like this.

The forces leader (known as a toff) and his two sub commanders (toadies).

Skirmish infantry known as chaff.

The one unit I did finish last year. These are my close combat infantry known in the game as Brutes.

The forces artillery (stump gun) I've affectionately named Geoff and his crew.

Geoff again, I made him from a 1/72 Indian war elephant, a mantic dwarf cannon, some string and a ton of superglue and milliput.

 The forces cavalry known in the game as bastards. I decided the horses' caparisons should be potato sacks so I paper mached some out of kitchen paper stiffened with super glue.

  Neil would be proud!.

  I have to say they are a rough and ready lot, I have never painted an army in this scale (28mm) and although it's not a scale I would normally choose or feel that comfortable painting but I had fun with these. Right, better crack on with making them some opposition...

...'till next time...

New adventures in paint and time

  You may remember a couple of posts ago I mentioned that one of my aims for the year was to update my paint set. For those of you that weren't reading this blog back in 2019 (I mean, why would you?) when I started to dip my pinkies back into miniature painting after an almost thirty year absence I decided to make My own paint set. The reasons for this were:

1) I had only just got the painting bug so didn't want to invest too heavily into paints and equipment. 

2) Mrs Sprinks is an arty sort who already had a massive selection of acrylic paints, seemed reasonable to think I could do something with things we already had.

These sort of paints, we have a bazillion of around the gaff.

3) miniature paints are very (and I do mean very) expensive for what you get. I am lucky to be in the position to be able to pay £3 for a thimble of paint but it soon adds up and I have far better things to spend that money on.

4) playing around with chemicals is fun!.

 Now up until then I had used Mrs Sprinks' paints straight from the tube and found them a bit thick and grainy, I tried thinning them with water but that just ruined the consistency and coverage.  not ideal but after a little research and mucking about I managed to come up with a good thinner formula that even I could handle that was giving the consistency and finish I wanted.

 Basically I saw this video and thought to myself 'im nicking that'...and I did!.

   I have been using this thinner for a few years now, making up bottles of pre thinned paints as and when but because I have been on a two year learning curve some of my paints are exactly as I want them but some...err...still need work to get the results I'm after.

  So having got to the paint where I can say I almost know what I'm doing. I decided to replace my frankenpaints with a new uniformly thinned set that would always be ready to go right out of the bottle. And that's what I have been doing.

  I decided to make the new set along the Wargames foundry triad system method, you make separate base, shade and highlight tones for each shade you want so you can paint in layers. 

This, basically I saw this and thought to myself 'im nicking that'...and I did.

  I think even if I decide not to paint with this method I will still have plenty of shades to play around with. 

    So I ordered far too many 15ml dropper bottles and set to swiping Mrs Sprinks' paints and knocking up a new paint set.

This one!.

Some paint triads made by a chimp!. I have written out the 'recipe' I used to make these Here if anyone wants to give it a go.

  It took me just over a day to mix and decant them all at a fraction of the cost of your average miniature paints. If you work off of an average cost of £3 per pot this lot would have cost  almost £350! And I had lots of fun mixing them, there is something very calming about the whole process, can't wait to get some minis undercoated to give them a whirl...

...'till next time ..

More pike, another block of.

    With a return to work looming I managed to get another 15mm pike block done for my Italian wars project. This time its a Swiss one:

 As with the last lot they are all 15mm Venexia miniatures with broom bristle pikes...and lots of flags.

  While I was basing them I decided to do a few extra miniature free bases as spacers to go between the pike and any victims that get in their way on the table, I mean I spent ages painting them (not really true you understand, base coat and oil wash all the way), so I don't want opposing pikes scratching it all off again.

The bases keep them just out of reach from each other while I think looking the part so as to not break the immersion for a simpleton like myself. They also gave me an excuse to get the papal pike out for some pike on pike glamour shots (oh my!). Next on the list is some hand gunners to go with each unit and some swiss halberdiers and Italian militia spears, then on to some french. ..and some landsknects...and another Swiss detachment...not to mention cavalry...at this rate I may get a game in next year!. Anyway...

...'till next time...