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...

Onwards!

  Hello all, at this time of the year a lot of us bloggerists like to look back and review the whosums and whatnots they have completed or been a part of during the last 12 months. I would also do this but the past year was a bit of a bust hobby wise. It started ok, with pike and spud making an early appearance.

The pike (the beginning of a 15mm Italian wars project...more on this in a mo...)

And the spuds (the first part of a still in progress Turnip28 project).

   I then spent February piddling about with some tiny blocks of bumpkins:

 Some 2mm test bases for a fantasy pike and shot faff or other (note I did get 2 armies done but didn't blog about them).

 And then...

  That was about it until December, where I rebased one of the few finished units I actually completed in the year:

 New pikes, same minis, different bases.

 Ho and indeed hum. The year was not exactly a vintage one for blogging, real life well and truly got in the way and that's understating it quite a bit. However behind the scenes I have been more productive than it would seem. I have painted 2 full 2mm forces, a few 10mm forces to go along with them (2mm for mass actions and 10mm for skirmishes). I have all but finished my force for Turnip28 and built and undercoated a few more, I have also painted 2 small sci fi forces in 15mm scale for me and Sprinkling 3:the revenge to game with... I just didn't take pictures and was not in the sort of head space to want to write about it. I realise this sounds a bit like the school kid who really does have a girlfriend in a different town but can't offer any proof but I have been painting just to keep a grip on myself, the hobby time really has been a lifesaver this year.

  

  So that's the year that was ( that can well and truly get in the effin' sea), what's next year going to look like?

 Honestly? No flippin' clue but below is a list of projects that 1) I would like to at least do something towards, 2) will help my butterfly brain keep some kind of focus and D) be entertaining to read... possibly.

- I would like to keep on going with my 15mm Italian wars project. I almost have my 2nd pike block finished (swiss this time). I plan to paint small detachments for each force, maybe a pike block, shot unit, some artillery or cavalry etc that can be fielded together in whichever way I fancy ( such as the shifting alliances were during the period).  I intend this to be a slow burn project I can dip into as I reckon painting all those pike may well send me doolally if I do too many at a time!.

 (At least I've coloured mine in!)

- Finish my Turnip28 force and paint up the rest I have built and get them on the table.

 It's a great looking set of rules, and one I'm itching to get to grips with. Again I will probably dip in and out but hope to get enough done to get some games in by the end of the year.

- Crack on with more of my 2mm/10mm olde albilande bits so I can finally get some campaigns in my home brew setting done.

- I got given a copy of Xenos Rampant for Christmas which should be perfect for me and Sprinkling 3: the revenge to finally get some games in, this has school holiday project written all over it.

- The other rule book I got this year was the fun looking 

 A simple looking game for campaigning walking dead style ( groups of survivors competing over dwindling resources during a zombie apocalypse). This could be a great intro for the other folk in the house, I have ordered some red box 1/72 minis so we can build our own groups and use some of the boys toys for terrain into the bargain. Again this probably will be during the school hols.

 

These two boxes should let us build plenty of forces.

- Remake my paint set. Some of you may recall I made my own Paint set a few years ago. Well after quite some time I think I can do even better so plan to get a bit mad scientist and make a new one. This time tweeking the consistency of the paint and using a triad (base/shade/ highlight) system for each each colour or shade thereof a la Wargames foundry.

I have already ordered the dropper bottles I will need and have started to eye Mrs Sprinks paints with menaces.

 That should give me plenty to be getting on with, I'm probably missing something and will undoubtedly get distracted by umpteen new shiny things as the year progresses but you know what they say about the best laid plans...

  ...'till next time...

...

Grimdark potato men of the apocalypse

  My last post was in October. This will not do.

  I included the above as my hobby activity tailed off rather dramatically at the end of last year. The whole year, well specifically from may onwards was what can only really be described as shite, a bag of to be precise.

That's the one.

  It began with Sprinkling 2: son of Sprinks tourettes symptoms going utterly Tonto overnight, cue one manic phonecall from her indoors and a mad rush home to help and the tone for the rest of the year (and as it seems the foreseeable) was set. Dealing with the emotional fall out, the British medical system, the schooling system and working full time has rather taken a toll on the family that has made toy bothering rather less of a priority. However...

  It is also a very welcome distraction in all this and I haven't been totally away from the brushes. I have been daubing around the periphery of a 10mm ancient British force as well as trying to pluck up the motivation to start my 10mm halfling drug cartel for fantastic battles (it's a good idea, honest!). But recently my head has been very much turned in a more... vegetably direction:

 It's a game of Napoleonic post apocalyptic warfare on a proper grimdark setting...with vegetables. If that doesn't hook you nothing will!. You can download the rules for free here (Turnip28 rulebook). And I encourage you to do so. The game has a very small model count and troops are made by kitbashing any bits you fancy up to and including from the Napoleonic period. Crossed with veg. (Read the rules, it makes sense honest).

 I ordered a few sprues from the bay of E and set to knocking up a few bits and bobs:

 The first members of the 14th East Splaffington irregulars, aka the Spud-U-likes.

  I took my inspiration from the idea of seed potato roots sprouting from my troopers, hence the thick 'eyes' on them.

A unit of Brutes, big, dumb close combat thugs, as in the setting everything is run down and broken I decided they would fix melee weapons to old muskets with rope and roots, however being a bit slow they would just bung another layer on when things got loose hence the 'birds nest' type fixings.

  A force is led by a toff and his toadies, above are my toadies all riddled with roots and mucked up good.

I have gotten rather into this so have two more units ready for priming. More of these soon.

Anyway that's all there is to report for the moment, hopefully this year will see a bit more hobby activity but my breath is yet to be held!.

...'till next time...