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...

...

Just call me Arfa

  Arfa Job that is. I appear to have started a few bits but so far not managed to finish any...sort of...

But first:

Let's all have a nice bit of the Clash shall we?.

This is a bit odd, it's been a week since my last post. Normally this would be a perfectly acceptable amount of time between posts, but with the current happenings about the place it feels like an absolute age!. I have been busy however.

I started by clearing out the conservatory here at Chez Sprinks', that has up until now be affectionately known as 'the shitehole'. Every house has a room or space of some kind that becomes the designated dumping area, a place where things that come under the loose heading of 'iwillworkoutwheretoputitinthefardistantfuture'are placed awaiting 're-distribution' some time or another. Well round this gaff it was the good old conservatory. This has now been gutted, cleaned and transformed  into an area featuring a sofa, dart board and one of those 5 in 1 games tables for the kids

This type of thing.

Which by a startling coincidence gives me a rather handy surface for gaming on that also  happens to have best natural light in the house.

You will be pleased to note that I have taken immediate advantage of this!.

The new board has been christened and 6mm forces blooded. This was ment to be for a battle report but my phone battery had other ideas and gave up the ghost as things started to get interesting!. The game was a test game for some new rules for the forces I am putting together which I have yet to write. I will hopefully soon get them down and post them in whatever state they are in. The plan being I will edit, change and adapt them as they are tested.

Also I have started work on my next 6mm force for my 

Project, where I am attempting to put together discarded forces from the early days of Warhammer. The next force being:

 They very much vanished by 4th edition, various sea themed elf types continued in the lore but sea elves as a thing were gone. Now I'm not a huge elf fan but I can get behind an elf merchant company aggressively opening new markets and protecting trade routes and generally being a bit more hands on and down to earth than the aloof elves of the rest of the Warhammer canon. So I have got an irregular miniatures 6mm elf army pack and have been working through it, this is the sum of my efforts so far:

 The gang as things stand.

 The core of spears and archers.

 Some scouts, known as Seekers in 3rd edition. As they are ment to range ahead of the main force I went with clothing that would let them blend in to the settings flora.

I even had a bash at a camo pattern on their capes. Not sure I pulled it off but at 6mm who's going to know?. Hopefully I will have the force table ready soon.

....till next time.....

All going to Slann so far

 With all the time on my hands it has to be said I am making great headway into completing my 6mm Slann army, but first:

3 angry nerds and a drum machine, what's not to like?.

My 6mm  Slann army for my

Project are coming along at a fair old clip, today I managed to complete all the forces skirmishers as well as a bit of a skinthammer piece I have been planning since I ordered the minis for the force (and I nicked it from the Sprinklings sssshhhh). Heres today's output:

 How I spent my Sunday.

4 bases of slingers.  

Slann are only known for one missile weapon in Warhammer, namely the blowpipe. However as I am using historical minis to build the army I am using what's available. So my force is using slings instead. So there!.

 Venom tribe warriors, described in canon as 'distinguished by their slightly smaller size and by their red and black patterning'. 'By an adaptation of nature these Slann exude a poisonous mucus which enables them to poison their weapons' ( taken from Warhammer armies)

they seem like a fun troop type to use in the army. On a practical note the figures were a pig to work with. I have heard negative murmurings about irregular miniatures 6mm range but have found it to be fine and rather charming. However these sculpts seemed to be really hard to decipher the details on, making painting a frustrating guessing game at times.

When I was planning the army I decided I had to have a big beastie or two , luckily being a parent there were loads of cheep plastic dinosaurs knocking around the sprinkling toy boxes they would never miss!. This army is loosely based around 1st to 3rd edition Warhammer Slann army lists, however I have always had a soft spot for these fellas:

Not the lizard men types, the ruddy great Dinosaur!!!!. So I had to have one in the army. I was going to build a howadah but in the end couldn't be arsed.

 Aawwww, ain't he cute!!!!.. here's a picture of the repainted Dino (I've named him Clive) next to the original toy.

And finally a picture of the force so far, just some elite units and the force commander to do and the army will be done!.

As ever stay safe and make the best of the extra gaming time.....

.....'till next time......

Of students, killer frogs and surprises by mail

First a question:
What do me and this lot

Have in common?

I'll give you the answer after this.

I challenge you not to smile!!.

No?, here's a (long winded) clue:

The Young Ones, 'Nasty' (1984)

That's right, we've all been sent denizens of the undead through the post!!. A while ago the legend known as Mr Maudlin Jack Tar offered me some 6mm undead minis that he had spare. Well today the post person of this fine parish delivered said walking dead. It always amazes me the camaraderie and generosity of the wargaming community but when I opened the package I have to say I was truly staggered!. Have a look at all this:

It's enough for an army with plenty left over!. When Jack asked if I wanted them I was expecting a few leftovers from a project not a whole force worth!. So a massive thank you to you sir, what an amazing gift, I just hope I can do them justice on the table!.

 On another note the 6mm Slann are coming together nicely, here's a picture of the force so far

 I love it when the Slann come together!!

 Spawn bands

 Palace guard

 A hero and a mage to lead the (webbed) foot troops.

Telling some half orcs to hop it!.

That's all the basic foot troops done, it's on to the special stuff next. I'm using a mix of the first 3 editions Slann troop types, I have got an irregular miniatures Aztec army pack to build the army so I am shoe horning them all in as best I can!. I have to say the army has been great fun to put together so far and I am itching to get the rest done....more soon......



....'till next time......

'hopping' mad (add groan here)

Another day of lockdown another update, oh and some more:

So yeah, my 6mm half orcs for my

Project are done so I thought now would be a good time to get on with another 'lost' Warhammer army to oppose them across the blasted ruinous wastes of intellectual purgatory. But which one?. Well as the post title may give away to those oldhammererers reading it's only going to be this lot:

That's right, it's everybody's favourite intergalactic Aztec style murder frogs the Slann!. Now I know what some of you are going to say 'but Sprinks' you utter bellend, Slann are still about in this day and age, leading the seph...SEP...lizard men in that age of sigmar ' and yes,  there are some floating obese frogs about the place.

This is all that is left of a once proud race....

 But that's not what I'm on about, between 1st and 3rd edition the slann were more like this: 

Aawwww sooooo cute!...

They had full froggy armies full of walking, talking (well hopping and croaking) killy Kermitalikes!. When 5th edition came along (no mention of them in 4th) they were redesigned into the lardy toads we still have today leading a bunch of lizard types, which I always found a bit of a shame really.

 So here am I, a lowly dickhead ready to bring them back in glorious 6mm!. This afternoon I knocked up a test unit to see how they would look.

 They are actually irregular miniatures Aztec warriors but at this scale I think painting them green lets you just about get away with calling them Slann!!.

 As with the half orcs I wanted to go with a limited pallet of colours but have dialed back the wrong colour idea so they actually give the impression of what they are ment to be.

When Bakshi met Slann(y)

I have an army pack of Aztec warriors to work through that have everything I will need to produce a pretty decent old school Slann army in 6mm (and at less than £18 it's pretty great value too). Looks like my next few days of lockdown are going to be pretty green (ribbit).....

.....'till next time.....