Photos from the Frontier

Flight Sergeant J.S.Robinson (Middle Row Centre)

I was looking through some family photos yesterday and came across my grandfather's interwar RAF collection, many of which are of his time on the North West Frontier in the late 1930's. My grandfather, on my mothers side, joined the RAF as an apprentice metal rigger in the mid 1920's and worked his way up to flight seargeant by the time he was sent out to India.

As you can see, he flew two seater Hawker Hart light bombers in B Flight of No39 Squadron whilst posted to Risalpur in what is now Pakistan. He spent most of his time there flying ground attack and leaflet dropping sorties over Waziristan, as part of the campaign to crush the rebellion being stirred up by the Wali of Swat and the Fakir of Ipi (someone should've mentioned the names, don't you think?)

In his memoirs and in conversations that we had before he died he described the various things that he got up to, most of which ended in fairly narrow escapes from imminent death. These included WW1 vintage cooper bombs dropping off while his aircraft taxied along the airstrip, being shot at by Pathan tribesmen armed with jezails and being marooned in the middle of nowhere for several days armed only with a Very pistol and a stiff upper lip.

I really should post some extracts from his memoirs here as they're very colourful and interesting to read, especially with the photos alongside. I'll see if I can find my copy when I get back home. In the meantime, I'll copy some more of the photos and post them here. There aren't that many but they're definately worth a look if you're interested.

It's also ironic that the modern incarnation of No39 Squadron is now flying unmanned drones over exactly the same bit of Waziristan that my grandfather flew over himself eighty plus years ago. I don't think the current UAV pilots will be wearing pith helmets and bombay bloomers though?

Brigadier '38

These arrived in the post the other day and I have had a quick flick through to check them out. The rules booklet is a handy A5 size and colour printed throughout with plenty of photos, charts and tables to make things easily navigable. There's no cheat sheet or summary page though, so you need to work your way through the booklet to find what you need.

There's an interesting order system with the different layers of command from company up to brigade neatly modelled. The rules also cover most aspects that you'd expect to see in a conventional set of early twentieth century rules including artillery, aircraft, tanks and off table fire support. So far so good.

The scale of the game is at brigade level, hence the title, with the smallest unit being the company of ten figures. Three companies make a battalion and three battalions with attached support comprise a brigade, so roughly ninety to a hundred figures as the base line for a typical brigade.

This is way in advance of my meagre forces, both of which have been put together for skirmish level games. I have enough BUF to field a reinforced battalion but would need to treble my current contingent to put a full brigade on the table. This would be fine if I was sure of making good use of such a force and if I could spare the funds, which are a bit tight at the moment.

In the interim, I might think about expanding the BUF with a battalion of regular infantry or local right wing militia of some sort. The other way forward would be to scale down to 15mm or 10mm and have multiple figures on a single base instead of a single 28mm figure. The new Pendraken SCW range would be perfect for this in particular, alongside the existing WW1 and WW2 figures that they do so well.

Anyway, unless the chaps at the local club gets the VBCW bug I don't think I'll be starting off any new projects in this direction soon.

Half Term Holiday!

We're on holiday for a week, so it's down to Cornwall to get drizzled on and fogged in. The weather forecast looks distinctly inclement, so I'm packing some Warhammer figures for the boys to paint up and something for me to do at the same time.

I was going to take the box of 6mm Iron Cow ONESS stuff to base and paint but, while rummaging above the workbench for things, I uncovered the 1/2400th Victorian Ironclads that I've been meaning to paint up for about a year. It's about time they were finished off, as I'm feeling a built guilty having left them for so long:

http://jimswargamesworkbench.blogspot.com/2010/07/tumbling-dice-victorian-ironclads-6.html 

They're all assembled and undercoated so I think I'll take them instead, as an exercise in actually finishing off a half started project for a change. Last time I tried to do this it ended in abject failure but I'm hoping to be a little more disciplined this time around.

The weather should help in that respect so, fingers crossed, it might actually get done! 

Back of Beyond Expedition [23]

A busy evening but I've re-painted the roof of one of the armoured trucks in three stages of Foundry Granite and touched up the paint work to get rid of the finger print. I'll finish off both of the trucks tomorrow morning with a few paint chips and some minor details. After that, I'll aim to get the figures wrapped up before we go on holiday to Cornwall.

From the Delta to the DMZ

In light of my recent ramblings about Vietnam in 15mm, I thought I'd highlight the fact that this rather good set rules have been re-published and are now available as a download. They're a bit like a cross between the Too Fat Lardies card based rules and the sort of thing that Peter Pig / RFCM  produce, although less innovative in the mechanisms that they use. They also use the same basing as Peter Pig's Men of Company B, with individual command figures being the only exception.

I haven't used them but have owned a copy for a couple of years now and have meant to give them a try out. I like the sensible and clear way that they're written in particular, with very little in the way of complication but with plenty of detail. They cover just about everything you'd expect in a Vietnam set of rules including air strikes, helicopter air mobile landings, ambushes, tunnels, night fighting and riverine actions.

They may not be as visually appealling as other rules but if you value playabilty over flashy production, you'll not regret getting hold of a copy.

Back of Beyond Expedition [22]

I decided to tackle the two improvised armoured trucks this evening as a change from the figures. They were given a three stage wetbrush of Foundry Tan, followed by a three stage drybrush of Foundry rawhide and Base Sand. The tyres were painted with Foundry Granite and a light lining out in Citadel Flesh Wash was applied to the various panels and joints.

The whole lot was then spray varnished in Army Painter Matt Varnish. They look a bit monotone and I didn't quite achieve the effect I was after, so I might go back and fiddle around with them tomorrow, perhaps adding some paint chips and black lines to the vision blocks, for example. I might even add some decals if I can find anything suitable in the spares box or perhaps paint over the roof of one of them in grey to add a bit of contrast?

I'll also need to paint over the unintentional *&^%$ thumb print!

Back of Beyond Expedition [21]

I was stuck in a rather depressing meeting this afternoon so didn't get home until later than usual. I also have an even later meeting tomorrow, so progress on the Back of Beyond figures will be delayed for a couple of days whilst I am otherwise pre-occupied. Oh well, I suppose it could be worse?

I can, however, update the progress made over the latter part of the weekend, which included the skin tones, the various highlights on the clothes and the various weapons. I need to finish off the faces, paint the hair, highlight the metallic bits and do some fine lining but this will have to wait until the end of the week.

Iron Cow and Near Future Stuff

I've been looking ahead to the end of the week and the up and coming half term holidays. I will have finished all the figures for the Back of Beyond by then leaving the vehicles to be painted and based, which shouldn't be a big job as they only need to be drybrushed to look the part. As a result, I'm planning to make the June project something a bit different.

We're off to Cornwall for the week so I'm going to take my box of Brigade 6mm Iron Cow ONESS AFV's and figures with me to base and paint in the evenings. I've been itching to get started on these and should be able to knock them out fairly quickly using a minimalist painting plan. I might even finish them in the five days I have to paint them up, leaving the rest of June free for more Sci Fi related stuff.

With this in mind, I couldn't resist splashing out on a resin AFV for my long planned 28mm Near Future French Foreign Legion project, in the form of a Karbadin 6x6 IFV from Antenociti's Workshop. I had planned to use Old Crow vehicles for this project but when I saw it advertised on TMP I thought it would be worth the price tag.

http://www.antenocitisworkshop.com/nrf-kabardin-apc.html 

With a little imagination there could be a 6x6 Saviem VAB underneath all the ceramic armour and hi tech stuff, so it fits the project very nicely. If I can squeeze the time out of the schedule next month, I'll start on the Future FFL using the EM4 and Copplestone troopers that I already have, alongside their nice new APC. I'm only planning to do a squad or two as it will be a skirmish level set up, using Future Wars or even Force on Force.

Crimson Fists

My eldest has been badgering me to help him paint up his space marines for ages, so today I spent a couple of hours on five figures that he decided were going to be Crimson Fists, whatever that means. We had a picture in his space marines codex thingy to use as a reference but it was all a bit made up as we went along, using the paints he had in his boxed set together with a few extra shades from my collection.

Alex did most of the drybrushing work while I concentrated on the fiddly bits and details. I think they came out quite well, especially as we knocked them out in the space of a short afternoon using what we had available. The hardest bit was getting the decals to sit on the curved shoulder pads. I had to trim them down and slap on loads of decal fix to get them to settle but they behave themselves in the end with a little persuasion.

I quite enjoyed this little diversion from the usual but I don't think I'll be taking up Warhammer 40K at any point in the future.

Back of Beyond Expedition [20]

I've started adding the topcoats and highlights to the figures this evening. They're looking a bit rough and ready at the moment but I'm sure that they'll look OK when I've sorted them out. I'm hoping to finish the main stages tomorrow, leaving the detailing and tidying up for early week. After that, it's onto the vehicles, although I may tackle the figure bases at some point in between.

Charlie Won't Surf in 15mm :O(

I've rummaged through the 15mm Vietnam box and there's really no way that I can do Charlie Don't Surf with what I've already got. I guess I have enough US, ARVN and NVA/VC figures to kit out a platoon each at 1:1 with a few extras for support and heavy weapons teams. It's a great starting point for The Men of Company B or From the Delta to the DMZ but way short of what I'd need for a company sized game using CDS.

Bugger.

I have, however, invested in a hard copy of the rules to read at my leisure, thanks to the recent Too Fat Lardies special offer. It's a really well designed and presented set of rules and I'm really keen not to have tp give up on the idea. Instead, I'm going to re-think my CWC 12mm ARVN project that is now well and truly stalled, in part due to a lack of motivation but mainly due to an unfortunate lack of opponent.

In 12mm, I can afford to set up full company sized forces of ARVN, US Marines and NVA, using the figures I already have with extra packs drafted in to make up the numbers. I'll have to re-base the infantry on individual bases, which will make them a bit fiddly but is feasible, along with some of the vehicles. I'm thinking of using small washers or perhaps those tiny 1 Euro cent coins that you sometimes find in your change on holiday. I'll get the Mother in Law to collect them for me too!

I think this is definately the way ahead for Charlie Don't Surf and has the bonus of fitting in with my existing projects for Indochina in 10mm. I can re-use the terrain and make good use of my existing half completed ARVN, whilst saving myself a lot of time and money in the process. The infantry will need some heavy re-inforcements but the armour and air support are sorted. I'm going to make this one of the things to do on activity week in July, so that I actually shift it this year. Watch this space.

Band of Brigands

I finished reading Mission To Tashkent the other day and it was well worth it. It's an amazing story and full of background for Back of Beyond campaign gaming or just skirmish level actions. I've now picked up a copy of Band of Brigands by Christy Campbell that I've had sitting on the bookshelf for a few months and haven't got round to reading.

I read the first chapter last night and found myself unable to put it down. The author is an erstwhile journalist for the Daily Telegraph and his narrative style is a cross between Richard Holmes and From Our Own Correspondent. I think this will be a very rewarding read and may even inspire some WW1 Through The Mud and Blood possibilities?

Back of Beyond Expedition [19]

I've finished most of the blocking in on the expedition figures this evening with only a few bits left tp sort out.

I've not tried this approach before as I normally do one bit at a time using three stages of shading. It's quicker in terms of the coverage but I don't think the overall effect is as rewarding, given the fact that the figures look very basic in just the base layer.

I'll crack on with some layering and shading tomorrow, so that they look less like toys and more like proper wargaming figures. 

Charlie Don't Surf

I discovered another reason to explain why I originally shelved the Charlie Don't Surf option today. I ran a few calculations on the number of 15mm figures I'd need for a USMC company and a PAVN company sized force, based on the Semper Fi scenario in Surf's Up.

These came out at a whopping 146 figures for the Marines and a slightly less whopping 96 figures for the North Vietnamese. All in all that's nearly 250 figures to base and paint up, without even thinking about the extra support bits and bobs.

Blimey!

I suppose I could start on a small scale with one or two platoons a side, say 30 to 50 figures each, but that somehow seems to be missing the point. It would take me ages to paint up the full on company sized forces, assuming I've got enough figures to cover them in the first place, but it's not outside the realms of possibility.

 I think I'll need to sit down a think about it a bit more to see how feasible it will be to go ahead with CDS, as opposed to just sticking with DMZ or The Men of Company B. In the meantime, I'll probably just focus on the Indochina French and Vietminh skirmish level option for Force on Force, which I will only need a fraction of the figures that CDS requires.

Vietnam in 15mm

I've been thinking about the Force on Force options and what I'd need to put together for an initial project. So far, I'm planning to use my handful of Eureka figures for the First Indochina War as a starting point but, in the longer term, I reckon that this could spill over into a full on 15mm Vietnam project using my Peter Pig 15mm leadpile.

I've had plans to do Vietnam before, using the Men of Company B or From the Delta to the DMZ, both of which use mulitple figure bases. As a result, I've stockpiled a load of ARVN, US and VC/NVA figures over the last few years. When Charlie Don't Surf came out a couple of years ago, I couldn't make up my mind about the basing options, so shelved the project while other things were tackled.

Now, with the forthcoming Ambush Valley Vietnam supplement for Force on Force on the way, I can go down the single figure basing route without limiting myself to one set of rules (thanks for the heads up Steve). I'll need a shedload of figures painted up for Charlie Don't Surf, as it's a company level set of rules, but I can start with a couple of platoons and still get some games in using Force on Force.

I'll also be able to continue with the Indochina option, re-using the terrain I'll need to scratchbuild for both the 1950's and the 1960's conflict. In fact, I'll be killing four birds with one stone, as I can also re-use some of the terrain  for AK47. Very efficient and a great time saver when it comes to getting Vietnam in 15mm off the ground. I'm thinking of making this my Summer project to be tackled in the activity week in July.

Back of Beyond Expedition [18]

I've got a fair way with the blocking in on the oil explorers using a whole load of Foundry colours that I lined up on the workbench. I've tried to stick with a limited range of shades, most of which are variations on a toned down theme, although the denim blue shirts stand out a bit. I haven't quite finished but will probably get the last of the black bits covered over tomorrow. I'll then start on the mid tones and highlights, taking each shade in turn to speed things up.

Force on Force First Impressions

I've had a skim through the Force on Force rulebook today, the first time I've had to give it a decent look at since it arrived in the post. It's well presented with plenty of illustrations and diagrams to help orientate your way through the rules. There are a few typos but that's to be expected these days!

It's quite a thick rulebook and I imagine it would take a few games to navigate the various sections but the basic system seems to be based on common sense, so I suspect it wouldn't take too long to get to grips with. It's also a very handy size, the same as a paperback Osprey book, so less hefty than the usual hardback rules on the market.

I particularly like the emphasis on small unit actions, with a handful of figures on either side. This appeals to my limited budget and time allowance, together with my limited attention span when it comes to painting hordes of figures. It's also designed for 15mm as a baseline figure scale, which cuts the cost down even further.

Perhaps the best feature, as far as I'm concerned, is the limited space required to set up a typical scenario, with a 2' x 2' board being the usual space required. This will allow for some really good quality bespoke terrain construction, which would make games visually impressive. It also makes transportability a doddle.

With this in mind, I've been rummaging in the AK47 collection for suitable modern figures to use as a testbed for the rules. As previously mentioned, my first thoughts were to use some of my Peter Pig FFL, Vietnam US/VC or Isrealis. However, in my scrabblings under the workbench, I found two small boxes of 15mm Eureka figures for the First Indo China War that I snapped up on ebay ages ago, which gave me another option.

I have about thirty or so of the French and Vietminh figures, including some heavy weapons and command types, so pretty much all I'd need for a testdrive. I might get a few extra figures to fill in the gaps but I don't really need anything else. I have some Peter Pig Vietnamese civilians and hootches that I can use too. I can also scratchbuild some cracking terrain using what I've already got in the way of scenic bits and bobs.

There's a lot of potential here for a quick start....I just have to find the time!

Brigadier '38

These look like an interesting set of rules for VBCW, which may get me to finish of the Red Workers Militia at some point in the not too distant future. They are designed for brigade level actions which might be stretching it a bit for my humble forces, although I could always add some additional units to flesh out what I've already got.

Anyway, I've pre-ordered a copy in advance of it's release at the end of the month. If it isn't a good fit for platoon or company level games, I can always revert to Through the Mud and Blood, which would be my first choice for this period. I quite fancy VBCW in 10mm or 15mm, so perhaps the Brigadier 38 rules might fit in well for smaller scales?

Back of Beyond Expedition [17]

The recent hang ups with Blogger wiped out my last post, so here it is again. I finished off the white unit yesterday and spray varnished them with Citadel Hardcoat satin and Army Painter matt varnish. They need the texturing done and the bases painted but that can wait until later.

This weekend I'm going to start on the unit of eight roustabouts, the sniper, staff officer, commander and machine gun figures. I may also tackle a vehicle or two just for a change. We're pretty busy this tomorrow, however, so I may not get much done.

T34 T-Shirt

My club gaming polo shirt got trashed by the washing machine the other day. It was pretty scruffy anyway, having been worn for club nights and shows for four or five years. So, looking for a temporary replacement, I came across this T34 T shirt, which I think will do the job very well.

For The Motherland!

Back of Beyond Expedition [16]

I didn't get much done this evening as the kids had some friends over to play after school and everything got shifted two hours to the left, metaphorically speaking (if you know what I mean?). I painted the hair on half the figures using three stages of either Foundry African Flesh or Chestnut. The others will have black or grey hair in order to keep things as simple as possible.

I've reached another 'ho hum' point with this lot, as you can see from the photo, but I reckon a final push will finish off the last bits and tidy them up. I need to do a bit of fine-lining with a suitably brown / black wash in order to tidy up and define the edges. I also need to sharpen up the detailing, with particular reference to the buttons, buckles and cap badges. All pretty fiddly but it needs to be done.

Forward Planning

I've been making good progress on the Back of Beyond White figures this month, having painted the hats, boots and eyes last night, so I've been thinking ahead to the end of the month by which time I should (fingers crossed) have finished the rest of the figures and vehicles.

The Force on Force rules arrived yesterday, so that might be a possible quick mini-project to be thinking about. I haven't had time to look through them in detail but they are very well presented and packed full of interesting stuff. I have plenty of suitable 15mm figures so it would be easy to paint up a handful of FFL and bad guys, with a couple of vehicles for good measure.

A second option would be to finish off the Rapid Fire! figures which have been gathering dust over the last few weeks. I have only a few to do but somehow the appeal has fizzled out a bit recently. I think I'll save them for the activity week in July when I plan to tackle two or three of  my half finished projects including the PITS dervishes and the Tumbling Dice ironclads, for example.

A third possibility would be the 1.300th scale Ironcow ONESS English force, which would be a quick drybrush and wash operation. This is something I'd enjoy as painting things rather than figures is something I'm better at and find easier to do. I have been promised a game if I get the mech brigade painted up, so that's an added incentive to get on with it.

Finally, I quite fancy having a go at something in 15mm, with the AK47 dictatorship army that I've cleaned up and based being a good option. I haven't painted any 15mm stuff for a year or more, so it would be great to scale down from 28mm for a change. I could also finish off my objective markers and perhaps build some more terrain bits and bobs so that I can play some solo games on a half decent scenery set up.

If you'd like to suggest the project you'd want to see tackled next, then drop me a line and I'll put it at the top of the list. :O)

PS I haven't forgotten the 633 Squadron project. I'm saving it for next year!

Back of Beyond Expedition [15]

The White Russians are nearing completion and look almost finished, give or take a bit of tidying up. I finished painting the puttees in Foundry Rawhide this evening before painting the shoes in three stages of Foundry Bay Brown. I started late but I'm quite pleased to have covered up most of the black undercoat in these two stages.

I also drybrushed Foundry Charcoal Black in two layers over the big furry hats, followed by a light dusting of Arctic Grey Shade. I'm babysitting tomorrow evening but hope to get the other furry hats sorted, along with the satchels, uniform buttons and buckles. If I have time, I'll try do the fiddly bits inclusing the hair and eyes.

Force on Force

I'm really not interested in wargaming contemporary conflicts such as Iraq or Afghanistan, for various personal reasons, but I am interested in historical 'modern' conflicts such as the Falklands, Vietnam or Malaya. I'm also in possession of a collection of 15mm modern stuff that is way in excess of what I could conceivably use for AK47, including a whole box of Peter Pig Israelis / South Africans and a respectable collection of Peter Pig French Foreign Legion.

As a result, when I saw the new Osprey edition of Force on Force for less than £15 on Amazon, I thought to myself that it might be a way to make use of at least a small bit of the leadpile. I was also inspired by Steve Blease's alternative 1980's English Civil War idea, as mentioned on his rather excellent blog the other day. Thanks Steve!

However, my initial thought would be for something a bit more tropical, with a small border war somewhere in Central or South America as the 'imagi-nation' destination. As my stockpile contains Peter Pig FFL, Vietnam US and Israelis, I think a possible scenario could be a war between French Guiana and Suriname, perhaps after a military coup d'etat of the latter by some sort of dictator.

The Suriname military use Brazilian Urutu APC's and even have some old Dutch ones too, which would be a nice feature, especially given their natty camouflage paint scheme. They've also been partially re-equipped with Galil rifles, so I could use the Israeli figures at a push, although the helmets and uniforms are different. The FFL with their nice QRF VAB's would provide the opposition

Pimp my obsolete APC?

The book includes the Ambush Alley counter insurgency rules as  well, so there's plenty of scope for small scale sceanrios or larger out in the open engagements. It's worth a thought at least, although I doubt anything will come of it, unless I get some momemtum from the rulebook to crack ahead. I'll have a read through first before I take any sort of plunge.

Back of Beyond Expedition [14]

I've had a bit of a wasted weekend, most of which has been spent stuck at home trying to entertain the kids long enough to stop them whacking each other over the head with various play orientated implements. I have, however, squeezed a little time into the schedule for some painting.

The belts, cartridge boxes and holsters have been given three stages of Foundry Conker Brown and the rifles have had a similar treatment with Foundry Spearshaft, follwed by GW Mithril Silver bayonets and Boltgun Metal drybrushed over the barrels.

I've also painted the Maxim Gun in three stage Foundry Phelgm Green and started on the puttees with a basecoat of Foundry Rawhide. If I have some time tomorrow, I'll finish the puttees and crack on with the furry hats, satchels and boots.

Back of Beyond Expedition [13]

I painted the skin tones on the Russians this evening using three stages of Foundry Flesh. They now look a bit less monotone and more life like, which is a real incentive to wrap them up by the end of the weekend. I'll tackle the rifles, webbing and puttees next, with the hair, eyes and other details left to be done before it's time to go back to work on Monday.

Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy

I picked up a copy of the re-vamped Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy magazine in WHSmiths this afternoon and, I have to say that I'm very impressed, both with the production values and the content.

I was particularly impressed with the columns written by Rick Priestley and Richard Clarke, both of which appealed to my way of thinking. As a History teacher, the thoughts of Mr Clarke on the balance between playability and historical accuracy were right up my proverbial street, which goes some way to explain my extensive collection of Lardies rules.

The focus on 1688 didn't detract from the balance of the content either, which was quite refreshing. I liked the way the figure reviews were presented with high definition photos and the rules reviews were based on actual play throughs rather than skim reading or fluff.

There were some cracking articles as well, including an assasination of Caligula skirmish game and a comparative  overview of the plethora of Ancients rules that are being released in the next few weeks. I'm even tempted to subscribe but will wait until the next issue before I take the plunge.

Back of Beyond Expedition [12]

I re-painted the greatcoats this evening using Foundry Granite and then followed up by painting the rolled greatcoats on the other figures in the same shades. It was a pity to cover over all the paintwork I'd done on the greatcoat figures but I think it'll look better in the end. It's all a bit 'ho hum' at the moment but once I get the faces blocked in and then paint the webbing, puttees and rifles, things will start to pick up. They won't win any prizes but they'll do the job!

Mission To Tashkent

I finished painting the White Russian uniforms in three stages of Foundry Cadaverous Green last night. Now that they're done, I've been having second thoughts about the greatcoat figures, which I've painted up in the same uniform colour. I think I really should have painted them in grey or perhaps very light brown. In fact, I may re-paint the four figures in greatcoats when I get home tonight, together with the rolled coats on the other figures.

I've also set up a game of The Rules With No Name for the end of the month at the club. I'm looking forward to trying out the rules and working out how they tick. I've also been reading Mission To Tashkent which is excellent, although I'm familiar with Colonel Bailey's various 'derring do' adventures from Peter Hopkirk's book Setting the East Ablaze. All good stuff!

Back of Beyond Expedition [11]

I added the second stage of the Foundry Cadaverous Green this evening, which looks a bit garish in contrast with the black undercoat but will be fine once the rest is blocked in. It does acccentuate the tatty, washed out  look of the figures which I really like. Next, I'll add some highlights in Cadaverous Green Light but possibly with a wash of GW Devlan Mud or somesuch inbetween to add a bit of depth.

Back of Beyond Expedition [10]

I didn't get much done today due to painting the garden furniture and cleaning out the gutters, washing the windows etc. I have managed to basecoat the White infantry in Foundry Cadaverous Green shade, however, to be followed tomorrow by the the top layer and highlights. I might give the figures a wash at some point in the sequence so that I can pick out the details on their tatty uniforms.

Back of Beyond Expedition [9]

Not a lot achieved today as I was pressure washing the patio for most of it. High pressure water blasting sounds like a lot of fun but after being soaked, covered in slime and minus some skin on my feet, due to inadvertant pressure washing of my extremities, I'm not entirely convinced.

I did, however, get the figures undercoated with Citadel Chaos Black spray. I'm going to revert to the Halfords version which is cheaper and gives a better finish as soon as I can get hold of some but, in the meantime, the GW stuff will do.

If I can squeeze some time out of the bank holiday kids edutainment, I'll get started on the White Russian mercenary infantry unit, using Foundry Cadaverous Green as the basecoat. I think this will give a suitably washed out look for their tatty uniforms and will be a quick way to cover a lot of ground.