Summer Painting Projects

 

With only a week to go before the end of term, not that I'm counting of course, I've been making plans for the annual Summer holiday wargaming project. I usually spend some time cleaning up and basing the armies that I subsequently paint up over the following year, in theory at least. This can be quite productive but doesn't always end up with a finished army, as they invariably get stockpiled for a rainy day, or end up half done and gathering dust on the shelves above the workbench.

 

This year, however, I'm going to try a different approach by concentrating on painting up some of the back log of 28mm forces that I've assembled and then consigned to oblivion. The three projects that I've picked out are all things that I originally put together over previous Summer holidays but then stockpiled while I tackled other distractions. If I can finish painting all three I'll have made a significant inroad into the back log of 28mm projects that I have stashed away.

 

The first army is a 28mm Viking warband for SAGA, which I started to paint up but then got sidelined away from. This needs some archers and shields but, otherwise, is a ready to be painted straight off with no further preparation. The second will probably be my tribal villager force for In the Heart of Africa, which only needs undercoating and some shields sorted out. However, the large number of figures may mean I won't be able to pack it for the journey, so it may be replaced by something less hefty.

Finally, I have a buntai for Ronin to paint up but that needs some further thought. A while back, I started putting together a couple of buntai for Ronin using the old Foundry Samurai range of figures. These consisted of a Bandit buntai and a Koryu buntai, with a few swords for hire thrown in as extras. I'm now having second thoughts about using these figures and may just use the Northstar starter sets that I bought at Colours last year. I originally wanted to do a Sohei buntai and this would be one way to make that possible, so I will probably go for this option instead.

 

 

I also have a piratical painting project up my sleeve for On the Seven Seas but that may have to wait until after the Summer holidays, when I've had a chance to think it through in a bit more detail. The Japanese for Chain of Command will take a break while I'm away but will be picked up again in September, by which time I should have most of the units assembled, undercoated and ready to paint. I'm looking forward to actually painting some 28mm stuff and finishing it, so will keep you posted!