Saturday, 28 August 2010

The Whyte Revolt - part one

Gavin, over at Barking Irons (the in-house Flintloque/Alternative Armies magazine) has just up-loaded the first part of a Flintloque/Slaughterloo back story and scenario called The Whyte Revolt

Without giving anything away, I would recommend that anyone interested in Flintloque check it out, take some time as part one is quite long, but you will enjoy this new storyline. I am now looking forward to seeing part two.

BI is also featured on TMP this morning.

Tony

Friday, 27 August 2010

COLOURS 2010 Newbury

I am planning on attending Colours 2010 at The Newbury Race Course on Saturday 11th September. I will be helping out on the Grand Manner trade stand for part of the day.


I hope to see you there.

Tony

Wednesday, 25 August 2010

Notables Painting Competition - Flintloque

The Notables are a Yahoo Group that support a range of games from Alternative Armies, for example Flintloque, Erin and Typhon. Gavin at AA has agreed to run a miniature painting competition the rules of which are that you must use this particular set of Flintloque miniatures, The Fencible Militia (54031) as part of the entry. Full details can be found at;

The suggestion for the competition came from me! So obviously, I'll be competing, however a beautifully written post by Mad Uncle Rogipoos (see the Notables for a full history of this eccentric Flintloque character) added further impetus, the full post is included here;

The idea for my suggestion came from seeing a collection of Fencible Militia for sale on e-bay, where the seller had grouped together a varied selection of Fencibles and 'other' Flintloque figures in sets of six. I was tempted to pick up a set, but thought I would be better off choosing a group direct from AA. Once I had posted my suggestion Roger Willcox (Mad Uncle Rogipoos) responded with the post detailed above and the idea took on a life of its own. One of the novel parts of this competition is that entrants must write a background to their particular Fencible's Regiment - the more obscure and comical the better. It is this part of the Flintloque background that I find so much fun.

I would hope that others (possibly - you good reader) will also enter the competition, remember the closing date for registering an interest in taking part is the 31st August (competition end date is 1st October).

I'm keeping my 'powder dry' and will not be posting any more hits or tips of my own entry until the results are announced!

Tony

Tuesday, 24 August 2010

Bookworld Wholesale Ltd.

Last year my Daughter moved in to here new flat in Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire, the first couple of months meant that Sue and I were helping with cleaning, decorating and fitting IKEA units together! One of the benefits was that we quickly got to know the area and while searching out a furniture warehouse I came across Bookworld Wholesale Limited, a military and aviation book wholesaler tucked away in a small trading estate. I have now visited a couple of times and am always amazed at the huge range of titles available. For full details go to;

I am sure that there are titles that will appeal to followers of this Blog. For anyone in the area - the full details are;
Bookworld Wholesale Limited, Unit 10, Hodfar Road, Sandy Lane Ind. Est. Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire DY13 9QB. Tel; 01299 823330

Tony

Old School Model Trees

I came across this this 'Old School' comic book article on making model trees from wire and flock. This is exactly the technique that my Grandfather used to populate his HO OO model railway layout over forty years ago! I felt that it was worth saving and sharing. I have in the past, used a similar method to build some wargaming trees using lichen for the body of the trees. More often than not I tend to purchase used model trees and re-base them for use on my table.

Tucked away in my ever-increasing reference library (the garage or attic) I have an Eye-Spy book on identifying British Trees, it is great for giving basic information when modelling toy trees.

Tony

Monday, 23 August 2010

The Aeronef Le Fee Verte - an update

Last month I reported that an article of mine had been included in the electronic PDF magazine The Ancible (issue 4). I have since seen a message on the Space 1889 Yahoo Group that Mateen Greenway has produced a computer mesh of the very same Aeronef/model on his Space 1889 site. see;
and

I have been a great admirer of Mateen's work and a number of my Space 1889/Aeronef models have been based upon his illustrations, it is therefore a great thrill for some of my modelling work to be the source of one of his beautiful illustrations. The photos featured below show the model Aeronef Le Fee Verte with two of the illustrations (used with permission) - I have tried to pose the model in the same attitude as the illustrations so you can see just how closely they match.

Photos One and Two - Le Fee Verte in level flight, auxiliary metal wings extended.


Photos Three and Four - A view looking down on the deck detail of this experimental Aeronef.


As I have commented on above, the Space 1889 site maintained by Mateen has been and still is a great source of inspiration for both me and others who are interested in the Space 1889 background, I am very proud of my model and the fact that it has been included in The Ancible, but even more pleased to see it featured on the Space 1889 site. Well done Mateen, I think it looks fantastic.

The Ancible #4 has full details of how the model was constructed and painted, while both the Ancible article and Mateen Greenway's Space 1889 site give a potted history of this French, experimental Aeronef and its posting to the Martian Colonies.

I hope that you enjoy them both, finally - thanks again to Mateen for allowing me to use the images and link to his Web pages.

Tony

Thursday, 19 August 2010

Clay Shapers Modelling tools

For some time I have used this Clay Shaper (sometimes called a modelling brush), it has a soft silicone tip and is used like a brush or sculpting tool when modelling with either Milliput/Green Stuff or DAS modelling clay. This particular brush/sculptor has seen better days! I was bought from Hobby Craft (Droitwich). Full details are;
Colour Shaper by Royal Sovereign Ltd UK No. 2 Taper Point.

Earlier today I saw this Modelling Brush Set for sale in LIDL (a discount store in the UK). The set of five clay shapers are being sold for just £1.99. I quality terms I would say they are just as good as The Royal Sovereign model, however the tips or nibs are about twice as big.

This photos shows the Royal Sovereign and Lidl shapers alongside one another.

And here you see a detailed photo of the tips.

The packaging states that the brushes feature silicone tips and birch wood handles with chrome plated copper sleeves.

At just £1.99 for five they must be worth a gamble.

Tony

Wednesday, 18 August 2010

Hartwell Tavern in 28mm

Here you see a painted example of Hartwell Tavern, the resin model from Grand Manner which was originally sculpted by me. For more details see;

And




This is the first example of a painted model that I have seen. It was painted by Dave Bodley of Grand Manner to collectors standard. The American Continentals and Minutemen were miniatures lent to Dave for a forthcoming photo shoot and the photos were taken on my dinning room table.

These final two photos show some of the internal detail. When I was building the master, I had detailed views of the front and left hand corner and believed that this was the best side to view the model from, however seeing a finished model, I am now not so sure and enjoy viewing the buildings from all sides. Dave has done a fantastic job of painting this model.

The model comes as either two separate buildings or as a (very) detailed set which includes, walls/fences, sign and well.


I would expect similar images (actually better images) to be uploaded to the GM site very soon. Dave is planning a photo shoot showing off this and other 'new' GM models very soon.

I hope you like them.

Tony

Tuesday, 17 August 2010

Abaddon On-Line Build -part four

There is very little to add to the last post - I have given the red armour a watered-down coat of Games Workshop Blood Red, just the centre or upper edges of the armour. In addition I have included a photo of the two arms, one with a huge barbed sword and the second with a claw and bolter. So far I have resisted the urge to add yet another 'wash' .

I am currently half way through painting all the gold areas - I am using a Vallejo Game Color Dark Brown as a base and will build up the metallic paints from this. The miniature has quite a bit of gold detailing and so I am taking my time and working on other projects in between.


There is not much more I can add at this time, but will keep you informed of any additional work carried out.

Tony

Monday, 16 August 2010

Barking Irons issue 2 - update

I received my copy of Barking Irons #2 this weekend. My only disappointed is that I have already read it from cover to cover (some articles twice). The full list of contents are already available at the BI Blog, see;

I have already posted that I have one article included in issue 2, another Modelling Masterclass detailing some of my conversions of the Obidiah Hogswill miniatures, but my favourite article is The Dirty Arf Undred or King of the Hill story and scenario by B. Dyer and G. Syme. A two player scenario pitting a stranded group of Orcs against some well dressed Ferach Cavalry. I particularly liked reading the detailed backstory and character notes, Flintloque is very good at individualising characters and miniatures to give them real personalities. I think this is why I enjoy the system so much, it makes painting up characters so easy, much better than rows of faceless and 'ordinary' toy soldiers.

Issue Two was somewhat delayed, but well worth the wait and this specialised hobby magazine goes from strength to strength. For anyone thinking about picking up a copy, I would recommend ordering NOW, firstly for the jolly good read, but secondly to support such a brave venture at this time.

Tony

Friday, 13 August 2010

My latest watercolours

These are photos of my latest two watercolours. Both were painted as personalised wedding presents of the churches that each was married at.

The first is of St Michael and all Angels Church at Salwarpe, near Droitwich, Worcestershire.

The second is of St Peters Church, Droitwich, Worcestershire.

For those interested, I use artists quality, acid free paper and Winsor and Newton watercolour tube paint.

Tony

Wednesday, 11 August 2010

Abaddon On-Line Build -part three

Following my earlier mishaps, I wanted to lay down a good base colour of dark red. I started with a thin layer of Games Workshop Red Gore and built up lighter coats of Red Gore/Blood Red then a couple of coats of diluted Baal Red Wash. I now think the colour is a little too dark, but I can build up pure Blood Red highlights once these base layers are fully dry.


The two arms have been painted with the same colour mix and will be added to the miniature later in the painting cycle.

I don't mind admitting that there have already been periods where I have wanted to give upon this miniature, the problems with the Water Based Oil Paints have taken away some of the 'gloss' and impetus I originally had with this miniature and I suspect that if I had not started this On-Line Build, I might have relegated this project to the lead mountain of unfinished figures!

Publishing my mistakes (see earlier post), was difficult, I think we all want to keep them 'locked up' and personal, rather than flaunting them. However the comments I have already received have been very supportive - thank you. I also feel that my comments and recommendations might help others to not make the same mistakes!

Further inspiration for the colour scheme has come from a couple of images in the GW book How to Paint Citadel Miniatures, see the feature on John Blanche, Blanchitsu (page 96) to see what I mean. Further updates will be posted soon.

Tony

Tuesday, 10 August 2010

Abaddon On-Line Build -part two

Maybe I should have retitled this post How Bad can it Get! My plan, a simple plan was to repaint this second-hand miniature of Abaddon the Despoiler with red and gold armour, as featured in the Cool Mini or Not 2008 Annual. Simple. But read on to see how bad it actually got.

Photo One - To help increase the vibrancy of the red, I decided that I would paint over the Black basecoat with Light Grey or White. I roughly drybrushed the Ghost Grey (from Vallejo) over most of the miniature then with less paint - lightly drybrushed Skull White from Games Workshop over the top of this. My idea was to build up the red with a newly purchased tube paint - Brilliant Red from Reeves, a Water Based Oil Colour. The plan was that the red would be more brilliant over a white/grey undercoat than a black one.

Photo Two - Reeves Water Based Oil Colour, Brilliant Red.

Photo Three - The base coated figure, three very light coats of Brilliant Red. I think you can see that the paint goes on very smoothly, giving uniform colour and coverage. My only criticism was that I found the red a little too orange - very Blood Angels Red and not the dark crimson I was looking for with this miniature. I was not too disappointed as my plan was to 'wash' the red armour with Baal Red Wash from Citadel.

Photo Four - This was not what I expected! The Citadel Wash, washed away the oil based paint! Leaving a very pinkish and grainy paint finish, as stated - not what I had expected at all. The thought of a Pink Abaddon was quite disturbing and as well as the shock (yes shock) of the paint being washed off so very easily, the wash had also highlighted a grainy paint finish.

Photo Five - I washed the miniature under running water and using a toothbrush was able to remove most of the red paint. The actual miniature is not damaged and I will now go back to my usual paints and build up the Red Armour with traditional modelling paints - Vallejo, Games Workshop and some Foundry acrylics.

In summary the experiment has been a total failure, but I will recover and future On-Line builds will not be using Water Based Oil Colour.

For anyone thinking of experimenting with these paints, remember to test the paint on a scrap model or surface before doing as I have.

With a very pink Abaddon the Despoiler and feeling just a little bit silly, I'll sign off for now.

Tony

Sunday, 8 August 2010

Barking Irons issue 2

Barking Irons #2 - the in house Fanzine/Magazine from Alternative Armies is now available to buy, see;

Once again I have a modelling article included, Is that you Mr. Obidiah? A short article and photo feature including a number of images of my Limited Edition Obidiah and some of my conversions. This Games Workshop Empire Ogre Standard Bearer has been dressed with Green Stuff and armed with a Flintloque armourers pack gun. The bicorne was taken from a separate figure and once again built up with Green Stuff. Prior to me owning a LE Obidiah or one of the Obidiah miniatures from the Boxed Set, this was my Obidiah stand-in.


It's been some time since this model has seen the light of day - being relegated to the bottom of a figure case, but with the article in Barking Irons, I felt it was worth including him here.

The miniature is 45mm tall (head to toe) and is mounted on to a UK 2p coin. Similar GW Ogres appear on e-bay quite regularly.

Further details are also featured on TMP, see;

Saturday, 7 August 2010

Fable III - Introduction

I recently came across this You Tube intro, in fact my Son, sent me a link thinking I would enjoy it. For me it ticks all the right boxes and I thought I would share it.


Fable III. Soldiers with muskets, a beautifully rendered background and above all a great story, moving and funny at the same time. There is lots to inspire. For some reason, I'm still getting to grips with posting videos, this whole image is compressed, the original is much wider and gives a better overall view. I hope that you still enjoy it.

Tony

Friday, 6 August 2010

Swansea Castle

Here are a couple of photos of Swansea Castle which I took some months ago. Although now a dangerous ruin, the walls have a number of interesting features that are worth recording.

For more details of the history, check out;







I think the last two photos are the best for showing actual stonework, very haphazard and great for modelling inspiration - particularly the plants growing out of the cracks!

And sorry about the raindrops on the lens, well it is Swansea after all!

Tony

Thursday, 5 August 2010

Abaddon - my latest On-Line Build

In this latest On-Line Build, I am painting a 28mm Games Workshop Abaddon the Despoiler, a miniature that I picked up on e-bay eariler this month. The inspiration came from two sources, firstly this image from the 2008 Cool Mini or Not Annual which is a Forgeworld resin casting and secondly a 'bargain bin' find at a local art store.

The second-hand miniature came undercoated in Black. I took the figure apart to clean up the castings and re-base it. I decided not to strip the black paint, but to paint over it, however at this moment I am still undecided as to which base/undercoat I will use - black or white, maybe even a mix of both!

This photo shows some Water Mixable Oil Colour from REEVES. I picked up this set of three tubes for less than £1.00 and thought that I could test out the Brilliant Red (a colour that nearly always disappoints when using acrylic paints) on the Abaddon miniatures armour.

This final photo shows the cleaned-up Abaddon mounted on to a Games Workshop resin base from the Citadel Urban Basing Kit. I've had the basing kit some time, (It was bought for me by my Mother-in-Law, a Birthday gift I think) and although I have used some of the stone and shale tubs, this is only the second time I have chosen a resin casting to be used as base decoration.

The remainder of the base is built up with Green Stuff, some loose stones and sieved sand.

Both of the banner poles have been cleaned and re-glued with superglue, while the hands have been pinned (see next post).

For now, I have other projects that are taking priority, but this model is one that I have wanted to paint for some considerable time and the Red Abaddon from the CMON Annual has given me the much needed push I needed.

Tony

Tuesday, 3 August 2010

Wyvern for Space 1889/Aeronef

In my quest for suitable miniatures to use as flying creatures alongside my 1/300th scale scratch-built Aeronefs I have become quite a collector of unusual figures, some scratch-built, others modified creatures - all intended for some other game system or use, (for more examples please check out the LABEL - Space 1889/Aeronef).

The latest group are a set of three Dragonette miniatures from Reaper which I bought from e-bay, see;



The unmodified casting has the creature with outstretched wings and balanced on its tail, I trimmed the tail mounting tab back and drilled a 1mm hole into the main body, in addition I have animated each of the castings, by twisting the tails and/or head, straightening the wings, or mounting each of the Wyverns at different heights and angles. The Dragonettes have a wingspan of 85mm and a body length of 55mm.

The castings needed some tidying up, and were painted over a Black undercoat with various Greens which were 'washed' with Games Workshop Black and Green Washes prior to three coats of acrylic varnish.

I've added nameplates - Wyvern 1, 2 and 3, but am still to use them (or any of the other Aerofauna I have) in any game. Should any reader have any ideas for stat-ing these for the game Aeronef, or any of the other Aeronef Fauna included in this Blog, please contact me.

Full details are;
Reaper Miniatures - Dragonette by Kevin Williams, 03487

Tony