WW2 Soviets 1

And now for something completely different! I've only done renaissance figures on the challenge, last year and up until now, well these are the start of a bolt action soviet army, I wasn't initially keen on doing ww2, napoleonic was the closest I came but both my nephews  (who I game with) have been very enthusiastic about it and I have finally succumbed! I had a first game playing US last week, really enjoyed it and am now hoping to complete my soviet force before the end of the challenge, of course I am now assembling tanks and the like and I still have plastic figures to assemble, never mind prime but I'm trying to get these done.
These three chaps and their maxim took longer than the four minutes each I'd allowed them but hopefully I can push the average time down, it's also my first go with block colours, wash and highlight, I think it's turned out ok.

The crew are Black tree design, I picked them up at colours for very little and the maxim is from warlord games. I've gone for a really dark colour for the basing, the snow is some display snow I ended up with, I think it'll do, I'm doing patchy snow so I can maybe get away with some other bits of terrain without snow! I got a great book on snow terrain, I think the first run is sold out but I would definitely recommend it, it's by Pat Smith who's silver whistle blog is great for figures and terrain, Nick who's doing the challenge and is a fellow Monday contributor has some figures in the book too. 

I've been in something of a hurry to get these done, I just wanted to do something! Sorry if it's late Sydney, I have been using the hairdryer on them in order to get them done!I should have a decent sized post by next Monday.  Black tree design 28mm figures with warlord maxim. 

All the best Iain 

Italian wars 16 artillery

Here we have three artillery pieces for the Italian wars, the two cannons are by Irregular and the three barreled gun is by hinchcliffe, all the crew are from old glory. The Irregular guns give you some nice variation which I think you need in a period of experimentation and no standardisation, one of the guns were super cheap but I think it's absolutely fine, the other was meant to come with additional transoms, I put it in the pile a couple of years ago and only realised they weren't there when I came to paint them, I think it'll do! The three barreled gun is a really nice hinchcliffe piece with the nice detail of the barrels being held together with rope!

Onto the 20th century next! 

All the best Iain 

Ecw, second analogue post

So here we have a unit of horse for the war of the three kingdoms, also known as the English civil war. Eight mounted  troopers, all Essex figures, to start with. I like them, they're a little retro, cutting edge in 1986, so almost yesterday?  They're also about the same size as warlord plastics and I have happily mixed both manufacturers in the same unit in the past.  There are also a couple of Perry heads, warlord hats, pistols and hammer added. 

They currently have the flag of William Waller. I'd like to do Cropredy bridge  one day as I've often camped there and to be honest in the past drunkenly stumbled around it (it's a music festival you sit out in the rain /sun, drinking real ale all day, with music - it's fun!)  

The horses are a bit long but they're OK.  I've got a few more units to do at some point. 

Next up are a few command stands. One Perry, one Foundry and the third a mix of Perry and Essex. 

The first command stand I might use as Waller for Cropredy or maybe Montrose, although I would have to start another 17th century army for that! The next command stand is Oliver Cromwell - a nice figure and companion piece to last week' Charles the First. The final command stand is a portly Perry officer and at the moment the flag is Fairfax's but it just slips on and off. I was disappointed I couldn't find a house I liked in either Fairfax or Cromwell road when I was looking locally, so I shall need to do "Black Tom" at some point too I guess. 

Finally three battalia commanders for my Covenanters  The Covenantor army is pretty much complete but I've had Essex and Wallenstein commanding so these are replacements. 

Nice Perry sculpts with a little light conversion on a couple of them, the one with the burgonet would make a nice Swedish officer. I've been meaning to move onto the Thirty Years War anyway! Sixteen mounted figures and one dismounted gives me a total of 165 points towards my total and towards the Renaissance Duel. 

All the best, Iain.

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Analogue hobbies first post, funny mix

Originally posted on the  Analogue hobbies  painting challenge :
 Finally , a first post, some livestock to go with my wagon train and also to be objectives .
One group of pigs based on Tamworth pigs which are the nearest breed to the medieval british hogs . The other group of pigs are based on the medieval Italian breed cinta senese, the chicken colours are based on medieval illustrations. The sheep are predominantly all white in the illustrations. The cattle are like the long dark cattle refered to in Irish /Scottish cattle raids and the like. These are all from a pegasus hobbies 1/48 plastic farm animals kit.

Next up is the man of blood, also known as King Charles the first, largely responsible for the war's in all three kingdoms you'd have to agree with Cromwell about that unless you're an Anglican as they made him a saint, well I guess it was his church!  I've shown him as per the Van Dyke equestrian potrait in the national gallery and next to him is the royal standard , hopefully he won't drop it as happened at Nottingham at the start of the war. Charles is a foundry figure and the standard bearer is an Essex figure. 

And finally , cattle militant? A minotaur for my Curtgeld , he's an old Marauder games figure a subsidiary of GW back in the last century , he's got a  large lead spike under his left foot, he would have been based on those large square plastic bases GW used to make, alternatively I could base him on a round MDF comsheep base and finish as per my Italian wars, which do you fancy Curt? 

An odd mixed bag, I've been rotten since before Christmas so it's surprising I've got anything done! I'm hoping to finish a unit of horse and some more command stands soon. Points wise 15 for Charles and standard(also counting towards the renaissance duel ), 25 for Curtgeld  (I think)  30 for cattle, 10 for sheep 5 each for adult pigs , 10,  and maybe 15 for the piglets and 6 for the chickens?  Which makes 111 points which seems a lot so happy to have any adjustments otherwise I'll have to work fast to get off Nelson! 

All the  best Iain