Ships of the line (1)

I'm sorry for such late in updating this blog, but I've got some issues with my camera. It refuses to take good picture of my minis. It was just keeping transforming a lovely painted piece of art in a kind of blurry-shiny-wrong lined piece of something… I nearly gave up.

Almost…

Actually, I'm more than happy with results of my new S4 integrated camera so I can keep this blog on his way…

New topic: 1:1200 ship of the line from the wonderful Langton miniatures production…

In a couple of years I managed to finish just a couple of them, more due to my own laziness than complexity.

Here comes some pics form a late stage of work on it. I've already painted every part of it with a suitable paint scheme for the period (a lot of research in it, even if there are just a fistful of different patterns and colours from which you can choose… but, alas, I'm a damn button counter…)

As you can see, as Langton ships come with photo-etched brass sails, I've painted them still on their sprue. It's easier than doing it on the model.

Soon you'll get the completed model pictures. Stay tuned.

By the way, at The Club, we are considering doing Trafalgar with these small beauties and we are, compulsively, buying GHQ, Langton and other manufactures' ships for this project. 

We think to give a try to the WH Historical's Trafalgar ruleset, as it is known for being a very enjoyable game, but I'd like to give a try to Kiss me Hardy from Too Fat Lardies as well.

Projects, Work in Progress and Old Favourites...

I'm definitely not a compulsive wargamer... I do not buy the last ruleset on the market on day 1 nor do I start a new project every month to abandon it as soon as I got the minis in my mailbox...
But nonetheless, I fall in love very often for new periods, miniature lines, different scales and extravagant projects. So, I fear I can still be categorized on the compulsive/maniac side of the hobby... how sad...
The main difference is that I never (and I have to underline this word never) abandon or end a project.
I still regularly paint (and have game with) my first wargaming love: 1/72 plastic napoleonic with which I've began my career back in the early 90s.

The only big move on has came 5 years ago, when I did halt all my fantasy, sci-fi and GW, sold a part of them and definitely stuck myself on historical wargame only (and the only regret I feel is toward my local GW distributor, whose yearly balance has had a big flex due to my decision... sorry Igor!).
Therefore, I like to put a little order on my wargamers mind categorizing my actual and future WIP.
please consider that these projects would never meet an end. I firmly minded to continue to buy/paint/have games with all of them. It could be happen I'll left something behind for a short time. or even a long period break. But I think I'll find all these periods/projects still interesting and worthwhile in the next 10, 50, 100 years to come...

so, let start categorizing: I'll divide my projects in "actually playing", that means I have a very good selection of them painted and I've many games with them during the year (I do not play with unpainted/primed minis), "collecting and painting" which are developing projects, not yet arrived to a game or, sometimes, for which I haven't found an opponent and. "future interests" which group both seriously thought future projects and some itching extemporary inspiration from my fellows or from blogs...

ACTUALLY PLAYING

• 15 mm WWII, mainly from battlefront, for Flames of War games (that is my most played system, actually, I'm also involved in tournaments...).
• 28 mm WWII, warlords, artizan, offensive miniatures, that I'm playing with Bolt Action rules (but I'm thinking to give a try to the new Chain of Command from the TooFatLardies guys...)
• 1/2400 WWI naval wargame, with model exclusively from GHQ, using Naval Thunder rules
• 1/72 napoleonics, various plastic soldiers companies, with Lasalle ruleset

 COLLECTING AND PAINTING

• 10 mm Franco Prussian War and 1866 wars, mainly from Pendraken, but with some raids on Magister Militum camp, this is a well set project, with other 3 guys actively painting their armies in order to have, in a short time, some big clashes using 1866/70 rules.
• 6 mm Yom Kippur War, with GHQ 1/285 models. Still uncertain on rules, Cold War Commander or A Fistful of TOWs? we'll see... we'd like to have a game on october, just to give a commemorative tribute...
• 28mm Old West from Artizan... but just a small skirmish band of 10 7th Cav. soldiers.
• 15 mm napoleonics from AB ranges... just for painting sake.
• 1/1200 napoleonic ship of the line, Langton and GHQ... how lovely are these models... I've even find a new opponent...
• 1/2400 WWII naval on pacific front. GHQ models at various stage between mounting, priming and thinking on colour scheme...
• 1/285 WWII aircrafts, GHQ and Raiden miniature stuff. very lovely, I'll play with Bag the Huns 2 rules as soon as I get someone to involve in...
• 28 mm (or more closely 30 mm), WWI early war english army from Renegade miniatures.
• a small Dystopian War french fleet (yes I know, I've said no more fantasy nor sci-fi on my workbench... but these are so lovely...)
• ... and from the bottom of my models drawer, some very old projects: a late roman army in 15 mm (Magister Militum) and very old 25 mm Foundry Carthaginians, originally thought for WAB.

FUTURE INTERESTS
what a dreadful category... so many future interests...

• I'm spotting, almost everyday, on the web for Eureka' and Old Glory 15s' Seven Year War Prussian, French and Austrian... I think this new project is very close to step up to the above category...
• I'd like to give a try to the AK47 Republic ruleset from Peter Pig, with a couple of armies from their beautiful range...
• 1/1200 ironclads from various sources for Lissa... no idea which rules nor against whom to play.
• 1/600 Thoroughbred's ironclads. Really like to put together two small river fleets and let them discuss their points of view about federal politic on the game tables...
  

1/72 British 1st foot guard

as first entry, I really have to pay a (figurative) tribute to the old esci 1/72 plastic soldier.

They were my first approach to wargames (it was a double set, depicting the battle of Salamanca), and I've got them from my parents in the late 80s (I was 13 or 14 yo, I'm not sure).

From them I started my painter career. Therefore, as this blog would be a track of my life as wargamer, painter and modeller, I owe them a tribute.

the picture below are from my last Lasalle project' unit: a British guard battallion (coldstreamers?) I've painted to reinforce my british division. the miniature comes from Esci (a couple, not so many, indeed), Revell (a wonderfull set, really accurate) and a call to arms british infantry set (which I like a lot for their covered shakos). As you can see I had to squeeze the battallion in 6 bases (a big unit for Lasalle terms) hence, there are a grenadier company base, a light coy base, 3 centre companies and the colour party with a beautifull mounted colonel (a major, I think).

Actually, I find plastic soldiers more difficult to paint respect 15mm, as they have a lot of thin details which tend to disappear as soon as you prime the minis. Moreover, every plastic weapon will bend very easily and the paint will flake off (out?). I just decided to consider it appropriate and I will not bother anymore about it when playing.

regarding the bases, I've done them 4x4 cm cardboard (plastic is very very light, I do not need to pay for MDF or plastic bases ;-)), covered with white wall putty and some debries. I've not flocked them yet, as I'll do it for every unit in the division at once. flags are still missing...