Started and first points.

 Well I am off the mark. As many of you will already know I have put my first submission in to Curt at analogue-hobbies and gained 48 points. 1 point for each of the 48 Ashigaru (Light feet). There are a total of 12 stands each of four figures in two different uniforms to represent two different armies. Regular reads will no doubt remember me starting these armies and yes I still have a lot more of these troops to paint. I have now filled one A4 box file and am starting to put figures in a second one. I estimate that I have about another 1/2 a box file of unpainted before I need to purchase any more. But they are on my list so I think a further purchase will be desirable

. As mentioned on Curts Challenge I use a very simple technique to paint 10mm figures. After a white undercoat I block in the base colours, then apply a heavy dark was and finally highlight the blocked colours to lift them and make them more vibrant. This Painting style is quick and effective, but will not win a painting competition. It does pass the 2 foot rule though and looks pretty good on the wargames table which is all you really want with 10mm figures.
 
 I am very happy to have made my first submission to the challenge and gotten off of the ZERO start level. I can now start to chip away at my 600 point total.

Work in progress for the challenge has me painting several things at once. Currently I am painting the figure for Curt's entry fee. Having said that I am about to start painting an alternative and make the final decision when they are both finished. The one I don't use will be given to the first of the 600 club to reach that lofty goal. Obviously should I reach the summit first it will go into my collection. (Very small chance of that).

I was going to paint some wild west Cancan dancers for the "Non Combatants" bonus round, but I am sorry to say I have changed my mind and am now going to do some Crooked Dice Astronoughts as they are unarmed apart from an offensive clipboard (the pen is mightier than the sword) and some device which bears a passing resemblance to a sonic screwdriver. I also have a donkey about to be primed which I rediscovered last night. Everyone needs a pack mule and as such it is a very versatile figure. Additionally I am about to prep some more 10mm Samurai (probably peasant archers, but not sure yet, Maybe more Ashigaru I will not know until I get to my work bench.)

I will also start painting some figures for the Arab Revolt. So as you can see there is a lot in progress, but not so much to show at the moment.

Finally before I go for today I am feeling like creating a colonial army (well 2 as they will need an opponent), so I am very open to suggestions as to what conflict to recreate. I will not be looking for a skirmish game but a big battle game, although not the Sudan. The reason not the Sudan is simply because another club member has already covered that quite extensively.

Anyway thanks for reading, I hope you found something of interest. I hope to post again on Sunday with any luck, so I had best get the brushes busy today. All the best Clint.

Challenge WIP (1)

 I have been slowly working away at Curt's 4th Annual Painting Challenge. While I have not made a submission just yet I am getting close and Hope to finish these this afternoon, All I really need to do is to get the bases dried, painted and a few clumps of foliage and we can call them done. As you can see there are 12 stands each of 4 Ashigaru armed with Naginata. Two in my new read colour scheme and an additional one in the alternative blue/grey of my existing force. Needless to say they are Pendraken Miniatures and are essencially the same as you have seen on this blog before. But the idea is to use the painting challenge to encourage me to paint and make headway into my lead mountain. As opposed to starting new projects.

Well that was the plan until I got an email last night inviting the Rainham club to put a game on at a local show on the 16th March 2014. As this is the day after the challenge finishes I will have to start painting for that game in the next few weeks. This will also mean making a couple of terrain boards as well. While I have them planned in my mind it will all take time and effort and draw me away from the Challenge and especially the bonus rounds. Still this is not a complaint as it will just mean I will try to get various things done for the bonus rounds a little earlier that I had anticipated.

That's todays update. As noted above these should appear on Curt's Blog very soon ( Link ). Thanks for looking and feel free to comment here or on Curt's blog as you want.

All the best Clint

Where to start?

Indeed where to start? Several things of relevance have happened since my last post. Firstly Peter O'Toole has  sadly passed away. While I would not normally comment on an actors live this has struck me as quite relevant. As you will know I plan to run an Arab Revolt game at Broadside next year. You will no doubt also be aware that Peter O'Toole was the brilliant actor who brought Laurence of Arabia to the big screen. Thus I have been reading about this conflict plotting and planning the game and working out the terrain for the game. It just strikes me as very bad timing from my point of view. Not because I feel the universe pays any attention to me of course but because it will inevitably bring the conflict to the for front of wargames minds.

Secondly the Analogue Painting Challenge has now started at 6am local time, yesterday morning. The first few entries are already in. I am one of those painters who has several things on the paint table all at the same time. This in mostly because I can't retain any focus and do not have the determination to stay on a project for very long at all. As I had cleared my painting table ready for the challenge I will be bringing along several things all at the same time, but as things are completed they will get photographed and emailed to Curt for inclusion in the challenge.

So what have I started? So far I have started some more 10mm Ashigaru to bolster my Samurai armies. Some 20mm Arab revolt figures for the Broadside game next year. As well as a couple of 28mm figures. These last two, one for Curt as an entrance fee to the Challenge and one for the first person in the 600 club to reach 600 points. This last figure is a side challenge in which all of the 600 club will paint and present a single figure to the first of us to reach the target 600 points. I have decided to do this early as I don't know how fast certain people will work, and as I suggested the side wager it would be ceorlish of me in the extreme not to be prepared. And should I be the first to finish I will be happy to keep and use the figure.

You may expect the first few points to roll of this production line in the next few days. Probably the Ashigaru but at this stage that is just a guess as I might rush a 54mm Gladiator out for a game tomorrow night! (Not started yet, not even out of it's packet so may be a rush job as I only found out about the game yesterday.)

Additionally my Deadzone order arrived on Saturday so I would like to get them prepped and painted as fast as possible. I already have the colour scheme in my head so it will be good to plough through them.

Finally I will mention the club game I played yesterday. It was a Jet age check your 6 game. (yes I forgot my camera again) Let us just say I had a flight of Argentinian planes and had to attack HMS Plymouth during the Falklands war. All my planes reached the target, all dropped their bombs and all missed the target. The Harriers arrived to help defend the ships and I decided to run away (head for home for wine and medals.) Yeah well that was the plan but the harriers had other ideas and fired infra-red guided missiles at the bombers. Despite missing me it was so close as to get a lucky strike. Graham rolled double 6 to get the hit and another double 6 on the lucky strike table. Which meant the fuel tank exploded. Absolutely nothing I could do. So while I did get my other aircraft off the table having failed to do any damage at all and having lost a plane a clear British win.

That's it for today. I hope to have some painting to show soon. Thanks for reading and more to come soon. Cheers Clint