"Despite Introducing The Land Ironclad To The Battlefield..."

“…The lack of involvement in a major European War saw innovative British designs not adopted by the Army.”

This pair of 1/1200th scale Britannic class Ironclads are produced by “Brigade Models” and can be purchased from their Great Britain range of Land Ironclads as product code VLI-103. The medium-sized, twin turreted vehicles are 13mm x 25mm in size, and were each super-glued upon a 40mm x 40mm plastic rectangle as per the Victorian Science Fiction Ground Combat game’s rule-set.

Sculpted by Tony Francis, the miniatures were undercoated using “Vallejo” Earth, shaded with a blend of “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, and then dry-brushed using (more) “Vallejo” Earth. The Land Ironclads' large circular turrets and wheelhouses were treated to some “Vallejo” Heavy Green.

"Brigade Models" WIPs - Eight Volker Gun Contraptions

These areas were later washed with “Citadel” Biel-Tan Green, and delicately dry-brushed using a spot (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Green. Finally, having resisted a momentary madness to 'pick out' all the warmachines' tiny windows, I applied some “Vallejo” Gunmetal to all their cannons instead, and darkened these down with the odd splash of “Citadel” Nuln Oil.

In addition to one of my final submissions to the recently concluded Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC), I have been beavering away on some German armed tanks to use as opposition. Like almost all of the other Land Ironclads I recently unearthed from a decade-long sleep, these diminutive Volker Gun Contraptions had already been partially based and flocked. So I’ve simply needed to paint over their original “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey undercoat to get the ‘ball rolling’ on their progress.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - This Confederate cannon team is having its details 'picked out'

I’ve actually become quite immersed in this alternative Victorian universe, to the point where I have finally bitten the bullet and bought the tabletop game’s digital rulebook, having misplaced my original physical copy from yesteryear. I’ve also bought a few reinforcements for both the British and Germans from “Brigade Models”; most notably some strips of their 2mm infantry and accompanying troop transports.

Lastly, I am hoping to finally get my first 15mm Confederate cannon team by “Warlord Games” finished. I had actually planned on entering this four-man gun into the AHPC, but eventually abandoned the time-consuming piece once I realised I was getting increasingly short on time before the challenge finished and needed some quick points so as to successfully achieve my target tally…

“I'm In The Middle Of An Interrogation.”

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

This 28mm metal miniature of Natalia, Female Secret Agent is by "Reaper Miniatures" and comes from their Chronoscope range under code 50149. I bought the model just as soon as I spotted it on Planetmut’s excellent blog “PM Painting”, as I thought it would make an excellent addition to my party of adventurers for Gamma World.

The two-piece figure was actually rather fiddly to assemble due to her disconcertingly fragile-looking limbs, but once the super-glue had set I was able to undercoat the covert operative with “Vallejo” Black Prime. I then treated the miniature to a couple of layers of “Citadel” Abaddon Black, heavily dry-brushed her with “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal, and picked out her gun holster, leg strap and belt with Heavy Sienna.

"The others must have cannibalized it for the blood!"

I also applied some “Vallejo” Gunmetal to the deadly assassin’s pistol, before all of these areas were ‘drowned’ in “Citadel” Nuln Oil. The not-Black Widow’s belt buckle and thigh gadget were treated to a combination of “Vallejo” Gold and “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade, before I gave Natalia’s hair a lick of “Vallejo” Heavy Red. This was subsequently shaded with “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade, and carefully dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Red.

Alongside this submission to the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC), I also entered (as my final entry) five more 15mm metal Xenomorphs by "Ground Zero Games". The figures are available as code SG15-X01 from the company’s Stargrunt Infantry range, and come in packs of six figures (consisting of two alternative sculpts).

The tanks have been assembled with different sets of Schürzen armour

Due to using the models for some homemade rules, the deadly extra-terrestrials were super-glued onto either a medium or small-sized plastic “Flames Of War” stand by “Battlefront Miniatures”, and primed using two layers of “Citadel” Abaddon Black. The Internecivus raptus’ were then dry-brushed with “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey, before being given a double-helping of “Citadel” Nuln Oil in order to help tone down their highlights and better blend them in.

Lastly, I have finally assembled and primed the four plastic Panzer IV (7.5cm) tanks I plan to add to my German Beach Defence Company for “Flames Of War”. The “Hit The Beach” Starter Set by “Battlefront Miniatures” actually only contains three of the vehicles so as to make a 16 point platoon. However, having had a rummage through the numerous sprues I collected for their skirmish game “Tanks”, I’ve been able to add a fourth tank and bolster the unit up to 22 points worth of heavy armour.

First Few Posts Of March 2022 Posted On Wix Website

The first few postings of March 2022 are now up on the Wix website which replaced this blog just over a year ago. These include the start of a "Brigade Models" 2mm British Land Ironclads force, some more 15mm ACW plastic infantry strips by "Warlord Games", taken from their "Epic Battles: American Civil War" game for Black Powder, and plenty of Weird War Two walkers using the Battletech models produced by "Catalyst Game Labs."

In addition, I'm continuing to grow my "Flames Of War" German Beach Defence Company with a platoon of sMG34 Machine-gun teams. These'll be following by more Panzergrenadiers, a pair of 7.5cm Tank-Hunter teams and a handful of Panzer IVs…

Lastly, I've finished porting across both the January-May 2019 postings from this blog over to the new Wix website. Please click the link below to pay me a visit and see all the changes for yourself.

https://www.fantoricalwargaming.com

“British Use Of Contraptions And Land Ironclads…”

“…Varied considerably during the period.”

This pair of 1/1200th scale Warlord class ironclads are produced by “Brigade Models” and can be purchased from their Great Britain range of Land Ironclads as product code VLI-104. The small steam-propelled warmachines are 10mm x 20mm in size, and were each super-glued upon a 40mm x 40mm plastic rectangle as per the Victorian Science Fiction Ground Combat game’s rule-set.

Sculpted by Tony Francis, the miniatures were primed using two coats of “Vallejo” Earth, shaded with a cocktail of “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, and then dry-brushed using (more) “Vallejo” Earth. The vehicles’ turrets and wheelhouses were treated to some “Vallejo” Heavy Green.

"Armée de Terre et Armée de Mer. Ordre de Mobilisation Générale."

These areas were later washed with “Citadel” Biel-Tan Green, and delicately dry-brushed using a little (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Green. Finally I applied some “Vallejo” Gunmetal to all their cannons and forward-facing buffers, and darkened these down with the odd splash of “Citadel” Nuln Oil.

In addition to one of my final submissions to the now successfully completed Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC), I also entered six (more) 1:285 scale Elemental figures by “Catalyst Game Labs” which I have painted to represent French armoured super-soldiers for my homemade Weird War Two campaign. These pre-assembled plastic figures were painted in precisely the same manner as my previous battle-suited Armée de Terre.

"Battlefront Miniatures" WIPs - This sMG34 Machine-gun team has been dusted down ready for finishing

Lastly, I have settled down to finish the three remaining plastic 15mm sMG34 Machine-gun teams I aim to field as part of my German Beach Defence Company for “Flames Of War”. These “Battlefront Miniatures” somewhat ‘got away from me’ during the final weeks of the AHPC, as I focused more upon the event’s sci-fi themed Quadrant Challenges so as to achieve my target tally of 500 points.

However, now I no longer need to fruitfully orbit such planets as LV426, Arrakis, Corsucant, Cybertron and the Vogsphere within the Middle Ring, I can once again fully concentrate upon getting my battle-hardened forces of the Fatherland ready for some fights next month. Indeed, I’m planning on spending the rest of this month working on more Panzergrenadiers, a pair of 7.5cm Tank-Hunter teams and a handful of Panzer IVs…

"The Kit Fox Is A Light Clan OmniMech…”

“…With long-range combat as a primary focus.”

This 1:285 scale pre-built plastic model of a Kit Fox is produced by “Catalyst Game Labs” and can be found in the “BattleTech: Clan Fire Star” along with a Warhawk, Cougar, Fire Moth, and Nova Cat. All the pre-assembled miniatures also come with an assortment of MechWarrior pilot and Alpha Strike cards depicting various colour schemes. But as I plan to use this particular sculpt as a Caudron-Renault class French War Walker for an upcoming Weird War Two campaign using some homemade rules, I decided to go with a predominantly pale blue palette.

“Often fielded by Clan Jade Falcon”, the 32mm tall figure was initially primed with a double layer of “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey and washed using “Citadel” Drakenhof Nightshade. The thirty ton vehicle was then dry-brushed using (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey with a softly-bristled make-up blusher brush, before having a small circular access hatch and grill section ‘picked out’ with a combination of German Grey and “Citadel” Nuln Oil.

"They mostly come at night...mostly."

I also applied a base layer of “Citadel” Abaddon Black to the Kit Fox’s Extended Range Large Laser and Small Pulse Laser (on its left arm), 5-X Autocannon, Streak Short Range Missile rack SRM-4 rack and accompanying vents. These areas were all later treated to a lick of “Vallejo” Gunmetal and a generous splash of “Citadel” Nuln Oil.

Lastly, I slapped a Tricolore by “Decal Details” just above Babylon-built machine’s cockpit, and two super-tiny Croix de Lorraine on its legs. I was also hoping to use a couple of French roundels, as I have previously done on the two other mechs I’ve allocated to France’s Weird War effort. However, despite owning the transfers in several diminutive sizes, I simply couldn’t find an area of armour plating large enough to accommodate them.

"Reaper Miniatures" WIPs - Natalia, Female Secret Agent is having her final details 'picked out'.

Alongside my latest Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge entry I have also submitted five 15mm scale metal Xenomorphs by “Ground Zero Games”. These models were super-glued onto a large-sized plastic “Flames Of War” stand by “Battlefront Miniatures”, and primed using two layers of “Citadel” Abaddon Black. The extra-terrestrials were later dry-brushed with “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey, before being given a double-helping of “Citadel” Nuln Oil in order to help tone down their highlights and better blend them in.

Finally, I’ve found a little time to continue working on the 28mm model Natalia, Female Secret Agent by “Reaper Miniatures” I recently purchased. This not-Black Widow has really reinvigorated my hobby enthusiasm and could well be finished within a week or two of my buying her – something I’m not particularly prone to do these days…

“The Gun Carrier Mark I…”

“…Was a British vehicle of the First World War.”

These twenty-four 1/1200th scale Mk.I Armoured Gun Carriers are produced by “Brigade Models” and can be purchased from their Great Britain range of Land Ironclads as product code VLI-120. The tiny casemate-armed tanks are approximately 4mm x 9mm in size, and were previously super-glued in fours upon a 30mm x 40mm plastic rectangle when I first bought them approximately a decade ago.

The tiny war machines were all primed with a couple of layers of “Vallejo” Earth and shaded using a combination of “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. I then carefully dry-brushed them all with (more) “Vallejo” Earth, before patiently picking out all their side-mounted guns with a combination of Gunmetal and “Citadel” Nuln Oil.

“The gun carrier was designed to transport a 6-inch howitzer or a 60-pounder gun forward.”

To be honest, the hardest part in painting these little guys was subsequently tidying up the grit surrounding the vehicles so I could later dry-brush their bases with “Citadel” Doombull Brown, Rakarth Flesh and Agrax Earthshade. I also considered whether to apply any decals to them, so as to make them more visible upon the tabletop. But as the miniatures are so small, I simply settled upon their typically dirty brown colour palette marking them out as being British.

Alongside my latest submission to the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC), I also entered six (more) 1:285 scale Elemental figures by “Catalyst Game Labs” which I have painted to represent French armoured super-soldiers for my homemade Weird War Two campaign. These pre-assembled plastic figures can be found inside the company’s “Battletech: Clan Elemental Star” boxed set, and are actually supplied in groups of five miniatures on five hexagonal-shaped stands.

"Canadiens-Francais, Enrolez Vous!"

However, as I don’t plan on using them for “Battletech”, I decided to rebase them in threes on some “Citadel” 25mm round bases, and undercoated them with two coats of “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey. The infantrymen were subsequently shaded in “Citadel” Drakenhof Nightshade, and carefully dry-brushed using (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey with a softly-bristled make-up blusher brush.

I also decided to apply some “Citadel” Abaddon Black to their twin-tube short-range missile launchers, pigment them with “Vallejo” Gunmetal, and later give them a splash of “Citadel” Nuln Oil. Lastly, I layered some “Vallejo” Sombre Grey to the super-soldiers’ smoke trails, washed them with “Citadel” Nuln Oil and dry-brushed their jet-streams using some (more) “Vallejo” Sombre Grey and a touch of White too.

“The Warhawk Was Powered By A Massive 340 XL Engine…”

“…That gave it a top speed of 64.8 km/h and mounted thirteen and a half tons of Ferro-Fibrous armour.”

This 1:285 scale pre-built plastic model of a Warhawk is produced by “Catalyst Game Labs” and can be found in the “BattleTech: Clan Fire Star” along with a Kit Fox, Cougar, Fire Moth, and Nova Cat. All the pre-assembled miniatures also come with an assortment of MechWarrior pilot and Alpha Strike cards depicting various colour schemes. But as I plan to use this particular sculpt as a Bloch class French War Walker for an upcoming Weird War Two campaign using some homemade rules, I decided to go with a predominantly pale blue palette.

“Introduced by Clan Smoke Jaguar in 2999”, the 43mm tall figure was initially given a double undercoat of “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey and shaded in “Citadel” Drakenhof Nightshade. It was then dry-brushed using (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey with a softly-bristled make-up blusher brush, and had its cockpit windows ‘picked out’ with the odd dab of “Citadel” Abaddon Black.

"Ground Zero Games" WIPs - These Xenomorphs have been primed, based-coated and dry-brushed

I also applied a base layer of “Citadel” Abaddon Black to the Warhawk’s four Extended Range Particle Projector Cannons and LRM-10 Launcher, as well as numerous vents and the odd piece of armour plating. These areas were all later treated to a lick of “Vallejo” Gunmetal and a generous splash of “Citadel” Nuln Oil.

Finally, I stuck some French roundels by “Decal Details” to the mech’s front legs, the Tricolore to the machine’s upper carapace and the name “Boiurgueil” to its hull. These transfers actually took quite a few attempts as I found that they started to disintegrate very quickly in the water if I waited too long for them to detach themselves from their paper.

"Reaper Miniatures" WIPs - Natalia, Female Secret Agent is just having her details 'picked out'.

In addition to my latest Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge entry I have been progressing twenty 15mm scale metal Xenomorphs by “Ground Zero Games”. These are the last of the alien figures I purchased from the company’s Stargrunt Infantry range last year, and have been based on the small, medium and large Flames of War bases produced by “Battlefront Miniatures” to represent different sized packs of Xenomorph XX121.

Lastly, I've managed to get my hands on the 28mm model Natalia, Female Secret Agent by “Reaper Miniatures”. I spotted this striking not-Black Widow figure on Planetmut’s excellent blog “PM Painting”, and thought it would make an excellent proxy for the actress Scarlett Johansson, so the Academy Award nominee could join my other adventurers in their exploits on Gamma World…

“The Name Iron Brigade Came From A Remark…"

“…Made by General George B. McClellan when he saw the brigade advancing under a murderous fire.”

This 15mm scale plastic Union Commander from the Iron Brigade is produced by “Warlord Games” and came on a sprue I recently acquired off of “eBay”. The mounted figure is from the Nottingham-based company's "Epic Battles: American Civil War" range and is actually supplied with a square stand. However, as I wanted my officers to stand out a bit more on the tabletop, I decided to glue the single-piece model to a thin-lipped 30mm circular base instead.

The general was originally primed with a couple of coats of “Citadel” Abaddon Black, and, as with my recently finished Confederate mounted officer, painted from the hooves up. This meant applying some “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna to the horse, before subsequently shading the animal with a combination of “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. I also dry-brushed some (additional) “Citadel” Abaddon Black to the horse’s legs, and then used the base paint to tidy up its mane, tail and leather straps.

"Brigade Models" WIPs - This Sovereign Land Ironclad has had all its details 'picked out'.

The animal’s saddle-rug was ‘picked out’ using a little “Vallejo” Heavy Blue and “Citadel” Drakenhof Nightshade, whilst the saddle itself with pigmented with “Vallejo” Heavy Brown and “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I applied a tiny amount of “Vallejo” Gunmetal to the stirrups (as well as the rider’s sword), and later darkened these up with a splash of “Citadel” Nuln Oil. 

With the horse’s super-simplistic palette finished, I gave the officer’s trousers a dab of “Vallejo” Steel Grey and his long coat a healthy dose of “Vallejo” Storm Blue. Both of these garments were shaded with “Citadel” Drakenhof Nightshade. The sculpt actually has the general’s cuffs and collar on him, but as this chap was going to command my Iron Brigade, I kept them “Vallejo” Storm Blue to suggest he was wearing the brigade’s famous “long, dark blue coat”.

"Catalyst Game Labs" WIPs - A Wasp, three Elemental battlesuits and a Wolverine

Alongside my latest Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge entry I have continued to make some good progress on the 1/1200th British Land Ironclads by “Brigade Models” I recently dusted off. I’ve actually now only got the impressively-sized Sovereign class vehicle to finish. But have succumbed to already ordering some reinforcements in the shape of eight Mk.III Armoured Infantry Carrier and plenty of the range’s 2mm-sized infantrymen.

In addition, I have turned my attention towards progressing some Russian reinforcements for my Weird War Two homebrew rule-set, using models taken from “Catalyst Game Labs” range of 1:285 scale plastic “Battletech” figures. I was actually lucky enough to pick up these mechs as individual models on “eBay”, which whilst a bit more expensive than I would have liked to have paid, was significantly cheaper than buying the boxed sets they are ordinarily found inside.

"Introduced In 3049 To Address Flaws In The Venerable Hellbringer."

"The primary configuration of the Ebon Jaguar was made to attack from long range."

This 1:285 scale plastic model of an Ebon Jaguar is manufactured by “Catalyst Game Labs” and can be bought together with the Turkina, Kingfisher, Huntsman, and Crossbow in the company’s BattleTech: Clan Heavy Battle Star boxed set. All the pre-assembled miniatures in this “supplement to the BattleTech: A Game of Armoured Combat box” come with an assortment of Alpha Strike cards depicting various colour schemes. However, as I plan to employ this particular sculpt as a (second) German Focke-Achgelis War Walker for an upcoming Weird War Two campaign using some homemade rules, I decided to go with a predominantly grey palette.

The 41mm tall figure was initially undercoated with “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII, shaded in “Citadel” Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed using (more) “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII. I then ‘picked out’ the heavy Clan OmniMech’s three-toed feet using a combination of “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey and “Citadel” Nuln Oil. These areas were later carefully dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey.

Warlord Games" WIPs - These Confederates are having their flesh areas layered

I also brushed a couple of coats of “Vallejo” White onto the war walker’s cockpit and nose cone as a base colour. These parts were later layered in “Vallejo” Sun Yellow, shaded in “Citadel” Reikland Fleshshade, and very carefully dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Sun Yellow. Finally, the miniature’s joints, exhaust vents and weaponry were treated to some “Vallejo” Gunmetal and a splash of “Citadel” Nuln Oil.

Alongside my latest submission for the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC), I’ve spent some more hobby time progressing (yet) another 15mm plastic strip of American Civil War soldiers by “Warlord Games”. These particular Confederates will represent the state of Florida, so will be depicted wearing straw hats, and I only need pigment two twenty-man stands to finally have enough painted models so as to try out a game of "Black Powder".

"Brigade Models" WIPs - All the details have been 'picked out' on a Britannic and Warlord Land Ironclad 

In addition, I have been beavering away at the fleet of 1/1200th British Land Ironclads by “Brigade Models” I recently found buried deep within my embarrassingly large backlog. For some reason I'm really enthused by the prospect of gaming in such a grand scale, and this fervour has helped galvanise me into getting almost the entire collection finished in a short amount of time.

Admittedly, I do have an entire German force to also apply my brush too, as well as some reinforcements en route from the Kent-based manufacturer. But I'm applying a tabletop standard to these diminutive war machines, so I won't be picking out their many windows, and hope that when it comes to their lines of infantrymen, I'll be able to get away with just one or two colours and a shade/dry-brush to achieve the mass ranks of soldiers look...

"Being The Oldest Regiment In The Confederate Service…”

“…It was first called on to re-enlist for the war, at the end of the first year…”

These twenty 15mm scale plastic Confederate soldiers are produced by “Warlord Games” and came as a highly-anticipated free sprue accompanying Issue 393 of "Wargames Illustrated". The models are currently part of the Nottingham-based company's "Epic Battles: American Civil War" range for the Black Powder rule-set, and make up the final two lines of infantrymen need for me to form the 1st Alabama Infantry Regiment.

The soldiers were primed using a double-coat of “Vallejo” Sombre Grey before having their top halves (from the jackets up) painted with "Citadel" Abaddon Black. I then carefully started to ‘pick out’ both strips’ numerous details from the ground up, applying a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade to the footwear of six of the miniatures. I subsequently did something similar with the models’ trousers too, as I didn't just want all of them to be marching in the same colour pants.

“…And seven of the companies did so.”

This caused me to pigment several with "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil, a few with Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, and even a couple of Confederates with “Vallejo” Steel Grey and “Citadel” Drakenhof Nightshade. At this stage I took the opportunity of working on the musician’s drum, and essentially just applied a layer or two of “Vallejo” Heavy Brown to the percussion instrument before ‘picking out’ its ropes with some “Citadel” Abaddon Black and “Vallejo” White.

The entire drum was shaded with a combination of “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. I actually applied a second dash of wash in between the ropes in order to make its shell much darker than the skin on the drumhead. The soldiers’ jackets were painted with a mixture of "Vallejo" Sombre Grey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil or "Vallejo" Heavy Blue and "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade. However, I did mix in the odd combatant with a Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade top, and even gave of the banner bearers on the command strip with Vallejo" Heavy Brown and “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade coat.

"Brigade Models" WIPs - A Britannic, Warlord and Sovereign Land Ironclad

I also gave all the Kepi hats a dash of "Vallejo" Sombre Grey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil, their blanket rolls a smidgeon of either "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, Heavy Red or White with a wash of "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, and their belt buckles a touch of "Vallejo" Gold and (more) Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter". Finally, I applied a couple of 15mm flags by “GMB Designs” to the ensemble using the products ACW39 - Alabama State and ACW31 - 1st (silk) pattern ANV battle flags.

With my most recent entry into the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge entry finished I have made some more progress on the 1/1200th British Ironclads by “Brigade Models” I recently unearthed from their decade-long storage. The “huge fighting machines” have now all been undercoated, shaded and dry-brushed, so I am now just patiently picking out all of their numerous guns, tracks, and wheels….

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Flames Of War” March 2022

"The German strategy was based on defeating any seaborne assault at the water line."

This month's themed attempt to shrink my mountain of metal, plastic and resin models will see me once again focus upon my collection of 15mm World War Two Germans by “Battlefront Miniatures”. I’ve actually been picking away at these “Flames Of War” figures for some considerable time already as I slowly build up my 1944 Beach Defence Company to 50 points. However, I’ve subsequently set my eye upon fielding a much larger 75 point strong force of Panzergrenadiers, artillery and armour, so thought I’d best knuckle down with a paint-brush if they’re to be ready for some games in April.

Furthermore, the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC) finishes in a little under three weeks. This should resultantly allow me a little time afterwards to complete some of the half-dozen or so German infantry models I actually started working on before the event started - as having already been partially-painted these soldiers aren’t eligible for submission into the AHPC.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - These Iron Brigade have been primed and had their trousers layered

In conjunction with these sMG34 Machine-guns, MG34/K98 Rifle teams, and Panzer IV tanks, I also intend to work on some more 15mm plastic American Civil War miniatures by “Warlord Games”. In the past I’ve been using these ten-man long strips as practice pieces for the Nottingham-based company’s Napoleonic range. But now actually fancy pigmenting a forty-strong Florida regiment of Confederates to fight alongside my Alabama companies and their Major General, Henry DeLamar Clayton.

Despite apparently being issued with straw hats, these figures should end up being a bit more generic-looking than the time-consuming colour scheme I used on my previous ACW stands, so I’m hoping to get these soldiers finished a bit quicker than my last regiment. Perhaps more surprisingly though, I’ve taken advantage of my Warlord Medals on their website, to pick up a few of their metallic strips of Iron Brigade – so as to see how they compare to their plastic sculpts.

February 2022 - My move to 15mm scale has had a big impact upon my month's output

Productivity wise, the past month saw me at my most prolific for the past three years, as I became increasingly disenchanted with 28mm figures and instead gradually devoted my hobby time to historical models produced in 15mm scale. This has caused me to pigment an entire twenty-man base of ACW Confederates by “Warlord Games”, plus their mounted commander, as well as continue adding to my German Beach Defence Force for “Flames Of War”.

I strongly doubt that this interest in the smaller scales (as I’ve also been dabbling in both 1:285 “Battletech” and 1:10,000 “Battlefleet Gothic” scale) will disappear any time soon either, as I’m getting a lot of satisfaction in completing a handful of miniatures by the end of a single painting session. This situation rarely happens whenever I tackle a 28mm model, and is also slowly helping me develop my batch-painting skills – something I’ve always strongly shied away from when dealing with larger, heroic-sized figures…