Update #1/2022 also known as "What's going down with the kids...erm..grumpy old git"

 

Well it's the first, pukka update of 2021 and I'm off to a flying start!....mostly. My problem is, like my expanding waist line, I appear to have adopted a broad front strategy...no, not strategy, that smacks of deliberate planning; more a broad front...what? I dunno, either way I have, as ever, a lot going on and some of it seems to be going nowhere fast. However, and I know I suggested this idea an age ago, I reckon if I can keep a weekly update going from now on, then I will get places with my projects especially as I am making progress with getting the gaming garage to the point of being usable all year round!!

1/1 Scale Terrain

The Gaming Garage?.,,The Wargames Shed?...The Battle Box...whatever, has had some more much needed TLC since I last mentioned it on the blog. Firstly and most importantly I have managed to make it water proof by covering the leaky wall with tarpaulin. The lower part of the right hand wall needs replacing (I think this shed has been here since the house was built back in the 1930s so it's small wonder that it has corroded in places) but as funds are tight at the moment then the tarpaulin will have to do. And you can't notice it as the right hand wall backs onto our neighbour's place and has a fence and hedge up against it meaning it was a tight squeeze getting into the gap to fit the tarpaulin. Anyway, that has been addressed and should do for the moment.

Next, we have made the windows larger to allow in more daylight then painted the exterior of the garage to help the timbers last a bit longer.

Then we left it for a while as we were, to use a local term, scunnered with it all. However, now that we are past the holiday season and the days are getting incrementally longer we have been back out and making more progress with the interior of the garage.

To start with we have insulated it with wool insulation stapled onto the walls..

..then we have started adding 9mm MDF boards to give us an interior wall, which was fun (?) A close examination will show you it's all rather amateurish but hey, with a bit of luck and some judicious saving, we mean to replace the whole shebang in a couple of years. I have left a gap at the base of the wall to allow the bottom of the joists there to dry out completely which should be by the middle of the summer then I will cover them over. 

So there's only the window wall and doors to cover and insulation to be fitted to the roof which I hope to get done on my next couple of days off this week then it should be good for gaming in.

1/56 Scale Terrain

Good for gaming in and in which case it would be good to have some more terrain ready for future gaming. I have made minimal progress (which is still progress, isn't it) with my ruined factory and warehouse from TT Combat Warehouse Tank Factory set.  But only to the extent of giving it a coat of Sandex Bitter Chocolate paint. I have also found some extra terrain goodies in the shape of Anyscale Models accessories that I should have added before applying the cat litter and PVA glue...Doh! No worries though, I shall just gouge out some of the rubble and fit them in somewhere.

There's more painting to get done on these and I am keen to get them done and out of the hobby room as they are quite large and starting to block out the thin, wintery sunlight that makes feeble attempts to penetrate the hobby room window. Of course, I could probably do with washing said window but that would denude it of character or that's my excuse to the missus for not washing the window. 😀

Anyscale Models factory machinery

 

1/56 scale and 1/285 scale figures

A consistent theme and pretty constant stream is my 1/56 scale wargaming figures and for the moment Napoleonic French are getting the attention in this scale and also 6mm!!  Le Shock! Le Horror! Le Gasp! To be honest the painting has taken back seat to reshuffling figures from one game system basing convention to another. What I mean by that is that most of the figures I use for Sharp Practice and Black Powder are now going to rebased onto 40mmx 40mm bases for Black Powder rather than using the sabot bases I have been using. This rebasing is intended to create Standard sized units of 24 men and these rebased figures will be replaced by yet more plastic figures for Sharp Practice from the Perry Brothers French Elite Companies. I am in the process of rebasing all the Victrix figures that I have into mixed units of Voltiguers and Grenadiers. To make them up to strength I have had to paint up a few more figures.  

Overall, for 1/56 scale Black Powder I intended to churn out lots of French using a speedy, basic painting system which avoids painting eye lashes, clothing labels and socks. This is all for the future; summer or there abouts.

Rebased Perry Miniatures French Line Infantry
figures

awaiting the rebasing. A mixed Grenadier battalion

and a mixed Volitguer battalion

Another scale we intend playing Black Powder in is 6mm and I have a whole heap of Bacchus Napoleonic French to paint up. To be honest how to paint 6mm figures has mystified me for quite a while but I have managed to find a method I can use so I have made a start on those tiny, wee fellows. 

6mm French; they'll do 

And as ever my painted Bolt Action forces continue to grow. in this case my Panzer Lehr and 21st Panzer Division vehicles. Pin washing and weathering is next for these. And once I have the garage up to scratch I plan to put into practice something I wrote about almost a year ago, that is converting a couple of Two Fat Lardies pint sized campaigns so that they are suitable for Bolt Action. I'll blog about the results as I go along.

1/35 scale Models

Finally for the moment, I am intending to take a long a few more figures and this time vehicles to the Scottish National Scale Model Show in mid-May with the other chaps from the Glasgow banch of the IPMS. I was tempted to paint up some more planes but I realised I might feel more of an actual, accomplished (?) modeller with more kits under my belt as opposed to reclining in my stash if I tackle stuff that I am already comfortable with so to that end I will concentrate on these vehicle kits till May 2022 and the Scottish National Scale Model Show and see if I can produce something nice to look at.

Looking forward to getting this chap
and his mighty steed painted up

And that's me for the moment. Pop back next week for another not even mildly exciting update on one or more of these projects.

Pip pip,

GJ