Eureka Miniatures 28mm ECW Irish Musketeers (Carl)

I've gradually been building the beginnings of an ECW Montrose army in 28mm and while the main chunk painted is currently Highlanders I want to include plenty of Irish too.

These lovely models from Eureka Miniatures are the first Irish to join my slowly growing forces. Not a full unit, obviously, but a start on the way to the first group of musketeers.

Warlord Games 28mm Western Imperial Roman Auxiliary Archers (Carl)

Crikey! Where does the time go?

2020 was a very strange year hobby-wise for me. But rather than try to remember it lets start anew!

My first finished models of 2021 are these 8 Imperial Roman Western Archers from Warlord Games.

They'd been languishing in the WiP state for ages with just the first coat of metallics on the chainmail and gold bits. But with adopting the 'paint on brush' approach (just putting paint on a brush everyday - even if it doesn't go on a model) I managed to restart the habit of doing a bit a day.

My current camera phone isn't really up to  the task of taking photos of minis but this will have to do.

2020 - the year that time forgot! (Nick)

 ...or maybe the year we forgot what time it was, what day or even month it was!

To be honest there's not that much to add since the very late yearly review I wrote in October - I managed a grand total of 9 figures finished in 2020, not much to shout about about almost double 2019's total!

The first one wasn't until October and then 8 in December courtesy of the paint on brush every day... which is still on track 6 weeks later, so I'm hoping for better things in 2021 and more finished work to show soon.

Carl still hasn't made it back here but has promised some of his finished work soon, and he is also still on track with paint on brush every day - no matter how little, it is working for both of us, and we have both painted 'something' for the last 45 days on the bounce... probably an all time record!

So what will 2021 bring, well hopefully a return to something approaching normality in the real world, as for us Battling a Lead Mountain well just more 'paint on brush' rehab and see what comes from it - I reckon on average, at least one figure a week from me and that would be amazing progress ...and with another 16 minis primed over the weekend I have several different projects to throw paint at.

Stay safe everyone, and let's hope for a better year to come.

Lion Rampant - Foot Men-at-arms (Nick)

First post of the new year but  really these are still 2020 minis, and more from the 'paint on brush' every day mantra. 

These are a unit of Foot Men-at-arms (foot knights), the best and most reliable unit in the Lion Rampant game... and a nice chunky 6pts, so 1/4 of the whole 24 point retinue - also my second unit finished for Lion Rampant... just 2 1/2 years after the bidowers posted previously, and on the half finished pile for nearly 5yrs!

Figures are again from Curteys Miniatures with shield decals from Little Big Men Studios to produce great looking shields quickly (as the whole force was originally intended to be completed in 2 weeks all those many moons ago).

This time there isn't really much evidence of the green & yellow 'spot' colours I mentioned previously, except on the standard bearer, but colours were pretty much determined by the shield designs and besides these guys are knights so like to swan about doing pretty much what they please! (however green & yellow will be much more evident on the Crusader Miniatures knights I also have)

The banner itself was created and printed on the PC but painted over afterwards to make it look less like printed paper and more like it belonged with the painted figures.
For those with an interest, the design is a simplified 'affectation' of the emblem for Derby - as I'm trying to bring nods to local history into many of my ongoing projects - a buck 'couchant' (lying down with head up in heraldry terms) encircled by palings (wooden fence) - as one of the most likely Anglo-Danish origins of the name Derby means Village of the Deer or 'Deer Park'.

I used the same Vellejo Sepia dipping formula wash again over the base colours but it wasn't nearly as successful on these brighter colours as I'd hoped, needing a lot more work and highlights to bring the colours back up to something presentable - certainly not the speedy paint job as originally intended and although I'm not totally happy with them the 'damage' was done a long time ago and I'm certainly not starting over, instead moving quickly on to the next unit.