Isolation is productive

So now I think I have well and truly broken the drought of one annual post on the blog. I think COVID19 as shocking as it is, has given me pause to reflect on what matters in life but also in our hobby that consumes our spare time. Up until lock down I spent a lot of evenings working late and either eating at restaurants or going in to town (40 kilometres one way) to grab things for the wife, shopping etc. Now I have weekends at home and invariably end up in the man cave painting basing or as my mate Matt and I call it "Noodling".......

Well that all ceased and we have been at home in the first four months of the year more than we ever have. Weekends away from home are but a dream that I hope returns as restrictions lift for many of us. Travel even locally broadens the mind and makes for the opportunity to meet unique characters that make up this world. My wife keeps saying if we were all the same it would be boring........I always riposte with the fact that imagine having to go no further than next door to look at a lovely collection of figures and get in a sneaky game on a Saturday afternoon and the endless discussions that could be had with a planet full of painters, collectors and wargamers........oh bliss.........world peace sorted out over a table.......at that stage she walks away rolling her eyes.....Anyway I digress.....

I haven't painted more figures in the past three to four months than I have painted in the last few years.

Here are some of the latest pieces

 A Front Rank Scots Grey casualty base

 This one rolls his eyes more than the wife.....

 The Perry Hired Help for Artillery FN20

 The 34 strong Perry Brunswick 2nd Hussars now completed. I think I got better with the black uniforms as I progressed, still a tricky thing to paint black. I opted for red fringes on the sheepskins as I saw a painting somewhere... it brightened them up I think.

 My first command base for Brunswick 1st Line Battalion yet to be based but hopefully finish that unit in the next week or so and put up a few more pictures.

Happy hobbying and stay safe and strong together we will definitely beat this thing.
Colin

Casualty Markers the next batch

When I find inspiration it still amazes me at how quickly you can knock out a figure for a casualty marker. I have to admit a lot easier than doing a 30+ figure unit.

I have had a lot of fun doing these and I think an hour or two at the most.

I have completed a Dutch Carabinier and a French Curaissier as well as a sneek peek of the next set off the workshop.

Dutch 1st Carabinier

A French Curaissier

The next Casualty Marker for the British Infantry

Elite Gendarmes and a Sea of Hanoverian's as well as a Casualty Marker

In the last year I think I have been working slowly on the Empress Dragoons of which I have completed 14 and only 27 to go as well as a number of the Generals and their command bases for I Corp under dÉrlon. I have also completed 18 of the 34 Brunswick Hussars......So I haven't been idle just not overly prolific in my painting accomplishments.

The benefits of isolation and the Easter long weekend have worked together to get me motivated to finalise a number of projects that I was avoiding.
Having bought all of the Perry Hanoverian's that I needed to finish the Hanoverian units at Waterloo. As in all things involving this hobby and me being a compulsive obsessive, I purchased all 500+ figures needed when they first came out..........SO I spent a large part of the weekend preparing all of the figures cleaning the flash off and sorting them into the right regiments.

So I prepared 9 Battalions of Hanoverian Landwehr totaling 288 figures and 1 Field Battalion of 32 figures. I also realised that I probably ordered around 60 figures more than I needed........so may need to off load them to a worthy isolationist who needs them.

On a brighter note I also finished the Elite Gendarmes from Perry a week or so ago so took a few photos for you.

I also took photos of  some of my Cuiraissier Generals below that I completed in 2019

Finally I got these amazing bases with a dial on one end and numbered 0-10 that are large enough to hold a horse so I started on a casualty marker using the awesome Perry Dutch Cavalry casualty set. So this one I painted up as the Dutch 6th Hussars, pinned under his deceased horse.

 Have a safe and productive isolation to all my friends around the world.

Cheers

Colin

General Junot or actually Jacquinot.......perhaps

Finally regained some motivation after a month away from the brushes and have painted Gringo 28's personality figure of General Junot or my interpretation of it at any rate. I also did a few ADC's from Front Rank in Hussar Style of the 4th and 6th Regiments...... I will be using these figures as General de Division Jacquinot of the 1st Cavalry Division attached to 1st Corp. I really enjoyed painting these as they are beautiful figures...now all I have to do is find a better way of doing leopard skin saddle cloths..and hope they perform well on the field of battle. Enjoy 

Mon General likes milk with his coffee

"Well I finally started to pull some of the more eclectic pieces in my unpainted collection out of  storage, and decided to do a French baggage wagon.

I looked at it and I felt it was missing something. So a Eureka cow and Calf running to catch up would be a great little vignette. Still need to finish the basing but you can get the idea.

I made the reins from a champagne bottle foil and the ropes from some sailing ship dream that never came to fruition. Pretty pleased on how it turned out.   Enjoy.....

 Close up of the champagne reins

 Really close up of the reins

 Before the basing

 Front

 Left side

 Wait for me!!!!!!!!!

 Right side

And so we begin the basing..............

 Finished full view

 The front end

 The rear end

 A different perspective