..various thoughts and activity...

To be absolutely honest, I've not done very much of a 'constructive' nature recently, so this post is more of a catch up/roundup than anything else.. it sometimes happens that way but I have to say I'm definitely feeling the need to get in front of the painting table, problem is I just haven't managed to scratch the time together to get going... very frustrating! The other problem is that it is hot and sticky, and my painting table is in the loft where it always gets warm... add to that the fact that the spray undercoat I use takes three times longer to dry, and it's just not conducive! Anyway, in no particular order, this is what I've done/got waiting/finished in the last week or so...

• The padded envelope of stuff I ordered from Essex (limbers/crews etc. for the Sudan artillery) have now made their way to the painting table where I've spent the last week just cleaning them up and assembling the limbers - they're going to look good - initial perception was that they were nice figures and having had time to look at them I was right - the only slight doubt is a Mahdist/Dervish gun crew figure depicted running and pointing.... I'd have told him to get back to the gun! 


• 
  I then spent a fair amount of the week doing research on the screw guns that the British used.. now these are very interesting (well I think so!) as they had the ability to break them down into component parts and then transport them by mule - even the barrel would split into two halves for easier portage. Any way the point of my research was to figure out how I could represent this on the (Sudan) wargame table.. in real life they would have used 5 mules - two for the barrels, one for the wheels, one for the carriage, and one for ammunition and all the other component parts. I was looking for information on how they would have split the loads when using camels ; the fine fellows at the Colonial Wars Yahoo group game me loads on info (it was 4 camels in fact, one camel carried both barrels, the rest was as per mule transport). Having found out though, for scale reasons I'll represent it as being three - one for barrel, one for wheels, and one for the carriage... the picture is from the Redoubt site...


• I've not forgotten the "Orange Lillies" either - but while tidying up the painting table, and rootling through the 'waiting to paint' box I came across a regiment of AWI troops that I had completely forgotten about buying... those of you who follow my AWI activities will know that for the most part my AWI armies comprise Minifigs 25mm's, well these guys are from Parkfield Miniatures and will form only the second regiment of figures made up from a different manufacturer... I must have bought them ages ago (can't remember when) but they are very characterful, not huge, and they will be painted up with the orange facings of you know who.. Much like the WSS project I paint my AWI units with a view to representing those forces at a specific engagement (in this case Yorktown) and the while the regiment was present at Bunker Hill, Brooklyn and White Plains they were in the West Indies at the time of Yorktown - but hey, they weren't at the Schellenberg either, but they still have orange facings and they're still my local regiment dammit! 


• I'm about three quarters of the way through "Man of Honour" see previous
post [clicky] and have to say that up until now I've been pleasantly surprised.. it's only the first in the series, and only his second novel, but I see definite possibilities in the character - and the book gives you an excellent wargame campaign scenario (I won't give it away)! At the point I was dragged away to work this morning the British and their Allies were just about to launch their assault across the Nebel....!


• Then last of all - holidays are fast approaching and I shall be disappearing from these pages for a few weeks - can't wait.... it's been a long time coming this year. We are heading down towards the French/Spanish border staying near Biarritz for a couple of weeks... I'm already reading up on some local engagements with a view to take my loved ones and dragging them round Bayonne (famous for the place where they invented the bayonet)... more words on this before I disappear on the travels..