Bit of an update. Bit of everything…again

It has been a while. Again. I’ve still got two posts in Draft which I never seem to get round to doing and I’ve yet to write up the Ayton games from May. Shocking really but life has been a little erratic of late. Still been dealing with stuff related to my late Aunt but it’s more the results of that and sorting out our own life/house/plans. All a but head messy. Work doesn’t help. I usually use painting as an escape. Nip to the attic and paint and unwind. Usually if there is a gaming weekend in the offing that gives me a focus and a target. The next game was to be next weekend. Another 42mm Shiny Toy Soldier Fest hosted by Tim Hall in Framlingham. I had plans to boost the little Swans/Altefritzenburg force I did for last years event and had acquired the figures. But it just wasn’t coming together. With various ‘Life’ stuff going on, the likely expense of the trip and the rather long journey (especially the return on the Sunday night) I took the unhappy decision to pull out. Feel bad about it but I think it was the right move. I’m sure the chaps will have a great game and I look forward to seeing lots of pictures!

As soon as I made the decision that really seemed to take the pressure off. I’d been struggling to paint the 42mm stuff I’d started and having no deadline meant I could just paint what I liked. So most nights I’ve been taking to the attic for a while and finishing a few things off and painting whatever grabs me. So first up was finishing off the 42mm gun and crew I’d started for the game. Didn’t feel I could pack them away unfinished. The gun came from Iain Burt and was a pencil sharpener gun from possibly an English Heritage shop? Removed the blade and covered up the hole and that gives me the first gun for Altefritzenburg. Figures are Spencer Smith Little Britons range. I’ve got some Jaegers and two more battalions to do and I will get round to them!

Next up…Fallshirmjaeger… I did a pile of FSJ for the Ayton game. As that was for an AVBCW background/rules I’d done ten man squads with an attached MG34. I wasn’t allowed to use all my MGs (for which I’m sure Peeler is very grateful!) but when I looked at the Chain of Command 1940 lists a squad was listed as two teams of MG34 with three crew and two riflemen. So I knew I needed to do three more teams at some point. And as I’d done each squad with variations in trousers and helmets the three teams needed to match. Now… when I planned the FSJ for Ayton I found a couple of references to very early FSJ having a sky grey jump smock and as the game was set in 1938 this seemed apt. And pics in the various Osprey books seemed to support this. I’ve since found other info that casts doubt on this but as I’ve done a full platoon there was no way I was going to change! So the three teams and the medic finally got finished.

But having finished the main platoon and also having bought in to the recent May’40 Miniature Fallshirmjaeger Kickstarter I decide that anything new from them and support options for the exiting stuff I would do in the more common Green Devil outfit. So I had a 5cm mortar to do. The normal German CoC list has three crew but for some reason the FSJ one has four so the extra figure I just did as a kneeling NCO that can be used elsewhere. It also gave me change to try out the colour scheme. I’ll be doing the same variations in helmets and trousers for other stuff as I get round to it but here’s the mortar team.

I’ve got a few more bits to add the force but when the Kickstarter lands in the New Year I can add a lot more nice bits!

And finally…as this is a bit of everything…I’ve been adding to my 15mm Fantasy stuff for Frostgrave and Rangers of Shadow Deep. I’ve got a pile of Ral Partha 15mm and obviously need to do a Ranger figure. I did one and then had to do the other two in the pack! They are lovely little figures to paint.

And while I was on the 15mm I knew I needed some zombies for the first couple of RoSD scenarios. I had a pack of the Ral Partha ones but also some Splintered Light one from a few years ago. The latter are quite a but smaller but I figure zombies can be small anda bit withered! As I wanted to do these quickly I tried out the GW Contrast Paints. The Plaguebearer flesh was a bit too green so I played around with that over grey and over Gulliman Flesh and then for some applied a flesh wash again. Some worked better than others but again, zombies are going to come in all colours depending on how rotten they are! With a few details added (the Contrast Red I used seemed good for blood) they look OK.

So there’s my little horde. I’m sure I’ve got another pack of the Splintered Light zombies somewhere so the horde may get bigger! And finally today as I was off work I had a but of a blitz in the attic and the gaming top of finally clear!

Whether that means I’ll play something is another matter but I’ve sorted a lot of stuff out of the way and thrown a few things out and feel like a little progress is being made. No idea what to paint next. Might be shiny ancients, might be more 15mm, might start looking at C18th stuff for Ayton next year. Or I might just grind to a halt again… 🙂