Paints and Painting

 Another week passes, highlight of which was getting my vaccine jab yesterday, a very well organised set up, in and out in ten minutes, which is just as well as it was Harry Icers in the queue. But of course once again human beings like to push the boundaries, you are told not to come early yet the woman next to me was 15 minutes early, and when I came out the queue was round the block as our American cousins say, again not paying attention to the instructions. The stewards made them wait, result.

We had a Zoom meet this week and once again a treat as we all hunched over our desks painting away and chatting things wargaming, a lifeline for us under house arrest. Ryan asked me, presumably because I am ancient and lived in the 'olden days' if my painting was much different now than back then. Yes it is is the easy answer, when I first started the only paints available were enamels which meant Humbrol tins, I had no idea about primers or undercoats and popped the paint straight on to Airfix plastics, when I moved to metal I did undercoat. The colours were all block painted and that was that, no shading, no washes, no highlights. I wasn't a bad painter and I was proud that my King of Scots banner was actually a double tressure rather than a thin red line I also managed this on his surcoat and shield (25mm figure). I painted my 15mm ACW again by block painting back in the 90's, looking at them now a wash would work well but I am not going over nearly 5,000 figures.

 I remember when acrylics first came out, I journeyed into Glasgow with high hopes only to find the colours available were quite fluorescent so went back to enamels. As time passed of course the choice grew and I suspect have just about killed off enamels.

The first army I started shading and highlighting was a Swiss medieval army in 25mm and if I say so myself they were lovely, the old Foundry figures I think which you can still get, a treat to paint. I moved to shading using Army Painter and dipped around 2,000 figures which had been block painted and then immediately sold them, but the idea caught on. I wasn't keen on the dipping technique so started using proper washes and inks which you could now get in small bottles. I now wash all my figures to complete the painting, I still don't shade and highlight and admire people who have the patience to do so, my figures are wargame standard or perhaps just a tad better and that will do for me Tommy. I can paint well and a look at my Generals and characters should confirm this but I do not have the patience to paint hundreds of figures to that standard. A well painted army is inspiring and I have seen many, our club is blessed with some excellent painters, and I have played against some superb armies when I used to attend War and Conquest weekends. One of the most impressive I have seen is a Masai army painted by Rob Broom the WAC author, unusual but full of characters and beautifully done.

So what have I painted this week, three squads of Early War Germans, with the fourth squad on the tray and all the supports primed and based. This project is not going to take long, the figures are just so easy to paint, an hour goes a long way with these guys. My pre-ordered Russian squads have now been put back to March, I was expecting them this month, now either Warlord have changed things or I am losing it yet again, you choose. The big problem will be all the vehicles I want, I may have to cut these back a bit or the suits at the LMF might get worried.

 I got a tin of Panzer Grey sent to me, proper stuff seemingly (Reichs-Ausschuß für Lieferbedingungen und Gütesicherung 7016) and I had to scan ID and sent it before they would complete the sale, now that is a first. It looks very dark.

I am back at maps again having received two new projects, The Tudor Art of War and a history of the British 1st Division during WWI, still plugging away at the Atlas, but the completion date for this is April, so there is light now showing at the end of the tunnel after more than two years.

Getting the troops set up for the second campaign battle, now that's wargaming.