Major Ballsup's Hobby Shed

I started July with a much needed week away.  I took time to relax and do nothing that I'd do in a normal week.  Therefore no work (obviously),  no hobbying, no reading and apart from walks, no exercising.  It was great.   As anyone who has read this blog would know, I'm not a Summer person and usually moan about anything over 20 degrees.  But, the extremely hot weather helped in an odd way because sitting in the shade was all you manage some days and going out later in the day meant there was no one else about.  I thoroughly enjoyed the rest and it's done the world of good. Having returned I've been enjoying my hobby time and pressing on with the Fall of Granada project and also some terrain. Completed With a week away and busy with projects at work, I wasn't sure what I'd get done this month so I've pleasantly surprised myself with what I've completed: First off were four mounted Moor crossbowmen for the Fall of Granada project.  Like all o...

I'm been trying to focus which as every butterfly will know is easier said than done and get things finished off by year end  I've spent most of my hobby time adding the finishing touches to the First Anglo-Sikh Wars infantry regiments that I've been working on over the last year or so.  This involved texturing the movement trays and making the standards for the units. I have now completed the command stand for the first Chaos Dwarf Blunderbuss regiment for Warmaster Revolution, so these little chaps are ready for action now.   When I get a chance and light permits I'll take some better photos and post on these. Research & Reading I've started reading The Encircling Sea, the second book of Adrian Goldsworthy's Vindolanda trilogy, set in Britain at the end of the 1st Century AD.  It's an exciting read and keeping me  entertained and educated which can't be bad. Incoming! Some sprues arrived from SGS Model Store.  I won't say too much about them as...

Quite a busy week on the hobby front.  I've some time off coming up so I'm trying to clear the decks before that and be in a good place to crack on for the last third of the year.   Painting/modelling  I finished the three British Generals for the Sikh Wars thereby finishing all my outstanding Sikh Wars and 20mm figures.  You can see them here . I've made some good progress with the sprue of Great Escape Games Gunfighters.  I previously used some of the arms when I made the Cultists ( here ), and now I've assembled and been painting the 5 models you can make from the sprue. Research & Reading I've finished reading "Vindolanda" by Adrian Goldsworthy.  I really enjoyed this and have already ordered the second one from the library.  Of course the danger is that I've been looking at the Imperial Roman period as a possible new project.  I've got a small 10mm Punic Wars collection already but I do like the idea of some Imperial Romans. ...

Well here we are then the last of the figures for the First Anglo-Sikh War project. These are the British Generals from Newline Designs in 20mm.  A characterful trio they are too. These were very enjoyable to paint.  I based the generals' colours on "Night bivouac of the British Army at Ferozeshah, 21 December 1845", an image I found online from the National Army Museum's fine website.    Apart from sorting out unit flags and improving on the movement trays that is it for this project for the moment.  I've got a brigade of infantry, regiment of cavalry, supporting artillery and commanding officers for both sides and that's enough to have a game with.  

After a very hectic time at work last week things have calmed down.  Being far less tired I've managed to get some productive hobby time in.  Painting/modelling  I'm very pleased to say that I finished the unit of  Bengal Light Dragoons for the First Anglo-Sikh War.  You can see more of them here . I made some more progress with the three British Generals for the Sikh Wars.  These are very nice figures full of character.   Research & Reading I've been reading "Vindolanda" by Adrian Goldsworthy.  I do like historical fiction, but there's so much out there of such variable quality that I put some time in to research what I'm going to read and focus on the better stuff.  The author is a noted Roman historian and so far it's a very good read. I've been working on a new Ambush Alley scenario set in The Algerian War.  This conflict has been my other main project this year and I've been keen to play a game, which hopefully I'll do in t...

After what seems an age working on them I finally finished the regiment of Bengal Light Cavalry. This is a unit of 12, consisting of six sabre wielding troopers, 3 with lances and a command of an officer, trumpeter and standard bearer (for which I need to sort out the standard).  All 20mm Newline Designs and the last unit I had to complete from the order that came in March.   Once I got into these I really enjoyed doing them.  As with all of this project I relied heavily on the Internet as a resource.  It dawned on me that this is the only conflict which I collect/game where I don't own any books.  That's very unusual for me as I love a book.  Perhaps it reflects there's not too many reference works out there, or more likely a reflection of my ignorance of them. I have three, yes three figures to paint for this project and then it's done.  Well at least it is for the moment.

It's been a hectic week at work which has impacted greatly on hobby time so a very quick update.  Painting/modelling  I made a little bit more progress with the Bengal Light Dragoons unit for the First Anglo-Sikh War.  The horses are now complete and started blocking in the colours on the troopers. I based and primed the three British Generals for the Sikh Wars figures.  Research & Reading The plan was to continue reading "The Gempei War 1180–85", which  really wanted to study and absorb.  Therefore, being tired all week I opted for an "easier" read on the commute, turning to "American War" by Omar El Akkad.  This is a bleak apocalyptic fiction set in divided America decimated by viruses and civil war.  I'll not make any further comment.  It's a very good book though. Incoming! No shiny new things to report this week. 

Back to normal Summer time weather in the UK this week - dull as ditch water and around 20 C.  I'm not complaining at all, it certainly makes it easier to do anything.   Painting/modelling   I completed the Apocalyptic/Dark Old West Cultists which you can see here . I cleaned up, primed and started painting a unit of Bengal Light Dragoons for the First Anglo-Sikh War.  This is the last unit I've got left to do for this project.   I cleaned up a pack of three British Generals, the last of the Sikh Wars figures.  Research & Reading After spending time last week looking at Ancients and Medievals and finding nothing to really inspire, I revisited an old interest of Japanese warfare.  And this has inspired me, specifically the Medieval era of the Gempei Wars and the Mongol Invasions.  I'll be posting on this in the next few weeks. Incoming! On the back of my rekindled interest in Medieval Japan I ordered up two Osprey Campaign books....

The first half of the week was so hot that it was a complete write off, particularly from a hobby perspective.  My painting table was out of bounds being as it is in a South facing room.  Paint was actually drying as soon as I squeezed it out the dropper bottle.  However, I did manage to get some bits done later on in the week but I'm feeling quite frustrated as I had the week all planned out and I've  done nowhere near what I wanted to do. Painting/modelling   I completed the Sikh zealots, which you can see more of here .     I starting cleaning up the last unit of Sikh Wars figures, a dozen Bengal light cavalry.  These will probably take me into August to complete. I almost completed the cultists made from combining Northstar's Frostgrave Cultists with Great Escape Games Gunfighters/cowboys for my Apocalyptic/Dark Old West collection.  If it wasn't for that pesky hot weather I'd have got these done.  They'd pictured below at ...

The latest figures completed for the Anglo-Sikh Wars projects were a couple of packs of Sikh Akalis (zealots).  Apologies for the photos, the light this week has been one extreme or another, with some unbearably sunny days and some incredibly dull days. As usual the figures were from Newline Designs in 20mm scale.  I thought that these were particular nice sculpts and very easy to paint.   I really liked the figures below.  The sculptor has done a really good job, they're pleasingly realistically proportioned, unlike so many figures you see that look like they've been on vast doses of steroids.  That's all the Sikh figures finished for the moment.  I've got some EIC Native Cavalry and British Generals to do and that's it for this project, or until I buy a load more of course which you can never rule out of course.

Phew it's been hot!  This has impacted my hobby time as my painting table is in a South facing room.  And work has been hectic with a project I've been working on all year finally coming to a conclusion.  I did manage to get some bits done.  Painting/modelling   I completed the Sikh artillery bases for the Anglo-Sikh Wars.  You can see more  here .     Still with the Sikh Wars, I cleaned up and made good progress painting a couple of packs of Sikh zealots.  These are particularly nice sculpts. And for something completely different I mixed the arms from the Great Escape Games Gunfighters/cowboys sprue with the bodies and heads from the Northstar Frostgrave Cultists to make some sinister looking varmints for my Apocalyptic/Dark Old West collection.  I got as far as priming these. And another completely different thing I've been experimenting with how to paint the sample 2mm Ancients figures I'd bought back in March.  I...

Hot on the hooves of the Sikh Dragoons and Anglo-Indian artillery I completed three bases of Sikh artillery. The painting of the crews was straightforward and these were actually  done a few weeks ago, but I was trying to work out what size bases to use and then had to order them which took time. Once the bases came I finished basing and texturing them at the same time as the Anglo-Indian bases.  A combination of a busy week and prevaricating about what colours to paint the cannons meant I only got round to finishing them the weekend just gone.