Preamble
Still got the lingering lurgy. Did not take my flu shots this year and probably paying for it. But I reckon it's more to do with being physical exhausted, old age, and the cold weather, all combining to bring me low. That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it.
I am making slow and messy but continued progress through my ECW minis. Current problem: how to prevent them from coming apart due to rough and constant manhandling. Know about pinning but the simple question of how to align the pins is a constant worry to my unaccomplished engineering brain. Been uppermost ever since I cast a painting eye in their direction. Using gorilla glue to affix to their bases because it's been recommended and does work as its name implies. But for those figures that come in parts, how to secure them is a problem worth solving. On my own.
Excuse the various states and stages of unfinished-ness(?) in these next photos but these are WIP shots. Before-and-After shots are fine enough but I like to post a little different - warts and all.
Oliver
But before that happens, this is my boy Oliver.
He and I bonded ever since I spotted him at the pet shop, looking alone and abandoned, the runt amongst a group of kittens. He is so reminiscent of my first-ever cat, my beautiful Burmese boy Pippin, who passed away two years ago. Oliver loves to talks to me...always, sits right in front of my face when he wants attention, and follows me around like my shadow. Love the little guy so much. He has a knack for calming me down whenever I get testy at something outside of my world that irritates me. He has a personality. He is placid though and sometimes bullied by his brother, Albert, who is a real alley cat. He can be skittish around people but once he is comfortable or familiar with their presence he comes out of his shell and socialises. His favourite perch, as with most cats, is on high; being on my shoulders satisfies that requirement and more - my shoulder is high enough and he really enjoys being close to me. While perched he likes being rubbed and drools indiscriminately. He and Sally, our cavoodle, are like brother and sister. Along with Albert, they are my hobby companions. Sam, our other dog, is old - going deaf and with limited vision - and more attached to my wife. More so as he hobbles painfully towards seventeen years old.
Oliver got his name because he kept wanting more as a tiny baby kitten whenever we fed him.
English Civil War painting project
Below are WIP shots only. What's been painted so far - where shown - is either in various states of completion in the BASECOAT stage or else in the PRIMER undercoat stage. Using a combination of modelling and hobby acrylics to fulfil the basecoating part. The final detailing, repeated washes, and basing and flocking parts will follow ONCE the basecoating phase is FULLY finished.
Using several sources (mentioned in an earlier post) to copy from so nothing of original or imagined design. All arbitrary on the actual day of painting.
Above shows Butler's Horse. This will be one of two Ironsides unit. These dudes are Basecoated and awaiting the next stage - detailing and basing. Looking decent at first glance.
Above shows the first figures attempted. Earls Manchester (foreground) and Essex. Glued on to old but now reused 3D printed 60mm round bases originally intended for the Borodino Project until rediscovered hidden and forgotten. Again, as stated at the beginning, once fully attached (pinned) I will complete the detailing and washes and then seal with acrylic coating or varnish. Not sure which method of sealing to use but leaning towards the former because I am rough with manhandling minis.
Artillery crews for my guns. Suspecting the Falcons (regimental guns) I ordered are actually Sakers (medium artillery). The gun carriages and cannon are much too long for regimental pieces which are more shorter and compact. And the images I've consulted regarding types of cannons used during the period seem to confirm that doubt. Anyway, painted the figures off an online image reference. As they're New Model, a bit more uniformity would be acceptable. In their basecoated state but needing a touchup. Won't do any more painting though until I've finished assembling the cannons themselves and adding to the stand. Would three stands qualify as a large artillery battery then given in the house rules state that two such cannon constitute a battery?
Okey's dragoons. The MDF dragoon base is sized to accommodate five figures (including a mounted dragoon) from what I've seen of the other armies within the garage gaming group. But I don't see that happening with my lot without it becoming very crowded (big 25s remember!) so I have instead begun working out an arrangement to allow for a continuous line of muskets staring at the enemy's face as they stumble upon them hiding in the hedges. This arrangement - diamond for 4 figures and occupied square for 5 - is what I've come up with. The adjacent grouping show this arrangement when combined to give a continuous line of staggered dismounted dragoons. Pretty flexible looking arrangement by my reckoning. Here's hoping they'll be just as effective on the gaming table.
Went with sky blue coats as a contrast to reflect the regiment's origin resulting from an amalgamation of numerous various other Parliamentarian dragoon units drawn from throughout the country and as such many would have retained their original uniforms while awaiting the arrival of their new uniforms. A bit of leeway and variety applied in contrast to the official requirement upon the New Model creation.
This is my first Foot unit. Did not name them at first but saw that by coincidence the facing colour (or lining of the inside of their red coats) was blue. And that matched what I learned about Pickering's Foot, one of my listed Foot regiments. Basecoated the body and leggings of the figures so far. Going slow with this lot as my interest waned a little with all these minis in one sitting. Determined not to rush it nevertheless. Still a long way to go before even considering washing and detailing.
Pikes are cut from tie wire. Others use florist wire but I've always used tie wire because it's what I know and am familiar with from my construction surveying days. Actual pikes ranged from 16 foot to 18 foot. I just took the middle (average) of the two lengths and converted it to scale and my tie wire pikes are uniformly 70 mm long. Just need to style them through shaped tips (is it worth it?) and then paint them ash wood colour.
As yet unnamed galloper unit PRIMED and glued to their bases. Included them because they are the next cavalry unit off the painting rack. But because the garage group house rules state that mounted dragoons are excluded, these mounted are now a unit of harquebusiers instead. But naming them is the problem. Chose Vermuyden's Horse from my listing because the Dutch name appealed to me for some reason. May still stay with that.
They're called gallopers because there are two figures per base. Trotters - usually heavy cavalry such as Cromwell's Ironsides - are three to a base. Incidentally, I've since learned that Vermuyden resigned his commission shortly after the New Model army was formed and Cromwell stepped in to take over command.
This, folks, is where I am currently am with my ECW list painting. It's messy because I'm doing this in no particular order, as and when it suits me, and with no timetable set. Just have to curb my enthusiasm a lot by pacing myself. It can be tricky because at times it's almost like painting on a rolling stone racing down a hill! Cheers.
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