Paint Table Sunday: Wargames websites, Cycling and Ugly People

Well, it's Paint Table Sunday again (although I missed last week's) rather than Saturday.  I had a bit of an epiphany Saturday morning in that, as I hadn't even started my PTS post (I usually start it on Friday), I thought, why not actually do some painting rather than sit and write rubbish?  

This I did and, as a result, I only have a few stages left to do on my next six Artizan North West Frontier infantry.  The figures are even varnished now (I let the paint dry while I did my post on Molly Peters so I just have to shade the base, varnish that, do the metal work and the static grass. I also painted the faces on my Sikh gunner for the mountain gun, which will complete my TMWWBK force. Then it's back to some more Confederate infantry. 

I thought about progressing with my 1864 Danes as North Star have released some more Danish infantry variants.  I got out the ones I have started and then looked up some more uniform details and realised that I had painted them wrongly, again.  Initially I painted them dark blue and then realised that it needed to be a darker blue so repainted them again (base coat only, thank goodness). Now I have discovered that they are not wearing their (very dark blue) tunics (officers excepted) but greatcoats which were very, very, dark grey (almost black) so I will have to repaint them again.  This is down to paucity of uniform information but I found some on the Lead Adventures Forum. 

Since my little spat with The Miniatures Page I have been looking at the LAF more.  The problem is I find it quite dense.  One of the (few) things I liked about TMP was the news section on the front page and the fact that all new posts in the different sections appeared in chronological order there too.  This is not the case for the LAF so if you have a very wide selection of interests, as I do, you would have to look at every sub-section individually.  I don't have time for this.  The Wargames Website is better in that it does have new products on the front page but because each item has a picture you only get nine at a time.  I don't look at it often enough to keep clicking back pages to find things.  Yet again, the people on Frothers Unite (who wear their pig ignorance like a badge of honour) are joyfully predicting (as they have been for several years) the downfall of The Miniatures Page and, yet again, those on TMP are saying the same about Frothers Unite.  Somebody is wrong!  Fundamentally, the friction between the two is down to differences between US and British cultural attitudes, generally (or a less savoury sub-culture of parts of the two countries) and is irreconcilable, really.  Still, I'm not going to renew my TMP membership in January.

I actually bought some more figures this week. in that North Star announced that as their final stock of Muskets and Tomahawks rules were sold (imminently - they seemed to indicate that they haven't sold well - although obviously well enough to sell out) they would be withdrawing the corresponding figures from their range.  This is odd as you can use the figures in with other rules.  I bought a box of Highlanders (no doubt it was all a cunning marketing plan) as not many manufacturers have modern style ones for the French Indian Wars and one day...  I have to say that firms that withdraw ranges annoy me (I know that they have to make way for new ranges etc.)  North Star, for example sell a fraction of the range of 1866 Prussians that were originally in the Helion range. I also know (because I bought some) that they used to sell Spanish to go with their 1672 range (by a different manufacturer, but completely compatible) but these have now disappeared.  Grand Manner have been withdrawing lots of their resin buildings too and Copplestone's Arctic adventures range have largely gone too.  Trying to explain to the Old Bat that you sometime have to buy in case they disappear is not easy.  "More soldiers!  I need a garden umbrella!" she says before spending £120 on a dress. 

A rare smile from Qintana and a lovely display by the lady on the right

The Giro d'Italia finished last week and saw a great win by Tom Dumoulin, holding off a less than 100% Qintana and Nibali ("are your men on the right pills, perhaps you should execute their trainer").  I should have supported Qintana, really, as he is Colombian but he spends suspiciously long periods not racing on the circuit, holed up in the highlands of Colombia (he is from Boyaca, site of a famous battle in the Latin American Wars of Liberation between Simon Bolivar's Anglo-Colombian army and the Spanish) and also he looks weird.  He looks like a pre-Columbian statue and is about as expressive.

Our man in Ankara

My friend A says I am overly critical of really ugly people, which is true.  Now, people who know me may thinks this is rather indefensible (pot kettle etc.) but at least I used to be nice looking (decades ago, admittedly).  I just don't trust really ugly people in the same way I don't trust very short people.  'It's not their fault!', say my politically correct friends (well, I don't really have any politically correct friends, as if they were politically correct they wouldn't be my friends - I've been deleting more Facebook 'friends' for political nonsense again this last few weeks).  No, it's not their fault but it must effect their personality.  It's like the man from College (I have mentioned before) who thought I stole his girlfriend the summer after we graduated.  When I met him for work purposes decades later (he was a a senior figure in the FCO by then) he was still bitter about it. But then he looked like Plug from the Bash Street Kids, so of course he wasn't going to hang on to a lovely redhead for long.  He married a girl who looked like a tapir, which was still better than he deserved.  I am reminded of the old ITV comedy Brass, where mill owner Timothy West complains that he has to look out from his windows at the hovels of his workers while they get to look at his splendid stately home. 

I had dinner with my old girlfriend from College, K, last Friday week.  I hadn't seen her for twenty years but, basically she hadn't changed and looked very, very fit indeed (in every way).  She still looked great in jeans (the ones she wore at College looked sprayed on and my then girlfriend C had a thing about K's bottom - it all got a bit lipstick lesbian) and her arms were impossibly toned.  She was politely critical of the way I had gone to seed, so with that ringing in my ears ("so you'll listen to K and not me!" moaned the Old Bat) and the example of the Giro I have been going out on my bike most days. I even bought some new cycling gloves to replace my disintegrated ones from the nineties.  Of course three weeks of Italian food and wine while watching the Giro didn't help, really, and I have just bought some Beaujolais to go with the Critérium du Dauphiné, which is on at the moment. 

I have spent the last week catching up on all the TV I have missed while watching the cycling.  Versailles, actually featured a battle last week, although all the French were in blue and all the Dutch in red, which even with my limited knowledge of the period I know isn't right. There were no pikes, either.  However, in the same episode they also had Allegri's Miserere being sung in Louis XIV's chapel, despite it not being performed outside of the Sistine Chapel until a hundred years later, when Mozart transcribed it from memory.  Dodgy history, again. Still, this Friday we had Anna Brewster emerging naked from the bath, so the show is forgiven.

I have bought a lot of music this last week or so (The Rocketeer complete 2 CD soundtrack, The Man Who Would be King soundtrack, The Right Stuff soundtrack,  several CDs by Canadian/Russan jazz singer Sophie Milman and Marvel's Agent Carter soundtrack) but today I am listening to electro string quartet Bond, one of my guilty pleasures, even though they do  sound a bit like that dreadful K-tel Hooked on Classics LP from the early eighties.  When Bond appeared in 2000 they got into a spat with the people running the classical charts who removed their LP from the top as it was too poppy.  This engendered lots of comments from them about the snooty classical establishment stopping wider appreciation of classical music.  This would have been a good argument if they had actually listed the original composers of the works in their CD liner.  But they didn't, so it was hard to argue that you were spreading appreciation of classical music.  At their same time their record company banned them from using this shot of them on their album cover.  Really?  Their own record company banned them?  The picture, did however, appear on the cover of their single so the record company weren't that annoyed but by then the press around the so called banning had seen their sales jump.

Anyway, I was rather surprised to see them appear on quiz show, celebrity Eggheads this week, all looking, well, a bit middle aged.  So far the 'celebrities' on the twenty or so specials have been so unknown they make the cast of celebrity Big Brother look like the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Basically, they have just been random people from BBC daytime shows no-one watches.  To make up the five the team requires they had bought along David Arnold, the James Bond, Independence Day, Sherlock and Stargate composer.  Good grief, people I have actually heard of, I thought.  Then they went and did what no other celebrity team had done in this run and won the show.  The people appearing on celebrity Eggheads have been, on the whole dismally ignorant,  It makes me despair for the next generation, it really does.  Unfortunately knowledge of popular 'culture' seems to have replaced real knowledge.  One of the contestants this week said he hadn't read a book since he was sixteen.

The Wave and the Pearl (1862)

Today's wallpaper is by French painter Paul-Jacques-Aimé Baudry (1828-1886) who is largely forgotten today but at the time this picture was regarded as one of the greatest nudes of the nineteenth century.  Most of his best known works were murals in Paris but he did a number of reclining nudes like this.  

Muskets and Tomahawks at the Shed

My first visit to the Shed this year and a very enjoyable game of Muskets and Tomahawks; a set of rules which, on my second game (I played the first at the Shed about 18 months ago), I have decided I really enjoy.  French and Indian wars. of course.with the Legatus on the British side this time.  Eric had set up one of his splendid boards as a British colonial settlement being attacked by Indians and dastardly French Canadians (and I've known a few of those - although I have known some lovely ones too, I should add, hastily).

I had two units of regulars plus some fairly useless militia and some irregular rangers.  Altogether, we had two units of regulars and four each of militia and rangers plus some officers, who assist on morale and provide useful extra orders. We were up against what looked like hordes of Indians (or First Nations Aboriginals as my Canadian friends would advise me to call them - Canada is the most politically correct nation on earth).

The Indians (sorry FNA) had to burn every house in the village to win and the British had to stop them, despite having around one hundred points less of troops.  We hid most of our units in the cabins and waited for the FNA to attack.

I placed my regulars in and next to the blockhouse, although this was a tactical error as the regulars inside couldn't take advantage of their volley fire capability.  I should have put the rangers in there, instead, with their long range rifles

I did control one unit of rangers and they did well at keeping back several units of attacking FNA and Canadians although eventually, outflanked, they were seen off.  The FNA were doing a good job or burning houses as the militia melted in the face of frenzied tomahawk throwing attacks.

My biggest unit of regulars did sterling service in the centre, holding off multiple attacks although they were attacked from three directions.  Fortunately, in these rules, you can turn 180 degrees to face a new enemy without penalty.

For the last few turns it was a very close thing indeed with the British just edging it by saving just one house.  By this time, my main unit of regulars had lost 7 out of 10 men but they had done their job.   Another very balanced scenario by Eric the Shed giving a close game which went right down to the last turn.  Eric has done an excellent write up of the game here.

Somewhere, I have a bunch of Galloping Major FIW figures under way.  I must dig them out!  I also have a lot of the Conquest Miniatures figures and I even painted one (above) but sadly they are not compatible with the GM ones size wise.  It's still a conflict I want to paint some units for, however.

Afghans completed, Cairo 1921 and another visit to the Shed!

Well, I finished 11 Afghans this morning which means I have painted the entire (initial, I hope) 28 figure Artizan Designs release.   Given I use The Sword and the Flame for Colonial wargames, which uses 20 man units, I am going to need a lot more.

Here is their fearless leader, Bungdit Din, inevitably.   I haven't given the standard bearer a flag yet as my research on Afghan tribes' flags has been particularly fruitless other than they may have been green and triangular,  I did see something on one of the boards about a firm producing suitable flags towards the end of the year (although I can't remember who) so can wait a bit longer.

Another one-off from the paint table is this Egyptian girly assassin by Dark Fable Miniatures.  She will see service in Ancient Egypt as well as Victorian London and possibly 1920s Egypt too.  I was invited over to Eric the Shed's again last week and had a look at his splendid Egyptian temple and other scenery he is collecting for a 1920's Egyptian pulp game.

I have been painting a few figures with the thought of an Egypt in the twenties game for some years.  My principal protagonists are the infamous Croissant sisters, French archaeologists from Lyon.

From left to right we have:

Varsité 
The second oldest sister, the team's artist and responsible for cataloguing their finds. A keen cyclist and rather distant from her other sisters as she was sent away from home to a Swiss finishing school when she was fifteen, after being found in a compromising position (one of many she is expert in) with her older friend Coralie in the family house near Lyon.  Posed for some artistic postcards in Paris just before the Great War.  These cards were considered key in keeping the morale up of several front line French regiments at Verdun. Collects erotica. Likes girls.  Has been scouring Cairo looking for a Circassian dancing girl to add to her "collection".

Véronique

The second youngest sister and the only one to have been married. Her Belgian husband was murdered by renegade Schutztruppen in German East Africa and she led a group of her own Askaris to wreak revenge on the Germans during the Great War. A crack shot, she favours a Sharps rifle for sniping and a Holland and Holland Nitro Express for close up work. Smokes cigars. Borderline psychotic

Virginie

The oldest and most serious of the sisters. She is the historian and writer of the team and despairs of the romantic escapades of her younger siblings. She writes long and appalled letters home to dear Maman in Lyon reporting her sisters' shocking behaviour. Completely unaware that her dear Maman had been discovered by her father in a waterfront bar in Shanghai where she provided the customers with more than just drinks.

Veracité

Although she is the youngest of the sisters she raises the money for the girl's digs (usually from impressionable older men), obtains firmans (permissions to dig) and generally runs things. She has lived and excavated in America and enjoys driving sports cars (useful in fast getaways from shocked wives who have discovered her with their husbands).

Velocité

The middle sister. Has no interest in history or archaeology but is a daredevil pilot. Likes the tango, absinthe and seaplanes.  Is in a steady relationship with her Schneider trophy plane's industrialist sponsor and his wife. Is rather closer to her sister Varsité than is socially acceptable. 

On the male side we have from left to right:

Elton Mowbray

American railroad tycoon and joint backer of the Croissant sister's forthcoming expedition up the Nile.

Brendan O'Connell

Charming former French Foreign Legion officer with a penchant for lady Egyptologists.

Harry Harrington-Hawkes

Ace Great War pilot who specialised in downing Zeppelins and is an expert on photo reconnaissance.  Very keen on getting to know Velocité much better.  Last seen trying to surreptitiously photograph her undercarriage.

Max Kalba

Egyptian (or Turkish or Lebanese) expert on ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Seems to have some sort of a mysterious map.  Suspiciously seems to also speak fluent German.

Sean Sweeney

Kalba's hired muscle.  He and O'Connell, despite their shared Celtic heritage, do not get on.

I have many other characters from my erotic story The Croissant Sisters and other characters, just for the game, ready to take their part in the story.  My recent purchase of the Renedra mud-brick house might start me out on some scenery.

Anyway, no Egyptian follies at the Shed but my first game of Muskets and Tomahawks which was hugely enjoyable.  There is no point me talking about the detail of the game because Eric has done that on his own blog.  As ever, the scenery was superb and Eric gave me some time talking about some of his scenic secrets.  His ability to make splendid scenery is awe inspiring.  The game was a raid by three groups of Indians (sorry, First Nations Aboriginals) on a settlement.  It occurred to me that the scenario would also work perfectly for a pirates or an Indian Mutiny game too.

The best thing was the relatively small number of figures needed.  My force was just 25 figures.   I lost three figures during the game which was a sort of treasure hunt.  I have a big load of Conquest figures somewhere and some Galloping Major ones although I don't feel that they are compatible.

Here, on the left, is a Galloping Major figure and on the right my only painted Conquest one.  They are quite different scales unfortunately.  I am wondering whether the North Star figures might go better with Galloping Major's.  Something else to think about!  I am very grateful to Eric for an excellent game.  I think that is my fourth game this year!

Musket and Tomahawk: which range?

Conquest figure

I finished my first French and Indian war figure at the weekend as it had been sitting around on the workbench for far too long.  It is one of the Conquest (now also Warlord) figures and is a very nice figure indeed, anatomically.  It is very "Perry" in style, size and proportions.  I've done a very simple colour scheme to get him finished quickly: no beading and no war paint.  When I bought these figures (off someone at Guildford Wargames Club) there weren't really any other FIW figures around.  Well, maybe Redoubt but I refuse to buy figures from a manufacturer who won't put photos up on their website and, anyway, they have a reputation for being very large. 

Now however, we have Galloping Major, North Star and Crusader.  There have been some posts on The Miniatures Page asking about comparisons between the sizes of the figures.  Well, as usual, I take no notice of people who say "X range works fine with Y range" as mostly people talk rubbish.  One person said that Conquest work fine with Galloping Major.  No they don't!  Here is my completed Conquest Indian with a Galloping major figure.  The size difference is huge!  The conquest figures is 24mm foot to eye and the Galloping major one is 28mm.  That's not compatible in my book!

So now I'm stuck as to how to proceed.  The Conquest figures are easily the nicest looking but the range is restricted and there is no clue that there will ever be any more.  I need certain types to carry on.  French and British regulars (including Highlanders for the British), canoes, French and British irregulars/militia, Indians for both sides (preferably differentiated) and civilians (armed and unarmed.  I don't think one firm currently provides everything.  

North Star Highlanders

Conquest are strong on civilians and irregulars.  Their regulars are famously posed wrongly and there are no highlanders.  Galloping Major are strong on irregulars, Indians and militia but have no regulars.  Their figures are a bit less refined than Conquest's too.  Some are very nice but some are a little awkward.  The Crusader figures come somewhere between Conquest and Galloping major in style but Crusader figures are often quite small so I doubt if they would go with Galloping Major.  It's not ranges of Indians that we are short of, anyway.  North Star are strong on irregulars and Indians but have no regulars (yet).  However they have announced some beautiful looking Highlanders sculpted by Mike Owen.  The problem with North Star is that, on the whole, they are selling their FIW figures as packs of around thirty figures.  You can buy one or two smaller packs so I suppose I will just have to order one (which will take weeks) to see what they are like as I have no idea of their size.  I've also heard that their figures are very large, maybe even bigger than Galloping Major.

Oh well, more research is needed I think!