Colours

Went to Colours in Newbury today. It's one of my favourite shows at it doesn't take very long to get there (I can do door to door in under an hour), you can drive and park easily and it is quite spacious (compared with Warfare at Reading which I loathe) . I only have to be inside these shows for 5 minutes and I run into Dave, from Guildford. It's amazing. happens every time. Mike was there too on his Black Hat stand. I always feel guilty as I never buy anything from him but that is because his 15mm Napoleon in Egypt range, whilst exquisite, are just too small for me. My mother came along (for some reason she likes the show too) and had a good look at the Front Rank 40mm AWI figures. She thought this was an eminently sensible size for wargames figures and couldn't understand why anyone would want to paint anything smaller. I am coming around to this view myself!

I did quite well on my shopping list:

More Wargames Illustrated binders-I've got 15 years worth bound up now, some Wargames Soldiers and Strategy backnumbers and this month's Miniature Wargames, which is getting harder and harder to find in the shops.

I got some more Perry Beja on camels and a few more spearmen in ambush for my sneaky Beja unit. I bought some more British Sudan infantry (running at trail) for my Royal Marines light Infantry. I also bought a pack of Indian Service Dress infantry just as I am getting sick of grey uniforms.

I spent a fair amount at the Musketeer Miniatures stand getting a nice Early German banner sheet from LBM for my Arthurian period Saxons. Bought a couple more packs of Duguth for my first unit. I haven't finished any more figures again this week but I have nearly completed my first five Duguth so will have them up on my Dark Ages blog next weekend. I bought the General and the standard bearer for the Saxons but he is a lot bigger than the rank and file. I know that Games Workshp do this but it annoys me. I know that you can argue that your leader would be a bigger tougher man ect. but.. He is nice though, so I may get him based quite soon. I also got some LBM transfers for the Saxon bucklers but they really aren't worth the effort. I bought plain ones and they take so much longer to put on and tidy up it's quicker just to paint them I think.

My impulse buy of the day, egged on by my son, was a Chieftan Miniatures Panzer III. Haven't done much World War 2 (only one figure in 28mm) but quite tempted by North Africa as that was where my father served in the War. It is certainly a solid lump (or several lumps) of metal.

I nearly always buy figures with the intention, however remote, of building some form of wargames army or unit with them. But I found myself buying some Musketeer Great North War Swedes and Russians purely to paint. I don't know why I just like the look of them. I am going to Stockholm this week so may go into the Army Museum as they have some uniforms, apparently.

My other, just for painting, purchase was a pack of the Perry charging Cuirassiers. They are one piece castings and are utterly gorgeous. For me, Cuirassiers are the ultimate Napoleonic troop type; forget Imperial Guard Grenadiers or hussars. They were, of course, the first figures I ever painted (the Airfix set) and I also had a painted Starlux 54mm model of a Cuirassier which my father bought me in Paris when I was a little boy. My son still has it on his shelf, I am happy to say.

So, although it has been another week with no finished figures at least the end is in sight for the first Saxons and I am making good progress on another five Spartans (having watched 300 for the first time this week).