Afghans and more!

I seem to be posting every day at present, which may have something to do with the fact that I am actually painting again.  Although I did not finish any figures this weekend, despite Sofie's Paint Table Saturday, I did get a good few hours done each day and have moved my Servants of Ra along enough that I hope to finish six figures at least, before the weekend.  I still can't find my copy of the In Her Majesty's Name rules, however.

Now, Wargames News and Terrain is an excellent site for spotting the new and shiny (I probably shouldn't look at it) and today they have a picture up of the first in what will be a Second Afghan War range from Artizan.  Now this really is a conflict I have always wanted to game but there isn't a good range of figures out there for it.  Artizan, however, have a patchy record on completing ranges.  Their Arab Revolt range never took off at all and while their French Foreign Legion range has an impressive 34 packs their opponents have just four and no cavalry (which is a common complaint I have with many of their ranges).  So an Artizan range is a risk.  Still, I'm prepared to take a punt on these!

So, looking forward across the rest of 2014, the new ranges I am planning to buy into are these Afghan War figures, the North Star Pirates and the North Star Biblicals.  There is also the little matter of the new theatre, but not new period, figures I have ordered from Perry Miniatures and figures from three Kickstarters that haven't arrived yet: Mars Attacks, the Sikh Wars and 15mm Ancients.  More than enough to keep me going.

As regards existing projects I am hoping to do more IHMN and Empire of the Dead (I have about twenty under way at present), get my Latin American Wars of Independence figures moving along and doing more for the Argonauts project.  I'd like to get on with my Baluchis for my Zambezi project too.  I'd also like to finish my Perry Prussians.  Busy, Busy.

Several people have noted that Colours won't be running this year, which is a shame as it is probably my favourite show.  At least, it is the one where I spend the most but that is because I can drive there in about an hour so can buy things like big lumps of resin from Grand Manner, which I can't at Salute.  I don't like Warfare, which follows Colours, so much because it always feels a bit too cramped and the process of driving into and, more importantly, out of Reading is very stressful.  The Legatus is not an experienced driver (I didn't learn to drive until I was 28 and have never owned a car) so finds Reading's notorious one way system horrendous!

Finally, it was Burns' Night on Saturday and although, unlike my wife and, therefore, my children, I don't have any Scottish blood I thought I would cook a haggis for the first time.  It was absolutely delicious, I have to say!  I had it with peas as it is not exactly a low calorie dish.  Now about those Sudan War highlanders I started...