June has been a good month for getting things done; I
started with the end of my English Civil War project appearing on the horizon,
and inside the first 15 days of the month I had completed 51 models! The dragoons, foot and mounted, were first to
roll off the painting table, followed swiftly by a bunch of civilians (pregnant
vampires, baby-holding women, dogs and goats presiding). I even got the additional warhammer gatehouse
out and made, sprayed and painted that as well – that was a slightly tricky
project because I had to use a different shade of gray from the rest of the
castle, so it does look lighter but I think it blends in well overall. The last of the 51 models (the gatehouse
being classed as ‘1’) were the 4 welsh hearthguard, complete with their red shields
and cloaks.
Dipping Issues
I did come across a problem when ‘dipping’ them however, in
that for the first time my tin of dip had developed a skin across the top. I consulted my oracle in dipping; Luke, who
informed me that his first can went like that and the best option was to store
it upside down. Unfortunately the
crusting varnish around the edges of my lid made this impractical so upright it
had to stay. The consistency of the dip
varnish had also changed, becoming thicker and more gooey. It wasn’t great to work with but I managed to
finish the 51 models with it, and they looked a similar quality to the others.
Modelling Begins After Football Management….
After my initial burst I had a period of inaction, with bits
of gaming, social calls and a purchase of Football Manager 2012 to blame,
before I resumed my efforts. My Redoubt Enterprises
order had arrived surprisingly quickly; only a 2 week wait, and I used the bits
to make a limber for my Royalist Saker – adding a dog and a Perry Miniatures
officer to the base to get a more impressive effect – as well as finishing
making the third supply unit needed for the scenario, and the storming
party. I also made 2 cannon
fortifications, based some chickens and made 8 welsh warriors on horseback for my
Saga warband using a wargames factory ancient Germanic boxed set – small horses
= ponys! I committed myself to painting
them with the enthusiasm provided by previous successes, and finished the
paintjob on the 30th of June.
The Dip is dead, long live The Dip!
Sadly at this point I discovered my dip had indeed turned to
nasty solid gloop, and into the bin it went while I wandered off to 4th
Planet Games in Wrexham to buy another Army Painter Quickshade – Strong Tone
for £17.99. The models, all 32 of them,
were dipped this morning, in a process that fully highlighted how gooey my old
dip had become, and await flocking on Thursday night before spraying in time
for Gauntlet on Sunday.
What Now?
Damned if I know.
I’ve been painting Royalists for the best part of three months, with
just a few Welsh breaking up the monotony, and now they are ALL finished! Bugger me.
Well, there are a few more things that are awaiting a coat or two of
paint, starting with my 6mm ACW which are still in their boxes while Andy’s are
holding dress parades! Then there is the
teams from the Dreadball game which finally arrived today (just the 1 months
wait that was), not sure if I can morally paint an orc though, even if its
called an ‘Orx’. Finally I’m reading
“Lancaster and York, The Wars of the Roses” by Alison Weir, so maybe I’ll paint
a few of those if I can bring myself to do any more 28mm models. The 28mm Napoleonic French and the rest of
the Saga welsh are bumped down to the bottom of the pile.
Just time for a mention of the scores on the doors, don’t
think I’ll make 400+, but 300 should be do-able, the second part of June (the
32) isn’t included because its not finished yet:
Painted: 256
Purchased: 441
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