AWI: Regiment Saintonge

 

Another BP unit down for the AWI BP collection, this time a French regiment Saintonge.

Actually got these finished in the lead up to xmas but the weather was not conducive to varnishing so couldn't snap some shots.

Standard BP unit, 'firing by company'

This is the first unit from the 3rd commission lot from Spiro at Pants of War.

These white units are more of a pain to get looking right than the more colourful units, so Spiro essentially block painted them with contrast and normal paints and I've gone through and shaded them, and done the finishing bits and bobs.

Despite being almost 20 years old (and long OOP) these Italeri figures paint up well; although I've sliced off the 'toy drum' that the drummer is molded with (see the PSR comments) and replaced it with a slightly oversized drum from the American Italeri box of the same period (which comes loose) - and now I see I've glued it on upside-down 😆.

The other 'problem' at this scale is that the French - due to 1779 regulations - mostly have the regimental colour only on their cuffs, which is hard to see (and piping around other parts which I'm not going to attempt at this scale). But hopefully the excellent flags from warflag.com help to distinguish units amongst the 'sea of white' that I'm sure will ensue. 

So next up, while I'm waiting for work to kick off next year, the regiments Touraine, Soissonois, and Royal Deux-Ponts.

PS: placing a glowing xmas decoration behind the unit seemed like a good idea at the time I was taking these photos.

AWI Loyalists

 The final standard infantry units for the Brits are done and probably the final thing I'll paint this year. 

Its only taken five years to get British line completed but it was worth it... 😂

To finish off the 'sea of red' created by the other ten line units (and some Grenadiers still to come) a splodge of green, Loyalist Green from early on in the conflict.

Loosely based on the Loyalist Regiment Massachusetts and Regiment of Fencible Americans - although flags have been swapped around for ascetics.

Loyalists - Massachusetts flag with blue facings.

This was another joint effort from Spiro at Pants of War (Commission: Lot 2) and some highlighting and shading to move the contrast paints closer to historic colours.

Loyalist Fencible Americans(ish) with speculative flag (read 'made up' - I'm speculating they had a flag) and white facings.

 

So, still two lots of French to come and another four Continental units off their sprew awaiting paint (might be a holiday thing)(and some militia which I've been putting off for years now). Still loving the detail on these IMEX/Accurate figures.

But having received some drummers with tricorns from Irregular and placing the grenadiers I'd brought against some Continentals, I've had second thoughts about using them as they stand a full head shorter than the Italeri figures - sad face.

So as bold as the Loyalist colonel standing above, his drummer clearly wondering what the last order he barked was, I've sent the Irregulars to Coventry and ordered some B and B Miniatures which stand the same height but are a little bulkier in style to the plastics - fricking onwards!

Kinda like the light dragoons painted previously, so why not... oh and some Butlers Rangers... and some Queens Rangers... for light duties, why wouldn't you?

... anybody want two BP units of unpainted, AWI British Grenadiers, circa 18mm tall, PM me 😁 .. to be fair on Irregular, they are excellent, well proportioned figures - just accurately 20mm (unlike the plastics which stand between 22mm and 26mm). I remain yours, pendantically JS.

Merry Non-Denominational Holidays 😄

Gaslands! Got the Bug!

 

Haven't played a game of Gaslands yet but after reading the rules, reviews and watching a few demos on YouTube, it was I game I decided I couldn't live without - coz Its like Car Wars but without the grid! 😁

I just gotta say it was oddly satisfying and addictive wrecking some Hot Wheels cars and making models from them.

It started slow with The Great Die Cast Shortage of '21 but my wonderful little buddy of a step son sorted through what was left at our local Warehouse (think KMart for US friends and 'big shop with heaps of stuff you didn't know you didn't need' for UK friends) and found the Kia (on right). Then lo and behold, 10 weeks out from Xmas, a shipment must have arrived in NZ from the states and the Jag came next.

Then, after going to down to buy a hose fitting or something as equally mundane, we came home with another 9 cars!

Killer Kia: Grenades and minigun

I got some templates and roads from a local firm Battle Kiwi and might do a sperate post for them coz their stuff is excellent. And then got the Implements of Carnage sprew 1, some dice and Warboys from Northstar.

Jaguar XJYes!: Also grenades and minigun

Just couldn't resist putting miniguns on these first two and in the spirit of the game, the team name for these guys is Black Knights of the Red Dragon.

And I can't describe the almost insane feeling you get when you drill out the cars.

And just how awesomely replete it is when you stick a Northstar figure in a Hot Wheels car.

Think I ended up drilling out everything we bought and then stuck most of the metal chassis in 1:1 solution of Dettol and water - hey presto, overnight, no more paint.

Drilled out Camaro and some of the awesome bits from the Northstar Implements of Carnage 1 sprew

Looking forward to getting some Mad Max type vehicles together using the Northstar figures and actually getting a game in!