That "Oh, Crap" Moment

So, while not as bad as grabbing the flat black instead of the clear coat (yes, I've done that too, I think everyone has - or will), I had another one of those moments of enlightenment this weekend that I painted something completely incorrectly. And no, I'm not showing photos. Yet.

First, I did something similar many years ago. I was painting 15 mm Arab camelry for some obscure reason. Got everything done, was ready for clear coat, then paused. I showed my painting buddy and said, "Camels don't have hooves, do they?" He just laughed. Crud. Back to the painting table.

I thought of that story this weekend while looking over my Dark Ages guys for Saga. Some have been painted in the last few weeks, some years ago. All shared a flaw that I never realized before: Shields don't have metal bands, they are leather!!! Oh, crap!

I touched up a few last night, but there are lots of them to go.

Oh, well. Another learning experience. Won't do that again.

A Period Not Chosen

Like most gamers, I suffer from "toomanyperiodsitis." Symptoms include multiple periods represented on the table top (at the moment Vikings, Dark Age Scots, ACW Union infantry, ACW Confederate artillery and some Liberators Royalist, oh, and some 1/300 aircraft and 1/1200 Napoleonic ships), as well as frequent repetition of, "Oh, man, those are so coool!"

But believing things can always be worse (yes, things can ALWAYS be worse), I thought I would try to come up with ten periods I have an interest in, but have thus far resisted. I succeeded. In fact, I came up with 15:

• Jacobites: As note previously, I'm of Scottish descent. I've been to the auld stomping grounds. I've visited the clan castle. I've walked the field at Culloden Moor. But oof, seems like a lot of painting for fairly minimal reward.
• Scottish Wars of Independence: Robert the Bruce, William Wallace and all that. If the right range comes along, this will be verrrrry tempting indeed.
• King Phillip's War: Heck, I'll even throw in the Seminole wars here. Some very nice looking minis out there. It's a different era for me. Fascinating back story. Not a ton of figures required. Maybe some day.
• Egyptians or other chariot wars: I actually started at one point, in 10mm, but sold them. Honestly, I could never find a set of rules I liked. Still, it would look impressive.
• Samurai: I actually have minimal interest in the history, but the plastic minis make it reasonably affordable, and Saga rules look like a good fit. But I have pretty much zero reference materials.
• Pacific WW2: So far I'm sticking with the air war, but the island hopping campaigns do hold an appeal.
• Mexican Revolution: I've actually always been fascinated by this. Pancho Villa and all that. This is one if someone came to me and offered to split it up, I'd probably be in.
• French & Indian War: I have a lot of AWI, so I always wonder how different it would be. Then along comes Muskets & Tomahawks, making this an appealing skirmish period. I really may have to do this.
• War of 1812: One of the few "local" wars. That alone is intriguing. But to do both sides? Nah.
• Spanish American War: Another fascinating period. But like Jacobites, I don't know if there is enough "replayability" to justify the effort.
• War of the Roses: Um, just cool. But it would be an undertaiking.
• Romans: I don't have any. Never knew where to start. Still don't.
• Darkest Africa/Zulus: Darkest Africa skirmish games always look so impressive. This probably wouldn't take much to push me over the edge.
• Plains Wars: A visit to the Little Bighorn as a kid planted an interest that has never gone away. But it always looks tough to convert into a game to me.
• Napoleonics: Yep, it's true. I don't have any. Some of the plastics have been tempting though.

Throw in some pulp gaming, and I'd have to live about another 100 years to get all this in!

Hello, Germany!

I just noticed a significant uptick in page views from Germany. In the latest chart, page views from that nation rank second behind the United States, and just ahead of Great Britain.

So to whoever it is visiting from Germany, welcome!

Support Our Suppliers

I got thinking (and my credit card statement reminded me) of just how many orders for hobby materials I have made already in 2013. And I don't know, maybe I'm lucky in this regard, but all distributors have come through with flying colors. I hear many horror stories on TMP and elsewhere about bad experiences, and really, I haven't had any. Here are a few recent highlights:

• Black Tree Design: Two orders so far for some Saxons, Normans and Vikings for Saga. The first had some backordered items. I merely placed another order in the interim, and the backordered items were promptly shipped along with. John courteously replied to me emails and service couldn't have been better. I know they were super swamped with the big sale. (Isn't there always a big sale at BTD?) A few years ago, I even received a phone call from John to update me on the status of an order. I know some people have ongoing issues, but BTD has always done good by me. Nice figs, too. Highly recommended.
• Architects of War: Two orders so far, for Saga and supplement, and misc support materials like shield transfers and banners and some Gripping Beast Scots. The rules were a pre-order (out of stock) but as soon as they were in, they shipped. Second order went out super fast. I had never ordered from them before, but will not hesitate to do so again. Double thumbs up!
• The Warstore: To be succinct, Neal rocks. I think he has super powers. I think he knows what I want and has the package put together, so as soon as I pay for it, it's shipped. I've made two orders there in 2013 for mostly magazines and paint, but have ordered other things previously. Awesome, awesome service. 
• Waterloo Miniatures: 1/1200 Napoleonic ships is a new thing for me, but Rob at Waterloo has been great. He's exceptional at emailing to make sure exactly what it is I want/need, and his Langton stuff is well worth the wait. Another double thumbs up!
•  Scale Creep: Just placed an order this week after receiving a prompt reply from Nick on a stock question. This was my first time ordering there, but so far so good. Pretty sure the stuff I ordered is on backorder, but it's nothing urgent and not holding me up. Updates as events warrant.

The same is mostly true for other areas of interest, like NPD for Mustang parts, Mr. Beer and all of the Indy model suppliers, like Lance Sellers, Bill Jorgensen and Indycals, among many others.

So let's support those who support us!

EDIT: Just got an email from Mark at Scale Creep. He had all but one item in stock after all, and the order is on its way! Woot!

Still Plugging Away

It's been a few weeks since I posted, but I assure you all has not been quiet. Just ask my credit card! I hope to have photos soon, but here's a brief recap of what I have been able to do, mostly in brief increments between life's issues.
1. Finished a unit of Saxon warriors for Saga. Huzzah! Well, almost. They need a clearcote and basing. I debated going with square bases like my old ones, or some circular wooden ones I found (but are thick and kind of pricey). In the end, I ordered some Renedra bases this morning, and will probably end up rebasing a bunch of old ones too.
2. Got reinspired for Liberators. With John Fletcher's announcement of the forthcoming Osprey Essential History on the South American Wars of Independence, and assurance he is still working on a war in the north sourcebook, I got these guys out again. I have nearly finished up some British Legion, and have started in on some Royalists. Still long-term, but progress!
3. ACW. Yes, I even started painting some ACW guys that have been languishing. Wheat's Tigers, to be specific. What I still really need is some terrain. I am also pretty seriously tempted by Regimental Fire & Fury, but I don't know about basing all my guys again.
4. CY6 - been fairly quiet here, but there are a few things on the desktop!
5. Napoleonic ships - still plugging away slowly here. Rigging a brig and Constitution. I'd love to get a game in this spring yet.

That's about it. I'll try to get some photos soon!

Mustang Update

While I have been pretty negligent over the cold winter months doing anything with the Mustang, my body guy has been busy. As you can see, he really got at it in the front. Tore out all those nasty old inner aprons. Patched the hold in the shock tower. He even salvaged the core support with some clever patchwork. Nice.

I've felt all along the toughest part was going to be the cowl, and as you can see he's taken care of that as well. Great progress!

We're still on target for getting it back this spring. And putting it all back together again...

First Shapeways Order - Success

I've been intrigued by the potential of 3D printing for a while now, so I thought I would take a chance and order some items for gaming from Shapeways. If you don't know what Shapeways is (shapeways.com), it's basically a conduit for designers to have their products printed. People out there with more talent than me come up with the designs, house them in "shops" on the Shapeways site. Then when folks like me place an order, Shapeways prints and ships it, with both designer and Shapeways getting a cut of my money. Oh, and there are various print material options, from plastic to metal. The metal can get pricey, though, which sort of offsets the practicality, IMO. Great idea. Wish I had thought of it!

Overall, I was impressed with the service and the quality of what I received. Despite their light weight, all are remarkably sturdy and I foresee no problems using them in gaming. Best of all, they come in one piece - no assembly of fiddly biplanes! Anyway, here's a list of what I ordered, with comments:

The complete order

Ki-30 Anns

Vildebeests

SPAD XIII

Queen Elizabeth class BBs

• 1/285 Vildebeests from seller mpenneock: These are nothing short of spectacular. Can't say they will get used much, but I have some early Far East WWII scenarios in mind. I got two of them. The detail is great - I ordered them in "white strong & flexible." The radial engine is clear, and there is even a torpedo hanging from the bottom!
• 1/300 Ki-30 Ann from seller Dragoman: While a bit "rougher" than the Vildebeests, this is still a nice model of a rare aircraft and will fit in nicely with my China plans. A real bargain, as well - I intended to order three aircraft, instead I got three sprues of three aircraft each!
• 1/288 SPAD XIII from seller kampflieger - These are in frosted detail, I think, and very nice indeed. Very tiny! I'm debating about getting into WWI, so this was more of an experiment. I may end up going with a larger scale, but we'll see.
• 1/4800 Queen Elizabeth class BB from seller tinythingajigs - Matt_atknson has a great line of 1/4800 vessels that match up well with the CinC ones I have. There are three ships in this set, and all have distinctive traits. Very well done. Curiously, I also tried to order a Dunkerque class French ship, but Shapeways responded that it could not be printed as designed. May try that again...

In the end, I can see these being very useful indeed, and recommend you give them a look. There is a lot of neat stuff on there once you start poking around, including a lot of obscure stuff that may or may not ever get done in metal.