To Err is human, to Arrrrrrrrr is pirate!

Here they are, some pirates.

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What's that? Why would I paint pirates when I'm not playing any pirate games? Good question...... I just had them undercoated and the muse took me where it did, so here they are

Some civvies are part of it for objectives and table dressing

And the scurvy seadogs

As part of the painting challenge I'm doing, we agree to send a painted miniature to the organiser that matches the theme of "risk takers and gamblers". This pirate captain seemed perfect as being a pirate is a pretty big risk - especially if you wear a skull and crossbones on your hat!

Got ta love hat turtle on the base, right?

And finally, the Playmobil ship that I've finally finished. New masts, figure head, cabin door and window on the back to make it look nice, then a lick of paint and some of the worst rigging you'll ever see on a model ship.....

My excuse is that it keeps the decks clear for playing with miniatures!

Rear window

Arrrrrrrrr!

Mythical creatures - something a little different again

These are mythical creatures in two senses of the word. The first is that they are a mermaid and genie (modelled as a sea elemental) and the second in that they came to the lead pile a few years ago now and so their very existence was questioned.

I picked them up at Warfare a number of years ago and finally got around to painting them as part of a mythical entry to a bonus round in the painting challenge that I've joined. It's helped me get a tonne of stuff done so it's been great :)

Simple paint schemes for both, with some roiling water under the elemental. Perhaps they'll be scenery or objectives in a game if I get the marines from my last post out for a game.

Marines! .............. But not the HH kind

This is a bit of a catch up post given I got these figures years ago when we were all getting into pirate games. These figures were never painted by me and there is a chance they could see use in one of the random game systems that I keep picking up and I fancied something a bit different to paint, so here they are.

I actually did some historical research for these too! The Royal Navy itself has a page on uniforms throughout the ages.  They appear to be a mix of a couple of periods, so I stayed with the colours that looked pretty standard - white trousers and cross belts and red coats.  Did you know e redcoats weren't because they didn't show the blood, as popular myth would have it, but because red was the cheapest material available at the time? And that's straight from the horses mouth too.

The officer gets a natty blue coat to help his stand out.

These chaps may face off against my pirates at some point if I run a game, but don't hold your breath!

And the man at the back said "Everyone attack!"....

...And it turned into a Hobby Blitz...... A HOBBY BLITZ!

Right, on that rather dodgy song link I thought I'd post about the weekend I've just had and all the hobbying (is that a verb? It is now!) I've done in it. I said a while ago that I should post more about random things, and followed that up by not doing so, so this is an attempt to make amends.....

Recently I've actually been doing almost nothing to do with this slightly geeky hobby of ours other than play. Yes, I've been painting the odd sister squad and rhino for the Blog challenge, but that's been sporadic and half hearted at best for the last couple of months. To be honest, I'd even wondered if I was going off painting little figures I was that disinterested!

But fear not, something snapped on Friday. I don't know what it was..... Perhaps it was the thought of shifting the climactic GOG battles forward to about a month's time..... Perhaps it was the fact that I played a game of 40k last week and realised that every game I played used exactly the same scenery and grass mat, just shifted that scenery around a little each time..... Perhaps it was the fact that I have to spend 15 minutes clearing the garage before every game to even mean we could lay out that scenery.....

But something did snap. And a Hobby Blitz ensued....

I started off by finally finishing the half ar$ed job I'd done on some rather simple tank teeth thingies (you know, the things that stop tanks going over them). All I'd previously done was spray them with roughcoat and stick them to a board which I added sand to. I had only used them once, probably because they looked rubbish. So I added some flock, bushes and rusty old barbed wire to ensure it was clear that they were difficult ground and offered LoS blocking (and were impassable for tanks) and now I can't wait to use them.

Encouraged by this I started some entirely new terrain. For ages now (over a year?) I'd saved some interesting packaging that muffins for my weekend breakfasts came in. "They'll look great as some kind of tent" thought I. Not so when kept in a big cardboard box since then though. So out they came, out came some of the mountain of polystyrene that I've been keeping and some plasticard and voila, Imperial All Environment Survival Posts. The simple addition of doors (spare from rhinos), an Imperium Eagle (again spare from rhinos) and an exhaust fume (from a the first ever rhinos!) finished the modelling. I reasoned that they wouldn't need windows (might not work in the harsher environments) and if time and conditions permitted they would be built on a concrete base (mine were). This meant the building would block LoS or offer cover for vehicles and the concrete would offer saves for infantry. Just need to highlight the concrete and they're done.

Then I started on my last sisters squad. This is the one I need for April's painting. So here they are, stuck together with basecoats on half and basecoats and washes on the other half.

Next up was the pirate ship that's been sitting around getting in the way looking like a toy. Some conversion work on the masts and windows and sticking the thing all together (including adding some new decking, drilling new holes for the masts and adding a door) and then spraying it brown. Highlighting to do and then it'll be ready to challenge Master Shipwright Waple on the Seven Seas.

I even dug out all of the Armoured LotR Elves that I had lying around in anticipation for War of the Ring to work out how many I had. (Enough for 4 bases of eight warriors and 2 bases of eight archers if you're wondering). So I converted up a new banner bearer, cleaned up, based and undercoated all those not yet painted in anticipation of them being painted too.

And I even found time to add two coats of paint to the walls in our bedroom, watch two 6 nations games and the City game on Sky!

Apologies for the long post, but I'm just so chuffed to be back hobbying again! Really enjoyed the weekend and I have a new lease of life. It's good to be back :)

Whose go is it?

I think whatever it is we suffer from has infected my wife………

…..she got these for me on a recent shopping trip. Perfect for turn priority or ‘Drop’ counters.

Or maybe she wants me to dress up………..

Eddy

Damned attention span, or lack thereof....

Well, I was hoping that I'd be posting my next completed 250 points and my completed pirate crew with this post, but alas it was not to be. "Why not?" I hear you ask "didn't you have today off, you slacker?", well, yes, yes I did. I did really well in the morning, highlighting the pirate crew and getting really close to finishing the sisters, but then the curse of the wargamer struck. I had a "Great Idea For A New Project Before I'd Finished The Last One".

Now when a GIFANPBIFTLO strikes there's really very little you can do. Especially if it's one of those ones that means you use some bits that have been lying around for years because when you bought them you thought "Wow, these things'll be great!!!!" and then more GIFANPBIFTLOs struck after you'd bought them meaning you never actually used them. Well, this was one of those times. I'd had some moulded plasticard sitting around in the garage for years, fully intending to use them at some point and then never doing so. And when I bought the heater for the garage, it came with some squarish polysterene bits (and we all know the only proper response to polystyrene packaging is "Wow, I'll keep these as they'll be really handy one day!").

And so, it struck - I decided to combine the two and make some buildings for use with pirates! Having built the cowboy buildings as shells which were hollow inside, I decided that sticking the moulded plasticard to the buildings would be a great way to speed up the process! So please see attached pictures of the buildings in progress. Just need to wait for them to dry and stick on the AW windows and doors, get some roofs on and then a quick lick of paint and they'll hopefully be ready for next weekend! I've also adde one showing the polystyrene block that I hadn't started when I took the photos. It's now being converted into a grand house though, so hopefully I can get all 4 made in time as well as finishing the pirate crew....

Royal Navy Boarding Party. well I could hardly call them Pirates

All done and ready to go. In fact it appears that I have enough for two crews to ensure that the BFG doesn't miss out!

I still have the Governer to paint, and I don't mean the Judas that used to play for the hammers.

Are you impressed with the size of that mans chopper?

Well my pirates are ready.....

....so what have you slackers been doing??? eh??

Pirates Ahoy!!

I decided to get ready for some adventures on the high seas now the I’ve nearly finished my gang of piratical ladies. Using the plans from the rulebook (thanks VSM) I cobbled together a dinky little starter ship. Just need to paint it and acquire some cannons and she’ll ready for action!!

As I was in a creative mood I also knocked together some rowing boat type things to use in the game and also as dock scenery.

Eddy

Bring your Governers Daughter to the ....

Well the majority of Royal Navy gang/crew/posse/army are now complete. I just have the crew of the ship to do.

I loved doing the marines, and I certainly enjoyed doing the governers daughter........... ahem yes.

Anyway, as usual our camera doesn't really cut the mustard with the up close and personal photos of the minis - but here they are. Please excuse the basing - another job to do!