So it been a strange few weeks

General election on Thursday, to be honest it's a bit like the Iran / Iraq war - would be better if both sides lost. I've given money to 2 different political parties, 1 I support and one because a friend is standing and is being funded by crowd sourcing. He's not getting my support but I fundamentally agree with helping him to stand, he's in a proper party and not a lunatic.
We've had a couple of terrorist attacks. Much hand wringing and recrimination but this has been overwhelmed by love, bravery and a a general sense that we are all in this together. My country has been bombed every year of my life and we are still here.
I've finished the work for the big VBCW battle in a couple of weeks, there will be 5 or 6 sides which will either be brilliant or a chaotic mess. Can't wait. However the completion of this work left a hole in my painting list and I couldn't think what to paint. Luckily the Blogosphere has helped and Matt Crump has been painting up his ACW. I've got a lot of these painted, 6 regiments of each side plus artillery, cavalry etc. I still have 4 regiments to paint, some Perry plastics and a couple of regiments worth of old school Dixons that I picked up in an antiques shop a last year. So I painted up the 1st one

Rebel firing line

I bought a copy of Death in the Dark Continent rules and all the figures are based on 60x30mm stands. I base mine individually on 20x20mm so I needed some bases and some magnets.

the empty bases with squares of steel paper. The tall grass is made from a scrubbing brush with the fibres stuck together with hot melt glue

Magnetic tape on the base of the figs and the bases become interchangeable. I shall do a desert set, a jungle set and a temperate set, 4 bases together will make and impetus infantry stand, 2 a skirmish stand. All in all very versatile, although I have hundreds of figures to add magnetic bases to.

Marche ou Crève

Over the last three days I've been painting some French Foreign Legion Figures for my Africa Campaign. These are not the usual suspects, all P C Wren and Tuareg campfires, but figures for the Dahomey campaign in West Africa. The figures are all Dixon's as I bought the complete set and have painted and posted the tribesmen earlier.
The figures are excellently sculpted and have that look of men who have been in the field far too long. Accordingly I gave then a heavy wash to make them dirty, I don't normally do this as I prefer the troops to be dressed neatly for battle.

I'm fairly pleased with them, I really like the uniforms with white(ish) trousers, cork brown jackets and beige hats and some of the webbing. They don't quite pop as I imagined but I don't know why. They may need an extra wash with a darker shade.

Hope you like them

More Africans and Tales from my Holiday

Officially I'm on holiday, dreams of beaches, BBQs and power drinking. Instead I've spent 2 days rewriting a grant proposal and not being on holiday. I have done some DIY as well (damage it yourself) and best of all painted some more figs for the African Campaign. I now have a enough for the next scenario. These are all from the excellent Dahomey collection from Dixons and are really great.

First up are some female warriors, the elite of Dahomy warrior society.

Next we have some male warriors, I tried to make these as colourful as possible.

Finally their commander Admiral Joseph Limbani, who seems to have dressed in a hurry. He is the pompous leader of a band of slavers (Think African Mainwaring)

One of 3 things will happen now, I do more DIY, I watch the tennis or I get skullf...( I mean I have a pint or 4 )

Yet more painting

I seem to be painting like a maniac at the moment.

The are the film and historical versions of Lt Bromhead by Trent Miniatures ( although they have a Copplestone feel). These are very nice figs and will finish off the 24th Foot as an officer and an NCO.

The African Campaign has seen the Germans fight and lose their 1st major battle against the Zulus. The all female army needed reinforcements so these are some more Askaris. These are Dixon's Dahomey "Amazon" headhunters. A really good collection.

What the Germans lacked was trusted scouts so they have employed a trio of famed hunters. These will provide much needed expertise and lead the Askari units. Pulp Miniatures from Dice Bag Lady.

Finally a socialist flag bearer for the Northumberland Miners Collective. The flag is an envelope and I'm undecided if to take off the visible while, it looks liketrim and gives the flag an outline.

Also made some hedges out of pan scourers but they are still drying. And so ends a hectic month (well last two weeks anyway). I'm quite ill at the moment due to my broken brain, hence the painting rush, but in 5 weeks I get a month off to recharge my batteries and come up for air.

More Reinforcements

I had another parcel today, which is a good job as I've already finished the Trolls and nearly finished the Skraelings

Like the Trolls, even if they are a little passive. They look like the worlds worst boy band, well not the worst but the ugliest, well not the ugliest but you get the picture.

The parcel was from Dixon's and contained their Dahomey collection (56 figs for £60). They are French colonial troops, and opponents, including female head hunters.

I have the starting of a plan for a Colonial campaign involving Brits, Germans and French fighting over an Imagination Africa using IHMN or Heart of Africa and another set of rules for major battles (once I've found a good one - suggestions welcome. )

The figs are great

French Foreign Legion in tropical dress - I already have some in classic desert attire

Dahomey men - slave traders possibly

Africa personalities including a guy dressed only in an officers jacket and kepi. Looks like the doorman in a nudist colony

Native porters - good objectives

Dahomey warrior women - these will work as askaris for my entirely female German force (Hinterland minis)

Colonial Trialleurs

The trialleurs inspired me to get out the bits box and convert 6spare ACW Zouaves into more Trialleurs

I used heads and arms + guns from the Perry Ansar box, will add sleeves later. The officer is a Prussian 19th century officer with a Wolsley type hat and some of the buttons removed.

Generally a good day and nothing to do all weekend but potter about - genius