Vampire Transport

Just a quick post today. I rebased the hearse I painted ages ago. The old base was shoddy. I made more super sculpty cobbles and after painting covered them in cheap "Securefix" super glue. It's very thin and watery so impossible to use. But it does give a nice water effect. Next off to work out how to wake splashes

This can be the only song

Lead Reserve Estimation

One of the first things I teach the students in the mining module is the difference between reserves and resources. Resources are all the model soldiers in the world and reserves are the one I can afford to buy and paint. In addition to this is the stock pile. Buy controlling the size of the stock pile you can manage the ups and downs of the market. We call it the Lead Mountain and I've been tinkering with mine.
Firstly I based them all up with weekend. To be honest most of them had a base all ready, I like them standing up waiting for me. However very few of the bases had a layer of filler applied to obscure the metal base of the figures. So I spent a few hours doing this each evening whilst watching seasons 1 and 2 of Peaky Blinders on Netflix. If you've not seen it I can strongly recommend it. 1920's gangsters in Birmingham (the one where they say "Awl Roight" and not "Y'all".)
Anyway back to the point. My Lead Mountain is big. So big I did a graph

771 infantry and 57 cavalry. That does not include the ones in the bits box, nor the Dwarfs which need converting to stop them needing slotta bases (I hate slotta bases)  nor the still unmade Victrix Napoleonic Army I bought the other week nor the unpainted 10mm 1864 Prussian army that is a long way down the list. I have 8 full file boxes and it's the Border Reiver Show next weekend. I have space for more painted figures but not for unpainted ones, and the 2 must never meet.

On the upside I'd didn't spend that much on them, The ACW are 50% plastic and the rest bought from junk shops at about 20p each. Still at 70p average for infantry and £1.50 for cavalry (half are a prize from last years challenge) it's still a big investment of over £600

To alleviate some of the back log I've painted this brewery dray. It came with a 4 horse team but most drays have 2 shire horses. This one has 2 ordinary horses and I now have 2 horses to attach to a new cart once I've built it.

The cobbles are made of super sculpty, which I forgot shrinks a little so I had to recarve the holes for the horses, which was annoying.

I've left the brewery name off as I will also use it as a water wagon for colonial types.

Right next is a video chat with Dave Docherty on the analogue challenge video chat room. Pop in and say hello

They're Alive

So West Wind have been having a bit of a sale on vehicles - buy 1 get 1 free - more to follow later. But it got me thinking about IHMN, rules I've had for ages but never used. West Wind have a few other things on sale.
I present Dr Frankenstein and his monsters, more Empire of the Dead than IHMN but close enough

Frankenstein is a conversion from a Perry ACW officer with an an industrially large cattle prod made from a ram rod and wire.
Then we have the 4 monsters

These guys are big as can be seen in the group shot

Next I need to find an Igor or some handlers.

My parents 50th wedding anniversary yesterday and this guy featured heavily. in the music, which was really cool