Mass Producing Trees

Trees have been on the agenda for the past couple of evenings.  I'm making another 500 or so to cover the 45 foot table with the things for the French and Indian War games.  Doing them in batches of around 50-60 as its a messy job and takes up a lot of room - drying time is a issue too, although the old dehumdifier speeds things up.  All of this lot are oaks or similar with the same colouration, there will be other shapes, sizes and hues of green to break things up.

I've been using Botanico Eco Moss - a kind of sisal string bedding material you're supposed to use for hanging baskets. Can't find any within twenty-five miles, so have reverted to the horsehair.

I tear a bit off, roll it up into a ball, dunk it into some green paint/PVA/water mix, wring it out and then drape it onto the twig.  Then I dunk the whole lot into an enormous bucket of home made flock. Shake off the excess and leave to dry overnight.  Should be as hard as a rock by then.  Just give it a quick blast with spray varnish and done (apart from the base of course).

The reason I'm making so many is that the table is 45 x 6 foot and even a couple of hundred are lost on it.

Two New Jersey Regiments for the Union army

Decided to make these New Jersey regiments - mix of Hinchliffe and Tradition figures, a lull in the raining means they are finished off! Couldn't risk the flags running in the rain when I was varnishing them!

Warlord Games Greeks - rather a lot of them!

Have finally sorted out all of the Greeks ready for assembly, priming and painting.  Here is the true horror of it all:

If all goes well, these 1500 figures will be done by the end of January!

Meet The Spartans

First shots of the latest stuff - have actually made some progress on the Greeks for the 2013 season despite being side tracked with ACW and terrain (not to mention about 60 ebay sales). Had hoped to put up the last ACW regiments for the time being, but rain has stopped varnishing. 

Here are the Spartan command stands. The 3 stand base is the Spartan King. The Spartans have three divisions, each with 5 36 man hoplite units as as well as skirmishers and so on. The figures are Gorgon and Wargames Foundry. The bases are by Warbases (their 60mm round ones). The hoplites will be based up on their 60x40mm bases six figures to a stand. 

More ACW artillery and limbers & a wood store

Last of the artillery for the ACW, more Reb and Union batteries.  Four more limbers and a nice little wood store.

Battlegames 31 is out and we're in it!

Good old Henry Hyde - not only a great magazine again, but Diane's regular terrain piece and a article by me! Do yourself a favour and get a subscription, you won't regret it!

Battlegames Magazine #31 is out! Not just Diane's regular article, but one by me too!

Wargames widow Diane Sutherland is "Wargaming with herbs"! She's been making marvellous market stalls for exotic locations. And let me make it clear that

 the herbs are all legal...

Jon Sutherland, commander of the Wargames Holiday Centre in Crete, general of a hundred wargame armies, one-time loyal servant of Games Workshop, father to countless wargames projects, and husband to our wargames widow, regales us with his first article: "Shiny syndrome, or just what is it that makes wargamers tick?"

Latest ACW additions

Bought a batch of old Minifigs, Hinchcliffe and Tradition figures (which needed a total repaint) to add to the bits and bobs I had left over.  Managed to squeeze four new 25 figure Confederate regiments out of them.  Also got hold of four guns for the Reb artillery bases I had just finished.
Best of all - after sitting unpainted for 30 or more years, I finally got around to painting a pair of wagons (Hinchcliffe).  More new bits and pieces to finish off to round off the ACW collection.  Another Reb Regiment, five or six Union regiments, about 30 Reb cavalry, 50 or so Union ones, four or five limbers, four more Union guns, a bunch of skirmishers and some brigade commanders. At that point enough is enough.  Antietam is on the agenda for next season's games - although we will still be offering Gettysburg or Chancellorsville if people prefer.