Happy New Year!!!

 Happy New Year to all of my friends around the world!!!

Scatter Terrain for the French & Indian War (or wherever there are woods!)

Natives firing from a well concealed ambush.

As I have jumped big time into the French and Indian War, primarily because of Rebels and Patriots, (paid link) while I'm painting the figures I am also working on some "scatter" terrain to give the ole tabletop the look of a large skirmish game. Since I injured my left knee (a story for another day) I take daily walks with my dogs in the woods near my house. While walking I look at the terrain.

And thanks to my handy-dandy Iphone, I have been able to take some pictures as references for the terrain. Since I live in Alabama now, and I wanted to check my childhood memories of the Appalachian Mountains in Pennsylvania, I sent several pictures to State Forestry Departments and to some of my relatives in Canada to see if the woods looked like where they live. Now I know there is a big difference in time from 1756 to 2020 but the response I received indicated that the woods are pretty much the woods:

Some of the responses were pretty good:

New York: Hey I'm from Alabama too! Remember, we don't talk funny, the New Yorker's do. Great pictures and Roll Tide!

Vermont: Dang! That's a big tree.  

Pennsylvania: Looks like my back yard.

My Uncle John (who lives in Canada): Where's the snow?

Old CD's and DVD's you don't want anymore work good for scatter terrain. I use scatter terrain to (a) make the table look cool and (b) define the terrain; e.g. these are woods with with heavy ground cover or light ground cover.

View from the top.

With figures. 

Before making, if you want your figures to move through the scatter terrain, preposition the terrain with several figures to see if they can easily fit on your piece of terrain.

Overhead shot.

With British Rangers.

My personal favorite.

 

The materials are just hobby sand, twigs and rocks I find on my walks, a bag of moss from the local hobby store, static grass, tufts and other material I had lying around and the all important white and super glue. Let your imagination run wild.

Santa 2020: Wargames Foundry Viking Santa

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Since my wife's family is Norwegian, what better way to acknowledge them and my wife with the Wargames Foundry Viking Santa Clause. 

 I painted a festive wreath for his shield.

Don't get on this jolly ole' elf's naughty list!

Guarding the entrance to the Toy Shop.
 

Okay, time for hot chocolate and marshmallows.

 

 

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas to all!

Luke 2  English Standard Version (ESV)

The Birth of Jesus Christ

2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

⁸ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

¹⁵ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. ¹⁷ And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

²¹ And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

 

Favorite Figures of 2020 (In Chronological Order), Part 3

 

Continuing on with the favorite figures I painted this year: 

A freebie wizard from Reaper Miniatures that I painted as Gandalf the Grey.

 

More Pulp Figures!

Okay, enough Pulp. On to the French and Indian War:

North Star Miniatures

Warlord Games

Highlanders from Warlord Games

 

North Star Highland Light Infantry

Wow! I actually completed an Army/Force!

 

Well, that's all (I think) of the pictures I'll be posting next year. Don't be surprised to see some French for the French and Indian War and maybe Russians circa 1895 to 1914 as the "Great Game" goes hot.

Favorite Figures of 2020 (In Chronological Order), Part 2

 

Continuing with the great year I had in painting figures; not volume, but definitely enjoyment in 2020.  As a reminder over the last few years I have been gravitated toward "skirmish" gaming from the Victorian Era to the late 1930's (though still sign me up for a big battle!). The gaming I have been doing is historically based, but with a Hollywood flair with some Pulp and Science Fiction thrown in for good measure. And I have a new project that puts me right back in the seat of Historical Gaming. Continuing with my favorite figures I painted in chronological order:

The 14th Sikhs get reinforcements.

 

The first unit of Sikhs that I did were for two games: The Men Who Would be Kings and In Her Majesty's Name. My Sikhs consisted of infantry and a mountain gun from Artizan designs and a Maxim MG from Copplestone Castings. Though the figures were not quite from the same era, they looked great together and never failed me on the "historical" tabletop battlefields nor in the alternative Victorian Science Fiction Universe of 1895.

 

Rangers from North Star Miniatures. I'm now hooked on doing the French and Indian War!

Rogers' Rangers was initially a provincial company from the colony of New Hampshire, attached to the British Army during the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War). The unit was quickly adopted into the British army as an independent ranger company. Major Robert Rogers trained the rapidly deployed light infantry force tasked mainly with reconnaissance as well as conducting special operations against distant targets.

 Okay, let me get it over with: I love Pulp Figures. I'm just going to clump my favorites all together:

Okay, I need to do a Part 3!

Favorite Figures of 2020 (in chronological order), Part 1

Well . . . 2020 was an interesting year; but, still a  great year for painting as far as the enjoyment it brought me versus the volume of figures painted. Over the last few years I have been gravitating toward "skirmish" gaming from the Victorian Era to the late 1930's (though still sign me up for a big battle!). The gaming I have been doing is historically based, but with a Hollywood flair with some Pulp and Science Fiction thrown in for good measure. This year I had no real plan but did start a new project toward the end of the year. Here are my favorite figures I painted in chronological order:

 Bob Murch's Movember Pulp Figure for 2019

Each November Bob Murch, owner and sculpter of Pulp Figures, conducts a fundraiser for men's health. The 2019 Movember limited edition fundraiser fig is Marshal Grin Duster. The redoubtable lawman strides the West, a titan of rough justice and harbinger of doom to the outlaw kind. Grin was available in November and only by donation to the Movember campaign. I did not get around to painting it until 2020.

Not figures per se, but I discovered WizKids preprimed range and I bought some accessories that were easy to paint to add "atmosphere" to a game. Here is the Wooden Table and Stools, the Navigators Pack, and a Tent which also came with a lean-to.

Artizan Designs German Afrika Korps. In my humble opinion, the best DAK figures out there.

"Daughters of the Empire" by Bob Murch of Pulp Figures.

As Ken Watanabe said, "Let them fight."

WizKids "Giant Ape" better known as King Kong.

Next: More Figures!