More UPDATES

Well the good news today is that I have finally finished the first 12 figures for my Prussian 3^rd Elba Landwehr infantry regiment. After a very dull and very wet weekend, I had some me time and sat down and did some painting.

I have now painted a total of 18 figures already this year, which is how many I painted last year, so I hope that this is the start of painting loads this year. I have already started off the second batch of 12 and the two last figures for the foot artillery are also coming along fine.

Another UPDATE

I had a good weekend, not with the weather though but with my hobby. I have spent more cash this weekend on two tins of paint and some paint thinner.

I do try to look after my paint tins but they always seem to dry up on me, especially when I have not touched them for a while or the paint starts to thicken up. That is why I finally brought some paint thinner to save a few bob.

I also brought some more containers for the painted figures that I hope to complete soon.

Another good reason is that I have started to paint another unit. Okay I should finish one before starting another, but these are going to be painted while I am away at the weekends.

The unit I am painting now is the HaT Prussian 8^th Dragoon regiment. I have a box and a half to paint so 18 figures and horses in all. Had a really good couple of days with these and I am half way to finishing the first batch of six with their horses.

At home the last two figures of the foot artillery are coming along nicely and I have not forgotten the Elba Landwehr infantry that I started some while ago and I hope to have the first batch of 12 done by this weekend.

UPDATE

At last I have finished painting the Prussian Foot Artillery unit, which has nearly taken me a year to paint just 24 figures. But I have two more figures to paint and they will be a drummer and an officer on foot. These are not in the HaT artillery set but as you can now buy the Prussian command set, I thought that to finish the unit off nicely these could be added.

Well 18 of these figures were painted before Christmas so these last completed six will be the first painted figures of the year. I am glad to say that I am back painting now so I hope to set some more finished very soon.

Now to find time to get some pictures too show you.

Another Skaledale Building

Over the Easter weekend I managed to go to my favourite toy shop in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk and brought another model from Hornby to add to my collection of buildings.

My next model was the Derelict Stables (R9648) at a bargain price of £16.45 pence. Again made in resin, the model looks again a bit small for my chosen size in wargaming but it does look good.

Still it will add a bit more to the derelict farm that I will make up when I can get a chance to do a bit of wargaming.

I also had to buy some more paint and what a big jump in the price. This time last year I was paying just £1.30 pence a tin. It has now gone up to £1.49 pence a tin but still cheaper than the RRP of £1.70 pence. So in just two weeks I have spent just over £50 already this year.

Skaledale Buildings from Hornby

Well we are nearly a quarter-way through the year and I have made my first purchase of the year.

Hornby Skaledale do a great range of model buildings for the railway enthusiast but you can also use some of these for your war gaming tables. I have seen the new range of derelict farm buildings that will do for my Napoleonic battle fields and at the weekend I went along to the toy shop and brought two of the four models available and made a bit of a saving on them.

First up was the farm barn (R9647). This has one of its double doors open and two windows on one side. The other windows on the other side of the barn are boarded up.

The model is well made and painted to a high standard as it would be from Hornby. The windows are great for my little 20mm Airfix/Hat figures as they could use the windows to shoot from.

Also I brought the farm outhouse (R9649) and again it looked great, but a little too small when you stood it by the barn. And like the barn, some of the windows are left open, but when I stood an Airfix figure against it, it was almost looking into the top window.

Still there are two more bits to go along with the theme, the derelict farm house and stables. These look okay in their proportions to my little men and I hope to get these when I go shopping again in April. I made a little saving on these two buildings. The RRP for the two is just over £35 in Modelzone, I managed to pick both up for just under £31. Bargain!