Secret Santa and Challenge update.

I was very lucky to have two fine gifts from my Secret Santa and Santa clause, I got two greta packs of Perry's Samurai that will be cleaned up and based this weekend ready to join the ranks o my Ronin figures also some great terrain scatter in the form of barrels. My Secret Santa Clause was a great figure produced by Gringo 40 this is an officer of the French Foreign Legion who will when based become a stream ship captain for the Sudan.

I took a quick shot of my paint desk, you can see that I have my Bengal Lancers under way plus some Afghans and Dark age stuff.

I was able to get my first entry in to Curt the other day a group lot of NWF Foundry Figures that I had great fun painting.

Regular Posting will be interrupted

I think my plan to post each day during the challenge and to challenge myself to complete 4500 points was always going to be a loser. I want to spend every possible second with brush in hand and stopping to take photos and blogging has taken a back seat.
I will try and post fairly regularly but it may just be a few photo's of WIP and the odd comment. Please be assured I am still reading as many blogs as I can and am very active on the FB page (as it sits next to my painting desk) but if anyone wishes to contact me drop me an email of FB message.

 

Wild Bunch Day 6

Back up to full speed again today, I completed the Guide Infantry ready for base work and dip. On the base front I have been thinking and I plan to paint the base's with the craft paint and when dry will paint the dip on the figures and base I will then complete the base work with dry brush and tuff's.

I have completed the flesh on the Camel Corp so then will see more attention this weekend. After putting away the finished figures I dug out my next batches. I am starting on the Afghan's these I will do in groups of ten painting them in the same colours and then when I put them all together they will look irregular.

I have one of my Afghan Command stands and the first unit of Bengal Cav, I think you can also see in the end of this picture my entry for the first bonus round a figure from Perry Miniatures AWI range.
Peace James

Wild Bunch Day 5

Its been a day of big changes in the Brewerton world, anyone who is friends with me on FB will know I had a shocking start to the day but I slept well and was able to hit the brushes this evening. While I did get plenty done I had no time left to take and upload pictures before getting ready for work so it looked like I was going to fail at my post a day challenge after only 4 days but I said to myself get a grip and have grabbed 5 min at work to fire off this quick post just before the days end.
The big change I talked about is at work I held informal talks with my manager on Monday and tonight I put in a formal request to return to the day shift, my manager informed me that he had already broached the subject with the Ops director and been told I would be accommodated so it looks like 2014 will be the year I return to the light. How this effect my hobby well time will tell but I do know it will free me to go gaming on evenings so I think it will only be good for my hobby.
I was going to leave this post pictureless but remembered a picture on my phone I had taken to show Dad how I plan to base our Zulus, the picture shows 2 units of NNC (2x20) the Zulus will vary from 15-20 Married to 20-50 Unmarried the bigger being on two bases the smaller on just one. It does mean a slight change to my painting tec as I will now base them after painting as even I would have trouble getting my brush in to all areas if I based first.

 

Wild Bunch Day 4

Well my painting time was well busted today..let me tell you a tale. My Daughter moved out 4 months ago but at the moment we still have her dog, this means every evening she comes home to [use our wi-fi ][eat our food ] walk her dog. Now she has a Virgin mobile phone on the same contract I bought for her 16 birthday we paid her bill all the way through Uni but I told her as soon as she got a job it was up to her to pay, so when she got her first job I dropped a few hints about sorting her bill out but a few months went by with us still paying in the end I did what any good Dad would do, I cancelled the standing order and let her know she needed to sort it out before the next payment.... you can guess what is coming. While I was on holiday in Norfolk we had a panic call from Cardiff station as her phone had been cut off and as the contract was in my name they needed to talk to me what followed was a three way talk with me in Norfolk and Mel in Wales and I am sure the Virgin rep was in India. This I stupidly thought was the end of MY troubles.... no chance the contract is up and Mel is wanting to change her phone/contract but get this I am still the name on the contract but all data protection info is Mel's so they would not speak to her but I could not answer the questions. After 20 minutes on the phone we got them to accept it was Mel's phone and she promptly cancelled it.
Problem over I hoped... Mel seemed happy and was looking at new phones on the Internet this is where I slipped up as she said I hope I can get it sorted soon.
"" you will never get it before Christmas now"" said I
Now anyone who has seen a baby after a candy has been taken off them mid chew will know the look I was now faced with. I could see my painting time fading into the night as I knew I would have to step up as Dad and get this sorted.
"" Unless you go and pick one up from a store""
"" I can run you up to the retail estate and wait while you sort it and then run you home""
The look of relief was great to see,not sure if this was all for the phone or partly for the offer of a life home as it is evil out side tonight. I had not been totally selfless in this offer as you will remember yesterdays comment about looking for craft paint at Hobby Craft (which is on the estate). So while I waited for Mel to get her phone I picked up a huge tub of brown paint for £2.
I did get an hour on the brushes after all the fun was over and have almost completed the Zulu War command stand and progressed the two Warrior monks.
So Fellow painter always remember to think before you speak as it can impact on your painting time.

Wild Bunch Day 3

So I am starting to really get into my stride, today I have been working more on the Sikh Infantry and the Zulu War Command stand. But I have been itching to get painting some of my Sudan stuff so have pulled out my Camel Corps these are by far my favourite casts from the Perry Sudan range (so far). I have not actually put a brush on them yet but they have made it from the box's to the desk.

As you can see to the left of my desk I have two warrior monks on the go again great Perry Miniature casts. I have been thinking about what to do for my base's I have loads of Sudan and NWF which I want to base the same so I can swap in units when needed. That will be a huge area of base to paint and if I use my usual colour I will soon run out of my brown Vallejo paint. I have come up with the plan of nipping to my local hobby craft and picking up some cheapish craft paint of the right tone of brown. This will last me so much longer and save me money in the long run. I have plenty of tuff's of various brown's and gold's which will finish off the base's just fine. The Zulu war stuff will use the same paint but as I have not used the brown primer on them I and sure the end colour will be a bit darker.
I have been keeping track of all the wild bunch's progress and have found the FB group a great tool while painting I can chat to fellow painters which is so much fun and gives a real group feel to this years challenge. I have been highly impressed with the efforts put in by all so far this year and Curt keeping track of all the fun side challenges has been a fantastic addition to this years challenge.

This is a view of my side storage to the left of my painting desk (which I worked out I have now owned for 24 years being as my Mum and Dad got it for me to do my A level studies on, my painting desk not the computer desk shown) as you can see I have my laptop which also provides my music, usually BBC radio 2 or a CD. All the figures you can see are my non-colonial figures for this year mostly Dark-age and Samurai with the last few French and Indian War figures.
Anyway I hope all my fellow challengers are getting into their stride and having as much fun as I am.
Peace James

Wild Bunch Day 2

Just a quick post today before work, I had a good day on the brushes and pushed the Sikh and Civies up to dip and base point. I have also started on the next unit of NWF infantry which is the Guide Infantry. I have picked out a few more of my Samurai figures as I enjoyed the last one so much.

Wild Bunch Day 1

So the day has finally arrived all of us wild bunchers are free to paint like mad things for the next three months. I was awake early today as I am having real issues sleeping on my nights off at the moment and at ten to five I gave up and took my boys out for a walk, as I returned the boys to their leads after a great run around the field my oldest Mackie took a bite at Toddy 99.9% of the time they get along fine and most of the times they don't its all bark and posture but today Mackie got his teeth into Todd's ear and drew blood. Back home I checked the damage and by then the blood flow had stopped so I cleaned him up and sorted out breakfast. The canine related issues did not stop there as I was making my cup of tea I had not latched the gate keeping the boys out of the kitchen and when my old cat came in the boys burst into the room and attacked the cat (this has happened before and I am not worried about them hurting her but her causing damage to them) all I can do when this occurs is block the dogs enough to let her make her escape, which I did today with only me suffering scratch's. All these things occured before 6 so as you may guess I decided I needed to chill out a bit and let my nerves settle before trying to paint.
When I hit the painting room I logged into Facebook and was please to see several fellow Bunchers already online and chatting away. How cool is the world we live in when painters from all over the world can chat away and enjoy their painting together.
First job was to pick out my first batch of figures to paint, anyone who followed me last year will know I like to do several bunch's of figures at the same time. I started off with some Sikh troops from the NWF and civies from the French and Indian war, I picked out one of my Ronin and added a command stand from the Zulu war and finally one of my NWF Screw gun and crew.

The pictures show you  where I am leaving them today, I have a full day of painting tomorrow before work at 22:00. I am enjoying painting all these figures but find the Ronin flesh the most pleasing work today.

Peace James