Perry Miniatures Afrika Korps 3.

The last ten  figures painted up in various sandy shades to depict troops late on in the western desert, 1943.

A new Afrika Corps painting guide is now available.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Merry Christmas And May Gawd Bless Us, Every One.

Wishing helath, wealth and happiness to all who visit the blog.

Perry Miniatures Afrika Korps 2.

I've got a box of these to paint up for fine gentleman miniatures sculptor in fair Nottingham. I painted up ten, as requested, as early DAK in sun helmets. They can be seen elsewhere on the blog. The remainder are to be painted in a variety of shades of faded kit. So I thought I'd do ten to depict troops in 1942, still mainly with the tropical green jacket but fading, and the last ten in all sorts of sandy shades. Also pictured here are the six figures that will make up the platoon command section.

Eureka Miniatures Jazz Band

A return to the brushes after an enforced absence has yielded the completion of the Eureka Miniatures Jazz Band for "the Beast". Here they represent the resident jazz and blues band at the Wake Island Hotel, ready to entertain in a scenario he has been planning for quite some time.

Here they are with one of my all time favourites "Send me to the Electric Chair" from 1927.

Perry Miniatures Afrika Korps 1.

It has taken almost a month to paint up this group of figures as time at the painting table has been very, very scarce due to the fact that my Mum is not well and it has been time to step up and support both my parents.This section of ten figures has been deliberately painted up as early DAK at the client's request.

The next section (Heaven knows when they will get done) will be later DAK in caps and tin helmets. 

Posts will be very irregular for the foreseeable future but I painted the first figure of the new Eureka Miniatures Jazz Band last night......

Coming eventually to a blog near you:

Artizan Designs WW2 British Commandos 2

It is a good job that I take photos of the miniatures I paint. I didn't notice the white bloom of the varnish in the recesses with the naked eye (or even with my reading specs on). Will have to give these another splash tonight to soften the previous coat  work it out with a brush I keep specifically for this purpose. I really enjoyed painting this group of twelve.

Bring on the Perry DAK!

Artizan Designs WW2 British Commandos 1

Ultimately, Lord Lovat and chums, will be destined for a trans-atlantic journey. Here are the first six of a dozen such figures. I found them a delight to paint. These are some of my favourite Mike Owen sculpts to date.

Perry Miniatures DAK

The nice man who sculpted these DAK figures has asked me to paint up a box for him. I am not the only chap painting up a Zug for his personal use and it seems that brushes are being wielded across Europe!

The nice man was kind enough to send me the command sprue (Officer and Radio Operator)  a couple of weeks ago to allow me to play around with a few recipes for painting the earlier olive green uniform and the later tan/sand coloured kit.

So, these two were very much test pieces to play around with before the real thing arrived in the post today. I thought you might like a shuftie. Officer in later clothing, Radio Operator in a fading olive green tunic. I'm not altogether happy with this green. Other recipes will be explored soon.

Once again the camera reveals all faults. I've sent these two figures off to the nice man so I can't rectify a tiny fault with the Officer figure. Something is missing. Can anyone spot it. No prizes... just the smug satisfaction of being eagle eyed.

Perry Miniatures WW2 Western Desert British and Italian Infantry Support Weapons.

I seem to be mad.

I don't subscribe to (or even purchase) the various magazines devoted to wargaming. I don't wargame.  I paint miniatures.... other people play with the miniatures I paint for them. Rick Priestly seems to have manufactured a "crisis" in his latest piece to be found in the recent issue of "Wargames: Soldiers and Strategy". Keith's Wargaming Blog takes up this theme and provides a link to Rick's article. In the comments to Keith's piece on the subject, a number of people express their opinions. One such is Steve the Wargamer, who comments on an article I recently had published in "Miniature Wargames". He decribes me as a "loonatic" (sic) because I used three tones of paint on a Wolseley helmet (well actually it is four if you include the ink wash I applied before the two lighter tones) and I paint in the pupils on eyes. Forgive me, gentle readers (both of you) if I use my blog pages to respond.

Am I mad? Most probably, but Steve the Wargamer, I don't game! I only paint. Every now and again some nice people ask me to paint their miniatures for them so that they can play with them. These chaps pay me to do this and because sordid coin is involved I take a bit of time over them.... just as I did on the miniatures that were the subject of the article. Those Copplestone Tommies now reside with the bloke who asked me to paint them. I have the time to give the painting process because I have the luxury of that time. Others don't. I do not divide my time between painting AND gaming as many do. I fully appreciate that those that split their time between these two processes may not want to spend as much time painting up their miniature armies that can, so I understand, number in the hundreds of figures. It is horses for courses. I agree with you, Steve the Wargamer, given this much lead or plastic and a desire to get these figures on the gaming table as soon as possible painting four tones of paint on a Wolseley helmet is "loonatic". I wouldn't do it either if speed was my motivation. I'd be reaching for the "dip" in a flash.

To conclude, to Steve the Wargamer I send this message. Thank you for your input but I'll do with my (or someone else's) miniatures what I want to do. You do with yours what you want to do. It is a hobby. There are people starving in the world and places where people are killing each other. What we each do with toy soldiers really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Each to his own. I am happy in my madness. Steve the Wargamer, I wish you joy in yours.

Mind you..... Henry Hyde has yet to pay me for that article.

Great War Miniatures 1914 French Cuirassiers 2.

The two figures from the Command pack. 

Perry Miniatures WW2 Western Desert Italians.

 ITWW5: Italian Platoon Command

 ITWW6: Italian Breda LMG Gunners.

 ITWW7: Italian Riflemen Advancing.

All these chaps can now be seen in the shop window at Perry Minatures. Michael Perry asked me to paint them up for him and I will admit to being rather flattered to be asked. He also has a couple of  images of the two groups I forgot to photograph.

Great War Miniatures 1914 French Cuirassiers.

Back in late June, quietly and without fuss, three packs of 1914 French Cuirassier figures appeared on the GWM pages of the North Star website. I ordered one of each and they arrived last weekend.. There are no images of the figures on the North Star site so here is a picture of the first to be painted up. The troopers are are very similar having swords drawn and held as seen in this example, the only variation being the direction in which the head is looking. The Officer figure in the command set has his sword held down at his side and the trumpeter is pointing to his right (very similar to a Perry Miniatures Napoleonic Cuirassier Trumpeter). In all there are six horse variations (the usual six found in GWM packs) and once cleaned up from mouldworms I find them a very characterful little group. The colour scheme for this example is taken directly from Andre Jouineau's "Officers and Soldiers of the French Army 1914". Here it is from Amazon.