179 Brigade Command Base.

Brigade Command base, 179 Brigade, 60 Division, 1917. Brigadier General FitzJames M, Edwards CMG DSO, his Brigade Staff and the Brigade signal section. Figures from Great War Miniatures, Copplestone Castings and a newly released figure from Footsore Miniatures with a slight modification to the headgear.

Great War Miniatures British Infantry in Cold Weather Clothing 2.

June is a black hole where painting is concerned. Work committments mean that I normally don't pick up a brush until July but I managed to find time this weekend to complete the remaining three Tommies in Cold Weather Clothing. Here they are with a couple of photos of the complete pack of six figures.

These three chaps are painted up as 5th (Service) Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment. The Divisional badge of 12th Division, the Ace of Spades, can be seen painted on the rear of the helmets. The Division wore other patches on the back of the tunic, just below the collar, obscured here by the small packs. You might just make out "5RB" painted in red on the two helmet covers. This is purely conjectural.

And here we have all six miniatures. Click on the photo for a larger image. 

Great War Miniatures British Infantry in Cold Weather Clothing.

The first three figures from the GWM B010 British Infantry in Cold Weather Clothing pack. All painted up as 6th (Service) Bn. Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. The figure on the right of the picture appears here.

 I like the idea that Tommy is wearing a balaclava, probably knitted by his old Mum back home in Blighty. A touch of the white varnish residue... again.... Time to buy a new bottle, I think.

 It would have been very simple just to paint the "Stinker" in one colour but the photographic evidence shows that these full sleeved versions were pieced together from a number of skins. I found a photograph that showed an example with two very darker sleeves. I like the end result.

Three more to come. This weekend is will be the last available time for some painting for the next month.

The 100,000th Volunteer

I started painting this chap when I realised that the milestone of 100,000 pageviews was lurking on the horizon. I intended to post him to mark this event. Unfortunately, the hits moved faster than my painting and the number clocked up before this miniature was finished.

In August 1914, Lord Kitchener called for 100,000 volunteers to swell the ranks of the British army at the start of the Great War. He got more than initially asked for.

This figure from Great War Miniatures is great because it is one of the very few that show Tommy as he would have looked when Kitchener's "New Armies" first took the field in late 1915 and 1916.... P1914 leather equipment and the PH gas hood.

He is painted up as a private of the 6th (Service) Bn, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. His helmet bears the badge of 20th (Light) Division and the black Brigade patches of 60th Bde. can be seen on the arms of the greatcoat. The other five figures in this lovely pack from GWM are prepped and ready to go, but I am about to enter the painting void that is June where real life work takes over and the brushes get a rest for a while, so I have no idea when the blog will see the other five complete. Enjoy this one for the time being.

2 inch "Toffee Apple" Mortar. Great War Miniatures.

Had this sitting about the workbench for ages. Did little bits here and there as varnish dried on other projects or where there was a little bit of paint to be used up. Finally decided to complete it today. As it says on the toffee apple projectile .... "Hello Fritz!"

Another Old Friend

Painted up as a Private from the Cambridgeshire Territorials, late 1917-18.

Rifleman 1/12th London Regiment (The Rangers), 1918.

Have taken the decision that in 2010, leaving aside the WW1 commissions I have already agreed to take up, any painting that I do for my my own collection will cover some different time periods. So... I thought I'd paint up the last few GWMs that I have sitting on the little shelf above my painting table. Here's the first of the last few WW1 figures destined for my display cabinet. 1/12th London Regiment was my wife's Great Uncle's Regiment.

Speckled Jim

I've been waiting to paint this chap for some considerable time!

At last! Leading Rate Shorthouse, Signaller, Hawke Bn. Royal Naval Division.

Marching Tommies and Minenwerfer.

Finally completed the rest of the Great War Miniatures late war Tommies in full marching order. Painted up as 1/12 County of London Regiment (T.F.) (The Rangers). A joy to paint and I'm pleased with the results. Photographic skill still needs to develop. Learned how to set the white balance. Taking pictures on apperture priority for maximum depth of field. Have added another daylight bulb to the rig and this seems to have washed out the flesh again! Ho hum.

Also completed the German 25cm Minenwerfer and crew...just in time for the 5p listing day on ebay!

Received the latest Woodbine Designs ANZACs on Friday. Excellent. Work will begin on them once I have cleared some Brigade Games Tommies in tropical kit that have been hanging around and getting pushed back as new and exciting things arrive on the market.

Tommies in Tin Helmets.