“A very British roll of the die” (week 25)

Time for another instalment of “Very British war” goodness, which began as always with the rolling of the old D20 on “Merlins” list, this week giving me a seventeen, which in turn equated to…

Box 17– (28mm civilian artillery piece)

The artillery piece in question is in fact a British seventeen pounder (hence box seventeen, clever huh? No, Okay suit yourself!). This very nice little model by Irregular miniatures (sorry forgot to mention where the figures were from last week, thanks Simon) came with four “crew” figures (see above right). Now first job was to decide how I was going to base this up, I could have marked out a square base in cardboard, but a root around the garage turned up a pretty big washer (50mm across) and with a bit of jiggling about I was able to fit the gun and three of the chaps serving her onto this, so I decided to base up the “spotter” figure separately and go for this. So after gluing a small square of card over the hole in the middle of the washer I marked up in pencil where the gun and various figures would eventually be placed and then “Tetrioned” a “T” shape onto the washer and glued the gun in place, where the figures would be glued I left bare, as for ease of painting I decided I’d do these separately and then glue them in place and “Tetrion” around them later. I should also mention that I had assembled the gun and sprayed the underside of it black before all of this, again for ease of painting. Then as the “Spotter” figure had a military officer’s cap on that I didn’t feel went with the other “civilian” chaps I decided to sand his hat away and made a “floppy” hat out of greenstuff, after this he was glued onto a two pence piece and filled around his feet to blend his base into the edge of the coin. The other three figures were mounted onto temporary wooden bases using PVA, so they could be removed easily after they were painted.

Next it was out to the garage for a coat of matt black, then the gun had the metal rims on its wheels dry-brushed in chainmail and a small plate at the rear of the gun barrel was also painted chainmail. Everything else on the gun was then painted in rifleman green before it was highlighted in the same mixed with a little stone green to lighten it. Two of the figures then had their trousers painted in a mix of black and dark grey that were then highlighted in dark grey, this in turn formed the base for the third figure trousers that were then highlighted in light grey. The final “loader” figure had his suit painted in a mix of black and royal blue before this was highlighted in a mix of royal blue, black and blue-grey. Shirts were added next one was undercoated in light blue and then highlighted in pale blue and the other two were undercoated in coffee then highlighted in cream. There is something along the top of the gun barrel (sorry I don’t know what you call this) that on all the photo’s I can find appears to be ether coiled rope of some sort of material sponge (this could well be what it is) anyway I painted it to match the photo’s so an undercoat of butternut mixed with coffee was laid down and then it was dry-brushed with coffee. The end of the barrel was then painted in black, and the wheel hubs and a couple of details were added to the guns workings in copper and it was about good to go.

Turning back to the figures now, I added the pole and bowler hat that the one chap has along with the cap on another and the hat, gloves and jumper on the third in chocolate brown, then the jumper and pole were highlighted in butternut. Flesh was done in continental flesh and after eyes were added the flesh was highlighted in the same with pale flesh added. The long jacket on the spotter figure had been causing me a bit of a headache, as I had painted his trousers grey while not thinking so this ruled out a grey jacket, so instead I undercoated it in butternut and highlighted it in a mix of butternut and coffee. Then the brown hats were highlighted in a mix of chocolate brown and butternut before the hair was added, this was either dark grey/ light grey, sand/ lemon yellow, chocolate brown/ chestnut or in the case of the spotter chestnut/ orange on his tiny beard. I added a red neckerchief to him in pink burgundy and red as well, and put some highlights of leather on his gloves and he was done. The loader figure then had the shell he was holding painted chain-mail at the tip and the casing was then added in copper with bronze highlights, finally on him the checks on his cap were added in butternut and he too was done.

Next they (including the gun) were give a coat of strong tone “Quickshade”, and next day the base on the spotter and the “T” under the gun were painted chocolate brown, I also cracked the other three figures off of their temporary wooded bases and painted the small cast bases around their feet in chocolate as well, next all the chocolate areas were dry-brushed in khaki and then in coffee before the “loose” figures were glued into their positions on the guns base. This did not go quite as smoothly as it might sound as the spaces I left for the figures were not quite big enough (dozy beggar that I am) so after trimming down the figures bases and carving away some of the Tetrion around the gun (and generally buggering about!!) I eventually got them all settled onto the guns base and filled around them with a little more “Tetrion” using a cocktail stick to work it into position. Once this was all dry it was a case of painting up these fresh areas of filler to match the rest, and then patches of scenic green were added to this and the spotters base before they were covered in autumn mix hairy grass scatter (I am now running dangerously low on this and will have to buy some more soon). A quick “blow over” with some matt varnish and they were finished.

My new year’s resolution has now gone for a burton as I’ve ordered some more “clix” figures from “Blue Rat games”, though in my defense one of these is essential for my next “He-month” conversions. Myles has also bought me my belated birthday present but that will be revealed in April (don’t get too excited though it’s not a new project, just more of an old one). He has also now got into “X-wing” buying the new “force awakens” starter set and another eighty-odd pounds worth of additional ships, oh for the heady days of disposable income eh!! The “Warstore” (our local wargames store) has very nice 3’x3’ playing mats for this but at thirty five pounds we’ve decided that I’ll make something suitable myself. Anyway enough rambling I’ll have to roll the die again and see what comes up for this week, but for now I think it’s time for tea, so till next week, your good health, Roger.