Darkest Africa No.6

Well, I finally finished the Copplestone Darkest Africa/Dinosaur Hunter figures.  It was the first time that I'd really tried painting large figures using the, what appears to be, now standard three stage process, i.e. laying down the dark shade colour, then painting in the main colour (leaving the deep folds and shaded areas) and finally picking out the highlights.

For my first attempt at this technique I think they've come out not bad, although perhaps I should have created a greater contrast between shades.  I had a bit of trouble with the eyes so just approximated these..

I need someone (or somethings) for them to fight now and will be working on that over the next few weeks, assuming I don't get distracted onto anything else.

Waterloo

I've got a wee bit behind with my Darkest Africa posts what with a) being unable to source any matt varnish directly (until yesterday - God bless Harburn Hobbies) and b) because I was sent off to London on business this morning.  It was meant to be Shetland today but someone changed my itinerary.

Luckily, as I write this, I'm sitting on the train back from Kings Cross (First class - at only £6 more than 2nd class, you'd be mad not to) scoffing sausage and mash washed down with G&T.  I'm a first class kinda guy ...

Anyway, having been sent down here on some fool's errand relating to Isembard Kingdom Brunel and potential interactions with rare mammals (don't ask), I was reminded of some joke or other, as I got on the tube at a well known railway station just south of the Thames, which goes something like this:

Insignificant man at party trying to impress haughty female:
"You know, one of my ancestors fell at Waterloo."

Suitably languid reply:
"Oh really?  Which platform."

(c.1907)

Darkest Africa No.5

Yet another post demonstrating progress with the allegedly intrepid ones.  I've done most of the shading now and have added in main colours and highlights on quite a few of them.

I couldn't quite manage the detail of the Harris tweed on the stout fellow with the deer-stalker but did give him a gold watch chain.

I'm sure these posts are literally like watching paint dry .... (geddit?) ... so I'll make the next one the last on this particular topic.  However, making myself report progress does motivate me somewhat....

Darkest Africa No.4

Well, making some more progress on my Copplestone figures.  I've blocked in various shade colours and so should be getting on to the main colours and highlights later.

I've gone for various khaki, ochre and green shades with some sensible blue-grey flannels for the gentlemen.

Lofty's in his voluminous KDs (Khaki Drill) of course.

Darkest Africa No.3

I'm not much of a painter in terms of speed, motivation, skill or output but I've decided that I should really try to get those jobs finished I said I'd get done this year.  So, I've been cracking on with the Copplestone Darkest Africa figures and managed to make some progress and get some of the flesh tones done last night.

I'm trying to follow the Foundry three-stage method (sort of) by mixing up/down shades as I need them but it seems to be going OK.

I'm using Revell acrylics as there is a plentiful supply in my local model store (Wonderland, on Lothian Road, Edinburgh).

Desert Forces

Just a few shots of some other desert terrain and my axis forces in 1/300 scale that go with the desert fort I posted about earlier.  I got them out to see what forces I still needed and to add some more buildings.

Some Italian armour loitering in an Arab village.  Buildings are made of balsa offcuts coated in woodflex and painted.  The ruin's walls are made of the offcuts from the polystyrene disc that comes with pizzas you get from Sainsbury's.  It's a sort of poor-man's foam-board (you have to wash it before using).

A Semovente hiding in an oasis.  Classic pool of varnish pretending to be water there.

Something they're still fighting over in Libya.... and I'm not talking about the slices of toilet roll inner.

DAK forces descending through a gully.  All models are 1/300 Heroics and Ros.

Matilda on the March

This Commando book (No. 933) from 1975 has haunted my dreams for years - until I found it on ebay not so long ago.  It was reprinted in 1989 (as No. 2259), apparently with the same cover.  I know, slightly too much information but, well, it is a classic.

It is also still an inspiration for all the various bits of desert terrain and (admittedly) Afrika Korps resources I've built up.  And I also like the cover with the interesting low level light source silhouetting the Germans and highlighting the Matilda (and the grenade).  In the book the dialogue goes "Was ist das?"  as the grenade sails into the Kubelwagen followed by "Gott in Himmel!" and "Argh!" as it goes off.

Darkest Africa No.2

Nothing new to report, just experimenting with the extreme zoom function of my camera, mounted on a wobbly tripod.

Needs better lighting though (and a more steady hand when painting details).  You can see where I've had to go back to re-apply base coat on him where I've cocked it up.  That misplaced streak in his beard makes him look like Billy Connolly on safari, I think.

By the way, I've been reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World which is useful brain-fodder for this era.

The Rules With No Name

Not really a post about Wild West gaming but rather a plug for TRWNN.  One of the reasons I bought a copy recently, after having had the free version knocking about for some time, was the painting guide it contains.

I'm not that used to painting figures larger than 15mm so I felt I needed a straightforward guide to shading and what-not, and TTRWN completes the double whammy by not only being a darn good set of rules but also by including a very clear guide on painting the Wargames Foundry way!  I'm trying to use these techniques on my Darkest Africa figures (without shelling out for the WG paint system of course).  Need to practice though....

Darkest Africa No.1

Trying to get going again and pick up where I left off with the various projects that were put on hold as a result of our southern-hemisphereic sojourn. As we did spend some time in South Africa on our way back (not really Darkest Africa though) I thought I'd ease myself back in with some straightforward painting. Here's where I'd got to so far with these excellent Copplestone Figures.

 As you can see I haven't got very far with them at all.

Overall, the idea was to use them for some sort of dinosaur hunts as my 8 year old son is or was keen on such things.  Mind you, going by past performance by the time I've finished painting them he may be away at university.

I particularly like the Groucho Marx figure (centre - Capt Spalding) and the 'Ain't Half Hot Mum' (left - 'Lofty')  characters.