Phil, Those hussars sound something special. Your PH armies are just Superb. The photos of your game at Falkirk were outstanding. Your 18th century collection is so perfect with regiments of infantry of 54 figures. They seem less cumbersome than the 60+ regiments with the silly movement trays! Regards John

Timmo, If I sent one of my painted figures to a professional painter they would not stop laughing for a week. Unlike Phil O, Lt, Tim, Giles, Anglebarracks,Yourself and other members who paint superb figues I am C..p!! Just give me a pack of milliput,brass wire and a soldering iron. When you have your next coffee break you should 'pop in'! Regards John

This week it's the second musketeer battalion of the Hesse-Darmstadt Leib Brigade in 1809 (Wagram-era) kit, using AB's 1806 Prussian figures as 'stand-ins' . . . 48 figures down, and 120 or so to go . . . (Must say it feels slightly 'wierd' painting 15-18mm figures again after two years of nothing but 28mm scale figures. :eh: )

Greystreak, I was taken back by your post on TMP about painting AWI figures. If I could help in anyway, please email me offline. I maybe c..p at painting but you might find me very very helpful!!!! Regards John

Like Dr Valleyboy, I regard painting as second only to breathing in terms of things I need to do each day. Now it's lighter earlier and I get up at 6.30ish to start painting, I'm trying to increase my weekly output to 2 batches of 7-8 figures rather than 2 batches of 6. At the moment I'm working on Carlist War stuff with a view to a game at the end of June, so this week's first batch has 2 British riflemen, 2 loyalist line infantry and the first 3 figures in a battalion of marines. The week's routine is usually to start first thing Monday, have first two layers and faces finished by Wednesday evening, blackline on Thursday morning and final highlights/tidy up on Thursday evening/Friday. The weekend's batch is always a tighter race, with efforts on Saturday and Sunday mornings usually determined by the previous nights' wine intake :) .

Giles, You guys with front line jobs I applaud, your dedication to real world and hobby, 6.30am painting time followed by 24/7 in the city! Mind you when I was a real worker I had many a 4.am start, flying/training/driving North, South, East and West. At least I had the benefit of retiring at 51. John

Grief, my generation won't be retiring until we're 70, given the way the economy's going...Tonight's been a bit of a disaster, painting-wise, I admit, but should be off home soon...:(

I've jsut finished off the rest of the Somalia Yanks that arrived the other day and now back to the WW2 ships.

Giles, If your home before 12 you are slacking! what about the late late meetings! I called them the pre dawn RAIDS! Overnight at the RAC Club or the Horseguards and into meetings in the city for daylight. John

Sorry Greystreak, it was Gunfreak!!! I wish you guys would at least use your Christian Names!!!!!! All this cloak and daggers stuff is a little childish! John

I've been getting a bit of painting in, squeezing in an hour or two every couple of days. Some WW1 French and some ancient Goth cavalry for a game of Impetus. The latter are old Whitecross games miniatures I've had languishing in a container for the past few years. These have taken a fair amount of prep time with a file, pin vice drill, wire and epoxy, but I'm happy with how they are turning out. Weekends I've mostly been spending time gardening, at the gym, getting house chores done and socializing, but I'll be away running a seminar for a week in June where I won't be able to do any hobby stuff at all, so this weekend I want to devote a full afternoon and evening to finishing my terrain piece and painting minis. That and I've finally found a decent matte spray finish in place of the Testor's Dullcoat I used to use back in Canada! :clap: :clap: Giles, You guys with front line jobs I applaud Now where I grew up that would have implied that Giles is a dope pusher... :shock: That or he crawls around on his stomach in the middle of the night and places barbed wire entanglements at strategic locations throughout The City. :hmm:

Wanted to start last night, only to find out that the can I needded had dried out, gotta get a fresher one this morning. Then I'll get a start on painting Coffeyville.

Finishing some Artillery, starting the 8th George