Thursday 19 April 2018

Off the Workbench - Mike W, 18/04/18

What's Off the Workbench today,Wednesday  18/4/2018?

So without much real thought, I have decided that these posts will now be approximately every fortnight, this accounts for the longer summer evenings and the need to get other jobs I have been putting off all winter done before we get too far int the summer months...

Since last post I received a delivery of 28mm First Corps Mexican soldatos, artillery (Mexican & Texian) and associated crews, these have all been duly painted and made ready for gaming - with the deadline for the first Texas Revolution game set at early June - time is running out to get enough of these little guys ready.
Matamaros Battalion Companies plus officers & NCOs

Matamaros Bn unifrorm
with red plastron

Firstly I completed 2 units of 8 Soldatos, painted up as the Matamaros Perminate Battalion, these guys had sky blue trousers, blue jackets with red collars and cuffs and a red plastron on the front of their jackets, all trimmed with white. These First Corps figures have a mixture of shakos and field caps on the figures. I'm not convinced the field caps are 100% accurate as they more closely resemble Spanish Isabellista caps than the French bonnets they were meant to be modelled on.
Boot Hill Texian Gunners with 6lb Gun

Overall the units have turned out well and I'm pleased with them. Their detail is no where near as crisp and easy to paint as the Boot Hill figures but they are considerably cheaper!

The delivery also included 2 x 6lb guns for the Texians, plus an 'American' crew - the other will be crewed by Boot Hill artillerymen - they don't yet supply artillery pieces in their range,
First Corps Mexican Gunners with 6lb Gun

The guns put themselves together pretty easily, fiddly as ever but again the norm of any scale really. The Mexican and 'American' crews painted  up nicely. I like the 'American' crew in their entirety more than the Mexicans - better poses and easier to paint. However the best figure of the bunch is the Mexican artillery officer who has a foot up on a stone and resting his telescope.

Boot Hill Mexican Gunners with 6lb Gun

First Corps 'American'  Gunners with 6lb Gun
Best bonus was that I was spurred on to finally complete the 6 First Corps Mexican Soldatos that I gave up on a couple months back. These now represent an under strength Grenadier company for their Matamaros Perminate Battalion stable mates.

Final completed item was a 28mm MDF Wagon, this was so simple to put together and build - I can't praise it enough, I have a second in the packet waiting to go - I just need to get some cart horses to pull them!

What's On the Workbench today?

At present there are 6 x Front Rank 28mm Austrian Cuirassiers, that I got from Colonel Bills a few weeks go, there's a couple more days painting work on these before I 'Dip' them and get them completed.

Then I'll be looking to get back to the Texian Revolution again to meet my self imposed June deadline...

... I've still got to finalise the Melee rules and design a scenario!