Bounty Hunters?... We don't need this scum!

Two posts in two days...must be on a roll.

So going along with the general Star Wars hype back in December (deserved the previous two years, a bit of a let down last year), and wanting a project tat I could try varying military modelling techniques, I splashed out on the Revell model of Slave 1. Who wouldn't want Boba Fett's Ship?

En-route to collect the bounty on Han Solo

I'm relatively pleased with the model. Easy to put together, detail is crisp, the model easy to put together and paint. Was going for an image of the engines being lit, but a previous blackwash bled into this. Something to watch out for. Also frosting on the canopy means from now on using Tamiya Thin Cement from preventing this from happening next time. A solid little model, I've now got eyes on their model of the snowspeeder. Watch this space.

Elrond Halfelven, Ereinion Gilgalad, Elendil the Fair "Elf-Friend" and Isildur

Wargames painting continues anew, with the leaders of The Last Alliance making it to the Table. Sculpted by Brian Nelson, they were an absolute joy to make, the detail absolutely stunning. Finished off with gloss varnish, picking out the shine of the armour, these are still some of the best minis I've painted in a while.

Detail on Gilgalad's cloak.

Finally, to fill in a hole in my 28mm WW2 German collection, I've painted up a downed Luftwaffe fighter pilot. More for Scenario play than general wargaming, the ability to basically play capture the flag with pilots is quite common. Now need to find a reciprocal RAF fighter ace. Lovely model to paint, again the leather jacket and goggles have been picked out in gloss, to show their shine.

Finally WIPs. Currently finishing off a 28mm German Heer 81mm mortar and needing to take the final steps with my Tamiya 1/35 Panther Ausf.A with Panzer-Grenadier crew. Just need to make up some scrim to cover a slight fault. Still trying to decide how to display- diorama base, plain display base, or no base. Any thoughts?

Drums In the Deep

Recently painting and gaming time has been at a premium. Real life, job, driving tests and continuing research towards a new publication in the future have meant that hobby time has been severely limited. Who would blame anyone when their work involves umpiring wargames 6x a day, four days a week, the gaming mojo is going to come under fire.

However coupled with a recent spate of rereading Tolkien, plus a growing wargames calendar (three events and counting, with the possibility of more) growing, the paint brushes have been brushed off and the paint restocked.

Fantasy isn't my typical domain, the macho-impending doom, skulls, muscles and big guns of Warhammer never really floated my boat. However, reading The Lord of the Rings at Age 10, the advent of the film and the discovery of the then to be released GW game, with beautiful miniatures designed by my favourite Sculptors, The Perries I was hooked. Looking back now, this was the school of my painting (a lot to be desired back then), and certainly then with many of the models outside my price range, it is quite nice to return to these exquisite miniatures, albeit trying to avoid extortionate eBay prices.

Initially hesitant with the blending on the troll, I think I've done a rather good job. It might well be due to a now good source of natural light (ironic for a troll, certainly at a premium in Scotland) it may well also have something to do with a larger miniature.

This is a temporary lapse, I haven't converted completely to the Black T-shirt club, a recommencing of all things historical will be along soon, along with a semi regular book review section (Helion Century of the Soldier may be prominent) and maybe the odd battlefield walk. We'll see