Copyright © 2011-2026, Paul Scrivens-Smith

Copyright © 2011-2026, Paul Scrivens-Smith

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Sunday, 13 January 2019

Hundred Years War: French (4)


This week I have been continuing apace with the Hundred Years War project and another 24 foot have joined the French contingent. As previously all are from the Perry Miniatures range of plastics, mainly the Agincourt French Infantry 1415-29 set, but quite a few mash-ups using components from the English Army 1415-1429 set.

You can find the Analogue Hobbies entry for these here.



The first unit to show is a group of six men at arms, I've tried to apply a bit of heraldry on these and some is done with standard brush work but other ones done using a technical pen, the first time I tried this out.





A second group of six men at arms completes the 'heavy' component, again mash-ups using components from both the French and English sets.



Again I had some more attempts at heraldry and quite like what I did with Phillippe, Comte de Nevers, front and center with the cut off lance, although the fleur de lys could likely use another highlight.




The third unit completed over the weekend is a group of well-equipped infantry in the green livery of the Comte de Nevers as shown in the leaflet that comes in the Perry Miniatures box.



Many of these are mash-ups with bodies from the English set, typically the bodies in the French set have mail coifs while those in the English set have a cloth cowl. I think it gives a bit of variety into the mix. I've made some heavier armoured English long-bowmen that I hope to have done for next weeks update.



Here are a few close-ups of some of the figures, maybe a little out of focus.....


This is one of the infantry bodies off of the standard French frame, he is heavily armoured with at least partial plate so was re-purposed as a man at arms, the heraldry is for nobody in particular.



Another man at arms made entirely from components off of the French men at arms sprue. This was my first go at doing livery with a technical pen, certainly a lot easier than using a brush.



This man at arms is again from the French sprue, and is depicted in a long-sleeved half coat. The French men at arms sprue is a lot more 'dressed' than the English sprue.



The last man at arms here is Phillippe, Comte de Nevers I wanted to show my attempt at his heraldry, this was done using a brush, although a yellow technical pen would have been useful. It could probably use another highlight with the yellow.



View of one of the sergeants with axes.



A very heavily armoured sergeant with axe.



Another sergeant with axe, are you bored yet?



The last man at arms is made using a body and head from the English sprue and arms from the French sprue. He has the cross of St. Denis field sign.


This week the Perry's have released some mounted Agincourt men at arms and I have a box on order, plus spare horses to make up another six. I'm looking forwards to getting my hands on those.

Sunday, 6 January 2019

Fall Blau Painting Update - Sd.kfz. 231 (8-rad)


It's bonus round time over at the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge and the theme is Reconnaissance. I must admit that I wasrather at a loose end for what to do for this bonus round, I'm trying to concentrate my focus on the Hundred Years War collection and did not have anything suitable for that, likewise for the American Civil War collection, I could have done a cavalry patrol but did not have any spare figures that would do for what I wanted.

However, buried in the pile of shame was this Sd. Kfz, 231 (8-rad) that I had taken in trade a few years ago. It was much unloved and missing a few bits, for example, I fashioned the 20mm cannon from a spare Perry Miniatures medieval spear and the hatches are clipped from cereal box cardboard.



There was also a tatty base-coat of Panzer Grey so this was cleaned up and re-applied then the whole lot was given a wash with 'Secret Weapon Soft Body Black'. Once that was dried I painted in the panels using Vallejo German Grey, then added a couple of highlights by adding successively more Neutral Grey. The wheels and tools were picked out and then a couple of Balkenkreuz decals added.

The crewman had a 'rush-job' and was stuck in the turret.



This thing is a beast, it's cast in white metal and while doing the decals I put it on the scales - it came in at over 350 grams! There was no way this was not going to get a magnetised base, otherwise put in a box with any other figures the slightest slip would result in carnage. So I grabbed a Warbases 120mm x 60mm and textured it and painted it Field Drab then drybrushed with Iraqi Sand then Pale Sand.

The armoured car was then glued onto the base with copious amounts of superglue and I went to town to muck it all up with a Tamiya weathering kit.



I wondered what to do with the base then remembered that I has some Noch wild-grass foliage, so as my little joke decided that an armoured car the size of a bus should be trying to hide in the long grass.

Schwerer PanzerspƤhwagen translates as "heavy armoured reconnaissance vehicle" I don't see it as much of a stealth approach!



It's a pretty horrible model, but an hour or so work has taken about a pound of metal out of the lead mountain.

Does anybody recognise the mode? Who did a 28mm white metal casting of a Sd.kfz. 231 (8-rad)?



The Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge entry can be found here.

Saturday, 5 January 2019

Hundred Years War: French (3)


Over the New Year break I've been working on some French infantry for the Hundred Years War project that shall hopefully feature heavily in my challenge entries.

All the figures are from a Perry Miniatures Agincourt French Infantry 1415-29 set that my mother in law bought me for Christmas. This was my first box of this set and I have already picked up another from my local game store about half of which are built already! 

Of those I am currently building I have done some mash-ups with the 'English Army' box to make veteran English longbows.


The first unit is a dozen crossbow-men in a blue and white livery that I have tried to vary through the unit. Several are sporting the cross of St. Denis, a typical French field sign during the era, much like the English use of the cross of St. George.




Like the earlier mounted men at arms, the figures are individually based then mounted six to a tray in the custom trays that I ordered from Warbases  meaning I can use them as single figures for Warhammer Ancients, Lion Rampant etc. or as units for Hail Caesar or To The Strongest!


The second unit is a dozen spearmen in a burgundy and black livery scheme, again, I've tried to vary the application of the livery through the unit. These are a mixed bag of fellows, some are very well armed and armoured while some appear to have been given an helmet and a pointy stick and shoved in the direction of the English.





A few close-up shots of some individuals showing some of the great variety that can be created.









The entry on the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge can be found here.

Tuesday, 1 January 2019

Hundred Years War: French(2)



Another batch of Perry Miniatures mounted Men at Arms completed this week. Half of them also fall under the auspices of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, so that is a bonus - although I had planned to get them finished before the challenge started but real life got in the way!


 You'll note on this set that I added pennants to the lances, these are just note paper stuck with PVA glue and then given another coat of PVA to strengthen them. I rather like the effect and may have to retro-fit some to the last batch that I painted.

 Here are some close-ups of the individual figures.


This one is one of the entries in the Analogue Hobbies Paint Challenge, a light bay (buckskin) horse with a white and blue livery with three crosses added as heraldry.



A man at arms in 'white armour' on a dark chestnut. I'm not to happy with the spacing of the bands on the lance, I tried to correct it with black bands but now it looks like a stiffened coral snake. Another one of the AHPC entries.



The last entry in the AHPC, red and green livery on a black stallion. Three fleur-de-lys as heraldry on the red.



A very nice armoured horse on this figure, again white armour with no jupon for heraldry, so a cross on his deep red pennant.



This chap is in old style armour on a black horse, his jupon and pennant are in a nice light blue and gold livery, quite like the effect on this one.



The final figure, on a light bay horse, this time the pennant is replaced with a small flag


Technically painted last year and included in the 2018 Challenge so not on this years totals!

2018 Retrospective- The ongoing war against the lead mountain

As ever I like to start the year with a review of what I got posted last year and make a personal judgement if the war against the lead (and plastic) mountain is being won or if I've suffered another setback.

2018 has been a productive year on the existing 28mm American Civil War and 6mm War of the Spanish Succession projects both having many more troops painted and added to the collection. The former were really spurred on by visits to the Gettysburg and Bull Run battlefields in July. These battlefield visits also inspired me on quite a lot of terrain building for fences, fields, etc. based upon areas of the battlefields.

A small impact was made on the El Cid collection with four Jinetes I had base coated for a long time finally getting highlighted and based. Likewise an order with Brigade Games saw another 15 Poilu added to the WWI French - although 9 unpainted ones  from the order of the 24 have been added to the lead mountain!

The first new project kicked off in 2018 was a foray into the world of Maximillian 1934 which saw some of my existing Jalopies being painted plus a few new ones added, there are a couple of crewmen outstanding in the painting pile, but pretty much a lead mountain neutral event.

Agincourt Day, 25th October saw a big reduction in the plastic mountain with me finally getting on with the Hundred Years War project. Within a month I had painted 72 English long-bowmen and men at arms that had languished in the pile of shame for the past couple of years and the project continues apace with an order for mounted men-at arms from the UK and more infantry as Christmas presents that I am taking a short break from painting to write this post.

December saw me signing up to the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge and it has been a great inspiration to crack on painting some stuff, including many of those individual characters that you pick up. December also saw quite a few figures painted under the 'gift of paint' that helps me get more stuff done.

So, for 2018 I got the following painted for myself:


  • In 28mm 
    • 90 Perry Miniatures Confederate infantry. 
    • 44 Perry Miniatures Union infantry. 
    • 6 Perry Miniatures Confederate artillerists. 
    • 1 Perry Miniatures 10lb Parrot. 
    • 12 Perry Miniatures Union artillerists. 
    • 3 Perry Miniatures 3" Rifles. 
    • 12 Perry Miniatures Confederate artillerists. 
    • 3 Perry Miniatures 12lb Napoleon. 
    • Perry Miniatures Howitzer. 
    • 10 Perry Miniatures Confederate horse. 
    • 8 Perry Miniatures Union horse. 
    • 3 Perry Miniatures Union generals. 
    • 3 Perry Miniatures Confederate generals. 
    • 5 Brigade Games Old West Characters. 
    • 4 Gripping Beast Andalusian Jinetes.
    • 1 Wargames Foundry Union Zouave. 
    • 15 Brigade Games Poilu 
    • 1 Partizan WWI Pilot 
    • 1 Warbases Badger. 
    • 2 1st Corps speedsters 
    • 1 Eureka Miniatures Tribekka 
    • 1 Eureka Miniatures Roadster 
    • 1 Eureka Miniatures Flyer 
    • 1 Eureka Miniatures Motorcycle 
    • Warbases turnip cart. 
    • Warbases water cart. 
    • 2 Warbases draft horses. 
    • 9 Warbases chickens. 
    • 1 Warbases donkey. 
    • Warbases chicken coop. 
    • Warbases privy. 
    • 72 Perry Miniatures 100YW English foot 
    • 12 Perry Miniatures 100YW French cavalry 
    • 4 Warbases geese 
    • Warbases ammunition cart 
    • Warbases peasants cart 
    • Partizan Dulce est decorum... 
    • Partizan Mary Seacole 
    • Crisis Medieval Princess 
    • 3 Warbases pheasants
  • In 6mm 
    • 18 English horse. 
    • 36 French horse. 
    • 18 French dragoons. 
    • 18 French dismounted dragoons. 
    • 18 Scottish dragoons. 
    • 18 Scottish dismounted dragoons. 
    • 96 Dutch foot. 
    • 72 French foot. 
    • 144 Bavarian foot. 
    • 2 French guns 
    • 8 pioneers. 
    • 21 casualties. 
    • 18 sheep.

Rather a good effort, with 249 foot and 40 mounted painted - both improvements on last years totals - along with  7 guns, 5 cars, 1 motorcycle, 4 carts, 4 draft horses, 9 chickens, 1 donkey, 1 badger, 4 geese, 3 pheasants, 1 privy and a 1 chicken coop.

Not as much 6mm painted as last year though; 90 mounted, 382 foot, 2 guns, 18 sheep, 15 horses

The terrain collection gained quite a bit, mainly fields and fences for our ACW games.

However in the other column the following was added to the lead (and plastic mountain): 260 foot, 15 mounted, 3 cars, 1 motorcycle, 6 cannon Plus, my very generous family and friends who added:
 80 foot, 6 mounted, 1 limber, 6 horses, 5 riders, 1 badger, 4 geese, 3 pheasants, 3 carts.

So, technically going backwards again.

I did a few figures for other people this year, with:

  • 10 WWII airborne/special forces/resistance fighters for Tony 
  • 5 ACW gunners for Drew 
  • 5 ACW gunners for Seth 
  • Austrian 3-pdr and 4 crew for Bruce 
  • 3 Battletech Mechs for Drew

As ever, I must work harder on that lead pile!

I wish all my readers a very prosperous 2019 and a productive time on their own lead mountains!