Little Toy Soldiers and Such...: October 2023

With Sept running quick and now we are into October, I finally got around to getting off my duff and updating this thing.

So without further eloquence, here we go!

"OOOOoooooohhh! Rock me Amadeus!" (or "A mild foray into the 18th Century)....

A recent discussion with my friend JC in LV, and his pictures of his pirates, turned up the fire on the back burner I had of pirates and 18th Century figures. So it was off to the painting table for a quick couple of weeks of slap dash painting and colors.

I finally decided to get some paint on figures. Don't worry about me running out. Rest assured, that there are plenty more to fill in the empty spaces.

Many of these figures I've had for a few years, from the SYW convention I attended back in 2015, to Little Wars, and online purchases. They're a mix of Old Glory, Eureka, Reaper, Foundry, and some others.

(A couple of nameless swabs (Dixon figures), with swords raised high, and ready for action, and plunder! These are really two old Dixon figures that were originally painted for my (in)famous Pirate Race Game back around 2000 at the long lost Triple J's Games and Hobbies. They are now repainted and ready for action! Yo ho ho!!!)

Spray priming was easy as the humidity was down, and there was a light breeze to help with the drying process.

A few quick swipes with the primer can, and then they were ready for the next step.

(Primed and ready!)

The "next step" being getting them onto the painting table and in their respective painting queues....

(All lined up and ready for painting...block colors going on...)

For this many figures I started off with block painting. Going with the dark colors, (boots, dark trousers and shirts, hats, etc. Then the flesh colors, and then the whites/linens, and finally starting the myriad of different base colors.

(Initial colors going on, so "some" progress is being made...)

Finally, (and I mean FINALLY), I was getting around to getting some of them finished...

First up is Lord Whitehall, recently appointed Governor of the Island...

(Finished.

"Lord Whitehall, the newly established and arrived Governor of the recent English * ahem *, "acquisition" of Port Haven on Bloodworth Island.

He is not impressed at what he sees, hears, and smells.

He knows that although he is technically "ruling" the port, (and supposedly the island, no matter what the French, Spanish, Dutch, and other scum may say), he realizes that his rule is only as good as the troops he has to enforce it.

"Hmp!" he says to himself, (and no one else in particular). "No matter then! If I have to hang a dozen or so pirates and their supporters in this dreg of a town to establish my presence and order, then I guess the gallows are going to be quite busy soon."

Although under orders from His Majesty, he also knows business and how to turn a profit as it may be...

"Although there is always the possibility that a few coins contributed to me, may keep someone from having a short drop and a quick stop..."

He then changed his thoughts from the matter onto whether the port had a decent claret on hand for his dry palate and if so, where would he find it?)

Yes for it would seem that the Governor is NOT a man to be trifled with....

Next up is the man "determined to save souls....or burn witches....whatever comes first....

(Finished.

"The Righteous Reverend Task, ( a very determined man in the manner of John Calvin and Cotton Mather), preaches the "true word" to the people of Port Haven.

Having recently arrived to the newly acquired island that is flying the English Flag, (at least in this part), everywhere he looks is bathed in sin, sin, and even more sin. The sinners are plentiful, and the sin is overwhelming. So many souls damned to the eternal fires of the lake of fire created for the Devil and his minions.

He also knows that there are witches here in town, or at least those that practice some form of the dark arts of sorcery. He has read the tracts and studied them immensely before embarking upon his journey from his comfy home in the Massachusetts Colony to this festering abominable pool of unholy deprivations. Nevertheless he shall root out the witches, or practitioners of dark evil magic and cast them out, and bring the true word, (as interpreted by him), to all those that would hear his holy calling...")

Every 18th Century adventure needs a fop or two, (or four or more)...

And musicians.

"Nigel Tandy's musical talent and abilities, weren't enough to keep him from barely escaping England with his life, due to his dalliances with the ladies of the local gentry, (of which a few illegitimate children were born), and fleeing to Port Haven, and finding a nice, easy (by the standard here), comfy position as his Lordships musician.

By day, he plays and composes at his lordships will. He is also in demand at night for soirees, balls, dances, dinners, evening entertainment and so on.

Despite knowing what almost happened, he also understands that "pretty, rich, women are his weakness....his Achilles heel.", and knows that it will only be a matter of time before his roving eye catches the looks of one of the local upper crust ladies.

The fact that she may have a heavy purse would be an extra pleasant surprise.

But until then, it's time for him to play (once again), "Traipsing through the green meadow" on his piano forte to the delight of some of those upper crusters that wouldn't give him the time of day otherwise."

Of course what kind of "18th Century Island Port Town" would be of any importance without "The Girls"???...

("Amelia, (in the blue dress), and Cecilia (in the green dress), are two working girls in Port Haven that ply their trade between the docks and the harbor and the area known as "Sinners Row." Eager and willing to please for those with the coin to spend, they have no problems working singly with any love starved gentleman, or for those with "special tastes", and the coin that goes with it, to working together for what they commonly call "The Double Bounder...")

And yet more "Harbor Girls"...

(Eliza and Suzette; two of the girls that are often seen frolicking around the notorious "Red Lion"; a pub in the Harbor Section of town, that is often frequented by pirates, slavers, raiders, merchantmen and traders of questionable reputations, double dealers, cutthroats, and other people of loose morals, virtues, standards, or lower means. Whatever your desires and wants, these two girls are open and up for it. "If you have the coin, they have the time...")

(Eliza...)

(Suzette...She's French ya know...)

Meanwhile the work continues...

I cleaned up the work-desk as much as I could for this month.

(Not as chaotic as it usually is...)

And got my queue of figures to be painted

I try to keep as much as possible to my "Four Figures A Day" thing but it has fallen to the wayside quite a bit. However, when I do paint, I do try to finish four figures a day. My queue is essentially,

1: What I am currently painting to finish.

2: What I am currently painting to get progress on.

3: What I need to get painted.

4: What's waiting to get painted.

As the figures are finished, the line progresses and more figures are added to the back.

Current figures in the queue are 18th Century, Pirates, a couple of Colonials, a couple of fantasy figures, and a Pizza Dragon.

(The whole "kit and kaboodle" on the table.)

(Some of the figures in the queue waiting patiently to be painted, or to be completed...)

But it wasn't all pirates and Caribbean goodness...

"I vant to suck your ......."

I had planned to run an immersive Fury of Dracula game for Halloween weekend, but due to scheduling problems, that recently got cancelled.

However, before it did, I realize a while back that I didn't like the plain gray look of the plastic game figures, so out came the figures and out came the paints and brushes.

Due to the soft plastic construction of them, the figures do not really have that much facial detail, but I still worked with what I had, and am seriously considering replacing them with 28mm figures for the game.

First up is the nemesis of the game, Old Count D, himself...

("Look deep into my eyes....Are you type "O" by any chance?...")

Then the hunters....

(From L to R: Prof. Van Helsing, Mina Harker, Jonathan Seward, and Lord Godalming...)

Besides painting figures, I also started work on scratch-building a couple of cottages for my 18th Century/etc. games.

Foamboard construction with basswood flooring, doors, timber framing, and the roofs haven't been made yet.

(Some nice gaming real estate under construction...)

But then leave it to my wonderful wife, (Gawd bless her!), to keep me well fed at the painting table...

(A Sunday morning breakfast of Knackwurst, eggs, rye toast, and fried potatoes and onions on the table, being carefully inspected by a British mounted officer...)