A New Year, and The Christmas Loot...

 Greetings and Happy 2024!

So, another year behind us all, and another one has begun.

I am hoping that Christmas and the New Year was good for everyone.

For me, it was excellent. My wonderful wife, (Gawd bless her!), and I had a great time, and all was Merry and Bright, and New Year came and we greeted the New Year in quiet but happy, celebratory style.

I then took today and wandered down to the game room with all of my Christmas loot.

My wonderful wife had told me earlier in this past November that "She didn't know what to get me for Christmas", so she ordered me to make a series of miniature orders and then give them to her, so she could wrap them and give them to me.

Like a dutiful husband I obeyed.

And man, I scored big!

The Loot....

Diligent readers will know that I have somehow and someway been dragged kicking and screaming into the 18th Century. I actually blame it on me repainting my 20+ year old Voodoo Zombies and some pirates. Those few figures gave me more ideas, and which I found more figures and more ideas. Next thing you know I am up to my wazoo in black powder, powdered wigs, cold steel, and beauty marks!

So I went down, put it all on the table and took a pic of my "loot"...

(Egad! My bank account is glad that Christmas only comes once a year...)

The Coaching Inn...

Tabletop World out of Croatia, (IIRC, they used to be in Poland), makes amazing resin buildings in 28mm size/scale. This year they announced that they were closing out and discontinuing two of their buildings in their line, to make way for newer designs of the same.

Plus they had a sale.

So I jumped in and ordered The Coaching Inn.

I'm going to do a more detailed entry on this later on, as it totally warrants it, but let me say this this is an amazing piece. It's very detailed, and very well done. Minimal flash, and was very well packed and shipped.

I also ordered their groceries pack, and they were done very well also. 

I placed some 25-28mm figures in front of them to get an idea of size/scale. Figures are from Dixon, Foundry, and Reaper.

(As I said, this is a pretty big piece...)

I'm really looking forward to painting this up and getting it on the table.

And more figures!!!!!

I realized that for my 18th Century gaming I was going to need a lot of "Civilians", (villagers, workers, aristocrats, tradesmen, etc.), so that was what most of my orders were focused on. Can't have pirates sacking a town if there are no townies to sack!

So after getting pics, I then decided to break down the entire haul and take pics of the loot, by separate packages.

First up on the scene was Old Glory.

First off, I decided that I needed some "People in charge", so who is more capable of handling the affairs of a sketchy island in the Caribbean than a "Fat Governor and his Creepy Assistants"?

(The Governor and his staff of flunkies... Who else would you feel comfortable with having them rule over you?)

And then, sometimes even fops and "gentleman" have issues with each other.

Whether it's over beauty marks, the scent of a powdered wig, or the fact that one of the men may have had a glass of claret too many, and made the remark that "Another gentleman's wife resembled a bloated warthog.", which of course demanded "satisfaction".

So I got the The Duelists package also.

("Now remember chaps....ten paces counted off and turn and fire!  And for goodness sake please try NOT to hit the onlookers this time!")

And then I realized that you couldn't have a duel without an expansion back. 

Soooo...another pack was added to the cart.

(Another unfortunate is carried off the field of honor...)

Next up was my order from Front Rank/Gripping Beast.

Being located in the UK, this was my slowest arriving package. I can think that maybe they might have had some trouble filling the order, but they made it, and I was very happy with them.

I had never ordered from Front Rank/ Gripping Beast before and I was very pleased with the quality of the figures. 

Thus two more packs of 18th Century Civilians/Workers/Townsfolk were added.

After that it was my loot haul from Foundry.

I remember the old days when Foundry had 8 figures per pack, and now they only have six, but still the quality is there after the sticker shock goes away.

I made quite the purchase of their 18th Century Civilians.

The first pack was their CIV001: "Country Folk".

("Ahhh...country folks! Just the type we need to work long, hard, hours in the hot, hot sun for his Lordships benefit....")

Next up was CIV003: Aristocrats.

("Every locale must have it's agreed upon social structure and these fine folks will make sure that they are at the top of the structure; enjoying the finer things in life, while the others work long, hard, hours in the hot, hot, sun for his Lordships benefit, (and thus, theirs)....")

Meanwhile, yet more duelists with anger management issues have been purchased.

CIV004: Duelists.

("Meanwhile on the other side of town, away from the country folks working long, hard, hours in the hot, hot, sun, for his Lordships benefit, yet another issue is about to be solved with powder and ball, and honor to be restored or lost...")

Meanwhile, I also picked up CIV005: The Chevalier.

("Not everyone has the energy, reason, nor the desire or inclination to be willing to stand outside for hours watching the country folk work long, hard, hours in the hot, hot, sun for his Lordships benefit. Some prefer the easier, and more enjoyable pleasures of life...")

And of course CIV006: Townsfolk. You can't plunder a town without having townsfolk in it to be plundered, right? RIGHT?....

("They may not be out in the fields working long, hard, hours in the hot, hot, sun for his Lordships benefit, but these townsfolks do what they have to do. For good or bad, that is yet to be determined.")

And I picked up a shepherd, his sheepdog, and his sheep, GPR004.

("A shepherd's life is mostly boring. Standing around and watching sheep eat grass, and keeping them safe and in sight. Most of the time this can be done by standing under the cool shade of a large oak or walnut tree. It may be a tad bit boring, but boring in the shade is better any day than being in the fields, working long, hard, hours in the hot, hot, sun for his Lordship's benefit.")

I grabbed the Prussian Camp Followers also. SYWP036.

("Converting these into regular island civilians. The majority of them probably won't find themselves in the fields, working long, hard, hours in the hot, hot, sun for his Lordship's benefit, but they will be doing something to better themselves and their situations; even if it is at someone else's expense.")

Naturally an island will need a garrison of troops to protect it from those wicked Spaniards, dirty dealing Dutchmen, odiferous French, and Pirate scum, and so I grabbed some SYW British troops. I know that "historically" they are not "period correct", as the Golden Age of Piracy was pretty much done, over with, and history by the time the SYW came around, but I just really liked how they looked, and for an 18th Century Imagination, who is going to pick nits?

So first up is the British Command...

SYYB002 British Infantry Command.

("A fifer, drummer, color bearers, and guard, all managed by a reliable Sergeant Major and his signature spontoon. Ready to lead the troops to march wherever they are needed on the island and in the hot, hot, sun.")

And the first unit of rank and file troops for the island. SYWB4, British Infantry.

("The first company, arriving on the island, to keep order, ensure safety from the enemies of the crown, and to protect those people that are out in the fields working long, hard, hours in the hot, hot, sun for his Lordship's benefit.")

After that, I also ordered two of the Foundry Christmas Santa figures; "Father Christmas" and "Viking Santa".

("Of course during Christmas time, if the people are good they may be visited by you know who. This will brighten up their spirits from being in the fields, working long, hard, hours in the hot, hot, sun for his Lordship's benefit.")

As a bonus, Foundry also included a free archer figure.

("Not really sure what I am going to do with this guy, but I seriously doubt if he is going to be willing to be in the fields, working long, hard, hours in the hot, hot, sun, for his Lordship's benefit...")

After this, it was off to check out my Brigade Games order!

First up was NS-MT0008: British Regular Infantry Officer from North Star Miniatures.  

This figure came in a clam shell package and was very well done. It's my first North Star figure and I am VERY impressed with it. 

("The future Captain of the Infantry Company. I am currently trying to figure out a name for him, as befitting an officer of His Majesty's troops, dedicated to leading his men to do their duty, protecting the people as they are in the fields and work long, hard, hours in the hot, hot, sun for his Lordship's benefit.")

And then I got some more townsfolk, BG-MSW009.

("Like the other folks in town, these citizens may not be out in the fields working long, hard, hours in the hot, hot, sun for his Lordship's benefit, but they are indeed "working"...as it may be called....")

And of course I need more "upper crusters". In this case BG-MSW009, "Milady and her household staff."

("Ahhh...to be a woman of social standing on this island. The gossip, the intrigue, and goings on!" She exclaimed. "Yes m'aam. It is quite the thing." Snivellers, her man-servant answered. She accepted the glass of claret from the tray he was holding out to offer her. "And it does beat being out in the fields, working long, hard, hours in the hot, hot, sun for his Lordship's benefit." She sniffed disdainfully at the thought of herself actually doing physical labor.)

And last but not least, just because he had that Kurt Russell/Snake Pliskin thing going on, I picked up "Apocalyptic Santa with machine pistol"; BG-APC165.

("Now I have a machine gun too! Ho! Ho! Ho!")

And then finally, the last packages came from Perry...

Like the North Star figures, these are my first figures from Perry, and I was very impressed with them.

I picked up two packs of CPT-16 Female Civilians.

("Plenty of women to tend to the household chores and duties while their husbands are in the fields, working long, hard, hours in the hot, hot, sun for his Lordship's benefit....")

On a whim, I also picked up AW 100 "British Interrogating a Colonial Prisoner". Can use the majority of the figures, so it should be a fun set to paint up.

("The prisoner eagerly cooperated with his captors, once they agreed to not have him out in the fields working long, hard, hours in the hot, hot, sun for his Lordship's benefit....")

I also picked up two packs of AW 73 Civilians to mix in with the rest of the lot.

("Yet more civilians, (country folk), and townsfolk. While some of these will be in the fields, working long, hard, hours in the hot, hot, sun, others will be doing their "town things". Good or bad, shall soon be discovered...")

And that was it for the minis!

My wife also got me an amazing customizable DM screen for our RPGS.  Each fold has some amazing imprinted artwork. I took pics to show them. Please click on them to get a better idea and to see them more clearly.

Christmas was indeed good...

And I close this with a last Christmas picture. Perhaps once again to remind us all of the "Greatest Christmas Gift of All, and TO all, free of charge..."

(May his light guide you always...)

Update Feb-March: Part 3: " Booze, Figures, and A Game Store Review"

So as Feb slowly ended and rolled into March, the first thing on my plate was my wonderful wife's (Gawd bless her!) birthday.

Cards, presents, and roses for her as she truly deserves it.

Roses and being a good husband...

And then that weekend, I decided that I needed to "rearrange my liquor shelf". It had gotten to be a bit on the chaotic side with bottles of hooch everywhere, so I decided to "organize.
First was the whiskies/whiskey's/bourbons...
*(Note: The Wild Turkey Rare Breed was bought in December of 2006 and has yet to be opened. I'm saving it for a special occasion), and the Fireball is NOT mine...yuk.

And then, next up was the rums...

And then I finally put it all back together, along with the other stuff...

But now...back to figures!

Figures and painting: 

So we are back to figures.
With the Halloween stuff out of the way, I went back to my pulp stuff.
First up is one of the figures from Crucible Crush's amazing "Cthulhu 28's" line. This is from the "Arkham Investigators".  I wanted to try this figure out as she presented me the challenge of learning to paint "sheer stockings".
I think I was able to get them to a passable look, don't you think?
(Oh and a B&W Noir pic is included)....

Dressed for an elegant evening of socializing at a RSVP party hosted by that gallivanting wealthy playboy, Edward Winder; the ever lovely Miss Barbara Kane was able to slip away unnoticed and find the secret passage that led to the tunnels below. Armed with her trusty pistol, she moved slowly through the ominous passageway, unaware of the trap that was soon to be sprung upon her by Edward and his henchmen.... 

And what kind of town, (Pulp or Western) would there be without a "Chinatown" section?

This set is from that amazing Pulp Figures line, (and once again, I must say, they are fantastic) and can easily be used in so many genres.

 

Four of the five figures from the line.

Seems we have a conversation going on here...Let's listen in shall we?

Lo-Fat and Wang Chung are discussing “Where they can find a Chinese girl with green eyes...”

 And when I was done with those, I moved onto some more Old West style figures.
These are from Wargames Foundry (or "Foundry" for short), and are from their Mexican Peons/Peasants Range.

Some new population for Chili Verde???

First off we have the Senors!

 

Juan and Pablo...waiting to see what happens next...or when the tamales are done....

Pedro and Sancho...Pedro waiting for his daily butt chewing from the love of his life, and Sancho just taking a siesta and waiting for the tamales to be done....

And now the Senora's/Senorita's...

The ladies of the group...

Maria, and Alda carry their water jugs to the local well...

While Margarita waits rolling her eyes in disbelief at the latest explanation from Pancho for his latest blunder, while Teresa carries a basket of fruit from the orchard to her casa...

It was after getting these done and placed that I had realized that I haven't taken a picture of my display case in a while. So I decided to do so, to see what it looked like.
Crikey!
There are six figures in here that I did not paint. The rest are done by yours truly here.
I will admit, it IS impressive to look at sometimes.

I am quickly running out of room on these shelves!!!!

However it's not all fun and games...

March is also not only my wife's birthday but also the birthday of my sister, whom I never knew.

She was born and died at the age of 2 1/2 years and was buried 6 years before I was even born.
I never knew her, but I think of her every day.



GAME STORE REVIEW!!!!

Okay so this is where I take a quick break from posting my "What I painted", and give you the lowdown skinny on a game store that has recently (within the past year), opened up here in the Indy area.
Lately there has been an increase in game stores in the local area, (and it kind of reminds me of the heyday back in the 80's).  Most of the stores have been focused on CCGs, RPG's and Euro-style boardgames, which are great, but when it comes to miniatures, it's few and far in between.
Enter "Sinclair Games".

Sinclair games fills the niche created for a store that is more miniatures focused.
I had been trying to get up to the Carmel area to see them for a few months but life always seemed to intrude.
Finally I did make it.

First off is the address taken off of the website:  www.sinclairgames.com

Sinclair Games
112 W Carmel Drive
Carmel, IN. 46032

PH: 317-815-4800

Carmel is an area slightly N/NE of Indy. It's (in)famous for it's lack of stoplights, and it's massive use of roundabouts, (which most people in Indiana are completely clueless to the concept of and treat them like they were four way stops), so getting there was a bit of an adventure.
The store is small and there isn't a lot of signage. It's tucked away in a retail/industrial/office strip mall/plaza of sorts.
Entering the store I found something that was good for me. While most stores that "did minis" pretty much focused on the "big things" (GW, FoW, etc), Sinclair also focused on other brands. True there were FoW things there, but there was also Reaper, Pathfinder, Bolt Action, Malifaux, Great Escape, etc,, and it was a welcome relief.
I will admit that the store IS small. Don't expect a massive size retail area or a dozen score rows of stock, But with their small size I was very pleased. They do have some RPG stuff, and a nice but small selection of board games. They also have a great selection of paints and hobby tools that we all seem to need in this horrible hobby of ours.

So to show how pleased i was, I spent money.

The first thing I bought was the "North American Store" by Perry Miniatures.
(Authors Note: I am currently working on this and am having very mixed feelings about it...more to come on that one.)

And I scooped up the Coppers set for TCW...

 And of course, I grabbed some more paints, (including some restocks of ones that were going empty), to use.  The German Black Brown, Medium Cam Brown, and the English Uniform are very common colors that I seem to put to a lot of use. 

And I picked up some Army Painter Quick Shade Soft Tone to go with the Strong Tone.

And I picked up some scenery. The ground tufts always helps bases and groundwork look better. 

All in all, Sinclair Games is a good up and coming store. The only drawback I see to it is the difficult location to get to, (not as bad as when Little Wars of Houston moved from The Katy Fwy to K'dale and was almost impossible to get to though). It's just one of those things that "you have to find out which is the best way for you to get there. I'm hoping that they will be successful and will grow in the coming years. I will support them with my business as I like their variety.

More to come!