A Mixed Lot of Spanish

Following on the footsteps of the heavy discussion on blogging (whew! that was a lot of commentary!), I turn to something a little more sedate and short.  Of course, I greatly appreciate everyone who took the time to leave your very detailed thoughts on the topic.  This morning, my embedded Reply button seems to be broken on all posts.  Hopefully, this can be worked out.

Back to the painting desk.

Today sees a clearing out of a handful of assorted figures for the Punic Wars.  Making up this nine-figure stand of Spanish infantry are a mix of figures from both Black Tree Design and Renegade Miniatures.  The Renegade figures go into battle wielding the falcata while the BTD figures are armed with javelin.  A nice mixed stand that allows a few bits' bins to be cleared out in The Lead Pile.

On the gaming front, Richard hosted a remote game using the venerable Koenig Krieg rules.  I have two versions of the rules but had not played them.  Richard used an even earlier version!

Richard brought a hypothetical battle to the table using his tiles on a hex adaptation.  I was originally slated as an observer put was press-ganged into taking up the Prussian cavalry wing.  Having never played KK before, it was very good to see these rules in action.  Good fun!

For Richard's battle account, please visit, Battle of Pondeli.

A F2F game is on deck for Saturday morning in a return to the NWF.  On Monday, I host a remote game when the Battle of Wakefield takes to the table.  With holiday distractions behind us, time to start filling up the gaming schedule for the 2026 campaigning season.

Been a Long Time...

Yes, a long time has passed since I last fielded a new unit for the 28mm Punic Wars project.  Besides some game markers, the last unit to march out from the painting desk was a pair of Gaestatae units back in NOV 2021.  Nearly four years since the project witnessed any activity on the painting front.

The main reason that no new units have appeared in a long time is that there are not that many figures left in The Lead Pile.  Really, only a bunch of odds and ends remain with not much chance of fielding complete units unless I push some skirmishers into the production queue.  Already, plenty of skirmishers have mustered out such that more are not needed.  Still, I may paint and field these skirmishers someday to get them out of The Lead Pile.

With that explanation (excuse?) laid bare, today sees one more unit of Libyan heavy spearmen march out from the painting desk.  These thirteen figures had to be scraped together to form one more heavy spear unit.  Most of the figures are Renegade Miniatures but the Renegade cadre is augmented by a couple of Aventine figures and even possibly a Crusader figure or two.  Good to have these figures painted and out of The Lead Pile!

On the gaming front, no game this week.  Today's game at Scott's was called due to illness (not mine!).  Looking to get that game back onto the schedule.  Having cleared my table of the four-game run of Mortimer's Cross, my attention is turning toward horse & musket periods.  At present, I am focused on recreating a couple of battles from the War of Polish Succession.  Much work needs to be accomplished before I am ready to bring these to the table.  Study continues on scenario design and development.  Hopefully something tangible to share in the near future.

Two-Fer Tuesday: Ancients

Off the painting desk today is another double shot of units.  This time, I return to ancients and the Punic Wars project. 

First up is a fourteen-figure stand of Aventine Miniatures' Roman Principes. Great figures. It has been a long time since any Aventine figures crossed over the painting desk.

Next up are three, four-figure stands of Renegade Miniatures slingers.  Again, super figures that are a joy to paint.  I likely had a sufficient number of these slinger units already painted and present for duty but a dozen remained in The Lead Pile so why not paint them?  Yeah, that is what I thought too!

Finally, I have been out of town for a long weekend getaway to celebrate the latest grandchild's first birthday. Having been more than a year since our last journey away, it was a pleasure to experience a slice of a more typical lifestyle of weekend adventures.  While the trip was only a 600-mile cross-state road trip, changing landscapes if only for a few days was a pleasure.  Below is a view of the Seattle Space Needle at sunset as seen from the 41st floor of my daughter's condo.  Nice view, huh? 

The Last of the Renegades

The last of the Renegade Miniatures' ECW figures, that is.  I even needed to order a few Bicorne Miniatures' command figures to bring the regiment up to its full muster of 27 figures.  This is not quite the last of the Renegade figures in The Lead Pile but there are not enough models at hand to field another regiment of foote. 

Having always been drawn to the blue field with encircling motto of the Charles Fairfax banner, I figured this would be a handsome assignment for the out of production Renegade ECW figures remaining in inventory.  As I put this post together, Ross' post on having the discipline to not bite off more than one can paint (see: Back to the Brushes 307) reminds me that buying more than one really, really needs can pay dividends.  

Several years ago, Renegade Miniatures, originally went out of production temporarily but then returned back into production.  When back in production, stocking up seemed prudent.  It turned out to be a sound decision when figure production again went dormant quickly thereafter and has yet to resurface.  Some times, the "buy everything at once" school of thought is the right one.  There are a few ranges of figures, I sure do miss.

On a less somber note, later today sees a F2F game of Zama using Commands & Colors: Ancients.  I will be fielding my 6mm Punic Wars collection in place of the blocks.  One question is, do I deploy the standard scenario as given in the scenario book,

or the deluxe scenario as provided on the website?

Dyve's Regiment of Foote

The King's Army receives a reinforcement in the form of Dyve's Regiment of Foote.  These 27 figures are from my dwindling stockpile of Renegade Miniatures figures.  The Renegade figures are some of my favorites and they fit well with the bulk of my Redoubt Miniatures ECW armies.  While painted in November of 2019, only now are these lads making their way to the photo box.       

The problem is that Redoubt figures are difficult to find after the company stopped producing.  I found 80 of the unpainted foot figures two years and snapped them up (see An Unfinished "Finished" Project).  With the box of figures counted, I figured three regiments of foote could be built.  Dyve's Regiment represents the second regiment to muster off from the painting desk in this tranche.  

With enough musket and pike figures to build one more regiment, I discovered that I was lacking command for the unit.  Having no more Renegade figures in The Lead Pile, Regiment #3 will likely be led by Redoubt officers.  While I prefer keeping Renegade integrity in the unit, Redoubt officers will have to do.  I have not ordered from Redoubt Enterprises since it changed hands a few years ago.  Hopefully, I can still order a handful of figures.  We will see.

On the painting front, I have been able to hobble down into the basement for short painting sessions this week.  A number of units are in work and sitting at the workbench is not too painful for short periods.  This afternoon with my wife's help in taking figures from the basement to the garage, I was able to DIP some figures.  Two activities I have not been able to find a solution to in my current state is spray primering and dullcoating figures.  With snow and ice everywhere, venturing out into the yard on crutches to spray is not recommended.  I wonder if I could convince Nancy to take on these tasks?  Hmmm.  Probably not.      

Edward Aldrich's Regiment of Foote

At present, I am following the progression of several ECW campaigns (and one just finished).  The powerful pull of tuning in to these campaigns coupled with thoughts of getting in a game of For King and Parliament using the To The Strongest! system was too much. An ECW regiment of foote was pushed into the painting queue while my interest was under this spell.  To that end, a 27 figure body of infantry musters off the painting desk as the Edward Aldrich Regiment of Foote.

Having picked up a large batch of unpainted Renegade ECW figures for a bargain price about one year ago, time to justify that purchase by painting and fielding them.  The ECW collection is one of the collections considered finished by my reckoning although there is always room to add an additional unit or two until the gaming table buckles under the weight of lead.

Renegade ECW figures are of the Big and Beautiful category in my book.  Excellent sculpting but big figures.  Renegade's ECW figures fit in well alongside Redoubt and Bicorne.  Redoubt figures comprise the bulk of this collection.  It is a shame that the folks from Renegade have such trouble in keeping their business a going concern.  Perhaps that explains why Renegade surfaces for a short only to eventually close-up shop.  To the owners, the business must be an ongoing concern.

After finishing off this regiment of foote, interest in this project prompted me to push another unit into the painting queue.  That unit is a regiment of horse from Empress Miniatures.  While the Empress figures look superb, I am finding them more difficult to paint than Renegade.  More on that comparison when I field the cavalry.    

An Unfinished "Finished" Project

Box of Renegade ECW Lead

When is an unfinished project finished?  When is a finished project unfinished?

While I may never strike upon an answer to the first question, the answer to the second question was resolved last week.  The answer is obvious but before I belt out this revelation, a bit of background leading to this epiphany. 

My 30mm ECW project has not seen any action at the painting desk for exactly six years.  A reasonable assumption might be that after six years of inactivity, the project was complete.  Well, that is what I thought too.  Having painted all of the ECW figures in The Lead Pile and having enough units present and under arms for large games, I figured I was finished.  I did pick up enough cavalry from Empress Miniatures last year to field one more regiment of horse but that hardly counts, right?  The Empress Miniatures' cavalry were so beautiful, I could not resist fielding one more regiment of horse.  By the way, those beautiful sculpts still lay neglected in The Lead Pile. 

Back to the story at hand.  A few weeks' ago, a gent on TMP was selling surplus ECW lead from a variety of manufacturers in several lots.  One such lot consisted of 80 foot from Renegade Miniatures.  Renegade Miniatures?  That caught my eye.  I love those large figures!  Now I already have about a half-dozen Renegade units of foote in my ECW collection.  I like them very much and they fit in well with the bulk of my collection which are comprised of Redoubt figures.  At an asking price of about $0.75 each, I could not pass up the opportunity to snag some figures at a great price.  Did I need more regiments of foote?  Not really but one additional regiment per side would be time and money well spent.  My hope was to be able to field at least two regiments of pike and shot.  I had in mind using any left over shot to form a unit of commanded shot.

When the package arrived and I sorted it all out, what did I have?  With my standard P&S regiment of 27 figures, enough figures were present to muster three regiments of foot.  Only a small handful of figures remain unclaimed.  More than expected and very little wastage.    

Enough figures for three regiments of foote.

After sorting and organizing the lot, I popped out to Renegade's website to confirm exactly what I had.  To my surprise, the website is closed down yet again.  After closing down for at least a year in the not so distant past and then re-opening, I figured their troubles were behind them.  I guess not.  With this revelation, I am very pleased to have picked up their figures on the secondary market.  Who knows when these figures will be available again.  

Latest announcement of Renegade's website

The answer to my second question?  A finished project is unfinished when I happen upon a bargain too good to dismiss.  I am likely not alone.

Seeing the Elephant

Work on this project has virtually ground to a halt after having painted sufficient forces to field two armies for Impetvs.  Project hiatus has not dampened my longing to field an elephant or two for my 28mm Punic Wars project.  If you plan a Punic Wars project, elephants must be included, right?  Well, I finally took advantage of a weakening British Pound and placed an order with Aventine Miniatures for two elephants and crew.

The Aventine ellie is a magnificent beast.  The crew must be ordered separately, however.  Aventine offers two poses for the elephants and several combinations of crew.  When assembled, the model is a visual treat.

Accompanying the Aventine elephant and crew are three runners wielding javelin.  The javelin men are Libyans from Renegade Miniatures.  Having a handful of the Libyan skirmishers left over, I figured they would make good companions to the elephant and crew. 

The composition as a whole works well with Impetvs basing on a frontage of 120mm and depth of 80mm.  A second model remains in The Lead Pile to be added at a later date.  I look forward to fielding this model on the field of battle.

Renegade's Libyan Javelinmen

The 28mm Punic Wars project has not seen much attention in 2015.  In fact, the only other 28mm Ancients passing across the painting desk thus far have been eight of these exact same figures.  The earlier eight Libyans were the first figures off the painting desk in 2015.  As a bonus, I discovered my scribe failed to enter those JAN2015 javelinmen into the Painting Log.  Forty more points for the Painting Tally! 

These eight skirmishers are Renegade Miniatures picked up years ago when Renegade offered great value on their Regiment Packs.  The sculpting on the figures is always nicely done and the figures exhibit excellent facial expressions.  The eight Libyans will be fielded as two skirmisher stands for Impetvs.  Using a flash for the photo, the figures appear glossy.  That is not the situation in person.  

State of the Painting Desk

With sizzling summer temperatures outside, one might think painting would pick up as I head down into coolness of the basement for long painting sessions.  That has not been the situation. Increased travel and more time spent outdoors on the bike and in the yard have decreased the amount of time spent bent over the painting desk.

Given those distractions, the paint desk did see some activity this week.  On the desk are three works-in-progress.  Up front are 24 Wargames Foundry Sikhs from the Indian Mutiny range.  These fine fellows will likely see service in one of Kevin's many colonial expeditions.  In the center are eight Renegade Libyan javelinmen to be fielded as two, four figure stands of skirmishers for Impetvs.  In the back ranks are 16 Wargames Foundry Landsknecht/Swiss handgunners.

It is the latter group of handgunners that is giving me the most consternation and hesitancy.  These represent the first of the many Renaissance figures I need to paint in order to fill out a collection purchased from Phil this past winter.  The problem is that I am filled with indecision about how to tackle these potentially, colorful troops.  When I gaze upon the serried ranks of Phil's excellent pikemen, I wonder, how can I do these justice?  Oh well, somehow paint will get applied.  Perhaps, after the first few of these kaleidoscopely dressed handgunners are under my belt, I will see the light.

One final note, I took advantage of Front Ranks' recent offer of one free figure for each BP10 spent.  When I made the 28mm Napoleonic push over the winter months, I discovered that several units were not up to muster.  Also needed to recruit a few more skirmishers too.   The 28mm Napoleonic project should be set for the foreseeable future. 

Having a forecast of hot, hot, hot for the next two weeks, an opportunity to escape the oppressive heat in the coolness of the game room would be welcome.  Another episode of the Raab battle is possible this long, holiday weekend.

Renegade Libyan Javelinmen

Cutting it close to Saturday's planned Punic Wars' game, two Impetvs stands of Libyan skirmishers made it off from the painting desk and were able to participate in the game.

These skirmishers are Renegade Miniatures that were lingering in The Lead Pile prior to Renegade closing up shop.  Now after more than one year, Renegade has announced that they are once again back in production.  Renegade reinforcements are now available once again.  Very good news for those needing to fill out their collections.  The not so good news is that prices have increased and Regimental packs are not yet available.  Needing more Romans for the project, Aventine Miniatures will likely get the nod over Renegade.

Sculpting is excellent on these Libyans with very little flash.  Facial characteristics are outstanding.  I like these figures and have enough to field two more skirmisher stands if needed.  

These two stands have the honor of being the first figures added into the Painting Log for 2015.

Libyan Heavy Infantry - Renegade

Back to the painting desk after a week away.  Even though the weather has been pleasant, it felt equally pleasant to sit down to the painting desk after a brief hiatus.

This time marching off from the painting table is a thirteen figure Libyan heavy infantry stand for Impetvs.  Figures are Renegade with the exception of the officer which, I believe, is Aventine.  Even scoring the transfers before applying to the very curved shields did not solve the bunching problem I had in earlier units.

With Renegade on indefinite holiday, not enough heavy infantry remain to field another complete unit.  There are still a few handfuls of Renegade skirmishers to paint and field for the Carthaginians but that is it.  I also need to find some suitable Carthaginian cavalry that can be fielded alongside the huge Renegade horse. 

The 28mm Punic Wars project has not seen much activity thus far in 2014.  In fact, only two other units have crossed the painting table this year.  I guess that means the project may be stabilizing.  Either that or other projects have elbowed it out of a higher priority.  Nevertheless, it is satisfying to make another addition to the project.

It would be fun to get these guys onto the table for a game. With cooler temperatures on the horizon, gaming activities will soon switch to those of the tabletop variety.

State of the Painting Desk

The Painting Desk has not received the spotlight for awhile so focus today is on the little square of real estate I occasionally call home.

Yes, it is quite untidy but that is how a workspace is supposed to look, right?  Serious work is being done here!  On the table are figures for two units: 15 Spanish-American War Volunteer Infantry from Old Glory in the back and 13 Punic Wars Libyan spear men from Renegade in the fore.  I wonder when Renegade will resurface and begin producing again?  I hope soon.

In the left foreground are a handful of Baccus 6mm light infantry awaiting primering.  From my recent photo shoot of the 6mm Punic Wars collection and the Cannae battles, I realized that the force could use some additional light infantry components of the spear-chucking variety.  The collection has too many slingers and is understrength on light javelin foot.  Given the adage that if you've got them, paint them, I painted enough slingers to field 9 stands of 8.  Too many!  

On the figure front, several packages arrived within the last week.  Taking advantage of BTD USA's recent 50% discount offering, I picked up additional bowman and Spanish or mercenary spear men.  For the Punic Wars project, included in the order were several packs of Celts with a plan to field several warbands. 

With me beginning to plow through Americans for the SAW project, I piggybacked onto Scott's Old Glory order and added more packs for the project.  Most were Americans but one pack of Spanish infantry tagged along.  

More Spanish Scutarii in 28mm

A second Impetvs stand of Spanish Scutarii march off the painting desk.  Like their comrades before, figures are Renegade Miniatures.  In Impetvs, Scutarii can be fielded in either faction giving them a chance to play both sides of the fence and appear in many games.  With the varied and colorful shields, these troops will provide color into whichever battle line they are deployed.