On the Workbench 3-9-2012

I've been pretty busy the last couple of evenings doing figure prep and assembly (and still more to do) so I've decided to pop along to the club tonight to play Saga - a couple of us are going to try some 6 point games, which should be interesting.

So, what's on the workbench?

L to R: 2 "musket-only" regiments; figures for 2 bases of dragoons; 2 strips of figures for ambush markers (goats, sheep, pigs and chickens with herdsmen); 4 strips with figures and bits for supply camp bases. These have all been primed with gesso which will need to cure for another 24 hours before I do any painting.

In the front are two wagons which I've already started work on. Rather than priming with gesso, I went straight in with Humbrol spray paints - basecoat of Dark Brown all over (including underside), followed by a "dusting" with Desert Tan. Before sticking them on bases for painting, I gave the underside a good spray with gloss varnish to seal it. Once the glue had dried, I did an brown ink wash, although it doesn't seem to have been very effective, possibly because the basecoat is so dark. I'm hoping that the brown/black mix in my Klear will do the job. I'll be dry-brushing the wood and tarpaulin in various shades to help bring out the detail, then doing the wheel rims. I won't be transferring them to their final bases immediately as I've got a pair of draft horses on one of the "camp bits" sticks that will need to be added at the same time.

My order from Timecast arrived this morning. Well, most of it did - I'd ordered two packs of gabions, but only received one. They were very helpful when I phoned up and the missing one should be going in the post today or tomorrow. Also in the pic are a pack of corn stooks and a pack of hay ricks. I've already washed these in warm soapy water to remove any mold release agents. I'll probably spray prime these rather than brushing on gesso, then hit them with appropriate spray paints for the basecoats. After that it will be a mix of dry-brushing and washes to finish them.

Also in the order (not shown) was a pack of graveyard accessories (headstones, plinths, sarcpohagi) which I thought might come in useful. Hmmm, maybe I need to order a church?

Some part-prepped figures - excess sprue and flash snipped off, bases filed flat. Now they just need to have the rest of the flash and any mold lines dealt with, before washing them overnight in soapy water, drying off and priming with gesso. these are the extra musketeers and pikemen to make up my three 6-base foot regiments to 9-base ones.

Over the rest of the week my plan is to get as much of my remaining 30YW lead prepped and primed as I can, to finish off painting the wagons, to paint up some of the camp bits and ambush markers and maybe to paint up the command figures for the musket-only regiments. I also need to work out what paints and bits I need to take with me to the TUC for painting the musket-only regiments.