Things I Did in 2022 - Tiny Prussians

I don’t think I’m going to do a full year in review blog post, but I will do a few posts to highlight some projects and directions that seemed fruitful to me.  3D printing was definitely the big thing of 2022 for me, and while it was often enormously frustrating, it also opened some doors, including the possibility of doing SYW battles in a big way.

In 2022 I agreed to help Henry Turner by printing and painting some figures from his recent 6mm/15mm Seven Years War Kickstarter, in return for a discount on the range of STL files.    Henry sent me some files, including these Prussian musketeers, which you see here.

 The figures print in strips of four, including one strip of musicians (seen above in the front left of the second base) and below on the far left, and a command strip.  I would say that the detailing is comparable to Baccus, and while these figures look lumpish and squat when scaled up, at 6mm they look fine.   Fairly easy to paint and they look good when based, using the same size bases I use for my 6mm Napoleonics and with my scenery.  There’s definitely a large battle project here if I want to pursue it.

 

If there’s any downside to 3D printing, it’s simply the time cost of cranking out figures - a print run of this size, assuming it all goes smoothly, is a day to set up and print, and another to clean and cure the figures.    It may be easier to just order some starter packs from Baccus, and then flesh them out with prints as I choose to.   At any rate, this project was a successful proof of concept.

Blessings to your printers and brushes!

MP+

 

#Terrain Tuesday: Barrage Miniatures Kickstarter Goodies Have Arrived!

 I'm not a big Kickstarter guy, but th offer from Madrid-based Barrage Miniatures seemed too good to pass up - modular resin/rubber terrain for the miniatures tabletop.   

In backing the KS, I chose a green river, almost enough to cover the width of two of my tables, plus enough shore sections to line both banks.   

That river was just crying out for some boats, so I dug out my 1/600 Thoroughbred Miniatures ironclads and my instincts were correct, it all looks great together!

Hammerin' iron!  The nice thing about this system is that I could only line one side of the river mat with shore sections, creating a bay or shoreline, or I could use the modular bits to decrease the width of the river as needed by the scenario or scale - perhaps a 6mm version of Aspern Essling!

Here are some of the other pieces that came with the KS.  Cropped and plowed field, multicoloured sections to mark out woods and to depict fallen leaves, a desert mat for the farmyard, and stone wall sections.  Lots of round green grass sections that blend in nicely with my GeekVillain mat.

The elevations here are old T-shirts rolled up and placed under the Geek Villain mat.  Again, the green resin pieces are useful for hiding the creases in the mat where it falls over the t-shirt hills.

Of course, now that I've laid out this table, I need to get some troops on it.  It all looks Civil War-y, so ...

Cheers and blessings,

MP+

More Good Doggoes

Hello friends!

As I mentioned in my previous post, my partner Joy is very much a dog person.  In her life she’s owned several pure-bred huskies, and we occasionally talk about getting a husky puppy when I retire in a few years, though there are all sorts of pros and cons there.

Joy with war dog statue near Ottawa City Hall, June 2018

Joy is not much of a wargames person, but she does appreciate a crossover angle, like my friend Jame’s goblin wolf riders in my last post.

I don’t remember how, but I came across a crazy Kickstarter project called Dungeons and Doggies.  The idea is that various breeds of dogs decide to become D&D characters and set off, appropriately acquired, for the local dungeon.   How that is any more ridiculous than, say, a giant floating eyeball?

 

How do they draw their swords?  They don’t have thumbs!!!!?????

The KS project does include a paladin husky dog wearing armour, which painted would make a lovely gift for herself.    Lord knows what I’ll do with the rest of them, but I know enough doglovers that individual figures will make nice gifts.  I am a bit leery of Kickstarter projects generally, but this one is fully funded and then some, so hopefully it will deliver.

Blessings to your doggos!

MP