Real Life intrudes again!

It seems that real life has begun to intrude with alarming regularity thus disturbing my wargaming, for that I can only apologise. Hopefully the next few weeks will finally allow me to get back on track and complete this ECW project that has progressed in fits and starts. Anyway I have manged to complete four new regiments, two Royalist and two Parliamentarian.

These chaps are repainted from the lead pile I purchased back in February at York. Is it that long ago?  In an attempt to keep things simple I am using the soft hatted figures for Royalists and the better armoured figures for Parliamentarians, hardly historic but it does help in identifying them on the table.I do like these figures and find them a pleasure to paint, Peter Gilder gave them a real cavalier look if there is such a thing.

Secondly a 'new' Kings Lifeguard using the slightly later Hinchliffe Foremost range. I already had a Kings Lifeguard but when I managed to pick up a few extra Foremost figures I succumbed to John's advice of using them for the new Lifeguard.Im pleased I did to be honest. When they were first released I remember being really excited by the figures marveling at their poses and facial expressions.Gilder was a wonderful sculptor.

Next a regiment of Parliamentarian carabineers. As I intend to fight the early years of the war, Parliament will be saddled with trotters and these certainly exhibit the more deliberate cavalry technique. They are however really nice figures and have great faces on the sculpts. Im almost tempted to say Gilder didnt sculpt this figure given how the face is different from the other parts of the range.
                                      

Finally a regiment of the London Trained Band, or the blue regiment to be exact.I slipped in an old Citidal pikeman to carry a standard. He was in my spares box for a couple of years and I thought it a shame not to use him. When these chaps were originally released I didnt like them to be honest. They were so much bigger than the rest of the range but they are sturdy figures and easy to paint.

So there we have it, my latest batch of units. On the table next are the second regiment of Rupert's cavalry brigade a la Foremost figures and another Parliamentarian infantry regiment. Hopefully this project will be completed before real life piles back in again to disrupt things.

An Imaginary Unit.

 I thought I should do a post before I take a short break.Due to various issues I have been struggling to paint for any length of time but I have managed to complete this unit of various manufactures which are in the main  Sash and Sabre figures.
  All purists should look away because these rebels are from a unit that never existed but in my fevered mind should have. I wanted to have a company of early war rebel zouaves alongside their more drab comrades and so these were born. I had a couple of spare rebel flags so they are technically from Alabama but in reality should belong to an imaginary rebel state.

 I can only apologise if any ACW purists begin to choke at their sight, but I did attempt to keep their uniforms very simple which was more in step with the confederacy. I must admit I did enjoy painting the figures and found the experience enjoyable so any issues re the unit are balanced against the actual pleasure of creating them.

 Dipping my toes back into the ACW I have taken advantage of the offer from Crusader Miniatures and bought their new 69th New York figures sans no shoes etc. They are very nice casts if a little stiff, so my next ACW unit will actually have existed in real life. Who says a wargames army is complete?

And finally a horse holder for my ECW dragoons. Peter Gilder never actually made one for the range which I found a bit surprising so I cobbled together this base. They aren't perfect but give the impression of a dragoon trooper holding the horses.