Week 3 Update

I really should start doing this midweek rather than posting twice on a Sunday...

Anyway, this week I finished the twelve British Line Infantry that I should have finished last week, I'm also confident that I can add a few more figures to the finished pile before midnight tonight. Overall the AB British Line are a pleasure to paint - I just wish I could do them more justice. The picture below shows them before they have received a wash of Dervlan Mud which should give them a bit more of a campaign look. I have to confess to being a bit annoyed with myself - I'm painting this as a 30 figure battalion (a full strength British battalion of the time would have been 40 figures strong) and thought that I had pretty much cracked it with the dozen figures this week plus the figures I had painted earlier - I thought I had the rank and file covered and just needed to do a drummer, two standard bearers and a mounted colonel to finish it off. Then I realised that I had painted two more Centre Co figures than I needed, and was two short on the Flank company (the British Flankers are distinguished by their "wings" at the shoulder - Centre Co guys just have white shoulder tabs) - my excuse is that these are very small in 15mm... and plainly my eyes are not what they were! Well you can tell my eyes aren't what they were just by looking at these fellows.

So I'm hoping to pop them safely off their painting sticks and attach them to their stands this evening - at which point I'm certain to see some more errors I didn't spot before.

I've been looking this week at the Foundry paint system - going to town on this one could easily spend £500 if one took up the "basic" offer, plus the "extension" plus the "authentic Napoleonic uniform" colours (to distinguish them from the "authentic Napoleonic artillery" colours). I currently use a mixture of Citadel/GW (which seem to dry out quite quickly), Miniature Paints (which conversely seem to last for ages) and Vallejo (which I seem to need to shake forever before using).

As far as I can see, you can buy much the same colours from Vallejo with the same variation in shades if you look hard enough, and what you are buying with the Foundry Paint "System" is the convenience of having all the hard work done for you. The first place I looked for Vallejo paints had a set of 72 paints plus a few brushes in a carrying case (do people really carry their painting gear around with them?) for £118.99. And buying them individually costs £1.85 - as opposed to £2.50 a pot for the Foundry paints. I've no idea how they compare in terms of quality (I've been very happy with the Vallejos I've used - just not so happy with the tennis elbow from shaking the damn jar). Anyway, after a day or two's temptation I've put aside the thought of buying some - after all, I mostly paint 15mm with basic block painting and washing so highlights and lowlights would be rather wasted on me. But I'm tempted nevertheless.