Pre-Salute Challenge

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The annual consumerist festival at the Docklands ExCel Centre is fast approaching, and, cutting a long story short ... the upshot being another eight regiments of horse have been ordered, and four light artillery pieces and crews. Yet more additions to the baggage train (this time from Donnington Miniatures), and a new vignette for the townspeople (inspired by an Easter showing of Cromwell, Fairfax's coffin will be making an appearance).

To balance the universe I have set myself a pre-Salute challenge: to finish the current occupants of the painting pile.

This means completing two more foot regiments of Covenanters; four more wagons for the baggage train; and four more light limbers. The wagons and limbers can't be finished completely as their drovers (dragoon horseholders) will be waiting for me at Salute.

Not too onerous a target, apart from having to drill out the hands of the lowland pikes. Having had a difficult* time doing the first dozen, my technique/productivity has improved considerably.


Second Lowlander regiment of foot completed, and the first pair of carts semi-based. The other pair of wagons are painted, just waiting for some more bases to arrive. Deadline: three weeks.

Update 1
Bases have arrived, so the second pair of wagons have been based as much as they can. I am pretty pleased with the drummer with one of the bases. All four limbers have been painted and based, again as best they can.

A Matchlock surgeon vignette, and some loose halberds have snuck into the pile and have been painted and based. The halberds will be added to some existing baggage train wagons.


All that leaves is the third regiment of lowlanders, which have all been cleaned up. Pikemen have had their existing pikes cut away, not in the mood for drilling hands tonight. Deadline now two and a half weeks!

Update 2
Final regiment all cleaned up, pikemen hands drilled, stuck on painting strips and primed. Pikes cut down to correct length. Bases coded and labelled. Somehow I have managed to add some barricade sets from Alternative Armies to the 'to do' box. Hmmm. Deadline 12 days.

Update 3
Final regiment block painted, metalwork details and leather straps/bags need finishing. Then a wash, varnish and basing. Deadline 9 days.

Update 4
Finished. Well almost. Just greenery to add to the final regiment. Standards have arrived, thank you Stuart at Maverick (who has added twenty or so flags to his range courtesy of my bothering him - they aren't on his website yet, won't be for a while as he is now en route to Australia.). I've given Lord Leven his cavalry standard. Better pictures to follow, when I've got my camera to hand, and not relying on my phone. Deadline 8 and a bit days. Winner winner chicken dinner!


If anyone is foolish enough to copy my idiocy here's the lowdown:
Sword man: straight forward, drill vertically down. Easy-ish.
Blanket man: drill down from the back of his head towards his nipple line, then use a needle file to open a gap between head and hand.
Breastplate man: he's the hardest of the bunch - lay him down flatish, head raised about 25° (use a blob of blutack to hold him in position), drill through the crook of his elbow from front to back; then stand him up and use a needle file vertically to connect from the back of his hand into the hole you have just drilled. It is possible to do this with the drill, but just go slowly, otherwise you'll snap your drill bit

 * Classic British understatement

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