IT'S HELL, BUT SOMEONE HAS TO DO IT....

A slack few weeks on the painting front here at Mercurius Atticus, most of my efforts have been on fantasy stuff over at my other blog where things are going great guns. I have been finding time to paint some more flatpack 54mm houses during my lunch break at work, that is until the last couple of days when it has just got too hot in the polytunnel where I set up my improvised painting station (to the amusement of my colleagues). I will post pictures soon when finished.

On the subject of work, we have been flat out at the Garden Centre, having our busiest Spring ever, which is just as well after such a dismal year last year. Start at 7 ish watering and then from 8.30 dealing with stock and customers until 6 -6.30pm . Mind you, it's not a bad environment to spend the day in

Yesterday I did an hour and then stopped for breakfast, surveying the shop floor

but at the end of the day I had to crash out when I got home with heatstroke, just not used to hot weather. Could be worse though...

THE STARS ARE STILL PROPITIOUS

...or so it seems. Popped over to the Lincombe Barn Wargames group tabletop sale in Bristol today, primairly to pick Robin up some Lord of the Rings Haradrim (which we did at a good price), and also got him some Chaos types.

As I am into 54mm at the moment there wasn't much for me but I did land a haul of books.

All Civil War, and mostly unread by me before. The little grey one is the Memoirs of the Life of Colonel Hutchinson. Back in the late 70's I used to get With Pike and Musket from the library on a regular basis and gloat over pictures like this

splendid inspiration, I would dream of being able to do a layout like this with metal figures (some still available from Minifigs, Spencer Smith and Hinchcliffe).  I am very tempted to get some 25mm old school ECW armies... 

THE STARS ALIGNED

I often read on forums and other peoples blogs how they stumbled across rare or really useful figures and terrain at carboot sales and model shows, and generally assign it to their good fortune and my rotten luck that I never come across any such goodies.  A militaria collecting friend of mine once picked up a WW1 hexamine hood at a boot sale for 5p and at the same sale a set of aluminium cutlery from the Third Reich each piece stamped with a swastika and eagle for 25p... I ground my teeth with envy at the time.

However I had a small stroke of luck on Thursday when popping into a local junk shop found these fellows for £3 each, not  bad for 54mm metal cavalry figures

3 suitable for my ECW stuff and 2 for the Trompenburgers. I have not come across Del Prado figures before and they are quite nicely painted, although I will be re-painting at some stage. Gustavus Adolphus has lost his sword but I should be able to replace this.

FLAT PACK BUILDINGS

I've been meaning to have a go at this project for a while, needing 54mm buildings and terrain, but without the hassle of constructing them or the massive amount of storage space they would take up. I thought I would start off with a tavern which I can use for 17th and 18th century games.

Uncle Toby shows the way to the bar of the Cockwell Inn.

...and directs vittals to be sent to the troops.

A side on view.

The building was  cut from 3mm MDF with a jigsaw. For future buildings I will add more detail (such as a chimney, which I forgot on this inn....doh), but overall I was quite pleased with the result.

PANDEMONIUM IN TROMPENBERG

The Margrave of Trompenburg has ordered two statues of Pan to grace his newly planned Arcadian garden, from the great sculptors Meneers Scheemakers and Rysbrack. They have just been delivered to the palace and the Margrave has ordered Herr Rackett the court poet and philosopher to come up with a suitable inscription for the larger statue. Here we see Herr Rackett contemplating the blank plaque and wondering where such beings as satyrs and nymphs belong in the order of things.

(figures from left to right by Phoenix, Dolp and Mythographica)

THE LACEY TROOP

Last year I converted these fellows from A Call to Arms Ironsides to make them look like Sir Martin Lacey's horse in the old series By the Sword Divided. I have just finished them to give me a break from Oldhammer stuff

THADDEUS PERUQUE, WIGGER TO THE COURTS OF EUROPE

Following a post from The Duke of Tradgardland which showed a picture of the latest fashions at court, I thought I would post this little vignette I made a few years ago for my 15mm Marlburian armies who were fighting the War of the Electors Wig, Thaddeus Peruque, the greatest wigmaker in Europe is being pursued by all the Margraves, Kings, Electors and other various gentry to be seized and held to make them the most towering and impressive head pieces that can be imagined. The whole plot was inspired by the costumes in The Draughtsman's Contract, a wonderful if rather strange film.

M. Peruque welcomes 2 prospective clients to his battlefield emporium

The Travelling showroom

Thaddeus inspects his wares

A satisfied customer, helped by Peruque's loyal assistant MaCrackin. Note the TP monogram on the flag,The sign of Excellence in Wigmaking.

A page from the latest catalogue.

I have a feeling we may be meeting Thaddeus again in a different scale. I am being sorely tempted to buy some 28mm 18c figures. Mainly civilians at first, and making some landscape gardens to put them in. Oh no, another project to start.