Seventh year anniversary

Actually, this blog's 7th anniversary was a good 6 weeks ago, but I was in NZ at the time so couldn't post anything, and since then work has been worse than manic - hence the lack posts, I'm afraid.  I usually use this moment to reflect on the past year and make some plans for the forthcoming year.  The past few years have seen such plans becoming ever more tentative, as painting time continues to vanish and my attention wanders across various periods.  You'd have thought that reduced painting time would result in more focussed and concentrated effort, but I've found the exact revers - that I've butterflyed more rather than less.  Last year will also be remembered as the year when I began painting lots of figures for other people.  I don't intend to make a habit of that - the reality is that I have neither the time nor the inclination to take on commissions, but I am happy to do so in very particular circumstances.  As regular readers know, I'm working on various things for Bill Nevins and that will continue this year (his mass of finished 42nd Foot is pictures above.  I also painted 20 figures for my two friends who I visited in New Zealand, Kerry and Ants - more on those in a few days (and do visit Kerry's brand new wargaming blog here). 
 
My painting tally for 2013 is set out below, all 25mm:

- AWI:  115 foot (including 50 figures for Bill).

- 1815:  105 foot,  5 horses and 9 guns.

- ACW: 2 foot.

- Other: 69 foot.

That gives me 305 points, which is rather disappointing.  "Other" means South American Wars of Liberation, Great Paraguayan War and the stuff I painted for Kerry and Ants.  The first two are projects that kicked off last year as a result of new ranges being released.  I have flirted before with "Liberators" in 15mm (see here), using the excellent range produced by John Fletcher and Grenadier Productions.  Parkfield Miniatures began a range in 25mm a year or so ago and then Orinico Miniatures appeared last year.  My interest in doing this period in 25mm rather than 15mm was piqued by the Parkfield range and by further research which indicated that the size of units would be fine for 25mm (i.e. the 16-24 figures per unit that I prefer).  I bought a couple of packs of Orinico infantry on spec and I'm now close to finishing my first unit, of Irish volunteers.  Hopefully that will be on the website shortly.  As it happens, Osprey have just released an Essential History by John Fletcher on these wars, which is worth picking up if you're interested (together with his invaluable wargaming supplements). 

So plans for the next 12 months are as follows:

- continue with KMM highlanders and over the mountain men; I need to really get cracking on these;
- paint another 3 or 4 units for the Great Paraguyan War (figures purchased, I just need to paint them);
- finish command stands for my existing French 1815 brigades;
- make a decision on the Liberators project and which scale; perhaps paint up 3-4 units for each side;
- paint more Perry plastic AWI British/Loyalists;
- complete the Eureka Continental cavalry units I've had in the leadpile for a couple of years now and work out how the new Perry dragoons can be used;
- see what's in the First Carlist War leadpile and paint that.

So other than 3 command vignettes I don't plan on painting any Napoleonics this year.  I want to focus back onto the AWI and made a bit of progress with the other periods.   It's going to be a good year for the AWI - lots of figures from King's Mountain Miniatures, the new Perry Continental dragoons, Perry plastic Continental infantry out in April, and no doubt lots more metals from both Perry and Fife & Drum.  And, Steve Jones may be putting on an AWI game at Salute - how fab is that?!

My trial unit of King's Mountain Miniatures skirmishers is coming along nicely