Colonial Painting Expedition

This is my entry for the Colonial Painting Expedition over on the Colonial Adventures board at Lead Adventures Forum.  There are some very nice figures over there.  This is the first figure I've taken a photo of with my new display board and backdrop.  I think it turned out ok, might need to tweek some things a bit.

Not dead....yet

Holly cow, it's been a crazy few months!  If anyone tells me raising a new born with both parents working full time and a wife also getting her master's degree is easy, I'll slap them.  Then I'd help them up, and then slap them again!  Painting has slowed to a craw around here.  I've gone from hours to 30 min every few days.  Even with this schedule, I've been able to paint some more colonial Germans and some colonial Russians for my fictional Africa setting.  I've also painted a few GW Empire figures, I really like the older models.  I just haven't had the time to take photos of them.  Speaking of photos, I made two small photo bases (the name of what they are called escapes me right now).  One is a desert base and the other is a grass base.  I put the finished figures on them with a picture in the background and then snap away.  Hopefully this will improve the pictures around here....as soon as I'm able to take them that is.  Anyway, this was just a short post to let everyone who still checks in every once and a while that I'm still kicking and slapping paint.

Justin

Gladiators, Guards, and Slaves...oh my!

I decided to add some slaves for my gladiators to fight.  Since they are not likely to last long, I painted them in tans and browns, with an exception or two.  The slaves are divided into 3 groups.  slaves with no military training, Legionaries who had deserted and were caught, and prisoners of war.  With the influx of slaves, there was also an increase in the ranks of the guards.  I tried to make one standing and one ready to receive a strike, hope it worked.  I finished off this group with 3 new gladiators, adding much needed firepower, a heavy Sagittarius, a light Sagittarius, and a heavy Velite.  I know the velite is supposed to be lightly armored but the only figure that I had with a wolf cloak/head is wearing armor, and I really wanted the wolf head :)  The metal figures are from Foundry.  The others are from Wargames Factory Caesar's legion and Numidian boxes, which make great unarmored slaves.  On to the pictures. 

 

ex-legionary

ex-legionary

ex-legionary

ex-legionary

prisoner of war

prisoner of war

prisoner of war

prisoner of war

prisoner of war

prisoner of war

prisoner of war

guard

guard

Persicus the Sagittarius

Calamus the Sagittarius

Marcellus the Velite

 

Valentinus the Laquerarius and Pardus the Secutor

I've had these gents finished for about a week now, baby and camera crapping out again have kept them from the lime light.  Cell pics will have to do for now.  Valentinus is a foundry fig with a plastic spear added that I had laying around.  Pardus is from Brigade Games. 

Valentinus

Pardus

Populating the Ludus

With all the gladiators training at the House of Justinian Cervus, there was a need for some guards to keep them in line.  Justinian Cervus had hired some former legionaries as guards, hence the weapons and armor.  I could've used Imperial Romans but I've always wanted to paint some Caesarian Romans and the Wargames Factory plastics are cheep and paint up really quick.  The Doctore was made with parts from Wargames Factory's Caesar Legions and Numidian boxes.  I plan on making slaves out of the Numidian box. 

Doctore

Old West

Here is a test figure taken with my camera phone.  My batteries ran out on my camera, hence plan B and it's not a very good plan B either.  I will take a better pic when the camera gets up and running.  The figure is from Old Glory's Old West line.  There are some good figures in the pack and some classic Old Glory poses.

Colonial French

These are my dad's troops for our colonial battles.  I've painted them a few years ago but never took proper pictures of them.  They are for our fictional Africa setting.  As with my Germans and British, we just picked what looks good and what we wanted to paint.  The FFL are from Old Glory Miniatures, and the Zouaves and Spahis are from Askari Miniatures.   My dad has some more FFL MG teams, Chasseurs d'Afrique, and some mounted Spahis to paint.  He is also planig on using some Perry Zouaves as Tirailleurs Senegalais.  These are based in groups of 20 for Sword and the Flame.  Hope you like them.