SYW Austrians & Prussians

[Aart Brouwer]

Wow. With or without the red top pom-pom thingy wotsits this is quite an achievement. And an inspiration to those of us who have little time to spare for painting between work, children, household and everything else.

Cheers,
Aart

[nikharwood]

Thanks Aart...yep, it's finding the small bits of time & using them well that is the answer to:

1 job [demanding]
1 wife [... ]
3 kids [demanding]
4 horses [demanding]
2 dogs [demanding]
2 cats [law-unto-themselves]
2 fish [actually, these are pretty effortless and really not very demanding  ]

[Aart Brouwer]

Thanks Aart...yep, it's finding the small bits of time & using them well that is the answer to:

1 job [demanding]
1 wife [... ]
3 kids [demanding]
4 horses [demanding]
2 dogs [demanding]
2 cats [law-unto-themselves]
2 fish [actually, these are pretty effortless and really not very demanding  ]

Good grief, talk about a busy life. Don't you ever find yourself painting the wife, feeding your boss, seeing the horses off to school and - I don't know - eating your models? 

Cheers,
Aart

[nikharwood]

Only at weekends 

Right - while listening to the England cricket team replicate my wargaming efforts by snatching defeat from the jaws of victory tonight, I did the Prussian artillery - in a little under 45 minutes:











Total elapsed time = 15hrs 40 mins

[nikharwood]

In between everything else, managed to get the Prussian musketeers done this weekend:



















Took my time with these - I think because it was all a bit stop-and-start: so about 5.5 hours:

Total elapsed time = 21hrs 10 mins

[Nosher]

Gonna start calling you Ferrero Rocher

You are 'spoiling' us!

[nikharwood]

Good man - get the Father Ted quote in there  - I tried to find a youtube clip but failed 

[nikharwood]

Hussars today: about 55 minutes:

















Total elapsed time = 22hrs 05mins

[republic of tolworth]

Nice Hussars
Not so keen on the brown bases. I prefure the grassy look myself.

The troops look a treat though.

[nikharwood]

Ah - don't worry - the bases aren't finished yet; I'll do all of them in one go once both armies are finished...so these will get a couple types of static grass added in yet, which will then get a drybrush to tone the grass down a bit. The base edges will get painted then as well.  

More to come tonight...

[nikharwood]

Here they are - Cuirassiers which took about 50 mins:















Total elapsed time = 22hrs 55mins

[nikharwood]

Blimey - another week lost to work...

Prussian Dragoons now done - 55 minutes:















Total elapsed time = 23hrs 50mins


Only Prussian commanders to paint...and then finish the basing & varnish - the end is in sight!  

[nikharwood]

And Commanders now done: 40mins:







Total elapsed time = 24hrs 30mins

[nikharwood]

And they're done! Bases have had static grass added (which I decided not to tone down as I like these looking quite bright) and the edges painted; this took about 90 minutes.

It's far too wet to spray-varnish them today so that'll get done at a later date. I'll take some 'proper' pics later on-table but for now here's a couple sneaky previews:

Austrians:





Prussians:





Total elapsed time = 26hrs

So there you have it - two complete armies, from packet to table in a little over a day all-in. I'm pleased with that...

[nikharwood]

On-table pics now up:

Austrians: http://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=1488.0

Prussians: http://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=1489.0

[Nosher]

Fabulous Nik

1.  What rule set are you using for SYW?

2.  What method do you use for flocking?

I have used thinned pva then flock and could occasionally see the PVA through the flock. I have used GW paint 'loaded' onto areas of the base and again this looks odd and I have tried super glue - which is my current preferred method, but is a pain in the arse...

[nikharwood]

Fabulous Nik

1.  What rule set are you using for SYW?

2.  What method do you use for flocking?

I have used thinned pva then flock and could occasionally see the PVA through the flock. I have used GW paint 'loaded' onto areas of the base and again this looks odd and I have tried super glue - which is my current preferred method, but is a pain in the arse...

Thanks nosher mate  

1.  More than likely Black Powder...or Rank & File

2. I use my not-for-the-fainthearted method: spots of superglue onto base & then take pinches of static grass & apply, shake excess off upside down [so that remaining grass sticks up] - it's only a pain in the arse because you'll get it on your fingers...not to mention the fumes! Works well though  

[Nosher]

Cool. Was thinking you might head BP route

Just bought FoG Renaissance which uses 40mm frontages for units. If I want to do rivet counting I can go that route or if I want to go fast and furious I can also go the BP route without having to re-base.

I already have ECW in 6mm so am looking for inspiration in terms of Horse and Musket for something different. At the moment its a toss up between SYW and GNW although knowing me I'll end up with 10mm ECW as well as my 6mm stuff

[Inkerman]

Nik,

Thanks for the walk-through.  The project was ambitious, but the result looks pretty darned good.

Let me try expressing one of the principles involved, just to see if I'm understanding:  you can get away with painting the figures on their final bases because the parts you cannot reach effectively with a brush have been covered well enough (with black undercoat and bestial brown overbrushing) so that they will not be visible in the end. The most visible, outer parts you can reach with a brush, and so can spend a bit of time on them.  Is that about right?

So, we should have the courage to paint from the get-go in light of how the figures will actually be seen in their ranks on their stands.  I've read plenty of people saying that 10mm figures at arm's length do not have to be perfectly painted.  That's fine, but not practically helpful.  By contrast, you show just what to do to carry that bit of general advice into practice.

My impatience with the bleeding-eye method may just induce me to have the courage to try your method.

Thanks,
David

[nikharwood]

You're welcome - and thank you  

It's not really that I don't paint anything that can't be seen - I don't leave anything really unpainted at all - but that, even with the figures painted, I can get to pretty much everything with a brush & do - with some 'undercut' exceptions...there are very few areas that don't get painted. It's more that, when I want to, I can paint fast!

I've taken some quick pics (apols for quality) of a Prussian infantry stand from various 'underneath' angles - hopefully they'll help: