Bus Bothering!!!

I took apart one of my bus aquisitions, just to see how 'convertable' they are!!
Hmmmmm, bit of work, but hey, I love a challenge

Hispano-Suiza Bus

So I want it a bit like this, so it will need

Of course it will be a bit better than the drawing

Hacksaw required!!

A rebuild of the bonnet area, to make it a bit narrower.

New Grille, and reworked mudguards, some replacement headlights, and new wheels. Add some passengers, and hey presto

You have one of these to add to your transport pool!!!

Well thats the theory, of course in practise it may turn out a trifle different

For My Next Trick-------

I shall be changing one of these

A Nice Shiny Ebob Opel Blitz

Into one of these!!!!

Something more SCW

Not that difficult a conversion, its really just the bonnet and grill, and perhaps the wheels, ohhh yeah the back bit looks a little different too, and then theres the mudguards :-p

Crooked Dice-Headsets Short Review

I'm always on the lookout for useful seperate heads, that I can use to customize my SCW figures.
Perusing the http://www.steve-dean.co.uk/  forum ( a great place if you are a figure painting fan) I saw some new releases from a company called Crooked Dice Miniatures. Heading over to their website, I was fortunate to find they had an offer on their headsets, so I duly ordered some, hoping that they would fit OK.

Empress Headset top centre, I think the others are a good match sizewise

Well, I have to say, I am dead chuffed with them!! The male heads are perfectly sized to fit the Empress Figures that make up the bulk of my collection. The Female heads are especially welcome, as I can now add to my lady militia collection, although I will have to find some suitably smaller framed bodies to put them on, as the female heads are a fair bit smaller, as they should be really.

I may have to resort to some greenstuff for hats etc!!

Although meant for the 1960's and 1970's , I can thoroughly recommend these headsets as the hairstyling is not too radical, and they will easily pass muster for the 1930's.

Castings are clean, and virtually flash free, needing a minimal clean up to remove mould lines etc. a little bit of work will be required to help make the heads fit on the Empress Bodies, but nothing too taxing if you have done this sort of thing before.

Take advantage of their offer, and order a few sets.

http://www.crooked-dice.co.uk/minis.html

Desk!!!

Here's whats lurking on the desk at the moment!!

More Militia, and Foreign Legion. Got a couple of finished militia that just need their bases done, and  couple of Legionarios nearing completion.

The Militia crew for the Hispano-Suiza are started, I still have to decide on a colour scheme for the car though

What do you guys think?

House-WIP

I've put on a couple of basecoats, to get an idea of what the new, not so white paint scheme will look like. Roof is basecoated with Vallejo Panzer Aces Light Rust, and the walls have a coat of Crown Dark Cream!! I find that household paints are great for this sort of thing. Just fill yer boots with a selection of sample pots. Stonework next, I 'm thinking along the pinkish grey route for this

New Empress Stuff

Empress have released a couple of models that will prove very useful for all us SCW fans!!

First up Italian Autocarretta OM35

Having the faint look of "milk float" about it!! I like this model, and it has a lot of use from the Abbysinia campaign, through the Spanish Civil War, and into WW2. Used as a gun tow, as well as a supply vehicle

Will look good with a battered, and slightly used paintjob 

(BTW this is a 1/35th example!!)

We also get a very neat Canon de 75mm, I assume its the Modelle 1897 variant, as opposed to the Schnieder one.
 It comes complete with a crew, and some odds n sods to add to the base. Its a fairly generic crew, so the VBCW fans can get some use from it. I will probably swap a few heads to get some with tinhats on. Empress may offer the crew as a seperate pack, and I think this is a good idea, so we get a chance to add them to some other gun models, for a bit of variety.

A Schnieder Version in Spain

Vickers 105mm, but you get the idea of the crew in this one.

A full review when I get enough cash together to buy both the models. Needless to say however, from the photos, I don't think I will be disappointed, they llok like a couple of cracking models.

Additions-More Old Tat!!

A curious selection of articles!!!
There is method in my madness, the furniture will be used to make some hasty street barricades, and carts are always useful.

So, here's the completed wagon, just needs a lick of paint!! Still undecided about the model though, as I think its a little overscale, but I'll complete it, and see.

Legionarios y Fascistas

Added to my Tercio force, slowly getting there!!

So, we have a couple of officer types, another two Legionarios, and a Fiat-Revili HMG team

Back to the FAI/CNT figures next, between bouts of plasticard butchery and house painting!!

House Painting

Here's the first victim of my new building painting regime.One of Grand Manner's very nice Spanish buildings, not cheap, bt pretty damn good.

 I had started with the whitewashed effect, but now it will be redone in subtle earth shades, and the roof will get the multi-coloured tile effect. Progress reports later.

Columna Durruti

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amI9D26NpCQ

Check out the vehicles in this video!!!
I'm going to attempt a freeze frame on some of the images, so we can have some stills, especially of the buses.

Frente de Madrid-Well Worth a Look

A Spanish re-enactment group based in Madrid. I recommend taking a good look around their website, as it is packed full of fantastic pics, and useful information.
My Spanish was not up to translating everything, so Babelfish did overtime.

Thanks to Jehan (Jean-Baptiste) for pointing me in the direction of this group. I will be contacting them to ask permission to use their photos on the forthcoming website, as they will be excellent references for uniform painting.

http://www.frentedemadrid.com/FdM/Inicio.html

Go on, give em a look.

Houses- Hmmmmmm

 One of the things about getting interested in stuff,  is the fact you learn a lot of new facts!!
I've fallen into the "Spanish houses are white" trap, and consequently I have a collection of very touristy white washed buildings!! Now this craze for white houses apparently took off in the 1960's, and is more prevalent along the Mediteranean coast. Inland the story is a little different.

You of course get a few off-white buildings, but the majority seem to be very warm shades of sienna and ochre. The pantiled roofs are multi-colored, rather than one overall shade of Terracotta. So I have decided on the rather drastic task, of repainting the buildings I have, into more authentic shades!!

I purchased a bargain book from Amazon, this has a host of useful images to help me along the way, coupled with some choice "Googling" I am now armed with a selection of reference pics for the task ahead.

Creating a Website

Trawling thru my collection of Spanish Civil War pictures culled from t'internet, I suddenly had this spark of an idea. Why not create a new website using the info, and pics I have. A sort of complete resource for gaming the period. It will take me a few months to put it all together, and hopefully, it might even turn out to be half decent!!!!

A Journey Round My Painting Desk!!

Just so you get some idea of whats currently laying about awaiting my attention, here's a desk review

This is where the crimes against all things metal and plastic take place, you can see the torture implements arrayed, these include various paints, brushes, and some tools.

Currently waiting for their spot under the overhead lamp of doom are the following items, and you may have spotted they are all of a distinctive Spanish Civil War flavour. I have renewed my interest in this fascinating period of 20th century history, and having thrown off the shackles of my Pyrrhic army, by getting a mate to paint it. I can concentrate my efforts on the SCW stuff.

In the foreground, a Breda 20mm turret conversion for the Panzer 1A, not sure whether to just keep it for myself, or send it on to Empress, so they can add it to the hull they already have, and sell it to the filthy masses!!

Behind this, the Militia crew with their Hispano-Suiza car, an Artzan Goumier who has undergone a head transplant, so he can join my Regulares, and a headless Militia horseman conversion, just need to decide which head to give him. 

Lurking in one of the plastic container is my "Nemesis"!! I have been asked to make a pseudo-WW1 fighter plane to go with those new fantasy Russian Dwarves, the wings are made, as it the tail section, I am now starting work on fuselage number 4, the other 3 have been thrown in various directions , following a fit of temper, by yours truly. I am currently rethinking my options on this one ;-[[

Right, whinge over,on the left are these chaps, additions to my FAI/CNT Militia Columna, all from various sources including Artizan,Musketeer and Empress, only another 20 or so required now.

On the right ( how appropriate!!) are Franco's finest in the shape of the "Bridegrooms of Death", or the Spanish Foreign Legion as they are more well known, keeping them company, and possibly praying for thier rotten souls, a converted Perry Miniatures Carlist wars range priest.

And finally, the motorised transport, in various stages of completion!! ( Hmmmmm) from bottom to top, Constructora Field Armoured Truck, FAI/CNT bus, Ferrol armoured truck,and a Hispano-Suiza Guardia Asalto transport vehicle. The last two where made by Crouchie when I had Anglian Miniatures, but never got released, as they needed some more detailing work added ( yes I am a sad anal old git, who is never happy, until he has crammed far to much weeny detail, onto everything he makes) So I get to have them all to myself, greedy old bastard ;-]]]]

So there you go, a journey completed, now all I have to do is actually get some of this stuff finished!!

Yet Another Blog!!!

Ok, so I have two of them now, but as my other one is really just dedicated to my Pyrrhus project, I thought I may as well bore you all stupid with another general blog. Think of it as a place where I can post all the other daft things I end up painting and modelling, with my "Ohhhhh shiny" mentality , it could end up being quite varied!!!