Table Top Talk

The Scruby 54mm figures have been neglected for far too long, as such part of our plan for 2009 is to begin re-releasing these figures. The original plan was to produce (at least) one new release a month starting in March (we missed March, but have figures in the works for April).

Early in February I finally had a chance to start working on this project. The first task was to sort the masters and patterns. The first pass at sorting was completed and three groupings were made in an effort to define our initial work. These first three grouping fall into the following eras: AWI, Napoleonic and ACW; Colonial came in a close fourth (plenty more figures, just not yet classified).

The next task was/is to reconcile the catalog listings with the masters/patterns. This requires pulling the molds for each of the figures listed in the Scruby Catalog and then performing a visual comparison between the master/pattern castings on the mold cavities. We then catalog the results. Now we have a master spreadsheet which contains Casting part numbers, Catalog descriptions, Scruby Mold Ids and Master/pattern status.

I chose to start with the ACW figures. Why ACW? Two of the main reasons for this are:

1) I’ve been working on ACW projects of late, so ACW was on my mind.

2) Restoration of masters fro ACW is a lot easier than restoration for AWI or Napoleonic.

I now have a spreadsheet which details the status of the 30 (ACW) castings from the last Scruby Catalog (I have another 6 or 8 older figures to add to the list as well). Of the 30 figures in the list we have masters/patterns for about half. Some of the existing masters/patterns are in need of minor repairs (broken bayonets and such). These repairs are easy enough, so I have no worries about those. We run into problems when it comes to the missing masters/patterns. In some cases I can pull the original gravity molds (used by Scruby to make pattern figures from the original masters) and work with those. However some of these are missing or in such poor condition that they are unusable. Where I do not have a usable gravity mold, I need to resort to more drastic measures. The more drastic measures include creating brand new sculpts in the Scruby style. Other times I can take a casting from an old production mold (99.5% of which are in very poor condition) and work back towards a replacement master. While this approach is a lot of work, it can produce figures that are nearly indistinguishable from Scruby’s originals. I’ve previously rescued some 40mm figures using this method – when my figure is viewed alongside a Scruby original it is very difficult to tell which is which is original and which is new.

When restoring (or creating new) masters I’ve decided that as much as possible I will work using the same methods/techniques used by Scruby. Materials used include: Solder, brass sheet, paper, latex paint and wax (I do try to avoid wax due to its low melting temperature). Sometimes, I need to use more modern materials such as Green Stuff, Procreate and Super Sculpy.

So far I’ve made a good start on two of the ACW figures (TT-81 – Kepi at attention and TT-119 2^nd Rhode Island Volunteer, 1861 uniform, on guard). The work is progressing quite well and I should have these new masters completed by the close of the weekend. So far both pieces are all metal, but I may need to use a bit of Procreate on TT-119; getting the blanket/bed roll just right may require some softer material. I’ve lined up a few more figures to work on and I’ll be sure to report on my progress as the project continues. I’ll need to swing away from 54mm for a few days as I need to complete a couple of 40mm projects that are overdue, but I don’t expect those projects to take too much time.

We are thinking about starting a pre-order program for the 54mm figures. The program would be called “Club 54” and it would help us to prioritize our restorations & re-releases. Additionally, knowing that we have X figures pre-sold will make it easer to invest in the new molds. I’m still sorting out the details for the pre-order program (determining factors such as cost for each pre-ordered piece and pre-orders required) so we should reach a decision on how the program will work some time in the next week or two.

That about wraps things up for today, by next time we should have some news on a new Resistant Roosters release (I want to be sure sculpting has begun before we announce what we are working on) and if all goes according to plan we should have more releases in the Bloodaxe Moro Rebellion range…

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Portage Wisconsin - HistoriFigs reports the arrival of Finnish reinforcements. Newly arrived at Resistant Roosters HQ are:

Finnish Infantry in Winter Uniform

• FI-200 - Finnish Infantry Platoon (39-42) $19.25
• FI-201 - Finnish HMG Platoon (39-45) $9.50
• (new) FI-202 - Finnish 81mm Mortar Platoon (39-45) $9.50
• (new) FI-203 - Finnish Company HQ (39-42) $9.50
• (new) FI-210 - Finnish Company Box (39-42) $43.00
  • Contains:
    Company HQ plus 2x Infantry Platoons
• (new) FI-211 - Finnish Company Box ‘Deluxe’ (39-42) $58.00
  • Contains:
    Company HQ plus 2 x Infantry Platoons plus 1 each HMG & 81mm Mortar platoons

These new packs round out our selection of Finnish infantry in winter uniform…

A few samples of our new Finnish troops - Samples painted by Dansville Wargamers

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So far, so good for making a habit of painting…

Well, week two was a bit touch and go. I had started a batch of ten 25mm Russian Pandour (Bloodaxe Miniatures), but I tried using a black undercoat and I was very unhappy with the results I was getting, so about mid-week I stopped painting that batch and started prepping a new batch (of 12) for week three. This time I went back to a white undercoat…

I’ve never really had good luck with a black undercoat, but with a lot of black to be used for the figure, I thought I’d give it another try - it turned out to be a bad idea. I just was not happy with the results. Good news is that I decided to finish the figures in this batch and just mix them in with the rest.

OK, so now back to week three. This second batch of Pandour were undercoated white and they were much easier to paint. After the white undercoat was dry I started with a series of washes - red, black, sepia, brown and green. The idea was to create a set of lines, much like a coloring book. After the series of washes were applied I went back and added the proper paint colors - coloring inside the lines. After the colors were applied it was back to washes - filling in the gaps, or darkening the lines…

Now, please remember I’m not now and never have been a really good painter, but for the most part I am happy with the figures and they (at least to me) look just fine on the game table.

This unit of Pandour need 14 more figures and it will be complete (36 figures). Eleven of these 14 are on the table for painting this week. The command figures were not quite done, so they will be painted next week. At some point I’ll add another 12 figures to the unit.

While I sort of missed the mark for Week Two, I made up the lost time in Week Three - total output for Weeks Two & Three = 22 figures…

I’ve started a photo album to show the progress of my painting projects. To view more photos from my 2009 painting adventure visit my Painting Habit - 2009 photo album: http://picasaweb.google.com/historifigs/PaintingHabit2009#

I’m still sorting out how best to take pictures with my replacement camera, so it may be a few more days before we can post some picturs of the new Resistant Roosters Winter Finns (Company HQ and Mortar Platoon)…

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Our 28mm Spanish soldiers for use in your American War of Independence games are once again available…

We originally released these figures just before our move from California to Wisconsin, however some of the molds went missing during the move. As such we were unable to produce all of the figures until recently when I finally took time to make a new set of molds.

The molds are now done and figures are shipping! If you’ve been waiting for these, the wait is over. If you’ve always wanted to add a selection of Spanish troops to your AWI armies, now is the time!

These figures will be a regular stock item, so for the most part we can ship orders right away.

Please visit the HistoriFigs website for more pictures and a listing of available figures.

Coming up next time: More Winter Finns (from Resistant Roosters)…

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The subject of painting miniatures has been on my mind of late. Helped along no doubt by recent reading; I read a lot, but I’m always behind on magazine/periodicals. As such it wasn’t until last week that I finally took the opportunity to read White Dwarf #346 (November 2008). For today’s topic I have a specific article in mine: Jervis Johnson writes a regular column entitled Standard Bearer. The subject of the column appearing in WD 346 is Making Painting a Habit.

When it comes to painting, I’m slower than molasses in January. Add to that the fact that I’m no great artist, and well you can guess that my painting output is, well at times non-existent. Sometimes I get into a painting frenzy, and other times a painting funk - not really much of a middle ground for me - I either paint or I don’t. For example, in late summer and early fall (of 2008) I was on a painting rampage (well at least by my standards). I was painting nearly everyday. I’d even get up early to paint before going to work. Not sure how many figures I painted, but I’m sure the quantity outpaced my previous best. I was working on multiple projects in multiple scales (10mm, 15mm, 25mm & larger) and multiple periods (WWI, WWII, Science Fiction and Fantasy). I even painted several complete units! And then, come late fall/early winter I just stopped painting, leaving multiple projects on the table unfinished.

I’ve always wanted to get into a painting routine, I just never seem to be able to make it happen. As such when I came upon Jervis Johnson’s column (in WD 346) I was more than mildly interested in the topic. The idea of making a habit of painting really struck a chord. But, how does on make a habit of painting? Getting ones self organized is part of the solution. Now, those of you who know me will know that I’m either quite organized or not organized at all - sometimes my organizational ability falls into the middle ground, but typically I’m at one end or the other of the spectrum. Right now my painting area is split between the game room and the basement. OK, I need to consolidate the painting stations (just as soon as I have a few spare hours I’ll get right on that). While not quite there yet, I do have everything I need for painting in the game room - so I’ll check this off my list (I’m now organized, well mostly at least). Next I suppose that one should have a clear painting plan in mind. That makes perfect sense, if I don’t know what I want to paint I either paint nothing or as I typically do whatever strikes me as interesting at the moment I feel like painting. Deciding what to paint can’t be that hard, can it? Lucky for me it isn’t too hard (right now). I have two projects I want to complete this year. Fist I want to complete my WWII armies (for Flames of War). I’m working on two right now: Early War French and Mid/Late War Americans (this is one of the projects I was working on in late summer of last year). My other project (also spurred on my WD 346) is to round out my Warhammer Chaos (Warriors) army. I like the combination, it gives me two very different projects to focus on - allowing for a nice break when I get tried (or bored) with painting one type of figure.

OK, so now I have an organized workspace and I have a plan. What next? I still need to make a habit of painting. Here is the final key from the Jervis Johnson column: “Let’s face it, everyone can spare 2-3 hours a week to paint miniatures.“ Brilliant! This hits the nail on the head. Two to three hours a week; lets see if we assume the full 3 hours and divide by 7 days in a week we arrive at a mere 25.7 minutes a day - OK, round to 25 minutes. Now, that doesn’t seem to hard - drop the total hours to two and we are sitting at about 17 minutes per day. Hmm, this might not be too bad. So, now we need to set another goal. How many figures do we want to paint each week? Again borrowing form the WD article I picked 5 figures per week (at least as a starting point and assuming 28mm figures). So, now I have: An organized workspace, a plan and a goal…

I started to form my new painting habit on 1 February 2009 and can report that the 5 figures from week one are now complete (OK, they need a sealer coat, but I’ll do that when I finish the next 5). And now for a picture of painting output from week one:

I’ll post pictures each week; the pictures may not always be pretty, but they will show how my habit proceeds through the remainder of the year.

If you are not in the habit of painting (your miniatures) perhaps now is a good time to pick up a new habit. Come on, you know you need another battalion of …

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