Russian Line Grenadiers 1812

The Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge started a little over a week ago and I completed my first EVER unit of 28mm Napoleonics. These are part of a joint project with Ray and we are doing The Retreat from Moscow in 1812.  These are 1812 Russian Grenadiers, but they are wearing slightly out-of-date equipment. They still wear the 1808 pattern ‘stovepipe’ Shako with its enormous plume. From February 1811 regiments started being equipped with the new ‘Kiwer’ style shako with a much thinner Plume. Still, many had not received these before the French invasion in 1812 and some regiments didn’t fully change to the new regulation uniform until 1814. 

I monetized my channel and nobody noticed

A year ago I took the advice of a couple of well-respected YouTubers and decided to monetise my channel. I never expected to make much money but monetization enabled me to control when and where adverts would show in my videos, and even a degree of control over what type of adverts I wanted shown (or more accurately what I didn't want to appear). I have earned more than I expected and all of that revenue has returned to my hobby and the channel instead of going to 'the man' at YouTube.

Painting Together: The Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge

This week I am talking about the benefits of painting together to get projects finished.

Collaborative painting, whether that is sitting down with friends or taking part in a competition like the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, can boost productivity and keep the paint flowing. I have painted whole armies during previous challenges, sometimes two at a time! This year I'm tackling something new but I know that whatever I start will be finished by the end of the competition in mid-March.

 

Learning & Teaching New Rules

How do you learn a new set of rules, and more importantly how do you then teach it to a group of new players? 

You've found a great set of rules, perfect for that new project. But what is the best way to learn them? And once you have 'mastered' the rules, what is the best way to introduce them to a group of players? This week's talking point tries to address both questions.

 

The Secret Project Revealed!

Several months ago, I was planning to paint three armies for 1066. I'd purchased all the miniatures, started working on the army lists and basing options, and found a set of rules that I was excited to try. Then I had a call from Ray. "Fancy working on a collaborative project?" he asked. "What about the 1812 Retreat from Moscow?". Before the phone call had finished, I had already made my first online purchase. 

This is a period that I have wanted to do for a long time, but the idea of taking on the whole thing single-handed was daunting. I've never painted any Napoleonic figures before, and aside from fantasy figures for D&D or Frostgrave, I rarely paint anything in 28mm. So from the beginning, this was going to be a huge but exciting challenge. And of course, the best forum for a challenge of this nature is the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge which starts in a little under two weeks. 

I have taken on painting the Russians for this project, and so far I have purchased a mixture of North Star figures (from their Muskets & Tomahawks range) and of course from Perry Miniatures. Both Ray and I want to use Sharp Practice II for this project so unit sizes are small (8 figures per unit in most cases). That suits me just fine because I am moving outside my comfort zone where I normally paint 6mm or 15mm figures. 

Although we have not yet been able to get started on these armies, we have been able to get a lot of prep done before the Painting Challenge starts on the 21st of December. However, a significant portion of my army is currently in the hands of my wife, who is giving me the gift of Cossacks and Russian artillery this Christmas. 

And what has happened to my 1066 project? Well, the tree armies are mounted on sticks ready to be primed, but will now be completed after the Retreat from Moscow. I will complete them in time, but I can feel the chill wind of the Russian Steppe calling to me. I have to say, buying 28mm in large quantities for the first time in over thirty years has been quite a shock to the wallet! Three 6mm armies for 1066 have cost half what I have already spent on this new project, and there are still a couple of extra units like the Opolchenie Militia and Hussars that I haven't purchased yet. 

Hopefully, I can get the first figures for this completed quickly (I have some time off over Christmas, so I can get more painting time!) and of course, I will post updates here and on the Channel as the project comes together. 

No Video Today 😔

No video today I'm afraid. The gastrointestinal bug that I have had for the last three weeks has not gone away and if anything is making me feel even worse. I've managed to crawl into work this week because I had some training I couldn't get out of, but the end result has been crawling right into bed as soon as I got home.  So no painting, and certainly no writing or filming. I'm hoping I'll be back to normal soon (the Painting Challenge starts in just a couple of weeks) but I've been thinking that for a while. 

Instead, I have pulled this one from the back catalogue. I know some of you enjoy my videos on a Sunday (thank you) so hopefully this can fill the gap.

Keep an eye open on Wednesday for a special announcement. I'll be revealing the 'secret project' that I have been collaborating on with a friend of mine for a few months. No painting has happened yet, thats for the Painting Challenge, but a lot of technical details have been worked out between us. I'm itching to get started as this will be my first collab project and I'll be stepping outside of my comfort zone as you will see when all is revealed on Wednesday. 

Skirmish Wargaming vs Roleplaying Games

Are Skirmish Wargames and Roleplaying games with an element of combat just the same thing? Or are they two sides of a different coin?