I'm not dead, but I am done with school, for good! Yay! Since graduation the job searching has begun in earnest, eating up a lot of my time. I have been able to do a little bit of painting, though, and I decided to get started on the little skirmish project I've been hinting at in previous posts.
I begin my little side project here with the two main characters from one of my favorite fiction book series[es?]: Major Richard Sharpe and Sergeant Patrick Harper.
(Remember to click on the pictures for bigger versions.)
The pictures turned out kind of dodgy tonight, making it a bit hard to make out details like Harper's sergeant's chevrons, but oh well. Both figures are 1/72 Revell British Riflemen, each heavily modified. Sharpe has had a head swap with a Italeri French marshal and a 1796 Heavy Cavalry sword and scabbard made from plasticard. Harper's head was turned 90 degrees to look forward, and his Baker rifle was converted into a seven-barrelled Nock gun with thin strips of sprue. Both are individually based on US pennies.
Harper I've had done for a while now, but this is the second Sharpe I've finished to date. The first I had completely painted earlier this week before I F-ed up the matte varnish and ruined it--coating him in big white, opaque blobs of dried varnish--which pissed me off considerably and kept me away from the painting bench for a day or two. I started over again with a completely new figure, but I'm still not 100% happy with the "round two" Sharpe. Oh well, I ain't doing another one!
I have a bunch more figures that I'm planning on basing up individually for my skirmish project. I'm planning on using Pulp Alley for my ruleset; not really designed for the Napoleonic era, but I really like the story-telling element that has been incorporated into the game play of Pulp Alley and I think that would be a good match for skirmishes between literary heroes and villains. Expect me to round out my British league first, then on to the dastardly French, then some Spanish civilians.
Coming soon: more of my skirmish project for right now, but I'm still pecking away at my big battalions too... I have a French command stand nearly done, and a few more ready to go as well. I've also got a few ideas for some terrain pieces.
Questions, comments and criticisms are always welcomed and appreciated. Thanks for looking!
-Chuck
