Krone Enterprises

Italians and Greeks - Command Teams

2012-01-23T20:47:00.000-05:00

I have returned from my vacation and after taking some time to get settled back into my routine I have been able to spend some time painting. I have been rotating between my Napoleonic painting project for Adepticon which can be seen on Guns of April and this project of completing my Italian/Greek army. The first up were my command teams, observer, and Unknown Hero base. I decided to get some completed miniatures up on the blog before I post a step by step. I am trying to speed up my painting process without sacrificing much detail but for me there is a noticeable difference between my best work and field-able armies. Personally, I enjoy the painting aspect of the hobby but let's face it I am painting these armies so I can play games. Enjoy the picture and more to come soon.

Italians and Greeks - Double the Fun

2011-12-09T09:46:00.004-05:00

I am reading through the latest Flames of War book, Burning Empires, and I am getting quite excited about building an Italian Fucilieri Battalion (Infantry Battalion). I like the idea of not knowing the types of troops that will show up from game to game since each platoon in the army has a random Motivation and Skill rating. This of course could go horribly wrong and knowing my dice luck this will become a very frustrating army to play. Of course no plan survives first contact with the enemy so I felt if I was going to spend all this time and energy building this army I wanted it to serve multiple functions.

The very next nation in the Burning Empires book is the Greeks and conveniently for me they wore similar uniforms and used much of the same equipment as the Italians. So I set to work and began to design two army lists that would share the miniatures and using the continental uniform paint scheme I could have one army serve two purposes. There are only a few changes that would make the Greeks stand out because many of the officers wore English uniforms. So other than swapping out the command stands I could concentrate on painting lots of infantry and gun teams that could serve as both Greeks and Italians. Here are the lists that I came up with:

Once the core of these armies is painted I can supplement each army by adding in the elements that are unique to their respective nation. The only concern I had making this decision is the historical accuracy of playing Italians in the desert because their continental green uniforms were exchanged for their lighter desert uniform. The added bonus is I can also play the Italians in Mid War and Late War depending on the situation. I am really quite excited about this project because it will give me an Axis and Ally in Early War as well as an Axis force in Mid War and an Ally in Late War.

Here is the paint scheme I am using which is also located on page 43 of Burning Empires. I added a few steps to bring out some of the details such as highlighting the uniform and helmet. This will give the miniature more depth on the table.

Prime black
Airbrush 888 Olive Grey
Drybrush uniform and puttees 850 Medium Olive
Paint flesh 955 Flat Flesh
Paint boots, belts 875 Beige Brown
Paint webbing 881 Yellow Green
Paint helmet 830 German Fieldgrey
Highlight helmet with 50/50 924 Russian Uniform and 830 German Fieldgrey
Wash with Devlan Mud or Brown Ink
Tankettes, guns - German Fieldgrey (830)

I began the long cleaning process and I am working on cleaning and assembling everything before I begin to paint. I want the army to look consistent and I am hoping the assembly line process of painting infantry will go faster than other methods I have tried.

I will update the spreadsheet will status notes as I complete various stages and when there is something worthy of photographs I will post them as well.

Happy holidays

American Civil War Campsite

2011-10-23T01:39:00.000-04:00

Several months ago I received a handful of tent sprues and a really nice campsite scene of some American Civil War soldiers. I spent a weekend painting up the collection and took some pictures. The nice thing about having this camp set is it allowed me to test paint the color scheme for my eventual Union army.

Take a look and enjoy.

The Guns of April Go Live

2011-10-22T23:22:00.001-04:00

My hobby time has been very limited these past few months. I began these projects with the full intention to complete my armies and give the members of this blog something entertaining and educational to read. Unfortunately, the trials and tribulations of life often take priority over our fun and my time since June has been no exception to that rule.

I recently moved into a new apartment and was able to turn the second bedroom into a hobby room. Within a few days I was contacted by a group of hobbyists who are embarking on a project for Adepticon 2012. The 200th anniversary of the Battle of Salamanca is next year and we have decided to put together a large Napoleonic game celebrating this event. 3 players will combine their efforts and take on the responsibility of the French and 2 players will field those insidious lobster backs (British). If you couldn't already tell I will be on the victorious French side.

In the coming months all of the participants will be posting their progress on a new Blog dedicated to the current and future projects of this wargaming group. Its called The Guns of April and in the future our plan is to create a new game and them to showcase each year during one of the evenings at Adepticon.

So, I will be posting my painting and modelling updates for this project on The Guns of April blog and will post friendly reminders here. I hope you enjoy.

http://gunsofapril.blogspot.com/

Brawner's Farm Black Powder game

2011-06-02T03:30:00.000-04:00

The historical gaming group that I play with about every two weeks hosted an American Civil War Black Powder game. We typically meet every other Friday in the basement of one our member's home and we play a wide range of time periods with the host providing the gaming table, scenery and miniatures. A truly amazing spectacle to behold and our favorite rules set is rapidly becoming Black Powder. It is simple to learn and we can host a game in the evening and have it finished in a few hours. We were surprised how different the games played from time period to time period and the rules reflected the tactics of the day very well.

Our Zulu War game was nerve-wracking as the Zulu's rushed the thin red line and every failed British order created chaos along the battle line. The American Revolution game we played consisted of a few volleys of musket fire followed by some effective bayonet charges. The American Civil War games we have played resulted in several short ranged firefights and only once the regiments were weakened were they pushed off the battlefield with cold, hard steel.

Wargames Illustrated published a new scenario for Black Powder called Brawner's Farm. We jumped at the opportunity to play the game and here are some pictures and thoughts about our experience.

The number of Confederate regiments and divisions considerably outnumbered the Union forces but the Rebel units were rated as small suffering some penalties in shooting and hand-to-combat. They were also easier to break compared to the standard sized Union regiments so all the players representing both sides felt confident beginning the game. The forces engaged quickly and it took some time for the Union divisions to form a battle line. This became a serious problem later in the game when the Union commanders failed some very crucial orders and the Confederate officers were exceptionally adept at rolling 6's to disorder Union regiments. This enabled a Confederate division to outflank the Union lines and threatened to roll up Billy Yank's right flank but the boys in blue retreated from the battlefield before this disaster could take place. The end result was a solid victory for the Confederacy but all the players agreed that the game needs to be replayed to see if the Union forces can hold the road. Enjoy the pictures.

Two Confederate Divisions march towards the surprised Union column

The Union army takes to the ditch along the road to form a battle line.

The Union army pours musket fire into the charging Confederates.

A textbook look at attacking in depth.

The Confederates take full advantage of their numbers and begin to envelope the thin Blue line.

Currently Away From My Desk

2011-05-31T04:35:00.000-04:00

My recent move and my current visit to see my fiancée has put a rapid halt to my hobby activities. I will have an update for everyone very soon because we recently played an American Civil War Black Powder game and one of the club members took some pictures. I am currently writing up the after action report in my down time during my visit to Vietnam so it should be posted shortly.

When I return home I will have some more information regarding our plans for our English Civil War gaming as well as our preparations to try out the new Hail Caesar rules. I look forward to bringing you some new photos and paints plans that I have been working on including my English Civil War cavalry and Ancient Germans.

Until next time.........

Warmachine and My Protectorate

2011-05-09T01:39:00.001-04:00

In my most recent travels to conventions I was have some in depth conversations with my co-workers and decided to take the plunge into a new army for Warmachine. I have always had a passion for witch-hunters, inquisitors, religious zealots, and fanatics so I couldn't think of a more suitable army than Protectorate. Having a familiarity with the game system and realizing that I am not ultra competitive with my miniature wargaming, I decided to take a common approach to collecting this army. I would buy and paint miniatures that are aesthetically pleasing and I would only make new purchases once the miniatures I own are painted.

That was the original game plan and it fell off the rails slightly since some friends of mine knew I was starting a new Warmachine army and gave me some models as gifts. I am trying to complete the miniatures I own before moving on to anymore new items and I thought I would share my progress so far. The miniatures are in progress and you will see how they clean up at the bottom. I let the miniatures sit for 2 days before I dullcote them and then I clean up most of the miniature with a simple highlight. The purpose of this army like so many other projects and to get them done rather quickly and get them playable. I am not trying to win any awards and I just want to be happy with some nice and clean painted miniatures.

Protectorate Paint Plan using the Paladin as an example. Each miniature will receive a paint plan so I can remember which paints I use for each type.

Front view of the Paladin.

Back view of the Paladin

Racks. Definitely some cool miniatures.

The Covenant side view.

The Covenant

Kreoss and his Crusader Warjack finished

Another pic of Kreoss and the Crusader

Prince Rupert's Brigade

2011-05-09T00:57:00.000-04:00

Well, for all 3-4 loyal fans that read my blog I missed last week. :) I was in the process of moving into my new home and needless to say all of my hobby equipment was lovingly packed away. I finally had a chance to unpack and pick up the brushes. I had a productive two weeks even though much of my time has been spent on other non-hobby related activities.

I cleaned and assembled 12 of Prince Rupert's Brigade and started laying down their basecoats. A rather simple photograph showing the progress to date. I also have another 8 handgunners for Wentworth's Tercio that are almost ready to be dipped. Enjoy.

Wentworth's Tercio

2011-04-25T02:17:00.000-04:00

Here is the finished product of Wentworth's Tercio. I have another 8 shot to complete and they are almost ready to be 'dipped'.

What you see in the pictures is merely the basecoat of colors, a hand painted 'dip' of Army Painted Dark Tone and a Testors Dullcote. I have not added any highlights but I did add a Vallejo Black Wash to the armor in an attempt to darken the metal.

I learned a few things that were brought to my attention from friends who are more knowledgeable than I when it comes to the English Civil War. I had painted the sashes on the officers in different colors (orange and green) only to find out that traditionally Royalist officers wore red sashes and Parliament officers wore orange. I was also told that black was a rich man's color because of the care needed and the amount of fading that would occur in sunlight. Finally, I painted a few soldiers with white sleeves and blue vests which I was reprimanded for and told that they didn't really wear vests like that unless I wanted to give them a leather jerkin. So, I made some changes to correct these issues on my miniatures and was forced to tactically 're-dip' those changed areas.

Wentworth's Pikes

Wentworth's Shot

Wentworth's Tercio

A note on basing:

I use the Gale Force 9 Econo-bases which are laser-cut masonite. They measure 40mm x 80mm which are the same size bases for Warhammer English Civil War and my friend who is painting the Parliamentary forces is basing his stuff on the same system. I paint all the miniatures on tongue depressors and once completed I super glue them to the masonite. The next step is to grab an old paint brush and some pumice and begin to texture the base. It takes several hours for pumice to dry so I usually work on this step before I go to bed and let it stand overnight. Once dry I paint the pumice with GW Scorched Brown and drybrush with GW Bleached Bone. The rims of the bases are painted with GW Calthan Brown and the green static grass and clump foliage is Gale Force 9. I left some room at the back of my base because I intend on making labels and the final thing I am missing is my banner which I will buy all of them at once from The Flag Dude when the units are painted.

ECW Paint Plan

2011-04-17T23:53:00.000-04:00

Here is my paint plan that I am using for my first Tercio. Once the miniature is base coated I hand paint the Army Painter Dark Tone all over the miniature. I wait 48 hours until the 'dip' is completely dry and then I apply 2-3 coats of Testors Dullcote before I base the miniatures. I am basing my army in a unique style using a 40mm x 80mm base placing 8 miniatures on each base. The length and width are the exact measurements for Warhammer English Civil War and I think they will work great because they will be easy to move around the battlefield. I currently have some completely done bases drying from their final sprays of dullcote so I will post pictures of them soon.

Little Wars 2011

2011-04-11T03:07:00.000-04:00

Greetings from Chicago, Illinois. I am currently on location at Little Wars which is a decently sized historical convention run by the HMGS Midwest. Even though I have not been home in over two weeks I have been diligently working on my ECW Royalist army. When I return next weekend I will have some photographs of my first unit of 24 pikemen and its compliment of two detachments of 8 handgunners.

I look forward to finally posting some pictures and continuing my army. I am not sure what to start next although I am thinking about alternating between the units of troops on foot and cavalry. That will keep me from getting frustrated with painting lots of the same thing over and over again and I really do not enjoy painting cavalry so it will break up the 'real' work.

In the meantime, here are some pictures that I took with my phone. These miniatures are base coated and the army painter 'dip' will be applied when I return home. Enjoy and the paint plan will be added over the next couple of weeks.

Adepticon 2011

2011-04-04T13:31:00.002-04:00

Adepticon 2011 has come to its conclusion and it looks like the show was bigger and better than ever before. Over 1500 attendees and a tremendous amount of podcast groups following all the hot action. I worked the show so I was unable to see most of the action but what I did see looked amazing and inspired me to paint, paint, paint. If you have never attended Adepticon and enjoy playing Warhammer, 40K, Warmachine, Hordes, Flames of War, Warhammer Ancients, Blood Bowl, Battlefleet Gothic, Maelfo, The Lord of the Rings, and a host of intro games then you would love the show. If competitive gaming isn't your idea of fun then they have a myriad of hobby and painting clinics being taught by some of the best hobbyists in North America. If you are looking for more coverage or videos following the weekends events check out the links attached to this post.

http://www.rankingshq.com/
http://www.flamesofwar.com
http://www.beastsofwar.com/
http://www.40kradio.com/
http://www.waaaghcast.net

I will be away for the next two weeks for work but I have brought my ECW army with me so when I return I should hopefully have lots of pictures for you guys.

Keep those brushes painting and until next week.

Krone Enterprises

Battle of Edgehill - 1642 - ECW

2011-03-27T22:47:00.001-04:00

Good evening and welcome to the first installment of the re-launched blog. My first project is to introduce my Royalist Army under the banner of King Charles I and their exploits at the Battle of Edgehill in 1642. A friend of mine is in the process of painting the Parliamentary forces and has a pretty awesome head start. Once my army is done we plan on using the Warhammer English Civil War rules until such a time that the Black Powder supplement is released.

Here is the army list that I plan on having painted and I intend on painting one unit at a time with the possibility of the some breaks into different time periods to keep me sane. This army list is based on the Warhammer English Civil War scenario located on the Yahoo! Group.

King Charles
5 Gentlemen Pensioners
Prince Rupert
Lord Wilmot
Sir Edward Verney (Royal Standard)

Sir Arthur Aston's Dragoons (10 Dragoons)
James Usher's Dragoons (10 Dragoons)
Prince Rupert's Brigade of Horse (24 Gallopers)
Byron's Brigade of Horse (6 Gallopers)
Lord Wilmot's Brigade of Horse (18 Gallopers)
Digby's Brigade of Horse (6 Gallopers)

Henry Wentworth's Tercio (16 pikes, 16 muskets)
Richard Fielding's Tercio (24 pikes, 24 muskets)
Charles Gerard's Tercio (20 pikes, 16 muskets)
Nicholas Byron's Tercio (36 poorly equipped men)
John Belasyse's Tercio (36 poorly equipped men)

Culverin
Saker
2x Falconet

Legge's Firelocks (8 firelocks)

Each regiment's uniform were colors subject to the requirements of their leader which is a blessing and a curse.I think the overall advantage to this time period is the lack of uniformity throughout the look of the army. It allows you to paint units different colors and keep the painting exciting rather than using the same color on every miniature. The problem is the overall look of the army and its color balance. I definitely have a conflict of interests with this portion of the project because although I like my units to be historically accurate I also really enjoy uniformity to a color palette. You can call this history vs. Hollywood and I have to admit that I will side with Hollywood more times than I would like to admit. All too often I review material and look at uniforms and either the miniatures will look to drab on the table or there are too many colors which would distract they eyes. There has to be a balance between what looks good on the table and represents the army properly.

My first unit is going to be Richard Fieldings Tercio and I will break up my projects based on each unit type. When it comes to the Tercios' I will maintain the same color palette for both the pikes and muskets. I will be using blue as the main uniform color for Richard Fieldings Tercio. This may not be 100% accurate to history but until I label each unit I can always change the name of the commanders.

My next post will contain some pictures as well as the paint plan for my first unit. Thanks and enjoy.

Krone

A new look and a new start

2011-03-20T17:35:00.007-04:00

Hello everyone. I wanted to apologize to anyone who enjoys reading blogs and have found my recent absence to be annoying and boring. After some practice with my camera and having a serious thought about what I want my blog to offer I have decided to start over from scratch. My blog and hobby lacked direction so I thought I could use this blog to keep me motivated to finish projects as well as catalog my paint plans. This will allow me to record which paints and techniques I use for each army so if I ever decide in the future to add more units it should be an easy task.

I welcome all of you to enjoy the future of my blog and I hope you will find it entertaining and helpful for any projects you wish to begin.

My focus will concentrate on the following armies and rule systems:

Flames of War
Germans (Early, Mid, Late)
Soviets (Mid, Late)
Hungarians (Mid, Late)
U.S. (Mid, Late)
British (Early, Mid, Late)
Vietnam (US and PAVN)

Black Powder and Lasalle
Napoleonic French (25mm)
Napoleonic Prussians (25mm)
ACW Union (25mm)

Warhammer Ancients and Hail Caesar
Ancient Germans (25mm)
Imperial Romans (25mm)
Ancient Greeks (25mm)

Warhammer English Civil War and Field of Glory
ECW Royalists (25mm)

Epic Armageddon
Dark Angels
Chaos Space Marines

Warmachine
Protectorate

I am sure I might have missed something but these projects alone will keep me plenty busy. You will find a pattern to my articles as I post them which will include paint plans as well as pictures showing all the details of the front and back of the miniatures and my methods to painting them.

I hope you enjoy the new blog and I look forward to hearing your comments.

Krone Enterprises