Introduction

Hello, and welcome to my first attempt at a blog.  I was looking for a way to conveniently share some of my paintwork and modelling, with friends and customers, and this seemed as good a way as any!

Background - if you're interested! - I've been a modelmaker and wargamer for about 35 years, and have been painting miniatures professionally for the last five years or so on a part-time basis.

Over the years, I've painted and gamed in a number of periods and scales; starting (like most people of my generation) with plastic 1/72 world war 2 figures, then moved into 25mm Napoleonics and ancients.  Advertisements in wargaming magazines led me to Citadel miniatures and the world of fantasy gaming.  Like most wargamers, all it took was a good film or documentary on television, or an interesting library book, to take me off to a new period.  Similarly, a visit to wargames show, or a good review in  magazine, would have the same effect.

'Zulu' drew me into Colonial wargaming, 'M.A.S.H.' into the Korean war, and 'Apocalypse Now' into Vietnam.  Watching Charlton Heston as Ben Hur, or Richard Burton as Alexander, would send me on a journey into ancient wargaming.  Mr Heston in 'El Cid' did the same thing for medieval gaming.

Economics dictated that most of these forays were in plastic, as 25mm miniatures were beyond my reach (for the most part), and the smaller scales (15mm and 6mm in those days) didn't give me the 'feel' I wanted.  I painted my way through almost everything Esci, Nitto, and Airfix could throw at me - and literally everything Matchbox did - through the 1980s.

Fantasy and science fiction gaming, mostly with Games Workshop products, occupied most of the 90s.  As my budget increased, and the availability of excellent plastic miniatures increased with it, I drifted away from the old stalwart of 1/72 WW2.

Spool on to the 21st century, and I became increasingly aware of just how good historical miniatures in 28mm had got.  This sparked my interest in historical gaming all over again, and this renaissance was accelerated by the frequent release of more and more 28mm plastic miniatures from the likes of Warlord, Perry, Victrix, Wargames Factory and more recently FireForge.

I'd always preferred plastic wherever possible, as I was also a plastic modeller and enjoyed building / converting miniatures and vehicles as much as painting them.  My growing son's interest in Dad's modelling and painting activities soon had me 'at it' almost daily - filling the house with Space Marines, Lizard Men, Demons and just about anything else the talented GW boys could come up with.  It was around this time that I began painting miniatures for sale, rather than to keep and game with.  Applying 30 years of experience into financing new armies.

Gradually, I introduced my son to historical gaming - and the national curriculum led him to a period of primary school study of WW2.  Out came my old 1/72 WW2 stuff, and that was soon being added to.  Likewise, Warlord's Bolt Action 28mm miniatures began to appear on the workbench.  Looking for ways to add more variety to my son's Warhammer armies, I began assembling Perry and Fireforge plastic 28mm miniatures too.

And so up to date.  In between my normal 9-to-5 for a household name in the world of IT, and continuing to paint GW bits and pieces alongside my son, I have now been painting miniatures for sale (either speculatively through eBay, or on commission basis) for a few years, and have begun to see interest rising.  Hence this blog, a way to engage with potential customers, showcase a few miniatures, and blather on at great length about wargaming and modelling!

If you've read this far, well done - and don't worry, most of what follows will be pictures... :)