So It Begins - 2018!

Well, my holidays are over!  I took two weeks off for the Christmas and new years break.  Last week I took the kids down to Universal Studios in Hollywood.  We did Harry Potter Christmas (ran through this past weekend) which was awesome.  Hogsmead, butterbeer (hot is far superior to cold), rides, shopping at Olivanders and many other stores, and eating at the Three Broomsticks.  It is worth going there just for the Harry Potter part.  Some pictures below of Hogsmead during the day and night.  Almost every shop you can go in.  There are also spots to do "magic" (12 as I recall) if you buy a wand from Olivanders ...

Anyways ... back to wargaming!  I've been making steady progress.  Essentially everything I need is painted at this point and I've gone into basing mode for Waterloo.  I'll be running Waterloo next month at the DundraCon game convention.  Since the Guard Corps had the most gaps I started with it.  WIP and finished pictures below ... forgive the "phone" pictures ... I didn't have time to fancy up the pictures ...

First chunk of troops ... about 1/8th of what I have sitting
on top of the bar right now ...

Limbers for 6pdrs.

I use "Wallboard Joint Compound" (premixed plaster) to texture my bases - which also hides and blends the base from the miniature itself (I hate seeing the outlines of figure bases on bases).  I refer to this stage as gouping.  Next I hit the whole base with GW Rhinox hide.  I then do two drybrushes > one of GW Steel Legion Drab and lastly GW Zandri Dust.  Then I use static grass on the base, paint the edges of the base, and finally add tufts.  For larger bases I'll add rocks and sand after gouping but it isn't worth it for smaller bases as most of it gets covered up in the end.

Grenadier and Chasseur a Pied units (large at 48 models).

Guard cavalry units.

Guard horse artillery battery.

Guard horse artillery battery.

Guard horse artillery battery.

Finished 6pdr limber teams.

All completed limbers teams.

Grenadier a Cheval unit.

Empress Dragoons unit.

Guard Chasseur a Cheval unit.

Guard lancers.

Guard lancers.

Very happy with the results of these units and the guard corps is well underway.  Essentially my objective is to complete basing for one corps a week (there are six corps).  I also have a ton of extras in various stages of completion.  I've got 55 French casualties, and a mix of dead horses and cattle (about 10 models).  I need to complete the destroyed guns still ... always more to do!

As you can see below - which is just one side of the bar - I have lots left to do.

The good news is that the mat for Waterloo is nearing completion by the talented David S.  I'll snap pictures of that as soon as it arrives.

I hope 2018 is off to a great start for you all - I look forward to getting Waterloo completed within the next month and sharing pictures of the completed project.  I'll post more WIP stuff as I get things done so stay tuned!