French Foreign Legion: Pre-game photos from first FFL game (pg 2)

[FifteensAway]

...to dive into my French Foreign Legion collection that's been sitting waiting to get worked on for long enough to be embarrassing.  So, enough about that.

Washed all of the Bedouin, Touareg, and the Emir's force (leader over both contingents for going against the French, or maybe he is Abd El Kreb?).  The Bedouin foot are mostly painted, just needed to add some additional figures which are primed and ready to paint now.  Need to re-base the painted figures to put on the newly prepared sheet metal bases.  Most of the rest of the 'natives' need to get painted, lots of foot (mostly painted), plenty of cavalry, and a good portion of camelry.  The Emir gets the artillery and the camel train and a bit more.  Oh, a good portion of casualty figures included - will use to 'reconstitute' units when needed.

A substantial portion of the French are also painted but I still need to prep bases and wash the other figures to get them ready to be based and primed since there are a number of figures still to paint. 

Got a reminder why I dislike the old Minifigs strip 15s - they break way too easily, had to replace five figures out of only 24 to round out the infantry.  Got out the Dremel with cut off wheel to make it easier (absolutely critical using quality eye protection!!!).

I decided to use a different color of paint on the bottom of the bases than I normally use just to differentiate these figures for this specific collection.

Will, at least initially, be using Rank and File rules.

And to keep up the motivation to move this project along, I scheduled a game at a local convention for early-mid October.  So the pressure is on.

The 'interrupt' relates to I should be moving along with my AWI project and my Old West, too.  But I did commit to getting colonials on the table this year so not too far out in left field.

[Mad Guru]

Wow, FifteensAway, you are a busy man!!!  I'm a Legion fanboy, so this new/old project is very exciting to me and I look forward to seeing its progress and hopefully seeing it in action at your convention this Fall.

[Tom Dulski]

Pics?

[FifteensAway]

Pics?  Of course, but right now it is all a bit of a 'shambles' as I go through the basing process so not sure photos of that will be very enlightening.

And I should clarify - all of the currently painted items were acquired painted so not painted by me.

[FifteensAway]

Why a photo of just painted bases?  Not very interesting?  Well, not really.  But if you subtract the 20 bases closest on the right and know that the 41 just behind that are all for casualty figures - with the closest for opponents and the ones behind for French, the rest is all of the bases for the entire French force - which isn't all just legionnaires.  So, maybe a bit more interesting when you get a sense of the size of the collection.  And this is after a substantial downsizing!



This is a model of a Roman Mile fort - I think JR Miniatures - which I may use as an old and abandoned fort.  Maybe.



This is a much more important post, not Zinderneuf but Hinterpoof (when the game is over the fort goes 'poof' back into its box to return to the 'hinterlands' of storage). 



This little out in the open village might be the catalyst to get all this moving again, bought earlier this year at a hobby shop swap meet for a modest sum.  Likely this will be near my Fort Hinterpoof.  Going to need more fun names. 



This walled town will be the substantial urban center for the natives - maybe need to add in a souk with market stalls? - close to the larger French fortress.  Not happy with the paint job here, was a rush job for a game many years back so probably some significant rework at some point.



And, finally, Fort Purgatoire at Mahbub Ghali Mumis, sometimes this will be right on the coast and sometimes a bit further inland.  This is the main training base and headquarters for the Legion in this region.

Still need to dig out my oases and get them built (will take some inspiration from a project by LAF's own Digits).  Also need to figure out where I've stashed a nice collection of tents for the wandering natives to hang out in and the French to try and raid.  Also need to pull out and make ready for painting some 'naked' camels and perhaps a herd of goats.  Have plenty of palm trees (dates?) to get painted as well.

Not sure I will need all of this for the game in October but I hope to get much of it ready by then. 

And this evening I did get all those bases seen above prepped and popped all the figures that needed it off their 'wrong' bases and also cleaned the bottoms of the bases of the French figures so that all I need to do is wash them, glue to bases, and prime as needed or base the already painted figures. 

So, significant progress but a large camel dung load more to go! 

[Tom Dulski]

The town and fort both look great

[FifteensAway]

All bases are now prepped for all forces, all of the French side based and primed and ready to paint or already painted (300+ painted), all of the opponents bases ready and the forces washed (maybe 150 or so painted), just need to attack with file and x-acto knife to glue to bases for painting.  A major amount of work to go.

Oh, and I decided to add a small foot unit to the Emir's force and two standard 12 figure camel units.  I also allocated more casualty figures for the natives.  I will use casualty figures to effectively double the number of native figures by re-generating units during the game.

Once all painted, I will be able to field five forces for the French and five forces for their opponents.  Going to have to really push hard towards that October game date.   

Maybe get some photos of some of the painted stuff soon - but bases won't be textured yet.

[FifteensAway]

Err.  Phone issues, now resolved, delayed getting photos posted. 

Here is the only shot of stuff outside of project boxes:



And one shot of stuff in a box:



More images - all still in boxes - here:http://steeplechasingzebras.blogspot.com/p/french-foreign-legion.html

Lots of work to go but good progress - not so much today (meeting 5 month old great niece, a little cutie) and too hot and worse tomorrow plus another family event so probably Monday before significant progress gets made - if that day isn't too hot.

[FifteensAway]

More photos at the link above - the entire Berber and Emir force now ready for painting and the camels and command portion of the Touareg force are good to go, just need to finish their cavalry and foot forces.

Now that all of the camelry is primed and ready (that not already painted), that is going to be job one on the painting table.

Roughly 470 figures were already painted before getting started on pushing this collection towards gaming status.  A good start.  A lot of work yet to go.

[FifteensAway]

A photo showing all of the camels, mostly native but a French pack camel train in the lower right.



And another showing the last of the mounted troops to get primed, all Touareg.  Only need the foot figures for the Touareg and then it is all painting time until ready for game in October.

[Mad Guru]

Highly commendable progress!

Sorry to ask a potentially pointless question, but any chance the game you're prepping all this N. African goodness for in October will be at the HMGS-PSW Mini-Wars convention in Buena Park being held that month?

[FifteensAway]

Mad Guru - afraid it will not be traveling south this year though there is an odd chance it might reprise at a convention in November up in Auburn, CA run by Dave Partak from his new home all the way east in North Carolina.  Just keeping in contact with his California compadres, I guess.  Not certain but maybe as to running the game there.  The only gaming stuff I've done in Southern California is going shopping at Brookhurst Hobbies a few times while down on other business.  Who knows, maybe one day I'll make the jaunt to a convention down that way.

And here is what is hopefully the last unpainted posting here - unless I decide to post the oasis and the native tents before painting them.  I just have to find them but that is next on the agenda this evening after posting this.



This image shows the last of the natives to be primed, the six units of Touareg figures.  And the extra casualty figures will allow me, through reconstituting units using casualty figures, to treble the fighting strength units if needed/desired in a game.  This only counts for infantry, cavalry, and camelry, none of the other units - there is a full listing of the native troops at the blog through the link above.  Do have casualty figures for the other stuff - they just don't get to reconstitute (though I suppose I could if I wished).

Edit: I found the tents and two dozen Arab civilians and a half dozen pack camels eating/drinking (from Essex) to populate my oasis - which I'm still hunting for.  Will use my "Zanzibaris" from my Slightly Cracked Colonials for additional Arab civilians in the towns.  Also found my 8 dhows with crews (crews 'created' by me from standing casualty figures from Museum Miniatures) meant mostly for Sudan but I can adapt for further west in the Mediterranean (even if perhaps ahistorical).

[FifteensAway]

Some Work-In-Progress shots of my Oasis/Sand Dunes.



A blurry photo showing the nine pieces I worked on creating today.



Not being a fan of flat terrain, I made the pieces different levels: 3 'flat', 3 one level, and 3 two level.  This is one of the two level pieces.  The grass had just been glued in place so not yet trimmed.



The is the one level sand dune.



And the two level sand dune.  Not sure when I will add them but I'm pretty sure I will eventually add a few more sand dune pieces.



A shot showing some figures.

Still need to 'sand' the bases and maybe dry brush that a little when done, will dry brush all the trunks to make them look better, and - of course - need to add water into the two basins of the oasis.  See close up below.



Good progress today.  Much more to go.  Still need to paint A LOT of figures for the game in October. 

[juergen c. olk]

Your nailing it. Love your progress, terrain and buildings are perfect

[FifteensAway]

Thanks, Juergen.

MASSIVE DISTRACTION behind me now.  Hosted a swap meet style hobby focused yard sale yesterday with 14 other sellers, besides me, from around the region.  Went well.  All cleaned up and put away earlier.

So, today back hard on this project.  Cut out bases for 5 more sand dunes - 2 at 1 level, 2 at 2 level, and 1 at 3 level.  Also cut out bases for 8 tent camps, each camp will have one large tent and two smaller tents, 24 total tents with one obvious leader tent.  Also a base for a well (inspired by a project by LAF's own Digits - not a copy, just inspiration (also a scene from Lawrence of Arabia inspiring it).  And then 3 bases that will just be for grass as seen on bases above. 

Still TOO MUCH to get done but will adjust scenario to match to what I have available in time for the game.