The League of Augsburg

Swedish field gun and crew... not a common sight!

OK so perhaps I have taken this too far but I really enjoyed making snow for the 'Lund' period bases in the Scanian War project. For those non British-Scots (I think that's what we are now or is is Scoto- Brits?) the title of this post is a little play on Glaswegian.. SNO' FAIR is a version of it's no' fair or  it isnae fair meaning of course... it...

Barry Hilton - Sometimes when we painted something fine it is frustratingly lost amongst the welter of other figures placed in front of it. I long ago decided that height (within reason) could be a legitimate component of figure basing and have used some successful and admittedly not as successful attempts over the years.

Pirate command group atop the high ground Aharr!

The best way to approach it...

Determination in the face of the enemy

Barry Hilton - Personal preference I'll grant you, but I find lines of toy soldiers in the same pose, painted the same, spaced evenly and based unimaginatively as a bit of a lost opportunity. Basing is a very personal aspect of the hobby. Sometimes but less and less so, it is dictated by the restrictions of rules. That is perhaps which basing is such an...

A grenade explodes!

Barry Hilton - Things that have just happened are great for vignette pieces whether these are used for command bases or integral to a unit. I try as much as possible not to resort to heavy conversion work for several reasons;

If done quickly they can often look wrong. If too complex they can be fragile and thus your heart skips a beat every time someone picks them up or...

King James II is advised by his staff

Rear view shows added detail and perspective

Barry Hilton - I like as far as possible to tell a tale with a command vignette. Some of the most valued pieces in my collection are command vignettes. With just a little thought, nice sculpts, well painted, can really rise to a different level and become unique.

The secret is trying to position the models in the most...

WATER FEATURES

Badly sited guns? Boggy ground behind a battery 1709

Water is interesting on figure bases. Over the years I have messed about with it quite a lot. I have also been asked fairly often 'how do you do that?'

So here are some examples of water on bases. In order to achieve similar effects ensure you have sealed the portion of base designated to be 'wet'. Do this by applying a layer of...

Barry Hilton- For many years now I have attempted to steer as far away as possible from ranks of identical toy soldiers evenly spaced, and painted exactly the same. I agree that units of this type can look hugely attractive and were the inspiration for almost everyone of my generation to get into the hobby. I also accept that a cloying nostalgia exists for this retro look and that many people seem...