My Very Own Bagpuss

Thanks to TM Terrain or, more properly, Dave from TM Terrain for painting the figures you can see in the photographs below

As well as being a bit of a genius with polystyrene, MDF, resin and goodness knows what else he puts into his stylish terrain features and diorama projects, Dave also offers a figure painting service for wargamers, or anyone else for that matter that wants some figures painted!

Twenty four 'Firelocks' with officer and drummer

Like a lot of wargamers and figure collectors, I have my fair share of unpainted figures lying around in drawers, well one draw actually, the result of making a start on an army, or four, and never quite getting around to finishing them off! One such army for me is my Parliamentarian ECW army which I've had lying around, part painted, for literally years, since the 1980s in fact! I know, I can hardly believe it myself

Over the years I have added to it in a very piecemeal fashion, buying more figures, every now and again painting a few more, or paying someone else to do it for me, and the result is an army that is a) still in need of finishing and b) looks a bit 'hotchpotch', being a mixture of figures from a variety of manufacturers, painted and based by different people and in different styles. It's almost certainly completely unsaleable, a slight exaggeration perhaps, nevertheless, it is a longstanding project of mine and very close to my heart, despite its imperfections. By way of illustration, here are a few images of some of the other troops in the army

A unit of twelve 'Ironsides' absolutely armed to the teeth. These were bought off a certain auction site. All I did was repaint the base edges so that they matched the rest of the figures

The Green regiment of pike and shot from my army. You may be able to recognise figures from Hinchcliffe, Essex, Wargames Foundry and Bicorne all represented in this unit

A close-up of the pike block made up mainly of Hinchcliffe and Essex figures, simply and naively painted by yours truly. All I can say in my defense is a) I painted them in the 80s and b) my painting has improved since then. You may also notice that they have been re-based fairly recently to help give the army a little more coherence

One of the sub-units of musketeers, painted by a chap named Stephen Porter

A devoutly Puritan sergeant putting fire into the bellies of his men. Once again, the musketeers he accompanies and the rear rank of pike are the work of Stephen Porter

So, there you have it, a somewhat motley crew, as they so often would have been in real life of course. One of my 'ongoing projects' that I am determined to see through to the end and, with Dave's help, I might just do it. One day.....