Its been a while,but....

Its been a while since my last post,and for some reason I have one postee [if there is such a word] I can only assume I'm doing something wrong on Blogger,anyway.
I've painted my first infantry unit of Romagnol pike and crossbows,using Perry Miniatures.
Due to a hundred and one other things I haven't finished their bases yet,but what the heck.
The Perry plastics took a different way to paint in that I used a watered down black undercoat,in order to see the detail better.

They are also more delicate than metal figures and need a steady hand to do them justice.I don't think I have that anymore,but I think they are neat,as in tidy. Originally I was going to matt varnish them,but after some milky effects on a command base,I opted for the old shiny finish.
I do like the figures,although the lack of heft does throw me a little. I have commissioned some heavier plastic bases,which should help a bit,plus I have scattered some metal figures in among the unit.

 No Papal Army,should be without a train full of cardinals and priests,so I had to do a few,just to encourage the troops.

 I love this figure from the Perry Twins, they obviously were inspired by the renaissance paintings that show various types of Italian commander.

The flags are from the excellent Pete Smith of PETE'S FLAGS fame. Check him out, he also is on Ebay.
Hopefully I will publish my army list on my next posting,so that my postee [singular] can read it.

Derby Wargames show,and the start of the project.

Well today,John and I trekked south to the Derby World Championships.
It didn't seem that tedious,but then we haven't been for a couple of years.
The venue had changed to Donnington Park,which was very easy to find off the M1.
The actual venue is best described as cavernous,and you could probably fit a Zepplin in it, if you had one spare.
The parking was fine,and its free,take note Sheffield.
The cafe did a brisk trade although tea,weighed in at £1.50 a cup. The food looked ok.
There was a lot of trade [80] this time,with a wide cross section of traders.
Most importantly Dave Thomas was there with the first part of my Borgia Italian army, minus a couple of bits,ie no Stradiot troopers! Still what I bought was very very nice,and I cant wait to paint them which is always a good sign.
Its very easy to part with cash when the figures are of a very high standard.
I nearly succumbed to the Perry Carrocio, but units are what I really need.So I am aiming for a unit of Italian sword and buckler men, two pike blocks,two arquebusier blocks and some heavy cavalry.
I also bought the mounted commands,as I find if I paint them up first they inspire me for the more mundane units.
I promised a list for the army and I will publish one next time,so at least I can record my intentions,usually however I exceed what I planned,but hey ho.
Getting back to the Derrby show,the games were of a high standard overall,my favourite being a 28mm
Napoleonic peninsular game. That said, there was a very fine second world war game in 28mm.
So overall I liked the show, the venue was noisy due to a motorcycle rally,but it is Donnington. The venue does look like a factory unit,but overall I enjoyed the show.

Anyway back to the painting grindstone, and roll on my first figures..