On the agenda today............

Now that all of the Punic War figures have been painted (http://olicanalad.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/punic-wars-figures-painted.html) I am casting my mind to what I want to do next. Surprisingly perhaps, or perhaps not, I am not going to embark on a new project. Instead I am going reduce my lead pile and revamp some old collections and finish some non-projects. I'm not going to tackle any of them start to finish. Instead, over the next two or three years, I'm going to swap from one to another as the mood and scenarios take me.

First lead pile. This is my WWII non-project. Things for the Desert November 1941 - January 1942.

This 15mm scale collection, which is short the Italians at present, was supposed to fill the times when I am bored of painting 28mm men. I've painted about 60 packs since this photo was taken. Unfortunately, I've added at least another 60.

The second lead pile. Italian War collection additions.

Until Christmas last, when a kind relative gave me 100 new TAG Italian figures, this pile was almost exclusively purchased from ebay. There are about 450 figures here. They are mainly Italian pike, and arquebusier and crossbowmen of various types. To this pile I will add about another 50 cavalry (mainly light) and another 250 or so pike.

The third lead pile. 1:144 World War I aircraft and 1:600 gallies. Another non-project (WWI) and some fleet additions. 

45 models all told. The aircraft have been sat in a box for over 5 years. It's time I did something about them. 

The fourth lead pile. Seven Years War collection additions.

Like the Italian Wars stuff, this lot was obtained from ebay over the last 5 or 6 years. They are Foundry with some Front Rank. Initially I was collecting stuff to build my existing infantry units up from 16 to 24 man units - keeping army size the same. I went a little mad. There are about 700 infantry and 125 cavalry here; to which, to balance up the armies (Prussia, Russia, Austria) I need to purchase another 150 infantry 10 guns, and 72 cavalry.

Of all the piles, this is the one I'm most looking forward to tackling. This is partly because, at first, I will be adding to existing units (I only need to paint 8 figures to get a unit of 24). But, mostly I'm looking forward to reducing this pile because I have a hankering for some big horse and musket battles.

I'll tackle the Prussians and Russians first. The infantry figures I still need to purchase are entirely Austrian. I wonder if Austrians don't appear much on ebay because I miss them; because people always paint the Austrians they buy; or because people don't buy Austrians so have none to sell - one to ponder.

This morning, in a rare spare moment, I spray undercoated 16 Prussian infantry and hand undercoated (in Humbrol 225) 12 Panzer tanks. We are underway!!!!!