Uh Oh! New Project (14)!

Latest unit completed for the Paraguayan War project is another Paraguayan infantry battalion and I think this will be my only unit completed for the June-it challenge (getting a unit painted in June)!

I actually painted about 90% of the figures in May, but have only just got them finished and photographed.  It’s not that I’ve been idle (honest), I’ve mainly been preparing other models in  the background!

This is my fourth Paraguayan infantry battalion and I wouldn’t be surprised if anyone thinks I’m just painting one or two figures, mixing in them in with some of the others and then taking some pictures – three of the four units are wearing red jackets and look very similar!

This unit is slightly different (really)!  For starters, there’s no flag/colour bearer!  The figure I’d originally intended using ended up as a spearman in another unit, so it just means I need to paint two colour bearers for the next (and also last) Paraguayan infantry battalion.  There is also a walking-wounded figure in this unit, representing the fact that, with  desperate odds facing them, the Paraguayans had to make use of everyone!  He’s painted like the rest, but he looks way too clean!  I’d considered muckying him up a bit, but then I’d really have to do that to everyone else (and I doubt my ability to make it look realistic) so I’ll just have to live with it!

Since we are lucky enough to have a static caravan/holiday home/country retreat/fortress of solitude/safe house/extra large dog kennel, I work my figure painting around the time I spend there and at home.  Home is good for doing scenery, tanks, washes and preparing and priming figures (usually in enamel, so God help me if I spill any on the carpet, I have been warned)!  The caravan is better for painting small batches of figures in acrylics!  This usually means I tend to finish figures in small groups spread across several weeks, whilst still having more prepped and ready to paint in the wings!  I’d rather just sit down and work through units in one go, but that wouldn’t leave me enough models to finish whenever the next Neglected Model monthly challenge comes along!  It also gives me the option of watching paint dry instead of watching World Cup football on the telly, only one of which I find entertaining (it’d be different if there was ice hockey or motorbike racing to watch)!  Method in the madness!