Thursday, September 15, 2011

Continental Command Figures Arrive!

I received a nice heavy box of castings today that are full of the new Fife & Drum infantry command for the Continentals (officer, standard bearer, NCO and drummer) and lots of inventory for the Guards and the Continental rank and file figures. I will post pictures within the next day or two and probably get some samples painted over the weekend.

If you look through the archives on this blog you can at least see the 'greens' for the new command figures (click link below):



We now have all the figures that one needs to start collecting regiments of Continentals. We also have lots of militia, British light infantry and British Guards Brigade figures as well.

In some unrelated news, I have discovered that my close up vision is not what it used to be and that a new eyeglass prescription is likely in my future and probably bifocals as well. I have been finding it harder and harder to paint things like eyes of late and noticed that reading was becoming a little difficult. So this evening I went to the local pharmacy and bought a pair of 1x reading glasses (for reading) and another pair of 1.5x glasses for my painting work. I tried out the new specs for a batch of Croats that I am currently painting (you know who you are) and low and behold, but I was now able to paint a decent pair of eyes using the new reading glasses.

As Stokes would say, "sigh".


8 comments:

  1. And now you know why I admired having you paint my Austrians!

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  2. Many years ago I was at a gaming convention and keep hearing about a beautifully painted unit on display at one of the dealer stands so I went to take a look at it.

    I squinted and the unit remained fuzzy . . . about all I could tell was that they were 15mm Napoleonics and that was it!

    I've had bifocals (with magnification) pretty much since then . . . and I use an Optivisor (magnifying headgear) to paint from even before the incident above . . . and now I only game with larger figures.


    -- Jeff

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  3. My sympathies - I was prescribed 1x last year for reading as well - same issue - optician says my eyes are fine it's the focussing muscle that goes as we get older.. my only comment would be to try as much as possible not to wear them - I find that the more I wear them, the more I need to wear them if you know what I mean... I think that muscle gets lazy if you let it get away with not having to work! :o)

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  4. I would definately have your eyes checked out properly. It's far too important to get wrong. I have worn glasses for years for driving and watching tv but a few months back I definately felt I needed reading glasses. Far too many hours spent these days working on the computer and straining the eyes. I tried the ones off the shelf in the local chemists and I really couldn't even focus so had it done properly at the optician. I asked for a monocle but this joke went down like a stone. I think the young girl must have thought I was a loon.

    Back to soldiers, I have just received my first delievery of French Mindens and I'm hugely impressed and v excited to start my new project.

    Regards,
    Guy

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  5. I also know the feeling. I had to get spec's few years back so I could keep painting.

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  6. Alte Fritz,

    The glasses are surely a big help. I gave up painting for a while because I found that I could't paint as I wanted to and became frustrated. Then a year or two later, I realized that I couldn't read the exams I supposed to be marking and sometimes had trouble with the blackboard! A trip to the optometrist and I realized that I was far sighted and really did need a prescription. Now I wear bifocals (what next I wonder) but I can read properly and can paint as I should. A simple, proper eye exam made a huge difference to my quality of life, you might want to have one yourself if those reading glasses made a difference.

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  7. I feel for you. I have bifocals, but I end up taking them off to paint! (25's, 15's, and 10's) One of life's many mysteries.

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  8. There comes a time in one's life when, complex WW2 rules no longer satisfy and one yearns for the days when gaming had more of a 'spark'. A large SYW collection and 'Old School' rules follow. Typically this coincides with the arrival of the first reading glasses! After a trip to my optician I now have reading glasses to wear over my contacts, or in extreme cases in front of my everyday glasses - (I'm to cheap for bifocals) I look a right loon but button hole lace is now once again a possibility.
    Mature Wargamers rejoice!

    David ('khaki08' in some places)

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