Ladies and gentleman, start your (painting) engines...

Yes, it is that time of year again. By my watch, it should be about midnight in Regina, Canada on the 5th December just around ..... now. Which means that the Fifth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challlenge should be well and truly under way in the home of one Mr Curt Campbell Esq., and indeed throughout the world and known universe.

I'm able to record this fact becuase I am already up, dressed and ready. Sadly, not for ready painting duties... Today is the first day of my daughter's new swimming schedule at her local swimming club, which means that I'm required to get up at just before 5am and take her to the pool, then wait around with other similarly bleary-eyed parents for an hour or so. Hertfordshire, England at 5am is as bleak as just about any other place at 5am - at least in my book.

Anyway... on to happier thoughts. When I eventually get to my painting table tonight, I'll know that I'm joining a great many friends in the Painting Challenge for three months of fun and mayhem as we each strive to reach our personal painting targets. So this seems like a great time to say "good luck" and "bonne chance" to everyone taking part, and indeed everyone who stumble across this post - and especially anyone doing so at 5am in the morning, wherever you are.

As an introduction, here's some painting I (almost, bar the final groundwork) finished in November. There's a couple of 28mm snipers from First Corps' Great war range, and a ruined battery of French 75s comprising Old Glory French casualties and Scarab guns.

I really struggled to find information about French snipers of the Great War. There seems to be little reference to them in the English language books I have on First World War sniping, but I doubt that's the end of the story. There's also no 28mm figures which I've found of a French sniper, which is a great shame. There's a vacancy there in some figure ranges for anyone interested!

The damaged battery of 75mm field guns was something I'd thought about for a while. I've yet to finish off the groundwork, but the figures came together quite well with the artillery - although, for the purist, I am sure the figures are noticeable as infantrymen and not artillerists. It's no surprise that there seems to be no figure manufacturer making artillery casualties, so I had to make do with the terrific Old Glory French casualty models for the wounded and fallen crew. The models of the artillery guns are from Scarab, albeit damaged and broken by me. I can promise you that, intact and painted, the Scarab models do liik very nice indeed, and fit very well with the purpose designed Scarab artillery crews.

On a final note, this Saturday is Dragonmeet in London, held this year at the Ibis Hotel Earls Court & ILEC Convention Centre.

For anyone with a few hours to spare on Saturday, I can very strongly recommend Dragonmeet as a roleplaying convention which any wargamer would enjoy. The quality of traders and speakers is very high indeed, and I've enjoyed it greatly whenever I've attended.

I shall be heading there in the afternon to collect my copies of Pelegrane Press' new "Dreamhounds of Paris" and "Le Livre de Fourmis", and hopefully getting them signed by their well known author (and all round gentleman) Robin D Laws. Hopefully more on the Dragonmeet show in the next blog post.

And, until next time, I need to find some coffee and recover, slowly!