Verdun 105 (7) Miscellaneous update

A bit of slow and steady painting has been happening (in addition to the acquisition, reading and reviewing books), along with a bit of other miscellaneous preparation for 'having a go at Verdun'.

Figures

It doesn't look like much and the figures in the photo below look dark, 'cause they are! They have been undercoated, had basing material applied and their faces, packs and rifles painted (plus a bit more on some of the artillery and 2 mm figures). They should come along quickly now as I move to uniforms, helmets and then finishing touches.

Progressing: French canon de 155 Grande Puissance Filloux (GPF), canon de 105 mle 1913 Schneider and infantry in 1/72 scale (left & centre), plus an army in 2 mm at right.

These 210 mm Mörser 10s are all but completed, requiring only the red piping to the uniforms and red bands to the caps, plus perhaps a couple of touch-ups, and then varnish and plastidip.

Barbed wire

Thanks to a page on the website of Nikolas Lloyd (aka 'Lindybeige') I was introduced to the idea of using car repair mesh for barbed wire. This is easy to do and looks really convincing (to me at least). I am musing as to whether to darken the resulting 'wire' with a bit of a wash, or simply to leave it as is. I'll probably use it as is and then see what it looks like. The shiner finish will likely work better with figures on my western front mud terrain.

Car repair mesh to use as barbed wire, a fantastic idea c/- Nikolas Lloyd at lloydianaspects.

Some coils of barbed wire attached to bases/posts.

Assorted others

A few other things on the go along with this main focus on First World War figures, guns and wire (not to be confused with "Lawyers, guns and money"...) are some Austrians and Poles for Ottoman-Hapsburg wars (and others) of the late 16th and early 17th centuries and some animals and 'early humans' to use to have a go at a game of "Paleo diet: eat or be eaten'" with the grandkids in the coming holidays. These are all really close to completion (having received base-coat, basing and black-wash) and will be getting their finishing touches when I use the required colours on First World War and/or Napoleonic troops.

(At left) Mars figures of Sobieski's Poles and late 16th/early 17th C Austrians.

Figures, men and beasts for 'Paleo Diet'.