Wednesday 6 January 2010

Developments and designs.

It's Twelfth Night and a slow-ish start to the new year here in St. Louis. A severe winter weather warning is going out on TV, with three-four inches of snow expected in pretty short order. It's nothing to get excised about but I'm not looking forward to driving in it. The way some people drive in good weather around these here parts doesn't exactly fill me with confidence!
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I'm still looking into options for publishing the Chronicles in paperback form. Obviously I want the book to be available to readers for a reasonable price. Finding a printer who will produce books without them costing an arm and a leg is proving tricky. However, I've a number of avenues to explore, and I'm sure the book will appear soon. In the meantime I'm pressing ahead with revisions and writing new material for Volume Two: The Heat of Battle. I even have a new source for photographs to go with the text. Watch this space...
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On the conventional wargaming front I expect to return to my painting desk from next week onwards. I have a regiment of dragoons and two artillery batteries to prep and paint. I'm going to make up a jar of Future/Klear polish with some sepia and black ink added for dipping purposes. Making it up in small doses then brushing it on is good but a little time-consuming, and the dip method has the advantages of consistency and handiness.
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I was sad to note the sudden and unexpected demise of the Blasthof Blog, a site dedicated to the originators of the Old School wargaming style. John Preece, one of the contributors stated it has been decided to wrap up the blog in its current form. I guess we can hope it'll reappear in another guise.

2 comments:

Martin said...

Hi A.J.!

Happy New Year to you and yours. Thanks for your efforts for the book version on behalf of those who aren't "tech-savvy". I'm looking forward to reading it.

As for driving in snow - just be sure your tires are properly inflated and have deep enough treads. If necessary, put some extra weight in the trunk (I recommend a bag of salt and sand), and a shovel to help dig out of any drifts and/or spread the salt.

Allow extra time for trips, and leave plenty of room between you and the vehicle in front. Most accidents occur at intersections and when someone wants to make a sudden turn, so be cautious and you should be okay. On a lighter note, if you make it though this winter, you will qualify for being a "Hivernant"!

I was sorry to see that the "Blasthof Blog" had such a short run. I really enjoyed it.

Good luck with the new troopies. Snap a few photos when the boys are ready for their first review.

A J said...

Hi Martin, a Happy New Year to you and yours too! =)

Thanks for the advice. I'll put it into practice. We have been snowed-in today, but no-one is going anywhere until tomorrow at the earliest. "Hivernant!" That's a splendid title!

I'll be sure to post pics of the painting process when I get down to working on the figures.