Spring Planning

The Spring season is always a little tricky to predict. A lot depends on the weather  as good weather tends to mean that my presence is required outside, like it or not.

This year there has not been (Alas and Alack!) the distraction of preparing for Huzzah or coming back with new ideas but since I already have my eye on next year and plans for a first time outing of something. There was also a troublesome non-hobby obligation to discharge but that is settled (I think) and I'm ready to proceed.

On the plus side over the last 10 months I have, with help from others, carried out a big part of my clearing the decks so that the list of current scale/periods has shrunken despite a (for me) sizeable addition to my forces. The various tests and trials and the new pattern of life has also allowed me to sideline several collections for which I am not yet contemplating disposal (partly due to sentiment but mostly due to the low probability of finding a home for the figures). My collection is once again being broken into 3 parts. Lets call it Active Forces, Reserves and Pensioners.

ACTIVE FORCES. For the next few months I expect to be working mainly on 3 things:

1. The Elastolin  Gambit or the Land of the Four Winds. This is my medieval/fantasy project which will absorb almost all of my 40mm Elastolins from the Romans and Huns through Prince Valiant to the late medieval and early Renaissance on my Gathering of Hosts blog. The armies need a common basing system which will be Rough Wooing 60mm x 60mm elements and many of the figures could use a freshening of paint.

This occupies the same ground as the older 25mm version and I don't see much point in running both solo. The old 25's are one of the groups though that have sentimental value for me and not much for others. The units take up the same footprint as the 40's but way five times as much per stand but its always handy to have a 25mm  ancient or medieval army to hand and it won't take up much space to keep 3 or 4 smallish armies just in case. I'm not sure yet how I'm going to incorporate Prince Michael. I may be able to do it using the planned multifigure bases or I may need to keep a handful of singles with magnets.

2. Not Quite The Seven Years War. I don't expect much in the way of games but one at least. More to the point, I have new molds and I want to cast and paint some more of the figures for the sake of doing so.

The 1st 1/3 of a new Light Company patiently attending upon the rest.

3. Atlantica. There is still plenty of confusion in my mind over exactly where I want to take this but I want to keep moving forward. I anticipate using the grid and small units with a focus on smaller actions again and to focus very broadly on the late 19th and early 20th C periods with plenty of duplication of functionality in order to indulge in painting what appeals.  This overlaps with the 54mm Cyprus Hills collection which will fall back into Reserve for now.

RESERVE FORCES. These  are the other active collections. They could all use some work which I don't intend to do in the next few months but do intend to do over the next few years. They are all capable of being put on the table at a moment's notice if I get the urge and one never really knows when the urge will strike.

1. Rough Wooing.  16thC English vs Franco-Scots.
2. ACW. 1/72nd ACW
3. War of 1812. The Portable or Gridded 40mm Version.
4. Cypress Hills  54mm vintage Britain's Toy Soldiers

PENSIONERS. These all need work which I don't intend to do in the foreseeable future. I don't plan to play with them any time soon but I could do so and might. In short I'm not yet ready to get rid of them.

1. The Ancient Ones.  My remaining 25mm  ancient/medieval/fantasy armies recruited primarily from Scots, English, Sassanids and Steppe tribes.
2. 1759. 30mm 1759 Quebec plus miscellaneous friends.
3. NkhuKhuland  54mm Plastic and metal Colonials.
4. RCW & NYW. 1/72nd Russian Civil War and Fictional Colonial
5. Modern (sic)  1/72nd 1960's fictional.