The Tactical Painter

It will. Worth the effort for the end result and you’ll have a fine terrain piece for years to come that you can use in game after game. A win in my book.

Take my money!

Now that I completely understand!

😂😂

Thanks. It wasn’t so much the time it took, it was keeping a steady hand and just enough paint on the brush for an even flow. Stuffed up a few bits at the first attempt, but then found a technique and rhythm which made it work.

This way madness lies. Painting tartan trousers on 28mm Perry plastic figures. They’re intended to be 72nd Seaforth Highlanders for the 2nd Afghan War. Now if someone would only come up with a tartan speed paint…..

Love the versatility of the 28mm Perry plastic sets. All of these were made using the AWI Continentals (except the mounted figure, he’s from their metal range).

I bought it at a bring & buy at a local show, it’s probably the same kit!

A new Jagdpanther to join the German tank park. This is a Revell 1/72 plastic kit and a nice little model. Moulded in black plastic for some reason, not the easiest colour to work with, but happy with the end result. The crew is from AB Figures.

It is. But then I’m biased. 😀

Toy for the new puppy. I think the appendage is supposed to be a tail, but it defaults to the front instead of the back. The unfortunate choice of colouring doesn’t help. I doubt the dog gets the joke….

Twilight of the Reich - Chain of Command at Cancon 2026

Here's a look back at the four participation games of a Konigsberg 1945 scenaro that I ran at Cancon in January. The game was in 20mm using Chain of Command. I've finally put together a blog post about how it all played out with plenty of pictures.
thetacticalpainter.blogspot.com/2026/02/twil...

Very nice, lots of character in each figure, so much so, as I was painting them I was having imaginary conversations in my head “by god, the natives are restless tonight” and other imperial cliches!

Yeah, I have too much invested in the minis I paint - not the money, but the time, the attention to detail and the creative process. I’ll never get back that true worth and who knows when a new project will arrive to which they are perfectly suited.

I’ve only ever sold one collection and regretted it a couple of years later, so don’t let go of anything now (at the same time I resist the temptation to keep on collecting too many new projects).

I’ve had these 28mm Foundry late Victorian figures in the pile for a while. Purchased with Sudan games in mind, as leaders or characters but also perhaps as something like a survey party or government officials in need of rescue. Lovely figures, many uses.

How I texture figure bases

While I've never thought it worthy of a blog post, I've had a few people enquire about how I do the basing for my figures. A couple of people on the Lead Adventure Forum suggested it would be something of interest to them and so, here it is.
thetacticalpainter.blogspot.com/2026/01/how-...

A year since our dog of 14 years passed away and Mrs TP has decided it’s time for a new dog. Much enthusiasm and a search and now we have a 6 week old rescue puppy. Lovely little dog, but clearly Mrs TP has forgotten how much work a puppy can be. Regrets? Perhaps not, but maybe second thoughts LOL.

Second day of running my CoC participation games at Cancon ended with a very tense struggle that finally went the way of the Russians. A plucky SU-76 found itself in a duel with a StuGIII and refused to go down easily. Until it did. Very entertaining and cinematic. Great stuff.

Congratulations. The best two miniatures you will ever have!

AFV markers for Chain of Command

Thanks. It’s made out of cushion stuffing sprayed with Tamiya Flat Earth. I use it to mark an AFV that has gone flat out so we remember it’s harder to hit in the following phase. More about it here thetacticalpainter.blogspot.com/2025/07/afv-...

Two good participation games of my CoC scenario in the Lard Zone at Cancon. Excellent games between like minded players in the spirit of Lardy games. Good to showcase 20mm, a scale that gets very little love at an event like this. Lots of nice compliments on the terrain too.

Pie and a pint dice towers for Cancon Lard Zone game organisers, courtesy of Battlefield Accessories. Very nice indeed, big thanks to @toofatlardies.bsky.social

Table all set up and ready to go for Cancon. A Chain of Command seven to set in 1945 Konigsberg, twilight of the Reich. Running four games over two days. No voice by Sunday!

Always good to have @toofatlardies.bsky.social in town and a good chance for a final playtest of my Chain of Command participation game for Cancon. Rich played Dave as I watched on. Dave proved a poor host, driving off Rich’s Russian in a hail of StG44 fire. A good game that just needs a few tweaks.

2025 - a gaming year in review

I didn't think 2025 had been a particularly productive year, but that's because I don't keep a log of what I've painted or played. So looking back to compile a retrospective ended up revealing I've done a lot more than I thought. thetacticalpainter.blogspot.com/2026/01/2025...

Sadly, the Academy passed me by that year…..

They don’t make war movies like they used to. Circa 1971 we made two. Shot on Super 8 by one of our friends. Sadly, the films haven’t survived, but a friend sent me this still yesterday, perhaps the last surviving element. That’s 12 year old me jumping down to knife the German sentry. What a hero!

Very tempting to collect myself, if only to enjoy the great paint schemes on those tanks. Very nicely done.

Well, that's a cracking start, some lovely looking models there!