(with apologies to the late Messrs Bentine, Milligan, Secombe and Sellers)
I seem to have contracted the dreaded lurgy. I'm not feeling bad enough to just lie there and groan (so it's definitely not man-flu), but not well enough to really feel like getting on with anything much. Add to that the mucky weather, the dark, and this 13th November being the 16th anniversary of the still-birth of our first child, and you'll understand that I really don't feel all that great today.
I've perked up a bit since I ate my tea, so I'm doing a spot of 'what shall I paint next?' planning. Romans are next - it's their turn. Still to do are (a) a unit of 16 legionaries; (b) a unit of 24 auxilia; (c) a unit of 16 auxilia (for which I'm also going to paint up a few cavalry with the same design of shield, so I can use them as a 'cohors equitata); (d) a unit of 15 'light' auxiliary cavalry.
The light cavalry are out for now - too much like hard work, as I've got six old figures to strip the paint from, and all the 'African' heads to remove and replace with European ones. Other than that, I am spoilt for choice, as to which unit to do and which shield design to use. The legionaries will use the 'bog-standard' red design - as on the banner picture at the top of this page. The auxiliary infantry though, are a mite tougher - I've got two lovely LBMS designs to choose from - one for the big cohort and one for the cohors equitata: blue (link here) or yellow (link here). Which shall I use for which? I really can't decide! Maybe I should do the (last?) unit of legionaries while I'm still undecided!
I am about to get 'stuck' with Sassanid infantry. I've heard nothing from Hicksy regarding him making the shields (i.e. when he can do them, and whether I've supplied enough reference material) - he probably got locked up by the Belgian police for having a dodgy Mexican moustache when he went over for Crisis! Without the shields, I'm not going to want to paint a whole lot more. But I've still got some archers to paint, and a couple more jumbos, and some more Savaran heavy cavalry, and some Iranian light cavalry... Okay, okay, so I'm not stuck with Sassanids at all yet really!
I'm thinking about the next project. Late Romans, or post-Roman Britain, or Republican Rome versus Pyrrhus? Or Napoleonics? Or ECW? Or...? I see Renegade have got a Christmas Special Offer on for regiments - 49p per figure isn't bad at all, so I'm half tempted to get some of their Republican Romans. But how big are the figures? If I end up using Aventine's (forthcoming?) Epirote range as the opposition, will the Renegade stuff dwarf them?