What's on your workbench?

[Shahbahraz]

I think the idea of not graining the wood on the musket is spot on, it wouldn't be visible, but I've grown fond of the way it looks, so it's more a stylistic choice. I'm working on some samples for tartan too, that are more believable than some of the highly coloured examples you sometimes see. There's a variant of the hideously bright yellow and black that I have seen a few times and just doesn't look right.

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

Wood grain - fair enough, your figs/your rules.

Tartans - I know what you mean, I think gamers use too bright colours, and black would have been rare as it was a difficult colour to produce in the 17th/18th Centuries. I also think there were clan tartans back then (just not called such) - most people know that modern clan tartans are (with a few military exceptions) Victorian in origin, but each clan had its own weaving mill, or was friendly with a bigger clan that did, and these would have produced 2-3 standard setts that would probably have distinguished that clan. They might possibly even have had variations for different septs - I'd be interested to know what you, Paul or Donald think about that.

[Shahbahraz]

There would be standard setts used by local weavers, and presumably local dyes in common use. I'm not sure what trade in dyes there would have been for example between west coast and east for example. Most would have been fairly local - and any trade dyes reserved for the laird and his tacksmen. I wouldn't expect ordinary warriors to have access to bright blues and reds for example.

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

No, indeed - they would all have been dull, muted colours (no matter how "fast" they remained when they were "worn in").

[Count Belisarius]

My workbench? Full of dwarves! All set for tomorrow!*





* apart from the ones I snuck in a couple of weeks ago...

[Shahbahraz]

And before I hit the dwarves, and as it is St Andrew's Day, the highlander has been joined by a compatriot from one of the lowland regiments. Both have had additional flesh highlights and inks applied. Bit of a disaster on the lowlander though, as the Vallejo military green came out a completely different colour when I started to work on highlights.
oh well.

[Buff Orpington]

Dwarves, Mr Frodo! 'Kin hundreds of the buggers.

[goat major]

Dwarves ! 7 of ‘em

[levied troop]

I’m not short of short stuff.

[Etranger]

Oooh, half a second, I'll get the little lads out...