An Option For Making Boxer Units ...
Hi folks ...
As Huzzah! 2012 draws ever closer, and the club game this year called "A Boxer Summer" is developing, with some folks working on some spectacular looking scenery, and the rules are being finalized as well.
The foreign Imperial powers have been accounted for by the clubs that are going to particpate, while a list of the intended Chinese units has been put up for folks to start signing up to help create. But, if you're like me, the Boxer Rebellion isn't something I've ever been fascinated with, and not sure how much I really want to get involved in this in the long run.
However, I'm looking to support the club event and paint up some Boxers!
The units needed for the game are almost all going to be in units of 20 figures, like 20 Boxer Spears/polearms, 20 Boxer Swords, etc. It is most likely that I'll be buying my figures from Redoubt Enterprises, because both Spears/polearms and Swords can be bought in bunches of 10. I was thinking it could be neat to have 10 of each, and that way in the future, if I never buy another Boxer figure again, I'd still have a mixture of figures that could be used for fantasy or even small skirmish gaming somewhere along the way.
I'm wondering if there was another person who might like to do something like this ... we each paint up 10 spears and 10 swords. Then when we get to Huzzah!, one of us uses 20 spears, while the other person uses 20 swords, but we each get to still paint up some of each.
> > > > > > Is there someone else out there that might like to do this with me? < < < < < <
(I'm likely going to be picking up 10 Boxer rifles, and five 2 man Boxer Jingal rifles to create a unit of 20 Boxer gunners as well, and this, along with the 10 spearsmen and 10 swordsmen will make up the 40 figures I intend to do for Huzzah! 2012.)
The units that we have named Boxer Swords are units that are capable of close combat only. If someone wants to paint up twenty figures with a variety of hand weapons - not limited to just swords - that would be perfectly historical and perfectly accurate.
Additionally, I would add that if some had ten boxer spearmen and fleshed the unit out with a few one-off figures it could function as a complete spear unit as long as people on both sides clearly understood the designation.
Jim
Yep, unless there's someone interested in what I'm offering, then I'll be counting my 20 melee infantry as Boxer Swords or Polearms depending on what is needed most. Count me as Swords for now, yet I can switch easily if needed and designate such.
Besides the 10 swords, 10 polearms/spear, 10 rifles, and 10 jingal rifles, I'll be picking up a boxer drummer and leader as well.
Also, Redoubt has some neat looking Kansu figures. They come in sets of 6 with 2 swords, 2 polearms, and 2 rifles each. Three of those would be a mixed unit of 18, plus I could throw in the drummer and leader from the Boxers above for another unit of 20. Not sure, I'm going to pick those up yet, but I see there's a Kansu arm of the Chinese forces being planned, so if I decide to pick those up for a 3rd unit, can we do that as a mixed unit, or would we just count them as another melee?
Placed my order with Redoubt Enterprises today.
10 Swords
10 Polearms/Spears
10 Rifles
2 single Jingals
4 paired Jingals
18 Kansu Braves (6 swords, 6 polearms, 6 rifles)
1 drummer
1 leader w/sword & horn
Hoping to get these asap, and really looking forward to painting them.
I've read that Redoubt is a small outfit, and they tend to be slow in getting out the orders, plus mailing from England can take some time. Hoping 4 weeks at most, so I have 6 weeks to paint these up. I'll be focusing on the swords, polearms/spears, rifles and jingals first, and this will provide 2 units of 20 ... Boxer Swords and Boxer Rifles.
If I have time, then painting will be done on the Kansu Braves. They can be used as back up for whatever else we might need, counting as swords, spears, or rifles, or even a mixed group if that works. They have a different and more uniformed look to them than the look of a regular Boxer unit, so they seem likely to paint up relatively quickly, but we'll see what happens.
Sounds great GP. Good luck on the "quick painting". I have had that thought in the past and it has never seemed to have worked out.
Sounds great GP. Good luck on the "quick painting". I have had that thought in the past and it has never seemed to have worked out.
-jimflanagan
Amen to that, brother!!
Ah yes the "Mythical" quick paint job. I've only managed it once. I remember it quite clearly, sure they had paint on them and they did make it to the field of battle but it required a sacrifice and ..well they looked bad.
Now I'm not saying that I'm a great painter and it was beneath me, just that I could do better.Like anything else everyone has their own level of skill. I'd never want to criticize someone else for doing their best. I can however be critical of my work, its the old if its worth doing do it right thing.
That's my problem with the quick paint job I get the basic colors done but feel that more would be better. Then that bit of detail that with a bit more time you could paint and before I know it the "quick" is gone.
My 1\1200 Napoleonic fleets are good example I was going to paint a nice flag ship for each fleet and whip the rest out quickly right. All twenty will be done in time hopefully my lifetime.
My hats off to you Ken I couldn't paint professionally the stress would kill it for me.
Wayne
I've got giants deflating my perhaps overly optimistic attitude ... lol.
My focus will be on the first 40, and we'll see what happens beyond that. Maybe I'll do the 18 Kansu Braves, muscian, and leader first, along with the 20 Boxer rifles/jingals, just so we ahve some of those Kansus on the table to represent them. That means I'd leave the other 20 Boxer infantry for only if I have the time.
Its been almost 10 business days since I ordered them, so hopefully another 2 weeks to go before they arrive, and then I can start them!
Let me apologize. I do not wish to deflate or diminish your quick painting goal. It can be done as I'm sure others will attest to. In fact, somewhere on this forum there is a thread about a whole lot of Gauls being painted in a short time for the Sabis battle. It just hasn't worked out that way for me.
Like Wayne, I do not criticize anybody's work. Usually because I like everything I see. But more importantly, they took the time to paint the figures. My pet peeve is unpainted miniatures being used for a game. I've seen it done...in a tournament no less (40K). It makes me shudder.
As for painting professionally, it helps to have patient clients. Most of those I paint for I have painted for before and they know what to expect. It's usually the new clients that make me nervous.
So, Mr. GP, go for it!!. Update us with your figures and your painting progress. It will motivate us slower folks to get in gear and get our troops done. Sadly, I have not even started on mine.
Ken
Not offended. Don't know how many I'll get done. Hopefully enough time to get done at least 40 of the 60 ordered.
Most of the unpainted figures I see are 40K or WFB. Although sometimes it youths or newer folks to the historical side of the hobby, and the latter two I don't want to discourage them as they grow into the hobby a bit.
The worst part for me looking at those Boxers and the time between now and Huzzah! 2012, is that I seem to be a relatively slow painter anyway, so I really got my work cut out for me when those figure arrive. I'll keep you posted. : )
Tell you what If you get them in time I'll paint up a unit of twenty for you. So far I've avoided getting over committed but my games are ready and the terrain I took home should be done this weekend.
Right now its 10 Siege ladders a Boxer unit would be a bit more of a contribution.
Wayne
Fire6 ... saw the terrain you were working on last weekend and that looked good. Might take you up on having you do 20 of the Boxers when they arrive. It will be four weeks next Monday so hopefully they'll arrive then, or shortly there after, but we'll see.
Today is the end of 4 weeks since I ordered from Redoubt, and time has flown past rapidly.
So hopefully they'll get here any day now based on what I've seen is typical for receiving them from England to the States.
Five weeks since placing the order. Might need to look into this, and see whats up. Starting to get pressed for time to paint these guys.
It's been a week and a day since I ordered my Boxers from Old Glory in Georgia.
Bob
Yeah I'm getting nervous about time constraints also gamespoet. I also ordered from redoubt. I only put my order in a week a go so. I'm hoping that I will get faster service.
I don't know if anyone has tried e-mailing redoubt and telling them what a time bind we are in. They might like to get their figs noticed at our big game??
Planning to send an email 3/30/12, and will mention it.
Cahcoo!
Boxers from Redoubt Enterprises arrived Saturday. Just a couple days shy of 6 weeks delivery, but with a small note apolgizing for the delay. I'd read 4 to 6 weeks with 4 being common, 6 if they needed to cast something.
I really like the distribution of the regular figures! None of the swords (10), polearms (10), nor rifles (10) were the same. Two of the halberd like weapons seemed to have broken in transit, yet there was a spearman without the spear point and a whole new spear thrown in, of which I can remove the spear point and affix it to the figure, so thats good.
Also, I ordered 4 teams of 2 jingals and expected these would be the same and they are, but the other two runnning jingals are different and this makes me wonder how many others of those might have been possible.
Overall, quite pleased with the figures!
Ok ... going to wash, rinse, and dry them just in case. It will be on to basecoating them, and then starting with the Kansu warriors first, to see if those can be completed asap.
Then it will be on to all of the gunners. Also, enjoy painting enough that I'll need to weigh whether or not I'm going do the polearms and swords, or instead give them to Wayne when I get up that way for the next playtest or scenery day, which ever comes first. Going to measure how I'm doing in the next week or two on the first 40, and decide quickly.
