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Wednesday, October 9, 2013

If you see a head, hit it! Irish, Pt 2.

This delightful quote was Brig. General Michael Lawler's favorite Tipperary saying, which explains his decision to lead 4 Union regiments in an assault on rebel entrenchments at Vicksburg.  Charging entrenchments was a recipe for slaughter in the American Civil War. To make matters worse, Lawler and his troops had to wade chest deep through a bayou to get at the rebels.  A reporter described the charge as "the most perilous and ludicrous charge I witnessed in the war." As the Irish are prone to do, Lawler and his men achieved the impossible. They got through the bayou, into the trenches and routed the rebels, capturing 1,200 prisoners for their efforts.

There were times I almost hit my head against the painting desk while painting up the Irish hearthguard. Tartan is exceedingly slow work. You really can lose yourself and your sanity between those stripes! I do like how Gripping Beast modeled the Dark Age Irish here. There are only 2 figures of the 12 with chain-mail and most are barefoot.  A couple men sport leather helmets. Don't let the ragtag look fool you. As the rebels learned, the Irish can wade through a bog, hit you upside your head and then run you down for good measure. Long odds and common sense be damned!

I've thought about having a T-shirt made with the old Irish saying,  "If you see a head, hit it."  I still might one day but what if someone takes me up on it? For now, I'll safely wear my favorite Pogues shirt featuring a man fighting the devil.  Does the devil represent whiskey, lust or addiction to painting? Depending on the wearer, it might represent all 3! 


40 comments:

  1. Nice work, esp the tartan, you should be chuffed!

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    1. Thanks! There is that midpoint where you're thinking, "is this working?" I hate that questioning voice.

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  2. These are fantastic Monty! All the different patterns and colours work great together.

    Excellent work!

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    1. Thanks Jonas, I really appreciate it! I did let slip the colors a bit.

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  3. That's an awesome hearthguard! Only the best is good enough for your warlord. The one with the blue/ white 'blanket' over his shoulder is my favourite so far.

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    1. Moiterei! It's my favorite too. The green and blue do go nicely together.

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  4. Great group of lads, there's an Irish saying "May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows you're dead"

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    1. Fran, I love that saying as well. I suspect the Devil doesn't want too many Irishmen in hell. Lord knows what kind of trouble they may get up to! ;-)

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  5. Hi Monty,
    they are really great , you've done a stunning work on them.
    are they living in a dirty old town ?
    fighting the devil is a permanent combat for our souls ;-)
    even if it was a slow process, your patience was rewarded, the tartans are top!

    Cheers

    Gilles



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    1. Gillies! Thanks. I wish I could have painted one Shane MacGowan style. Maybe a tartan painted in Guinness colors, black and tan.

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  6. Monty, I feel your pain. Painting tartan can destroy a man's will and leave him a shambling wreck for days afterwards.

    But it's well worth it, those chappies look the business! Great colour palette and a terrific sense of movement in these figs. I bet the warlord is going to be a sight to see, because your work so far is top-notch.

    A cursory glance at the rules for these fellows shows that while they might be vulnerable to missile fire, they are absolute demons when it comes to pulling a nasty tactical rabbit or three from their collective hats. You'll have to regale us with some war stories after their first outing!

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    1. Thanks Ev! It is so slow and there really wasn't a moment where I got on a roll. I feel for the fellows who paint up whole units in tartan. Insane!

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    2. Ev is a bit of a tartan specialist and his opinion counts for a lot in my book. I'm very much looking forward to seeing more of these if you can maintain the rage. Lovely stuff thus far mate!

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  7. These are looking grand Monty. Never will I attempt to paint the tartan!

    It's the devil inside the man that needs fighting most times. Conquer him and the ones without will trouble you less.

    Here's a saying to put on your t-shirt.
    "Má ithis, nar chacair!"

    If google won't translate it for you, ask me on my page and I'll tell you. It's funny, but not family friendly :0)

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    1. Oh, that is a good curse, and good advice all around. Love it! And some day I do expect to see an adorable hobgoblin in tartan! ;-)

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  8. Excellent Irish, painting plaid is a pain!

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    1. Thanks Cyrus, I never had these troubles when I was painting Ancients.

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  9. Very nice work, fantastic tartan patterns and colours.

    I will have to make a start on my Anglo-saxons before long.

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    1. Thanks Mark, and your FoW work looks excellent!

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  10. Great job. I like them a lot.
    Good taste in music as well.
    I like The Pogues. Sadly one of the Guitar players passed away recently.
    cheers

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    1. Sorry to hear, I did not know that. It'is a shame that alcoholism cut the legs out from under Shane, poet that he was.

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  11. Truly stunning work Monty!!!

    I'm very impressed by you tartans! I would newer manage to paint that many, indeed a good struggle by you!

    I think your Irish warband come together in a realy nice way, Will be a nice to see them all in a uppmaning AAR.

    I hope you Will have a realy nice day!

    Best regards Michael

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    1. Michael, thanks for your kind words. These will one day appear in an AAR but they'll be across the table from me! The good thing about painting local is seeing your work after it's delivered. ;-)

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  12. With such a quote and such wonderful paintjob, victory will be yours, for sure...great looking patterns!

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  13. Monty, these look really excellent. Tartan's so hard to do, so well done on keeping your sanity! I think a t-shirt with Briadier General Lawler's good-sense words would sell very well with wargamers everywhere!!! I'll look out for the Kickstarter soon, Sir!

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    1. Sidney, that is a brilliant idea, one I'll leave for someone much more industrious than I. I've been loving your Chain of Command reports. I'm hoping to paint and play some myself before the year is up!

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  14. Those look fantastic. I've never had the courage to try and paint a tartan pattern, my hat's off to you!

    Well done

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    1. Thanks, I appreciate that. I may lay off the tartan for the rest of the year!

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  15. Nice brushwork as always, Monty. Love the plaids/tartans. Cool idea on the shirt too. Best, Dean

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  16. Good work painting Tartan is a true test of patients/sanity... you did it well.

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    1. Adam! The beauty of skirmish games is that you don't have to paint too many in any one style. ;-)

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  17. The work paid off, Monty. Those patterns are going to pop right out on the table.

    FMB

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    1. Thanks Marcus! The Irish can run into the woods but due to their bright colors, they cannot hide.

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  18. These are fabulous Monty, I love the colours and pattern - really stunning Sir.

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    1. Thanks Michael! Stunning is your zombie figures and terrain. I don't think the undead and their enemies have ever looked better!

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  19. Excellent work on the tartan! Very nice!

    Christopher

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