Early in the morning, just as the day is dawning

The postman has been, bringing with him my order from Hannants, an impressively quick dispatch and delivery time. So to start my new Great War project I have for the British: WWI Canadian Infantry, British WWI Infantry and Tank Crew, and WWI British Artillery Crew; for the Germans: WWI German Army, and German WWI Infantry and Tank Crew; and for the Celts: Gallic Chariot. More goodies are on back order.

It's probably the last item that will get painted first because I have a couple of problems with the First World war stuff. Firstly, no khaki paint, which is rank bad planning, although hopefully that can be sorted at Vapnartak tomorrow. The second issue has me copying James. Not, sadly, in his painting ability, nor in his rigorous scoping of projects and focus on them once they are planned. Instead I refer to a habit which you will recognise if you read his blog (and if you don't read it then you certainly should), namely his public agonising about basing protocols.

These figures will certainly be individually based, but after that it gets complicated. What size individual bases? Coins or MDF? If it's coins then I'm leaning to 2p pieces rather than 1p to represent the fact that they would always be in loose order. The rules I have in mind are Through the Mud and the Blood which in itself raises questions. How to represent the 'big men'? Should one mark the bases to represent the different troop roles (rifleman, bomber, trench clearer etc.) or rely on the model delineating things clearly? If one is going to mark the bases then does that imply sabot bases? What about Lewis gunners, all the models of which (and I have quite a few) are lying down and so can't be based in the same way as the others? And notwithstanding the starting assumption, heavy weapons certainly won't be based on coins and probably won't be based individually. Should I try to work out the likely format of bunkers and other strongpoints that the HMGs will go inside before then deciding how the figures will be based? It's all very difficult.

So, chariots it is then.