Lightbox

I'm sure I am not alone in admiring the Palouse Wargaming Journal not just for the quantity and quality of the newly painted units of which photos are posted, but for the fact that the pictures don't look as if they have been taken on the dining table. For all I know that is exactly where it all takes place, but the use of a lightbox hides all those unsightly crumbs. Consequently I've always intended to get myself one at some point, and frankly this seemed as good a time as any.

This was probably the last unit which I painted

If we waited for me to paint some new stuff before trying it out then we'd be twiddling our thumbs for a long time, so I've set to with whatever happened to be in the boxes closest to hand, which were Romans because that's what was last played in the annexe. Three things become apparent at this point. Firstly, my whole painting technique is aimed at the mass effect on the table, not at being viewed close up. I can't say that bothers me very much; I've genuinely never had a interest in improving things, and beyond adopting a variety of approaches to dipping and washing I've never changed the way I paint. Secondly, I've mostly gone for a gloss finish, because they are toy soldiers not scale models. I think they look OK in the flesh, but they really don't suit being photographed in a lightbox. Thirdly, I seem to have collected an awful lot of stuff with no military value whatsoever, which therefore never gets on the table. Now is a chance to rectify it.

The above amply illustrates all the problems. You can tell the difference between the lack of detail caused by the shiny surface of the figures compared to the matt of the printed mosaic floor. Plus of course, it is not often going to pop up in an army list.

Ditto for this really. Anyway, brace yourself for a stream of poorly painted, incompetently photographed models that don't seem to have much to do with military history. For the record all photos were taken on the dining table.