UPDATE.

After spending four whole days painting our hall, landing and stairs not to mention the odd jobs and chores that arise anyway, I had very limited "play" time this week. There remains a lot of decorating still to do but I am trying to spread it out on the grounds that old age mean I need regular breaks !!!!!! I hope to get a bit more modelling time this coming week, especially given the change in weather that may reduce the demand for outside work too !!!!!!  I have no idea how I ever found time for my job before I retired !!!!!!!

So, what have I managed to get done ??  The first Pioneer upgrade is well in hand as is the Cavalry upgrade. The 3D printed heavy weapons have been constructed as seen in the photos below.

This picture shows how the 3D printed parts were delivered to me. Each item has to be cut from the sprue.

The above shows the carriages with gun barrels fitted. These are hollow plastic beads from Hobby Lobby which I found available in boxes of 200 or so. They were just the right size. I often look at this sort of thing in case I find something useful either now or for the future.

This photo shows the guns with wheels fitted. I drill the axles right through then push the spikes of the drawing pins into the holes with a little glue. These guns are now ready for priming. All the plastic has to be primed as well as the wheels so its a two stage operation unless you want painted fingers !!!! The plastic used is similar to that used in Airfix figures. Next time I will opt for something a little harder as I find drilling the wheel holes causes the plastic to melt onto the drill bit which can make the holes too big. I have to clean the drill bit after every three or four holes to avoid this problem.

I strongly recommend the use of 3D printed parts if you ever need large numbers of anything. They are cheap, these guns cost only 25p each, and the detail is fantastic. It is just as much fun to build these guns as it was to scratch build every one but without the drudge . I have thought that one day I may replace all my field and heavy artillery with 3D models although they were easier to build as I had a foundation item to use. See the previous posts on construction of artillery for more details.

I have today taken delivery of a batch of six new books. All are from Naval Military Press. They have an extensive range on all subjects and periods,  their web site is well worth a look. I will review each book as it is read over the coming weeks.

I will post the next chapter of my IMAGI-NATIONS saga in a couple of days, I hope it is still of interest to readers.