DON'T FORGET, PLEASE, IF THE NUMBER ON YOUR MAILING LABEL IS 124 IT IS TIME TO REENLIST IN THE HELIOGRAPH FOR ANOTHER YEAR.

PLEASE NOTE THAT MY ADDRESS HAS CHANGED. We no longer have routes and boxes now that we have finally gotten 911 emergency services.

With the new international postal charges, they did away with the least expensive airmail and surface rates; I have already raised the Australian postage rate, starting next issue, and may have to raise the other international rates slightly to cover the cost of mailing. Before next issue goes out Australian rates are still $25 USD, after 125 mails it goes to $30 USD. However, other increases will not go into effect until I see what happens this year with the mailings.

The cost for the last mailing went up slightly, and significantly for Australia, but I cannot project how that will effect a year subscription since each issue is different in length. I would like to standardize issue size, but I do not have sufficient material to do so.

I would love to hear from you concerning standardizing the length and to what, increasing the subscription price to cover color covers (not my favorite idea especially at $6 a year), number of issues per year, what to add or remove from the issues, articles you would like to see, historical, rules, you name it. Write me please!!

So if you wish to worry over the subscription price going up next year (2002) then you can re-subscribe anytime this year for more than a year at a time. I do not plan quitting publishing the Heliograph for at least eight more years, until my retirement, so you can subscribe now for eight years regardless of price increases.

The Heliograph needs articles. I have one more set of rules from Larry Brom for you, thank you Larry and Patrick Wilson of By Jingo. This issue contains an article by Larry Brom about writing rules. After that I have only one other set of rules, a variant for TSATF. SO beyond what I produce I have nothing more.

So all youse guys out dere git to wook or I send da boyz out afta ya.

I have continued my painting kick with two units (20 figures plus) each of Zanzibari Arabs and Balucchi Arabs plus three Zanzibari guns and crews, approximately 100 figures. I had recently been undercoating or priming my figures with black or very dark grey, this time however, I decided to go with white. I got a can of Games Workshop white primer and had a go at the figures. I decided on a white primer since I wanted to try going with a minimum painting job by adding darker washes over the white to give the figures some depth. I used several different whites shades to nearly faded light yellow washes on their gowns to achieve the look I wanted.

It worked quite well and went rather fast using a largish brush then filling in the details like faces, weapons, etc. I also tried using permanent ink fine point pens for some details on the clothing that I cannot paint well. I let the ink dry for a day or more and put either an acrylic brown or black light wash over the figures to seal the ink, as it sometimes runs under the dull lacquer spray finish I use.

At other times I just use the pens over the final spray, particularly in areas that are not handled greatly. I find that the pens do a great job that I can no longer control with my brushes. They also allow me to outline certain painted details that I would never have done before. Well I tried but it never came out with a brush like these pens can. I use several different types of pens, some with very fine points and some with broader points like a fine point Sharpie, which come in five or six colors. I know there are other brands of permanent marking fine point felt tip pens that come in hundreds of colors, but I have not used them yet. Although gold and silver fine point pens would be very useful. More next issue!

With these figures completed my next project I am hot to paint is a slave caravan. I have searched for 28mm figures that are basically naked with open hands so that once painted I can chain them together in groups of five on a single base and with two bases worth so far it gives me more possibilities for scenarios.

Can anyone give me some help in finding a manufacturer who produces naked 28s that could be used as African slaves? So far I have gone through piles of miscellaneous figures at various conventions, but so far no manufacturers. Does anyone make slave figures? Actually, thanks to Patrick Wilson's tip, some very UN-PC slave figures are available from Eureka Miniatures (see #38).

Info Request

Does anyone know where I might find inexpensive copies of Percivil C. Wren's Beau Sabreur, Beau Ideal, Good Gestes or Desert Heritage?

Heliograph Free stuff

Note: Free stuff for Heliograph print subscribers (not MagWeb.com members) only--a perk of subscription.

See number 35 below for a free book, especially if you are interested in the US Army of the late 19th century.

I received a copy of The 1865 Customs of Service for Non-commissioned Officers and Soldier by Capt. August Kautz.

I also have several bags of figures available for you, some, as shown in the Reviresco figure review. All I ask is for a dollar to help cover postage.