Lanchester 6x4 armoured car

I have been slow off of the mark.  I blame the football! However I have managed to finish (just) a 20mm Lanchester armoured car (6x4). I accept that many will not have heard of the Lanchester armoured car (LINK) as I had hardly heard OF IT Either. So if you know nothing about it you are completely forgiven and if you know too much about it seriously "get a grip". For those who don't know(Raises own hand) it was built in 1927-28 and served the British empire as a "Colonial" armoured car until the outbreak of WW2. So totally suitable for my Back of Beyond (BOB) games.


As you can see from the photo of a Real one, it is not made up even if I have not seen one in real life. While not that effective in a BOB setting it should I hope do very well. I believe this one is at the Bovington Tank Museum. You can use it in WW2 as well as 2 were given to the Belgium army while the majority served in Malay ad I think Singapore! Elsewhere they were part of the home guard and used to protect cabinet officials on journeys. So unless you are going to make scenarios up they will never get a huge amount of use.


This one is 20mm (1/72nd Scale) by Front Line Wargames (LINK) and I purchased it from Tim as a "Mist cast" for the princely sum of £1 (Bargain) while at the Broadside show.  .In all honesty I do not think it will get a massive amount of use despite in my head (and so far only in my head) a game where British armoured cars have to stop a train! All in my head may come to fruition and may not, so do not hold your breath! The Mis  cast now painted does not show, in fact if I had not mentioned it I doubt anyone would point it out!

This one based and painted for Back of Beyond I have painted sand. but in all fairness I have no idea if any actually were they may all be green. Photos are mostly black and white and of training so I may have taken some liberties with the colours but as it will only be seen by club member (at this stage) who am I to worry!

If Tim Miscasts some more I shall snaffle them up all to bring the Train chase that stage closer. But until then this will just be an armoured car perhaps even captured and used by a different side.

That's It for today. Have fun, Paint if you can or at least plot and devise some fun games.

All te best Clint

BoB AAR (Number 2)

Board layout from my seat

Sunday at the club I put on another game of Back of beyond. (AKA BoB). The forces were Tim playing white Russians with graham as an ally who was also white Russians but secretly working for the Red Russians. Matt playing ti Indian British troops) supported by Peter Playing Askaris troops all the way from Africa... (Just don't ask it's complicated, just go with it.) All the troops are IT Miniatures and all the vehicles ae a mixed bag from all over the place.

Tim had been told that he had to rescue a cousin of the Tsar (Teresa was her name). Graham was to twart him but still assist and report back if need be about Tims Activities. Matt was to send a telegram and put an end to the Russian (white Russian) troops on Indian soil. Peter was to aid him as best he was able and to perhaps show the African troops as being superior fighters.

At this stage no one knew anyone elses objectives, nor should they, Telepathy does not exist as far as the players know....unless of course you know better.

View while sitting down
British or the left and Russians on the right.

below is a very brif aar. lots more happened and

Peters Askaris turn up
on paper they are weak troops

Grahams Red Russians turn up

Tim's white Russians turn up



Matt had choice of star, BEFORE he knew what his
objective was






Tim with a tank moves to a position where he can extract Teresa.



Grahams Red Russians rush in lorries
to get into cover



Matt approaches the telegraph station
ready to send a telegram



Peter moves up and starts to shoot at the Red Russian Trucks.
With some success.

He hits the engine and forces it to a stop.

Local militia are not happy to let Teresa go with tim
but he makes a convicing argument and they agree to help out
well a bit, but they are just not effective at all



Peter moves his troops to catch Graham in a pincher.
Yeah but Graham has played before and knows that is far easier said than done.

Matt has now sent the telegram and starts ineffective fire
at Tims white Russians.



Graham unlimbers his HMG and takes his troops out of the damaged truck
1 is wounded but the rest are ok just shaken up.



Tim continues his oratory (took more than a simple question
 to determine an outcome
mean while he advances on Matt laying down fire as he does so.



Tims return fire is very effective though and Matts
 second unit is nearly wiped out!















Peter continues to try a pincer action and runs into
 return fire from the HMG



Peter opens up with the armoured car.
Armoured vehiles are a lot more effective in this game
a duel, tank vs Armoured car results

Peter does finally manage to circle around the flank
he closes for the melee

While the tank is unhurt it is forced to retreat and several of Tim's infantry
catch bullets in an unfavourable way.

Tim hustles Teresa and Yacob another cousin, into the truck
and starts driving for the board edge.



Graham rolls high and Peter low/average and peter losses the melee
Both sets of troops are forced to retreat
leaving the HMG and an officer all on their own



Matt has very few troops left and each time he recovers
enough to do anything Tim fires at them
and forces a morale check.



With half of Tim's troops incapable of fighting on the tank slowly
OK very slowly reverses continued fire at Peter
armoured car jam the turret and Peter has to move to fire each time.



Over the wall and round a corner the officer goes.
You can almost hear him say "Hang on I'll be back!"

Grahams officer says something about the better p
art of valor and leaves a lone
machine gunner to face all of Peters troops.



Continued reverse, now with a damaged engine as well
finally sees Tim's tank safe



Peter finally assaults the HMG which is facing the wrong way
one sitting down man against a whole squad
The result
 Peter recons he should have a truck and an MG in
the next game!

The Game ends and peter still has a functioning armoured car

In the campaign matt is now on 2 points as is Tim, Graham is on 1 1/2 points and Peter is on 3/4 points. I know I have never mentioned a campaign in this before. It exists ONLY in my head. That way I can stop it when I want.

Overall. the rules work pretty good and I do like the setting so this will continue for a while longer. Tim may or may not buy the rules and Matt already has a copy. So the only thing stopping us is enthusiasm. Which at present is above average.

Each faction does have a secretet mission and knowledge of these has not as yet been revealed. But I promise they are all logical and with that I will say no more.

Can I "Burro" these!

yeah sorry forgive the title.

Just 2 20mm pack mules for Back of Beyond. Could be any force at all, as everyone needs pack mules.

Figures by "Frontline Wargames (LINK) Look under IT Miniatures if you want to find them.

That's todays quick update, now to go back to day dreaming about writing my own set of rules. A Pipe dream nothing more

And Relaxing over the weekend.

2 things, Maybe 3)

Firstly here are he remainder of the BoB Punjabi Indians that I have purchased. As with the others they are IT Miniatures and 1/72nd scale. Or 20mm if you want it in wargames speak. (here is a link)

8 in this batch making 24 in total. Which should give me a platoon strength os as close to it as I am likely to get. Only 3 different posses this time, but when mixed in with the others no one will notice.  No Officers as at least 1 platoon should be NCO led. Just to make it realistic!

I hope to do a group shot of the whole force sometime soon.

As for what is next there are several things on the painting table so It could be nearly anything. (sci fi , Fantasy or Historical)



Secondly and mostly for a laugh here is my last Radish dug up this year. I call it Franken-Radish. It is real, it is editable and I dug it up on Friday Morning!

The figure being a 20mm tall miniature is just for scale. I have not been terribly successful with Radish this year. They taste fine but look damn ugly!

It grew in 2 bursts hence the strange shape. And this is one of the ones that does not look RUDE! Most of the rest did look rude. But they taste OK and that is the main thing.

I still have Carrots Beet root and Cabbage to dig up! I have no idea what they will turn out like! My first time with all three of those.

Lastly Have a great Crimbo and I will post again soon. I KNOW I will be getting 2 things for the passing of Christmas (I know because I bought them). So In a few days I will do a loot post.

Until then, take care have fun pull a cracker, graon at a bad joke and do your best not to eat and drink too much

Cheers Clint

Machine gun BoB 20mm

Not a lt actually finished hobby wise. But he oven and fire are now finished so I no longer have the excuse "I am too cold!"

Anyway back to the hobby stuff. Just a single IT Miniatures (LINK)Russian Civil war machine gun.  5 parts in total (3 crew and 2 parts to the gun). It is in the White Russian section on the web site but seriously I can be used be either side as the uniforms hardly changed and the actual gun did not change at all.

I do have another version of the gun but that is the gun in transit and while I shall do it soon it is nothing I have to finish immediately.

The figures are 20mm and are totally suitable for anywhere in the Back of beyond setting with regard to georraphy or almost time scale (unless doing frightfully early!

I hope to do one more post before Crimbo (you have been warned) and again that will be Back of Beyond (assuming I get them finished or near finished tonight.

It is worth mentioning that this is the shortest day of the year so I may not get anything finished. I may just get sozzeled instead!

Punjabi BoB so far.

Yes still cranking figures out for Back of Beyond, although not as fast! Here is another unit of Punjabi Indians for the Back of Beyond. The last 2 pics do show the 16 completed figures in the force I know some of you will already have skipped ahead!

 I Apologise for the picture quality it is just to dark here at present to take good pics. (Not that I usually can anyway).

So this is "Theoretically" my second unit of Punjabi Indians for the Back of Beyond. I still have 8 to paint. As yet I am not fixed on unit size so while there could be 3 units of 8 there could equally be 2 units of 12! Only time and playing the rules will tell.


The last 2 pics show all done for this force SO FAR! There will be more. As with previous BoB figures these are 20mm IT Miniatures (LINK) made and supplied by Tim at the Wargames club.


 Meanwhile back on the ranch! I have STARTED working on the next 20mm gaslands vehicle. Expect to see it next week IF it turns out OK. If it does not I have a handy bin in my hobby room and it will never see the light of day!

That's all folks have a good few days and I will try to as well. Try to be productive in hobby terms either playing or painting or reading or well you get the idea!

Still BoBing along... but only just

Sorry for the delay. My Mother has been ill since last Sunday night. The knock on effect is I do not get a whole lot of hobby stuff done. There is still an AAR (actually 2) to be done. But I am not here to talk about that today. Firstly before anyone asks my Mother is recovering 3-4 more days and she will be back to normal.... well normal for this family!

While I have not done much , here are some more BoB figures. My alternative Back of Beyond force. All the figures are IT miniatures and cast by Tim (a mate/club member) and available here ( CLICK to link). As an alternative force I thought a British intervention might be in order. Thus I went for Indian troops, to be more precise Punjabi Indian Troops.

In the Back of Beyond you can get away with a huge variety of troops and as Britain at the time had Indian as well as European headquarters they did not always talk to each other, let alone cooperate. This did lead to some interesting situations including the British army uniform in India being dyed Purple for a few weeks, don't ask you are seriously better off not knowing. But this is what the uniform should be! Look at the pic on the right!

And that is how I hope you will see I have painted them. If it looks vastly different to this please adjust your computer screen! Again their is a difference in the Sikh and the Punjabi Uniforms Mostly based about the Turban at least for us poor wargamers.  So my second force will be Indian troops serving under the British.  This is as much because I like the figures as any other reason, but it still fits the background so I am alright with that. Maybe if my interest holds I will do another Russian (Cossack or sailors) force or Chinese or Tibetan who can tell. But for now this is my start of an opposing BoB Indian (Punjabi) force.

Thanks for looking more (I hope) again soon. Have a good weekend and paint like crazy IF you have the opportunity.

All the best Clint