Thank you

Thank you to those that took part in my small poll  The results were quite conclusive:

British 5
Arab    2
Indian  1

Thus it looks very much like I shall do a small British force for the game with the rejects.
Cheers Again Guys. Next post Monday.

The Girls Team

Disclaimer: This has been re-written since it originally appeared on Curt's Analogue Painting Challenge. Ant supposed reference to any bloggers alive, dead, undead or never lived is purely coincidental and is in no way intended to reflect in ANY way on members of the wargames and figure painting Blogger community. Honest Guv!

The Team of St Searles is a mixed and varied lot. As a team they have many faults and yet at the same time will support each other despite all being individuals.

Starting from left to right.

 "Little" Leeza Hadley. The Little title seems to be a reverse nickname. She is commonly identified by the others as the Rich Girl a title she disclaims and yet it somehow persists to be used to identify her. One of her more distressing features is that it is claimed by the other girls that her bottom burps could be weaponised!

Andrea Saunders. Has an interest in alternative Religious studies. Particularly Norse mythology. Indeed she has been heard muttering about sacrificing Virgins to a giant spider goddess. Needless to Say Virginia in year 9 is particularly fearful. While she has a rebellious appearance she does do the most home work and does have the most house points of all these girls.

 Anne O' Leery is a foreign exchange student. Very glamorous and with an eye for detail she is by far the most feminine of the squad. She is very good with her make up and her work is always very neat and tidy. She also likes ruby slippers for some reason, maybe it has to do with her being an exchange student!

Francesca Lee is a team player but does suffer from anger management issues.  While she is best friends with Rachel that does not stop them fighting like cat and dog. Francesca does have an accent but she hardly ever mentions her past. While you seldom see her smile she does have a sense of humour. Commonly of a very dour demeanour she presents a formidable appearance.  She also carries two bottles in her pack which she claims are to clean up Rachel's mess. One bottle has a strong smell of "Detol". This is perhaps linked to her interest in chemistry and it has been suggested that she is the girl most likely to be able to make a viable explosive device. She also likes films and despite being very opinionated does tend to hit the nub of truth in her diagnosis.

Rachel Rousell is the history buff in the group she is particularly drawn to the periods where lots of lace was worn. Indeed she takes it far enough to want to wear lace underwear at all occasions especially a rather bright blue pair covered in budgie feathers! the other girls especially "Tammy" tease her about a pair of Falsies which they call sandbags! Also it is best not to mention anything about her ..... erhm.... badger!

Also in the Team Miss Campbell, she is the head girl, at least that is what it says on the wall of the loos of the local boys school. She is definitely in charge and keeps all the others in check by awarding house points. In earlier years she had long flowing hair but at present they are trimmed and tidy.

Finally we Have Tammy. She is a total tomboy. A very hard worker with many diverse interests. Despite the picture she has read hair and the pink satchel always contains her trusty lighter and half a packet of cigarettes. She does tease the other girls especially Rachel but she has a kind heart and does make up for the teasing on occasion with small hand crafted gifts.

Well those are my St Searles Girls this year. I hope you like the team, they are all great characters and usually up for a laugh.

That's it for today. I hope you have found it fun and not too serious after all we play games and games should be fun.

All the best Clint./

Another FemBot.

You may remember that I picked up a Crooked Dice Dolly bird head sprue at Cavalier a couple of weeks ago. This was because I had a fembot body but without a head so for the 4th Analogue Hobbies Challenge latest bonus round (favourite characters) I decided to paint it up and get it finished.

So I went for a greater variety and rather than the standard blonde, blue eyed bimbo blonde shell which are more common in films. (See Below).

Anyway this was not my first choice of favourite character but it has come to my attention that as I am not doing well in the bonus rounds it is just worth my time and effort putting in a token effort to get the points and allow others to scoop the prizes. It is a tactic which has helped me justify my participation in the bonus rounds. No big deal of course everyone is allowed to make their own choices. My first choice of characters would have been St Searle's girls. Which should be my next blog post as they are all done now.

So just a single 7TV fembot to show today. Thanks for looking and schoolgirls for my next post either Friday or Saturday.

So Until then, take care have fun and get some painting done. All the best Clint

Something a little different

What skip from project to project, that sounds most unlike me! Ok it sounds exactly like me really. Today I have a cryx warmachine defiler. Warmachine was one of those games that came to the club quickly was played 4-5 times and has not been seen since. Like many games before it and I think for many games still to come. Games that the designers have not even thought about yet.

So I still have most of my figures left to paint. But not wanting good figures to go to waste I will slowly carry on with them. I suspect I will have retired long before I finish them at this rate or 1 every 18 months or longer.

This was a happy distraction while I wait for some SCW figures to appear. They seem to be taking a long while just yet, but that may be because I want them. So while I wait for them I am just going through my back collection and finishing things that have been hanging around a while.

So that's it for today I shall update on Wednesday. Until then take care and look after yourself.

All the best Clint

Sea of Sand.

Nope nothing to do with a rather good film of the same name. I am afraid it hardly looks impressive but it is the next vital stage .

The first shot shows the board drying and with a thick layer of sand covering it. The sand is attached with paint(water based ready mixed poster and acrylic) PVA (resin W aka white wood glue)  mixed with equal amounts of water. This is the mixture I add to a cheap filler either from pound land when I am luck or from Wilkinson's when Poundland has none in stock. It is 3 times more expensive than poundland, but needs must when the devil drives. So once the mix is the correct viscosity I liberally paint it on the board and then using a sieve sprinkle very generously "builders sand" over the top. Wait a couple of days and then tip the board  on it side and give it a couple of whacks to remove the excess sand and then it is ready to paint.

I am fairly sure you can't see too much difference in the boards. Yes it is the same one, but the second picture shows the board after the excess sand has been removed.

Workspace is limited at the moment so I am only working on 1 board at a time. This is because when I mix the final paint colour I want it to match as much as possible so I will paint them both in one go.

Additionally I have offered to put a game on for the Rejects. (A SCW is already in the planning. but this is another one) I plan to use these boards to run a WW1 Skirmish game. The observant of you will already have noticed the poll  top right. Please take a moment to read on and click the single choice on the poll.

Being WW1 Middle East I have three possible opponents to the Turks. The Rejects I have asked have all been very non committal about what they would prefer. No option will cost me more than any other at this stage and all options have both advantages and disadvatages.

Option 1 Turks Vs Arabs. This allows me to expand my Arab revolt Game. But the Arabs being an irregular force at this time are very limited in equipment and disciple as we understand it in wargames.

Option 2 British Vs Turks. WW1 British army in Palestine tend to be wearing sun hats (very like Pith Helmets) and sometimes in shorts as well. They would also be better disciplined and equipped. Possibly including Lewis Guns)

Option 3 Turks Vs Indians. The Indian army were also as part of the Empire aiding in the middle east to fight the Turks. (Hindu Regiments only as Muslins were regiments were fighting in East Africa). These Are well equipped comparied with the Arabs and very disciplined. But for game purposes they would not be as well equipped or as disciplined as the British, Although better then the Arabs.

So those are the three options. If the Rejects get back to me and say they want a particular option I will of course go with that. So just for fun which option would you prefer.

Have a good weekend and I should post again on Monday.

All the best Clint

Burke and Hare?

 No story today. But another two figures from the painting challenge. These were originally planned to be finished before Christmas for the "villains" bonus round. Unfortunately I missed the date. So I did think to get them done for the "Casualty" round but as I had the dead spaceman for that they did not make that round either. Therefore they were just finished for the sake of being finished.

So now I have two random grave diggers dressed in Victorian clothing. I call them grave diggers as they are from west wind productions Empire of the Dead range and named after the infamous Burke and Hare who were a pair of Victorian Grave robbers and murderers. As I said I call them grave robbers, but they could equally be treasure hunters, archaeologists or run of the mill grave diggers or anything else I can imagine. I won't say Tomb Raiders though as let us be honest they in no way resemble Lara Croft!


Don't get too excited and think I am heading into EotD! I am not! But they are done and will go into my wild west/weird west figure box.

That's it for today. Thanks for looking. All the best Clint.

POST SCRIPT: My email address has changed the first part up to the @ symbol is the same, but after the @ symbol it is now @hotmail.co.uk

I no longer have the address book for the previous address but will make an effort to contact you in the next few weeks if I can find your email address. If not Please contact me so I can add you back into my address book.

Nom Nom Nom

In space No one can hear you Nom Nom Nom.

"Barbara to Beagle One can you hear me."

"Beagle One receiving Barbara go ahead you are loud and clear"

"We see movement Beagle base, Moving closer"

"Roger that Barbara We have no energy readings in that sector Probably just some space junk!"

"It's a man in an atmosphere suit Beagle Base, seems to be holding something, moving closer Beagle Base"

"Keep us informed Barbara. Still no energy readings are you sure it's a space suit? Confirm it's not a trick of the light and be prepared to see Doc when you get back inside. I say again no energy sources in your sector"

"Listen Yusef It's definitely a man. He's turning round I can make out the maple leaf patch on his left arm. Check the instruments again there must be an energy source it's a man I tell you."

"Sorry Barbara no readings at all."

"Are you sure it's turned on Yusef!"

"Of course it's bloody well turned on. I am tracking you and I am telling you there is nothing else out there.!"

"HE's turning round, I can see the visor is up and he's carrying the old type 17 issue laser rifle!"

"Stop pulling my leg Barbara now I know you are taking the piss those are antiques. You had me going there, nice one I was just about to call a tech to check the systems again!"

"Beagle Base seriously I am not kidding.  I can just about see his face now..... Oh my God..."

"Barbara, come in Barbara! Talk to me Barbara, Beagle Base to lieutenant Kopaks come in Barbara!"

"Dave, Barbara is not responding .... Barbara.... lieutenant Kopaks ... come in Barbara....."

Cavalier 14

 AS many of you will know yesterday as the First show of the year for me in the South East of England. Cavalier. Run by the Tonbridge Wells wargames Society (LINK) usually the last weekend in February each year.

I have already done a LOOT post when I got home yesterday. Normally I would do a smattering of everything but this time out I decided to just take photos of 2 games. Having looked at the games listed prior to going I had narrowed it down to a couple I was interested in.

First up I thought to check out "Maidstone Wargames Society Somewhere in Belgium 1914". Normally Maidstone club (many of whom I know) put on a very good looking game. I was not disappointed and I hope you are not either.

They were using "Through the Mud and the Blood" rules by Too Fat Lardies and obviously set in the early part of WW1 before the trench stalemate came to be.

They played consistently through the day and this was clearly a trial game for them and they will get faster and more slick with each show they take this to. They were referring to the rules at a few occasions but with another show under their belt this will not in any way be noticeable.

Overall I think this was the most visually impressive game at the show. Unlike many games it being set in a town had some height which makes a great background. Most other games had more figures some painted to a higher standard, but this 28mm game for me stood out.

The second game I was interested in was by North London Wargames Group, Kohima 1944 (10mm). This game caught my eye for completely different reasons. As a 10mm game it was always going to be flat. The terrain was not custom built for the show circuit and as such one might imagine the game being played at a club.

 As of late I have been painting 10mm figures it was great to see a 10mm game. It is a scale I have come to appreciate and enjoy. It has the same advantages over 15mm that 15mm figures have over 28mm figures. Such that you can fight bigger battles, the troops are cheaper and easier to both store and transport. They are also more robust and easier to paint. While I think 28mm makes great skirmish games I prefer 10mm for larger battle games.

 This pacific war battle was fought using the flames of war rules and would have given a fast game if the players had chosen. They were happy to chat a bit with the public as well as each other. Again I like this approach it shows them as a sociable group more interested in having fun than concluding a game in a show environment.

 One of the criteria by which I judge a show game is would I like to play it. And while that would go to the Maidstone group another criteria is would I like to own it. And that would come down to this game. The scenery is not restrictive and allows for multiple set ups.

 

That's it for today. I am not sure that just selecting 2 games to look at is the correct thing to do. maybe if there had been a zombie game or something a little more unusual it would have done. So I would advise you check other blogs about the show to get a much greater appreciation of the show in general.

 

So while 2 games is not the right approach neither is my normal "scattergun" approach. So I will have to adapt my show reports for the next show I go to.

 

Thanks for popping by I plan to post again on Tuesday. so with luck I will see you tomorrow. All the best Clint

Cavalier '14 Loot

I got back from Cavalier wargames show a little over an hour ago. I will give an update for the show and report in a day or two. As always I did not realise exactly what I spent while at show. Only a couple of things were planned purchases But I am happy with them all.

Planned:

• Patrols in the Sudan. Peter Pig colonial wargames rules I have an earlier addition but it has been revised since then.
• 2 Crooked Dice St Searles Girls. I plan to paint these up for Curt Analogue painting challenge this week. More details of that next week.

Impulse buys.

• Crooked dice spare head dolly bird sprue. Total impulse buy but I do have a figure without a head so that will take another useless figure to the useable figure pile. At minimal cost.
• 1 can of spray primer.... desert yellow in colour and a mere £3 so we all know it will get used. Maybe I should have got 2..... I think a Green would be useful.
• 6 pots of paint. All browns and creams as I will always use those colours.
• 5 second hand Lord of the Rings figures. At 20p each a little treat for my nephew who has started playing that now.
• An Early War miniatures 20mm Turkish machine gun. well regulars will know that this is for the Arab revolt game.
• Also not shown. I'll have to look through my bag and find it. A Resin 10mm type 26 Pill box.

 So not an amazing loot haul, but at least one with no guilt attached. I can use everything and most things will squeeze into collections that already exist. There were more things I could have bought, and maybe in the months to come I will wish I had, but for now that is sufficient.

Hope you have had a great day. All the best Clint.

Building Done.

Ok Not quite finished it still has filler and Paint to go yet, but at least it gives the overall look, size and shape so come Monday I should be able to crack on with the next stage.

As you can see I took my favourite tools of destruction. Two scalpels 2 steel rules and engineering square. I only used 1 scalpel though with a 10a blade for those that care about such things. Oh only me then. I set about the Grey Board. For those of you who don't know Grey board is the cardboard version of MDF! It's cheap and versatile and robust and comes in different thicknesses.

 Working from a scrap of 3mm mdf for the base. This was cut square and sanded to remove any tool marks. I used both a foot and camel mounted figure to gauge the building height and size and height of the windows. The Grey board I had was also 3mm thick so I decided to double up on the layers to give it a more thermally massive appearance.

 I started by cutting the front and back and getting them about how I wanted them. I then cut the sides making sure that they were all the same height. Yes I know common sense, but still worth stating.

 I then assembled the basic box like structure. Using plenty of Resin W (PVA white wood glue). I allowed it to dry overnight.

 You can see I left an area at the back. It's not too neat at this stage as filler and paint can work wonders where my patience and inaccuracy are lacking. So no biggie! Again checking the sizes at every stage as you don't want to get it wrong if you can help it. Totally common sense.

 In the Morning I added the rear section to make the building "L" shaped and the roof on the main section. I gave this plenty of time to dry..... Ok I took a break and watched the Curling!

After the curling I added the roof to the rear section. I deliberately put the roof level lower to make this parapet deeper. This was done as I wanted the building to look like it had had a second stage so it would look like it was made at a different time. And then allowed a second night of Drying.

 Tomorrow I will go to my first wargames show of the year so expect a loot post tomorrow evening. It's not that I have a very large shopping list at all. But there are a few things I do intend to purchase. Possibly a few things for 20mm Vietnam games, possibly a few Victorian/steam punk Items, maybe some scenery and maybe some rules, definitely a few pots of paint! But we shall see what takes my fancy on the day.

So until tomorrow night take care and have some fun, oh and enjoy any SUN while you can.

All the best Clint.

More 20mm Terrain Boards

 I am taking a few days out from painting and working on some terrain. These two boards will combine with my Afghanistan boards to make the game terrain for the 20mm Arab revolt.

Yes there are a few differences between Afghanistan and the Middle east, but really there are more similarities. So with a few modifications they will pass muster, no one will know and let's be honest most wargamers will not care.

The first stage was to recycle two older boards, so much better than making new ones. Firstly it's quicker, secondly cheaper and thirdly no worries about where to put them as you already know you have space.

The next stage is to quickly sketch out what you want and where you want it. As all the other Afghan boards have road/tracks on the centre of 3 edges I decided to keep that protocol to allow for modularity.

In Sketching the boards out it is good to start with a strong idea. And for these two boards I wanted them quite sparse to reflect the town edge.

 Wanting them sparse I have decided on just one building, with some walled enclosures. I had one piece of door mat left so that was positioned and included to help continuity of the boards and to make it look like they were built at the same time (fingers crossed).

One board would also have a small trench. This is a free standing piece so it can be removed or moved in other games. It would also have a couple of free standing hills for the same reasons.


 As you can see there can be issues with recycling boards is that they may need a little cleaning up, where things have been glued down previously. Also as you can see this one corner has a 5mm wide notch cut in it. Most likely I will ignore this and as long as it goes on an outside corner will not affect the game in any way. I could patch it though al lot will depend on how cold and wet it gets in the next few days. Which will impact on whether I can be bothered or not. I know I should and guilt may well make me patch it, but I am tempted to leave it. I'll let you know what I decide.

 The next stage is to lay out and glue down any dry stone walls. Dry stone walls are so easy to make at this scale. Simply cut chipboard into a thin strip all done by eye, but about 3mm wide. You can then simply break this with your fingers to the right height and length. Obviously make sure there are no large and obvious overhangs and simply glue down.

I have put walls at road edges which gives me an indication of where the roads need to go a little later. And that is this stage done. It really does not take very long I would guess it took less than 2 hours to get to this stage.


The next stage is to build the single building. I might make that tomorrow. At present I have no firm ideas of how I want the building to be, other than single story quite long and thin and of a style to fit in with the ones already made so I shall "wing it" as I make it.

That's it for today, with luck I will be able to share the "Casualty bonus round" figure I painted next time. But that does depend on If Curt can get them all on his blog for the painting challenge.

So with luck some painting next time and some terrain making again if the weather holds, before the weekend! All the best take care, Clint