1/300th Buildings (1)

 Having played a game with Tim about 10 days ago using Black Powder rules with his 6mm Jacobites I knew I had some 6mm Malburians by Baccus. Yes I realise these are buildings, please bear with me. The Malburians I knew I had put somewhere "Safe". So I started the search for them and found these resin 6mm (1/300th scale) buildings. So the brush came out and the paint went on because it is always nice to have some scenery for games. There are 2 more which are half painted so look out for them in coming posts.

The first building I have painted I have made into a pub or Tavern. The sign says "Hop and Vine" so it is very generic and could fit in anywhere. The other three are not commercial building but dwellings. All 4 buildings have a variety of building styles and materials. Stone build, timber frame wooden planking and a rendered plaster finish are all in evidence. There is a mixture of tile and thatch roofs and different forms of stonework including quoining. Most buildings have a mixture of styles and techniques which adds to the very village feel of the buildings. over all I am very impressed with these buildings sculpts as they each are absolutely packed with character. When the other two are finished they will make a very charismatic and charming village to battle through.

I did eventually find the place the Malburian figures were hiding. This particular "Safe place" was tucked behind the printer by my computer. I have no idea why they were hiding there but they did  show up so that is another thing to get painted in the coming weeks.

That's it for now. I should post again in 2 days. So until then thanks for reading and as ever feel free to make comments if you choose. All the best Clint.

More WW1 28mm

 I was in a painting mood on Saturday so managed to get some more 28mm figures done. Obviously they are all late war, but I had them hanging about and as I am at present not buying and trying to reduce the unpainted pile it was worth getting them done despite the fact that the rest are early war mostly in caps. Which makes these the first helmeted figures for the force.

The figures are "Great War Miniatures" in a pack of Lewis gunners. I suspect that there should have been 3 Lewis Gunners and 3 Ammunition carriers. In my pack there was a duplicate munitions carrier, middle in the top photo and left figure in the second photo. This is not a complaint. and extra ammunition is rarely a mistake. I am guessing that somewhere there is a figure pack with an extra Lewis Gunner but no No:2 so he'll be short of supplies and may have trouble reloading. Many people would prefer the extra gun but troops carrying things through trenches can always be used in a WW1 setting.

6 figures in a pack at £5:40 including postage having just checked on eBay seems like a good price. I have no need of any more British for now so I doubt I will purchase any more in the foreseeable future. I did enjoy painting them though as the uniforms are straightforward and it means you can get them done without too much thought or colour worry.

Additionally I found this Renegade officer who had failed to get painted when I did the rest of the WW1 figures so I managed to include him in the batch at the same time. He had been attached to a "slotta" base which I must have done several years ago as opposed to a washer. I have no idea why I did not do him those years ago, maybe he was absent without leave at the time and I simply forgot him and then put him in the "to do" box! Who knows, I can't remember. You can see in the group picture at the bottom that despite my camera work in the individual picture he does fit in. (No idea why it came out so much darker and so much browner. Oh well never mind)




I am doubtful these will get any kind of tabletop outing in the near future I definitely have nothing planned for them but you never know. I would need to make another opposing army for them and that is a task I am not willing to take at present.

That is it for today. Thank you for tuning in. If I can get any painting done this afternoon I will post again on Tuesday. I hope to but nothing is ready yet. So until next time keep safe have fun and feel free to comment, or not as the whim takes you. All the best Clint

120mm mortar

Well despite many distractions I have managed to get a single 120mm German WW2 Mortar. While not rare it was on the Plastic Soldier Heavy Weapons sprue so it was worth painting it up just in case. It finishes the sprue so while it might not find an immediate use I am sure somewhere down the line it will get an outing.

Not having read the rules yet or dug on the internet for details I do have some hope of being able to use it for "Chain of Command." so I have painted the crew to match in with my late war Germans.

Nothing else painted in the last two days but a couple of other things started. On the Non painting front I finished "Farcry 3" this morning, By finished I mean all the quests, side quests, vehicles, letters of the lost, communication towers, pirate bases, assassinations, emergency supply runs and animal hunts. I will not be going for all the relics as I want a change now so maybe the latest Tomb Raider or Assassin's Creed II or Fallout 3. I have all the games but like to finish one game before starting another, Frugal of me I think! I don't know which will take my fancy but being drawn towards Assassin's Creed 2 due to my interest in Italian renaissance architecture!

That's todays very quick post. Thanks for reading. I may be able to get a little more done on the Tarzan Board next week no promises but it is my intent. That's it for now take care and hope you can pop by again. Cheers guys.

Third Time Lucky?

 Those with good memories will have seen this lot of lead before. Twice before to be more precise. The fist time I painted them for VBCW in 28mm but the club wanted 20mm. The second time was a big oppsie moment when I picked up a can of white primer instead of the spray varnish.

Hence the title "Third Time Lucky" As you can see I have re-painted them and varnished them and they are now ready to be put back in the box and with luck they need not be seen again. Unless of course I do another WW1 Zombie game. You never know It could happen.

I have not stressed myself too much about the final finish as it was pretty unrewarding to go over them again. It's not like painting fresh lead.

But they are at least done and dusted and I can now move forward. That is of course until I found some more 28mm WW1 figures. Yes you guessed it I could not leave well enough alone and they are now on the paint cue so they may should be ready by Sunday.

Not going into details but Not looking after my Nephew today. It has taken him an extra day to recover from the operation, so I expect to be looking after him tomorrow. He's fine just needed some extra rest so really nothing major.

That's today's quick post, just rectifying my own mistake from about 8 months ago. I hope all is well with you and I should post again on Friday. SO until then take care, have fun and try to get some painting done. Best Wishes Clint

A Jjacobite AAR

 

I had a game at the club yesterday. Tim wanted to try the Black Powder rules. This is how the game went. The Picture to the right has the board set up. All the figures were supplied by Tim, and were 6mm Irregular Miniatures. While I am not a huge fan of Irregular these were actually well cast and well sculpted which makes a change from what I have seen in the past so perhaps they have improved. The trees walls and two villages were also supplied by Tim. Tim has not put the 6mm buildings up for sale at shows or online but did confirm that he does intent to in the future.

I played the British and Tim took charge of the Scots for a Jacobite battle.  The first picture shows my troops arriving on the battle field. I had only 1 artillery piece, Tim had none, we had one cavalry unit each and I had 8 infantry units to the Scots 12. My mission was to take both the villages and level them. One village on the hill to the left the other on the right beyond the trees.

It is fair to say that we got the rules wrong and continually corrected them as we discovered the right solution. So movement at the start was very slowly and we both struggled with the dice and motivating the troops. However it was equally stifling for us both so no biggie. It was good to have a slow start anyway as it gave us both chance to get used to what we were doing.

My plan was that to try to split the Scots defenders and target one village while using a smaller force to keep the rampaging Scots at bay. Tim had different ideas of course.  The picture to the right shows where my firing line came to a halt on the right. Tim hurled his Cavalry unit straight at my centre The Scots Horse of this period were not very effective and that proved to be the case in the game. They hit a unit of Loyal lowland Scots and suffered so badly that they turned tail and withdrew both disrupted and shaken. For most of the rest of the game poor Tim could not get a general to motivate them again.


The next picture shows where my advance was halted by a series of bad command rolls. Tim had sent 4 foot units to my left out of shot, hence the bent line. He sent his troop forward, down from the hill on the right and into melee with my right flank unit. A series of good dice rolls (from my point of view) first tied the melee and then allowed me to win it. And then the four units to the left hurtled into my loyal Scots who were able to get of shots at close range and disrupt the charge. The resulting fights did not go all my own way but neither were they disastrous.

My right flank was out shooting the Scots quite dramatically, which is not to say the return fire was having any effect. More to say they mine was becoming about twice as effective overall and Tim had to move leaders about and rally troops at every opportunity. I did finally manage to motivate the horse and send them into the highlanders who had finally lost the melee and had withdrawn. They did what any good formed horse should do against fleeing troops and totally wiped them out. They were then on the flank of Tim's troops and after a turn of resting and recovering were able to launch another charge into his troops which had been using a stone wall as cover.

meanwhile to my left the 4 units of highlanders contacted my lowland loyalists. Ouch! One unit acted as a "speed bump" and slowed the Highlanders down but did not stop them. After a couple of turns they crumbled and the unit routed of the board never to be seen again. Of course I reinforced them plugged the hole and steeled myself for the next onslaught. This temporary gap encouraged the scots still on the hill to commit themselves. and I had 1 unit at the corner in danger of having to fight or more than one face, so I got them to form square. While not a conventional tactic we were trying the rules so it was worth a try. They did not fight as efficiently in square as I hoped but it did mean that any failed morale tests would still keep them there and not scatter them. So they did not flee and they did allow me to support the square and I managed to squeeze his highlanders between my two units (square and line).

At the same time my left flank was hurting I managed to charge my horse again into the flank of the unit seeking cover behind the wall. They could not get a last shot off lost the morale check and with a bad dice roll also fled the field. At this stage Tim's flank started to withdraw out of charge range and I made a steady advance with my foot on my Right.

So my left flank was under pressure my centre was holding but my right had pretty much dealt with the defenders of the first village. With some fortunate motivations (despite rolling double 6). A natural 12 on the motivations mean the unit concerned fails to understand the order properly and may act in a random manner. This surprisingly worked in my favour and they were put in a position to threaten the Scots Horse which had continually failed to motivate and of course Tim was too busy elsewhere to spare a commander to order them back to the fight.

With my right flank free I was able to support the left which were slowly and systematically being worn away. Bringing so many now fresh and rested troops over to the left allowed my to push the remaining highlanders back and I secured the second village.

Conclusion: Although the unit losses tend to make it look like a one sided battle I only lost 3 foot to Tims 11 and a horse. The battle was not as this would reflect. I grant you that Tim was continually on the defensive and to much extent the back foot but a few different dice rolls and I could have been crushed like a bug at one point in the game.

Overall the rules worked well and we shall use them again. They are not a set for picky rules lawyers but they do seem to be a good set for club fun games. The basic rules are simple and despite the hesitations and our initial lack of understanding over motivations worked as I would hope a club set should work. The best part for me was that I have played skirmish games the most part of the last year or so which made a big battle set a very pleasant change.

When I first thought to do War of Spanish Succession  I did buy some 6mm Baccus miniatures. I can see that I might have to hunt them out and get them painted now. Given that I am not buying any wargames figures until September at the earliest this seems to me to be an excellent idea. So give me a while to clear what I have on the paint table already and I can start them.

I hope you found something of interest here today. Thanks for tuning in and I should do my next post on Wednesday. All the best Clint.

Small but mighty!

Events overtook me and I was not able to post as scheduled on Thursday. Which means Yes you guessed it I was looking after my nephew. But despite that and while he played on the computer or watched "Aliens" on DVD I did manage to get some 10mm Kallistra Dwarves painted and based. The first few people who followed this blog or just casually glanced at it will no doubt vaguely remember I started a 10mm fantasy army. Well I still had and have some Dwarfs to paint for this so I thought to do something small and easy to finish between 40k matches (most of which I lost!).

So here we have 4 stands of dwarves. Each stand has 10 figures on it for that nice crowded look which so suits smaller figures. As with the other units in the army I have gone for a bold blue and white colour scheme.  I find bold colours on smaller figures very effective in a fantasy setting as I want them to be clear on the table.


I make no excuses for having painted these figures  in a wargaming manner. They are designed to be see from a couple of feet away and don't need the detail the shading or the highlighting of 28mm figures. Therefore I put a heavy black wash over them and a simple highlight after there base colours were done. Simple and yet effective enough from a couple of feet away.

 I do have more of these little blighters to do so don't be too surprised if they start turning up between now and Christmas. I am even thinking of getting more at SELWG at the end of September. I won't go overboard on purchases, but I do like the look of this army and think it does deserve to be increased to a usable size.

Eventually I will need an opposing army for them and am at present open to suggestions. I am very fussy about fantasy armies though which means I would want something that would fit in and be a worthy adversary for these figures. One guy (Kevin) at the club has some Undead so I would not want to tread on his toes and get them as well. Anyway have a think and let me know.

That's it for today. Thanks for reading and I should post again on Monday. All the best Clint

TAR7AN Board update 5

 Ok not making any excuses, but it's "Summer Holiday" time so having to look after my nephew means I don't get as much hobby time as usual. Because of that I have not got any figures painted. So here's where I am on the board.

As you can see the stepping stones are now in place. Some tidying up to do but overall not too bad.

I have STARTED to paint the river. Only started mind so not the finished shades, but It should I hope, give a rough indication of where it is heading. at least 2 more shades of different blue and another green before I look towards the Varnish.

I have finished dry brushing the cliff. This takes it from a very plastic kids toy feel into a slightly more credible look. Once stains and some foliage is added it should start looking more realistic. At least that is the hope. I don't mind it looking a little cartoony but I don't want bit to look too ropey!

The temple entrance was treated as roughly as the cliff and yet still gives a passable result. I have yet to black in the doorway but even so you can see that it should work.


I would like to say I have more to share, but James (the nephew) has taken and will continue to take up time and effort to entertain. Which is not in any way a complaint, but is perhaps some part of an explanation.

I shall try to get some figures finished for Thursday. Basing and a lot of touching up to do on this next batch..... and due to my self imposed "Figure Fast" you will see they are not from current front runner projects but from something started a couple of years back!

That's it hurried out for today. Hope to see you Thursday. So until then take care have fun and enjoy the sun. All the best Clint.

Paint it BROWN!!!!!

Yes I am aware that I have over painted the whole board with a brown paint. It was a deliberate act as some cement was accidently sprinkled (not by me but what can you do) on it and was refusing to shift easily. I like to think of it as a positive step though and not a negative. Now that it is all painted with brown acrylic paint (the type you can get at "The Works" 2 for £5) the board is sealed and should any further mishaps take place should be easier to deal with.  Although it is patchy on the grass, this will get a coat or two of green so not to worry at this stage.

So having gotten past the fact that I am re-painting what has changed. Well in the second picture you can clearly see the stepping stones which cross the water edge and link the board to the river. Each one is large enough to carry a 28mm figure.These were simple pieces of slate that some people use in there gardens between flowers to discourage weeds. I managed to pick them up from the gutter following that big storm we had last week having been washed out of their respective front gardens. Waste not want not! I looked high and low but could not find any Araldite so have settled for Evostick Impact adhesive to fix them in place. Let's be blunt once the varnish is around them they should not move, not even a smidgen!.

It is a shame that the layers of paint have started to texture the bottom of the river bed, but I feel confident that pouring the varnish and not brushing it will hide those very nicely. As pouring the Varnish was always the plan this is of little real consequence. In other words I'll BODGE it!

The last two pictures show the subterranean temple entrance. I have kept it crude and unsophisticated simply to reflect the primitive nature that I wish this pulp set of villains to portray. It is not meant in any way to reflect the craftsmanship of other cultures around the world, but merely a piece of set dressing. Some of the plaster I was using has gotten onto the face of the temple, but I can live with that. and I don't think it detracts too much from the idea. Or maybe they need a few work slaves to chisel this off and get a better temple. the last slaves having died and been eaten. Who know!

So at this stage I feel that all the major construction has been completed. Which means that I should be able to start painting it up to a finished level hopefully by the end of the week. I will change the doorways to the huts, but not the roofs again that is something I will try to get done this week as well. So by Next Saturday I can show how the board has progressed.

I hope to do my next blog post on Tuesday. So until then take care and enjoy what's left of the weekend. Best wishes Clint.

Stupid man!

Actually that's not aimed at you. It is aimed at me! Why is it when something is staring me straight in the face, leaping up and down and waving it's arms in the air I still fail to see it? The answer of course is in the title! Yes I am a dumb ass at times! (Only times not constantly no matter what you or others may say!)

I have to work in full circles to arrive back at the beginning and waste a load of time, money and effort to no effect!

Should I explain now? Or continue the verbal self flagellation.

After a further 10 minutes of yelling at my self! (I knew you would pick the latter option). I now will explain, go and get a cup of tea and a biscuit and settle back down.

Ahh your back now, good. Comfy then I'll begin.

You may remember back in the new year I said I wanted to do some cold war wargaming. You may also remember that I have been thinking about making some scenery/battle boards for it. Additionally I have been thinking of Arab Israeli wars either 1967 or 1973. yes I know this is cold war era and had considered it as already part of the project. Well the Eureka, break-through, slap forehead, epiphany moment arrived this morning. (About time too!)

Can you guess what it is yet? (Imagine Rolf Harris saying it!)

I already have a 1/300 scale desert hex based modular scenery. Now I grant you my two existing forces are not very Middle eastern........ but what a fantastic starting place. I can no doubt use some bits and bobs with a bit of a repaint!

I even have some spare foam board to make some more desert  hexes. And the rest can be tidied up! I may set up a board later in the week and offer some pics!

So I have the scenery already done, the scale all sorted and I am about ready to start! I think I even have the rules (found free on this inter web thingie). And the fly in the ointment is that I am now on a "figure fast!" so I can't buy the extra bits I need.

And this is how my life goes.......

The only question now is 1967 (October war) or 1973 (Yom Kippur War)? I am edging towards 1973 Yom Kippur as it starts with the Israelis on the back foot.

Thanks for reading I just had to bombard some poor unfortunate with it!

TAR7AN board update tomorrow I am still going to work through that before going off on a complete tangent!. This is just me venting as I realise the blindingly obvious! Which I am sure you saw 8 months ago and were too kind to point out! And for not pointing it out I thank you!

Hope to see you again tomorrow, so until then, eat some ice-cream and stay in the shade!
All the best Clint

By Crom!

 Only 1 figure, but a book and TV classic. This figure called "Brom" by Reaper miniatures is fooling no one. We all know it's really "Harry Potter!" Ok maybe not a certain teenage wizard but before JK Rowling started writing probably one of the most famous fantasy characters of all time. There are many other famous fantasy characters of course, Elric, Frodo, Red Sonja and many many more. However Conan is so synonymous with pulp fantasy that just about everyone knows of him.

I read Conan  novels in my early teenage years and in many ways they along with the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings were what pushed me into playing D + D. Although I actually prefer to play clerics as a class, as they have all the power. This is debateable of course and all character classes have their uses, but if you ever have a character die you'll need a high level cleric to "Res" the poor unfortunate and if that is not power in D and D what is. SO for me Clerics were the ultimate class.

But I digress. When I first started sorting out the TAR7AN game it actually could easily have become a Conan game. That being the case I hunted round for some figures and settled on this one from Reaper to be the main protagonist. I was still going to set it in the jungles of Kush or perhaps the deserts of Stygia and maybe it will get another lease of life when Tarzan has had an outing. Don't think I won't re use the same board with different figures because I surely will. Most if not all of the evil cast can be used which means just swapping the Heroic cast and maybe adding something which can be summoned. With lots of old Call of C'thulhu  miniatures finding a suitable demon will not be hard. SO after the Tarzan game expect another AAR with sword wielding barbarians!

I think this is one of the few sculpts that has hairy armpits! So thank goodness he has some kind of animal skin around his waist! He was actually a pleasure to paint, very pronounced muscles and a generally nice sculpt. There are always a few things one would do differently of course but other than his face I am very happy with how he came out. Nothing all that wrong with his face just a little lop sided and with a moulding line which needed a bit of cleaning up which has left it with a wonky eye. It is only me that will worry about that. Not complaining though overall a very nice figure with much to commend it.

I should be able to do a TAR7AN board post on Sunday. so with a bit of luck I shall see you then. Take care and catch you later. Clint

Figure Fast.

Continuing to paint up old figures in 20mm for late war Germans, circa 44-45. This is a 75mm IG 18 infantry gun used on both the Easter and Western front by the Germans. I tackled this one to help bulk out my WW2 Germans ready for the up coming rules by "Too Fat Lardies!" The Gun itself is by SHQ while the crew are from another source, perhaps "Britannia" although I am not sure. I know they can into my possession about 20 years ago and have finally reached the pinnacle of the lead mountain.

And that's kind of what I am going to waffle on about today. No not nostalgia and how we all miss some of the older models. Not even how long it can take me to finally get round to painting things. They are related though. What I have decided is that my lead piles are growing and not getting any smaller. Therefore I have decided to go on a "Figure Fast". For the whole month of August I vow not to purchase any wargames figures or kits. I will only paint old lead.

By old lead I mean things that have been hanging around for 3 months or preferably longer. The hope is that I get a few more things finished and less things started. Tim at the club has suggested I will crumble and not last the month, and truth to tell he may well be right. I do not know if I have the commitment but at least I will try, and after all 1 month is not so very long.

I will allow myself to buy paints, bases and basing materials such as "tufts" but no rules, kits or figures. No Lead no resin no plastic.

How will this effect the blog, truth to admit I don't think it will. I shall continue to work on the TAR7AN board and other things I have started. It will allow me to get some figures done that I have been meaning to but just have kept going off at tangents and getting side tracked. So in the next month you can expect to see some old work re-emerge as I attempt to reduce the unpainted piles of metal.

So for the next month, until 1st September 2013, I will be on a wargames diet. Or as I l;ike to think of it a "Figure Fast".

Thanks for reading more again in two days time. All the best Clint.

BBIB Club Game.

 Just a sheet for terrain, add an island and of we go. Yep it's that simple. Tim and Myself had a 4 ship Spanish fleet and Graham a 4 Ship English fleet. WE started several turn apart to give us time to remember the rules. The fleets were roughly equal but not exactly the same and the fleets fought with equal ferocity. I let Tim take the lead and followed in line behind him and Graham snaked his fleet the other side of the island to me and I had a whole day of sitting the furthest away from the game action as was physically possible.

The opening shots saw The British fleet score the first blood. The return fire from Tim's two ships was far more accurate and made the British broadsides look really weak (Tim rolled well on the dice and did so most of the day).

And then the chaos started. Each ship going it's own way and no real formations. It was all a bit hectic and uncontrolled. So I can't tell exactly what happened and to whom and why. What follows is a few of the highlights in no particular order. It is worth saying that fires and crew losses were the significant ways that ships were lost. Graham's flagship suffered command and steering hits and was forced to sail in a straight line for several turn.

Another of Grahams ships was turned into a blazing inferno with some black joker damage card being drawn. Tim then boarded it to seize it as a prise but the plucky British crew fought them of (eventually). Seeing that He was going to loose a ship as a prize Graham fired into the boarding action with one of his other vessels. This killed all the British but so many of the Spanish that they did not have enough for a prize crew so had to abandon the attempt. The action cards came up for Graham to fire again and he managed to kill the few remaining Spanish sailors on Tim's ship. So he manoeuvred and boarded the two ships, one firmly ablaze, the other severely damaged, but with no crew at all, as they had already struck their colours.

As I had been chasing down this ship with my as yet undamaged 80 gunner. I let rip managed a bow rake rolled well on the dice and drew a total of 15 damage cards. The result was that my broadside both killed all the crew on Grahams ship but also set it on fire in 4 areas. So with no crew it was left to burn.

The last piece of action of the day as we were running out of both time and energy was my 74 gunner chasing Grahams flagship. This is where the cards and the dice (ok and my judgement) deserted me and Graham repaired his 100 gunner and could now both steer and had restored it's chain of command. Graham also had a 54 gunner, the weakest ship of the line which had sailed out of shot for all of the game. If my manoeuvre card had been turned over first I was in a position to bow rake the 100 gunner at less than 1/2 inch range. Alas for me, it was not meant to be and Graham was able to move the 54 gunner to bow rake me and the 100 gunner slipped away out of my arc of fire. The next card flipped was Grahams firing phase and my mostly intact s74 gun ship was punished severely.

We ended the game there due to lack of time. If we had carried on it really could have gone either way. Graham had a very badly damaged 100 gunner and a 54 third rate. I had a badly damaged 74 Gunner and an untouched 2nd rate.. Tim had lost both ships but had inflicted so much damage on the 100 gunner of Grahams fleet that it would have struggled to stay in the game for much longer and probably would have withdrawn. Or knowing Graham would have just dropped anchor and tried to keep guns towards any of my ships by using some clever rudder and wind manipulation.

Over all a very enjoyable game and a Sunday full of fun. That's it for today. Thanks for reading I hope to have something painted my Wednesday so I hope to see you then. All the best Clint.