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

Rain stopped Play.

 Well kind off. That is to say There was a game at "posties" but I could not attend. As I do not drive (my eyes are just not up to it!) As a consequence I am reliant on public transport. Yes I know it's a git! Anyway the game started at 10 am and British Rail (Southeast Rail) had cancelled several trains before 11am due to the persistent bad weather. So other than getting a taxi each way (and who can afford that) I was forced to pull out. I feel bad about it, but what can you do. I gave Postie as much warning as I possibly could. So not much else I could do!

So all my plans for yesterday went up in smoke and I was left feeling like I could not concentrate on painting. I did try a little of course, but really not too much progress I just was not in the mood. I had already submitted my "Casualty Bonus Round Figure" For Curt's painting challenge so I was not forced to paint. Therefore I had a day off.

Or did I? I did re-base some tanks for the planned Spanish Civil war game which being honest did not take long. But it did need doing so not a waste of time.

So the "Tread Heads" out there will no doubt be able to identify them. Yes 3 Russian T 26, The most common tank of the SCW, and probably the best. It is interesting , I think, to note that Russian Communist tanks in this conflict were mostly painted dark grey, while German, Fascist tanks were painted Green. The exact opposite of the colour schemes used in the second world war 2 years later. For many people this will make no difference at all and indeed for wargamers it also makes no difference.

As well as there being few Tanks there were also very few Mortars. Additionally they used a WW1 tactical doctrine. As opposed to a much more mobile WW2 approach. Thus when mortars were set up they were not planned to move during a battle. I think this might catch a few players out. Specially if they are used to playing WW2 games.

The last things I rebased were these Italian Tankettes. They are considerably smaller and lighter than the T26 with just a 2 man crew.

One last thing Ray Lee and Fran should be aware of is that the tanks were usually owned and operated by the Army. While that may sound totally obvious in any Civil war the Army is but one faction. I have 17 SCW army lists, all of which may (or may no) have armoured vehicles assigned to them. But they would be operated by the Army personnel.

That's it for today. I hope to be a little more productive with the paint brush and jig saw today.

All the best Clint

Turkish Force

 Coming hot from Curt's painting challenge today I am showing the 20mm Turkish troops I have painted for my forthcoming Arab revolt game. All the figures are IT miniatures as with the Arabs. Obviously all being uniformed these were quicker to paint the whole 24 taking me just over a day if we include basing. All this means that the Arab Revolt game just needs some more terrain making which I will start today (weather permitting.... stop laughing!) You know I will show each step of the terrain making so look out for that in future blog posts.

Meanwhile back at these figures. Both of the officers have swords and holsters for pistols. This is perhaps a mistake on the sculptors part, but not a major one. While swords were used they were not generally taken into battle. Pistols were not issued but were commonly used generally being purchased commercially Needless to say this could lead to different ammunition calibres and types being used. Likewise the infantry would be equipped with different rifles in different units or on different fronts. This would have no tabletop implications and is just mentioned to highlight that at times the Ottoman Army of this period was not as well equipped as many of the WW1 Western front armies. 

This is nearly the whole range of IT Turkish troops and will allow me to fight some WW1 Skirmish battles other than the Arab revolt. Indeed I am talking and thinking about putting on a WW1 Palestine game on for the Rejects. At present I am just tweaking the rules .because  at the moment the rules I would use would make the game a little slow. The flip side is that it would make them play very tactically. Good Lord making wargamers think it's just wrong!

That's it for today. I am travelling to Posties Shed of war for a colonial game all day long on Saturday. Ray, Big Lee and Fran will not be present so I will be the only blogger there. Unless my camera plays up or I forget it there should be an AAR on Sunday. So until Sunday, take care and have fun and try not to get too cold or wet! All the best Clint.

Guardia Civil Spanish Civil War.

To the right you can see my rebased Guardia Civil figures for the Spanish Civil War.The paramilitary forces of the Guardia Civil (Civil

Guard), followed standard Spanish military organisation patterns, with a few minor variations.
Typically therefore, their individual platoons
(Secciones) consisted of a small platoon command staff of simply a First or Second Lieutenant (Teniente or Alferez), accompanied by a Staff Sergeant (Sargento Primero). There were two large sections (Pelotones), each led by a Sergeant (Sargento) and composed of three squads (Escuadras), each of a corporal and five Guardia; except the first, where the Sergeant replaced the Corporal.  I however have mounted 3 figures to a base to keep the figures consistent with my other forces in the two armies.

With the exception of the platoon leader and his
second in command, who were armed with pistols, all men were supposedly armed with a rifle or carbine of the Mauser type. Other weapons were also held in their arsenals however, which included sub-machine
guns, riot shotguns and exotic types more usually seen wielded by prison or bank guards. That makes you ponder what the prisons were like! Talk about rough justice.

Support weapons were virtually non-existent, with each Guardia Civil or Carabinero Commandancia (essentially a four company battalion-sized unit) only being authorised a single Hotchkiss M.1914 medium machine gun.  They did however also field mounted units,
as well as, in some cases, motorised or motorcycle units.

The figures are 10mm Pendraken miniatures I have still to attaché flags, but as these troops fought on both the Nationalist and Republican sides during the SCW I will most likely make some slip on /slip off style flags to retain figure versatility. Don't get excited Ray the Mounted unit shown here will not be taking the field in the planned SCW game at the Rejects/posties Shed of War!
  Likewise Fran please do not expect them to look like this and if you have any thoughts about police women it is best not to voice them in public.

I will need a chat with Postie in the next few weeks to find out how large a force the players are happy to field, which will determine how many I will be able to entertain, accommodate, erhm I mean fit in the game.
 

I also suspect I will be able to put on a WW1 Palestine Skirmish game on for them in the near future, BUT I suspect that might be too small for the shed of war at this stage as it would be limited to 2 players until I build more terrain.

 

Thanks for Popping By, I hope to have some more painted stuff from Curt's Challenge to show by Friday as I sent him the Pics on Monday afternoon. All the best folks and Hope to see you soon.

 Cheers Clint