If 5 are good surely 10 is better?

Year it's a long way of saying I have made 5 more smoke clods. Bringing the total to 10. This I think is enough for now.

4 may be used in PBI if an off board strike is called for either in a 2x2 block or in a row of 4 (NO DIAGONALS) wither as a row or as a column. Then a roll for deviation of each piece. They tend not to move much. But expect 1 in 4 to move. (Roughly).

If being used by on board guns (or tanks) a single square is affected. That being the case you can only have 1 off board asset a turn and on board gun (or tanks) tend to use HE in our games as they would tend to cause the most casualties!
Yeah we tend to be bloodthirsty!

Therefore 10 I think is the right number as they do tend to disappear over time. So that for now is job done on the cloud markers.

All the best Clint

Smoke gets in your eyes. (and WIP)

Ok these were made for Peter Pigs PBI rules. That said  there is no reason not to think they could and will not be used for other rules. However I wanted something a little "better" than cotton wool. I know most of you will use cotton wool without issue But I wanted something different.

Therefore I created 5 smoke clouds. (5 more are started and 10 should be enough for me!). They were simple to do just "clump foliage" then sprayed white (3 coats) and then the bases painted and they are good to go. I must  say I am very happy with them. You only need 1 in a PBI square to represent the whole square being filled with smoke so they are indicators only and not realistically modelled terrain. I am  sure you shall do better on your own with a little thought.

 Aztec farm (2) WIP

 As you can see I have started the second part of my sci fi farm. So I HOPE  to get that finished in the week. More details when I do. Please don't try to hold your breathe it is still several days away at the very earliest.

Donner vehicle ! WIP

Yes more WIP, and this is a while off so really don't try to hold your breath (that would be a very bad idea! Continuing my dieselpunk obsession I wave started a donner vehicle. All I have done so far is break things up. Ok saw things but you get the idea! On this model (thanks eBay) I need to rebuild the radiator and the headlights. remove (that's done) the side wheels and rebuild the running boards. And then either rebuild the rain cover or rebuild the back seat not sure yet and add some MGs and some other bits and bobs, like maybe a new hood ornament.

So expect this to take weeks and not days to do. The chances are I  shall get bored and throw it away before I finish so PLEASE don't suggest anything to do with this car. But at the very least you know it is a live project.

That's all for now folks have a good Sunday and try not to get too much done or I shall be disappointed in myself.

All the best Clint.

2nd squad

 Yes here are my 2nd squad of Snake-men. (AKA Atragar) The vehicle comes from Brigade Games but is currently not available (unless you talk VERY nicely to the guys at a show! Bringing Cake helps!!!) While the Snake men are from Critical Mass and are actually "Astragar" should you  go looking for them.

As mentioned this is my 2nd squad and 2nd Vehicle (I have 1 more to do) so expect them next month most likely. But do not hold your breathe!

I have yet to sort out stats for them and the vehicles as I have been busy. I do have a heavy weapon team as well (currently undercoated but no further) I am tring to decide if they belong at squad level or as a separate support section. I'll let you know when (if ever) I decide. IF I decide on squad level I shall need to buy 2 more.

Elsewhere I am working on a couple of things which I hope to show next week. Some historical and some (like part 2 of Aztec Fram) sci fi!

As you see slowly I am getting it all done. (OK very slowly)

Until next time take car, have fun and paint if you can. All the best Clint

Skirmish battle

At the skirmish show we were asked to put on a Sudan game. Everything was left up to Tim. He supplied the figures and the terrain and using the "Men who would be Kings rules by Osprey. I happened to notice they were used by some other clubs as well.

The battle we fought was a combination of two historic battles. With British against the Egyptians. In History Britain won both battles so could the beefed up Egyptians do any better this time?

Graham and Peter had the Egyptians while Gar and myself had the British. (Well at least 1/2 my troops were Indians from the Indian Division!

All photos were taken from my seat so a very limited point of photo view!

 

The Indian Division close to (my best troops)
 headed down the rail track to try to catch the train.
My Other division was to tackle the redoubts.
Gary was to take the redoubts on the far side of the table.

As Graham moved most of his troops up from the town.
I used  the trees as cover and brought fire on the closest redoubt.
Meanwhile as I looked around the show Another club member took control of my forces.
The result was a wild unsupported charge by my cavalry.
I can't say I would have done very much different as the cavalry did wipe out a unit of Egyptian infantry.
It is the kind of rashness  that left them exposed and pinned down under  the Egyptian Infantry riles.
Needless to say they all died in 3 or so turns.

Unable to pull the cavalry back I advanced with all the infantry.
Despite losses I did take a major redoubt and did force the
Egyptians back into a no mans land.
Gary was likewise doing the same and although he lost some marines
I had lost cavalry so was not in any position to feel smug.

He game ended as a slight British Victory.
We had taken 4 of the 6 Redoubts so we were equal on victory points with the Egyptians.
We had failed to take the train and the Egyptians still held 2 redoubts but were not in a fit stare to carry on.
If time and effort and energy had continued, but the show was packing up,
I have no doubt te British would have had a decisive victory. But time was up and we achieved what we achieved in the time.

Conclusion: Hard to finish a game at a show unless it is a skirmish game. But I suspect "Her majesty" would have approved as no awful reports of a British massacre reached "the times!" To make this a very competitive game though the Egyptians should have been given more Omph or at least more reinforcements. But 20/20 hindsight is a marvellous thing.

Spring Skirmish show

As mentioned yesterday I was at the Spring Skirmish show yesterday. Firstly I did have a good time but the show is mostly about "toy Soldiers" as opposed to wargaming. Yes there were about 15 Traders there but mostly NOT selling what I want and more "Toy Soldier" based than wargaming. But everyone is allowed to like their own thing. For me once you have seen 1 unpainted plastic soldier the appeal of looking at them does diminish.

There was a bring and Buy stall, but nothing for me. Either to buy and as for selling I decided not to. I gave 2 Osprey books away to friends as they were doubles for me bought as a job lot!

None the less here were the games:

Rainham wargames club ( our game)



Skirmish Wargames Club

As above

Milton Hundreds Wargames club
"What a Tanker" participation.

As above

Gravesend (I think)



Medway wargames
Game of thrones game

Old Guard Wargames Club

The Privateers of London Club
Who I think only do Naval engagements!

Maidstone wargames club.

 

Kitt Miniatures
Starship battle.

 

Replica Model Soldiers.
More a display of toy soldiers than a wargames club.



As te theme was Sudan
a display of real artefacts
from the wars/battle

Loot from Skirmish!

Spring Skirmish is over again. Check Big Lees blog for a show report. (LINK ) I shall do my show report tomorrow (I hope). Until then here is my loot (not much) from the show. I would have bought more but there was little I wanted at the show.

Only 2 stalls I spent money at.

Debris of war where I got 2 "Flying stands" This should push my 28mm Dieselpunk idea further.

Colonel Bills. 3 Lewis guns.... I hope to show them in place soon.
2 pots of paint. These shall be used and not detailed, Just a grey and a brown, boring but vital colours.
And just 1 pack of bases. All wargamers need bases and I happened to need large rectangular ones at the moment!


I have FINALLY finished reading these rules. (Last night) Yes I know they are old (very old) but I have a fresh unused copy and I  really do like them. So you  may see them again soon.

Thanks for looking and with luck something better soon. All the best Clint

First troops

Yes the first actual troops for this project as opposed to "vehicles"! This morning  I have finished my first squad of "snake-men" (Astragar as Critical Mass games call them.  Here is a LINK)

I find painting Sci Fi Figures hard. Yes you are right what ever colour you paint them is "right" there really is not a "wrong!!" So for now these will do and do well. There is some tidying up to o..... when is there not? But overall I am happy with their progress and finished look.  They are not perfect but non-the-less I am happy with them.

The vehicle is an APC or Battle -bus by Brigade games (see previous blog posts for a link and know that they are no longer easily available). It is an organic breed in a tank "Vehicle!" As such  factories might well be very different from our assembly plants. They might be so different that it might be easier to transport to a new world. (something to think about!)

This APC seems to fit well with my concept of the race and how they are. As such I shall say no more about them I have yet to stat them for the Grurntz rules so perhaps my initial thoughts might change. At present I have 3 of the APCs so that limits me to the size of the force. (Just 3 squads.... what ever I decide a Snake-men squad is.

This picture shows what I have painted so far in the vehicle range by Brigade  Models But I have 3 more varieties of vehicle yet to paint before I get sidetracked. (And I shall soon like it or not! I know what I am like)

The last pic just shows me that I have at least 2 more squads to paint (possibly more) and I have at least 9 more "vehicles" to go (Not pictured). Therefore I have enough 15mm sci fi to keep me going for a bit.

With luck I shall do the next lot quicker as NO decisions or re-paints need happen (although I bet they shall as MY typically hap-hazard way of doing things unfolds)>

Until next time take care, have fun and get some painting done!

All the best Clint

AZTEC FARM

A scratch built 15mm sci fi farm. No this is not a farm for growing Aztecs! Nor is a farm built by the ancient Aztecs. It is just the name I was using as I built this.  Nor is it complete. as it would require several further tunnels to finish it. But it will do for now!
Below is a step by step guide on how it was made.

Firstly I needed a concept. It needed to be easily built and cheaply. So I used only Items I could either scrounge or had already I am sure there are beter options and I look forward to seeing them.

This was actually the hardest part. Using "Grey board" (extra thick cardboard) I cut out some semi circles. I cut them the wrong size. Feel free to laugh andI am sure many of you will. This is actually quite gruelling and requires some effort. So Rather than re cut them to the right size I went with it. Not Ideal but what in wargaming or I life is!

I used  some spare 6mm MDF to make a base board. This was easy and straight forward and I was able to use power tools so little effort bu some time was required. For the actual tunnel I decided on an old "Pepsi" bottle. Feel free to use something else. I nearly used "7UP" as the bottled were lime green in colour and I thought (and still do) that might make them more sci fi in appearance. But I had a pepsi bottle so that was pressed into service.
There are molding lines and I used these as a guide to get some pieces hemispherical and using the molding lines was accurate enough.

I did a dry assembly first and then once I was "Happy" (BTW I am never happy) first stick the end pieces in place and then set about making the interior. The interior was first painted then dry-brushed and then commercial "Tufts" were added to reflect crops.  Again |I used what I had and the next version will probably be cheaper! Yeah I am a skin flint!


When ready (and left over night) I used a cheap (Bought from the 99p store) Uhu glue To hold in all in place. It is not perfect but did the job I required cheaply and efficiently.The interior was painted black on the walls and any other colour would have been acceptable, Personal choice and what, in this instance, I had to hand. Thick card board (actually Mounting board) was used on the sides. Again UHU was used but feel free to use any other general glue.



At this stage all the inside was done and a coat of grey paint was applied to the appropriate areas. As I had not been super neat (such s my way) I used thin strips of "Plasticard" as a junction between the "clear"  and the grey walls. Yes I split glue more than a few time and If working commercially would have taken more care. Superglue was used to hold the plasicard in placeas my "Mekpak" had all dried up and superglue was all I had handy! Again more care should have been taken but it was not and I have learnt not to beat-my-self-up about it.

Finally I painted to finish ad blogged it. I added a solar panel from the "Blotz" company (LINK) and a figure for scale. The solar panel and the figure are separate and can (and will) be used for other things!

Yes lots to get "right" in the future, but at least my sc fi 15mm people shall not starve straight away.  Yes I need to build a few more (and in different sizes) or supporting life will not be easy and shall be expensive. But not a bad place to start.

Below are some more finished pics just do you an see all the mistakes. Don't bother pointing them out I am already aware of them and all it does is make you look stupid!

Thanks for looking and no doubt see you soon. All the best Clint

more 15mm SF

Not done a huge amount of painting. But a little is better than none!

Here is another "Brigade Models" 15mm Cimexian Bugs. As mentioned previously not easily available as they no longer appear in this scale on their web site. It is called a Walker Bug, so may be a robot or maybe a walker suit. either way it bothers me NOT one jot.

Clearly there is a weapon in the left hand and a claw in the right. so it could be quite versatile (if it actually existed). From my point of view it will add to my "Snake-men" army without any difficulty.  I only have 1 more of these in my box of goddies and this one was selected Just as a sample to get the colours right! Which I now think I have done.

More again as soon as I pull my finger out and stop procrastinating. Until then take care ave fun and paint if your heart desires.

All the best Clint

the VERY very first of my next force!

These are for "Gruntz" 15mm sci fi. They are on the 4th repaint that I know of one by the person I got them from on e Bay and 3 by me. I am finally happy with they way they look.

Top photo a little blurry and the "chassis" is the wrong way around! Now these figures I am not sure are still available! They were originally from Brigade {LINK} Models. They used to be part of the 15mm Cimexian Bugs range which is not part of the web site in 15mm but is in 6mm. So if you want any good luck and you may need to speak to the Brigade guys at a show.

I got these on eBay some years ago when I was looking at doing a game set inside the human body in a "Fantastic Voyage" kind of way. But waste not want not and they can be used as part of my new force of Alien Gruntz!  (hence at least 1 of the re-paints!)

There shall be more to follow but at present they are all I have finished. I have a variety of models so expect some more soon.

Until then take care and have fun. All the best Clint