Iron Cow 2103AD Aerospace Assets

It's too cold in the garage this evening for painting and I have a mountain of  shirts to iron, so the Rapid Fire stuff is on the shelf for the moment. However, I have been giving some thought to extra bits for the Iron Cow project, which I'm planning to start at half term.

One of the options in the rules is to use airstrikes by VTOL's or Aerospace fighter bombers, one or other of which would be a neat addition to my force. There are also some specific rules additions for air to ground pounding on the Ragnarok back issues site, so I can justify some aerial artillery for my ONESS British from more than one starting point: http://www.sfsfw.org/a/20/pigeon.php

To keep things simple and cheap, I've dug out some EM4 Spacecraft sprues that I had stashed away for use with Tacship: http://www.sfsfw.org/a/03/tacship.php

They're the old Silent Death plastic fighters but are roughly 6mm in scale and ideal as ground attack fighter bombers, although there are only one or two that look the part in a 'near future' type setting.

Luckily I have  three of the more 'conventional' types on the various sprues, the one in the top left corner of the picture, so can provide a flight for my airstrike missions. I think it's a Pit Viper in Silent Death terms but I'll have to think up a suitable name for it in Iron Cow. Any suggestions?

All The King's Armies

I finished reading To The Last Round the other day, which was very well researched and thoroughly detailed yet also quite readable. I'm not about to dive into the Korean War as a project anytime soon but it's one that I'll be thinking about, probably with a focus on Cold War Commander in 10mm.  

As a bit of a change, I've dug out a copy of All The King's Armies by Stuart Reid that I've had stashed away in the book pile for years. I thought it would be useful to refresh my memory on the military campaigns in the South and South West, before I get stuck into the 28mm Pike and Shotte stuff at some point later on this year.

Other than that, I've had no time to get any more painting done this weekend as I've been tied down with various family and friend related entertainments both yesterday and today. I'm also a bit knackered, which doesn't help.

However, I'm going to try to get the rifles, entrenching tools, hands and faces painted tomorrow evening if I can finish off the incredibly annoying flat pack cupboard assembly task that I've been landed with first. No promises but I'm hoping to shift things along a bit in the next couple of days.

 

Outrider Download

I was surfing through Wargame Vault this evening, on the hunt for useful free stuff, when I noticed that Outrider had been uploaded and was available for downloading. As a result, I've splashed out an extortionate £7 and now have the rules, counters and roadway terrain to peruse at my leisure.

It took a while to download but it looks like a very well designed and presented game system. I'll have time to read through everything tomorrow (hopefully) so will post my initial thoughts on TMP to encourage a bit of interest, which is always a nice thing to do when a small publisher puts something together that deserves some attention.

I'm off to Sainsburys with the sprogs tomorrow to do the weekly shopping (the wife is taking tea with a lady friend and I get to drag the offspring around for a couple of hours), so a few Hot Wheels may well end up in the bottom of the trolley...

Iron Cow 2103AD Mini Project

I didn't get home until 8pm today due to a very long and rather uninspiring options evening, so decided to cheer myself up with a 6mm Brigade Models ONESS British Combat Team for Iron Cow:

http://www.brigademodels.co.uk/6mmSF/Rules%20and%20Packs/IC-101.html 

This will probably arrive in a couple of weeks time when the Rapid Fire! stuff will have been finished off, so I'll be able to squeeze it in as a mini-project for late February.

As it's 6mm I don't think it'll take too long to paint up, especially if I use a wash and drybrush technique combined with a simple approach to basing. I'm thinking of using the plastic bases that I have stockpiled from the 28mm Warlord Games Pike and Shotte boxed sets, which should make things relatively straightforward. 

I'm looking forward to this little diversion into 6mm SF gaming!

Rapid Fire 5th Battalion DCLI [17]

I've washed and then highlighted the webbing this evening, followed by the scrim netting on the helmets. The webbing worked out fine but the scrim has ended up a bit too blurry, despite my attempts at highlighting with GW Camo Green. I'll have another look at it tomorrow to see if I can add some definition with another wash of some sort.

It's definately one of those  'er  ???..um'  moments, but I'm sure it'll work out fine in the end.

Iron Cow 2103AD

I spotted this on TMP today and, after about thirty seconds of careful deliberation, decided to snap up a .pdf copy from Wargames Vault for the equivalent of a Tesco BLT sandwich and a packet of crisps.

I had thought about doing 1.300th Sci Fi many times in the past using Brigade Models vehicles and Old Crow dropships, landing craft, vtol's and terrain bits and pieces. The annual Brigade Models Xmas sale nearly trapped me this year but I resisted the temptation.

Now I have no excuse!

Rapid Fire 5th Battalion DCLI [16]

Although you can't see much of a difference, I've painted the highlight on the webbing this evening using Foundry Cadaverous Green, so it just needs a wash and a tidy up before I move onto the next stage. I also painted up the webbing on the scout platoon so that they can be completed alongside the rifle companies and the HQ.

Not a lot of progress but at least I'm getting there (slowly).

Rapid Fire 5th Battalion DCLI [15]

I've been swamped with work and family related stuff this last week, so the Rapid Fire! painting ground to a bit of a halt after Monday's effort. However, this evening I was banished to the garage for bad behaviour, so spent the time merrily painting.

As a result, I've blocked in the Foundry Cadaverous Green base shade on the webbing on the HQ Company, plus that of 'B' and 'C' Rifle Companies. The 5th DCLI didn't actually have a four companies after July '44, but I decided to add the extra one for the sake of flexibility.

If I have time tomorrow evening, I'll add the highlight and wash layers to the webbing, then tackle the helmet scrim with a quick three stage approach. The rest of the week is looking a bit heavy, so I may not get much more than this done by Friday. 

Outrider

This looks really interesting and I'm definately going to download a copy when it's released at the end of the month:

http://dicefestgames.blogspot.com/p/outrider.html

I'm not sure how it will play but, if the artwork and components are anything to go by, it will be great. I fancy a quick filler project at some point after the Rapid Fire! stuff is out of the way, so a handful of new Hot Wheels car conversions might well be a possibility.

I'm looking forward to this one!

Emblems of the Rising Sun

We went to Southampton today to get the usual boring stuff from John Lewis and Ikea. However, I did sneak off for half an hour or so to check out the bookshops and to visit Modelzone. I was lucky enough to spot this book on a market stall for £3. I'm not sure how it got there but it's a real find as it's packed full of colour profiles, tail marking insignia and unit charts, making it a fantastic resource for my 1.600th Nomonhan project and for Bag The Hun 2. I also picked up some Vallejo paints in Modelzone which they now sell individually.

The Battle of Braddock Down, January 1643

I've been thinking of the units I'm going to build for my Cornish Royalist army and have been doing some reading around the subject, both in print and on the net. As part of this research I stumbled across this online article and scenario on the Renegade Miniatures site for the battle of Braddock Down, which just happens to have taken place 368 years ago yesterday:

http://www.renegademiniatures.com/article8.htm

I quite like the option of building the five core foot regiments of the early Cornish army plus a regiment of cavalry or two. This would give me a good force to start with that I could add extra bits to as and when I wanted to. The regiments were those of Sir Bevil Grenvile, Sir Nicholas Slanning, Colonel John Trevanion, Colonel William Godolphin and Lord Mohun.

Anyway, we're off to Cornwall at half term for a few days so I'm going to have a first hand look at the battlefield for myself, as well as a trip to Pendennis Castle which I haven't been to for years.

Pike and Shotte Pressies

It was birthday yesterday, although overshadowed by the far more important celebrations for Nbuto Independence Day, so I was fortunate to receive a couple of presents from the kids (with Mum's help) to tie in with my latest English Civil War related pursuits.

The youngest bought me a Petard Assault Team set, which should make things interesting for the unfortunate besieged and for the gullible bumpkins carrying the infernal device, no doubt. A spot on present! The middle sprog bought me a scary looking mortar and crew, which fits in nicely with the petard wielding loonies. Again, a very acceptable gift.

Finally, the eldest bought me a boxed set of TYW Swedish Infantry, a choice which reflects my wife's grasp of history in general and my son's general lack of interest in anything that you can't plug in and play. I'm a history teacher too....the shame!

However, it's actually an inspired choice, as the sprues are identical to the normal ECW infantry sets and the box includes forty or so morions that can fit out my pike blocks very well indeed. A very useful box of goodies that will be put to good effect.

There's another present that has yet to turn up but the wife assures me that I'll like it, so that's something else to look forward to.

Nbuto Independence Day!

Vive Nbuto!

Rapid Fire 5th Battalion DCLI [14]

I got stuck in this evening, despite feeling less than fantastic, and managed to finish off the eight figures of 'A' Company 5th DCLI. Although this doesn't look like much of an achievement, I was working it out as I went along so it took longer than usual. I reckon about 15 minutes per figure, so less than warp speed but still not too bad. I'm sure I can pick it up and get the time down to 10 minutes or so with a production line approach.

Anyway, I painted the skin in Foundry Flesh Shade, followed by Foundry Flesh and a wash of GW Gryphon Sepia Ink. Next, I painted the boots and metal bits in GW Black. This was then highlighted with a drybrush of GW Boltgun Metal on the metal parts of the firerams. I overdid this a bit so then cleaned it up with a wash of 50:50 GW Black and GW Black Ink.

Finally, in an attempt to add some details, I painted the regimental patch in GW Blood Red and the Divisional Patch in Foundry Sky Blue Shade and GW Macharius Solar Orange (who thinks up these stoopid names). After that I sprayed the end result with my newly aquired Army Painter Matt Varnish.

The bases need texturing, painting and flocking but that can wait until the other figures have been painted. Next, I'm going to tackle the three Rifle Companies in one go, leaving the HQ and Support Company to later on, perhaps with the tanks and transport in between to add a bit of variety.

Reuters News Flash

A UN Observer Patrol in the Batufu Mtwange Corridor border zone yesterday.

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT IN NBUTOVILLE

SECURITY RETURNS AS NBUTO INDEPENDENCE DAY PEACE INITIATIVE LAUNCHED

Recent reports of insurgent protests on the border of Nbuto and Zumata seem to have been exaggerated in the light of an independent UN report on the region issued today.

UN observers have confirmed that Nbuto Police and Security Forces have successfully pacified the border zone in a high profile 'Hearts and Minds' operation, which has effectively defused the threat of a renewed outbreak of cross border military incursions.

The distribution of freshly baked patisserie amongst the local populace seems to have been a key factor in the success of this initiative.

On behalf of President J.P.Croissant of the Independent Republic of Nbuto, the Ministry of Foreign Relations has also issued an official invitation to President For Life Dr Kenko Gold of Zumata to the Nbuto Independence Day celebrations to be held tomorrow.

This initiative marks an important step forward in the ongoing Nbuto - Zumata peace negotiations.

(in other words, the AK47 game scheduled for tomorrow is postponed to a less prestigious date due to Jon's bike being hors de combat, kaput, buggered etc)

Rapid Fire 5th Battalion DCLI [13]

I had no time at all today to get painting done and could only squeeze five minutes in this evening to re-paint the camo netting on the helmets after yesterday's dodgy effort.

I used a base layer of GW Catachan Green, a highlight of GW Camo Green and a final overwash of GW Gryphon Sepia Ink to tone down the effect. I think it looks much better and is less garish than the previous attempt. It was also less time consuming to apply, which is a bit of a bonus.

I hope to get much more done tomorrow but that's it for today.

Reuters - News Flash

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT IN MTWANGE

SECURITY CLAMPDOWN AS REPUBLIC OF NBUTO PREPARES FOR INDPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION

A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that a Code Merde security clampdown is in force in the border zone with Zumata, following anti government demonstrations by pro-Zumatan factions in the disputed Batufu Corridor district.

Despite these protests, Nbuto Independence Day celebrations are scheduled for Tuesday 18th in the national capital of Nbutoville.

Units of F.A.R.T. have been preparing a full scale military parade to be held in honour of President Crossaint, who will be reviewing a ceremonial guard of the elite Force Action Rapide Territoriale mobile para commandos.

Widespread rumours of Zumatan - Lumatan linked insurgent forces infiltrating the border zone have been vehemently denied by the Nbuto Minister for Border Security, Colonel Maginot.

In a statement released earlier this evening, Col Maginot re-assured the people of Nbuto that the border defences remained secure against any possible pre-emptive strike from neighbouring Zumatan territory.

Rapid Fire 5th Battalion DCLI [12]

I managed to coat all of the infantry figures this mornign in the Klear based gunge wash followed by a drybrush of Foundry Rawhide, ready for some initial painting this afternoon. I've decided to tackle them one unit at a time, so started with A Company by painting the webbing in Foundry Cadaverous Green Shade with a Cadaverous Green highlight, finished off with a wash of GW Devlan Mud ink.

After this, I painted the rifles, water bottles and entrenching tool handles in GW Dark flesh, with a GW Flesh Wash to add a bit of depth, Finally, I painted the scrim on the helmets in three stage Foundry Phlegm Green with a wash of GW Thraka Green ink to finish off. I'm not sure about the end result and will probably tone it down a bit with a drybrush or overpaint of something tomorrow.

The next stage will be to paint the boots, gun barrels and other metallic bits in black, followed by a dark grey over brush. Then I'll paint the flesh and do a few details to finish them off. I reckon that each company will take about an hour to do now that I've worked out the scheme of things and have an end result to work towards.

New Books

I was given a Waterstones book voucher for Xmas and so, when we went into town this morning, I decided to pop into the shop and check out the Osprey stand. I picked up a copy of Caen 1944 in the Campaign Series as background reading for the Rapid Fire! project.

I also bought a copy of the new Men at Arms Chinese Warlord Armies 1911-30 book, which looked really interesting for the Back of Beyond. I have a Bolshevik army for the Back of Beyond and a half finished Japanese army too, so this new book might inspire me to get the latter finished this year so that I can play some solo games.

Rapid Fire 5th Battalion DCLI [11]

I've now basecoated all of the infantry and the vehicles using Humbrol Matt Olive Green and Dark Earth, so it's onto the painting process over the next week or two. I've decided to try a different approach with the infantry in an attempt to speed things up and turn out a company of figures in sixty minutes or less, if possible.

The first stage is to wash the figures in the usual Klear based gunge mixture, so that the basecoat is toned down a bit and seems less flat and so that I can see what I'm painting in greater detail. You can see how this works in the pictures above. The figures have lots of engraved detail which stands out really well with this initial base washing.

The next stage will be to pick out the webbing, flesh, rifle, helmet and boots in their respective shades, which I have yet to work out but which will probably be from the Foundry range. After that, I'll do a bit of quick highlighting and then do a second, lighter wash to bed things in. Finally, I'll add some shoulder flashes and divisonal patches to finish off the detailing.

That's the plan.

Pike and Shotte Artillery

I have definately completed my plastic pile for the ECW project with the purchase of a couple of field pieces for my Cornish army. I got a reasonable deal on these and saved about a fiver overall, so not too bad. I may well get a couple of lighter guns from Redoubt and convert some foot figures into crews, as I very much doubt that either side used more than drakes or falconets in 1643.

Anyway, the pile is well and truly stacked with enough figures for at least five or six foot regiments and half as many cavalry, together with a few dragoons and extras. I now need to work out which of the Royalist and Parliamentarian regiments I'm going to complete, together with the unit size, musket to pike ratio and basing system.

I'm thinking of 12 pike in bases of four, together with 12 to 16 musketeers in single bases per regiment. This would allow me to model some visually neat pike blocks and, at the same time, free up single musketeer figures for skirmish gaming. I may base the command figures in singles as well, with a command unit consisting of an officer, an ensign (or two) and a drummer / fifer.

This is a long way off, however, as I still have plenty of other things to be getting on with...

The South West in the Civil War

I've been doing some background reading into the 1643 and 1644 campaigns in the South West, with a particular focus on events in east Cornwall and West Devon. As I can't get hold of a copy of Richard Holmes book on Civil War Battles in Cornwall, unless I pull a few strings with my sister who works as an archivist at the Devon Record Office in Exeter, I have fallen back on this little book from Pen and Sword.

As expected, it's packed with loads of really useful information and is very well written, despite the occasional typo. There are plenty of photographs and detailed descriptions of the various skirmishes and battles, based both on contemporary sources and first hand fieldwalking of the various sites. I'm hoping to go down to Cornwall in a few weeks time so that I can drag the family around some of the significant battlefield sites including Braddock Down and Lostwithiel.

Rapid Fire 5th Battalion DCLI [10]

I spent this evening adding a few bits of stowage and the scrim netting to the two Shermans that I put together over the last couple of days. It doesn't look like much but this took an hour or so! I've now based them and added the ad hoc herb foliage using PVA and what I now think is Bouquet Garni. It smells like it anyway.

Mmmmm.

Anyway, I'll spray undercoat them in ten minutes or so once the marinade has done it's work. This means that I'm ready to start painting tomorrow, although I'll need to basecoat the figures first. I'm hoping to get the painting wrapped up by the end of the month, so it's time to crack on.

Rapid Fire 5th Battalion DCLI [9]

I finished off the last Sherman for A Squadron 4/7th Dragoon Guards or Sherwood Rangers (I still haven't decided which yet) this evening. I'm running out of stowage bits and bobs so the last one looks a bit spartan. I think I have some 1/35th scale bedrolls and such like in a box in the loft somewhere that I could use as tarps etc, so all is not lost. I've added some applique armour in the meantime for good measure.

If I have time, I'll add the scrim netting to the Firefly and Sherman III tomorrow, together with a plastic card base for each tank. I can then undercoat them and the rest of the vehicles with Humbrol Matt Light Olive 86 spray. The figures will get a basecoat of Humbrol Dark Brown 29, which I'm planning to use as a starting point for a fast painting production line, with the emphasis on pushing the figures out quickly rather than being over fiddly on the details.

I'm hoping to get started on the painting in the second half of the week. I'm slightly disturbed that my erstwhile opponent, Jon, is now on his second Rapid Fire! force, while I haven't even maanged to get a whiff of paint on my stuff. I think I need to give myself a comprehensive boot up the arse!

Pike and Shotte Reinforcements

The Warlord Games Pike and Shotte Dragoons finally arrived in the post today, together with a box of Cuirassiers that I picked up on Ebay for half the asking price, so my English Civil War stockpile is well and truly reinforced. I've had a job squeezing the various boxes onto the shelves but they're now safely stashed on the corner of the workbench.

The dragoons are pretty much essential for what I'm thinking of doing, so I may need to get another box set at some point for the opposition. The lobsters are, however, less useful but still very cool! They're nice figures too and are already asking to be painted up. I need some artillery and a few command figures but, otherwise, the Cornish will be ready to go when I eventually get round to starting them some time later this year.

Rapid Fire 5th Battalion DCLI [8]

I've had a full on weekend with little time for any wargaming related pursuits, so haven't moved the Rapid Fire! stuff very far toward the finishing line over the last 48 hours. We spent Saturday in London at the IWM as my eldest is studying the home front at school this term. It was a good excuse to go again, as it's a great museum for kids and for I hadn't been for a couple of years at least, so well worth the visit.

Anyway, I did get the Armourfast Sherman Firefly kit built today, in between Rugby practise, ironing and making another tank kit for the sprog, who was impressed by the AFV's at the IWM and wanted one for himself to take to school. As you can see, I chopped off the skirts and added some stowage, although I need to add some more plus the scrim netting and base to finish it off.

Not a great achievement but something nonetheless.

Pike and Shotte Arrivals

I was very pleased to get my Warlord Games Pike and Shotte Starter Battalia self inflicted Xmas present through the post today, together with a couple of extra boxed sets of infantry and cavalry. I'm rather impressed by the quality of the sculpting and the potential that each box set offers for building a really decent sized army.

I'm definately going to make this my 28mm project for 2011 as I'm really enthused by the possibilties that this range opens up for skirmish and small scale actions. I'm particularly keen to build some forces for the Cornish campaigns of 1643 and 1644, which have both a small scale skirmish level focus and the potential for some larger scale battles as well.

I've dug out and dusted off my copies of 1644 and WECW to read through and give me some direction in terms of basing, number of figures per unit and army composition. I'm not sure what I'll settle for yet but there's plenty to be going on with in the mean time. I'm also going to start some background reading once i've finished the WW2 and Korean War books that I've stockpiled.

Watch this space...

2011 Projects

It's a bit late but, now that I've had a chance to ponder the leadpile, here are my plans for 2011, from 28mm all the way down to 2mm, give or take a few diversions along the way.

28mm

I really want to tackle the Darkest Africa project, with two forces so that I can play solo if needs be. On the other hand, the Pike and Shotte starter army is looking like a strong contender as well.

20mm

This is the Rapid Fire! 5th DCLI project that I'm currently trying to wade through.

15mm

Only one contender in the one true scale, as it's all ready to go and just needs painting. It has to be the AK47 dictatorship army, although finishing off the PITS project would be equally useful for solo gaming.

10mm

In 10mm I have promised to do a Warmaster Ancients dark ages army, which will probably be Norse rather than Early Saxon, as no one produces an affordable / complete Early Saxon range and I already have some Vikings anyway. I also really want to do the Noggies or Italians for BKC2.

6mm

This is really 1/285th, as it's all about Bag The Hun late war Luftwaffe for Operation Bodenplatte and some more Allied planes to shoot them down with.

2mm

To finish off we have everything in 1/600th scale that I want to get on with, which is a pretty comprehensive list including WW2 coastal warfare, the MiG Alley project and ACW ironclads for Iron and Fire. What I decide to do will depend on the time I have left and whatever fires me up at the time, although I really should finish the MiG Alley stuff first.

So, there you go.

How much of this actually gets done is a  completely different question!

Rapid Fire 5th Battalion DCLI [7]

Here's the result of my attempt to add a bit of texture to the green stuff netting that I applied to the Sherman yesterday. As you can see, I blobbed some PVA onto the green stuff then dabbed on some old cooking herbs to create a vague approximation of scrim and foliage.

I'm pretty sure it was oregano, although the label had fallen off the jar, so I might be mistaken. It smelled nice anyway. I think I overdid it a bit as there's not a lot of the netting visible. However, it does capture the sort of look that I was after and was very simple to do.

After it had all dried out I sprayed the whole tank in Humbrol Matt Light Olive 86, both to seal it and to provide a basecoat for washing and drybrushing. Before I tackle any more painting I'll assemble the other Sherman III's and the Fireflys, so that I have them all ready to undercoat in one go.

January Sales!

I'm trying to think of reasons why I don't need any more lead but I'm sorely tempted by the January sales that a number of manufacturers are running at the moment, especially as VAT has gone up by 2.5% making everything more expensive.

I usually take advantage of the Museum Miniatures 25% off discout that runs every year in January, as it's a really good deal. This year, however, I don't need any more Leading Edge planes...at least that's what I'm telling myself.

The QRF 10% off sale is also tempting, as my 15mm AK47 spares could easily be turned into another army with some transport and vehicles. However, I already have a lot of stuff stockpiled and an entire dictatorship army cleaned up, based and ready to paint, so I should really resist.

Finally, I've been thinking of good reasons not to get into 1.300th scale Sci Fi / Near Future gaming using the vehicles from Brigade Models, as they also had a sale on recently. I have a couple of sets of rules for this, including Dirtside and Future War Commander, but can't really justify a whole new project like this from scratch.

Luckily the sale ended at the weekend, so I don't have to resist the temptation any longer!

Rapid Fire 5th Battalion DCLI [6]

After a lot of very helpful suggestions, I've had an initial crack at modelling some scrim netting on the Sherman III that I put together yesterday. In the temporary absence of some surgical gauze and PVA, I thought I'd have a go with some green stuff and plastic filler.

It  seems to have worked out reasonably well. I need to add some substance to the scrim netting, using some tea leaves, dried herbs or scenic flock but otherwise I think it's not looking too bad? I still need to add a couple more items of stowage but, otherwise, I'm fairly happy with the overall result.

To The Last Round

I finished Hill 112 a couple of days ago, bringing my holiday reading list to a very succesful total of three books. It was well worth the time spent reading it, being a very thorough and thoughtful account of Epsom and the assault on Hill 112, with plenty of detail on the 43rd Wessex Division in particular.

Funnily enough, when we shot off the peripherique to head toward Rennes the other day, we took a wrong turn due to some dodgy diversions by the Gendarmerie and ended up in an industrial estate at Verson. After a five minute trip around the one way system we ended up in the right direction but, in the process, we drove through the start line for Epsom and the left flank of the Scottish Corridor, without even realising it. 

Anyway, I'm now reading To The Last Round by Andrew Salmon, which is very well written and looks like being a bit of a page turner. I've always been interested in the Korean War and picked up this book a while back as potential inspiration. Thus far, I've not been disappointed.

Rapid Fire 5th Battalion DCLI [5]

I finished off the PIAT, 2'' and 3'' Mortar teams today, although this involved a bit of re-basing rather than starting from scratch. However, I also cleaned up and assembled the carriers for the support company and the attached 5th Middlesex MMG platoon.

Finally, I cracked open the HaT Armourfast M4A2 kits and built a Sherman III for the 4/7th Royal Dragoons Guards or Sherwood Rangers (I haven't decided which yet). I added some extra stowage and a turret box but I think I need to add some sort of scrim netting to make it look the part.

I have several possible approaches to this including the ubiquitous green stuff, PVA soaked tissue paper or old tights sprinkled with 'past it's use by date' oregano. Whatever I come up with will be a bit of trial and error to put it mildly. The other tanks will, hopefully, be assembled tomorrow.

Rapid Fire 5th Battalion DCLI [4]

I've managed to finish off most of the support elements for the 5th DCLI battalion today including the AT platoon (minus the 6pdr for the moment), the 3'' mortar platoon and a Vickers MMG platoon from the 5th Middlesex. The carrier platoon PIAT team still needs to be finished off and I may well rebase the HQ company PIAT and 2'' mortars to match. I've also added the FAO team of two figures.

I'm planning to finish off the last few figures tomorrow and add some packs to the rest, which up until now I've left off. I've added a fourth company of eight figures, including another converted bren gunner, so that I can use the battalion for scenarios in late 1944 and early 1945, when the fourth company was re-instated. This seemed  like a good idea as it adds only a few figures but a lot more flexibility.

I'm also going to tackle the transport vehicles for the battalion tomorrow, which are all resin castings from the Raventhorpe Ready to Roll range. If I have time, I may also try to put together a squadron or two of Shermans using the HaT Armourfast kits that I've collected, either for the Sherwood Rangers or the 4/7th Royal Dragoon Guards.

Solo Wargaming Day

Despite my best intentions, this didn't really happen today as I was tied up with the usual New Years Day activities. I was hoping to try out Bag the Doodlebug this evening but the Ministry of the Interior invited the neighbours round for drinks and nibbles, so my solo wargaming masterplan was scuppered.

However, I did get a game of Cry Havoc in with the sprog this afternoon. I set up a simple escort  / kidnap scenario with my lot doing the escorting of the lady and the sprog's lot aiming to do the abducting. In the end, I fought my way into a corner and, despite a bit of dodgy dice throwing, the offspring won hands down.

Never mind, I'll get him the next time!

New Years Resolutions

Happy New Year!

It's time to bite the bullet again, so here are my three New Years Resolutions:

1. I will complete at least six projects this year.
2. I will tackle these projects in a range of scales from 28mm to 1/600th
3. I will ensure that these projects cover air, land and naval wargaming.

That's it really.

I have a few projects in mind for 2011 and will post some details later on. In the meantime, I've been working away at the Rapid Fire! figures and should have an update ready for tomorrow.