Jim's Wargames Workbench

Off The Radar

2012-02-10T10:21:00.000-08:00

I'm off on holiday for a week so will be incommunicado for at least five or six days. If you're off on holiday this half term, I hope you have a great time and get some of that leadpile shifted.

Holiday Projects

2012-02-09T12:28:00.000-08:00

It's my last day at work tomorrow before the half term holidays and I'm definately a bit de-mob happy. It's a bit of an uphill slog at work at the moment so I'm looking forward to the week off, with the possibility of some painting as an added incentive, although it'll have to be done on the move as we're off to Suffolk for the duration.

I've reluctantly come to the conclusion that the Darkest Africa project is too much to handle at the moment and have packed the Nkonde away until April, when they'll be off to France for the Easter holidays. In the meantime, I've decided to dig out the 28mm Gladiators that I based up and undercoated in the Summer.

I'm going to take them with me next week, to see if I can get them painted up over the half term, although I suspect they might not make much progress unless I get my act together. I've been promising to get them done for six months or so and they shouldn't take too long to do, once I get started, so there's no excuse to crack on with them over the half term break.

Burma Bookshelf Overload

2012-02-08T11:35:00.000-08:00

I've added one (final?) volume to the reading list for the 15mm IABSM Burma project and it's Defeat into Victory, the autobiographical account of the campaign by Field Marshall William 'Bill' Slim. It's a bit of a must read for the project but will have to wait until I've cleared my way through some of the less voluminous titles in the collection.

I'm off to Suffolk on holiday next week so will be taking one or two good books along for some self indulgent reading practise. I'll also be taking the IABSM 3 rules too so that I can read them through properly before I decide on the exact format of the units I'll be painting up, whenever I get round to it. I'm also hoping to find some good second hand bookshops that I can raid for useful stuff.

Saurian Swashbucklers Game

2012-02-07T15:40:00.000-08:00

The pirates versus dinosaurs game was a success this evening, although I'll be tweaking some of the rules for the heavier weapons to limit their range and increase their loading time. The swivel gun and, to a lesser extent, the blunderbuss were particularly effective, so need to be toned down a bit. The ship's cannons were also used against a particularly recalcitrant styracosaurus, with fairly predictable results.

In the end, the pirates lost one crewman to a velociraptor attack but located the treasure and carried it safely back to their waiting rowing boat. In the process, they blew up the aforementioned styracosaurus, a carnotaurus, several comsognathus and three velociraptors. They also survived the attention of the aforementioned beasties, although there were some rather nasty bites inflicted by the dino-chickens.

Arrgh matey.

BKC Aegean Campaign [9]

2012-02-06T13:23:00.000-08:00

I got round to basing up the second infantry battalion, its support platoons and some artillery pieces this evening. The infantry will form the Alpini mountain battalion for the battlegroup, although they'll look pretty much identical to the other regular units. I'm thinking about adding a few extra rocks to their bases to differentiate them from the others as mountain troops.

Neat eh?

I've also based up three 100m Obice 17 artillery pieces and three SPA TL 37 gun tractors, all from the excellent Pithead range. These will be off board for most games but they're really nice models so I thought why not? I've also added a couple of Pendraken L3/35 flamethrower tankettes for infantry support.

I'm now running out of crew figures and need to find some more to fill out the ranks of the paratroop battalion that's up next. I have some Pendraken WW2 US figures that might do, with a bit of headswappng and some filing to make the helmets similar to the paratroop ones. It's worth a try.

Saurian Safari Steam Machine Finished

2012-02-06T06:32:00.000-08:00

One of my sons is ill today so I've been off work to look after him. He fell asleep this morning so I got some time in on the Victorian dinosaur hunting steam contraption and have managed to finish it off. Yesterday, I added some vision ports to the cupola using some leftover Ork gun sights that my eldest son had in his spares box, before undercoating the thing in matt black spray.

This morning I gave it a drybrush of Foundry Charcoal Grey and Charcoal Grey Light, followed by a highlight of Foundry Arctic Grey Shade. I then washed the model in future based gunge and drybrush weathered the area around the base of the hull in three stages of Foundry Rawhide. I was thinking about basing it but it's such a wide model that I don't think it would look right.

I tried to find some decals to add a bit of colour but all I had was a small union flag, which I put on one of the doors. I did think of slapping WW1 German crosses all over it but that seemed a little too teutonic and, anyway, most of my dinosaur hunting participants are British players and gentlemen, so it wouldn't have been a popular option.

It's a bit basic but at least I'll be able to try out the rules that I have written for Saurian Safari.

Pirate Rowing Boat Finished

2012-02-05T09:13:00.000-08:00

I finished the rowing boat this afternoon, painting it up using Foundry Bay Brown in three stages of wetbrushing and drybrushing, followed by a gunge wash and overspray in Army Painter matt varnish. I haven't based it so that I can use it afloat or pulled up on the beach. It was quite easy to construct and good experience for the Darkest Africa project, where I'll be needing to scratchbuild a whole village worth of native dugout canoes.

Saurian Safari Steam Machine

2012-02-04T11:43:00.000-08:00

I've also got round to putting together the Ironclad Miniatures steam tank that I bought at Warfare about four or five years ago, for use as a Victorian dinosaur hunting contraption in Saurian Safari. I have already devised a set of rules for steam machines and will be trying them out on Tuesday, assuming the rapid demise of the pirates in the first half and the need to provide a bit of 'conventional' dino bagging thereafter.

As turret mounted machine guns are unsporting, to say the least, I replaced the turret with a cupola using the top of the boiler supplied in the kit and a brass drawing pin as a hatch. I also had to sand off a couple of the front port holes as they'd been damaged in storage and I couldn't be bothered to fix them. I'm hoping to undercoat, paint and base the thing tomorrow.

Pirate Rowing Boat

2012-02-04T11:03:00.000-08:00

I started on the rowing boat for the Saurian Swashbucklers game on Tuesday this afternoon, using a combination of balsa wood, mounting card and postcard for the basic construction. It looks a bit 'ho hum' at the moment but I'm planning to soup it up a bit tomorrow, so that it's less like a floating bath tub and nore like an actual boat (hopefully?).

I also based up some 28mm Foundry pirate figures that I won on ebay ages ago along with a load of unpainted figures. I'm guessing it was an abandoned project but the four figures are well painted and it's a shame not to use them. They're from the Treasure Island pack so represent Blind Pugh, Squire Trelawney, Doctor Livesey and Jim Hawkins, as far as I can make out.

Too Fat Lardies Burma Specials

2012-02-03T09:40:00.000-08:00

The cold weather and a couple of evening meetings this last week have effectively put the scuppers on any painting or basing in the last few days. It was -9C in the garage last night so discretion took the better part of valour and I retired from the icy workbench to the sitting room instead. I didn't waste the time, however, as I spent an hour or so trawling through back issues of the Too Fat Lardies Specials in search of IABSM articles for Burma.

I wasn't disapppointed either, having turned up two cracking articles, one a guide to late war Burma games using TW&T / IABSM and the other a couple of linked scenarios for Imphal - Kohima. The two relevant issues are the Christmans Special 2008 and the Summer Special 2005.

The first contains the Banzai! article by Richard Morrill, which is a mine of useful information including ToE's, special rules and guidelines for converting IABSM to the 1943-45 Burma Campaign. The second contains Night and Day at Imphal by Rob Avery, which consists of a set of detailed fictitious scenarios set around Wireless Hill.

Both are great and have given me further ideas and inspiration for the 15mm Burma project.

The Big Project...Japanese!

2012-02-02T13:51:00.000-08:00

The other half of the birthday present arrived today in the post from Peter Pig. I decided to add a small contingent of Japanese to the equation, both to give me some opposition for solo gaming and to make the most of the fiscal 'window of opportunity' before it was slammed shut by the Ministry of the Interior. I seem to have evaded the sniffer dogs, snatch squad and sentry guns but it's only a matter of time.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, the leadpile has now been further de-stabilized by the addition of a couple of platoon packs of Japanese in helmets and caps, some extra infantry packs, some HMG's and mortars, a few snipers, a couple of 70mm infantry guns and three Te Ke tankettes. A bit of a mixed bag but that's what you'd expect for the Arakan, although the tanks should really be Ha Go or Chi Ha.

Anyway, more 'ooh shiny' stuff hits the shelves above the workbench, ready for the big clean up and basing extravganza sometime in the next couple of months. I have some ideas about basing that I'm working on but that'll have to wait for a later post. In the meantime, the Pendraken 10mm Italian Paras have dropped in, so I'll be basing them up alongside the scratchbuilt rowing boat shenanigans this weekend.

Burma Bookshelf

2012-02-02T08:18:00.000-08:00

Another one for general reading and research into the Burma Campaign today, this time by the well known military writer Will Fowler. It looks like a good general introduction with an emphasis on first hand accounts of the conflict from 1941 through to 1945. I might make it my starting point for the IABSM research as it's not too long and looks like a quick read. Nice.

Prehistoric Pirates

2012-02-01T13:09:00.000-08:00

I have organised a game of Saurian Safari at the club next Tuesday but with a bit of an unusual plot twist. As my 28mm pirates have been on the beach for six months or so, after my swashbuckling opponent Jon sold off his scurvy crew, I though I'd dig them out and use them for a spot of treaure hunting on a mysterious deserted tropical island.

The island will, of course, be inhabited by a selection of prehistoric beasties, which will proceed to squish, chew, mangle and otherwise dispose of the pirates as they search for buried treasure. I'm now working on some rules for black powder weapons and the like for Saurian Safari, together with some extra rules for treasure hunting based on a Legends of the High Seas scenario I played last year.

I now have to construct a couple of rowing boats from card and balsa so that the crew can get ashore from the sloop that will be anchored off the island. The sloop itself I scratchbuilt last year and has already seen some action. The island will be put together using the expanding club collection of Hexon terrain, which now includes some hills and peaks, together with my existing jungle plants and scatter.

I'm looking forward to it, as it'll be a bit different and should be a bit of a laugh. If the pirates get eaten early in the proceedings, I'll be bringing along some proper dinosaur hunting figures from the Back of Beyond collection, so that the game can continue in a more conventional way. In the meantime, while I wait for the Pendraken 10mm Italian figures to arrive in the post, it's back to the workbench to get scratchbuilding those boats.

Thunderbolts over Rangoon

2012-01-31T14:17:00.000-08:00

I'm a big propellor head at heart and so I always evaluate any prospective wargaming project in terms of aircraft rather than interesting units, tanks, colourful uniforms or other such emphemeral distractions. So when I was flicking through a book this afternoon and saw this picture of P47's over Rangoon in November 1944, I thought I might just add a little bit of extra ground support for the Arakan. The result is a rather neat looking and cheap Airfix 1/100th scale P47 pre-painted minikit, which will get a re-paint into a SEAC scheme and should fit in really well alongside the diecast Hurricane IID that I've already got.

The BIG project...ooh er!

2012-01-30T11:09:00.000-08:00

The new 15mm birthday present inspired WW2 project has finally landed on the doorstep. As if you hadn't worked it out already, this will be the later stages of the campaign in Burma, with a particular focus on the Arakan in late 1944 to early 1945. This is something I've been thinking about for a good twenty five years so it's not exactly 'spur of the moment' but, nonetheless, a bit out of the blue.

I'm going to use IABSM3 as the ruleset of choice because it's ideal for the size of game I'm after and because I'm a big fan of the TFL approach to the 'fog of war', especially the use of blinds to add much needed randomness and unpredictability. The latest edition of the rules covers everything I require for platoon to company level action and is very well put together, not to mention the great back up from the regular specials and supplements.

The figures are by the equally splendid Peter Pig and are based around a PBI 14th Army battle pack with some added extras. I have some QRF M3 Lee tanks on the way and a second installment of Peter Pig Japanese troops in the post to complete both sides in the set up. I even have a 1/100th scale diecast Hurribomber as air support and some rather splendid Peter Pig resin jungle huts, so all the angles are covered alongside my double purpose homemade terrain.

The plan is to tackle the whole thing over the coming year, in the same slow burn strategy that I adopted for the AK47 army. The first stage will begin in a few months, once I've completed both the 10mm BKC Italians and the 28mm Darkest Africa Nkonde, with the Easter and Summer holidays set aside for basing up. I'm really looking forward to this, both as an opportunity to improve my painting technique and as a venture into solo gaming, at least to start with.

:O)

BKC Aegean Campaign [8]

2012-01-29T14:16:00.000-08:00

A little more progress on the BKC Italians today, with the first battalion speed painted and base textured ready for the finishing touches tomorrow. I still haven't got the extra paratrooper and WW1 figures that I ordered from Pendraken but, in the meantime, I'll be cracking on with the armour plus a bit of artillery.

Wargames Illustrated 292

2012-01-29T00:50:00.000-08:00

I'm not a big fan of Wargames Illustrated these days, much preferring Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy to be honest, but the current issue (February 2012) has some excellent articles by Chris Peers on Darkest Africa, together with some additional articles on warfare in Africa by other people.

Also, the WI website has free pdf downloads of most of Chris Peers original articles on Darkest Africa from the old verison of WI, including his original rules and campaign system, as published later in the Foundry Compendium. There's also a couple of scenarios and some background stuff that would be well worth a read.

http://www.wargamesillustrated.net/Default.aspx?tabid=292&art_id=3113

http://www.wargamesillustrated.net/Default.aspx?tabid=292&art_id=3114

http://www.wargamesillustrated.net/Default.aspx?tabid=221&art_id=3115

Brilliant!

AK47 SPAAA [4]

2012-01-28T12:36:00.000-08:00

I finished the ZSU this evening with a quick three stage Foundry Rawhide wet and drybrush on the base, some static grass and a little flock to complete the job. It's now ready for the game on the 21st as a regular APC with mounted AA. I'll mix it in with some infantry or armour bases as added firepower, so it should be a pretty effective piece of kit. Unless it gets blown to smithereens in turn one that is?

Reading Up and Up

2012-01-28T12:19:00.000-08:00

I popped into Waterstones today and had a look for some further reference stuff for the 15mm project that shall not be named. As a result, I have some additional reading material for the half term holidays, which will give me a good historical grounding in the period. I never hesitate to spend my hard earned wages on books as they're always worth it and never a waste of money, even if my bookshelves are terminally overloaded and my bank manager less than chuffed.

Salvaging Shermans

2012-01-27T12:54:00.000-08:00

I have some M3 Lee tanks on the way from QRF for the up and coming 15mm project but, after a bit of a rummage in the dusty boxes under the workbench, I found these old Peter Pig M4A2 Shermans which I originally painted up for a long dead project many, many years ago.

It was so long ago that they're actually (really badly) painted in Humbrol enamels (arrghh!). Anyway, once stripped, cleaned and re-assembled, I'm sure they'll be useable as tank support for the 'as yet un-named' project, even though they're not M4A4's, or Sherman V's to be pedantic about it.

I can get away with it as there were some Sherman III equipped units around at the time, although in relatively small numbers. They're nice models either way and look the part with all the extra stowage, applique armour and whatnot that covers the hull and turret.

Reading Up

2012-01-26T12:30:00.000-08:00

This is the one that I read twenty five years ago and which got me interested to start with!

I've been rummaging in the bookshelves and adding to the reading list for my latest 15mm big project. I think you can guess what it will be but to give you a few hints, here's some of the titles that I'll be reading over the next few weeks as part of my background research.

I have made the most of my birthday Peter Pig voucher and have added some extra bits to the order to get the project off the ground. It'll be a long term effort but will begin with some cleaning up and basing in the Easter and Summer holidays.

AK47 SPAA [3]

2012-01-25T14:15:00.000-08:00

I finished off the ZSU 57-2 this evening with a few decals, some light weathering and the crew figures painted up to match. The whole thing was then sprayed with Army Painter matt varnish ready for the base texturing and painting tomorrow.

AK47 SPAAA [2]

2012-01-24T14:14:00.000-08:00

I've also been farting about with the ZSU and have given the beast a wetbrush of Foundry Phlegm Green followed by a drybrush highlight in Phlegm Green and Moss Light. The crew got the Phlegm Green three stage treatment and then the tracks were painted in Foundry Bay Brown Shade and highlighted in Foundry Spearshaft Shade. Next up will be a wash in Future based gunge and then the crew will get some much need attention, finishing off with some weathering and detailing of the fiddly bits.

BKC Aegean Campaign [7]

2012-01-24T14:05:00.000-08:00

I have finally made a start on the Italian infantry for the BKC campaign, with a simple wetbrush of Foundry Granite Shade followed by a drybrush highlight of Foundry Granite. They look a little too light in the photo but actually match quite well with the colour plates in the Osprey book.

Honest.

The next stage will be to give the faces, arms and rifles a basecoat of Foundry Tan or Chestnut Shade, followed by a highlight of some sort. My aim to to get a whole battalion painted up in no more than one hour, although it'll be spread out over a few dis-contiguous evenings.

I reckon this is feasible and will definately avoid any mucking about on my part with un-necessary fiddly farty bits.

AK47 SPAAA [1]

2012-01-23T13:04:00.000-08:00

I found this old Roskopf 1/100 scale ZSU57-2 on ebay last week, put in a half serious low bid then ended up winning it. It arrived today so I decided to get it sorted for a quick paint up. I removed the bendy gun barrels, drilled new locating holes and replaced the barrels with some brass rod, adding the original flash suppressors to the ends.

I then added some Peter Pig hardened militia crew after having chopped them down a bit to fit into the turret. I thought about swapping the hull for an old T34 chassis that I had in the spares box but it looked a bit silly, so I kept the slightly underscale plastic one instead, which I think looks quite good as it is. I based the model then gave the whole lot an undercoat of Halfords Matt Black.

I'm not sure how it will work in AK47 terms but I reckon it'll look pretty good once it's painted up.

BKC Aegean Campaign [6]

2012-01-22T12:44:00.000-08:00

I had the usual frenetic Sunday so have only managed to clean up a paltry and rather pathetic five bases of 10mm Italian stuff. These consist of three Pithead L6/40 light tanks, a Pendraken 20mm AA gun with a crew headswap and the 25mm circular HQ base for the regular battalion. A bit rubbish really.

Nonetheless, they're now undercoated and will be ready for painting this week, along with the rest of the stuff I've already sorted out. I've also ordered the WW1 Italian figures for the MVSN blackshirt or coastal defence battalion, whose exact identity hasn't yet been decided upon but will be the 'green' element of the battlegroup either way.

AK47 Objective Marker [4]

2012-01-22T01:09:00.000-08:00

I've been feeling a bit rough the last couple of days, hence the absence of post and the lack of work on the workbench. However, I felt a bit better yesterday so finished off the last of the AK47 objective markers, an oil storage tank thing complete with some crappy oil resin oil drums and a section of pipeline from some bits of plastruct. The oil tank itself is made from a couple of diecast model T ford toy car tanks glued back to back.

I have another objective marker to finish but don't need it for the moment as I have the requisite three. I also have a game on the 21st February, so hope to get a bit more terrain done by then to go along with the markers. In the meantime, I need to crack on with the much neglected BKC Italians, now that I have no other distracrions and plenty of nice laser cut mdf bases to stick them on.

Birthday Presents

2012-01-19T10:30:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, real life has caught up with me over the last three days or so and, as a result, I've not made the progress I hoped for on the BKC Italians. On the plus side, the laser cut mdf bases have arrived from ERM and they are very good indeed, with none of the old fluffliness or dodgy geometry of the old bandsaw cut version.

This means I can crack on with basing up a second infantry battalion and the HQ's for the first one. When the Pendraken paratroops turn up I can get them sorted too. I'll put in another order for some WW1 Italian figures for the green coastal defence battalion later on.

Another plus is the arrival of my birthday present from my father, which is a Peter Pig voucher for £55. Thanks Dad! This will be put towards something new rather than adding extra bits to my existing 15mm stuff. I'm not sure what yet but, if I can get extra mileage out of the AK47/ MOCB terrain it'll fit in with that, so some 14th Army or Japanese might be on the cards to use with IABSM 3.

I've also been tasked with buying my own birthday present from the wife and kids, as they have no idea what to get me. This means I'll be able to add some extra bits to whatever I order from Peter Pig or, perhaps, get something else from one of my other favourite manufacturers.

Nice :O)

Nbuto Independence Day!

2012-01-18T01:11:00.000-08:00

Today is Nbuto Independence Day!

Long Live the Independent Republic of Nbuto!

It's also my 44th birthday, so Happy Birthday to me!

I Aint Been Shot Mum 3

2012-01-17T13:44:00.000-08:00

It's my birthday tomorrow and, as an early present from the Ministry of the Interior, I was allowed to buy a brand spanking new copy of IABSM3, complete with a card deck and the little plastic tokens that are used as in game markers. I've had the old set of IABSM on pdf for a few years but somehow never got round to trying it out, mainly due to a lack of figures and opponents.

However, the new version may well get me moving in the right direction, although not in 20mm as I originally intended. An article in the 2011 TFL Christmas Special has got me thinking about the potential of 10mm as a scale for IABSM or perhaps 15mm using some of the figures that I have in the leadpile. In fact, it would work very well for my 10mm French Indochina war project.

As it's flipping freezing in the garage tonight and as I only got home at 8.00pm this evening, I've abandoned plans for painting any figures. I should finish work earlier tomorrow so will aim to get started on the WW2 Italians as soon as I can, with a good drybrush to kick things off!

AK47 Objective Marker [3]

2012-01-16T14:17:00.000-08:00

Having said that I wouldn't be sidetracked into anything this week, I've wandered off to finish a second objective marker for AK47 rather than getting on with the BKC Italians. I did undercoat three M13/40 tanks earlier this evening, so I think I can get away with it.

Anyway, here's the end result.

The BKC Italians will get the full on treatment tomorrow night, although I may be a little late starting as I have a series of tedious meetings to endure at work.

BKC Aegean Campaign [4]

2012-01-15T12:45:00.000-08:00

I started on the Italian battlegroup this afternoon and have claened up, based and undercoated the regular battalion minus it's HQ (which will be based on a 25mm mdf circle when they arrive from ERM), nine L3/35 tankettes and an AB41 recce armoured car. The 65mm IG is also missing from one of the support company units but should arrive from Pendraken in the not too distant future.

I was using some old bandsaw cut 25 x 25mm mdf base that I had left over from the previous BKC French project, so they weren't exactly square but have done the job well enough. I've now run out, however, so will have to wait until the nice new laser cut ones arrive sometime this week. ERM are usually lightning fast on delivery times, so I won't have long to wait.

In the meantime, I'm going to paint up this lot using a minimal range of shades and some simple speed painting techniques. I reckon I can get them done by mid-week if I crack ahead and avoid the usual diversions? They'll be painted in European colours as I can then use them for the Italian campaign or against my existing early war French battlegroup.

BKC Aegean Campaign [3]

2012-01-14T15:53:00.000-08:00

I've decided to make the BKC Italians the project for January, leaving the 28mm Darkest Africa figures on the shelf for two or three weeks, while I push ahead with the 10mm stuff in an attempt to 'speed paint' most of the army by the end of the month.

I've also decided to use 2mm mdf bases for the Italians, with 25x25mm squares for everything other than vehicles, artillery and command bases. This is similar to my existing BKC French battalion sized force and makes it easy to use the units for other rules, should I wish to do so in the future.

I've ordered a shedload of mdf from ERM and should get the bases in a couple of days. In the meantime, I have a few spare bases that I can use to start the ball rolling. This weekend has been a bit of a washout as we've had people visiting but I'm hoping to get at least one battalion and possibly two based up by this time tomorrow.

I'm also hoping to tackle another A47 objective marker by the end of the day, assuming I don't get sidelined into the usual family related things?

Monty's Ironsides

2012-01-14T14:25:00.000-08:00

I picked this up for peanuts at the local Oxfam bookshop yesterday, so thought I'd read it sooner rather than later. I'm a big fan of Patrick Delaforce and have read several of his books, so this was a good find and will be an equally good read. It will no doubt encourage me to crack on with the Rapid Fire! project, especially as I now have a copy of IABSM3 as an added incentive to get it finished.

BKC Aegean Campaign [2]

2012-01-13T12:05:00.000-08:00

I've been working out what I need for the club BKC Aegean Campaign and have put in a small order with Pendraken for the various additional bits to fill in the gaps. Apparently, each army in the campaign will consist of the following:

Four battalions (airborne / mountain / regular / green) of nine infantry bases, with three support MG bases attached to each battalion.

Each battalion will also have a support company of four bases (mortar / AT gun / IG / engineer).

There will also be an armoured battalion of light tanks, tankettes, armoured cars and recce vehicles to a total of 600 points.

If you add in the HQ bases for each battalion and the overall CO base, this lot totals out at about seventy individual bases of figures and another fifteen to twenty vehicles. In other words, quite a lot!

I have parachute infantry for the airborne and normal infantry figures for the regulars but need to find something to represent the Alpini mountain troops and the green battalion, which will probably be blackshirts. The Pendraken SCW range looks promising for the blackshirts but the Alpini will probably end up with just some different bases to mark them out from the normal infantry.

QRF 10% Off Sale

2012-01-13T06:18:00.000-08:00

I made the most of the current 10% off sale at QRF and have ordered a few vehicles for a speculative British equipped colonial settler army for AK47. I have rhe figures for this already, most of which are Peter Pig professionals with some Vietnam ANZAC's and US special forces thrown in. I also a couple of landrovers, some Unimogs and a few Bulldogs but not a lot else.

As a result, I thought I'd add some light machine gun armoured cars (Ferrets Mk2's) and some heavy tank gun armoured cars (Saladins) to kit out the force. I have a couple of each which should be sufficient to provide armoured support for the small arms regular and professional units. They go into the leadpile when they arrive but hopefully will get tackled at some point this year, if I can squeeze the army into the schedule.

BKC Aegean Campaign [1]

2012-01-11T13:22:00.000-08:00

I was having a chat with the chaps at the club last night about an up and coming WW2 10mm Blitzkrieg Commander campaign that is currently under development. The orgamisers have set up a multiplayer infantry focussed campaign based in the Aegean involving about six players, half of whom will represent the Axis and the other half the Allies.

As I hadn't been to the club for ages I'd missed out on the inital discussions about this so was very interested to hear about the progress to date. I also realised that it would be a great opportunity to make use of my, as yet unpainted, 10mm Pendraken and Pithead Italian army, which was started back in mid 2010 but barely advanced beyond the initial basing before slamming into reverse gear and disappearing in a cloud of dust.

I have everything I need for three or four battalions of infantry, a support battalion and some attached paper thin armour. The campaign seems like a really great chance to finally get my head around BKC and to shift some more lead from the pile. It also requires a minimal outlay on my part and will be a quick project to get based up, painted and ready for action.

I'll have to decide what to move out of the way to fit the 10mm Italians in but, at the moment, I'm hoping to get them based up and undecoated alongside the other things I have on the go at the moment.

Too much stuff and so little time....aaargh!

Back of Beyond Campaign Turn 4

2012-01-10T15:57:00.000-08:00

The Turn Four clash between my Texan oil prospecting expedition and David's Indian Army flying column went a bit pear shaped tonight, mainly due to my totally inept tactical manoevering and lack of a decent plan. Although things started well they soon went downhill and the end of the game saw the obliteration of my White Russian mercenaries and the rout of what was left of the Texans. It was a good game, nonetheless, with lots of dodgy dice rolling, some funny moments and more than a few hair raising incidents.

I'm beginning to think the expedition is doomed to failure, as it hasn't got the numbers to take on the larger armies but, equally, has insufficient durability when faced by smaller, well-equipped forces. It's fun to juggle things around to see what works though. The erstwhile chocolate teapot trucks did stirling work tonight, for example, by acting as bullet magnets and very convenient barricades. However, I'm now at the bottom of the league results wise so need to pick up my act if I'm going to avoid a humiliating last place.

AK47 Objective Markers [2]

2012-01-09T14:08:00.000-08:00

I finished the first of the objectuve markers this evening, although it was done in a bit of a rush and will need a bit of tidying up at some point. I originally scratchbuilt this one for my Nbuto colonial settlers army, hence the big 'N' on the front of the plinth. I'm sure General Mpongo won't mind.

The figure was a Salute freebie while the rest is made out of odd bits of wood and an old CD. I toned down the desert effect on the base with an overbrush of Foundry Rawhide Shade and Rawhide then painted the figure in GW Tin Bitz followed by a GW Chestnut Ink wash. I think the latter spoiled the effect a bit so I may go back and sort it out with a bit of drybrushing. The static grass was added then some green scatter sprinkled on top to create an overgrown weed effect. I added a few clumps of Army Painter Swamp Tufts to break up the base and cover up some patchy bits where the CD surface was shining through.

I have a Back of Beyond campaign game at the club tomorrow night, so won't have the time to get any more done on the other objective markers but I have given the UN APC a dodgy basecoat of Foundry Arctic Grey in the meantime.

AK47 Objective Markers [1]

2012-01-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

I was rummaging around today and found the unfinished AK47 objective markers that I scratchbuilt a long while back in a box on top of the shelving in the garage. In the interim while I sort out my Nkonde figures, I thought I'd have a crack at finishing the objective markers off. I have a very busy week so a little painting can be squeezed in as and when, making the markers a perfect option for a few spare minutes here and there.

I had an hour or so today, so knocked up another marker on a 'think yourself thin' CD that came with the Observer. As I have the six pack of a svelte nordic god, this was clearly surplus to requirements and made a very effective base for a UN peacekeeper checkpoint, complete with knock off 'Made in China' diecast APC and a few spare Peter Pig Vietnam figures. The checkpoint itself was made from a dodgy resin truck load, suitably truncated and soon to receive a roof from corrugated plastic card.

I hope to get some more done on the markers as and when I can find the time over the next week or so.

Fat chance.

Mbote Independence Day!

2012-01-07T10:57:00.000-08:00

As I've finally completed the AK47 army I thought it would be appropriate to declare that today is Mbote Independence Day, as decreed by President Elect General Papi Mpongo, Supreme Leader of the Mbote People.

Bunga Bunga!

A full military parade has been organised in Wanga Wanga with an impressive display of the most up to date weaponry from the arsenal of the Mbote Land Forces. A naval regatta has also taken place in Port Mtumtu, with the Mbote Coastal Defence Force taking a central place in the proceedings.

AK47 Odds and Ends Again

2012-01-07T10:36:00.000-08:00

I finished off the casualty bases today, in between doing lots of other things, so the AK47 army is now officially finished and ready for the first game of 2012. I'll add a few extra bits at some point but it's fully operational as it is, so anything else is entirely superfluous and can be tackled as and when I feel like it.

Job done!

I've also finally decided to crack on with the Nkonde army for In the Heart of Africa, although with a couple of changes to the line up in order to cut back on workoad. I'll explain what I'm planning to do in another post but it won't sacrifice too many points and will still enable me to field a decent 500 point army by the time it hits the table.

Rapid Fire! Redux

2012-01-06T12:56:00.000-08:00

I've had a change of mind over the last couple of days and have been thinking about finishing off my Rapid Fire! 20mm Late War British Rifle Battalion, the 5th Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. This may seem to be overly virtuous on my part but it makes a lot of sense.

The force is about 80% complete as it stands and thus only requires about twenty figures and half a dozen vehicles to be painted up. I can add a couple of new assets to the force to beef it up a bit but I don't need to, so I can keep things manageable given my limited time for painting.

I can scale the force up and down to use with other rules if I want to including Kampfgruppe Normandy and the new edition of IABSM, the latter of which I have on the birthday present wishlist. Finally, I have an opponent with a fully complete German Kampfgruppe to put them up against, although we'll have to wait until after half term for me to get myself sorted.

I'm feeling quite enthusiastic about a return to Rapid Fire!, having lost my cutting edge a few months ago when it started to drag a bit. I'm not completely decided yet, as I also want to work on preparing the rest of the 28mm Nkonde units for In the Heart of Africa and also have the PITS / Men of Company B 15mm option to consider

Hmmmm.

AK47 Odds and Ends

2012-01-05T13:53:00.000-08:00

I only have these to finish in order to complete the AK47 army ready for a game at some point in the not too distant future. As you can see, they are pretty much there, only needing the texturing, painting and flocking of the bases to be useable. I should get this done tomorrow night, after which, I'll be moving on to the next project.

I have been mulling this over and have two projects in mind, both aiming for completion by half term in mid-February. The front runner is the 28mm Nkonde army for In the Heart of Africa, which has the advantage of having been started and will be relatively quick to paint. The downside is that it requires a lot more cleaning up and basing to get to the painting stage, as well as a some scratchbuilding of a village, pitfall traps and other bits.

The other thing that's been on my mind is a 15mm army, either for Patrols in the Sudan or for The Men of Company B. The latter has the distinct advantage of only needing about twenty bases of figures to start with if I go for a US Marine force with some attached armour. It also doubles up with the AK47 terrain that I've been working on, which would be a real incentive to scratchbuild some more and, at the same time, save me additional effort.

I'll have to give it some more thought over the weekend.

Tomorrow's War

2012-01-04T12:26:00.000-08:00

I had a surprise and somewhat belated Xmas present in the post today. I had put it down on my Amazon wishlist but didn't expect to get it, so I was very pleased to open the parcel to find a brand spanking new copy of Tomorrows War.

I have had a long standing 28mm near future French Foreign Legion project in the leadpile for a couple of years...

http://jimswargamesworkbench.blogspot.com/2011/05/iron-cow-and-other-stuff.html

...so I thought this new ruleset would be perfect for the job. The background fluff in the rules actually ties in really well with my project, which uses Copplestone / EM4 figures and the Antenociti Workshop 6x6 wheeled armoured vehicles, as it includes lists for the French Foreign legion with VAB and VBL type APC's.

When (if) I get round to this project, it'll be a miracle but at least I now have a glossy new set of rules to flick through rather than my old dog eared copy of Future Wars.

Fire from the Forest, Steel from the Sky

2012-01-03T12:29:00.000-08:00

I've added a couple of books to the reading list for the potential 15mm French Resistance project, one of which I already had and the other being by the same author, Roger Ford. These two volumes cover the SAS teams and the Jedburgh teams respectively, with chapters detailing the actions of both forces region by region across occupied France.

I've had a flick through Steel from the Sky already and Chapter Three on Brittany includes a section on the Francis Jedburgh group that explains in some detail the events that led to the execution of Major Ogden Smith and Trooper Myodon, together with two of the local Maquisard, all of whom are recorded on the FFI monument in Quimperle.

Brave men indeed.

AK47 Army Finished!...(well almost)

2012-01-02T13:53:00.000-08:00

I finished the bases on the vehicles and AFV's today, having completed the small arms and heavy weapons bases yesterday. This means that, to all intents and purposes, the AK47 Dictatorship army is done, give or take half a dozen casualty markers that I can paint up at my leisure. Oh, and a couple of half complete but non-essential techinicals. And a professional unit that I don't really need....yet.

Anyway...

Huzzah!

Or as General Mpongo would have it... 'Bunga Bunga!'

I can now take a couple of days to sit back and relax, before I tackle the first project of 2012, which will be the Nkonde army for In the Heart of Africa.

Nice.

French Resistance Ideas

2012-01-01T14:25:00.000-08:00

I've had this on the bookshelf for a couple of years and originally bought it for the Ministry of the Interior to read, as her family live less than ten minutes away from the area in which the events took place. However, after my recent trip to Brittany, I've decided to read up on the FFI, SoE and the SAS in the region partly out of historical interest but also with a view to wargaming potential.

The book is actually very good and a bit of a page turner. It's packed with interesting detail and some dramatic real life incidents that are described in depth from the personal perspective of the men on the ground. It's given me a lot of food for thought and I reckon there's some mileage in a 15mm approach using Peter Pig figures and vehicles.

There's obviously the French Resistance range to use, together with some of the SCW figures in berets for the FFI. The SAS are covered by the British Paras range, with some judicious headswapping and perhaps a bit of green stuff, with a 'Normandy Jeep' also available for transport. The Milice can be found in the SCW range again, perhaps with a few Adrian helmet headswaps, while the Germans are easy to select from the relevant packs in the PBI range.

The civilian vehicles are available from Peter Pig and QRF, while the Germans can use some of the Zvezda Opel Blitz trucks to keep the cost down. There are also plenty of suitable military vehicles to hand, especially ex-French early war armoured cars and trucks that would be the sort of thing that rear echelon troops might use to track down the Maquis. And Old Glory even do a Lysander in 1/100th scale.

The rules would have to be the key element of the set up. A conventional set like FoW just wouldn't work for what I'm thinking of, so I have something like PITS or MOCB in mind, with one side trying to locate and/or destroy the other, either by searching for arms caches, hideouts, dropzones etc or by setting up ambushes, sabotaging railway lines, blowing up bridges or whatever. I might try to work out something based around AK47 mechanics as a first step.

Interesting stuff.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T01:48:00.000-08:00

AK47 Winter Quarters [12]

2011-12-31T13:06:00.000-08:00

Despite a very busy day I've squeezed in an hour or so to undercoat the bases on the AK47 vehicles and AFV's which is one more step towards the completion of the project by the end of the weekend. I haven't quite made the finishing line for 2011 but it was pretty close.

Tomorrow the kids get their 'English' Christmas, complete with stockings, presents and a full on turkey dinner cooked by yours truly, so if you think you've survived the whole yuletide experience, then spare a thought for me. I'm sure I'll survive but I'm not sure about the sense of humour.

Anyway, I hope you all have a really enjoyable New Years day and an inspirational 2012.

All the best

Jim

AK47 Winter Quarters [11]

2011-12-30T14:11:00.000-08:00

After a very unproductive couple of weeks, I've finally got on with the base undercoating on the AK47 units and have soent a couple of very tedious hours painting the infantry and support weapon bases with watered down Vallejo English Uniform.

I'm very pleased to have shifted this lot and now only have the vehicle bases to undercoat before I can start on the drybrushing in Foundry Rawhide. I'm going to try to get this done over the weeked and bank holiday but will probably get sidetracked by family things, so no promises.

Iron Cow diecast dropships

2011-12-30T07:57:00.000-08:00

I went to Poundland today and found that they're selling off a range of Tron diecast toys including this command ship thing. They only had two so I got both of them to use as assault dropships or light transports for my Iron Cow brigade.

They measure 8.5mm x 4mm so look quite impressive next to the 6mm vehicles and figures but not so big as to be overwhelming. I'll think I'll dismantle them and add a bit of detailing such as engine intake louvres and a cockpit window, before repainting them in a less flashy and slightly more military camouflage scheme.

Ju52 Toucan for Indochina

2011-12-29T14:43:00.000-08:00

I saw some of these snap together model kits at Warfare back in November but didn't get any then as I had my eye on ether things. However, they're perfect for my French Indochina 10mm project that has been quietly growing at the bottom of the leadpile for a couple of years or so, mainly as a result of the excellent Pendraken range of figures (although I wish they'd do some French in bush hats and some colonial troops as well).

Anyway, I saw a good deal on ebay and have ordered three kits, which work out at about £2.60 each including postage. They were used by the French as general transport planes but mainly for parachute drops over enemy dominated territory, with the aim of tracking down and destroying Vietminh Chu Luc mainforce units.

When (if) I get round to starting this project remains to be seen but at least I'll have some air lift capability, albeit a little vintage in appearance.

The Death of the Scharnhorst

2011-12-29T06:38:00.000-08:00

We travelled back home yesterday which took over fourteen hours due primarily to the long ferry journey between St Malo and Portsmouth. On the journey I read The Death of the Scharnhorst which I found in a cupboard before we left, having forgotten to pack it on a previous trip to the in laws.

It passed the time very well and was well worth the read. I'm not going to shoot off on a WW2 naval project as a result, although I have a few 1/6000 scale ships somewhere and a couple of sets of rules. However, it's a well written and very readable book which would be an excellent basis for a small scale naval scenario.

Le Maquis

2011-12-27T06:21:00.000-08:00

We went to the gendarmerie yesterday so that the other half could register for a postal vote. While I was waiting for her to complete the various bereaucratic convolutions required by the French state, I wandered across to the war memorial which is located just outside the police station. As usual for Brittany, there was a memorial to the local FFL resistance fighters and their supporters, many of whom were either killed in action or sent to concentration camps.

As I read down the list of names, however, I spotted one that stood out. This was a Major Ogden Smith, who obviously was not a local and was therefore an SOE agent of some sort. A bit of googling when we got back home and the story began to unfold in some detail:

http://www.plaques-commemoratives.org/plaques/bretagne/plaque.2008-09-01.0722723303/view

http://www.specialforcesroh.com/gallery.php?action=view_image&id=4793

http://www.specialforcesroh.com/browse.php?mode=viewiroll&rollid=4098

A tragedy but very interesting nonetheless. I'm going to try to visit the grave in Querrien if I can next time we're here, to pay my respects and follow up the story. In the meantime, I'll be doing some more reading around the subject. I think there's a lot of potential in Operation Jedburgh for a start, especially as Peter Pig do some very nice 15mm French resistance figures.

Plans for 2012

2011-12-26T06:03:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about my wargaming plans for 2012 and have narrowed down the projects to the usual half a dozen, with the completion of at least three as the objective for this time next year. There are some that are returning for a second or third time and others that are new but I've tried to keep all of them down to a feasible size or at least have options that I can turn to if time runs short. I've also tried to include a variety or scales and to cover air, land and naval gaming in the shortlist.

28mm

There's only room for one 28mm project so it's going to be In the Heart of Africa with the Nkonde villagers army as the focus. This will be the first project for 2012, once I've finished the base painting on the AK47 army. I will also have to scratchbuild some terrain for the Nkonde including a village, some pitfalls and possibly some boats. If I get the bit between my teeth a second smaller force might also be added, probably in the form of a British naval landing party or similar.

20mm

This will be the 1/72nd scale aircraft for the 1915 Fokker Scouge game using the Knights of the Sky club rules. I have some nice kits lined up for this, including a Morane N, a Bristol Scout D, a Vickers Gunbus and an Avro 504. I'm hoping to get at least two new aircraft assembled for a game sometime in the next six months. I also have the last bits of the Rapid Fire! project to finish off if I can find the time.

15mm

In 15mm the Patrols in the Sudan project needs to be completed with an Anglo Egyptian force to be tackled, together with the finishing touches to the three quarters complete dervish army from a couple of years ago. If this proves to be too much then I'd like to have a crack at Vietnam in 15mm using my collection of Peter Pig figures for Men of Company B and/or Delta to DMZ. The terrain from the AK47 project would double up for this and give me the excuse to scratchbuild some more. I also need to finish off the AK47 dictatorship army before I do anything else.

6mm

As I have more than enough to do in other scales in 2012 I've decided to give 10mm a miss this year. Instead, I've decided to get on with the 6mm Iron Cow British brigade which should be a relatively quick job, given a bit of speed painting and some creative basing to make the vehicles look the part. I'm thinking of a desert camouflage scheme to keep the painting simple and make the terrain easy to model.

1/600

As previously mentioned, I really want to do some coastal warfare gaming in the next year, with the emphasis on early to mid war actions in the Channel and North Sea. This is a project I've been stockpiling for several years and it's about time I got on with it. The advantage is that I can make this as large or as small a project as I want, from a handful of boats to full on convoy games, so the scaleability is a real asset.

As you can see, there are several existing things that haven't made it on to the shortlist this year including the 1/1200 Victorian Ironclads, the 1/600 Korean War planes, the 10mm WW2 Norwegians or the 28mm Gladiators. This doesn't mean that they won't get tackled at some point but my focus will be on the six projects that I've outlined above. It really depends on how my time I have to do things and what interest there is at the club for the projects that I'll decide to tackle.

Happy Christmas

2011-12-25T02:22:00.000-08:00

Atlantic Wall à Merrien

2011-12-24T03:40:00.000-08:00

I'd read about a tobruk stand with a turret in situ at a little port not far from the in laws, so decided to track it down yesterday while out for a bit of fresh air with the kids. The turret looks like it's from a Renault R35 tank although it's pretty smashed up, missing it's gun mounting and having been used for target practise at some point judging by the holes punched in the side. It's quite impressive nonetheless and quite rare as well.

On the headland along from the turret bunker I also found a concrete gun position for a light weapon of some sort, probably a single or multiple barrelled Flak gun. There was also a very unusual bunker poistioned directly behind the gun with a strange sloping U shaped roof feature. I can only think that it was some sort of roof mounted searchlight position, even though the stovepipe from the bunker underneath pokes through it. Either that or it just saved on concrete?

Very strange.

Atlantic Wall à Erdeven

2011-12-23T12:48:00.000-08:00

We went to see a cargo ship that ran aground on a beach between Lorient and Quiberon yesterday. It's stuck fast and will have to be cut up in situ once the fuel oil has been drained from the tanks, hence the pipelines and cables. It's now been sectioned off but when I visited you could get within fifty metres or so, although that was quite far enough away for me, given the diesel fumes and the waves.

However, I also had a wander around the adjacent bits of the Atlantic Wall which included a couple of large bunkers on the beach and a whole network of command bunkers, tobruk stands and weapons pits in the dunes behind, including traces of the trenches that connected them together. One peculiar feature was the remains of what looked like black vulcanised rubber tiles on the floor of the beach bunker, which was a bit unexpected to say the least.

I'll have to have a look on Google Earth to, see what the layout is like from a birds eye viewpoint, as it was quite extensive and I couldn't cover all of it on foot. A couple of what looked like mortar bunkers had been blown up with sections of concrete lying all over the place but others were untouched. I suspect that the authorities had tried out a bit of bunker clearance after the war but realised it was a bit pointless, except for cutting away the steel shutters and embrasures for scrap?

Happy Xmas to Me (3)

2011-12-21T13:05:00.000-08:00

We went on a shopping trip to Quimper today which is usually deadly as it's full of clothes shops and not much else. There's only one bookshop for a start. How bad is that? However, as I dragged the boys around various side streets in search of something of interest while the other half browsed in various expensive boutiques, I came across a little board and childrens game shop.

Lo and behold, in the front window display there was a deluxe box set of the Wings of War rules, complete with four planes, for only 50€. This works out at about £40 or thereabouts, which is worth it for the plane models alone. The rules are in French but that's not a problem as I can read them with reasonable accuracy and know them fairly well already, having already collected the first three boxed sets of the original game.

As the other half had already spent the GDP of a small balkan country on her new winter collection, I was able to persuade her to buy the set for me as a Xmas present with very little persuasion. It helped that the boys were keen, having been indoctrinated at an early age to back me up, as they get to play the games too. A result all round, especially as the game is out of print at the moment and not easy to get hold, even if you can find one in the deluxe version.

Jingle Bells!

Go Strong Into The Desert

2011-12-21T03:01:00.000-08:00

I bought a copy of this rather splendid book at Colours a couple of years ago but didn't get round to reading it until now. I've brought it along with me for some background research on the Gordon Relief Expedition and the Suakin Field Force, with particular emphasis on the uniforms of the various units involved, at least one of which will feature in my Anglo Egyptian infantry force for PITS. I quite like the idea of some Royal Marine Light Infantry, backed up by a contingent of the naval brigade with Gardner guns, but some further reading is needed before I make up my mind.

PITS British (1)

2011-12-20T10:36:00.000-08:00

I've been planning out the Anglo-Egyptian force for Patrols in the Sudan over the last couple of days, using the rules and my box of figures as a guide. I originally thought of doing Egyptians but, after a head count and some number crunching, I realised that I don't have enough figures and would need another half a dozen packs to make up the numbers. I'm hoping that I might get a Peter Pig voucher in my stocking this year so I'll probably use it to fill the ranks of the Egyptians before the price goes up in January.

The revised plan for PITS is now to do a British infantry force including two or three infantry units of four to five bases plus an officer and sergeant base. One of these will probably be a naval brigade unit, as I like the idea of painting up some sailors and they'll double up as a gunboat landing party as well.

For artillery support, there will be a unit or 2.5" screw guns as a two gun battery with an attached officer base and, as a variation on the same theme, a two gun naval Gardner battery, all with mule transport so they can keep up with the infantry. I'll also do two or three scout bases plus the requisite wounded, dead and scouted markers, which are essential for the game and add to the look of the battles.

I reckon I can get away with about thirty bases all told, which should make it a feasible project over a couple of months, give or take the usual diversions. I'm also thinking of making some more PITS terrain to add to the stuff I already have scratchbuilt but including some modular terrain squares made from cork tiles, which are my latest discovery for scenery construction and will conveniently fit the 5' x 3' PITS table area set up.

Review of the Year 2011

2011-12-19T10:31:00.000-08:00

It's time for the annual review of the year and I'm pretty pleased with the overall result, despite having not completed everything on the 'things to do' list in 2011. The big result has been the completion of my Back of Beyond Oil Prospectors army which took up a quarter of the last twelve months but was actually finished, give or take a few optional figures. I've even played a couple of games with the army in the club campaign and almost won one of them. Blimey.

The second success story was the AK47 dictatorship army which is 95% complete and only needs the bases painted to be done and dusted. In the end I just couldn't find the time to wrap it over the last couple of weeks, which is partly my fault as I got side tracked into the amphibious units and terrain rather than cracking on with the bases. This will have to be tackled when I get back from France and hopefully completed by New Years Day.

The third project big project that I grappled with this year was the 20mm Rapid Fire battlion for the DCLI. I'm disappointed with myself for running out of steam with this as I only have some carriers and a few support weapons to finish off for the force to be complete. I really should try to get it done at some point in 2012, as I've always wanted to try Rapid Fire and have a potential opponent lined up too.

A few projects were also started but didn't really get off the ground, including the 28mm armoured train for the Back of Beyond Bolsheviks, although I did finish the train for the club participation game. I re-based my old 15mm Essex Picts for Impetus but didn't get on to painting the new bases. This is something that I can squeeze in to a spare weekend as good practise for basing other figures in the future.

I also started building some terrain bits and pieces for AK47, which I'm going to add to in 2012 with more railway and road sections at the top of the list. I've enjoyed the terrain construction that I've tried out and have lots of ideas for scenery that I can scratchbuild in 2012, most of which will be for AK47 but with some bits for Darkest Africa on the 'to do' as well.

Finally, I managed to prepare and base a good selection of 28mm gladiators and half of my 28mm Nkonde villager army for In the Heart of Africa, the last of which I'm planning to continue into 2012 as the 'big project'. As quite a lot of my holiday time is spent away from home, I reckon that cleaning up and basing figures is time well spent and a good way to move the leadpile in the right direction, even if half of these projects end up stockpiled for subsequent painting.

Overall, it's been a pretty productive year and much better than the previous one in terms of actually getting things done!

Happy Xmas to Me [2]

2011-12-18T08:09:00.000-08:00

We got to the in laws in record time yesterday, only twelve and a half hours door to door including an hour visiting friends on the way. As a result, we're taking it easy today thus allowing me some time to get the holiday plans sorted out in my head. To help me along, I've splashed out on a second Xmas present for myself in the shape of a Fuzzy Wuzzy army for PITS from Peter Pig.

I have a handful of Fuzzy Wuzzys that I picked up in a bundle of PITS figures on ebay ages ago, so I'll now have enough to build a decent sized force to take on the Anglo Egyptians. You can't really do the Sudan without them really, can you? They weren't very expensive either, so I think it's entirely justifiable in the interests of reviving one of my more complete 15mm unfinished projects.

Jingle Bells!

Bon Voyage!

2011-12-16T12:30:00.000-08:00

As usual.we're off to the in-laws in Brittany for the holidays, so I've packed up some lead for the duration in the hope that I'll get some cleaned up and based over the next few days. The box contains the remainder of the 28mm Nkonde native villagers army for In the Heart of Africa, together with the glue and tools I'll need to get them sorted.

In a change of plan, I've also included a couple of boxes of 15mm Peter Pig figures for Patrols in the Sudan. Although my original idea was to pack some 1/600 scale coastal warfare models I've decided to tackle the second half of my long standing PITS project, with either an Egyptian or a British force as the objective.

This is something I should have done a long time ago, as I already have an almost complete Dervish army and have used it for a very enjoyable game or two of PITS in the not too distant past. If I can base up the PITS stuff it should give me the incentive to finish off the Dervish and get the opposition painted up too, so that I can run some games at the club with everything ready to go.

A bit ambitious but who knows?

AK47 Terrain [6]

2011-12-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

Things have been a bit quiet on the AK47 terrain construction front recently, as I've had far too much to do at work to spare the time. However, I have added a neat little resin pontoon bridge to the collection which I bought from a company called PMC via ebay.

It's obviously been sculpted using match sticks and balsa wood, which means I could have scratchbuilt it myself, but I think it's quite cool nonetheless. It saves me the bother either way. I'll crack on with the terrain project, including more road and rail sections plus some river, when I get back from the holidays.

El Dorado

2011-12-14T15:45:00.000-08:00

The Foundry conquistadors arrived today and very nice they are too. I have enough figures for a decent force for the War in El Dorado rules in the Foundry Compendium, although some crossbowmen and war dogs would be a useful extra, if I can find any that match. For the opposition I'll use Copplestone Botocudo warriors as I already have a handful and can easily add some more with an army deal later on.

In the meantime, I've ordered a copy of the Ian Heath Foundry book, which is the basis for the army lists in the rules and should prove to be valuable reading material in general, as I know next to nothing about the period. It wasn't very expensive so will go in the Xmas stocking, along with the El Dorado figures. This is yet another project for the leadpile but the figures are great, so well worth it in the long run.

AK47 Fleet Review

2011-12-13T14:02:00.000-08:00

The fleet anchored in Mjuba Bay

The Amphibious Assault Force is state of the art

The Mbote navy conducts regular training exercises

The Mbote army is fully trained in amphibious operations

Amphibious fire support is fully integrated at a tactical level

I finished off the last bits on the submarine this evening, after a very long and very tedious day at work, so to cheer myself up I thought I'd assemble the flotilla for a naval review. I'm going to add some further vessels to the fleet in 2012, including four more swamp boats and another Panga class patrol vessel but, for the moment, here's the Mbote Coastal Defence Force in all it's amphibious glory.

Bunga Bunga!

(that'll put the wind up the Zumatans...?)

Xmas Holiday Projects

2011-12-13T03:57:00.000-08:00

At this time of year I usually plan a project or two for the holidays, most of which we spend at the in laws in France. I've given up trying to paints things after having failed to get anything done on previous holiday attempts but have had some success in preparing and basing armies ready for painting up back home.

This year I'll be taking the box of Darkest Africa tribal figures for the Nkonde army that I started on back in October. I'll aim to get a couple more spear armed units cleaned up and based, along with some archer and the independent figures. This will then make it easy to get the army painted up early in 2012.

I'm also going to take a second box of something or other to clean up and base for future painting. At the moment this will either be some new colonial settlers for AK47, which I can use as the basis of a new army or as mercenaries for my dictatorship force, or some 1/600th scale coastal warfare models.

I've always wanted to do 1/600th WW2 coastal forces and have had it on the annual list of 'things to do' for the last three years. I'm determined to get it started in 2012 despite having about half a dozen existing projects in the 'ready to paint' box already.

I'll be setting out my plans for next year over the holidays as usual and I'm sure some of the old projects, like the 1/2400 Victorian ironclads, the 28mm Gladiators and the Wings at War 1/600 MiG Alley! aircraft will feature somewhere in the schedule. As a result, I think a few MTBs and E boats won't be over indulgent!

AK47 Winter Quarters [10]

2011-12-12T14:31:00.000-08:00

I've pretty much finished off the landing craft and the submarine this evening, give or take a bit of tidying up of the messy bits, some detailing on the figures and a coat of gloss varnish on the wet bits. I'm fairly pleased with the overall result but I'm sure I could have done a better job if I had the time to spend on them.

I have a late meeting tomorrow evening so don't expect to get much done but I can now crack on with the bases for the rest if the army without distractions. I have until the end of the week to get them basecoated at the very least, with ideally a couple of drybrush layers done as well by the weekend.

The Little Ships

2011-12-12T09:27:00.000-08:00

I saw this little hardback book on ebay last week for a couple of quid and thought it looked very interesting. It was published in October 1943 by Hodder and Stoughton and was written by Gordon Holman, author of Commando Attack! (presumably a similar volume). It's referenced in a number of coastal warfare books that I've read and I now have a copy myself.

The best bit about it are the charcoal and watercolour illustrations, which are done in a very boys own style but really capture the iconic imagery associated with the MTB and MGB forces in the first half of the war. I've taken a few dodgy photos and have posted them here to give you some idea of what I mean. I think they're great!

Happy Xmas To Me!

2011-12-12T02:36:00.000-08:00

I've been allowed to buy myself a Xmas present as usual, as it's far easier to choose something yourself than try and find a present for your other half. The Ministry of the Intertior has bought herself a nice new pair of jackboots. I have taken advantage of the Foundry 20% off plus an extra 10% sale to get the Conquistador collection that I've had my eye on for a while, together with a couple of extra packs and a palletteof three Rawhide paints.

Jingle Bells!

Books, Books and more Books

2011-12-11T11:08:00.000-08:00

We had some shelving built in the sitting room a few months ago and the wife has been nagging me to empty the loft of my book collection and fill up the shelves ever since. Today I was given the afternoon to do just that while the family went to town to do some xmas shopping.

This turned out to be a major logistical exercise involving quite a lot of lifting and shifting, not to mention some precarious balancing on the loft ceiling bearers. I managed to shift most of the books and get them shelved but there are still a couple of packing boxes full to be moved at a later date.

The other shelf in the sitting room is full of my paperback books already but they might get shifted over to the new shelves as there's a bit of space left. The top row of shelves will be filled up with my CD collection, mainly jazz but some other stuff as well, although I never get to play it due to the Ministry of Sound vetoing anything that isn't French lift music.

I've also finished reading Home Waters MTB's and MGB's at War, which was very good, particularly for scenario ideas. As a result, I've decided to re-read Bryan Cooper's The War of the Gunboats which I originally read several years ago in tatty paperback format. I now have a nice new hardback edition, so I'm looking forward to a bit of coastal warfare research.

AK47 Winter Quarters [9]

2011-12-10T14:14:00.000-08:00

I got about half way with the submarine and the landing craft today, much of which being spent out of the house on various trips and errands. I've started the weathering on the boats but this is only in the initial stages and I need to paint the bases, finish the figures and add some decals before they're finished (they also need a final matt varnish as they're rather shiny after the standard Future based washcoat). I should get this done tomorrow, assuming I don't get sidelined by family stuff any more than I have today?

AK47 Winter Quarters [8]

2011-12-10T02:03:00.000-08:00

I spent about an hour last night assembling the Type XXIII 1/144th scale submarine kit, which was a simple matter of cutting down the two hull halves then gluing them together before sanding them to an even keel. After that, all I had to do was add a few small bits like the hatch, rudder, periscope and schnorkel. Easy. I superglued the hull to a base made out of 2mm pastic card then undercoated it in Halfords matt black.

I'm planning to get it painted up today along with the three resin landing craft. This will complete the naval force for the AK47 project for the moment, although there may be some rubber dinghies for a submarine inserted shore landing party if I can find some suitable models. I also hopr to get some more of the bases washed over in Vallejo English Uniform, if I can squeeze them in.

NEWSFLASH - Submarine spotted in Lake Bagombo (Reuters)

2011-12-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

From our naval affairs corresponent in Abadwe

At an emergency press conference this morning, the Nbuto Minister for Military Affairs, Colonel Jean Claude Gruyere, presented to the international press irrefutable evidence of an escalation in the on-going conflict between the belligerent states of Mbote and Zumata.

The photographs displayed at the press conference clearly show a coastal class submarine aground at an undisclosed location on the shores of Lake Bagombo. In his statement, Colonel Gruyere identified the submersible as a newly aquired Kikulu class submarine of the Mbote Coastal Defence Force.

Constructed in Taiwan to a joint Albanian-Italian design, the Kikulu class represents a massive leap forward in military capability for Mbote. It's unique four speed encyclical crash gearbox allows it to move in reverse at very high speed, whilst it's single 12'' torpedo tube is positioned in an innovative conning tower mounting, allowing for no reloading and constricted access to the uniquely thin-walled pressure hull crew compartment.

According to the Nbuto government, the vessel ran aground yesterday near the mouth of the Chokwe river after suffering an undisclosed mechanical failure. The crew have been detained in the naval base at Port Mtumtu pending their re-patriation to Mbote, as dictated by the recent Mbote-Nbuto Non Aggression Pact.

This evidence of an escalation of hostilities between Mbote and Zumata will cause deep concern in the region and will raise serious doubts about the likelihood of a ceasefire between the two warring nations. The Mbote Minister for War, Colonel Banga B'oum, has denied any allegations of aggression on the part of Mbote and has been unavailable for comment today.

Knights of the Sky 1915 [2]

2011-12-09T01:30:00.000-08:00

I got up in the loft yesterday and had a good rummage around for suitable kits for the Autumn of 1915. I only need aircraft for the British and French so I left a couple of Fokker EIII / IV's and an Albatros CIII kit on the shelf for another day.

However, I did locate the Aeroclub Bristol Scout, which looks like a relatively simple proposition in construction terms and will look pretty cool once it's built. I also found another Morane 'Bullet' which I'll paint up in French colours.

The Avro 504 option is also possible, as I found a box containing three kits that I'd acquired cheap in a toy shop sale. I reckon that I can sand down the side panels of the cowling to make them look more like Avro 504c's, then re-model the cowling and engine to match. I'm not sure what or how to arm them but a Lewis gun on a pintel mount seems to be the best option.

Finally, I was pleased to find an old Pegasus kit of a Vickers Gunbus in the Freightdog Models online shop for a bargain £7.99:

http://www.freightdogmodels.co.uk/

I've ordered one and may build it if I can summon up the courage to tackle the tail booms and struts. I haven't built a Pegasus kit before but reckon I can do a decent job for wargaming purposes, although it'll be a bit of a fiddle.

I think this might be the a cracking project for the New Year!

AK47 Winter Quarters [7]

2011-12-08T14:26:00.000-08:00

As promised, I've shifted my attention back to the base painting of the AK47 dictatorship army and have started by washing the bases of the heavy weapons unit in Vallejo English Uniform, which is a good substitute for the much more expensive Foundry Rawhide Shade. It's a tedious job to be honest but will be less of a pain once I get onto the drybrushing stage, using Rawhide and Rawhide Light to bring out the textures.

I'm planning to tackle this process one unit at a time, starting with the infantry bases over the weekend. If all goes according to plan, I should get the whole lot done by this time next week? This will include adding some flock to the bases after I've given them another overspray with Army Painter matt varnish to seal in and tone down the groundwork.

I've also based up the Kerr and King landing craft using 2mm plastic card cut to size and rounded off at the front ends. For some reason the superglue was playing up this evening, so it took me awhile to get them to stick down firmly to the bases. I'm going to paint them up in between the base painting, as they'll only need a three stage drybrush, a wash and them some detailing to be up to scratch.

Knights of the Sky 1915

2011-12-07T14:24:00.000-08:00

One of the chaps at the club yesterday asked if we could do an early war game of Knights of the Sky at some point next year. I organised a 1916 game a few years ago along these lines and so have a collection of earlier war types already. This consists of three Fokker EIII's, an early Roland CII and a Pfalz EIV for the Germans, together with four DH2's, three (French) Nieuport 11's and a single Morane N Bullet for the RFC.

It was a good game but the DH2's had a definate advantage over the Eindeckers, which swung the outcome in their favour, despite the back up a couple of more up to date Roland CII's. As a result, I'm thinking of setting any future scenario in the summer and autumn of 1915 during the notorious period of the Fokker Scourge. This would even things out a bit but will require at least two or three new models for the RFC.

I have, in the big box of kits in the loft, a limited run Aeroclub kit of a Bristol Scout that I can build, together with a second Revell Morane Saulnier N kit that can be added to the one I already have. I also have an A Model Spad SA2 kit but that might be a bit fiddly to build and rather fragile, not to mention a probable death trap for the crew and a pain for the player who has to try to use it.

I'm sure I have a couple more kits that can fill up the numbers but I'll have to have a rummage to see what I can find. As a last resort, I can always build an old Airfix Avro 504 with a few early war tweaks to make it fit. When I get round to this is anyones guess but it is a possible diversion for the half term holidays in February, once I've made some in-roads into the leadpile.

WW1 Knights of the Sky Game

2011-12-06T15:30:00.000-08:00

At this time of the year there's usually a multiplayer WW1 aerial game at the club, utilising the club rules Knights of the Sky and our extensive collection of 1/72nd scale plastic kit built planes.

This evening seven of us got together for a dogfight over the skies of Cambrai in December 1917. I had planned to build a couple of Albatros DV's for the game but, as it turned out, there were already plenty in the club collection, so they weren't needed.

I did bring along my SE5a's and my trusty RE8, which managed to survive almost to the end of the game thanks to some plucky aerobatics by the pilot, Major Short Cummins RFC, and the accurate defensive fire of his rear gunner, Sgt Scrote. It was good fun as always and we had a few laughs, which is the aim of the game.

AK47 Submarines!

2011-12-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist bidding on one of these, which I spotted on ebay a couple of days ago. It's 1/144th scale so really too small for 15mm but I reckon I can get away with it if I add a couple of figures in the conning tower and sand off some of the obviously underscale bits. It's about 10'' long, according to the various kit reviews I've read online, so perfect for on table use and not too big to be ridiculous (probably).

I'll need to cut it down to a surfaced waterline version and leave off the spindly parts but I think it'll look very cool next to my surface fleet. It will be ideal for landing naval commado raiding parties on the shores of Lake Bagombo so I'll class it as a boat in the rules, armed with a machine gun for self defence. If we end up playing a navalised version of AK47 then it may be a little more potent?

Bonkers but...who cares!

AK47 Terrain [5]

2011-12-05T13:24:00.000-08:00

I cut a few more road sections this evening before the garage became too cold. I think I've got enough for a decent table length of roadway but a Y junction would be a useful extra, not to mention a road / river bridge or ford. I also dug out a pack of Peter Pig telegraph poles for the railway line, whenever I get round to it, which shouldn't take too long to assemble, base and paint up.

However, I'm getting side-tracked at the moment by all these extra dimensions to the AK47 project, so need to refocus on the main objective. I really should paint the bases on the various units for the dictatorship army before I shoot off and tackle more boats, landing craft, skidoos or whatever grabs my attention. I have a couple of weeks to get everything sorted before I'm off to France, so I need to get my act together sooner rather than later.

...although I have seen a rather cool 1/144th scale submarine kit?

AK47 Winter Quarters [6]

2011-12-04T12:29:00.000-08:00

The train was finished off this afternoon with the loco painted up, then weathered with rust and oil stains. I added a couple of decals to add a bit of colour then spray varnished the whole thing to tone it down and seal in the markings. I also made some loads for the wagons using some offcuts of cork tile and model railway ballast. Unfortunately, however, I still only have 9'' of track, so it's a bit of a short train journey for the moment.

AK47 Winter Quarters [5]

2011-12-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

I finished the wagons for the railway train today as well, although they didn't quite come out as I expected. I've cut some cork rectangles to use as removable loads for the wagons but they need to be textured with ballast before I can paint them up. I've also started on the diesel locomotive and have gone for a weathered blue finish rather than the original green. I'll aim to get the rest of it done sometime tomorrow.

AK47 Terrain [4]

2011-12-03T12:24:00.000-08:00

I finished off the railway test section today,although it took longer than I thought it would. After washing the track with Future based gunge, I spray varnished it then finished off with some drybrushing of the sleepers and rails in various light shades. I then added some static grass so that it blends in with the table surface. I think I'll keep the railway line down to four or five foot as a full table length would take far too long to put together, based on the time taken ove this measily nine inch section.

AK47 Winter Quarters [4]

2011-12-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

Not a lot again this evening as it was a late start and I'm not up for anything major. As a bit of a change, I thought I'd muck around with the railway wagons using some fairly random drybrushing to start them off. The basecoat is a wetbrush of GW Ivandun Darksun, followed by some Foundry Tan for the rust effect and a bit of over drybrushing with Foundry Rawhide light.

I also painted the internal planking with three stages of drybrushed Foundry Spearshaft. The whole lot was then gunge washed. They look a bit pants now but when the underframes are repainted and I've done some more focussed weathering, they might look a bit better. I've also had a crack at painting the railway track trial section that I built a few days ago but the jury is still out on that one for the moment.

AK47 Winter Quarters [3]

2011-12-01T11:44:00.000-08:00

Not a lot of progress today, as I'm a bit knackered and haven't had the time to get down to anything on the workbench as a result. Nonetheless, I was pleased to get a couple of things in the post today which will add to the the AK47 pile in a positive way.

First up are the extra wagons for the railway train which I've managed to fit onto the TT guage track with a bit of superglue to fix the wheels in at an angle. They run on the track perfectly as a result, although it's more of a slide than a free wheel. The diesel loco didn't like this approach, so I just glued up the wheels then cut them off at the bottom so that it now sits on top of the rails rather than tipping sideways.

The second arrival was a Dinky diecast air sea rescue launch from ebay, which cost me a little short of three quid and is destined for the Mbote navy. It's the same casting as the standard Patrol Boat but with a new superstructure which is not far off 1/100th scale. I'm not sure how to fit it out with weaponry, apart from the stern mounted AAA, so will have to work something out. I quite fancy side mounted missile pods?

AK47 Winter Quarters [2]

2011-11-30T12:55:00.000-08:00

I finished off the two swamp boats today, with the crew figures painted in the standard Foundry Phlegm Green scheme and the boats suitably weathered using Foundry Tan to add the requisite rusty steaks. The bases were painted in a combination of GW Enchanted Blue and Hawk Turquoise with some white highlights for the wake and bow wash, before being overcoated in GW gloss varnish. Job done.

AK47 Winter Quarters [1]

2011-11-29T11:48:00.000-08:00

It's stretching thr bounds of belief to label this project as an Autumn Assault, so I've re-invented it as a Winter Quarters wind down exercise. I have a few tail ends to take care of but I'm hoping that the whole thing will be done and dusted by the time I depart for France at Xmas. However, I have now given myself additional stuff to tackle in the form of three rather neat and very inexpensive 15mm landing craft for the fledgling Mbote Coastal Defence Force.

They're from Kerr and King (http://www.kerrandking.co.uk/) and at £20 for three are extremely good value for money, even allowing for the postage. I ordered them yesterday and they arrived this afternoon, so I'm ready to get them cleaned up and painted in double quick time. They have quite a bit of moulding flash but nothing that can't be sorted with a bit of cutting and filing. They'll take three or four 30 x 30mm bases, although I had to overlap them for the latter.

This will save me the hassle of scratchbuilding some landing craft out of lego and plasticard, which I quite fancied doing but just haven't got the time to do. They'll go well alongside the existing patrol boat and the swampboats, which are nearing completion and should be done by the end of the week. This will wrap up the riverine flotilla for the moment, assuming I don't tackle a second diecast PB before the holidays?

AK47 Terrain [3]

2011-11-28T13:20:00.000-08:00

I had a crack at a test piece of railway track this evening, using an old 9'' length of TT gauge track, a 1 1/2'' wide strip of cork tile and some ballasting material. I spread thick PVA over the shaped trackbed then pressed down the piece of railway line into the glue. This was then sprinked with the ballast.

I left it to set for half an hour but one end of the track had lifted, so I soaked some liquid superglue over the top to fix everything down firmly. I then added liquid PVA to the edges of the trackbed and sprinked on my usual sand and fine gravel mixture to form the verges.

The whole thing was then oversprayed with Humbrol Matt Earth to seal it in and act as a basecoat for drybrushing. I think it's OK but it was quite a labourious process and took about twice as long as the road that I made and painted yesterday. It'll need painting too, which I'll tackle tomorrow.

AK47 Terrain [2]

2011-11-28T02:01:00.000-08:00

As part of the terrain scratchbuilding I'm hoping to use my existing collection of old TT gauge railway track to create some modular rail sections. This shouldn't be too difficult using 1.5'' strips of cork tile as a trackbed then gluing the rail sections in place with PVA before adding some ballast.

The actual trains and rolling stock are a bit more of a problem. The TT gauge stuff on ebay goes for quite a lot and much more than I'm willing to pay for just a bit of scenery. I have some old Thomas the Tank Engine diecast carriages but they're a bit crude and would need quite a lot of work to look decent. I also have some old Matchbox wagons but they're a bit too big for the track and the loco is more 1/72nd scale than 1/100th.

As a result, I was pleased to find this Siku 1/120th scale diesel locomotive and wagon set in my local toy shop yesterday while Xmas shopping for the kids. It scales out well against 15mm figures although the wagon is a bit narrow. It also looks like the sort of thing you'd find on an African railway. You can get extra wagons on their own as well for £2.50 or so, making it easy to have a whole train if you want.

I have ordered a couple more wagons from an online toy shop to make up the numbers. When they arrive the whole train will get an undercoat in black then a rust streaked and dirty coat of paint in suitably African looking colours. I might have a go at adjusting the wheels first, though, as they don't quite fit the TT 12mm gauge track, not that you'd notice.

These are Malawi Railways locomotives originally built in Birmingham but now mostly rusting away on sidings up and down the eastern half of Africa. I like the paint scheme so will try to replicate something similar for the toy locomotive and the wagons. The wagons will also get some removable loads and, perhaps some modular crew bases with HMG's, turning them into the equivalent of trucks for transport purposes.

AK47 Terrain [1]

2011-11-27T13:39:00.000-08:00

Nbuto regulars on patrol...get off the road!

I went to Homebase today, on the way back from rugby practise, to get a new shower hose for the bathroom. As usual, I had a bit of a browse for wargame related items that I could sneak back into the garage on my return. I happened upon a pack of 12'' x 12'' cork tiles on the bottom shelf of a display unit and thought that they'd be perfect for terrain scratchbuilding, so popped them in the trolley.

I've been wanting to scratchbuild some terrain for AK47 for ages with roads, railways and river sections at the top of the list. The cork tiles seem to offer the perfect combination of price, flexibility and ease of use, so I had a go at knocking up a 12'' x 3'' section of road this afternoon. It was very quick and simple to do, so I'll be making some more over the next few days.

AK47 Patrol Boat [7]

2011-11-27T13:04:00.000-08:00

I finished off the patrol boat with a base today, using a combination of plastic card, filler and PVA painted with various GW shades of blue. The base was gloss spray varnished and the boat stuck in place before I added the bow wave and wake with some stippled white paint.

I also dismantled and stripped down the second patrol boat diecast that I won on ebay, ready for conversion into a Panga Class PB when I can find the time. I have a third ship arriving in the post this week but it's the air sea rescue launch version so will require a lot less work to be ready for action.

I've also basecoated and drybrushed the two swampboats that I assembled yesterday. These won't take long to complete and have already had their wash in future based gunge ready for the detailed painting tomorrow. I have three more of these in the pipeline to complete my rivrerine forces, so I should have a decent sized amphibious contingent in no time.

AK47 Patrol Boat [6]

2011-11-26T13:56:00.000-08:00

I finished off the ex-Dinky patrol boat this evening with a little bit of detail painting and some decals from an old Airfix P38 Lightning model kit. I've cut a base for it from plastic card and textured it with a mix of PVA and filler but it's not ready for painting yet so will need be tackled tomorrow.

AK47 Autumn Assault [30]

2011-11-26T09:56:00.000-08:00

I've neglected the painting over the last week or so, mainly due to lack of time and loads of work. This is a shame, as I have the bit between my teeth at the moment especially when it comes to the AK47 project. As a result, I'm trying to catch up this weekend and make some progress with the remaining bits and bobs.

To kick off, I've assembled a couple of the boats that I bought from The Scene at Attack! in Devizes:

http://thesceneuk.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=104&products_id=549

They're really simple little kits but build up into neat little models, complete with soviet style whitemetal HMG's. I've reversed the armoured wheelhouses, as I think they look better this way round and have added a couple of Peter Pig HM crew. They will be classed as boats in the rules, armed with HMG's and capable of transporting two bases of figures.

I have a cunning plan to build some landing craft / assault boats out of lego and plastic card to use alongside these fire support swamp boats. They will be capable of lifting the full complement of four bases, if I ever get round to scratchbuilding them that is? I also have a second Dinky patrol boat and an air sea rescue launch diecast to convert, so it's all hands on deck.

Home Waters MTBs and MGB's At War

2011-11-26T01:56:00.000-08:00

I finished reading Brian Perrit's excellent Gunboat the other day and decided afterwards to rummage in my coastal forces book collection for something in a similar vein. As a result, I'm now re-reading Home Waters MTB's and MGBs At War by L.C.Reynolds which, aside from his autobiographical account Motor Gunboat 658, is perhaps the best of the three books he's written on the subject.

It's got me thinking once again about a participation style multi-player game for the club, using larger scale models in 1/350th scale and a set of roleplay style rules. I had a rare moment of inspiration this morning, which gave me a new idea for rules, in the form of an adapted set based on the old but rather good boardgame Battlecars.

This needs a bit more thought but I reckon it would be a definate possibility.

AK47 Game Report - Skirmish at S'Mosa (Part Three)

2011-11-25T13:11:00.000-08:00

Turn 7

It was all or nothing in the penultimate turn of the game. The long awaited reinforcements finally arrived for the hard pressed Zumatans, in the form of two regular armoured cars, while the defenders were supplemented by a unit of regular T34/85 tanks that rumbled onto the table edge.

The Mbote commander, Major Mnuva, sensing ultimate victory slipping from his grasp, launched the professional jeeps and scout cars toward the principal objective, in a co-ordinated pincer movement with the militia technicals. It was hoped that this would overwhelm the Zumatan SAS and allow the Mbote infantry to take the objective under covering fire.

In the ensuing firefight, the exposed technicals and jeeps were pinned by heavy Zumatan suppressive fire, effectively distracting them from their aim. The Zumatans were unscathed but the technical convoy took a morale point hit as a result of the Zumatan crossfire.

Turn 8

With only four spaces left on the game countdown, it was obvious that desperate measures were required by both sides to win the game. The Zumatans piled their armoured cars and SAS onto the objective, while the Mbote tanks advanced in support of the infantry. The key thrust was made by the technicals, however, with a high speed gun run up the main road and over the river crossing.

It was no surprise that this ended in a bit of a pile up, especially as both sides were able to call in artillery strikes at the last minute due to some double six dice rolls. The lead technical was reduced to a pile of scrap in the first missile salvo from the Vigilant equipped armoured cars, followed by the destruction of the second truck once the Zumatan FOO had got the column zeroed in.

Not to be outdone, the soviet trained Mbote artillery bracketed the SAS and pinned them down before they could take the objective, with a follow through from the jeeps and scout cars ending in the elimination of one base and the pinning of a third. A final roll of the dice and darkness descended on the field of battle, allowing both sides to withdraw and lick their wounds.

The Victory Points

Zumata = 12 + 30 + 7 + 3 + 3 = 55

Mbote = 17 + 5 + 20 + 14 = 56

The result was a 'damn close run thing' and a clear draw between Zumata and Mbote. The Zumatans had secured the main objective and had destroyed the militia unit, thus gaining a marginal points advantage over the Mbote defenders, who had destroyed more of the enemy but didn't hold the main objective by the end of the game.

Overall, it was a really good game with plenty of dodgy moments and some enjoyable randomness for good measure. The Mbote army will definately be investing in some more cheap but hard hitting militia technicals, while rumour has it that the Zumatans will be providing some softskin transport for their naval troops. There will be another game at some point in the new year, in which I might actually get to use my helicopter gunship!

Thanks for watching.

NEWSFLASH - Mbote militia to be re-equipped (Reuters)

2011-11-24T13:42:00.000-08:00

From our military affairs correspondent in Npungwe

Following the virtual destruction of the Mbote militia in the battle for S'Mosa, the Mbote Minister for War, Colonel Banga B'oum, has declared his intention to re-equip the surviving militia units as the nucleus for an enlarged local defence force.

To this end, he has committed state funds of over 456,908,4567,000,000 Banana (Mb) for the aquisition and armament of a number of so-called 'technical' improvised vehicles. This investment represents a quarter of the official fiscal budget for the Ministry of War, which in itself suggests a heavy commitment to the reconstruction of the militia as a fighting force.

The speed at which this re-armament plan has advanced is evident from the arrival of a number of technical vehicles at the docks in Tchumba, many of which have already been converted in army workshops by the addition of AAA and machine gun armament. It is highly probable that these vehicles will play a significant part in the rumoured counter attack by Mbote forces against the Zumatan offensive.

(in other words, I've just ordered a couple of new trucks from QRF...)

AK47 Game Report - Skirmish at S'Mosa (Part Two)

2011-11-24T13:07:00.000-08:00

Turn 5

Following the departure of the AT guns and mortars, the Zumatans were able to bring on reinforcements in the shape of a somewhat bemused but very enthusiastic unit of naval militia, who appeared on the far right corner of the table.

The Zumatan SAS meanwhile had hidden themselves in the jungle as their transport chopper dusted off and disappeared over the horizon. The Zumatan armoured cars moved up to support the SAS with their vigilant A/T missiles ready to engage any targets of opportunity.

The Mbote technicals continued their advance up the road toward the border post. The jeeps and scout cars also advanced from the other direction in order to enfilade the advancing Zumatan naval infantry. In the subsequent fire phase, they opened up on the naval infantry and succeeded in pinning them down.

The Zumatans attempted to fire back at the advancing Mbote units but with no effect, thereby ensuring a severe knock to the morale of the militia naval ratings.

Turn 6

This was the turning point in the game as the advancing Zumatan naval infantry got severely hammered by the combined fire of the Mbote jeeps and scout cars, destroying three bases and sending the sailors packing in a headlong rout.

At the same time the Mbote militia techinicals opened up with their recoilless rifles and AAA on the hapless Zumatan SAS, who were pinned and could offer only ineffective small arms fire in return. In retaliation, the Zumatan armoured cars launched a vigilant A/T missile barrage on the technicals but only succeeded in breaking down due to yet more dodgy doubles on the D6.

Things were looking pretty shaky for the Zumatans but it would all be decided in the next turn.

...to be continued.

AK47 Game Report - Skirmish at S'Mosa (Part One)

2011-11-23T15:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Jon and I played the first game in what will probably be an extended, if irregular, AK47 mini-campaign. The protaganists are the People's Democratic Republic of Mbote (me) against the Zumatan Dictatorship (Jon). The conflict kicked off with a skirmish at a crossing point on the Npungwe River.

Political Phase

Jon was the attacker and gained four groups upgraded to heavy weapons (regular mortars) while, as the defender, I gained a +1 firing for my regular infantry unit plus a professional upgrade for my fast raiding unit of jeeps and armoured cars.

Initial Deployment

The initial deployment for the Zumatans consisted of a unit of professional heliborne special forces, a mixed AT / mortar regular unit with APC's and a regular unit of vigilant AT missile equipped scout cars.

The Mbote force consisted of a unit of militia techinicals with RCL's and AAA, a unit of regular infantry with RPG's, mortars and a towed AAA gun, together with a unit of professional HMG armed jeeps and armoured cars.

Turn 1

The first turn saw a cautious advance by the Zumatans toward the border post at the table centre, while the Mbote forces adopted a broad frontal approach covering all three of the dispersed objectives. The Zumatans seized the high ground on their side of the table and positioned an AT and mortar equipped unit to cover their assault.

The unit of Zumatan armoured cars advanced on their right flank, screened by the unit of Mbote armoured cars on the opposite side of the table. The Mbote militia technicals were positioned on the right flank of the Mbote side of the table, ready to sweep around the Zumatans left.

In the table centre, the Mbote infantry began an advance on the border post, while a Zumatan transport chopper hovered onto the battlefield opposite very, very slowly.

Turn 2

In turn two the firefight kicked off when the Zumatan mortars opened up on the Mbote infantry unit opposite but a series of whacky dice rolls ended up with mechanical breakdown of their accompanying APC's, confusion in the ranks and a +2 firing bonus.

Luckily for the advancing Mbote regulars this resulted in no hits but, for their part, the supporting militia technicals advancing on the flank failed to dislodge any of the Zumatans from their hilltop position. This meant that the following turn would see a hard fought firefight for control of the centre ground.

Turn 3

The third turn saw an intensification in the battle, as both sides attempted to knock out opposing units from long range. The Zumatans succeeded in blowing up one of the technicals with some well aimed mortar fire and the AT guns destroyed the towed AAA gun that was attached to the Mbote infantry.

This was at the cost of yet more double 3 breakdown rolls for the Saracen APC's, raising a few eyebrows back at Zumatan HQ. The Mbote AAA gun did manage to pin the AT guns and mortars before it was wrecked but the accompanying Mbote regular infantry were pinned by the barrage and had to go to ground.

Turn 4

In the fourth turn, the Zumatan chopper landed and debussed a unit of Zumatan SAS professional troops next to the objective in the table centre. Meanwhile, on the far side of the battlefield, the Mbote technicals advanced at speed to close the range with the Zumatan artillery units pinned on the hill.

Next, the Mbote infantry unit decided to re-deploy in a backwards direction, leaving it's attached mortars in place to fire on the pinned Zumatans. Things were looking a bit sticky for the Zumatans, who had already suffered some crippling morale point losses in the previous turn.

In the subsequent firefight, the Zumatan mortars managed to pin the Mbote regulars for a second turn but the armoured cars failed to inflict any damage on the infantry unit, despite the use of Vigilant AT missiles in a direct fire role. The Mbote mortars were more successful, however, with a concentrated barrage wiping out one mortar and pinning another, together with the AT guns.

In the subsequent morale phase, the battered Mbote infantry managed to hold on despite losing two morale points but the Zumatan mortars and AT guns had had enough and made a rapid withdrawal from the battle in a headlong rout after losing their final remaining morale point.

....to be continued.