Some really good progress with the 1/2400th scale pre-dreadnoughts over the weekend, means that I only need to paint the bases and add a varnish to finish them off, bar the base labels. They've turned out alright and will really beef up the Argentinian fleet, apart from the Chilean Blanco Encalada obviously! I'm going to aim to finish them off tomorrow before I start preparing my half term holiday project....which is very much in the same vein but in a smaller naval scale.
It was the Partizan show in Newark at the weekend, which is just a bit too far for me to go but seems to be probably the best wargaming show on the calender these days, even knocking the juggernaut that is Salute off its over inflated perch. Despite not being able to attend, I was delighted to see that my scratch built armoured train was in action with the League of Extraordinary Kriegspielers, for a stunning Back of Beyond themed game based on the absolutely barking Mad Baron himself. It looks as though it blew up in spectacular fashion, however, which seems to be par for the course. I really should make a replacement version for my Back of Beyond collection some day, with the Chinese Warlord or White Russian lead pile in mind?
After a brief intermission due to work I'm now cracking on with the Argentinian Pre-dreadnought additions to my 'What If?' project, starting with blocking in the hulls and upper works in a base coat of matt white. This will be followed by the decking and then a top coat of Vallejo Medium Flesh Tone on the funnels and masts. The two Ansaldo designed battleships were a pain in the bum to paint due to the tumble home but I think they will be pretty nifty when I'm finished.
After a long and tedious day at work, there's nothing better than a little competition to cheer things up a bit. I've started a not very serious competition over on the AK-47 Facebook group which involves a simple objective, namely to present a photo of a single 30mm x 30mm foot group, small arms, heavy weapons, commander or whatever, to show off your best painting, basing and modelling. No prizes, just for fun, but I'm hoping it will give people some inspiration for their own armies and encourage new players to have a go. Deadline 25th May.
I've been re-thinking the 1/2400th scale Tumbling Dice models that I'm going to use for the Danish and Prussian ships at the Battle of Rügen. The gunboats will remain the same but the larger ships will use different models after a bit of research into relative dimensions and tonnage. I'll post a full breakdown later but I have decided to start from scratch with the models, as the ones I assembled previously are not very well constructed. I've got a lot more experience converting and detailing the TD models, so it will be worth the extra time and effort.
This is the latest and quite possibly the last addition to my stack of Osprey Publishing WW1 aircraft books, a gap in my bookshelf that I've now filled and a source of potential ideas for Algy scenarios. I like the format of this series, at least for the aircraft focussed titles, and Jon Guttman really knows his stuff. I'm going to see if I can find enough information to put together a historical scenario that can be the basis of a good multiplayer game, with some cross referencing and research to fill in the gaps.
A quiet afternoon for a change meant I could take some time to convert a Tumbling Dice Yoshino into the Chilean protected cruiser Black Encalada. This involves quite a lot of filing, cutting, filling and fettling, but I'm pleased with the end result, although it's not exactly an accurate reproduction. I'll base it up and undercoat, then add it to the Argentinian pre-dreadnoughts now sitting on the workbench for painting.
