Knights of the Sky 1916

 

After the summer holidays there is a plan afoot to have a 1916 multiplayer game of Knights of the Sky. I've run a couple of these before and have a good selection of appropriate aircraft, including Fokker EIII's, a Pfalz EIV,  Nieuport 11 Bebe's, Airco DH2's and an early Roland CII, but have promised to build some more kits for the game. I do have a lone Morane Saulnier N 'bullet' in an RFC No60 Squadron scheme, but have enough unmade Revell  kits to make three more, as well as a limited run Aeroclub Bristol Scout or possibly an Airfix Be2c, both of which would fit very well into a game. I'm going to start on these kits at the end of the holidays and, in the meantime, will get to work on a historical scenario, albeit with a bit of artistic licence to make it a fun game.

French Napoleonic Naval Painting

            

For some reason, I can't summon up the enthusiasm to paint the last of my pre-dreadnoughts, so instead I'm going to keep on going with the 1/2400th French Napoleonic Squadron that I started blocking in a couple of weeks ago. I doubt I'll get anywhere near finishing them before the holidays but at least they will be moved along a bit over the next couple of weeks. I'm currently blocking in the sails on the Third Rate 74's then will move onto the frigates. Nice and relaxing!

Post War Whirlibitds

 

The 3D printed helicopters from Lambda Gaming arrived today and, once again, I'm very impressed. I particularly like the Whirlwind as it really looks the part and is very sturdy, perfect for wargaming purposes. The Flying Banana is also really good but a bit more fragile in the tail department, so will need careful handling once assembled. The models come with stands and magnets to attach the rotor hubs, so will dismantle to pack away. I'll use the Whirlwind for the Sandbox Skirmish project, where it fits in perfectly, while the Shawnee will go to Vietnam for the Bohica project, as transport for the ARVN. Excellent!

Strength and Honour Terrain Cloth

 

I spotted this in a supermarket at the weekend and thought it would be better than the felt cloth that I was going to use for Strength and Honour. It's a wipe clean plastic type material but I'm hoping that it can be spray painted and sponged with various shades to match the desert bases on my units. I should also be able to add the grid pattern using dots from a Sharpie pen, which should be easier than marking the felt. 

Three Week Pre-dreadnought Paint Job

 

I'm back from a long weekend in Brittany at a family wedding, so have been working out how I can get the last of my South American pre-dreadnoughts painted in what time remains until the holidays. I've got shedloads of things to do over the next three weeks, so time is very short and I'll have to cut my cloth to fit. This means the painting job has been cut back to just eleven models, which I'm hoping will be do-able in the time I've got left?

Museum of the French Resistance in Brittany

 

Excellent 👍

https://bretagnemusees.bzh/en/musee/breton-resistance-museum-musee-de-la-resistance-bretonne/

Resistance Memorial

 

I'm at a family wedding in Brittany this weekend, which just happens to be within spitting distance of this memorial to the French Resistance. In June 1944 there was a major battle here between the local maquis supported by the SAS and the German occupation forces, as described on the monument information board. It's also detailed in a book I read a few years ago by one of the members of the resistance, Andre Hue, which I thoroughly recommend. This afternoon, if I can sneak off from the wedding, there's also a museum five minutes walk from the venue which I will try to visit. Fascinating stuff 

Magazine de Presse

 

I'm in Brittany for the weekend at a wedding, so have grabbed some magazines to read on the way back. The Vae Victis game looks really good, being a strategic level Indian Mutiny wargame, with the rules available in English as a down load. The Batailles & Blinde issue has an excellent article on the Battle of the Bulge that would be great for What a Tanker and my 28mm US late war Bolt Action platoon, while the Aerojournal issue has a fascinating article on Fritz X missile attacks on Plymouth of all places, which has given me all sorts of ideas for Bag the Hun. A good haul!