I've started the assembly stage of the Get the Goeben! project with the Austro Hungarian forces, consisting of two Tegethoff class dreadnoughts, two Admiral Spaun class light cruisers and six Tatra class destroyers. Unfortunately, one of the battleship models is missing the two funnels, which are supplied as separate parts, so that one will have to wait until I get replacements from TD. I've also ordered the other Austro Hungarian post 1900 battleships and an armoured cruiser to expand this force to a more impressive fleet.
Welcome to my blog. I have upwards of 100 projects in various stages of incompletion or total abandonment, so you may well find something of interest if you rummage about a bit. I concentrate on solo air and naval wargaming but other 'skirmishy' things quite often pop up out of nowhere, only to disappear again after something else grabs my attention. I even finish the occasional project now and again!
Thursday 25 July 2024
Continuation War Aircraft
I've been reading through the potential scenarios for the summer Bag the Hun Continuation scenario writing and project and have identified at least a dozen for the shortlist. These all feature the Curtiss Hawks of LeLv32, which is the theme I'll be following rather than a smorgasbord of aircraft types.
I've sorted out the 1/600 scale Tumbling Dice models that I'll need for playtesting, all of which I already had in the lead pile. The Finnish look like they're heavily outnumbered but that's just because the scenarios feature a range of Russian aircraft including I-16, MiG3, LaGG3 and I-153 fighters. There's also some SB-2 bombers but I'll have to convert or scratch build the MBR-2 seaplanes the I'll need, probably by adapting some Westland Walrus models.
Sunday 21 July 2024
La Retour
We're heading back to the UK over the next couple of days but will be back over here in Brittany next month. This means that I'll be back at the workbench, home repairs and maintenance aside, for about a week, during which time I'll be cracking on with some of the three projects I have lined up. The initial plan is to get the Spanish Napoleonic fleet assembled, so that I can take it to France to paint, but the Get the Goeben! ships are also on the 'to do' list, so we'll see what grabs my attention first. I'll also start doing some background reading for this year's Bag the Hun article, which is looking like a Continuation War set of scenarios.
Oi Navarcoi!
Saturday 20 July 2024
Friday 19 July 2024
Lentolaivue 32
I've been looking for a suitable summer holiday scenario project for Bag the Hun the last couple of days, so have been rereading my various Osprey books with a focus on the Continuation War. This is a subject I've touched on before but this time I have narrowed down the focus to one Finnish squadron, Lentolaivue 32, which flew the Curtiss Hawk from July 1941 onwards.
This is an ideal subject for scenario development, with at least a dozen potential actions identified for potential scenarios. It's also very manageable from a miniatures point of view, both in 1/600th scale and 1/285th, as I already have most of the Finnish and Soviet models required and the camouflage and markings are relatively simple. Tally Ho!
Thursday 18 July 2024
Wooden Ships and Iron Men
Wednesday 17 July 2024
Bag the Lard
I had a brief chat with Mark Backhouse the other day, catching up on things as you do, when he mentioned that he's thinking of a low key local Lard Day at some point next year. I've offered to run a Bag the Hun game, if there's any interest, so was thinking of one of the 'off the shelf' scenarios from Red Star Rampant, possibly the Stalin's Eagles one, making use of my new hex mat and possibly scaling up to 1/285th? If not I may use the opportunity to work up a new Arctic Eagles scenario, which would be a bit less obscure and potentially pull in more players.
Monday 15 July 2024
The Ship That Changed The World
I've started reading this on holiday, as we're only away for a week and it should fill up the time I have while the weather is dodgy. As this is my next project, I thought it would be a good idea to actually find out what happened, other than by reading the fairly basic outline of events on the internet. This is the standard work on the subject and will be really useful when I'm planning out what I'm going to do.
Sunday 14 July 2024
Ahoy Ivan!
The Russians have parked a replica of an eighteenth century frigate just outside our apartment in Brittany. This is the Shtandart, a reproduction of a typical frigate of the early 1700's, which has been denied access to the port of Brest due to the war in Ukraine. I might paddle out or a closer look if it's still there tomorrow?
Austro Hungarian WW1'Fleet
Friday 12 July 2024
Turkish Chop Shop
As I'm on holiday I have some time to fart about with wargaming things for a change. Here's my attempt to convert the Tumbling Dice ABB21 HMS Eclipse into the Ottoman protected cruiser Hamidiye. This involved cutting off the gun mounts fore and aft, filing down the fore deck and bridge, adding a new wheel house and gun mounts, adding a length of superstructure and three funnels, then adapting the masts to something akin to the actual vessel. It's not perfect but also not too bad, apart from a bit of uneven spacing on the funnels. I'll have a crack at her half sister ship Mecidiye later in the holidays.
More Malta Scenarios for Bag the Hun?
Another book on the air battles for Malta from the local Oxfam bookshop today. I wrote a series of scenarios for 1941 ages ago, available in one of the TFL Specials, and always meant to follow on with some 1942 ones, this time featuring Spitfires instead of Hurricanes. Perhaps this book will give me a boot up the backside?
Thursday 11 July 2024
Turkish Delight
I've been chatting with Paul at Tumbling Dice about adding some Turkish Pre-dreadnoughts to the Age of Battleships range over the last week or so. The good news is that he's looking into it and has made positive noises but the bad news is that deck plans and profiles are not exactly easy to track down.
In the interim, I'm going to try to convert the ABB 21 HMS Eclipse light cruiser model into the Hamidiye and Mesudiye, which are similar enough to be feasible. This would require remodeling the foredeck to make it flush, adding a plastic card strip along the centreline with three funnels, then removing the gun mounts after and replacing them with a single mount.
I think I can pull this off with a bit of luck, having some previous experience with scratch building and converting ironclads. I just need to find some time to give it a go!
Wednesday 10 July 2024
Get the Goeben! - Alez Les Bleus
Tuesday 9 July 2024
Whirlwind No263 Squadron Scenarios
Now that I'm committed to the Get the Goeben! WW1 naval campaign project, I've decided to postpone the Arctic Eagles Bag the Hun scenario writing project. Instead, I'm going to write up a small selection of scenarios that I've already researched, focussed on No263 Squadron and the Westland Whirlwind. I'll dig out my notes and see what I can pull together over the summer, with the aim being to submit an article for the 2025 Lard Magazine.
Sunday 7 July 2024
Spanish Age of Sail Summer Sorted
Saturday 6 July 2024
Get the Goeben! - La Royale
I'm a bit short in the old pocket money department at the moment, so couldn't order all of the 1/2400th scale models from Tumbling Dice that I need for the Get the Goeben! project. Instead I've just picked out the French battleships, armoured cruisers and destroyers and a couple of Royal Navy light cruisers, leaving the Austro Hungarian warships and the additional merchant shipping to a later date. If I'm lucky the postie will smuggle this lot through domestic security in time for the holidays next weekend.
Friday 5 July 2024
Zulus!....thousands of 'em
Well, not exactly thousands but enough scrounged from eBay to kick start a Death in the Dark Continent army over the summer holidays. I'll be taking this lot to France with me, together with the requisite bases, glue and tools, so that I can start to assemble a small army with which to try out the rules. I've also got a box of the British infantry but that may have to wait until later in the year, as I have other plans to screw up first!
Thursday 4 July 2024
Get the Goeben!
Righto. The Plan B for my WW1 naval project this year is to set up and run a solo mini-campaign based on the Catch the Goeben campaign in the Victory at Sea: Age of Dreadnought Far Flung Seas supplement. As I already have the two German warships assembled and ready to paint, I thought it would be a shame not to use them for another one of my solo campaigns.
By happen chance, I also have most of the Royal Navy warships required for the campaign, give or take, as a result of acquiring a bundle of Tumbling Dice models a while back. I will need to splash out on the French and Austro Hungarian warships, however, but these are in reasonable numbers so not too much of a hit on the pocket money.
I think this will be a lot of fun and with good replay value, especially if I use a range of different rules for variety. There's obviously the Age of Dreadnought rules to start with but this campaign would also be perfect for Si Vis Pacem, for example. The plan now is to order the models in time for the holidays, during which I can assemble, base and paint them, ready for a kick off in the autumn.
Wednesday 3 July 2024
Change of Plan...not the first, won't be the last!
Tuesday 2 July 2024
Spanish Napoleonic Fleet in a Box.
Whatever happens, I'm going to be packing my Spanish 1/2400th scale models to assemble and potentially paint while on holiday in Brittany. I've got a pretty fool proof method for painting these Tumbling Dice models and they don't require a massive selection of paint shades or washes, so it shouldn't be too much of a job to get at least some of the fleet built, based and brushed up. There are a few extra French ships included in the mix and I might even have a go at some American ones too for the Quasi War of 1800.
Monday 1 July 2024
Back of Beyond Ragged Russians
Another option for my holiday project is to clean and base up the extra units I need to build a ragged White Russian army for the Back of Beyond. I gathered the figures, guns and vehicles for this earlier this year, to add to my existing painted White Russian units. This would be a simple and enjoyable little project for a week or so and would give me the nucleus of a third army to use alongside my Bolsheviks and Expedition forces. Good plan!
Sunday 30 June 2024
Plastic Fantastic
I'm planning ahead for this rate interlude in the joy of parenting, with Plan A being to spend some of the time building an army (or two) in plastic. This has the advantage of being easier to do while away, much cheaper in outlay as compared to metal figures, while being quite a pleasant process at the same time.
The current idea is to assemble a Zulu and possibly a British army for Death in the Dark Continent using the Perry Miniatures boxes. The other option is to assemble a British army for the East African campaign for Chain of Command. These both have the advantage of being compatible with the excellent modular African savannah terrain that I've recently been gifted, so a great way to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.
Saturday 29 June 2024
Turkish WW1 Black Sea Squadron
Aviation Hardback Books
I was walking the dog this morning and passed the local charity shop, popping in while the dog took a breather in the shade. Here's the result, a couple of aviation themed additions to the holiday reading list. I think I've read Tail End Charlies before but there's no harm in reading it again, while the history of the Israeli Air Force is a new one to me. Good finds both!
Friday 28 June 2024
More Fistfuls of Lead
Black Sheep Miniatures, available from Warbases, have added some new Wild West figures to their range including a band of Pawnee braves and a posse of Pinkertons. These were so nifty that I couldn't resist ordering a set of each of them, despite having more than enough 28mm lead of the same ilk. The holidays are just around the corner, so I will have some painting and modelling time to kill, which is as good an excuse as any!
Thursday 27 June 2024
New Project - WW1 Turkish Black Sea Fleet
This is something I've had planned for a couple of years now, a WW1 Turkish fleet for the Black Sea, using Tumbling Dice 1/2400th models. There a couple of minor gaps and a proxy model here or there but otherwise it's a complete line up, give or take. I also have an opposing Russian force to tackle after this lot have been assembled, based and painted. I might even add some merchant shipping later on. Excellent!