Achtung Commando [3]

I'm reading this at the moment as background research and a source of ideas for the 28mm commando project. It's a very well written and readable overview of commando operations from 1940 through to the end of the war, including chapters on all the various raids including Vaagso, Dieppe, Bruneval and St Nazaire, for example. Good stuff!

AK47 Winter Wobbler [13]

The laptop has packed up so I'm using the Kindle to post this, which is less than straightforward but seems to work. Here's the four stand militia mortar unit, ready for base texturing and painting. It's a 'not to be sniffed at' 80 points worth of fire support, so a useful addition to the army.

Achtung Commando [2]

The Foundry commando figures arrived today and I've organised them into two sections plus command, a 2" mortar team, a sniper team and a forward observer. I have some figures left over, so will probably do a headswap to create a Vickers K gunner and number two together with a medic. This means that virtually all of the figures will be doing something useful. 

I've also splashed out on a resin LCA from Grand Manner, so that the commando raiding party has some means of transportation. It's a lovely model and not too expensive given it's impressive size. However, I've decided to leave the commando project until later in the year, so that I can concentrate on the AK47 army for the next few weeks.

I Ain't Been Shot Again Mum

This time a couple of  years ago, I started planning and putting together all the bits for an IABSM3 project in 15mm, based on the campaign in Burma. This didn't get beyond the first stages but I did assemble all the figures, terrain pieces and scenery using Peter Pig as the main source of supply. It's all sitting in a box on the shelves above the workbench, along with the rest of the stuff!

Anyway, this year I've promised a fellow club player that I'd do a Japanese army in 28mm, as he wanted to put together a Chindit force for Bolt Action or similar. It seems silly to duplicate the same project in 15mm and 28mm, at least in the same time frame, so I'm going to shift my focus away from Burma in 15mm and much closer to home.

A few years ago, I set out on Rapid Fire project in 20mm based on D-Day plus, with a specific focus on the 5th Battalion of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. This got quite a long way forward but, in the end, it fell by the wayside due to a lack of wider interest and other distractions. The figures and AFV's are now long gone but have found a new home via Ebay.

This now opens up the possibility of the same project but in 15mm at a company level, this time using I 'Aint Been Shot Mum for the rules. I already have all the late war British figures I need from my Peter Pig lead mountain and, as it is primarily an infantry game, I won't need more than a handful of tanks or vehicles. This time the focus will be on a single company of the 5th DCLI, together with some basic support elements.

When this will happen is another question but I'd like to get started at some point in the next few months, other projects notwithstanding. The plan will be to complete one platoon at a time, which equates to twenty six two figure bases plus a single command figure, so not too much to bite off in a week or so. I'm not sure when I'll get round to the opposition but perhaps someone at the club might be interested?

AK47 Winter Wobbler [12]

I finished the trucks this afternoon, although they were a bit rushed and need a bit of tidying up. It takes me ages to paint things, even when I'm cutting corners, and I frequently wonder how other people seem to able to churn things out as often as they do? Anyway, I've almost finished the vehicles for the AK47 army and now need to tackle the hordes of militia, regular and professional infantry bases. Aaaarrgh!

AK47 Winter Wobbler [11]

We were out for most of the day, so I didn't get much time at the workbench until late this afternoon. Here's a trio of very, very old Maisto diecast trucks, re-painted for what must be the third time in the camouflage of the new AK47 army and washed in gunge, ready for the finishing touches tomorrow. I've also started on the militia mortar unit, which should also be wrapped up by the end of play on Sunday, family excursions permitting.

AK47 Winter Wobbler [10]

I need to wrap up my new AK47 army by the end of next month at the latest, so today I quickly finished off the four BTR60 APC's and based up a second militia unit, this time a four stand mortar detachment. I need to have at least two militia units so, in addition to the technicals which I've re-sprayed in a black undercoat, I've gone for the cheapest but most effective option of a mortar unit. I'm hoping to paint it up, alongside the 28mm commando test figure, over the next couple of days.

Cheapo 28mm Near Future APC

I spotted this in The Entertainer today although they only had one kit left. It's a snap together Challenger II but I reckon it will make a pretty good near future tracked APC for my Copplestone French Foreign Legion mini-project, which I've had on the 'get around to it eventually' list for a few years now. The gun barrel could be cut down and used with the turret to make a proper tank, as it looks a bit like some sort of rail gun type main armament as it is, but I think the kit will look better as a low slung APC once I add some extra details and some stowage.  

Achtung Commando [1]

While I'm waiting for the Foundry British Commando figures to turn up, I thought I'd paint up a freebie figure that came with a set of Foundry paints many years ago. It's a nice little vignette of a commando attacking a German sentry, which will be fairly useless as a gaming piece but will be helpful as a basis for the palette that I'm going to use on the rest of the figures. The aim will be to paint it up by the end of the weekend, using a black undercoat and layers, follwed by a wash and detailing. 

I also found a single Artizan late war commando with a Vickers K gun, which I acquired at some point in the indeterminate past. This one will get a headswap with a spare figure from the packs, so that I can add some additional firepower to the raiding party. I was surprised to find that the Perry figure and the Artizan one matched up really well in terms of size and design, so I may have another look at the latter for command figures and specialists.

Happy New Year!

As we have a Xmas in France every year, the kids open their 'English' presents on New Years Day, rather then cart them across to the in-laws and back again for Xmas Day. This means that they get two sets of presents, which can be a bit much, but it also means that I get to open my presents today as well! This was the Ministry of the Interior's idea and it actually works really well, allbeit with some suspension of disbelief about the existence of a French and an English Santa. 

This year, Father Xmas got me a Bolt Action Japanese Starter Army with some extra bits and the Armies of Imperial Japan supplement, so you can guess what I'll be up to in 2014, at least in part. The Japanese will be one of my 28mm projects this year, primarily for Chain of Command but with Bolt Action as a fall back. I'm hoping to add some terrain construction to this project too.

I was also allowed to get the classic Foundry Miniatures British Commandos that I had my eye on over the holidays, with enough figures for a couple of squads, a command group and a support team or two. These will be for raiding purposes only, so firmly at a skirmish level rather than a full on platoon set up, with rules as yet undecided. 

I also bought myself a copy of Henry Hyde's Wargames Compendium, as it was less than a fiver on the Kindle e-book store and looked like an interesting read for a rainy day. I like his style of writing and, in particular, the series of 'imagi-nation' articles he has written on wargame campaigning, so I thought I'd find some inspiration in this pretty comprehensive book.

This year, I have a number of intended projects but I'm keeping my options open, with the focus being firmly on 28mm WW2. I enjoyed painting up my 28mm US platoon last year, so will be building at least one more force for Chain of Command and Bolt Action in 2014. I also want to get at least one other 28mm army completed, with the Tribal Villagers for In the Heart of Africa at the top of the list, possibly followed by the Ronin skirmish project which I didn't get started in 2013.

In 15mm, I'll be completing the AK47 army for the club campaign, but that's probably going to be it for 2014. I have some plans up my sleeve for a 15mm French Resistance game based on the AK47 rules system plus a long term goal to paint up an ancient or medieval army for Impetus, but these will probably not be happening this year.

In 1/285th, I have big plans for a Soviet mid-war air force for Bag the Hun 2, using the models that I picked up on the bring and buy at Colours. This will be a pretty comprehensive collection of fighters, ground attack, light and heavy bombers, either in winter camouflage or in a summer scheme. I will also be adding some mid-war Luftwaffe planes to complement the late war fighters that I completed in 2013.

To round things off, I will definately get around to painting up the 1/600th scale ships for the WW2 coastal warfare project, with both British and German coastal forces plus some merchant ships. I have meant to do this for many years but it's time to crack on and actually finish what I've started. As a second but much smaller naval wargaming project, I really want to tackle at least a couple of the Peter Pig pirate ships, if I can squeeze them into the schedule.

Finally, the club participation game will need to have some new 1/72nd scale aircraft, which I've promised to kit up. At the moment, this is looking like a 1915-1916 early war multiplayer game, so I'll be digging out the old kits in the loft in search of Morane Saulnier N's, Fokker EIII's and Bristol Scouts, all of which I have stashed up there somewhere along with a few other suitable model kits.

...anyway, I hope you have a Happy New Year and lots of fun in 2014!