What's on the Workbench?

I enjoyed finishing the 1/600th Tumbling Dice 1917 aircraft yesterday and now have everything I need to try out Spandau and Lewis, as well as play some games with Duel of Aces. To keep the momentum going I've decided to assemble and paint some additional models, with a focus on late 1917 to mid 1918, rather than go backwards to 1916, as I originally thought earlier on.

The plan to develop this month's air wargaming project fits perfectly with my refreshing 'What's on the Workbench?' strategy, which allows me to float between three different projects each month as I feel the need, without feeling guilty about temporarily shelving things as I go along. This seems to work and avoids the feeling that you have to slog away at things even when the spark has fizzled out a bit, knowing that you can go back to them when you feel more motivated. 

It only works if you are realistic about what you can achieve, so small projects that require a minimal amount of time to wrap up are the order of the day, ideally things that require finishing off rather than starting from scratch. The 1918 aircraft, for example, are a small addition to an existing project and only add up to about a dozen models or so. These include some Sopwith Camels, Fokker DVII's and Halberdtadt CLII's, with a few Airco DH4's and Hannover CLIII's if I have the time. 

WWI German Aircraft Decals Done

I added the upper wing decals to the 1/600th scale WW1 German aircraft models this afternoon, which was a bit tricky due to the freezing cold temperature in the garage. The excellent decals are from Dan at Flight Deck Decals, which are usually trouble free, but due to the cold, they took ages to settle down despite lashings of softener and fixer. I've given them a gloss varnish top coat to seal them in, which is why they look very shiny, but I will add a matt varnish coat to dull them down again. I briefly entertained the idea of adding tiny fuselage and tail decals but decided life is too short! I may go back and add those later.

Thumbs Up!

I remember many, many years ago ordering figures from Irregular Miniatures and being amazed by the speed with which they arrived on the doorstep. I always wondered how this was possible, as I lived at the opposite end of the country in those days, although I did end up living in the same city at one point. so could probably have just popped round? 

Anyway, I hadn't had any dealings with Irregular for years until I set off on my 2mm adventures a few weeks ago. I was very pleased but not surprised to find that nothing has changed in terms of customer service and even more impressed when a recent order went slightly wonky. Ian Kay not only emailed directly to let me know my order had been posted but then emailed again to apologise that it was slightly delayed, as he'd forgotten to put a couple of castings in the package. 

He went back to the post office and added the missing models, which was really nice of him and very considerate. I don't often comment on such things but I think this is definitely worth mentioning in this day and age, where almost everything is handled by flipping robots. Funnily enough, the figures were nothing to do with the 2mm English Civil War project...but all will be revealed at a later date.

Cheers Ian. 

Top job!

Winter Hammer Terrain Upcycling

A few years ago I repurposed an old canvas covered framed picture into a desert terrain board for 15mm and 28mm wargaming. I used it for a couple of cowboy gunfights then it got relegated to the garden shed, as the other half didn't want it cluttering up the garage. It's about a metre square and pretty rigid yet lightweight, so easily transportable. Although it's not bad in it's intended role, I've decided to recycle and reuse it as a snow themed terrain board for the Winter Hammer project and for other wargaming rules, where scale isn't really an issue. For example, I have some 20mm / 28mm winter woodland terrain that I made for What a Tanker that I can plonk on top straight away, which means it has a good deal of flexibility. To upcycle it will involve repainting the board and perhaps a little remedial repair work where it has been scuffed in storage, so nothing too arduous or time consuming, although I will need to make some bespoke terrain templates for my Winter Hammer games. 

Spandau and Lewis Late 1916

I was thinking about painting some additional 1/600th scale WW1 aircraft for Spandau and Lewis, as part of this month's air wargaming project, to extend my collection of models from mid-1917 into early 1918. However, I've been put off by the need to paint lozenge camouflage on the Fokker DVII's and Hannover CLII's, which will be a right pain in the bum. Instead, I may well go back to late 1916 and assemble some RFC and German aircraft including Airco DH2's, Albatros DII's, LFG Roland CII's and BE2c's. These are easier to paint for starters and I already have some Tumbling Dice models in the stash, so no expense required. I'll see if I can squeeze something into the schedule, but it may have to be bumped over into February if I can't find the time.

2mm Royalist Army Base Painting

I've made a good start on the base painting today, using a two stage approach from brown basecoat to grass green top coat, which I'll finish off with a highlight and ink wash once the paint has properly dried. I will then be able to undercoat the figure blocks in matt black, prior to giving them a matt white dry brush. It's cold and drafty in the garage today so I'm going to call it a day.

Winter Hammer Forward Planning

While I am waiting for the 6mm Heroics and Ros miniatures to arrive, I've been doing some forward planning for the Winter Hammer project. The terrain is something I'm working on including a lot of trees, as at least a quarter of the table should be covered in forest. To sort this I've got hold of some cheap but good quality fir trees via eBay, which I'll base up on templates. I think I'll have enough to cover about a third of a 3' x 3' board, which is what I'm going to use for the project.

What's on the Workbench?

It's taken a while to decide but my air wargaming project for this month is to add the decals to the 1/600th scale Tumbling Dice WW1 German aircraft that I painted way back in 2022. These have been sitting in a tin for months but can now be finished off, ready to play some solo games of Spandau and Lewis. I might add a few more twin seaters or scouts but I have enough for some basic dawn patrol type games already, with the RFC machines only needing some fuselage roundels as an optional tweak. Tally Ho!

Spandau and Lewis

I have recently upgraded to a new laptop as the old one ground to a halt and refused to do anything meaningful, including editing or updating the blog. This has enabled me to have a look at my blog tabs and layout, so that I can now add new links to and follow other bloggers, as well as commenting on things that I've enjoyed reading. One old favourite blog of mine is The Stronghold Rebuilt, which I haven't been able to follow properly for years due to the clunky computer. 

I have reinstated the link in My Favourite Blogs and have been reading through some of the stuff I've missed, including this set of free WW1 air wargaming rules, designed for use with the 1/600th scale models from Tumbling Dice. This really grabbed my attention as I have painted up a good selection of these for the British and Germans in 1917, but have yet to actually play any games with them, as I haven't organised myself enough to set up Duel of Aces or Algernon Pulls It Off. 

These straightforward rules look like they will be an ideal alternative option and also can be played solo, with minimum fuss or extra work to be done, apart from making some flight stands. I could use my MiG Alley ones for some winter dogfighting missions, I suppose, which would speed things up a bit. I'll see what I can make of them but first impressions are very positive. You can download the rules here:

https://hordesofthethings.blogspot.com/search/label/spandau%20and%20lewis

2mm Portable Ancient Wargames

Anglo Saxon (top) and Norman (bottom)

Ancient British (top) and Imperial Roman (bottom)

While waiting for the undercoat to dry on the 2mm pike and shot units today, I had a play around with some Antonine Miniatures 2mm blocks and 50mm x 30mm bases. I thought this combination would work for the Portable Ancient Wargame rules, which can be stretched to cover the early Middle Ages. I had a go at some Anglo Saxon shield wall units and Norman cavalry, infantry and missile bases, which seemed to work well. I also tried to organise some Ancient British chariot, horde and skirmish bases, together with some Imperial Roman units. I think this might be a good way to create armies for very little time, cost or effort, using my terrain from the English Civil War project and leftover bits from my Strength and Honour project...although I remain to be convinced.