The Tumbling Dice 1/600th scale Albatros D.II models are bumping along in the right direction. The blocking in is now finished and I just need to tidy them up before I can do an overall ink wash. Unfortunately, we are having some building work done for the next couple of weeks, so normal service will be interrupted by the workbench being out of action, mainly due to its location in the garage where the builders are storing all their clobber!
A fantastic source of scenario ideas for the first day of the Battle of Cambrai on 20th November 1917. This map was published in 1934 but based on the original operational plans for air support and tactical bombing raids. I've identified at least ten potential scenario missions from this map alone but they obviously need more background research to be feasible, so probably whittled down to four or five in the end.
I dug out an old scenario for the club WW1 rules the other day, with a view to converting it for Algernon Pulls It Off!. It involves an observation sortie by a Junkers J.1, escorted by Fokker Dr.1's of Jasta 11, intercepted by the SE5a scouts of No.29 Squadron RFC, although I might fiddle about with the set up. It's set in the latter stages of the Battle of Cambrai and, while not based on actual events it is semi-historical. I don't have a 1/600th scale Junkers J.1, however, so I'm going to have a go at scratch building one in plastic card...a bit of a challenge but worth a try!
A good start on the 1/600th scale Tumbling Dice Albatros D.II 'kette' this evening, with the three tone camouflage applied on the wings and tailplanes. I've gone for brighter shades than the prototype, following the dictum of more intense colours in smaller scales, but there will be a highlight to reduce the contrast once the ink wash has been applied. The fiddly bit is next, adding the engine cowling and spinner in light grey.
I've got a bit of a the old painter's block at the moment, combined with a general lack of forward momentum and a bad back, so I've decided to take a break from the pre-dreadnoughts and try to focus on something less involved. I'm not sure what yet but it'll probably be a handful of 1/600th aircraft for either WW1 or WW2, as these are quick to do and inexpensive if they go horribly wrong! The Tumbling Dice Albatros D.II models are on the workbench at the moment, so I might as well crack on with them in the meantime?
Each month over on the Algernon Pulls It Off! Facebook group I set up a challenge or competition for people to join in with, just for fun. This month I've chosen the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917 as the theme, with an open focus so that everyone can have a go. It might be a scenario idea, a full scenario write up, some special rules, a useful article, some painted models or whatever you fancy contributing. If you want to join in, why not pop over to the group, sigh up and have a go:
Another day of unwanted diversions and little time for important things like French Pre-dreadnoughts! Nonetheless, here are the two Descartes class protected cruisers, Decartes and Pascal, alongside the third and final Friant class cruiser Chasseloup-Laubat (where they got that name from, who knows!). That wraps up the protected cruiser force pretty much all told, so I can now focus on painting them up over the next week or so.
These are a new range of 28mm Sengoku Era figures sculpted by Bob Naismith, available via eBay. I bought this set of Sohei to see if they'd match with my Perry Miniatures figures but, as you can see from the photos, they are a better match in comparison with the North Star 28mm Ronin range, being much more chunky than the Perry figures. I've donated them to my son, as he has the North Star Sohei and Samurai Bunti sets, so he will have sixteen figures to build his warrior monk contingent. Very nice figures but at the moment, the only pack in the range.
I've worked out a plan of sorts to enable me to complete the 1/2400th scale French Pre-dreadnought fleet over the next couple of months or so. There are quite a lot of models to paint, although they're nearly all assembled, based and undercoated, so I'm going to tackle them in five phases:
Phase 1 Protected Cruisers
Phase 2 Armoured Cruisers
Phase 3 Battleships
Phase 4 Coastal Battleships
Phase 5 TB flotillas and TBD flotillas
This should make it easier to get the whole lot done over a couple of months, if I steadily work my way down the list and don't get distracted by 'ooh shiny' things ...that's the theory!
