A little progress.......

 Greetings all. I hope 2020 is treating you well...... OK maybe not ‘well’ but you’re hanging in there, it won’t be forever, soon it will be a weird memory that those that didn’t experience it won’t really understand (and hopefully will never have to).

 Talking of things that are hard to understand without being there I just watched a new mini series on Netflix about WW2. The Liberator is about Felix Sparks and his role in the 45th Infantry division (nicknamed the Thunderbirds) and their path through the later period of WW2. It follows the characters through Italy via Anzio and then during Operation Dragoon (landings in the south of France) and into Germany including their discovery of concentration camps and the horrific practices undertaken there. The interesting thing about this particular American unit was that it was made up of Native Americans, Mexicans and Americans, people who at that time in their home country wouldn’t have been able to drink together in the same bar. It was a highly decorated unit, that fought hard throughout these campaigns but also has a number of accounts of war crimes attached to them. I can’t comment on these as I can’t even imagine what the war was really like but they are covered in the series and more information about the unit can be found here (it’s Wikipedia so I presume it’s accurate but better sources are probably available). One of the most stunning things about this series is the way it was shot using something called Trioscope. This leads to an almost animated, cel shaded look that adds a beauty to what are horrific and frightening events. I really enjoyed it and think it was well worth watching if you have Netflix.

Apart from that I’ve achieved a few things but nothing of any great measures. Whilst I’ve been interested in WW2 gaming for a while I’ve never had much interest in the Naval actions. When I bought the excellent Post Captain from ODGW games I noticed that they also had a WW2 Naval set called General Quarters 3, luckily I managed to have a flick through a friends copy and was intrigued by how they seemed to work. I started reading various Osprey books and was soon swamped by how complicated and vast the subject was so I asked for some help on a starting point from the publishers forum and ordered a copy from the only people in the U.K. that stocked them. The forum response was excellent and very helpful but the company selling the rules were not. When I used their website I noticed a couple of odd things like the fact that they charge a surcharge for using PayPal (not allowed by PayPal and also by U.K. legislation), when I asked them about it they were flippant and claimed PayPal was expensive (they’ve obviously never had a business bank account) and that they were well within their rights. Shockingly after I politely pointed out that they couldn’t do what they were doing, they said my card wasn’t working and then cancelled my order without contacting me (I’d joked with my wife that I’d never get what I ordered but was still slightly shocked). Annoyed and slightly flummoxed I gave up on ever obtaining the rules, but a few days later I had a better idea.

 I contacted the creators, ODGW, and after a couple of explanatory emails managed to set my wife up as a seller of their rules. I’m still waiting for our first shipment to arrive (due on Friday) and will post about them excitedly as soon as they arrive. I haven’t mentioned the original U.K. company but they are well known and if you go onto many of the gaming forums there are lists of people having problems with their non-existent customer service and refusing to buy anything from them. ODGW make excellent rules (and are lovely people) and I don’t think that the behaviour of an unconnected rubbish company should have an effect on whether people in the U.K. get to play their games so hopefully soon I can change that.

 When I found GQ3 I also found a game called Action Stations by David Manley which focuses on the coastal actions that were prevalent throughout the war and this also piqued my interest. To work out what scale I would play GQ3 in I decided to order some Figurehead 1:6000 destroyers from Magister Millitum and whilst doing so I noticed that they also sold 1:1250 coastal ships and bought a pack of these to see what I thought.

Well the two packs I ordered arrived promptly and with mixed results. Not surprisingly the 1:6000 destroyers were tiny but my key issue was that they are fixed to their bases (and yes I do want to put them on bases, but my bases not pre-cast metal ones. I know - picky) and whilst I managed to remove some of them I’m not sure they are worth the effort. The 1:1250 coastal ships were a different matter though. I bought a pack of Vorposternboot (converted German trawlers) and they are brilliant. Cleanly cast and frankly charming I quickly based up one of the ships and got it painted.

They are based on pill bases from Fluid 3D workshop and then I used Vallejo plastic putty to sculpt the water effects, which for a first go I’m quite happy with. Painting was very easy and I just needed to pick out a few details like depth charges  and lifeboats and the little ship came to life. I may have painted the water too brightly as I used a tiny bit of GW Talassar Blue contrast paint as a wash but when I placed them onto my sea gaming mat they worked quite well.

Apart from that I’ve put together a pair of Hornisse or Nashorns (large German self propelled guns) and Ferdinands (like a stug on steroids) which can be used on the Eastern front or in Italy and being relatively  few in number, in reality and in Battlegroup (I believe they are both restricted choices), I may do one of each for each theatre. Below is the first of my Hornisse (Hornet) which were also called Nashorn (Rhino) very much a sit and wait ambush vehicle.

That’s about it, I’ve dabbled in a few other things and regularly stare at my lead mountain trying to work out what I can do about it. As the Welsh fire break action has ended I should be able to get my wife to go to the post office for me and will start chipping at the surplus of my hoard later this week.

 I mentioned briefly before that I’d had a bit of a slip in the garden and damaged my hand. I was very lucky and did no serious permanent damage to myself. This has healed but has left a meaty scar and I’ve been slow getting back into doing hobby stuff but hopefully I’ll pick up speed now. 

Thank you for taking the time to read through this, I hope you’re being more productive than I am currently, stay safe.

BALM

Some 15mm additions.

I've done quite a bit during my recent hiatus. With the weather being awful (spray painting and pictures are currently impossible) I thought I'd put up a couple of pictures of german units I'd finished.



My FoW Whitman Tiger, painted to reward its performance in the battle of the secret stug (see its kill ring). The law of gaming meant its next performance was useless with it being destroyed almost instantaneously.

Again but without the warming sunshine. The turret is magnetised, the crew member sculpted by me.

My 250/1. Built for CoC as its an excellent support choice. The customised Peter Pig and FoW crew are one piece and are removable. The tarpaulin is procreate.

I've also more recently finished my 88 flak and a Grille H (a weird and charming little vehicle that packs a massive punch in BA). I've (at the time of typing) just based the 88 crew and will get them done soon.

Battlefront or FoW 88 flak gun. Carefully put together, painted in camouflage and then obscured with model scenery. I seem to really enjoy making my own life more complicated.

I'll do another base for the wheels and an ammo stack (and maybe a little dug out for the spotter). Plenty of room for the crew to (hopefully) stand behind.

 

The Grille's crew have (like all my chaps) been re-headed with Peter Pig heads. It's a nice, characterful unit that is suitable for my opponents favourite gaming theatre - the eastern front.

Plenty more bite size updates to come as I try to get back up to speed with pictures and progress of my summer; including 15 and 28mm, some new 15mm settings - AVBCW and a whole new project in a new scale - WW2 6mm.

As ever thank you for taking the time,

BALM.

Panzers and Caravans.

   

     The picture really says it all but just a quick update: I finally received my Jagdpanther and Panther plastic box set (GBX84) from the new Battlefront Nachtjaeger line. So far I've put one of each together with the intention of making 2 Panther G's and 3 Jagdpanthers. The kits are a breeze to construct, although I wish you got a instruction sheet inside (rather than having to rely on the exploded diagram on the back - I think I spotted a mistake and am waiting to hear back from BF). They fit together well with a minimum of fettling. The detail is crisp and plentiful and the sprues come with plenty of additional parts. Included are the IR sights to add them to a 251 UHU platoon (thus the Nachtjaeger link). You also get decals, a sprue of plastic crew and a sprue of metal crew (I think for the Jagdpanther looking at the hatch).

A great dual build kit which makes robust and detailed vehicles.

This Panther will be covered in additional track.

Add caption

Apart from the instructions - I'm still not sure about some parts like, what I think is, the ammunition bin on the back of the Jagdpanther (It says it's part on the instructions but none of their completed models have it). The only other thing I didn't like was the moulding marks on the bazooka shields for the sides.

Irritating mould marks on the bazooka shield.

A beneficial side effect of the current deluge of plastic dual-build kits is the ability to use the un-used hull for secondary projects. With the spare panther hull and a bit of hacking you can make dug in tanks for the fall of the reich era.

Simply remove the rear deck (presumably the engine was removed as it was surplus to requirements) and add a few bits of plasticard. More of this to come.

Dug in at a crossroads as a final line of defence - imposing but tactically flawed.

Overall I'm really pleased with them and even though they are more expensive than their PSC counterparts the ability to build the two different vehicles, the ease and robustness of construction and the level of detail makes them superior in my opinion. Last thing is the two die-cast (approx1:87) caravans I got for a quid at a local market. Perfect for scenery in 15mm zombie and modern games. 

Thank you for taking the time,

BALM.

Pictures from our games of Chain of Command

     A few more pictures from our January gaming binge. Probably not in any order. I've only just got the rules square(ish) in my mind, remembering to take photographs and make notes instead of being excited about tiny metal men is still a problem.

     Set up for a head to head match to check we had the rules straight. The little red dice are the russian's patrol marker and the large orange d20's are their JOPs. Unhelpfully I seem to have removed my dice and put some scenic JOPs down. Extremely close together. Had it gone wrong I was risking a cascading collapse in force morale if over run. Stereotypical German efficiency (and stunning generalship - of course) however meant the Germans were victorious. Their ability to concentrate withering (if not always that effective - Nuffle be praised) fire on a tightly concentrated front can hold back a numerically superior foe like the russians - sometimes.

Russians swarm over the outnumbered but staunch germans. Urk! an unpainted  bit of scenery - the shame

Disbelieving flapping of rule book fails to reward my opponent with the rulings he was looking for.

     An interesting and contentious moment. Playing the probe scenario I managed to sneak a patrol marker out on a flank. By the time my opponent noticed it was too late. Slight grumpiness and much angry shaking of the rule book later, plus some measuring and thinking and I managed to prove that he could have stopped it but would have had to react straight away to effectively deny the flank. This was the first time either of us had used such "game legal" but unsporting behaviour so I wasn't too shocked when he didn't see it coming. I deployed my recon 250 asset and with the second phase drove it straight to his table edge achieving my forces victory conditions. 

     Brilliant moment of gaming genius - absolutely rubbish game experience, especially for him (at least one of my miniatures had made it onto the table), we'd spent all the time setting up for almost nothing. It was a campaign ladder game though, and my focus was on getting as many chaps to the next scenario alive.

A cross between a deep rumbling noise (what I think a tiger sounds like) and the Jaws theme tune are playing in my head at this point.

      I actually spent all my 10 points of assets on a Tiger. Neither of us are power gamers and the only reason I have it was because it had a schwimmwagen with it and I'm that obsessed. I was faced with what I knew would be an overwhelming Soviet force containing at least one tank and chaps dug into a building complex that I'd have to take and hold. In a desperate gamble I select my undercoated kitty. We don't tell each other what we've selected as we don't see that the opponent should know until they turn up. I stated "vehicle coming on at point y and performed all necessary rolls/movement/noises as I placed it in the edge of the treeline behind a vast range of soft cover from the occupied buildings".  A few more phases and the kitty was moving up with infantry squads in support.

The Tiger opens up and my opponent realises his mistake.

     A russian ATR pops up by the wall (using a CoC dice) and completely fails to hit. Ivan's predilection for fortifying liquids has left him lucky not to have blown his own leg off. Armour values aren't asked after and the tiger rumbles slowly on. Another russian phase and a squad appears by the wall and proceeds to hose the approaching grenadiers waiting at the hedge line for the command to assault. The tiger's mmg opens up on them and they suffer some shock. I declare I'm going to fire the main gun. My opponent points out I'd have to had pivoted my "Stug" to do that and accept the modifiers, and in a gentlemanly way asked me if I'd like to take back my turn and re-do it including the pivot. I am bewildered, then realisation slowly dawns. I reach forward and slowly rotate the turret slightly to the left. My opponent says "Ah" and "Sh%t". 

     The 88 spanks the squad and goes on in further phases to batter the other defenders in the surrounding buildings, supports the charging infantry and ultimately tips the scales in my favour. At one point my opponent nearly closes with it and attempts to demo charge it. His rolls come up short (even I was hoping he'd do it - it was very cinematic and russian) and the reds are done for.

     His fault wasn't in mis-identifying the tank (although it is, quite rudely, just a dunkelgelb blob) I think he was just so engrossed in his own troops and plans that he'd assumed I wouldn't squander all my support on one thing (and we'd been playing for almost three days straight - never play on the home ground of an insomniac).

      This meritorious action has accelerated the kitty's position in the painting motor-pool. Thank you for taking the time,

BALM.

And I can reach my computer....

     Many weeks of back breaking toil, dozens of injured or perhaps worse, simply missing dwarven labourers and engineers and I have a path. It's narrow and precarious but it will suffice. I've done some random things but mainly my focus has been elsewhere due to the mundane nature of life. Until I can produce something worthwhile anyones time to look at, here are some old, thought lost photo's from my previous phone and the early part of my return to the hobby:

     Painted for my friend overnight (note the professional thumb nail palette - something I often forget to remove) this was the first large piece of fine cast I got my hands on. Unfortunately I didn't get to assemble it though, so I don't know whether the disquieting angle and pose is due to the sculpt or assemblers (there was more than one - never a good sign). My first reaction to finecast wasn't the flexibility, or the errors in casting (not that I've seen anything major) it was how light such a big model had become. In my hayday of bedroom gaming with my school friends such a big model would have been a lethal, incredibly heavy, pointy object. I nearly threw it at the ceiling as I automatically over compensated. I added quite a lot of slate (at my friends chagrin - as he'd wanted to show people how light it was) and Old-Schooled it up. 

     It was a pleasure to paint and he was pleased with the result. Then it all turned ugly....... For the next couple of weeks as I built games tables at the store I was exposed to something of a personal problem. The poor thing got abused. It didn't belong to them so as far as the gamers and punters in the shop were concerned they didn't need to pay much attention to how you handled it and as you probably know Finecast doesn't get a lot of love. I know I'm obsessive but it was a real eye opener  (luckily they weren't ultimately my models - mine are all safe somewhere behind me, I think). The tables looked awesome by the way: the kids destroyed them too.

The first piece of Finecast to be sent to the store. It was missing a head. I painted up the second and was given this one as a fee. I made him quite a bulky rogue trader style pro-create head and gave him some 40k weapons. Just can't find a colour scheme I like for him.

Fimir I knocked up overnight (again) for my friend on the release of the storm of magic book. The lower  arms and hands, and the legs are plastic orcs, the rest is pro-create putty.

WIP Terrorgheist. Best looking, hardest to put together kit I've done. I wanted to paint it before attaching to the base and so had a terrible time getting the exact placement if the rocks it stands on. It is however a beautiful kit and was the first herald of some of the frankly amazing (even if not to my taste) large plastic kits to come. Shame I'm not really interested in them in a gaming sense.

Battlefront (FOW) OH-6 I've converted into a MD500 (ish) chopper for near future gaming.  I was being all scratch buildy but then discovered those Tau bits in a random plastic spoil heap and couldn't see a better way. Needs some Hurlbat rotors. I have more 15mm helicopters than modern or near future AFV's.

Nice random one to finish. Check out this van parked up near a bit of woodland I was thinning. Looks like bricks doesn't it. Zoom in. Yep that's bread. Welcome to South Wales.

     That's about it. I've got some more pics and ideas and can now at least get to the computer. Thank you for taking the time,

BALM.