Catching Up - Part 2

Another decent run at getting some buildings done, and also some jump off points.

So here's the process.

Some MDF spare bits being glued together, plus a selection of spares

Three Allied jump off points using Allied spare parts

Some Entrenchments plus the Jump-Off points assembled

Buildings with their first plaster coat.

Jump Offs, highlighted and bases washed

Burnt out, added bricks and details painted in

Side elevation

Th eFront

French farmyard outbuildings

The tiles are way oversize.. not fixing them now,

No loopholes or windows to shoot form!

Flocked and done

Flocked and done

Flocked and done

Flocked and done

Catching Up - Part 1

I realised I hadn't actually posted finished pictures of some of my stuff this year. So here's a bit of  a round up of some of it.

A Bridge.. obviously... 

Late War British & Commonwealth

HQ, Officer, Sergeant, Medic & Sniper (the latter two are Warlord Plastic)

Vickers MMG & 3" Mortar.

Squads 2 & 3 (to add to the first one from years ago..)

Late War Heer

HQ & Sniper (now replaced with a funky sniper team, bottom right in above shot)

LMG Teams to bring each squad up to 2 x LMG.

Panzerschreck team on the move

Panzerschreck team firing

Squad in smocks, these get split up to vary the squads

Squad in shirtsleeves

Odds & Ends - Spare PIAT team, and spare German infantry to create a fourth squad if necessary

Finally, not painted, but I am looking for some help to identify the manufacturer, as I only picked up a few at a bring & buy, and I would like to add enough to bring it up to platoon strength for CoC.

Fallschirmjager 1 - Unknown manufacturer(s)

Fallschirmjager 2 - Unknown manufacturer(s)

Chateau anyone?

Those of you who saw the last post will have seen the appalling unfinished nature of my French buildings, so I have found time in between the Christmas celebrations to try and get a couple more up to a reasonable standard.

Here's the chateau...

Those of you familiar with the original model will notice a lot of minor changes - the roof (now masquerading as lead sheets, and with a sandpaper 'asphalt' walkway with hatches, after all those MGs don't just fly up there...), and dormer windows built out mainly. I rather like it.

And the Cafe Absinthe, added to the ruin in the previous post, I feel like I am getting these done at a reasonable pace. I have a small farmyard and another ruined house to finish. Once those are done, it's on to walls, hedges etc. 

Chain of Command, NWE

A beautiful sunny day after storms, and drove up the road towards the snow covered hills in beautiful sunshine.

We tried out a Chain of Command in the Desert game last month, and it worked well.. 

As we had fun last time, I had committed to playing a NWE game using my Brits and Late War Heer. All the figures got painted, and we had a lot of fun, but as you can see below, the buildings left a lot to be desired.

So I got out the trusty cardboard and some paint..

Lots more to do on this one, but the roof was the big item. The slates are too big, but it won't be too noticeable once they are all painted, I just didn't have the heart to make them much smaller.

The ruin I got to a reasonable state. The paint job needs tidying, and I want to do some posters on the end wall and the front. I have decided not to go to town on the interior as it will be too hard to get figures in there. My sniper will at least have somewhere cool to hang out.

The chateau is still awaiting roofing, plus I need to use some stone paper on the lower floor. The roof itself is a complex shape, and I am actually wondering f I can get away with laying PVA soaked paper over it and claiming it's a lead roof rather than tiling the thing.

Finally, I am wondering about doing some small cobbled areas to put the building in. Plus a war memorial and a fountain. Come 1940 or 1944, not even the smallest French hamlet would be without its war memorial to 14-18. 

My other struggle is that I now have the figures for French army 1940, plus the later Normandy conflict. Sticking Vichy posters up on the buildings makes it unusable for 1940, and sticking patriotic French posters up, makes it unsuitable for 1944.

Other things I need to do once the buildings are completed, finish off some more walling, and some other tabletop clutter, get some better shock markers (the Bolt Action Pin markers are actually pretty good..)  do some smoke and barrage markers, minefields, and entrenchments. All straightforward and mainly home built.

Then it's paint up the 1940 French, add some supports, and think about purchasing 1940 Germans.. 

Work in Progress - 28mm WW2

Over the last year or two, I have been playing a variety of games. In Canberra, I largely played 15mm Ancients using DBA or DBMM. There were occasional forays into esoterica with Full Thust, Aeronef, DBSA, AK47, Shipwreck or Ganesha, but ancients was bread and butter.

I did start collecting 20mm (1/72) to play Chain of Command, but couldn't get any of the locals to give it a try. I think there were a couple of reasons for that; firstly, earlier experiments with TooFatLardies rules had left an unpleasant aftertaste (ooh err, missus..), and no-one
with experience to ease us into it.

Over the last two years I've been picking up more and more 1/56 vehicles, and gradually, more and more troops. I now have German and Commonwealth forces suitable for the Desert, and a decent number of Later War German and Commonwealth forces either for Italy or '44. The last few are getting a lick of paint this week, as I have committed to organising a game this weekend.

Reinforcements! Plus some stray German Paratroopers

A British squad and some engineers

What's this? An ARP Warden?

Late last year, I purchased the Warlord Games Home Guard set, intending to paint them for my father's Christmas Present. When he died suddenly, they were left hanging around, so I have started painting them, he would have smiled. 

I am also trying a slightly different technique with this lot. I am painting most of the base colours, then splodging them all with Coat d' Armes brown sticky stuff, (Super Shader). Afterwards I spray matt varnish, then go back and add highlights. It seems to work fairly well.

The German Paratroops are a squad I picked up at a show Bring and Buy, this always happens. i pick up a bargain, which is never enough to actually play a game with, and end up spending a load more to add in all the others, extras and so on. I did the same with Early War French, although there at least I have three squads, but I thought I also had a pack of the Warlord Games plastic 'Blitzkrieg German Infantry' on the shelf somewhere..   turns out I don't, just loads of Late War stuff. Ah well,maybe I should paint and sell the French?    

It's been a while... but..

There's a reason for this. First of all, I packed up my house for a move..   then some boxes arrived from Australia, and work, and putting up shelves, and organising a new roof for the shed so my figs don't get rained on.

But I haven't been entirely idle. So time for some updates. First of all, there may have been a few purchases.. main ones, building out yet more AWI in 28mm, a few sneaky 15mm WW2,

a Jacobite 1745 Kickstarter,

(Not this guy, he was a door giveaway at Targe a couple of years back I think.) 

filling out my Normandy forces for UK/Commonwealth & German Forces, which may have involved additional vehicles.

as well as some extra squads and supports.. Then there were some 15mm Ancients, planned for Warfare 2019, oops, and I may have accidentally bought some 28mm Early War French. I also picked up a bargain 28mm WW2 USMC squad...  but then I would have to buy Japanese and some more USMC etc.. no..   Oh and buildings for the Medieval period...

Anyway. I would have to do a bit of an audit. I shall think about it.

Painting - got busy and finished a whole bunch of AWI jump off points, civilians and some additional units for Sharp Practice 2. Then a couple more squads for Chain of Command, supports, and vehicles. In between, I finished some terrain for AWI Sharp Practice, and made progress on a whole lot of Normandy buildings. Lots more to do in this space.

The club has been busy - I didn't step back fast enough so now I am secretary. Not so bad when you win awards for 'T in the Park'.

I've run a few games, including one giant multi-player AWI SP2 game based on Le Cedres, 

I thought it went pretty well, and when Charles Grant tells you he really enjoyed it and donates you a box of Hessians.. 

Well, it does give you that warm inner glow doesn't it? 

Though he would really rather be running 7 Years War..

So now the AWI project continues but I am also running some simple Chain of Command games to introduce other local players to the rules.

I fitted in a game of Crusader..  not hugely enthused by the rules, they do seem a bit old school, but after borrowing a copy I did source a Lulu copy for myself. Spectacular in 28mm, but I can't see me doing a lot of 28mm Ancients. We also managed a few fun 'quick and dirty' Airfix Battles games...

All in all, it has just been too hectic. Let's hope next year is paced with a little more leisure and less frenetic activity.