28mm Early War Germans complete

For some reason, these just seemed to take forever. I don't know, it was possibly that I had a first rush of enthusiasm when I finished my Early War French, and then the saga with BTD just left me fed up.

But they are finally finished and I am reasonably happy. Let me know what you think?

AT Gun 1.

In Chain of Command, most crewed support weapons have a crew of 4 or 5, sometimes with a junior leader.

AT Gun 2

So this gun only has one crew on his base, there are other figures I have listed as 'handlers', mostly made up from the Warlord plastics, that can be added to make up full crews. The square thing on the base is a dice frame from Warbases that will hold a 7mm dice to show casualties.

50mm Mortar

 These guys are normally in platoon headquarters with the platoon commander and platoon sergeant.

AT Rifle, sadly - not a support option in the Blitzkrieg book

This is a Warlord Games pack, picked up on a whim before I checked and discovered that the AT rifle isn't generally available to German units in 1940. OK, should see some use when I game Barbarossa, that'll really scare those KV tanks! 

The original command figures, 

I think the guy in the greatcoat is going to be retired, he looks way too senior for the scale of a CoC game, but I love the Warlord Games running 'officer' with the MP38. (Technically, the officer should be pistol equipped, but hey..  artistic licence and I will just count him as a pistol.)

More command and helpers.

The lads in the officers hats can stand in as Junior Leaders for the support weapons as required, the more disheveled chap on the left is the platoon sergeant, and the ones in front are the extra crew figures to make up full weapons crews.

Ammunition handlers

I sized this base so it can sit behind the AT guns, the Le IG and even the static MG 34 to make the crew numbers up. I figure that box could hold almost any kind of ammo.

Le IG 18 75mm

Another box, and I do like that kneeling figure. Adding the base above on the back of this one gives me the full crew while maintaining flexibility.

Squad 1

 Corporal, lance corporal, 5 riflemen and a light machine gun team of three men.

Squad 2

As above - you can see some of the great variety you can get with BTD.

Squad 3

As above, so below!

Squad 4

The Early War German platoons were organised into 4 squads, not the later three squad version. It also gives me the choice of another squad as a support option when playing post 1940 games.

Static MMG 34

Finally - the MG34 in its static role as a medium machine gun. To make up the crew I will need to use some of the handlers.

So far the painted German vehicles include a PzIV, a PzII a PzJager I, a Kubelwagen and an Sdkfz 222 armoured car. So the platoon is pretty well provided for in support options.

Now to decide whether to tackle GIs or Soviets next...

Claymore 2019

Yesterday was spent with a very pleasant day at Claymore, a morning drive in the sunshine, and a lovely drive back with the countryside looking its best.

The Granton campus of Edinburgh College is a pretty nice venue, with lots of light airy halls, plenty of parking and some nice outdoor spaces when the weather is pleasant. There were excellent traders, and it wasn't too crowded.

So what was it like? Well, I actually found it rather disappointing. I normally expect that there will be one or two games that make me gasp, or come away inspired, or even smiling. In the past there have been Nazi moonbases, volcanoes, whole archipelagos and some great modelling and terrain making skills on show.

This year, I felt there were a lot of games that I would expect to be put on at an average club night, with bought terrain, pretty nice figures, but no great imagination. I suppose it may be because I have seen quite a few of the games already at Carronade in Falkirk, but I was left feeling disappointed 

Of the games that were there, Barry Hilton and the League of Augsburg's Ottoman wagon fortress was perhaps the best realised, the Vietnam 'Relief of Hue' style game was impressive for size, but the terrain was a bit sparse, and for me didn't capture the feel you got from movies and period photographs. Honourable mention to the small but well formed Holy Grail game, which seemed to consist of making your way by various paths through a shrubbery with knights posted at intersections, towards a large castle...

Muscovites vs Ottoman by LoA. 

And the loot? Well - for once I thought about this beforehand, and decided I needed some bits and pieces to round out various forces, so I pre-ordered from 1st Corps, taking advantage of their show discount. Airborne Jeeps, Pak crew, British 2" mortar crews etc.  The rest of my shopping list was essentially small terrain pieces, so a Greenhouse and cart from Supreme Littleness, a tractor, fountain and telegraph poles from Sarissa, and finally one of the very cheap 'modular' range from Warbases, that is going to be a small workshop.

Not having pre-ordered, I just took pot luck that they would have the items available, but both Sarissa and Supreme Littleness offered to send me the items post free. so that was terrific. 

And of course there were impulse buys... firstly from Charlie Foxtrot, their Cafe Normandie looks to be an absolute bargain. I don't really need too many more 28mm French buildings, but this was too nice to go past, and at £16 an absolute steal compared to some other companies. I was also impressed about the little extras included, like flashing strips in plastic, and small tubes for chimney pots. Looking forward to putting this one together.

I know it doesn't look like much in this picture..

I also looked for the new Rubicon early Panzer IV, but was out of luck. WarHQ was doing 15% off the Rubicon kits they did have available, so the Scott was picked up.

Other impulse buys, a Westwind US Recce Jeep and some BTD Soviet Riflemen from Colonel Bill's.

Needless to say, on getting home, I couldn't wait to start slinging some glue at these. So far:

Sarissa Tractor

The tractor is a great model, but getting the top pieces to line up smoothly is a pain. If I were building another one of these, I would use the top of the chassis as a guide, glue all the 'segments' together, and then file to get it smooth before gluing on to the model itself.

Westwind US Recce jeep

Great little model, just judging by eye, it looks like it will be a good match for my Perry US infantry (plastics).

1st Corps Airborne jeep

Really nice kit, but make sure you drill out the wheels for axles, there's little underside detail so it might actually be worth replacing the white metal axles with some brass rod or similar.

Another 1st Corps Airborne jeep

1st Corps and Westwind size comparison

 As you can see there's quite a difference, I believe 1st Corps are 1/48 while Westwind would be 1/56.

Warbases Modcular 5.

This one is going to have a tarpaper roof, and be a small workshop. I am actually going to remove the doors I glued on, and do cut outs so they are inset rather than outset. As always with MDF, it's a basic shell to build on. 

Finally, the standard of catering at Claymore I have to say was even worse than usual. A choice of a very dodgy looking chicken curry or a pie and chips. And they closed early so there was no way to even get a cup of tea after about 3pm. Organisers note, you might have been better organising a burger van for the central courtyard!

See you all there next year.

Blitzkrieg! And other matters

For those who haven't yet picked it up, the Too Fat Lardies Blitzkrieg Campaign book:

Is a great resource, with new scenarios and lots of background material, plus lists for the main participants. I finally stopped drooling over the potential and got the brushes out to kick off some of the main participants.

First off the rank were the French, as per earlier posts, but I am now kicking on with their German opponents. There have been plenty of delays and heartache as I was using Black Tree Design for the core figures and it has been a nightmare. Once they finally arrived, largely thanks to the delays and pain of the whole process, they languished for a long while without any real progress, as I couldn't muster up the enthsiasm. I finally managed to get some block colours applied tonight - so some WIP to show, the command figures etc are Warlord, all the rest are BTD:

Early War Germans, so far, block colours are Vallejo Field Grey for tunics, German Grey for helmets and gasmask canisters, Basalt Grey for trousers, Black Grey for boots and metalwork. One squad (there are four in the platoon) has also had Beige Brown done as a base colour for flesh. It was nice to use a colour not named 'Grey'.

For amusement, I also picked up a bargain Russian house - which I experimented with, sanding off the bits burned dark brown by the laser cutting process, and colouring using a variety of washes rather than paint. Not quite sure how well this works, bit it does look suitably faded, and I have further weathering to add.

Onwards - !  And the other item picked up with the Russian house was a South East Asian building. I am holing out against doing jungles and Japanese, but I can feel the temptation...

Black Tree Design - Order

Well, this is a post I thought long and hard about before writing. But eventually I felt it was something that should be put out there. It simply relates the tale of my personal experience of ordering from Black Tree Design (UK). Your experience may of course vary.

I have often looked at Black Tree Design (hereafter BTD) figures, as they contain some ranges that are extensive and in some cases unique, they have frequent sales, and at least some of their figures look really quite nice, well animated and with character.

I have seen some of them 'in the flesh' so to speak, and other players whose blogs I follow have used them.

So not long after the release of the TooFatLardies 'Blitzkrieg' supplement, I came across a chap on Lead Adventure Forum eager to dispose of a platoon worth of 1940 French Infantry in 28mm by Crusader, lead and paypal were exchanged and I was proud owner of a French platoon for Chain of Command.

Now it so happens that I seem to be the only member of the local club gaming WW2 in 28mm, so if I want a game, I usually have to supply both sides. Now an Early War German force is appealing, it's the Blitzkrieg, there are no supertanks, they can do double duty for Operation Barbarossa (for which I have PSC Plastic Soviets), etc.

I originally looked at the Crusader and Artizan ranges, but I was keen to try out a different range, and coincidentally, BTD had a sale on their 28mm WW2 range. So on 27 December, 2018, I placed an order. The total excluding shipping was just over £50. Which in hindsight I wish I had spent with another company. After all; full price for something, is better than getting 50% off, and not receiving anything.

On 29 December, I received an email which included the phrase:

Hi Doug, we're getting your order ready to be shipped. We will notify you when it has been sent.

We shall see below, just how accurate this was. {Needless to say, I have never received an email advising my order has been sent).

I knew that BTD had a reputation for slow delivery, so I was not in any great rush to receive my figures, I had the French to paint, after all, and no shortage of other figures in the lead pile.

But a month passed. On the 2nd February I received a generic broadcast email from John Olsen at BTD, which included this statement:

'We are working hard to try and catch up. The casting company we use is raring to go and we have mountain of metal expected in over the next couple of weeks. Please bear with a little longer. I promise that we will get your orders to you very soon.

Not impressed, but hey, we all understand how things can pile up, it was Christmas, there had been illness, they must have been busy with the sale.

It was now getting very close to the point where my option to raise a Paypal dispute would expire, but (stupidly, in hindsight), I gave John and BTD, the benefit of the doubt, and decided to wait it out. After all, he had 'Promised', hadn't he?

Six weeks later, and with no sign of the promise being fulfilled, the Paypal dispute period having expired, and no further word from John or even any generic broadcast 'Promises'.  I decided to pen John and BTD a little note. I was quite polite, considering that they had had my cash for almost three months and had failed to deliver anything except a 'Promise' that clearly hadn't been fulfilled.

[I have since checked and Paypal have extended the period for a dispute to 180 days, so I have now lodged one with them, we shall see.]

I asked when my order would be sent, and said that if I didn't hear anything back from them, I would be quite happy to tell my story about BTD, and let other people judge John's 'Promises'.

Well John, it's a week since I wrote you that note, I have now sent another requesting either figures or a refund, (and frankly, at this stage, I would prefer a refund). So I am keeping my promise to tell the story.

[Update - some of the figures have now arrived..  I am two packs short, and the casting standard is appalling.]