Hi Chaps,
Please all have a relaxed and very merry Christmas. Meet family and friends, drink and eat too much and generally savour life.
I appreciate all your posts, they enrich my life and help me enjoy this gentle fantastic hobby.
I wish you all happiness and success in your lives and this little hobby of ours which makes a hard day worth fighting through.
Keep blogging Chaps!
Saturday, 24 December 2016
Friday, 23 December 2016
Grubby tanks FV432 and WMIK (WIP).
Hi Chaps,
Just thought I would drop a brief update onto my blog before all this Christmas nonsense begins (humbug!).
These models are from Grubby Tanks whom I heartily recommend for their service and above all their cheapness! Grubby is definitely the cheapest 20mm supplier that I have come across and the models usually arrive within a few working days. There are a few air holes in the resin and if I was bothered then I would just fill those in with greenstuff...I have seen expensive resin with the same problem so this "flaw" is common to everyone.
I have three "companies" of 8 figures complete now with transport...they are a work in progress but nearly there! A few more Lesney land rovers should see my soft transport needs complete but I do not think that a miniature army is ever finished! (The HQ and mortar FV need to be ordered)
In the new year a new project will start, this time 20mm WW2 Germans and yes the tanks I order from Grubby for this will have any imperfections filled with greenstuff.
Keep me posted on your new projects Chaps-I need your enthusiasm and your ideas as fuel for my games!
Just thought I would drop a brief update onto my blog before all this Christmas nonsense begins (humbug!).
These models are from Grubby Tanks whom I heartily recommend for their service and above all their cheapness! Grubby is definitely the cheapest 20mm supplier that I have come across and the models usually arrive within a few working days. There are a few air holes in the resin and if I was bothered then I would just fill those in with greenstuff...I have seen expensive resin with the same problem so this "flaw" is common to everyone.
In the new year a new project will start, this time 20mm WW2 Germans and yes the tanks I order from Grubby for this will have any imperfections filled with greenstuff.
Keep me posted on your new projects Chaps-I need your enthusiasm and your ideas as fuel for my games!
Thursday, 22 December 2016
20MM Revell British and TV crew
Hi,
I thought I would share a few pics today of my cheap and chearful Revell Modern British troops. They have painted up OK and I now have three companies of 8 figures and two HMG units. I also squeezed a command group out of the box but did use an Israeli officer on that stand (maybe he is on an exchange visit?).
The Brits are pictured next to an Under Fire Miniatuires rebel and a Britannia miniatures contractor, The Plastic Revell figures did feel small to paint but in the pics and certainly on the table it is hardly noticeable.
Grubby tanks are fast becoming my go to manufacturer for modern 20mm. I recently got an order which had taken a few days longer than expected and a free Land rover was inside! The customer service is amazing and very much appreciated. In the new year I intend to start a WW2 German army in 20mm and I will be using Grubby tanks for the transports and recce vehicles for sure.
The last pic is of the Grubby tanks TV crew-a must have so that I can record the exploits of my 20mm heroes! The crew are transported using a repainted toy of no brand , only"made in China" on it! 20P from a car boot sale....
Keep blogging Chaps, FV432 pics and WMIK pics incoming on the next post.
I thought I would share a few pics today of my cheap and chearful Revell Modern British troops. They have painted up OK and I now have three companies of 8 figures and two HMG units. I also squeezed a command group out of the box but did use an Israeli officer on that stand (maybe he is on an exchange visit?).
The Brits are pictured next to an Under Fire Miniatuires rebel and a Britannia miniatures contractor, The Plastic Revell figures did feel small to paint but in the pics and certainly on the table it is hardly noticeable.
Grubby tanks are fast becoming my go to manufacturer for modern 20mm. I recently got an order which had taken a few days longer than expected and a free Land rover was inside! The customer service is amazing and very much appreciated. In the new year I intend to start a WW2 German army in 20mm and I will be using Grubby tanks for the transports and recce vehicles for sure.
The last pic is of the Grubby tanks TV crew-a must have so that I can record the exploits of my 20mm heroes! The crew are transported using a repainted toy of no brand , only"made in China" on it! 20P from a car boot sale....
Keep blogging Chaps, FV432 pics and WMIK pics incoming on the next post.
Monday, 19 December 2016
Who bought my 20mm French?
Hi Chaps,
Bit of a long shot this but I sold some 20mm French infantry and artillery-all plastic WW2 on ebay earlier this year. I was really happy that they sold and contacted the seller to tell him that I had some spare unpainted Germans he could have.....
And this is where I made several errors! I put the figures in a padded envelope labelled up like a pro ... and then move house, got married and had a baby....today I looked in a box and saw the envelope! Alas no label was attached!!!!
Ebay will not let me go back far enough on my messages to retrieve the guys address which I think was New Zealand.....if someone knows of a gamer who bought some French off a dick who forgot to send him the extra figures could you please contact me? I have some plastic Germans to send to the man and as a gentleman I feel obliged to keep my word.
Maybe the power of the internet can solve this.
Keep blogging Chaps.
Bit of a long shot this but I sold some 20mm French infantry and artillery-all plastic WW2 on ebay earlier this year. I was really happy that they sold and contacted the seller to tell him that I had some spare unpainted Germans he could have.....
And this is where I made several errors! I put the figures in a padded envelope labelled up like a pro ... and then move house, got married and had a baby....today I looked in a box and saw the envelope! Alas no label was attached!!!!
Ebay will not let me go back far enough on my messages to retrieve the guys address which I think was New Zealand.....if someone knows of a gamer who bought some French off a dick who forgot to send him the extra figures could you please contact me? I have some plastic Germans to send to the man and as a gentleman I feel obliged to keep my word.
Maybe the power of the internet can solve this.
Keep blogging Chaps.
Friday, 16 December 2016
Painting and thinking of the past...
Hi Chaps,
I don't really do the reminiscing thing too often just in case I come across a painful memory that I become stuck on but today seemed to be an exception.
Since the birth of Victoria I have had less painting time than usual but today was a great opportunity to start a new army. For two hours I had the painting table to myself and I beavered away at some Caesar WW2 French. Many years ago Matchbox released the Char B1 and the Ft17 as a kit and I loved it...I bought the only box in my local toy shop (Mrs Heinz's in Bamber Bridge) and then engineered a way to buy another box in the metropolis of Preston. The 1970's where a strange time for us oldies!.
The urge to gather a French force was fueled by Gavin Lyall's "Operation Warboard" which I read until it fell apart in my hands (but still kept as one would a sacred book). I wanted an army to fight my Matchbox 1/76 scale Germans...painted with Humbrol enamels and based on card...
Well shaking my head and it now being 35 years later here I am painting 1/72 scale French to fight some plastic Germans though this time using Bolt Action as a rule set. I wonder if Mr Lyall would be smiling at what he started all those years ago? There was no Xbox or even in my house a colour TV, maybe this contributed to my using my imagination to create a world that I could control??
Have a read at the reviews if you are curious or once had a copy....
http://lonewarriorswa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Review-Aird-Operation-Warboard-Lyall.pdf
Probably the best war games book I owned until Richard Marsh and Colin Rumford stepped up with Rapid Fire...succeeded by Alessio Cavatore, Rick Priestley with Bolt Action. In a nutshell my history of war gaming for the last 40 years! I do hope that I have stirred some memories or encouraged anyone younger than 30 to glance at our war gaming heritage.
Keep blogging Chaps, our today will soon be history!
I don't really do the reminiscing thing too often just in case I come across a painful memory that I become stuck on but today seemed to be an exception.
Since the birth of Victoria I have had less painting time than usual but today was a great opportunity to start a new army. For two hours I had the painting table to myself and I beavered away at some Caesar WW2 French. Many years ago Matchbox released the Char B1 and the Ft17 as a kit and I loved it...I bought the only box in my local toy shop (Mrs Heinz's in Bamber Bridge) and then engineered a way to buy another box in the metropolis of Preston. The 1970's where a strange time for us oldies!.
The urge to gather a French force was fueled by Gavin Lyall's "Operation Warboard" which I read until it fell apart in my hands (but still kept as one would a sacred book). I wanted an army to fight my Matchbox 1/76 scale Germans...painted with Humbrol enamels and based on card...
Well shaking my head and it now being 35 years later here I am painting 1/72 scale French to fight some plastic Germans though this time using Bolt Action as a rule set. I wonder if Mr Lyall would be smiling at what he started all those years ago? There was no Xbox or even in my house a colour TV, maybe this contributed to my using my imagination to create a world that I could control??
Have a read at the reviews if you are curious or once had a copy....
http://lonewarriorswa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Review-Aird-Operation-Warboard-Lyall.pdf
Probably the best war games book I owned until Richard Marsh and Colin Rumford stepped up with Rapid Fire...succeeded by Alessio Cavatore, Rick Priestley with Bolt Action. In a nutshell my history of war gaming for the last 40 years! I do hope that I have stirred some memories or encouraged anyone younger than 30 to glance at our war gaming heritage.
Keep blogging Chaps, our today will soon be history!
Tuesday, 6 December 2016
Lesney Snatch Land Rovers Complete
Hi Chaps,
Just as an update, these are the snatch Landrovers complete. Obviously the panels on them are not correct and the wheelbase may well be too long but these cost around £4 for the pair as opposed to actually buying a resin vehicle which would have cost more than double the amount.
If I ever come across these little models at car boots etc I will buy them as stock for a rainy day as there are plenty of options to carry out more conversions. I really should attempt to build an ambulance out of one as I used to drive one for HM! Also the fitted for radio short wheelbase version is on the cards but for the WMIK I have gone for the easy route and ordered one from Grubby tanks.
Anyway here are a few more pics-if you own a Dremel or similar a cheap cutting tool kit can be bought for around £6 and should last for hundreds of die cast alterations....have a go and good luck!
I must ask what is the Lesney armoured car based on (if anything?). Maybe the Ferret or Coventry armoured car? Either way I now have two painted up in British army livery....at just over a pound each I could not resist.
Keep blogging Chaps I need your ideas.
Just as an update, these are the snatch Landrovers complete. Obviously the panels on them are not correct and the wheelbase may well be too long but these cost around £4 for the pair as opposed to actually buying a resin vehicle which would have cost more than double the amount.
If I ever come across these little models at car boots etc I will buy them as stock for a rainy day as there are plenty of options to carry out more conversions. I really should attempt to build an ambulance out of one as I used to drive one for HM! Also the fitted for radio short wheelbase version is on the cards but for the WMIK I have gone for the easy route and ordered one from Grubby tanks.
Anyway here are a few more pics-if you own a Dremel or similar a cheap cutting tool kit can be bought for around £6 and should last for hundreds of die cast alterations....have a go and good luck!
I must ask what is the Lesney armoured car based on (if anything?). Maybe the Ferret or Coventry armoured car? Either way I now have two painted up in British army livery....at just over a pound each I could not resist.
Keep blogging Chaps I need your ideas.
Old Lesney Cars
Hi Chaps,
Baby duty has had me so busy lately but I am really enjoying this, it is an amazing experience.
On the gaming front my son and I have had a couple of games of Deadzone but most of the figures and all of the terrain remain unpainted, a project for next year I think.
For painting I have been surprisingly busy and it has been 20mm. The level of detail seems perfect for the limited time I have and the cheapness of it all is really helping me out. As an example I have used 30 figures to make an Able Archer (now on version 2.9 and a work of genius) British battalion. The box cost 7.99 so my used figures cost around 26P each and a base around 4P......a painted figure based for 30P is cheap even for my scrooge like approach to the hobby.
Vehicles have also been worked upon, two old Matchbox Land Rovers have been converted into the Snatch variant-an idea I "stole" from someones blog but I am afraid that I have lost the link. I will be working on a few more of these models to produce the FFR (fitted for radio) variant and a bomb disposal vehicle.
Above is the process I went through to get the shell of the vehicle which has now been painted but alas no photo's yet. The Revell Modern British are possibly the smallest 20mm figures that I have ever painted and I almost gave up on them but I have eventually churned out 3 units of 8 men that look passable.
The pic above shows the guys and the paints used, they are so small you can't examine them closely on the table anyway.
Back soon with Land Rover pics and armoured cars-all ex toys that cost pennies but will pass first glance in a game.
Keep blogging Chaps, got to go baby crying!
Baby duty has had me so busy lately but I am really enjoying this, it is an amazing experience.
On the gaming front my son and I have had a couple of games of Deadzone but most of the figures and all of the terrain remain unpainted, a project for next year I think.
For painting I have been surprisingly busy and it has been 20mm. The level of detail seems perfect for the limited time I have and the cheapness of it all is really helping me out. As an example I have used 30 figures to make an Able Archer (now on version 2.9 and a work of genius) British battalion. The box cost 7.99 so my used figures cost around 26P each and a base around 4P......a painted figure based for 30P is cheap even for my scrooge like approach to the hobby.
Vehicles have also been worked upon, two old Matchbox Land Rovers have been converted into the Snatch variant-an idea I "stole" from someones blog but I am afraid that I have lost the link. I will be working on a few more of these models to produce the FFR (fitted for radio) variant and a bomb disposal vehicle.
Above is the process I went through to get the shell of the vehicle which has now been painted but alas no photo's yet. The Revell Modern British are possibly the smallest 20mm figures that I have ever painted and I almost gave up on them but I have eventually churned out 3 units of 8 men that look passable.
The pic above shows the guys and the paints used, they are so small you can't examine them closely on the table anyway.
Back soon with Land Rover pics and armoured cars-all ex toys that cost pennies but will pass first glance in a game.
Keep blogging Chaps, got to go baby crying!
Wednesday, 9 November 2016
Deadzone
Hi Chaps,
Well things have calmed down a little since the arrival of Victoria! Still not a lot of time to paint or play but my son Conrad and I have had 2 games of Deadzone and they have both been a learning curve but both have been fun.
Deadzone is (for me) is an alternative 40K for grown ups. The back drop is far more believable (again for me) and the games do have a solid reasoning behind them. The plague is an excellent story and the plague figures are so far the best sculpted amongst the factions that I have. This game really does lend itself to solo play and campaign play and I can see myself using this system a lot in the future.
The actual rules are rather elegant using D8 rolls, for shooting simply roll 3d8 and success is usually on 4plus....though your opponent gets to roll 3d8 to try and negate your successes and he also gets a save roll if you do manage to hit him. Obviously there are many variations on this and with the 3 dimensional board the game starts to look like a video game in no time.
The board is only 2 feet square and once covered in terrain it does look amazing-I went all in Deadzone and bought the extra terrain box. Price wise this game is a bargain, the terrain is cheap and the figures seem to be improving though they are not yet at GW standard-though the plague figures are very very good.
When I have some terrain and figures painted I will put pictures up......it may be a while! With my half century approaching I will be buying some modern figures to celebrate so this may prove to be a distraction...
Keep blogging Chaps!
Well things have calmed down a little since the arrival of Victoria! Still not a lot of time to paint or play but my son Conrad and I have had 2 games of Deadzone and they have both been a learning curve but both have been fun.
Deadzone is (for me) is an alternative 40K for grown ups. The back drop is far more believable (again for me) and the games do have a solid reasoning behind them. The plague is an excellent story and the plague figures are so far the best sculpted amongst the factions that I have. This game really does lend itself to solo play and campaign play and I can see myself using this system a lot in the future.
The actual rules are rather elegant using D8 rolls, for shooting simply roll 3d8 and success is usually on 4plus....though your opponent gets to roll 3d8 to try and negate your successes and he also gets a save roll if you do manage to hit him. Obviously there are many variations on this and with the 3 dimensional board the game starts to look like a video game in no time.
The board is only 2 feet square and once covered in terrain it does look amazing-I went all in Deadzone and bought the extra terrain box. Price wise this game is a bargain, the terrain is cheap and the figures seem to be improving though they are not yet at GW standard-though the plague figures are very very good.
When I have some terrain and figures painted I will put pictures up......it may be a while! With my half century approaching I will be buying some modern figures to celebrate so this may prove to be a distraction...
Keep blogging Chaps!
Saturday, 29 October 2016
Please meet my best miniature for years...Victoria
Hi Chaps,
You will have noticed a lack of posts....moving home has been the main culprit and this is the other one.
Victoria Vennetta Hendrickson, born 28th October 2016. Already a relaxed baby who is coming home later today. I could not have written the last 10 years of my life let alone want to live it but this is certainly one of the best moments.
Thank you all you kept me sane.
PS
I just bought Deadzone 2nd edition, Plague starter army and the terrain box.....also the Nexus book. More later....probably much later!
You will have noticed a lack of posts....moving home has been the main culprit and this is the other one.
Thank you all you kept me sane.
PS
I just bought Deadzone 2nd edition, Plague starter army and the terrain box.....also the Nexus book. More later....probably much later!
Saturday, 15 October 2016
House Move Complete
Hi Chaps,
The house moving thing is I am happy to say over. No injuries or major swears just an awful lot of lifting, packing and messing around. I am sure most of you know what I mean and I am sure that I am never doing this again.
So, more space and hopefully a gaming table to arrive soon. I am sure that the future will have some actual games featured on this blog along with a campaign in the new year. It is that enjoyably awkward time when I am in between a project and anything is possible, with all the new rule sets being released there is almost too much to choose from!
Thanks for reading this far, next time some pictures of the unpacked figures....so many figures.
The house moving thing is I am happy to say over. No injuries or major swears just an awful lot of lifting, packing and messing around. I am sure most of you know what I mean and I am sure that I am never doing this again.
So, more space and hopefully a gaming table to arrive soon. I am sure that the future will have some actual games featured on this blog along with a campaign in the new year. It is that enjoyably awkward time when I am in between a project and anything is possible, with all the new rule sets being released there is almost too much to choose from!
Thanks for reading this far, next time some pictures of the unpacked figures....so many figures.
Thursday, 15 September 2016
Old Fantasy Figures
Hi Chaps,
The packing continues at a snails pace as progress on completion is very slow. Anyway I took the opportunity to snap some pictures of my little men before they go into storage. This stuff seems to be random fantasy and was never part of any big scheme for an army-how many of us are guilty of this I wonder?
The Lord of the Rings miniatures are part of a set-I never really settled with the game though my eldest son enjoyed it. The Perry twins are without doubt world leaders in their field and nice guys to boot but I just find their stuff too small for my old eyes.
Reaper have been a great discovery (I Colombused them) this last year or two, My medieval/fantasy streets are no longer as empty! The angry looking Chap with sword and axe was the first mini I painted from Games Workshop, the base says 1984 and this could well have been the year! Those were the days....enamel paints and turps, though I think this guy got a repaint years ago.
The Czar and his son are a WIP obviously the bases need finishing but they were fun to paint, his wife and daughter are next on my list...useful for Back of Beyond maybe?
Thanks for looking, I will pack this lot away now....only a few more left (well 50+).
Keep Blogging I do need to see your work.
The packing continues at a snails pace as progress on completion is very slow. Anyway I took the opportunity to snap some pictures of my little men before they go into storage. This stuff seems to be random fantasy and was never part of any big scheme for an army-how many of us are guilty of this I wonder?
The Lord of the Rings miniatures are part of a set-I never really settled with the game though my eldest son enjoyed it. The Perry twins are without doubt world leaders in their field and nice guys to boot but I just find their stuff too small for my old eyes.
Reaper have been a great discovery (I Colombused them) this last year or two, My medieval/fantasy streets are no longer as empty! The angry looking Chap with sword and axe was the first mini I painted from Games Workshop, the base says 1984 and this could well have been the year! Those were the days....enamel paints and turps, though I think this guy got a repaint years ago.
The Czar and his son are a WIP obviously the bases need finishing but they were fun to paint, his wife and daughter are next on my list...useful for Back of Beyond maybe?
Thanks for looking, I will pack this lot away now....only a few more left (well 50+).
Keep Blogging I do need to see your work.
Sunday, 11 September 2016
Vintage Games Workshop Fantasy Figures
Hi Chaps,
As part of my packing regime I am taking photos of my figures and terrain as they are put into storage, today it was mostly Elves and more Bretonnian archers.
These 10 guys have been given dull jackets and a grim look...there are another 10 waiting to be painted which would eventually amount to 36 archers and command. I have just noticed that their bases are not finished!
The Elves have just been collected over the last few months and happily there are some Mantic versions of the Witch Elves on the way along with a Witch and Cauldron which will make a nice small army....
as everything I do is centered on solo gaming I try to keep my units to a limit of 12 figures but a unit of spear men has grown to 18....more figures will have to be purchased to even this matter out. A unit of Cold Ones will almost see the end of this "army" as it will be big enough for my Sigmar and Dragon Rampant battles.
The last figure is a pet Goblin, sadly I now paint my Goblins in a pale flesh colour as it makes them look more disturbing, maybe they go green if kept captive? Games Workshop really were world leaders in figure manufacturing including these little gems in their figure boxes. Maybe the Age of Sigmar has ended all this silly fun?
Keep blogging Chaps, not many more figure shelves to clear now-the biggest is the 30K shelf,
As part of my packing regime I am taking photos of my figures and terrain as they are put into storage, today it was mostly Elves and more Bretonnian archers.
These 10 guys have been given dull jackets and a grim look...there are another 10 waiting to be painted which would eventually amount to 36 archers and command. I have just noticed that their bases are not finished!
The Elves have just been collected over the last few months and happily there are some Mantic versions of the Witch Elves on the way along with a Witch and Cauldron which will make a nice small army....
as everything I do is centered on solo gaming I try to keep my units to a limit of 12 figures but a unit of spear men has grown to 18....more figures will have to be purchased to even this matter out. A unit of Cold Ones will almost see the end of this "army" as it will be big enough for my Sigmar and Dragon Rampant battles.
The last figure is a pet Goblin, sadly I now paint my Goblins in a pale flesh colour as it makes them look more disturbing, maybe they go green if kept captive? Games Workshop really were world leaders in figure manufacturing including these little gems in their figure boxes. Maybe the Age of Sigmar has ended all this silly fun?
Keep blogging Chaps, not many more figure shelves to clear now-the biggest is the 30K shelf,
Wednesday, 7 September 2016
Bretonnian, Lion Rampant medieval, Age of Sigmar.
Hi Chaps,
The packing continues at a leisurely pace as the date for the move seems to disappear into the distance every time I speak to a solicitor.....it is not rocket science but....
Anyway as I was packing this morning I took some pictures of my medieval force. To be honest this could be Bretonnian, medieval, Dragon Rampant etc it is very versatile.
On order are a few more figures and a character model from Black Tree Designs who are running a sale and are well worth a look at as their ranges are large and interesting.
http://eoeorbisuk.com/
The link should take you to the homepage, I will use them to finish this Bretonnian army as they have Damsels and spearmen-I have no idea what their delivery time is like as they are new to me.
Building this army has cost less or around £5 a week for a couple of months, buying by the unit has filled my painting time and ensured that I do not acquire a plastic mountain. By staying focused and not having the choice of figure or unit to paint has meant that I have actually produced half an army quickly.
In waiting are a further 20 Bretonnian bowmen (bought from ebay) which were unpainted and for me a real find. Once my Damsel is painted I suppose this could be considered a complete smallish army but I doubt I will be able to leave anything that crops up on ebay in the future.
To fight these chaps I have the start of an Elvish army currently 47 figures strong and in camp waiting for reinforcements. Somehow I have acquired some camp followers and villagers as well as a few Frostgrave figures and monsters.....indeed a small world is growing on my shelves!
Keep blogging Chaps!
The packing continues at a leisurely pace as the date for the move seems to disappear into the distance every time I speak to a solicitor.....it is not rocket science but....
Anyway as I was packing this morning I took some pictures of my medieval force. To be honest this could be Bretonnian, medieval, Dragon Rampant etc it is very versatile.
On order are a few more figures and a character model from Black Tree Designs who are running a sale and are well worth a look at as their ranges are large and interesting.
http://eoeorbisuk.com/
The link should take you to the homepage, I will use them to finish this Bretonnian army as they have Damsels and spearmen-I have no idea what their delivery time is like as they are new to me.
Building this army has cost less or around £5 a week for a couple of months, buying by the unit has filled my painting time and ensured that I do not acquire a plastic mountain. By staying focused and not having the choice of figure or unit to paint has meant that I have actually produced half an army quickly.
In waiting are a further 20 Bretonnian bowmen (bought from ebay) which were unpainted and for me a real find. Once my Damsel is painted I suppose this could be considered a complete smallish army but I doubt I will be able to leave anything that crops up on ebay in the future.
To fight these chaps I have the start of an Elvish army currently 47 figures strong and in camp waiting for reinforcements. Somehow I have acquired some camp followers and villagers as well as a few Frostgrave figures and monsters.....indeed a small world is growing on my shelves!
Keep blogging Chaps!
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