2013 Round up

It's the traditional round up post. It been a funny year for hobby related activities  interrupted by significant periods of real life getting in the way - but hey you all have that.

Having a blast with the bloggers at Wargames Foundry

The Pro's
Massive expansion on the Old West Collection - it will be at an end very soon.
Worked out my own version of rules "Blazing Dice" based on Rules With No Name, Dusty Trails and playing it.
Took the collection on the road -to "Call to Muster" , "Wartorn" and "Blog-Con" , some really fine fun games were had.
I now have a new man cave up and running - with game area and work area. - Result!
Painted some 54mm figures - really enjoyed that
Invited to Curt's Annual Painting Challenge
Met up with Sidney Roundwood - I am inspired to do some WW1 toward back end of next year.
The blog went over 100,000 hits and 150 followers. Thanks all.

The Con's
Not enough games over the year overall.
Have not managed to get to the club night since July.
Bootleggers project going nowhere really- but always anticipated a "slow burn"
Sudan project going nowhere -
The mine project - stalled due to work and other DIY pressure - but its firmly back on the cards for the spring , been doing some planning over Xmas

Doug's darned Highlanders who taunt me every time I look at them , but they "refuse" to be painted - painters block with these lads now - i am just gonna have to force myself through them!
Google+ comments - seemed to narrow down the interaction - so i have reverted back to just Blogger.


2014 Plans
More games , meet up with friends, Spring Blog Meet up
Finish off any Old West related items by the summer.
start a WW1 project.
Revisit the Sudan - plenty of figures in stock to play with.
Paint some larger figures - just for the joy of painting
Do an odd bit of commission work - to keep the the hobby fund neutral.
Maybe run a summer "Terrain Challenge"

Anyway - until next year ! 

All the very best to you

Christmas Unwrapped

A day of chilling and relaxing yesterday. I spend a few moments reflecting on my colleagues at work keeping the county working , and the people impacted by the severe weather we have had.

After being treated to a wonderful dinner it was time to explore what seemed to be a multitude of gifts.

First up a superb effort by Secret Santa. The first elements of the mounted U.S. Cavalry for the Serenity collection.

Well done Santa.

Mrs D may rue the day these crossed the threshold... 54mm cowboys. A few more of these and I may have a viable game !

Some additional supporting material for future distractions.

What with Curt, Sidney and Byron showing off this , it is time to jump in. I have a project in mind to follow the battles of my own local battalion over the coming 4 years of anniversaries. (They entered France in 1915)

The 1/4th Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment.

There is a great on line history of it , and I have visited the Western Front many times visiting the places involved.

An off the wall choice here , but it's a stage on from Old West and allows some elements of traditional RPG as well . We will see where this goes.

Next some reading material.

Some televisual entertainment

I enjoyed Hell on Wheels series 1 , looking forward to seeing what happens to the Swede.

It's not all Wargaming though...

A bit of music , I shall have to wind the Stones upto 11

And some more to add to my collection of Landscape photography books. I can lose myself in these for hours.

A thoroughly wonderful selection of well chosen gifts. Thanks to all my friends and family.

Right I am on cooking duties today.. Off to get the joint in the oven!

P.S. I am going to try switching off Google+ comments as getting fed up with it!

Merry Xmas 2013

Hi All

Just wishing a very Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Its been good to get back on the brushes lately - plenty more to do next year. 

Oh and my Secret Santa present has turned up - so I wonder what is in the bag!

Monument Valley in the man cave.

Just a little update , another part of the man cave is completed. I picked up a large picture of Monument Valley a classic part of old western films. It covers a large part of the back wall (its 6 foot x 4!) and will make a fine back drop to the games table. Its attached via velcro to the wall , which will even allow me to change it over for different scenes etc if i wish.

I had couple of questions re the Fort model shown a couple of posts ago, so here are a few with Gordon Pasha just to help scale it

So for those of you in Curts Challenge how is the prep work going on? I am ready to get to paint on stuff now i must say - just the last lot of Perry Sudan re-inforcements to tackle., Baggara Cavalry and metal Beja Foot reinforcements.

Win a compressor from Air Supplies

This good people over at Air Supplies are doing a give away.

It’s competition time at Air Supplies and they are giving you the chance to win an excellent Bambi BB8 Silent Air Compressor that’s ideal for model makers. All you have to do is show  your favourite model from your collection. Trains, Warhammer, Airfix, table top gaming, it doesn’t matter what the model is it just has to be one that you’ve painted, built or even designed.

Its a decent bit of kit if you have an airbrush.  just click on the image to go to their site ..

Did you win? and the new man cave is up and running.

It was draw time for my give away for 100,000 hits and 150 followers. So first i just wanted to say welcome to all those new followers over the last few weeks. So with no further delay here are the results

Prize 1 - Gladiator Blu Ray  - Kev at the cabin
Prize 2 - Dieppe - Gary Amos
Prize 3 - Wagram - Peter Bonami
Prize 4 - Korea Edwin King
Prize 5 - Marengo Mike Hert
Prize 6 - Anatomy of Glory a popular choice this one! - Panzerkaput
Prize 7 - Mincemeat - Brendon Watts
Prize 8 - WW1 - Magpie Phyllion

Congratulation one and all - I hope you enjoy them as much as i have. So if you drop me your delivery address details - you can contact me via the link at the left hand side of the blog  I will get them out to you.

Finally I now have the new man cave up and running - it seems an age since i painted something.

nice new paint racks- i got hold of a couple of nail varnish racks - they are nicely tiered so its easy to see

Entertainment sorted with the wifi on ipad , and its connected  to a decent speaker system with a rather large subwoofer under the table.

I have sorted out a gaming / projects table - on trestles - its 6 foot x 4 18mm MDF nice and solid  - its in the corner at the moment while I sort out projects

talking of projects - here are few tasters for next year

first the mine project. Extras from Ainsty now ready to go.

second , the centre piece for my Mexican village - for a Marvelous 7 game perhaps at next years Blog -Con

Out in the country - a ranch house - with the imminent arrival of the U.S. Cavalry into the collection (Thanks to Galloping Majors new releases - and once painting proper starts for Curts challenge) - and extra Apaches there must a scenario of 3 there i think...

My friend Steve has handed over a fort - for one of next years projects...back to the Sudan or the Sahara..

This weekend has seen the arrival of the obligatory parcel from Warbases..

Right I am off to to do some prep work - and to try and crack off Doug C's Highlanders - before the challenge starts -who have been hanging around far too long!! It's good to be back painting with a size 1 brush rather than a 4 inch one!

The pre Xmas give away 100'000+ hits

So I have managed to some how miss the blog going over a 100'000 hits and 150 followers. To celebrate I am going to do a give away.

This will be drawn on the 30th November. You need to be a follower and leave a comment with your choices. Choose as many as you like. An extra 3 draw entries for blog pimping , just reply with the link.










A Blu Ray copy of Gladiator. (1)








An excellent tale of the failed raid on Dieppe. (2)








A cracking guide to uniforms of the units at the battle of Wagram (3)









A little known war sometimes - a great read the battle of Imjin in Korea (4)








One for the history buffs a detailed account of early Napoleonics battles (5)









A real classic weighty tome , Napoleon and his Guard (6)








A tale of real life subterfuge to fool the Germans and the Spanish. (7)








Another little known part of the First World War. The East African Campaign. (8)


Good luck

Let's Go

It's that time of year where Curt comes over all mad , gladly volunteering to run his Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge.

I see a number of past contenders are already in. I won't be setting a high output target this year, but I may have a few interesting entries up my sleeve.So good luck to all the competitors - and Curt thanks again for organising it.

Tommy Gunn & the man cave progress

After a thoroughly enjoyable weekend with fellow bloggers I came home ready for more projects. I have been working on the new man cave , getting some multi draw storage , some shelving above the desk, moving over the close work lighting , and some of the tools. The new large cutting mat has turned up too. I managed to get my large Tombstone poster up too.Next job is to go through all the various paints i have an throw out the ones that have had it and prepare a Christmas stock up list and get a paint rack sorted.

While part emptying the old man cave I came across some older projects. So here is Tommy Gunn from the bootleggers collection. Picked up ready painted at Scarborough earlier this year , just needed a little touch up work and another varnish- pretty sure he is a Copplestone casting.

and a new view of the man cave.

Blog Con - Day 2

First off , a very big thank you to Wargames Foundry for giving us a great venue and endless tea and coffee. I stocked up on spare lead for the mountain. Likewise thanks James for the original idea and getting it set up. Plans are already afoot for next year.

I am sure there is a joke in these first few photographs about The Good, The Bad , and The Ugly....

 James and Fran

 Lee and Ray

A further run out of Blazing Dice , with big Lee making his escape with his bounty on the train.Great game.

 Who let the cows out ?-- well that would be Loki!

Our Very British Civil War game , hosted by Panzerkaput

 My lads attempt to outflank Lee's boys in blue - failing miserably!

 Ray wonders what PK is about to do with the Morris Dancers?

A great intro to VBCW, with beautiful figures and terrain by PK