Happy New Year - and 2017 in review

Happy New Year out there - may you have a great , happy and healthy year in 2018.

2017 hobby wise has been a really a good year with lots going on. In the AHPC 7 I completed my Mahdist forces for the Sudan - This years through Challenge 8 while not completing everything else it will leave me with only the last dregs of it to do.

5 years after starting I played out the Battle of El Teb with the guys from the Old Guard club .

I took a Sudan game on tour as well at Hammerhead and both Partisan shows and had a load of fun playing and talking to people.

The loose association that is the Old Guard wargame club continues to thrive and we have managed a meet up every 4-6 weeks through the year for a days gaming - and I have made most of them .The Club project we did of the 10mm ACW game we put on in November felt like a good achievement. We are trying to work out a 2018 project at the moment - but its like herding cats ... with dementia...

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Jame,me, John,Martin,Pete,Angus, Steve - "The Old Guard"

As a group we played a couple of games of Flame of War WW2 Normandy with Jame collection. Martin put on a cracking VBCW , Pete gave us WW1 aircraft , and we played my cowboys too..

the new man cave has come to fruition

from this

The business end - plenty of painting space 

completed with a gaming table! - more business to be done on this during this year 

I also attended the Crisis show - again meeting up with a bunch of friends around the blog-o-sphere - i will be back there next year.

i agree with Curt the venue does look like bombed out U boat pen.

Me, RobP, ChristoperS, JakeK, Jerry & Christine Miller, Nick, Curt and Mikef

Curt, Chris,Nick,Stefan and Sid

As for 2018 - plans are:-
Painting and modelling
1- get the last major units fro the Sudan collection done
2- Do some confederate ACW for my 10mm - and maybe bump up the Union forces too.
3- The 1/300th modern forces that have been massed to get some games in - first one planned 13th Jan
4- Complete a 15mm WW2 American force.

Shows and Gaming
1) Regular gaming with the Old Guard - look like Wings of Glory WW1 and WW2 will feature here. - i will run a couple of large games for the lads too.
2)- attend the Crisis show and Battleground - not sure at all about others due to date clashes by the look if it.
3) Sort out running the full big Sudan game


As for other things , i am sure dealing with newly arrived grandson Harry James will provide plenty of other distractions - i was told "please don't turn him into a geek!" - my mission over the next years is of course clear!

Happy New Year - everyone!

Xmas loot

Well now the day has been and gone - its time to take stock of the stash - and its been a good one.

First up was my Secret Santa gIft - various 28mm Perry Sudan and Victorias little wars stuff - which will go to making some great vignette pieces - good choice S/S

A bit of reading material

new files , milliput , varnish and brush cleaner

new desk top tools for fiddly soldering jobs

a dremel work station which allows it hang free if need be and add it in to make a drill/router  set

some game mat carrying cases from Deep Cut for two of my existing mats plus a new one

and new 6x4 desert mat , made from neoprene 

So all in all a good stock up -

Hope you all had a good time!

Seasons Greetings

Seasons Greetings to all my friends out there . Have a great time

Challenge prep time is nearly up..

I have cleared the paint desk of its last lurkers - and they are winging their way across to Canada.

Stradiots - done... ready to grace a table in Canada

As for challenge preparation I have kicked off some big units for early submission, and to get the unit with the most work done early - well as no one has invented tartan paint it will take a while 

Yes - it a very big unit of Highlanders

Camels - of course

And something a bit different - I will leave you to guess. 

I have a load of other various  stuff cleaned up and ready to go. but not too bothered about the undercoats not being done yet as its not a sprint , more a marathon. My winter challenge will I think be pretty diverse this year. looking forward to it. 

Work in Progress update and New Project.

I managed a few sessions last week and am pushing through the last of the paint table lurkers which are some Perry Miniatures Stradiots for Curt the Snowlord . They will be finished this week. I just have the last bit of highlights and the penants to finish off before parcelling up and sending them to the frozen north.

These have lurked on desk a bit too long so good to see them moving along

In addition I have made a small start on my WW2 ETO Americans, with the start of the Sherman tanks. These are by Plastic Soldier and went to together nicely- I have another 17 vehicles to build , and mix of Sherman variants, Start light tanks and the ubiquitous M3 half tracks . I want to get them all built before breaking out the airbrush . I could do with some Tank Destroyer bits, jeeps , armoured cars etc . The current plan is to use for Battlegroup rules with some of the lads from the Old Guard .

I will also be doing some prep work this week for the upcoming challenge with a few large units for the Sudan project in the offing. I have a few small parcels still to arrive with some extra lead mountain supplies for the winter. 

Oh and I would like to confirm that my Secret Santa present has turned up... and I eagerly await opening day! 

Batteground - ACW Game and stash!

Yesterday saw the culmination of the group project by the Old Guard Wargame Group , as we put on the ACW Battle of Stone River at our local show Battleground.

Firstly we must say a real well done to Leon and the team at Pendraken for all the hard work put into making this a great event. Its really growing as a regional show . Yesterday was a busy day with good traders and attendance right through the day . There were 7 of us there from the Old Guard and we all took a number of breaks for shopping excursions a number of times.

Each of the guys had completed various regiments , I had also done most of the terrain. Photo credit  Roy Williamson

James, me, John, Martin, Pete, Angus, Stig - we were missing Stuart

James's beautifully painted Rebs all lined up for the fray. - Photo Credit - Roy Williamson

Stigs Union Regiments await the onslaught ..

Martins Union reserve units decide to try a flanking march.

The addition of strips of variably flashing LED;s added to the atmosphere - and were much appreciated by audience!

At this point the Union struggled roll above about a 2... and Confederates were rolling consistently high... its been a theme in each of the games we have had... much to the chagrin of the Union players!

John gets his reinforcement brigades on the move as Angus takes the fence line at the first attempt.. 

The action was hotting up

Stigs and my units fail to hold Angus and fall back...

Martins counterattack was beaten back - and we all agreed this ended as confederate win . The union  commanders  were of course too distracted by shopping ! well that was our excuse!

We had lots of good chats over the day, and lots of positive comments - which helped. A few of us in the group will continue to build up forces , while me move on to another group project next year.

It was a very good show for shopping. We were also located right next to the bring and buy , and were able to nab some quick gains through the day . We also visited the trader throughout , and I am sure buoyed by a great atmosphere on the day a number of bust budgets adding various goodies.

As for me this was my stash..

Old Skytrex ships for a WW2 project picked up from the bring and buy,,,

6MM buildings from Leven - James , Martin and I are going to to 1980's stuff. - as they  picked up a real bargain in the b&b with a massive British force, to match my rooskies 

Basing tufts and bases from warbles

tools and airbrush bits 

and ... oh dear..... where will this lead...

Overall it was a brilliant day out... 

ACW - Union infantry and the table

A decent bit of progress made last week . I completed the union infantry brigade I had on the paint desk. It will see its first battle this coming weekend as guys from the Old Guard club give the game a run out at the Battleground Show.

I do like the mass effect that is possible  10mm- the brigade marches to battle 

I made some rocky outcrop terrain pieces from cork sections this week too, along with finishing the last of the trees to add to the table - takes it up to 200 of them altogether.

I just need to get my 3 limber teams done this week

Another plus to the 10mm is they make this kind of thing economically viable!

I have some Confederate troops on order from Pendraken to pick up this week to start with the opposition. I will be mostly finding someone to paint them I think as the old eyes are not holding up so good with them. So much so I have had to resort to using some magnification.

A 2x magnification Optivisor

I have previously tried a magnifying lamp but I could not get away with that. The Optivisor is comfortable to wear , not too heavy and it is making a real difference. For now I only need it for 10mm , reading glasses are fine for any larger figures or terrain.

a view through the visor ..

This week has also seen work on Curt's Stradiots - with all the fiddly bits now completed , namely the shields, hats and faces .. just the main clothing parts and highlights left to do,

The last of the paint table lurkers!

The clock is ticking down to the launch of the winter challenge... stand by your camels!

Time to prep... winters coming..

My peak painting production time is fast approaching - I have been stocking up on lead and mdf over the summer , so I have made a start on going through it , just to see if there are any extra bits required. I will be at the Battleground show in Stockton on Tees later this month with a small shopping list !

I intend to take the Sudan project to its final phases - ok it will never actually finish but all the major items will be done. I have some key Imperial units left to do and a significant uplift to the Egyptians and Sudanese army units. Well with 3 x7 litre boxes of lead there is still a lot to do.

There are some interesting mdf kits in the to do list

A bunch of resin items to add to the river options 

and I have a pretty good stock of bases , but you can be sure I will need some of some sizes I don't have  

Oh and another whole new project in the wings .. back to tanks!

As for other bits on the go ...I am working on clearing the desk of 10mm ACW terrain and Union infantry , and some 28mm Stradiots for the Snowlord. They are getting there, starting to get some nice colour on them 

Its going to be busy!