Goodbye 2023 - Hello 2024

 It’s that time of the year for the round up. 

highlights :-

The proper return for social gaming has been great for morale.

Big Napoleonics in Vienna twice this year .

The huge Vietnam game in the summer .

Meeting up with friends at Historicon and gaming then touring ACW battlefields .

Ace photographer Bob Falcetti .

Jim Perky - AKA Der Alte Fritz 

Dennis Matt Varnish 

Touring Gettysburg, Antietam , Harpers Ferry ,Bull Run and then the USMC museum .

Antietam 

Bull Run / Manasses

Marine Corp museum - just brilliant 

Finishing my Necromunda Van Saar stuff and campaign started by JamesM

Getting the 7 Days to the Rhine collection fit to game with. 

Running a double blind ACW Vicksburg campaign - this will move onto the 1863 Gettysburg early in 2024 .

Getting to “We Have Ways Fest” for the weekend 

Starting an AWI 10mm collection

Collecting the stash for 15mm Battle of the Bulge

7 Days , up and running.

The 2024 plans are :-

Regular gaming at NRWC - last Sunday of the month all booked in .

Monday gaming sessions all booked in .

Gaming at Pendraken HQ

Gaming with the guys at Hammerhead , Partizan and The Other Partizan

Top up the 10mm ACW to play Antietam .

Run the double  blind ACW Gettysburg campaign .

7 Days to the Rhine campaign completed.

A return to the Sudan - big game now booked in for August . A few new units in the wings .

AWI forces raised to do Bunker Hill with MartinC and IanS.

A visit to the NWF with some new collection stuff .

Build some more aircraft for Nam .

All in all a great 2023 and 2024 with great potential 

Best wishes to you all for 2024 ..Happy New Year .

Merry Christmas one and all

 Christmas 2023 is upon us . I wish you and yours all the very best of it . 

Thanks for your continued support and interest in my little corner of the interweb 

Cheers 

D

Sudan - new command Sir Garnet Wolsley & Sidney Ruff Diamond

 It’s a return to dusty trails time . I have a few things to add to the Sudan collection over the winter so here are the first of them .

I was reminded I had a couple of figures in the lead pile after a FB forum post , so I went delving into lead pile . 

These are the WI Heroes in miniature limited editions , first up Sir Garnet Wolsley, ideal for leading your Victorian adventures . Sir Sidney Ruff Diamond from Carry on up the Khyber has also made an appearance 

 

Other plans for the Sudan are Egyptian limber set and Ghurka rifles battalion - in my mind the could have deployed as part of the Indian Army - plus they can be used of course for some North West Frontier action inn due course .

Necromunda - Market and M1’s for 7 DTTR

 I have been clearing out more bits from the seemingly never ending part done pile of paint table lurkers . 

Previously having completed the Necromunda market place terrain set I had picked up some 3d printed figures from ETSY that will be set dressing , or gang hangers on etc . 

 

 

Checking through the lead pile I had some original old school Van Saar figures so I thought I would crack these off too. The are smaller in stature than the newer plastics of course , but they can be used as Juves and Van Saar are supposed to be a bit weedy anyway. 

That gives me enough to do different gangs with lots of weapon options too . I might just pick up another box of Grav Cutter riders as a whole game with them might be fun! 

Having completed the A10s for 7 Days I went looking for some other American kit I had picked up in a swap a while back . Mostly it’s just built plastic, but there were a few nearly finished MERDC paint jobs on some  M1 Abram’s so I have completed these - well until I get some stowage etc sorted for them 

4 is certainly enough for a 7 Days force , so perhaps a few APCs and infantry units might get added . Though I now find myself looking at a little project for Blackhorse Cavalry (11th Cav ) for the Fulda Gap . I have some more built M1’s that I fancy doing in the green /black paint scheme sometime. 

Next thing to think about is what to start painting for the challenge . 

Cold War Gone Hot - A10’s and Hinds

 I am lucky enough to have a couple of local stores , Pendraken run by Leon , (who are also a manufacturers)  and Gaming Figures run by Gav . I make a point of trying to spend some cash there as often as I can . Well if you want to keep them I think it’s important to support them. 

Gav had seen my latest Battlefront Hinds done for my 7 Days collection and asked if I would do  some for his Team Yankee set up - he is as mad a box of frogs of course .. so 12 Hinds later he is a happy boy . I also found a couple of “spare” A10s in the stash so tempted him with these while I painted my own . 

The A10 is just such an iconic warplane 

 

Simple stripe camo pattern done with the airbrush 

Quantity had a quality all of its own - as they say 

The painting challenge start is in sight - I have plenty lined up .

AWI - new little project time

 This one has been on the back burner for a while. After playing the  Little Wars TV rules for ACW (Alter of Freedom) and enjoying them I decided to pick up the AWI set “Live free or die” . I also picked up an army pack from Pendraken which I have finally started some work on. Of course me being me I want to do some larger units - the 10mm allows for  that nicely . Altogether I think it’s only about 600 figures or so a side - and I have roped in a few if the club guys who jumped in also buying some ready painted at the latest show bring and buy.

I have worked out a simple paint method over a white base with some speed paints and thin washes . This cut down the time to do the first British battalion . This was a 7 base unit - the 43rd Foot - chosen just as it had white facings which cut down paining time.

Bases are 40x20 with 10 figures per base. Most orbats have 4-5 bases per unit but there are some that are 7-8 . It may be a case of making up a few extra command bases for flexibility and to save overpainting infantry , 

I have the remainder of the army pack ready to complete which will be another 4-5 base unit plus some cav and guns . In the meantime I have ordered up another few battalions of Brits - in particular enough for a large highland unit. 

Aim is to build for Bunker Hill sometime next year. 

While sorting out the stash I also came across the ACW reinforcements so these have been cleaned and prepared - enough artillery to boost my existing forces to around 24 guns per side - will limbers etc . Also found a lot more cavalry than expected so I will double my existing forces there . 

The artillery stash is ready to go!.