Project Overengineered!

Many moons ago, our need for a new gaming area happened. You can read about that way back at the beginning of my blog if you're that bored!

To save you that, I'll explain. I created for myself a couple of 3'x4' gaming tables on legs. This enabled our little gaming group, which consisted of 3 of us at the time, to have a 6'x4' table to game on.

Things have moved on however! There are now 5 of us gaming regularly, and this month my other half and myself move into a new house. With all the excitement that comes with that, it now means I'll have my own dedicated gaming room!

As a result, and the gaming room being a decent size enabling me to have a bigger gaming table I today created this:

It's the smaller bit on the right! This is a 2'x4' section which, with some nuts and bolts, and hoping I've drilled all the holes in the right places, will form a bridge between the original 2 boards creating an 8'x4' table.

This will give our group the ability to play 2 different games in a night on 4'x4' halves, or 1 big gaming using the whole length! Our annual Xmas gaming day will hopefully be the first use of this, with a 2000 points a side Bolt Action game taking place.

This is all based on my diy skills and it not falling apart but I think I've overdone the construction a bit anyway!

Remember Flames of War?!

Remember it? From the olden days!

Well, hold on to your hats!

Boom!

British rifle platoon command and 2 squads! It doesn't look like much but now these are finished it makes my British rile company a legal army.

And up next:

Shermans! I enjoyed doing these as I have fewer tanks to paint for this force for now, so I put a bit more effort into them. They aren't the best models money can buy, being from the plastic starter set Battlefront do but they look ok!

This brings the army up to about 950 points. Once I've finished the riflemen and Hurricane it takes me to just under 1200 points. Best crack on then!

That's just war!

Apparently, when I'm trying to prove a point, I can be quite productive!

Let me explain. When we started the 6mm ACW project, the plan was for us all to paint a few bits and have a game to see how it works. We all painted roughly the same amount, apart from Kieron, who furiously painted to ensure the Union side had the numerical advantage...

When challenged about this, he pointed out that armies weren't always equal,  and anyway, that's just war!

So here we are. Wes and I have been in discussions ever since that night to ensure that next time we played, we'd have the advantage. And what better way to do that than to paint everything I own!

So here it all is:

Infantry! These were the main slog, but by the end I'd got the whole painting process for a unit down to about half an hour. The longest part was waiting for the pva glue to dry when basing!

Cavalry! Clippety clop!

Artillery! And commanders!

The army as a whole! The banner at the front was the last thing I did. Wes requested I added the "Dickheads!". I think it works quite nicely! And nobody can claim there's anything wrong as I have blogged about it!

And anyway, that's just war!

Stage 1 complete!

Woo hoo! Basic Impetus force completed! I'm glad I picked Carthaginians as my army, the choice of units will keep it interesting to paint I hope. The final unit in my basic force is this:

Carthaginian medium cavalry! More of these will be purchased as I start to expand my force as Carthaginian armies tended to be cavalry heavy. I may even do a unit containing Hannibal! And no, not the one from the A-Team...

Next off the production line:

My favourite WW2 tank, the Cromwell! Don't know why I like this tank so much, I just do! It's also a bit different in games of Bolt Action as it can fire high explosive rounds, so is better against infantry than a lot of other tanks. Really enjoyed painting this as well.

I look forward to using this so must now get on and paint some more British infantry to go with it!

Stomp stomp smash!

So the trip to Derby World came and went. I intended on sticking to a budget of about £20 and only buying stuff that I needed for current projects. In the end I came away about £90 lighter with a pile of stuff. Oops!

The extra bits I picked up were bargains I couldn't really turn down. A Cromwell tank for my Bolt Action British for £12 and a couple of 4ground buildings I'd had my eye on. These won't be assembled until we've moved house though so will be packed away for now.

Anyway, on to finished stuff! First up:

 

My second unit of Punic Infantry! I haven't found a Xyston model that I've not enjoyed painting yet. I had contemplated the new Forged In Battle models but having seen them they don't compare, so will just use them to fill any gaps in the range that Xyston may have.

And then onto this, which turned out to be one of my favourite models I've ever done:

 

Elephants! Originally I was only going to put one on a base, but I'm glad I decided against being tight and putting two on!

 

How cool do they look?!

 

Only one more unit to do and then my Basic Impetus force is complete! Then I will add units as I want to, and expand the units I've already completed where I am able.

Gaining Impetus!

Apologies for the obvious blog title but once its in your head it won't get out!

In a monumental change of tack, and even earning me a massive "F*** off!" from Kieron, I've decided to crack on and get my Carthaginians up to Basic Impetus level of completedness. I'd forgotten how nice the models are to paint, and also how sharp the spears/javelins can be...

So here is my first off the production line:

 

My second unit of Numidian light cavalry! I made a bit of an arse pinning the middle guy to his horse, trying to wipe off excess superglue with tissue, then trying to burn off the tissue that was stuck in the superglue and not realising that the melting point of the metal was just above butter... So he now has stump and a club foot! But hey, he doesn't need his legs when he's on a horse right?!

Next up these:

My second unit of Gallic Infantry! These are alot of fun to paint due to each model wearing different colour clothing. It does make them a bit more time consuming but the unit looks very snazzy!

Last of all this young man:

 

This guy will be used to represent my overall commander. I mainly did this to remind myself how I'd painted the Punic Infantry as I hadn't written it down anywhere. Managed to surprise myself with my memory!

And below is all my completed units to date:

 

I have another unit of Punic Infantry, some heavy cavalry and an elephant to complete. However, some extra bits are required for 2 of these units which will hopefully be purchased next weekend at Derby World.

Last but not least, and to break things up a bit, I painted these:

 

Another 4 UCM Wolverines! These are cheap, handy little buggies that can be equipped with a mixture of either missile pods for hunting armour, or extra AA, which upsets everyone no end! It also means I can field a squad of 4,6 or 8, or 2 squads of 4 depending on what mood I'm in. They are also scouts, so are good for spotting and extending sphere of influence. Lovely!

Fzzzap!

Kieron might not want to look at this...

These are my new UCM dropzone toys:

Scimitars! These are heavy tanks, 2 damage points each and an infinite range weapon, even when countermeasured! The other bonus is that any roll of 6 to hit, automatically does 2 damage to the target without having to make a damage roll! Thats enough to take out Kierons new commander in one go if I get lucky... If thats not enough a normal hit is energy 10... All I need to do now is assemble and paint another Condor dropship to deliver them in.

In other news, the new King of War rulebook is here! We've all gone for the £10 copy, which is in my opinion exactly what you want from a rulebook. Rules and armylists in a handy sized book! I wasn't originally planning on rebasing my Dwarf army, but now that the Evil Empire (GW) have completely screwed the Warhammer world up, I may just rebase them! If I can work out which box I've packed them in...

Dropzone time!

So, the others finally got around to assembling and painting enough DZC stuff that we can start to play games! Yay!

Before that though, I have managed to paint another couple of SS for my bolt action Germans. I haven't taken a picture though as I've just sat down and can't be bothered to stand up again... It does mean however that I now have enough SS painted to form 2 smallish sqauds if I so wish! I still have a few more left so hopefully will end up with 2 decent size squads eventually.

Anyway, now to the pictures! First up is this:

 

Ferrum Class Drone Base! Bought this second hand off Ebay and it had been undercoated and assembled by a moron. The 2 tracked parts at the bottom were glued in place and one was backwards so I had to sort that out. One came off easy enough but the other sheared the tab off so I had to resort to some heroic pinning to sort it out... Next time I won't be so tightfisted just to save a couple of quid!

Here it is in all its droney goodness! 

 

I'm looking forward to using this. The drones are fast and have an AA ability, and also can also replenish new drones from the base as they get shot down. The base itself also has a few guns! Fun times!

Next up are these:

 

UCM Mortar Squad! More infanty that can fire 2 different types of rounds from buildings. Cheap unit and really like the models. Every unit we add at the moment seems to add something completely different to the game. The only difficulty is what to buy next! I want one of every unit as they all offer something different.

I did manage to buy another starter set off ebay for only £17, so these will be painted up as we start to play bigger games. The majority of games we have played so far are starter set only games, whilst fun, they are limited. Having played bigger games, they get a lot more fun! Plus, I haven't lost a game yet that involved more than the starter sets....

Gold!

Enjoying finally having time to paint again! You'll get the title post in a bit...

First up, finished my Milice!

 

A ten man inexperienced squad for use in the Anti-partisan list. Been nice painting these as they're a bit different, and as Kieron pointed out, chances are no one else has this squad! Unique high five! They're made using standard German infantry bodies, French head and British weapons. I've never used inexperienced troops before but managed to give them a run out in a large team up game Matt and I had against Kieron and Wes. Long story short, we won. Long story not quite so short, we embarassed them! Actually, it was mostly them embarassing themselves. Mostly Kieron, who will now be known as Kier-one for his string of pointblank tank rolls that either failed to hit or failed to penetrate when only a 1 would fail...!

Anyway, next up, German heavy mortar:

 

Pretty standard paint job. I think this is the largest artillery any of us own so far, so it'll be interesting seeing how it does in games. Got a few SS and standard infantry left to paint then I'm all up to date with my Germans. Not sure what will be added next. Fancy something a bit odd like a Neblewerfer...

Next up is my treasure, hence the title:

 

Gold! As we've all invested in the Frostgrave rules, and I plan on using my existing Dwarfs to begin, the only thing I need at present to play was the 3 treasure tokens. Having a quick scour of the web brought these little beauties from Dark-Art Studios. A pack of 7 treasure chests and 3 coin piles came in at about £10. I still have 3 chests and 1 large coin pile left. There is the posibility of  needing an extra 2 treasure tokens in the game depending on spells so these will get done if I see the need.

I was hoping to get the Otherworld Miniatures limited edition Zagor model painted, but a miscast hand has delayed this. I contacted Otherworld and they replied very quickly to say not only would they send a replacement, but that it would be one of the master castings used to make the production mould! Bonus!

So, currently on the painting table while I wait for this to arrive is a warhound for Frostgrave and a couple of SS for my Germans.

Finally finished The Watchmen!

Well, it's taken me a while but here is my final Watchman:

The Comedian! Again, I really enjoyed painting this model. Not a massive amount to do with it as he's mostly black but I think he looks ok.

And the whole gang! The Watchmen:

Now all I need to do is read the rulebook again and find somebody else who plays the game. No one I play with mentions it very much....

Forgot to watch a Watchman!

 Watchman, Watchwoman?! Either way, with all the excitement of moving house and revising for an exam I'd completely forgotten that I'd painted Silk Spectre!

So here she is:

 

Not sure if the yellow is yellew enough but I think she looks ok! Not an easy model to paint as the details are quite shallow but I still enjoyed painting her.

Only 1 member left to paint, Comedian. When I bought him he came with one of those stupid new bobbly bases, but I've managed to find a plain base! He's next on my list after finishing the final 5 French Milice guys that are currently on the painting table.

More action!

Still in the painting groove!

Following the last couple of Bolt Action games against Matt, it was clear when facing early war forces my German squads, unable to take SMG's and assault rifles, were a bit lacking in numbers. I'd already bought some more infantry sprues when Warlord had one of their half price sales, it was just a case of painting them. Then whilst looking through the easyarmy listings, I noticed inexperienced troops on the anti-partisan list. I know I could use other lists, but I like the challenge of trying to fit stuff into an appropriate list!

So here they are:

French Milice. A bit of research, and Kierons slightly worrying knowledge of every model makers tiniest products, and I had a plan! French helmeted heads from Gripping Beast duly arrived with what I assumed was a white flag, but it turned out to be the receipt. Using German infantry bodies, and British weaponry I now have the start of a cheap squad. The squad contains an NCO with SMG and an LMG, and will be expanded to 10 when I've painted some other stuff.

And here's some more German infantry:

 

Kieron will be excited to see that the guy on the left is toting an assault rifle! I have another 5 to paint and then I'll have a think about what I want next. Possibly something involving Luftwaffe inexperiened troops, although the urge to buy some bigger artillery is building...

Last but not least, these:

 

UCM Katana's! These are lighter armoured than the standard Sabre battle tank, but are faster, and deal out 2 shots each. Going to try them without a dropship at first to see how they manage.

Next weekend is Triples. Not sure what I'm going to buy, if anything. Might be tempted by another KR Multicase for all the infantry, but will see if anything takes my fancy!

Nite Owl!

As the title suggests, here he is:

A bit browner than I intended but I think I've done a decent job! Really enjoying painting these.

Silk Spectre next, when I get round to sorted her slotta tab out so she can be glued onto her base without falling over... And I've just remembered I need to sort out a yellow paint!

Got my paint on!

Now that we've finally finished decorating, put the house on the market, and sold it all within a week, I seem to have gained back my painting time! And I think I've cracked on quite well!

 

And here is my first offering, and my second Watchman, Rorschach! Another model I really really enjoyed painting. Lovely model, nothing too difficult but I think I've made a decent job of it. I've based and am now ready to paint Nite Owl, and I've also purchased Silk Spectre. I would also have the Comedian but he was clearly off on a mission as he was out of stock...

This was my secret santa present at Xmas, very nice model to both assemble and paint. Love how chilled out the Brits in the back look! I plan on having a few of these in my force but I'm going to see how they play first before commiting.

Tiger! Matt and Kieron both think this will be a bit pointless in a game, but I think they're secretly soiling themselves at the thought of having this rolling about over their armies.... Picked this up for a bargain price of £17, and is the nicest model kit I've ever put together. Well done Rubicon! A pleasure to assemble and also loaded with optional extras so you can have a early, mid or late war Tiger. Will definately be purchasing Rubicon kits from now on which means a Panther may be on the horizon at some point!

 

Finally, my UCM force for DZC is now taking shape clocking in at just under 1000 points. Above are some elite infantry Praetorians in their Raven A dropship, and 2 Longbow artillery and their Raven B dropships. Mike has also expanded his Scourge to a similar points level, so game on!

Not sure how gaming will be over the next few months, having sold the house and looking at a new build, we will have to rent for a while until the house we want is built. How a the house we rent will be is anybodies guess, so big games may be put on hold for a bit! Unless one of the other guys pulls their finger out and sorts out a proper gaming room....

Who Watches The Watchmen?

I do! After months of pestering and sad face, Kieron finally persuaded me into the Batman Miniature Game!

It didn't take much persuading to be fair. I just baulked a bit at the rulebook price! I stopped being a tight wad however and just bought it! The free Alfred model will be made use of when I start the inevitable Batman gang...

I loved the Watchmen film and comic so I thought I'd start off with them as a gang! And above is my first model, Ozymandias! Really enjoyed painting this and think I've made a decent job of it. I also have Rorschach but when I started to paint him I realised the brown I wanted to use had dried out...

Nite Owl is on his way to me and the final pair will be purchased when the models I have are finished. Then the dilemma of who to do next!

Woosh! Fzzzap! Kapow!

Greetings! Between work and the continuing decaration of the house I managed to get a fair bit of painting done! We've also managed to get in a handfull of games and are now starting to get the hang of the mechanics of the game and how our individual armies work.

Both Mike and I have expanded our forces beyond the starter set and as expected this has only added to the game beyond its basic level. That and I keep winning! So, onto what I've painted to date:

Infantry! And their Bear APC transport. These are the least good models our of the starter set, being quite flat, but they look ok. I got these out of the way quite quickly as I so love painting infantry... These troops are also quite vital in the game, as the missions we have played so far call for searching buildings for objectives and intel, and infantry is the only way to do it.

 

Tanks! On the left Rapier AA tanks, and on the right anti-tank tanks, with their Condor dropships in the background. I've got for a grey military look, with the red panel markings thrown in for a bit of contrast. I also picked a fairly basic paint scheme as I didn't want painting the army to turn into a boring slog!

  

Commander! In his Kodiak! This is the first addition I bought. Commanders add command cards to the game which are an fun way of annoying your opponent! He also comes with a Tactical Orbital Strike, which is nice...

 

Scouts! Wolverines! These are fast units that come with 2 different turret options, so they can either be AA, or have missile pods and pack a bit of punch against armour. They can also act as spotter for the commanders TOS. 

 

Small dropship! Raven A, which I added with some more elite infantry called Praetorians, but I haven't painted these yet so you'll have to wait and see! 

All in I'm glad I started this new game, have enjoyed playing it and the more we build our forces the more it adds to the game. Not sure what to add yet. Mike has quite a mobile army so some more AA would help, but with Wes buying the PHR starter set I may wait and see how my stuff works against his before deciding.

I've also discovered a Batman miniatures game which no one I know has ever mentioned at all. Ever. Especially not Kieron. And to weird it up a bit, the first model I've ordered is Ozymandias, one of the Watchmen! I'm still a bit miffed that the rulebook is £35 but a localish workgames shop does a decent discount so should be able to pick it up for around £28.

New year, even newerer project!

Before I get to the even newerer project, I managed to fit in a small amount of painting between doing coursework and decorating the living room...

And here they are:

Boom! A light mortar made from the plastic infantry sprues and a commander.

He has a rather splendid moustache, ideal for twiddling whilst pointing with his pipe to a spot on a map where my troops and guarateed to be being cut down in their droves....

I also accidentally ordered the forward observer blister as with the British special rule giving me a free artillery observer, it would be rude not to take 2 in some games!

Having completed my course work, an information poster on "Assessment of delirium in a critical care environment" (fun times!), I decided to treat myself to something I've had my eye on for a while:

Dropzone Commander! Having read a few online reviews of the game it always seems to get a good write up, and is not in the Games Workshop realm of pricing. Its quite cheap really! I managed to pick this 2 player starter box for £48. And below are shown the contents:

Rulebook, UCM and Scourge plastic starter armies, 2 A1 posters that have art work on one side and a cityscape on the other, 10 cardboard buildings, a sheet of tokens and the obligatory 10 free dice and small tape measure.

My nephew (whose blog can be found here) is going to have the Scourge and I'll be starting the UCM. The models in the set provide you with enough for a 500 point game. The rulebook is very nicely presented, also containing a large selection of different scenarios to play, some for up to 4 players, and the army lists for 4 of the 5 available armies.

After a first read through of the rules I'm really looking forward to start playing!

Tally bally ho!

New year, new project!

I've been planning this for a while and the lovely folk at Warlord had one of their "half price plastic sprue" sales just before Christmas! So I took this opportunity to start my Bolt Action Brits.

The project had a stuttering start, as the infantry sprues I'd ordered arrived quickly as always, but only when I started to assemble the models did I realise I'd been sent American sprues by mistake! A quick email to Warlord resulted in my correct sprues arriving a few days later. This also mean I now have to decide what to do with 20 Yank infantry. Ebay or 3rd army?! I'll hang on to them until I decide.

Anyway, here is my current progress:

1 infantry squad with rifles and an NCO with an SMG. Weighing in at a massive 68 points! I've planned out 500 points as a target, all of which will be veterans, this may change as I paint more and see how an all veteran force works in the game.

The squad will be transported into battle in a Bren Carrier that secret santa delivered! I also purchased a command blister so that's next on the painting table. I do like the newer infantry sprues as they give you extra options. For my Brits I'll also be able to make a light mortar team and a PIAT team!

Taking further advantage of the half price sprues offer I also purchased some more german infantry to fill out my existing squads.

More updates as painting occurs!