See you in Hell, Billy Yank...

Thomas and I decided to start a project for SP2, playing ACW. He'd started painting Confederates a while back, and I'd do Union. So I picked up some heavily discounted boxes of Perry plastics (these are from the new Union Infantry in Sack Coats box) and started painting. Here are my first Union units: 20 infantrymen (2,5 units in SP2), 2 leaders (an officer and a sergeant) and a drummer.

Up next, another dozen infantrymen (I paint by groups of 12, usually), and probably the dozen Union cavalry skirmishers I got in the Secret Santa scheme.

Toofatlardies' Summer Special

Just a quick message that TooFatLardies Summer Special is out. Read all about it on their blog:

Filled with all sort of goodies:

Introduction
The usual waffle from the less-than-dynamic duo.

Death Road to Corunna
Alfredo Vitaller & chums from Club dragon in Madridpresent a chilly Napoleonic campaign for Sharp Practice

A Fast & Dirty Guide to Tactics
Playing Sharp Practice and looking for top tactical tips?  Look no further.

Let’s All Get Equally Confused
Two Operation Torch scenarios for I Ain’t Been Shot Mum from Charles Eckart in the USA

Team Desobry
Men of the midlands, Ade and Al, head for the Ardennes as Team Desobry defend Noville in December 1944 with Chain of Command

109 Beat It
Jim Jackaman takes on the Hun over northern France with Bag the Hun

George Washington’s Indian War
Simon Walker applied his war-paint and looks at this little known but rather spiffing war for Sharp Practice.

On the Trail of Fort Jefferson
A scenario for the above conflict.

Our Moccasins Trickled Blood
Another Indian War scenario.  You know that they say, red moccasins…

At the Sharp End…of the Runway
Some campaign ideas for Bag the Hun from James Crate in the US of A.

Binky Faversham’s Guide to Banter
Tally Ho chaps, Caribou nibbling on the croquet hoops, Scramble!  Binky makes sense of banter from his high security psychiatric institution

The Company Commander in Big Chain of Command
Len Tracey suggests uses for the main man in large games of CoC.

Matching Scale and Wargames
La Roundwood introduces us to fine are and even finer figures for the Thirty Years War

The Japanese Army 1936-42
A guide to Japanese tactics from Len Tracey in Australia.

George of the Jungle
An IABSM scenario set in Burma in 1945 and starring George Macdonald Fraser.

A Fighting Withdrawal
A Dunkirk perimeter campaign for Chain of Command.  Can you save the BEF?

Itching to Mix It
The Hun are raiding Swanage.  It was the last time anyone went there out of choice.

America’s First D-Day
Charles Eckart presents a US-Mexican War amphibious landing.

Kernow’s Corner
A last-ditch fight for the DCLI as they stand up to the German Spring Offensive of 1918.  A Muddy CoC scenario.

Tanks in the Wire
The NVA attack a US Special Forces camp in 1968  A scenario for Charlie Don’t Surf from Ross Bowrage.

It was just my Imagi-Nation…
An introduction to Big Rich’s Seven Years War project.

The Khazi is Revolting
An Indian Mutiny Scenario from the Deep Fried Lard Games Day.  Can you get the Major Piles Relief Column through in time?

Saving the Honourable “Tootles” Ash
A cinematic adventure into WWII with a  rescue mission for Chain of Command.

The Roundwood Report
Sidney discusses firing mechanisms and much else with Big Rich.

Creating Facts on the Ground
Fighting the Six Day War Lardy Style with Robert Avery

Still more paras

Jepp, you've guessed it... Another batch of a dozen paras completed. More crew for the guns, including some junior leaders. A padre. A 2" mortar team. And finally a Forward Observer team. Mix of AB and SHQ figures.

This gives me a total of 80 paras now, a full platoon, and parts of a second platoon. Plus supports, a.o. a 6lb AT gun and a Vickers MMG. 

Next: even more paras - just over 30 Blitz figures. These are the remainder of my 2nd platoon, some extra supports and some extra crew. And I've primed the jeep that was in the box I got off Thomas and Laffe.

More paras

Still working on my paras, even if I haven't been able to do much lately. At least I've managed to complete my Vickers MMG team and a 6pdr AT gun with crew.

I've got my hands on some Battlefield / Blitz paras to flesh out my 2nd platoon, and they are very nice and well researched figures. Hopefully I'll be able to get some shots of them once I complete my last batch of my original AB/SHQ/TQD lot.

Thomas has kindly donated me a box of AB and SHQ paras that he had lying about (I think he got them off Leif originally), and another jeep, and they will be used to create a 3rd platoon, which will take me to full company strength. The jeep will do nicely to complete a full recce squadron. 

SHQ Airborne 6pdr and mixed crew of SHQ and AB. SHQ Vickers w crew.

The 6 pdr from above. I've added some ammo boxes. I've also embedded a dice frame for the shock dice into the base.

The same from a slightly different angle

Padre in progress. I think this is an SHQ crew member (AT or howitzer), to which I've added a scarf stole with tissue and white glue.

Johnny Frost

Apart from painting my Frostgrave warband, I've also completed some more paras this week: 

SL (double based) for the 2nd platoon, crew for a Vickers MMG and 6lb AT gun. These are a mix of AB, SHQ and TQD

And some more supports in progress (they're actually almost finished, but I haven't made more recent pictures of them):

6lb AT gun with crew in progress (I tend to base some crew with my guns). The gun is SHQ; the crew AB and SHQ

6lb and Vickers in progress. On the base for the Vickers you can see the slots I left for the crew. Both Vickers and 6lb are SHQ

More paras for Arnhem...

Been painting steadily on my paras for Arnhem and Normandy (we are planning to play TFL's Von Luck campaign soon). Finished another section and a sniper, platoon HQ and some supports (flamethrower team, two extra PIAT teams), as well as  some more riflemen.

Figures are a mix of AB, TQD and SHQ,

A rifle section and a sniper

Various supports (flamethrower team, 2 PIAT teams), some extra riflemen and half the SL for the 2nd platoon

Platoon HQ (Lieutenat w radio operator, platoon sergeant, 2" mortar team, PIAT team), and some riflemen

The state of my desert campaign

Tonight I gathered my gear together to make some (still not very good) pictures, so I could send them off for the TooFatLardies painting contest, hosted by the aimiable Robert Avery. This gives me a good idea where I am with my troops for the desert - and that is pretty close to completion. I'll finish the WIP items, add maybe an additional section of DAK, convert some DAK engineers and a medic, and perhaps snipers for both sides.

Below are the pictures and some info.

DAK Platoon (43 figures)

• 2 officers and 1 NCO 
• 3 sections @ 12 men each 
• AT rifle team (2 crew) 
• Extra LMG team (2 crew) 

DAK supports (1 tank, 1 motorcycle, 1 AT gun, 12 figures)

• Panzer III 
• MC combo w 2 crew 
• FOO team (2 crew) 
• PAK 38 and 3 crew 
• AT rifle team (2 crew) 
• 50mm mortar team (2 crew) 

British reinforced platoon (46 figures)

• Platoon HQ: 1 officer, 1 NCO, AT rifle team (2 crew), 2" mortar team (2 crew) 
• 4 sections @ 10 men each 

British supports A (1 weapon and 11 figures, 1 converted)

• MMG w 5 crew 
• Company officer w radio operator 
• FOO team (2 crew) 
• Extra officer 
• Medic (converted: headswap and some other minor stuff) 

British engineer section (10 figures, 4 converted)

• NCO 
• 3 teams of 3 men (4 have medium conversions done, e.g. scratch built mine sweeper or wire cutters etc...) 

British supports B (4 vehicles, 4 crew)

• Crusader tank 
• Universal carrier w 3 crew 
• Dingo scout car 
• Morris CS9 w 1 added crew (minor conversion from a standard infantry figure) 

4 Jump off Points

I also have a piece of terrain, an oasis, which I wrote about earliler on http://dalemunk.blogspot.se/2015/04/oasis.html

I have a total of 126 figures (not counting vehicle crews where they are only halves), 5 or 6 have medium conversions done. 2 tanks, 3 armoured cars/carriers, 1 motorcycle w sidecar, 1 weapon, 1 AT gun.

All vehicles have added stowage (the Pz III is getting it right now, it arrived yesterday). All are 28mm, most figures are Perry miniatures (mainly plastics with some metal sets thrown in). One of the British officers is TFL's own Hugh Jarce. Most of the vehicles and the AT gun are Warlord Games, apart from the carrier which is Perry again, and the MC combo which is Offensive Miniatures. The Jump off Points are TFL.

GothCon status

My Desert Rats for GothCon are nearing completion... All are assembled, converted and painted, just about half need their bases done. And if there's time they need to get a coat of matt varnish, as some are a bit glossy (due to the Pledge ;-)).

1 full platoon with:
Platoon HQ: 1 officer, 1 NCO, 1 AT team (2), 1 2" mortar team (2)
3 Sections, each @ 1 NCO, 1 Bren team (3), 6 riflemen

In support:
1 FOO team (2) - conversions from the standard plastics Perry box
1 Vickers MMG (5)
1 Universal carrier (3)
1 medical orderly
3 engineer teams: demolition team (3), mine clearing team (3) and wire clearing team (3) - all conversions from the standard plastics Perry box
1 company commander w radio operator
2 jump-off points for CoC

I have a Crusader Mk I, a Morris CS9 armoured car and a Dingo scout car on the way... Hopefully they get here soon, so I can complete them in time.
!Update: they arrived today (16 March) :)

My oasis is also getting along. I built it at our terrain day, but started painting it today. Dark brown basecoat. Once dry, it'll get drybrushed in several layers of ever lightening sand colour. Then it needs green flock, and some bushes, maybe even some reeds. Then the water pool in the middle will get a green-grey wash, and after that I'll fill it with 2 or 3 layers of Vallejo still water.

And finally, I have my first Germans ready painted, as we discovered we were a bit short on German infantry. About half a section of DAK and a platoon commander.

Where there's rats...

Look what's all of a sudden, as if by miracle, appeared on my painting table...

MG firing from the shoulder, inspired by Laffe ;-)

Desert Update

Basecoated the remaining desert rats tonight, and I've started the basing process on the others. They should be all done by the end of the week. Then for some Germans ;-)

Some quick (bad) pictures:

Hugh Jarce, the 2" and AT gun teams, as well as the MMG main base (2 loose figures are in the pic below), the FOO team and the Company commander's base.

Senior and junior leaders (on hex bases), the medic (the one with the red cross armband ;-)) and some troopers (on round bases - actually 5 eurocents)

The TFL jump off points.

Bases are a mixture of various decorative sand and stones that IKEA used to sell. Stuck to the bases with diluted wood glue (white glue). When dry, they will be wetbrushed with cheap sand coloured artist acrylics, then drybrushed after adding white to the same. Depending on how they look after the first wetbrushing, I might add a wash (soft or strong tone) and a drybrush with sand in between.

Oh, and I watched Arsenal beat Utd in the FA Cup 1/4 final while painting :-)

Penguin Terrain Day

We got together last weekend to build some terrain for our demo/participation game at GothCon. We found out we have very little desert terrain (although we discovered Jocke's 20mm houses are very useable).

So we set out and managed the following:

• 6 HE/smoke markers. Thomas glued these together with his brand new glue gun (and burnt his fingers in the progress), I then took them home and spray painted them.

• 4 sand dunes that I bought from Amera and that we painted
• a temple ruin, also from Amera, that just needs some finishing touches
• plenty of sangars and sangar walls
• an oasis of cork, caulk, sand and stones, that needs painting now
• based 13 palm trees (I'm now washing and drybrushing them)
• plenty of rocks and cliffs and loose rocks
• our battle mat - we had high ambitions to make one with caulk and sand and paint it. but we lowered our ambitions and just painted a beige bed sheet ;-)
• No pictures of most of the stuff, but I have some action pictures, from left to right
• Henrik painting sangar walls
• Jocke cutting cork for more sangars for the MMG and AT teams
• Thomas glueing smoke markers (and his fingers). Note his brand new glue gun! ;-)

Progress ;-)

Been a while but I've been busy. Busy painting that is, and building terrain.

First the carrier. It's ready , apart from basing (which I'll do when I do all my desert bases in one go, to ensure they're uniform). Painted, washed, highlighted, weathered. Crew and stowage added and weathered again. Some pictures below. Sadly I think that it looks much better IRL than on pictures, I have bad lighting on my paint table (a continuous discussion with SWMBO) and my painting style doesn't really show up will, I feel, on enlarged close-ups. But I'll leave you to judge that ;-)

Then I also started on my desert rats. First the Perry MMG team and company command I mentioned earlier. I also painted TFL special figure Hugh Jarce, but my pictures of him all turned out overexposed. I'll see if I can do better this week.

Then I started assembling the plastics, and I did some minor conversions: made a medic from an extra radio operator (simple head swap and giving him different arms), used the bits I swapped from the radio operator on a kneeling figure to make a kneeling radio operator, to go together with another kneeling figure who got an arm with binoculars from a German para officer and the arm with the pistol from the desert rat officer. Together they make up an FOO team. I also played a bit with the arms of the prone Bren gunner and created a kneeling Bren team. Not entirely happy with it, but it'll do.

All of these conversions and just over half a platoon of infantry are now painted. No pictures yet, I'll have to add some tonight or tomorrow.

I also assembled the rest of the platoon (finishing the first box and starting on the second) and did some engineer conversions (as I couldn't find enough desert engineers poses I liked). These are now assembled and waiting undercoating. Some pictures:

From left to right:

• Demolition team (3): 2 running with a box of explosives, 1 kneeling with a detonator
• Mine clearing team (3): 1 with a mine sweeper, 1 with a bayonet, ready to dig up a mine, 1 with a spade sitting back and waiting
• Wire clearing team (3): 1 kneeling with clippers (they did't turn out that well, but they'll do), 1 lying with Bangalore torpedoes, 1 with a rifle grenade. I might do another with Bangalores or something else, and use the guy with the rifle grenade as an ordinary soldier.

I was also thinking about a flamethrower team, but got some conflicting info on the "Life buoy" flamethrower that perhaps wasn't in use prior to 1943 or even D-Day. Anyone can shed light on that? I might still do an ft team later.

Some vehicles on the way (a Crusader tank, a Dingo scout car and a Morris CS9 armoured car. And then some DAK, as we see to have more British than Germans on the way for GothCon.

Desert Rats

For our demo/participation game at GothCon, we've chosen the desert theme, and what better figures than Perry Miniatures to do that. So after "Jultomten" (aka Leif and Thomas) gave me a Perry universal carrier for Christmas (read: dragged me in to their plans...), I got some Desert Rats, the box of plastics (38 figs) and the Vickers MMG with 4 crew.

I've started assembling some tonight and did the MMG and crew. Little flash and nicely cast and sculpted figures. I also opened the big box tonight, and I noticed I had an extra command sprue :) So I decided to assemble the officer with cap and pistol, and use him as a more senior officer (company commander), to be used for Big CoC, and base him together with the radio operator. I can then use the bonus sprue for a platoon officer, with helmet and pistol or SMG (not decided yet). The second radio operator will go into the bits box for later use with a suitable figure for an FOO (once I get my second box there will be plenty suitable figures for that).

I also drafted one of the figures from the plastic box in a suitable posture to become the 5th crew member for the MMG (CoC lists have 5 crew members for an MMG). He can be easily recognised in the picture below.

I need to do some undercoating tomorrow, as I've now lots of assembled bits on the go, and need to start painting them. There's also an undercoated group of 8 Valiant Fallschirmjaeger waiting for some licks of paint and I need to finish those sometime soon, so I can start basing them (16 are already painted and waiting for varnishing and basing, something I prefer doing in bigger batches so they look uniform).

Jump Off Points

Started on some jump off points (JoP) for Chain of Command (CoC) tonight.

From left to right:

1. Generic JoP for 20mm games - these are from Sgts' Mess, targeted as loads for trucks. The ones I get are 4 bases of six milk churns and 3 crates. They will need some work, inspired on the ones that Rich at Toofatlardies had made (see below). I plan to use some rectangular bits of white glue soaked tissue paper to represent tarps or Zeltbahn thrown over the loads, and add some guns and/or other bits of equipment. I was going to do that tonight, but forgot the white glue in the garage. Doh!

2. Toofatlardies specially created CoC 28mm JoPs. These will be used as is, and will be based as desert, for our CoC demo/participation game at GothCon in April.

3. Some Warmodelling (ex-Fantassin) Finnish ski troops, to be used as JoPs (or patrol markers, or both) for our 20mm wintergames. I also plan to use their reindeerdrawn sled as a JoP, but was a base short tonight. It's lying next to the white glue...

Next steps - base the reindeer and the sled, and pimp the bits from Sgts' Mess. Then undercoat all black with thinned Humbrol Matt Black. Then paint and base. Hopefully these should be done (apart from the basing) this weekend. If my wife doesn't send me on an expedition to IKEA again.

Toofatlardies Christmas Special

... is out now. Speed along and get it now ;-)

http://toofatlardies.co.uk/blog/?p=3466

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