Chinese take away....

Some what of a backlog on postings...

However last Saturday saw a good day on the brushes with time dedicated to churning out the Chinese supply column.

I picked these up from Colonel Bill's at WMMS back in March and have been itching to get them finished and on the table.  A great combination of 4 Ground Carts and Anisty supplies and as a bonus they can be used for a number of periods from the original plan for them the Water Margin through to the Russo Japanese War.

Next up more Chinese Infantry.

Chinese War Wagon.

It seems to be quite a while since I put paint to metal, work seems to have crept into the evenings when I really should be painting.

Back in April (Bloody Hell April....) I kicked off the first of what I had hoped to be a number of linked games set in ancient China with a vision to recreate episodes from the Water Margin TV series, but then got side tracked into various games and the the Chinese sat on the shelf awaiting their turn in the queue.

With a plan to revisit Egypt Project for Sharp Practice I promised myself I would clear the Chinese first.... Focus man.

First up the an extra piece of hardware for the Sung Government, I war wagon perfect for guarding those taxes stolen from the people. Produced by Curtney's Miniatures it comes with 6 Crossbow armed troops but I can only stretch to 3 as I base on 2p's...

I picked up the Wagon and a number of barricades and trade supplies at Hammerhead earlier in the year, what treasure column could be complete without some loot to plunder.
Great stuff by Anisty with uses across the periods.

These will come in very handy when the government come to crush the rebels in their stronghold, whenever that scenario happens... :-)

Next up carts from Colonel Bill's.... No pressure but the next game is this Sunday......

The Easter - Lead Challange

Easter Bank holiday, 4 days off work, finally warm enough to varnish winters output and a chance to take stock of the recent flurry of purchases thanks to trips to Hammerhead and WMMS.

I have tried to restrict my interests in recent years to certain periods, but as I look over the latest purchases it dawned on my that the Wargames Butterfly has been creeping into my recent purchases.

In no particular order.

• More for the Water Margin project, with a War Wagon, Carts, Light Cavalry, Infantry and some Chinese Wizards to create a Chinese Frostgrave Faction.
• A whole bunch of Russian Infantry for Chechnya.
• Guardians for Lemuria - Just lovely sculpts.
• Various barricades from Anisty Castings.
• A Martian Blood pool for when the Human forces cross into Martian territory.
• A Pool/Oasis for the Ottoman project which is bound to rise up the painting list with Sharp Practice 2 launch in April.

Quite a to do list and with decorating the kitchen and reversing mother nature in the garden on the agenda. I am begining to think I should have stopped at work.

No promises but let's see what can be achieved this weekend.
Good job some of these tasks can be done between coats of paint and allowing glue to dry.

Country pursuits - Klendathu Style

A spot of camping and a long walk in the great out doors with man's best friend, what could be a better day out....

The only problem is when you are on a bug planet...

A recent trip to Derby and I spotted a couple of extra's which seemed to fit in with the SST Project.

Anisty have produced some two man tents, not the first thing on my list for a wargames show, but I figured they might come in handy for some of the bug scenario's...

In the films a couple of shots giving tent like structures such as Camp Arthur Currie the basic training camp and the Mormon Fort, these tents will do for a short over night stay in the wilderness, afterall Troopers need to sleep somewhere.

Whilst there I also picked up from Minibits, some of the latest releases from Crossover Miniatures - Robodogs....

I thought these would be great proxies for Neodogs genetically-enhanced dogs that serve as elite scouts in the K-9 Corps. Neodogs are said to be over 6 times more intelligent than regular dogs. Perfect for sensing hidden bugs and protecting the MI.

Something a little different for the campaign.

Hands on your head! - 28mm Hostages.

Now every Special Forces team need someone to rescue, these have been tucked away in a draw for at least a decade. I think they were from TAG when I originally brought the African Militia but never made off the to do list.

It's amazing what a little bit of inspiration does, that and several free hours on the brushes....

 

  

 

 

I decided to base them on large circular bases as I figured they would be useful as objective markers or jump off points depending on the rule sets used, a little more palatable than actual hostages.

Just goes to show why most wargamers never throw anything away......

28mm Special Forces - Modern Africa.

The last of the recent purchases for modern Africa, Paul over at the Wyverns was having a re-org of his back log so I took these Gripping Beast - MOFO US Special forces off his hands.  

Originally produced for refighting Somalia, these are perfect for adventuring in Zikanga. I also found a special ops figures from The Assault Group, which had been sitting in the spares draw for perhaps 10 years..... I think he had been free with an order???

But he's a perfect fit and addition to Red Troop :-)

The billboard is from Anisty Castings, it's seen action in WW1, WW2, Future Wars and now with a quick google and some PVA glue moves to Africa. "Finger licking good".

This is perhaps the piece of terrain that his given me the most value for money over the years - Still available at only £6.00 !!!!

Starship Troopers Terrain - Refinery & Bunkers

Back in January the Wyvern Wargamers attended Minicon down in Gloucester, whilst there was very little to tempt me to part with my cash, being based on the table next to the chaps at Ainsty how could I resist making a few purchases...

So I picked up the refinery set, promptly went home made plans for its layout and all the scenario's it could be used for and put it in the draw for 6 months :-(

But the summer challange has changed all that..... it reaches the summit of Lead Mountain and is complete ready for future installments for the Starship Troopers Campaign and other Modern day or Sci-fi games...

I have given it a liberal wash of chestnut inks to give it that lived in feel and a couple of layers of dry brushing with a light sand colour to fit with the other terrain I have created over the past 12 months.

I quick search on Google gave me some suitable decals warning people to keep away etc, etc.

 

It fits in very well with the 1st Corp Marines, although it would be perhaps a little small for the more popular 28mm figures available on the market, however I did not want something that would be to  dominant a feature on the table top.

The bugs are still very imposing, I am not sure I would want to be hiding under a container when this lot come calling, its introduction will allow me to add some variantions to some of the scenarios, forcing the Mobile Infantry to be less mobile.

All so languishing in the unfinished or not started draw are these bunkers from Void, I picked these up months ago, I figured they would be a perfect addition to the armoury of the Mobile Infantry, a solid resin casting, finished in under 2 hours.....

My thinking was that this might be a company asset, with these portable bunkers either air lifted in or contructed as very early strong points in a perimeter defence when the Mobile Infantry set up camp for the night.

Still not sure I fancied being the chaps sitting inside when the bugs arrive with their tin openers, however its probably a little safer than being out in the open.

Both new additiona fit the style I was looking for and tie in with the Adobe buildings for an arid feel mixing basic and sci-fi technology, for early colonists on far flung planets.

The comparison of size between the vehicles, bunkers and refinery all from different manufacturers works fine.

The SST Campaign is certainly stepping up a gear.

Egyptian Trade Goods - "Ahlan wa sahlan"

Now this is exactly what I was talking about, I picked up a number of market stalls from the miniature building authority last July. (see here)

The plan was to create an Arab market for the French in Egypt campaign, I needed to expand on these with various market goods, Anisty do a great range, even if I had to paint the apples as oranges.

Having purchased them at one of the trade shows, they sat in a box for 12 long months under coated but not finished.

Ridiculous they only took a Saturday.....

Brigade Games Frenchman tours a market battering with a Mega Minis stall holder.

"Oranges only 2 Sous"

Something Old - Something New....

Over the years I have tried to build up a terrain collection that is multi-functional, Crescent Root is no exception, the buildings are well made and each building comes with removable roofs and doors which slot into the door frame allowing you to remove them for certain scenarios.

Having seen an outing from Old Mexico to the Sudan I wanted to modernize them for the current  Sci-Fi Campaign that I am running at the moment I sort of envisage a Ghosts of Mars type mining town set in the world of Starship Troopers, miners to be rescued or buildings to be defended from the advancing bug hordes.

I Picked up the following items from Antenocitis Workshop and Ainsty Castings at Salute they have taken some time to make it to the top of lead mountain, but they will come in really useful in turning these buildings to modern and futurist dwellings.

  

Radar comms units and air conditioning units.

Solar panels to provide energy for the colonists.

 Air scubbers and a Radar dome can be seen.

Not a bad afternoons work and some useful terrain peices for various scenarios across the ages. I just need to draw up a scenario now.

Minicon 2014

Just back from Minicon 2014 in the heart of the shire's, a very small show but the closest to home for us Wyverners so always good to support fellow gamers and catch up with old friends even if the wargaming gods tried to keep us away with fallen trees and lashing rain.

We put on a Too Fat Lardies, Chain of Command game, with the French attempting to delay the German Onslaught, plenty of interest in the rules and a couple of potential new recruits to the TFL cause and our own club.

Our layout next to the chaps at Ainsty

During the break how could one resist the occasional purchase, I took a wander to our near neighbours and took the opportunity to add to the Starship Troopers project picking up the pumping stations set from the Ainsty guy's, along with various other odds and ends to modernise some of my existing terrain. More on that in future posts.

Ainsty have a great range of resin items for practically any period, all can be found here. http://ainstycastings.co.uk

Across from us were the chaps from Wargames Terrain Workshop, with a great range of Sci-fi terrain, I picked up the above alien nest, which I am sure will be worked into a scenario in the coming weeks.
You can find their stuff on the link below. well worth a visit.
http://wargamesterrainworkshop.co.uk/

Plenty here to keep me going for a few weeks.

Wargamers are so difficult to buy for?

Can I be the only one who gets that question leveled at them?

I don't see what the problem is....... so it's not available in the high street, can I help that?

As a gamer with varied interests in numerous periods I have a great list of things on the wargamers want list.

I hit the big 4 0 recently and finally convienced those around me that Wargaming goodies are the best presents...

I was really impressed and thanks to all.

On the reading front, I probably have enough to keep be going into the summer, a selection of Osprey books on Elizabethan Warfare, I blame Christmas Holiday TV for that request, I caught the Sea Hawk on one of the more obscure cable channels and that set me off on a new project (more on that soon..)

Anyway the following will prove to be useful inspiration to the half a dozen blisters from Foundry and their Elizabethan range, which are making there way up lead mountain.

279 The Border Reivers

256 The Irish Wars 1485-1603

Elite – Elizabethan Sea Dogs 1560 – 1605

As usual Angus McBride’s illustrations are top notice with plenty of detail and character.

The Egyptian Project has stalled in recent weeks, what with Gloucester Minicon and various real life issues  but I am hoping that the following reads will spark some life back into the project.

Napoleon in Egypt by Paul Strathern

Napoleon’s Egypt – Juan Cole

Both give some great accounts of the French in Egypt and the challenges they faced in a strange land and a fearless foe.

As a light read, I also received a copy of The Last Days of Thunder Child by C.A. Powell, I have been a big fan of H.G. Wells, War of Worlds for several years and have a 15mm British Home Front Army and Martian Tripods which need an outing.

The climax of the original book tells how the HMS Thunder Child takes on 3 Tripods to save the Steamer, this short novel gives the perspective from  the crew of the Thunder Child.

 

On the gaming front a number of items have found their way on to the need to paint pile.

 

Anisty Castings

Barricades (1503)

Trade Goods (3304)

I thought the Barricades would come in handy for ACW makeshift defences and for any other period that require a below par defensive position, perhaps even a barricade to keep out zombies if I can push ahead with the Pike, Shot & Zombie Stuff.

The Trade goods compliment my African and Middle Eastern Village and whilst never a first on a wargamers wants list, they come in so handy for all kinds of scenarios.

Architects of War

Desert Well

Donkey Mill

I have been a fan of the Architects of war stuff for quite a while but always felt it was a little on the expensive side, One of my rules of terrain buying is that it must be able to be used across several periods and genre’s. Having started on my Napoleon in Egypt project and already having a pile of stuff for Mexico, the above two items fit really well.

The resin elements come in a sand coloured finish that will make applying the initial undercoat, the pieces are really detailed furnished with additional pots and sacks, although the donkey looks a little small, it must be all that hard work....