Bucket List Project: Fletcher Pratt 1:600(ish) game of The Battle of the River Plate [Model Collection] HMS Achilles

This is a long standing project of mine, ignorant to the disrespectful advice on how silly and large a scale it is to play it in. True to Airfix 1970's childhood fashion, three plastic cruiser kits versus a pocket battleship kit .. recreating "The Battle of the River Plate" (see below, the final ship model for the collection, an Airfix HMS Ajax which has to be converted to its Leander class sister HMS Achilles .. which I believe is to do with the positioning of the AA battery? I will find out as I thinks there is an online copy of an Airfix magazine I need to read .. as I am not the first wanting to do this):   

The rules I intend to (first) use are Fletcher Pratt .. then we will see where that takes me. With this purchase I now have:

• HMS Ajax (Airfix 1:600) 
• HMS Exeter (Waterline 1:700 or an Old Russian 1:500 kits)
• HMS Achilles (Airfix 1:600 conversion)
• KM Admiral Graf Spee (Airfix 1:600 or Waterline 1:700 KM Deutschland)

Lets see how long it tales me to make and paint them. 

Update: 

From Bankinista, many thanks: Airfix Magazine Nov 1965 has an article on converting the Ajax kit to the Achilles at the time of the River Plate:
https://www.davecov.org/modelling/refer ... rsions.pdf

RPG Nostalgia: Gary Gygax Biography - Audible Book

I indulged myself in a nostalgic trip to before my roots in RPG when Dungeons and Dragons was but a twinkle in Gary Gygax's and Dave Arneson's eyes (see below, I loved it and it fleshed out the back story to the evolution of the game system):

Interestingly Gary Gygax was also an avid board and war gamer. Avalon Hill's Gettysburg was a favourite of his. On the morning of Gencon One he tip-toed across his front room, trying not to tread on sleeping bags of dozing fellow gamers and the 1/1200 scale models from the previous nights Fletcher Pratts sea battles! Respect. In fact Gencon One seemed to be as much wargaming (WWI Dogfights and Napoleonic Sea Fights) as well as Chain-Mail with its Fantasy Supplement!

Fletcher Pratt Wargame Video Links to YouTube

Fascinating series of YouTube videos on the subject of the "history of" The Flestcher Pratt wargame:

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K_TMVO3OIM
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkZJsz259t4
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SOBV7BtiPg
Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOLU57A0zYU
Part 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsDN0Rjirh4

CoW Convoy Battle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8IsQTm6vh4

Thanks to the good elves of The History of Wargame Project, the Conference of Wargamers (CoW) and the Wargames Development Group.

My expanding Wargaming Library ... Fletcher Pratt Naval Rules

Courtesy of the History of Wargaming Project ran by the indomitable John Curry, but just as importantly coming highly recommended by both "Tim" and "Bob", I have (finally) purchased the infamous Fletcher Pratt Naval Wargame Rules of WWI and WWII (see below):

Purchase number two was the prerequisite "golf tees" to be used inverted as "splash markers" in teh game (see below):

The shape of things to come "a straddle" (see below):

Time to depart to the loft to dig out the 1:1200 Airfix "Sink the Bismarck" and Revell "Battleship series" waterline models!

History of Wargaming Project:An interesting YouTube diversion

Following on from a comment from Tim Gow's Fletcher Pratt wargame I took an enjoyable YouTube diversion to discover some more about The History of Wargaming Project: 

Part 1: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmpUwvQ70v8&feature=feedu

Part 2: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGzdVw2lRIo&feature=related

Also of interest, there is a YouTube series on the Fletcher Pratt naval wargame rules:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=1K_TMVO3OIM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkZJsz259t4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SOBV7BtiPg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOLU57A0zYU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsDN0Rjirh4&feature=related

OK, this was not on the New Year list, so it us a deviation, but courtesy of Mr. Tim Gow and Mr. John Curry, who I can only thank for it :)