Modelling: Small MDF basing material from "The Works"

I found these intriguing and potentially very useful 'in high street' from The Works. Small circular (of various sizes) and hexagonal (again of various sizes) bases that seem to be crying out for figures to be mounted on! (see following pictures below):

Circles: With my playing around with some Cold War Soviets from PSC, three rifles to a base on a large circle, a two man RPG team on a smaller circle and I forgot to include a Commander on a tiny one. A 2p piece is shown for purposes of scale (see below):

Hexes: No figures attached yet. I have a suspicion that these might be more useful for Naval and Air combat. Again a 2p piece is shown for purposes of scale (see below):

You get 110 piece for two pounds sterling  in the circles and hexes so the price comparison with alternatives is good. They "feel" better than metal IMHO. In addition I found these "spikey circles" full of potential, these are eight for a quid (see below):

I have in mind painting them (and potentially putting a few cosmetic debris  items on them) for Chain of Command "Jump-Off" markers rather than my stand-in poker chits. There are various other potential uses for these as counters and the like.

More 15mm Russians - PSC T34/76 and T34/85

The last "batch" of Russian vehicles were put together,the ubiquitous T34/76 (and T34/85 option). Something to stir fear and dread into any German Tanker or Landser (see below):

These 15mm kits go together so sweetly (and quickly) I am starting to curse my 20mm myopia for the last twenty years (see below):

It remains to be seen how quickly I can paint them. Given the option between Zvezda and PSC, I would say quality (detail) wise Zvezda has the drop on PSC but PSC has more durable 'harder' plastic. Zvezda "snap together" very sweetly, no glue strictly needed although I use liquid poly for "insurance purposes".

Gone Plain Bonkers .. WWII Scale Creep

I promised myself never to do this but put a simple bit of temptation my way and after twenty years of resisting the fatal lure I go bonkers and get a 15mm WWII army. Three in fact, US, German and Russian (the Brits had all gone otherwise it would have been four)! All from a local hobby store(?) called Boyes (rather a department store with local managers discretion to add esoteric collections here and there) selling off a large part of their 'toy line' as 'dead lines' (boo hoo). I guess it must have been a bit like the Hobbycraft experimentation with FoW and GW stuff (now dead). Well at a third of the RRP price or less the PSC 15mm (£5 a box) was too good a 'steal' and I even succumbed to their half price (£10) Perry's WWII 28mm Plastics lure, again put a hole in my wallet (blown the toy budget for the first six months of the year). That means I have the insane "biggies" of 28mm too (just two packs, one DAK and one 8th Army, for a skirmish in the desert).

Once started you cannot stop (see below for some pocket money Zvezda Russian tanks that appeared in my shopping trolley!):

Why?

I have a perfectly good unpainted hoard [and then some] in 20mm (1/72 or 1/76 if you like), in fact I also have micro scale 1/300 (or 1/285 if again you like) plus a 1/200 (Skytrex Action Force) vehicles and infantry and 10mm Pendrakon infantry.

Madness .. how can I defend the indefensible? I claim "hobby insanity"!

The Defence's case rests on "being sociable" as I have wargamer friends who collect in the respectable 15mm range and model in the 28mm for skirmish (Chain of Command) games. 20m WWII gaming seems to be a rather niche area, accessible to all but people seem to move on from it (though not grow-up). Well there's another two (or should that be five) 30 Day Challenges ahead of me for this year ;)

PS Fear not Paul I will get round to finishing off the Fairey Battle in time for the hundredth anniversary ;)