So: many many years, ago, when I was living in Australia, I used to play DBA regularly. There was a local group in Canberra who used to get together to play one day tournaments - always in licensed premises, and part of my fun was to crack the first beer with the first game. I usually found that a winning smile would get me an early brew from the staff while everyone else was making do with takeaway coffee. And the additional challenge was playing the later games after the first few. After all, DBA is just a dice throwing contest isn't it? :)
So one day, there was this other guy there, watched me belly up to the bar, and followed suit. At the time, I was still smoking, so; although he didn't smoke, he and I got chatting out the back in breaks between games, as both of us played fast... Turns out, he had a blog, which I already followed, knew most of the Aussie players I knew, and was great company. Thomo the Lost - Ian Thomson.
At the time, he was working in South East Asia, and was back in Australia for his mum, but from then on, whenever he visited Oz, he and his partner would come and stay at Chez Doug. The dogs loved him, and in between beer and gaming we had great fun. We would plan new forces, egg on each other to more and better painting efforts, and agree joint projects.
We also went to the annual Cancon, and played The one thing we never got to do was some aerial wargaming.. he wanted Khalkin Ghol, I wanted Battle of Britain, so instead we just got more megalomaniac, larger and larger pre-dreadnought fleets, more and more WW2 6mm, till I swear he had an entire Guards Armoured Division at 1:1. but still no aerial wargaming.
We played off at Cancon, for the National DBA Title, (he kept claiming my Teutonic Knights were illegally based for the terrain, with snow, when I won..) Still no aerial wargaming.
Thomo was my Best Man when I remarried in Scotland in 2012. But no time for aerial wargaming. He kept on visiting until I moved from Australia n 2016.
And in 2021, he died in the Philippines from Covid. So too late for Aerial Wargaming.
So these are for him. All home 3d Prints.
Fields of Kent look lovely this time of year... 'Wir fahren gegen Engeland'...
You sure we're heading in the right direction?
Uh-oh... Gruss Gott! Spitfires!
City of Edinburgh Squadron - yes, I know they weren't in Kent, but they could have been ...
And as we all know from the movies, Hurricanes take the bombers out, Spitfires go for fighter cover. This is 43 Squadron.
Run away....!!!
This was a disaster.. codes smudged, and in the wrong place! The later versions were an improvement thankfully.
And the 'might' of the Royal Flying Corps... F2b, Brisfits, 'Harry Tates', SE5a and Sopwith Camels
SE5a
RE8 or 'Harry Tates'
F2b
Sopwith Camels... no Snoopy I'm afraid.
Late Breaking.. those Spitfires have something to worry about...
So that's my Noel's Comet, for Thomo. All the WW2 British are entirely hand painted markings, the WW2 Heinkels are balkankreuze decals as are the Yellow S and the recognition panels on White 1. The WW2 stuff is 1/200, and the WW1 stuff is 1/144.
I guess all these count for 3 points, each, but with all the markings, it feels like a lot of effort for 3 points! *FROM
7 Heinkels, 12 x Me 109, 10 Spitfires, and 9 Hurricanes = 38 x 3 = 114 points
16 x RFC x 3 = 48 points
Noel's Comet planet bonus = 20
Oh and Squirrel points.. lets see
1/200 WW2 Japanese Aircraft
1/200 WW2 British Aircraft
1/200 WW2 German Aircraft
1/144 WW1 British Aircraft
not quite enough for WW1 German Aircraft
28mm German Armour
28mm 12th SS Panzer infantry
28mm Indian Mutiny Sepoys
28mm Dr Who
28mm Austrian Napoleonics
So 9 Squirrel points only... :( but let's see what next week brings...
From DaveD . Having lost a great friend this year with who i always ended up planning madness over the many years this hits the spot. So its good to see your tribute . Indeed i recognise the challemge per points efforts on these so I have topped you up