Major Ballsup's Hobby Shed

May was a relatively productive month on the hobby front until the final week.  We had some really hot weather over the Whitsun Bank Holiday which put paid to any painting as my hobby table is in a South facing room.  As well as being unpleasantly hot the paint dries instantaneously!  I like the Summer for the extra light, but you can keep the stupid heat we now get thank you!  Prior to that point I'd worked on several different projects which helps to keep motivated and keeps them all ticking along.   Completed I got a few more disparate bits completed and off the table: The first item finished was the Airfix 1/72nd Bristol Blenheim.  Yes finally.  I started this back in October 2025 doing a bit each month.  At the end of last month I focused any hobby time I had to get it finished, which I did over the May Bank Holiday weekend.  It’s come out ok, but it’s very much a wargamers' model and I don't think any self respecting aero modeller ...

As often happens when I get to Autumn my thoughts turns to what I’ll be working on for the rest of this year and what new projects to look at for the year to come.  This year I’ve been quite focused, and a combination of clearing the backlog and buying very little that needs doing, has left me in a good place to start something new.  There’s a few projects that have been on the to-do list for a while, but the one I’ve decided to kick off in what remains of 2024 is a 1980s Cold War "what if?" project. Being of a certain age and long being interested in military matters, I remember very clearly what seemed the continuous threat and fear of an enemy horde advancing across Europe from the east.  Not much changes does it?  However, current events aside it did have an impact on my formative years.  Being primarily an aircraft modeller at the time I made models of lots of service aircraft like Harrier, Jaguars, Phantoms, Tornadoes and A-10s and also some contemporary t...

June has been a busy month.  I've been adding to existing projects and getting to a point where they are considered finished, i.e. I have enough forces for both sides to play the games I currently want to play. I've also started on a new project which has got me excited.  It's another long update! Completed The only thing I had on the go when May ended was some plastic zombies.  I finished these off early in June and they can be seen in their gruesomeness here .  Keeping with 20mm and the whole Zona Alfa/neo-Soviet vibe I completed some Elhiem modern Russians and a religious leader.  Lovely figures of which you can see more of here . Following fast on the heels of those fellas I completed some support for the Legion in Algeria, in the form of a .30 cal machine gun team and an 81mm mortar team.  More of these grognards here . The last of the completed bits was for my new project the South African Border Wars.  I ordered and completed a selection of vehi...

Mission Brief On a mission in the djebel a company from the 1er Régiment Etranger de Parachutistes (1er REP) have taken casualties, including their beloved commander Capitaine Charbonnier.  Having requested a helicopter medical evacuation a small unit of paras are trying to get the Capitaine to the landing zone.  Can they get the Capitaine to safety before the  Algerian Nationalist Armée de libération nationale (ALN) close in? Table Set up The game is played on a 3ft x 3ft game mat.  The area is hilly and undulating with rocky outcrops and scrubby vegetation which provide cover and potential ambush points.  There is one flatter area of ground which has been identified as a possible landing zone for the helicopter.  Six numbered hotspots have been placed on the table from which any insurgents will generate from.  Roll to see where the initial ALN forces will deploy.   Starting positions Game length The length of the game is 10 turns.  The...