More VBCW!

Since the last update I have finished all my VBCW figures! Well, all the ones I have so far anyway. Below is a new, expanded lineup of the forces that will be fighting for the King in the Torbay area!

Added to the force are the Highlanders, from Musketeer again. They will form his Lordships personal bodyguard, with some form of close combat bonus hopefully. The only downside to them is the lack of a Lewis gun figure, but you can't have everything.


The first squad of the local yeomanry, using Musketeer WW1 British. While not as experienced as the Scots, they do get a Lewis gun as fire support.




The second squad of Yeomanry. I do like these figures, Paul Hicks is a cracking sculptor, I just wish he would do a moving Vickers team!




And speaking of a Vickers team, there is one of them to give some heavier support.






Then there is the real "Heavy" support, an 18pdr field gun from Renegade Miniatures. The crew tower over the Musketeer figures, but the price was right and they painted up nicely.





Command and control has also been improved with the creation of a command group under Major B. Lunder!






The mobile reserve, some converted Perrys ACW cavalry. Tally-Ho and all that. Unfortunately, in their first outing, they came across some machine guns and were shot to ribbons.






The despatch riders, the final 2 Perrys figures with different heads and nice red coats. They are supposed to be members of the local hunt pressed into service as messengers.




The Irish Brigade, just for some variation away from khaki. Nice, even if they don't get on with the Scots.




The Engineers Guard, who man the steam tanks, steam trucks, steam boats and steam trains. Some of these vehicles have yet to be purchased, but the plan is there! Their lack of machine gun is made up by having a nice submachine gun, ideal for boarding actions and the like.
The first militia squad, making up with spirit(s) what they lack in experience.


The second militia, as quantity is a quality all of its own.



The third militia, lacking a machine gun but with a few shotguns instead.





His Lordship with a few loyal retainers, including his chauffeur and the local policemen. The trusty elephant gun as been taken out of retirement and is used to put down those damned uppity commoners!




There is also the Steam Tank Truck, as seen before. The armoured support has been joined by a true Steam Tank now, once painted it will appear on here. Well, there they are in all their glory.

I'm officially crap at updating this!

It's now September and I last updated this blog in June! How crap am I?

Anyway, what's been going on you might ask? Life ticks along as usual, money comes in, more money goes out. No1 son is starting a health and social care course at South Devon College. No2 son is doing Sports and Fitness and is in the rugby academy at Exeter college, plus he is in the Exeter Chiefs colts. All this rugby is costing a fortune, but that's what happens I guess.

Wargaming time is taking a big hit now as the rugby is played on a Saturday and the wargames club meets on, you guessed it, Saturday. Arse!

In the last month I have mostly been painting 15mm Napoleonics. French infantry are still too numerous to count, a few units of British infantry are done and a unit of British heavy dragoons are also in the finished pile. I have also been painting a veritable horde of 15mm Falschirmjagers for Steve in Brighton. No matter what I paint, he sends more. Currently on the painting sticks are some panzerfaust stands, snipers and 7.5cm LG40 guns. Still to do are some artillery, flak guns and more pioneers.

I am also in the process of painting up a load of British vehicles for a friend in Exeter. Sherman's and carriers are awaiting decals and weathering now.

For myself I have so far painted up some of the Immortal Greeks I bought at Salute, which are very nice indeed. A 15mm Panther, just to give me a heavy option for my Germans
and two very nice little Hetzers, just because they look so pretty.
I also painted up my Full Thrust NSL ships, but no picture yet.

Plans, too many to list and more than I can afford! Right, off to watch some rugby on ESPN. So long and I will update before Christmas.

It's been a while.......

Since I posted on here, but I'm back!

I am still struggling on with painting 15mm Napoleonics for my brother-n-law! To say that they are not my favourite thing to paint would be an understatement.

The current flavour of the month amongst the group I game with is the Very British Civil War. I have had a bit force for this for some time, but will hopefully get the rest painted now the planning for a campaign is underway. I am in charge of the Royalist faction, led by the Earl of Devon and controlling Torquay. Our opposition includes Facists(Totnes), Communists(Teignmouth), Anglican(Newton Abbot), Devonians(Paignton) and the Navy(Dartmouth).

Here are the few units I have painted.

First up is a unit of "Regulars", representing the local yeomanry who have stayed loyal to the King. These are WW1 British from Musketeer Miniatures.



This is the first Militia unit, from the Musketeer "Irish War of Independance" range.




The second Militia unit looks a lot like the first, but has a different Lewis team. Same source as the others.





Milord, his Chaffeur and some shotgun armed militia make up the last of the painted foot. All but Milord are from Musketeer, while himself is courtesy of Steve.






The last painted unit(sort of) is "Stinky" the steam-truck-tank. A badly converted model-of-yesteryear steam truck, with metal plating around the cab and railway sleepers protecting the flat bed area. The usual weapon carried is a Vickers MG, but recently a 37mm ships gun has also been sighted on the pedestal. Don't you just love magnets!

So that is the painted force so far. Still to be painted are (all Musketeer unless it says otherwise) a unit of Highlanders(veteran bodyguards), another unit of regulars, a unit of boatcrew/railroad crew(Empress Miniatures SCW Assault Guards), a unit of Irish settlers, another unit of Militia, a regular Vickers HMG, a Command Section and an 18pdr field gun(Renegade Miniatures). I also have a 1/48 Hawker Fury biplane to provide air cover.

All in all, not a bad force, I just need to get the rest painted!

Legionary 2010 and May at the Devon Wargames Group

May 1st saw Legionary, the local wargames show take place. Stupidly myself and two friends put on a 15mm WW2 game based around the battle for Veghel in 1944. During the drive to reach Arnhem the Germans counter-attacked after XXX Corps had passed through, in an attempt to break the supply line and blow the bridge over the canal. A valiant defence by elements of the US 101st Airborne Division supported by British 25pdrs and 3.7" AA guns resulted in the German attackers being driven off. But can we do the same on the table?

We used Peter Pigs PBI rules, but scaled up so each unit on the table represented about a battalion. The Allies had seven and a half units plus 6 assorted guns. The Germans had 9 units with a total of 12 tanks or SP guns.

The table looked pretty decent as Gus had spent a small fortune on roads, rivers and hedges from Terra Firma Studios, which look nice. Additional hedges came from Steve, who was drafted in to play the Allies on the south table. The buildings were mostly from Landmark, now sadly out of production.

The game went well, with the Germans eventually driving the Allies back on the north table and surrounding all the defenders to the south. Nathan claimed an Allied victory as the Germans failed to get the bridge, but that was because it was full of dead American para's!

The following Saturday was the May meeting for the Devon Wargames Group, which made it my third Saturday out in a row and is going to cost me with SWMBO! There was a veritable host of games put on this time.

First off was a 20mm Impetus game pitching two forces of chariot riders or sharp stick wavers against each other. Apparently it was all going well for Vince and Chas until Vince went to watch the wendy-round-ball game at Exeter City FC, when Chas threw it all away. Apparently.

Then there was a 15mm Napoleonic game using Rank and File, depicting the far left British flank at Waterloo in a "what if" scenario. Two allied Brigades (7 British infantry, 1 Dutch-Belgian infantry, 4 batteries and 2 British light cavalry units) faced a massive horde of garlic guzzlers. There were 16 French battalions, 2 light cavalry, 2 lancer, 2 Dragoon and 2 Cuirassier units, supported by 8 batteries of artillery. The French infantry units were also bigger than the Allies, so the advantage was decidedly French. Fortunately the sausage munchers were on the way, with 14 battalions of infantry, 2 light cavalry and 4 heavy dragoon units and 8 batteries of artillery. Could the Allies hold until the Prussian's arrived? Hell yes! The French eventually started to drive the Allies back, but not until the Prussians were on the table and starting to roll up the flank.

Guy and Eoghan played a game of the new version of Warhammer Ancient battles. Guy lost as his Gallic horde was speared, stabbed and trampled by Eoghan's Successor force.

The final game was Jacks AWI that he put on for himself and his son as he doesn't yet trust Charlie with other people's figures. Charlie's British army whipped the rebellious colonials back and won the day, at least that's what Charlie said.

Anyway, that's a quick rundown. I have to stay in next Saturday as SWMBO has stuff for me to do. I just wish I could get rid of this sodding toothache and head cold.

Salute

It's come and gone. Another year, another load of money dropped and things bought that were not on the shopping list. The trip up was good right up too the point where the Underground was used. Closures, bad information and staff who sent us the wrong way. Lovely.

Once we got there it was good though. The show seemed quieter than previous years, but that may have just been due to the crowds rushing in next door to sign up for the marathon. It did improve the view in many ways though. Lots of games that were very pretty, lots of traders and too much choice! I never have enough money for this show, but I think that no matter what I took it wouldn't be enough.

Met a friend from the internet for the first time, so hello to Steve and Neil. It was nice to meet you and I hope to do so again. Nice models too, Area 9 is Neil's company and the buildings look very good indeed.

I picked up the building ends and roof from Outpost Wargames, and some Assault Guards from Empress Miniatures for the ongoing Very British Civil War force. They will look good as some form of uniformed group, such as train crews or a ships landing party. Hurrah for the King and Torquay.

I also spent some money on a couple of boxes of Immortal Miniatures plastic Hoplites. This is my favourite period of history so I may have to move them into the painting queue pretty damn quick. They look better in the plastic than they do in the pictures, so expect more to be bought pretty soon.

I also got some excellent dice, with less than polite exclamations on the 1's! Silly I know, but what the heck.

Right, I'm off now to sort out more work. Catch you next time.

15mm WW2 figures!!!

I have finished the 8 gun 25pdr Battery, a Stug Company and a Panzergrenadier Platoon this week.


Here's the guns, enough to upset any German commanders day. The battery also includes 1 medium and 3 small command stands, 2 OP stands, 2 OP Carriers and 1 Jeep. I have based the limbers separately from the guns as it seemed too crowded with it on the gun base.





Panzergrenadiers, and plenty of them. 1 Sd251/10, 3 Sd251/1, 1 Command team and 6 rifle/MG teams. Plenty of firepower there.




And finally some armoured support for the Panzergrenadiers. 5 Stug IIIG's, all ready to open fire on some poor Sherman/T-34.

All the vehicles were the first tries with an airbrush and I think they came out pretty well. Off to paint some more Napoleonics now, the joy of this is exceeded only by my indifference to painting Napoleonics.

Salute

As Salute is rapidly closing it was decided that we needed to get the tickets, so they have been ordered. There are 3 of us going from down here in wet and windy Devon, catching the train this year so we don't have to worry about driving, parking and speeding!

The 25pdrs are closer again to completion, with the basing about 50% done now. I am still waiting for the decals for the Stugs and Panzergrenadiers to arrive. Apart from that I have had a day of assembling models to paint later this week.


Here are the "heavy support" for my Luftwaffe troops for PBI2. Mighty and impressive are they not? What do you mean, Not? They are two former French Army R-35's although they have been joined by some H-35/39's with rockets on the side as well now.

Ho hum, back to the grind.