Vapnartak Today...

... and sadly, I forgot to take my camera.

So instead here are a couple of pictures of Somerset's completed liveried billmen.

On the Workbench - a German Factory

The latest addition to my collection of 1/300th scale scenery is this German light industrial unit.

It was originally planned for use in a WW2 game but then I decided to adapt it for the Third World War game in April. Parking bays on the front concourse seemed a good way of saying "modern".

As you can see, the defenders have started fortifying the factory by adding breastworks of sandbags to the roof and car park.

6mm Unit Basing

The impending Big Cold War Commander Game in April has raised the issue of basing standards for 6mm scale models.  This is what I do.

My basing material is artist’s mounting board.  You can get it from an arts and crafts supplies shop.  I back mine with self-adhesive steel paper before cutting out the bases.  This is available from a company called Magnetic Displays.  It’s not cheap but a pack lasts a long time.  My storage drawers are lined with “magnetic foam” which you can pick up for about 60p an A4 sheet from Hobbycraft.

Having cut out the bases with a Stanley knife, I try to remember to mark the bottom of the base to show what kind of unit the base will be.  I use a fine-pointed Staedler felt tip designed for writing in CDs.

Next, apply a thin layer of PVA glue all over the base.  Place the model into the glue and sprinkle finely sieved sand over the rest.

You can if you like add small stones or twigs to the base before the sand but I tend not to bother because most of my bases aren’t much bigger than the model.

With infantry or command units I sometimes disguise the thick bases of the figures by blending them in with a little tile adhesive tinted brown with poster paint.

When the base has dried (usually over night) you can invert it and tap the bottom to remove the excess sand.  The base is now ready for painting.

I start off with a base coat of Miniature Paints’ Earth Brown or Games Workshop’s Khemri Brown (or if I’m feeling particularly keen, irregular patches of the two).  I make sure to paint the sides of the base to match the top.

I then drybrush.  For small, single vehicle unit bases I usually just go straight to Vallejo Iraqi Sand or GW Bleached bone but for larger unit bases I use layers of increasing lightness - GW Graveyard Earth followed by Vallejo Camo Orange Ochre, Khaki, Iraqi Sand and finally Iraqi Sand mixed with white.

I then paint the base with patches of thinned down PVA and scatter on static grass.

My bases are to the following sizes for the Blitzkrieg Commander series of games:

CO bases 40mm width x 40mm depth

HQ bases 30mm x 30mm

Tanks, trucks, armoured cards APCs etc. 20mm x 30mm

Infantry, MGs etc 30mm x 20mm

Mortars, artillery, AA elements 30mm x 30mm
FAOs and FACs use a 2p coin, and
Snipers use a 1p coin.

No January Game

You may have noticed (or you may not; perhaps no one cares) that there's no write up of January's Saturday Afternoon WargameTM.  This is because there was no January Saturday Afternoon Wargame.  We were to have been thin on the ground anyway (just me, Jamie and Phil) but then Phil had transport problems and we decided to abort.  Just as well really as I was still hung-over from the previous evening's meeting of the Bradfield and District Pork Pie Appreciation Society.

However, if you're interested here's a photo* of the table set up for the abortive Sharp Practice game:

The rectangular objects along the far tree line are the cards I was planning to use as blinds to disguise hidden French units.

* Interestingly (or again, perhaps not) that was an example of the linguistic error known as a conditional biscuit as in "If you're hungry, there's a biscuit on the table" when in fact the biscuit is on the table whether you're hungry or not.

On the Workbench - Bills

My first batch of Perry plastic Wars of the Roses types are ready for basing.

They're billmen in the livery of the Duke of Somerset.  I shall base them up shortly for Basic Impetus.  Just trying to decide whether to add a banner bearer to the unit.

Slightly Delayed Review of the Gaming Year

2011 has been the first full year of Saturday Afternoon Wargames (™) and I’ve been happy that I’ve got far more gaming done as a result.

As always Hordes of the Things comes top in terms of most games played.  Eighteen or so I think this year.  No other game comes close in terms of volume but a few games have given me at least as much pleasure during the year.  

Basic Impetus has achieved a very credible four games (two I played and two I refereed) and has every prospect of being my ancient and medieval rules of choice for the foreseeable future.  I suspect there are one or two glitches around the strengths of units and a lack of proper distinction between light and heavy troops but nothing I can’t live with.

Cold War Commander had already established itself as a favourite.  Again not a perfect set of rules (I’m not entirely sold on the core combat mechanic) but these rules have got me playing with my late 20th century microtanks for the first time in years.  Next year with see at least two CWC games - one of them a BIG one.

Principles of War saw a couple of outings during the year and seems to give a perfectly acceptable Franco-Prussian War experience.  I’ll probably play some more next year but might try Black Power with my 6mm figures too.

Finally, among the miniatures games, Song of Blades and Heroes has been a fun addition to the repertoire.  As a way of having a quick game with a few 25mm fantasy figures, they are a good way of getting some use out of some old miniatures. 

Boardgames-wise, I’ve played a couple of scenarios from my old Victory Games “Fleet series” collection. I’d be keen to do some more next year but they really need a bit longer than a Saturday afternoon allows.  

Whilst away on holiday we played a cheapo game called Get to Da Chopper.  Based upon the film Predator (I believe; I’ve never seen it) it was brief and fun.

Gus brought along a block building game over at Christmas that was fun but I can’t remember the name.

As regards painting it’s been very much at both ands of the scale range (6mm from ancients to moderns via the Great Northern War and the Franco Prussian War) and 25/28mm fantasy, medievals and ancients but very little in between.  My plan to paint up my remaining late war Germans as Kampfgruppe Odsenzods was particularly stalled.

But I did get those damned Border Reivers finished!

Bit of a catch-up

I've not been here much of late because our mobile internet connection has been moving with the speed of a snail on diazepam.  However, things seem to have picked up; for one glorious half hour on Thursday evening the download rate topped 1Mbps!  I can only assume all of the other T-mobile customers in northwest Sheffield were struck down by some short-lived viral condition that prevented them putting finger to keyboard.

Anyway, I think I already mentioned that I've been out shopping and bought both Sharp Practice and Black Powder.  Both have seen very basic try-outs on top of my plan chest and both look likely to see action in one of our forthcoming Saturday Afternoon Wargames(TM).  More on both of these later.

The other major breakthrough is to have managed to persuade the school PFA to accept April's big CWC game as a PFA event. This saves us needing separate public liability insurance and makes the event financially viable.  Now to acquire the necessary green table cloths!

On the workbench of late have been some of the Perry plastic Wars of the Roses infantry I got at Christmas.  They're gradually adding a Duke of Somerset's contingent to my Basic Impetus collection.

Then there are these 20mm British Napoleonic infantry. They were, ready-painted, among a batch of plastic figures given to me by a work colleague.  I think I'll give them a dip-style varnish wash to tone them down a bit.

Finally, as I start to bulk up some existing units for a forthcoming game of Sharp Practice, a couple of Airfix conversions.  A kneeling French infantryman gets a busbied head from a British Hussar to make a Nassau grenadier.  The Frenchman's shako is then donated to a British infantryman to make a Black Brunswicker fusileer.  Sadly the Englishman's Belgic shakoed head is of no use on (and too small for) the Hussar body which will probably wait for another spare French shako.