Fred’s 2023 Painting and Gaming Diary

[fred.]

Thanks both

Glad you like how the kilts turned out - at table top distances they work well enough

You don't need to file down the Tams - there are figures with Glengarries available. 

Haven't quite decided what I'm doing about MG support for my Scots. I wonder if 8th Army figures (to get bare legs and socks) might be the starting place. Have to check what webbing they have. 

[fsn]

I see you have edited you WWI is x periods note - I'd certainly agree its 2 periods from a wargames figures perspective - with the significant differences in uniforms from 1914-15 compared to 1916+. And hence why I have multiple forces. As to style of games, then there are probably more - but this almost feels like a continual evolution of tactics and weapons over the 4 years, which allowed the more open battles of 1918 from the hard lessons learnt.

My three periods for WWI are (very roughly) 1914 - pretty uniforms, cavalry; 1915-1917 - drab uniforms, trenches, tanks; 1918 (end of) breakthrough - cavalry and tanks in green fields. I know the last is very niche, but it draws me more than the trenches.
   

Given that Pendraken make lots of lovely figures for WWI - it is just a matter of time before you buy them. So just ear mark a spot on your shopping list of lists as to when you can start planning, and accept that WWI is somewhere in your future. All you have to decide is how far in the future!

I know. I've already planned out 1914 forces for Britain, Belgium, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia, and 1917/1918 forces for Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary.

When Pendraken released the African animals, I created a East African force with Askari and KAR and German sailors and it didn't scratch the itch.   

[fred.]

My three periods for WWI are (very roughly) 1914 - pretty uniforms, cavalry; 1915-1917 - drab uniforms, trenches, tanks; 1918 (end of) breakthrough - cavalry and tanks in green fields. I know the last is very niche, but it draws me more than the trenches.

I agree from a style of fighting perspective, at least with the 2 later categories you can pretty much use the same figures for both (at least that is what I am doing!)

And you get to add in the different fronts, although for most of those there is much less change in uniforms and battlefields though the war.

I know. I've already planned out 1914 forces for Britain, Belgium, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia, and 1917/1918 forces for Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary.


When Pendraken released the African animals, I created a East African force with Askari and KAR and German sailors and it didn't scratch the itch.   

There really is no hope for you is there   

Have you asked Leon if you can setup a direct payment straight out your salary each month?

[fsn]

Have you asked Leon if you can setup a direct payment straight out your salary each month?

My salary gets paid directly to Pendraken. He gives me an allowance.


If I'm good.

[fsn]

Awwww Fred!

I was looking through the Pendraken catalogue to see how you did those ammunition limbers by the guns ... and I looked in the British section and there are those rather awesome Gun Carriers ... and there's the carrier pigeons ... and traction engines!



So how did you do those limbers by the guns?


As for me ... I asked my Uncle what he thought ...

[fred.]

The traction engines are very cool! Already have one of those painted up. A couple of the gun carriers lurk in the under coated pile. 

Limbers - turned out to be fairly simple, once I finally found some decent photos. 

For the French they tilted their limber back, and then opened the doors, the trail acting as a kind of stand. So using one of the boxy limbers, I trimmed off the cast on handles. Made doors out of thin plastic card, I think they were pretty much 5mm square (although looking at the photo now, they perhaps should have been a bit narrower as I don't think they joined in the middle). The stand was made by half cutting through the pole which would normally go through the horses, and bending it down, then trimming to length. 

The British one is a bit different as they leave it in the normal orientation, but the door opens as a single flap down to the ground (I think to provide protection from small arms fire). Then there is a stand on the limber pole - made from a small bit of plastic card. 

For both if I had a 3d printer I would have added a thin piece that shows the ends of the shells in the ammo racks. 

[fred.]

Dragon - Reaper Bones 

Bit of a change of scale and topic!



A Reaper Bones dragon painted mainly in contrast paints. Given the size of the model it has been a fairly quick paint job. Might add a little bit more detail yet. 

This is one of 3 or 4 large 28mm plastic dragons I bought a good few years ago. Due to the slowness of Kickstarter deliveries I'd more or less moved on from why I'd wanted them in the first place. But happy now to have it coloured in. 

Seeing it tonight my daughter asked if cross genre fantasy games were possible - eg would the WWI British cavalry be facing a giant red dragon? An interesting thought. Not sure what rules would work best?

[Ithoriel]

Impressive stuff!

The Red Baron?

[paulr]

    

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Magnifcent Forbes

[fred.]

Thanks all

The Red Baron?

I like your thinking! I had already wondered about tiny Sopwith Camels buzzing around him!

[fred.]

Fistful of Lead - Jail Break!

Played FFoL on Friday night - a jail break game



The 'jail' is the white adobe building with the ladder to the flat roof. The prisoner is in a cell on the ground floor, guarded by 2 US Cavalry soldiers, one on each floor.

The baddies are making their way on from the left hand side of the table.

The cavalry reinforcements were due as 2 pairs on the draw of a Joker. I was playing the Cavalry so was hoping these would come up soon.

The comedy moment was the baddies sniper attempting to climb on the roof of the forge and failing with a 1 - twice!

The baddies managed to get to the jail - killing the ground floor defender with a lucky shot, and the defender upstairs only managed to take out 1 attacker - although it was their leader.

We we just thinking that the reinforcements weren't ever coming when my opponent managed to draw both jokers in the same turn!

My mounted troopers came on from opposite sides of the board - and managed to surround the remaining baddies in the jail.



Here the 3 remaining baddies are on the ground floor - surrounded!

At this point it was very much a stand-off. With the baddies in the jail - but not locked in it!

The baddies decided they would make a break for it. It ended rather predictably badly with them all shot down!

Another fun game of FFoL. We've played a varient of this a couple of times and the random arrival of the reinforcements has worked well arriving when the baddies have broken into the jail!

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Looks awesome

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Forgot this...

 

[fred.]

Cheers Will

Distractions

Thanks to North Stars weekly January sales I've ended up with rather a lot of 28mm figures

First up are some metal German See Battalion and some African Tribesmen 


It's been a while since I've had big metal figures and I have to say the simplicity yet character of these Copplestone figures is very nice. 



And got some paint on the See Battalion today

Light grey undercoat, dark brown wash, white drybrush. Then contrast Skeleton Bine for the uniform. 



I also got a pile of plastics, Stargrave females, and Frostgrave Cultists and Gnolls to make various Sci Fi figures 6 or 7 sprues in total. And a box of Great Escape plastic cowboys. 

Stuck together about 10 during the week which was quite fun but much slower than the metals.