Pendraken Miniatures Forum

Pendraken News & Info! => Previous Years => Shows => 2016 Show Stuff => Topic started by: Leon on 09 June 2016, 12:24:29 AM

Title: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Leon on 09 June 2016, 12:24:29 AM
We'll be heading across the country on Saturday 18th June for the Phalanx show in St Helens.  This is our only trip to the north-west each year, so make sure to head along and grab some goodies!  We'll need any pre-orders sending through to us by Monday 13th please.

For more info on the event, head over to the Spartans website here: http://spartans.org.uk/phalanx-3/phalanx-2/

8)
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Tawa on 16 June 2016, 04:11:06 PM
I'll hopefully be there flogging off a load of old figures  :D
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Leon on 16 June 2016, 04:36:55 PM
Quote from: Tawa on 16 June 2016, 04:11:06 PM
I'll hopefully be there flogging off a load of old figures  :D

Excellent, make sure to pop by and say hi!

8)
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Tawa on 17 June 2016, 03:31:04 PM
I shall do!

Although the "hopefully" has now become "I wanted us to take little'n out somewhere for the day".......  :'(
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Leman on 17 June 2016, 04:20:29 PM
Come and see us on the Liverpool Wargames Association stand as well.
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: nikharwood on 18 June 2016, 06:02:21 AM
Quote from: Tawa on 17 June 2016, 03:31:04 PM
I shall do!

Although the "hopefully" has now become "I wanted us to take little'n out somewhere for the day".......  :'(

#goodskills 8)
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Lord Kermit of Birkenhead on 18 June 2016, 03:19:03 PM
Quote from: Leman on 17 June 2016, 04:20:29 PM
Come and see us on the Liverpool Wargames Association stand as well.

I did at about 09.00

IanS
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Leman on 19 June 2016, 07:04:28 AM
I saw a fair old number of people on the Liverpool stand, and, considering we were using two 100% Pendraken armies for Culloden, not a single person admitted to being on this forum. Weird. Anyway, Dave and Leon paid us a lengthy visit each, and it was great catching up. I also collected my band from their stand, and then persuaded a friend to buy a SYW French army pack.
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: fred. on 19 June 2016, 05:32:24 PM
I completely missed you and the game - I blame the weird yellow lighting. I even went for a final lap around the hall specifically to look for you, with no joy.

Where abouts was the game? It was all a bit confusing having Pendraken on the right on the wall with the door, rather than towards the left in the middle.
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Leon on 19 June 2016, 11:08:28 PM
Quote from: Leman on 19 June 2016, 07:04:28 AM
I saw a fair old number of people on the Liverpool stand, and, considering we were using two 100% Pendraken armies for Culloden, not a single person admitted to being on this forum. Weird. Anyway, Dave and Leon paid us a lengthy visit each, and it was great catching up. I also collected my band from their stand, and then persuaded a friend to buy a SYW French army pack.

Good to see you there, and a cracking game as well!  There was a guy on Facebook asking what size bases you used?

Quote from: fred. on 19 June 2016, 05:32:24 PM
Where abouts was the game? It was all a bit confusing having Pendraken on the right on the wall with the door, rather than towards the left in the middle.

The Liverpool lads were over at the back of the hall, about halfway down that aisle.  Our stand had moved this year as we'd asked the Phalanx club for a wall spot.  Our old position was in the middle of an aisle and it used to get a bit cramped in the walkways there, plus we had to carry nearly a tonne of stock halfway across the hall!  The new spot was right inside one of the fire doors and was much easier to get the stock in and out of.

Here's the pics of the Liverpool Wargames Association game:

(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13423884_10154065587685412_2213919711471923114_n.jpg?oh=23b3f526ac0a0acff807d6bd6cfea88c&oe=57D55CFB)

(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13442412_10154065587745412_1551656878551472623_n.jpg?oh=afa8748ce98a1b392b3c67d0cc5a4214&oe=57C1ED36)

(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13445338_10154065587800412_561846981135703544_n.jpg?oh=411bc15a6269fcd27ca72c12c37d8ae3&oe=57C640B3)

(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13418678_10154065587570412_344011127105099322_n.jpg?oh=f7af4eecfd2db7439b1bf34a61fc43bf&oe=57D6C888)

8)
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: paulr on 20 June 2016, 04:25:10 AM
 :-bd =D> :-bd

Despite the lighting & the clutter round the edges of the table ;)
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Techno on 20 June 2016, 05:18:54 AM
Looks cracking.  :)

Hope everyone had a good time. :-bd

Cheers - Phil
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Steve J on 20 June 2016, 06:00:08 AM
Looks a good game but some horrible lighting going on.
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Duke Speedy of Leighton on 20 June 2016, 06:02:46 AM
Great looking game, weird looking lighting!
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Leman on 20 June 2016, 06:55:26 AM
Phalanx is renowned for it's strange orange lighting - something to do with it being a sports centre. It's a very busy menu so only enough room on the table for a 6x4 cloth, hence rules, markers etc, round the edge of the table. Bases sizes used are 25mm square for small guns, infantry and cavalry, 25x40 for larger guns. This particular game was Black Powder, but generally I play C18th nowadays using Honours of War. However this entire game was put together by another club member who is unfamiliar with HOW.

Despite the lighting the Phalanx venue is good so long as it is not raining, as the catering is outside on the traders' car park. It is also only 5 minutes walk from Lea Green railway station ("train station" is another pet hate of mine - such a clunky phrase).
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: FierceKitty on 20 June 2016, 06:58:02 AM
"menu"? You've been at those little purple tablets, haven't you?
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: fsn on 20 June 2016, 07:04:17 AM
Didn't make it again this year.  :(

Apart from the lighting, I find the parking at Phalanx atrocious. Unless you're there 30 minutes before the start you won't get a space.

Hope a good time was had by all. 
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Leman on 20 June 2016, 07:07:25 AM
What a pity, as the Pendraken stand was really spacious this time round with masses of stuff on display.
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Roy on 20 June 2016, 09:47:16 AM
Saw the Culloden game on a few blogs that have given an account of the show, and I've got to say (previous to knowing it was your own) that it was my favourite, from what I saw.
Though one blog has the game listed as 6mm  :o
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Techno on 20 June 2016, 11:00:45 AM
Quote from: fsn on 20 June 2016, 07:04:17 AM
Apart from the lighting,

What sort of lighting IS that ?......Looks like the light old sodium street lamps gave off.
Don't think there's a correction facility on cameras for that particular 'temperature'.

Cheers - Phil
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: fsn on 20 June 2016, 11:45:31 AM
It's good St Helens lighting made in St Helens with St Helens glass and St Helens gas made from the waste products of St Helens.

I don't know. I think when Phalanx isn't there they use it to indoctrinate residents in "the proper and correct way of being a useful, productive and cheerful citizen of the glorious People's Republic of St Helens".


Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: fred. on 20 June 2016, 11:50:22 AM
The same lighting is in several sports halls in the NW - my assumption is that it was cheap to install!
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Techno on 20 June 2016, 12:50:56 PM
Or someone bought a job lot of sodium lighting (if that IS what's being used) and decided to use it rather than forking out on something new ?

Interesting  :-\

Anyone try using the colour correction for old style tungsten lighting ? The lighting in the hall looks very 'warm'.......Might work.  :-\

Cheers -Phil.
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Leon on 20 June 2016, 03:38:17 PM
It's that old 'orangey' strip lighting used in sports centres up and down the country throughout the 80's & 90's.  Unfortunately some haven't yet upgraded to actual white lights...  We had the same problem at our old Battleground/Smoggycon venue, the lights there were so orange it felt like nighttime walking in from the daylight.  I asked about fixing it at the time, but they didn't have the funding to replace all the lights?  I did wonder why they couldn't just put a better strip bulb in each time one blew, slowly transforming the whole lot over time, but that didn't seem to be an option.  In the end we moved venue instead.

I took the pics on my phone, so no colour correction available (as far as I know!)  The other issue with the lighting is that it affects all the paints on our Vallejo rack, so folks have to carry them outside to check the actual colour before buying... a bit annoying but at least we were near a fire door this year!
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Norm on 20 June 2016, 07:56:50 PM
A flashgun will cut through the lighting to a degree, but once you get beyond a few feet, the sodium starts to win.

I tried some post processing cast adjustment, but it hardly cools the orange down. I suppose using a manual White Balance adjustment might help.
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: fsn on 20 June 2016, 08:10:34 PM
I've taken photos at Phalanx and set my white balance in the hall. Photos still needed a bit of adjustment in processing, but came out OK.
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Roy on 21 June 2016, 09:31:35 AM
The real reason why the lighting in these venues is so poor is because people had the forethought to consider the possibility of Gizmo coming to visit!

(http://www.relatably.com/m/img/bright-light-memes/68rzik.jpg)

Hadn't you all realised this. It's pretty obvious, if you ask me.  :O)
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Tawa on 21 June 2016, 03:56:36 PM
So I finished work at 06:00, got all my stuff ready for the bring and buy, sat down on the sofa with a brew......... and then it was nearly 15:20......  :'(
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: Leman on 22 June 2016, 01:41:36 PM
Oh dear me. I know that road only too well.
Title: Re: Phalanx, St Helens
Post by: JeffNNN on 22 June 2016, 09:40:53 PM
Quote from: fsn on 20 June 2016, 07:04:17 AM
Didn't make it again this year.  :(

Apart from the lighting, I find the parking at Phalanx atrocious. Unless you're there 30 minutes before the start you won't get a space.

Hope a good time was had by all. 
Arrived an hour after start and found a space straight away. You can also pinch a space on the station parking just across the road.