donderdag 30 juli 2020

What I painted in July 2020

Another month passed by, and it has been a lot of 6mm craziness going on this month.

And not only scenery for the God scale, but some more printed and other stuff as well...

First of the finished thingymabobs this month where the Hell Talons, to provide some decent air cover in my Future War Commander battles.


A stack of buildings for Project Far Side have also been painted up.


I started working on my CSIR for BKC as well this month, starting out with the queen of the battlefield, the noble riflemen.

As well as the first forests using those cheap eBay trees.


I also printed and painted the USS Monitor in 1/300 scale, great to lay at the waterline of the gaming table.

A totally different model painted up this month is Silvius Brabo, the 2018 Crisis wargame show figure.

Also tying up a loose end, I finally finished the two drones to accompany the battlesuit I painted back in april...


So that is yet another 104 models completed, smooth sailing!


woensdag 29 juli 2020

Project Far Side: Update 3

So july comes to a close, and quit a heap of models have been prepared once more for the Project Far Side terrain craze.

As well as the first sets of trees and forests, made with the cheap chinese trees I reviewed on this blog earlier and a printed plate to put them on using some greenstuff and the likes, as was shown in a post earlier this week.


Okay, so the "focus on one table first" part of Update 2 went quickly out of the window, but quite a lot has been painted up in these past weeks, starting with the generic table, and the one that will probably see tabletop time first...


The epic table was the next batch that received attention, with some Tau bunkers, ruins and regular buildings.

A little bit was added respectively for the cyberpunk, tattoine, naboo and demon world tables as well.





And that means I printed and painted 27 more buildings in this period, for a variety of tables.




dinsdag 28 juli 2020

First "chinese" forests completed

And there we have it, the first three bases of forest completed.

I just called then "chinese" because they where made with those cheap trees I got from China and reviewed a while ago.


The trees themselves where placed on foamboard glued on old CD's, then covered in a past of sand and PVA.  The bases where then painted with "sapgroen" from the Amsterdam range and washed with Super Green from Coat D'Arms, while the trunks got a bit of a Wood Brown drybrush to reduce their "plastic" look.


A simple (but messy with the pva mixture) job to make some forests, and a lot more are to be prepared for the future, but these can serve in any game of 6mm scale, because you always need 'just one more forest".

And they also result in the goal of completing at least 10 "minimum CD base sized" terrain pieces for this year!

Now onwards to the next...


MechaTop succesfully funded

If there was one set of wargame rules I had my eye on, it was the Kickstarter for MechaTop.


These rules are made to recreate battles on the table using your collection of GunPla and other franchise models, and I have a LOT of 1/400 gashapon Gundams that I use in Future War Commander.

As well as the benefit that they go well together with all that 1/300 scale scenery I`m building.

Another great benefit for the game, which is standard at 1800 points, is it includes various game modes, and one of them is Solo play, so I can happily be trouncing along with my Gundam's on the living room table just in case no-one of my game group would be convinced to play along.  It's not like they would need actual figures, I can cover that easily.


At 1800 points, from the demo material, that would mean you have a big "titular" suit and a pilot, or 2 supporting suits with pilots, or even 3 "grunt" suits like Zaku's with pilots.  The game seems to feature both pilot and suit combo to make it effective.

The kickstarter (I took the 39 GBP version, being the tokens and rulebook) was succesfully funded and delivery is estimated around march 2021, so I`m really looking forward to playing a lot of games next year, either solo or with my buddies.  It also grants an online tournament code, sort of like a DCI number, but I have no idea that scene will take off in Belgium.



Now to get all those gasaphon repainted in the meantime...

maandag 27 juli 2020

A pair of Gun Drones

Nothing fancy in this post, as it is just a little tying up of a loose end.

Back in april, I painted the Heine Westenfluss battlesuit for my Tau SEED Destiny army, and I finally found a little hole to paint up his drones.


Both are of the Gun Drone variation, and while suits became far less intresting in 9th from what previews show (no fall back and shoot anymore, ouch), they still remain bloody cool looking.

I might even get the force finished before 9th comes to an end x-D

zondag 26 juli 2020

The Haul Report 239

A very modest haul this week, as the only hobby money spend was the backing of the MechaTop Kickstarter.


This upcoming gamesystem will let me put all my gasaphon mobile suits against each other, and I`ll do a post about it in the coming week.

Now to wait until march 21 in anticipation for it to arrive at my doorstep :-)

zaterdag 25 juli 2020

Wayland Games Pre-orders 25th july 2020

This saturday had some great new pre-orders opened over at Wayland Games, and here is their newsletter.

Will you defend the planet or claim it for Horus?

This weekend welcomes a new and exciting campaign book for Adeptus Titanicus players - The Defence of Ryza. It's time to fight for one of the most prolific forge worlds in the galaxy, and create your own Titan Legion as well as allegiances! Alongside new narrative missions, the expansion introduces four new Titan Legions, maniples and six new Knightly Houses.




There's a new kit available to pre-order too: Cerastus Knights Acheron and Castigator. If you like the sound of adding four fast and deadly war machines to your games of Adeptus Titanicus, equipped with Warblades, Bolt Cannons Chainfists and Flame Cannons, be sure to pre-order now.

To easily reference the rules during your games, make sure to pick up the Stratagem Cards, a pack featuring all 26 Stratagems from the book. And, be sure to check out scenery compatible with Adeptus Titanicus to add to your tabletop battlefield from as little as £7.61.

Don't forget, we're taking pre-orders for the Indomitus set (made-to-order), and we've removed the three per customer limit. You can now also lay your base for the Necrons from the Szarekhan Dynasty faster, by pre-ordering the Runelord Brass 12ml paint pot in a nifty 400ml spray can. Ideal for base coating any miniature you want to feature brass coloured details.

As always, if you see anything you like, please be so kind to go to the site through the banner below.  As an affiliate, I will be eternally grateful if you did. 






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On the Painting Desk 153

Some more thingies got finished this week, huzzaaah!

Starting of with some Tau Drones whom will be appearing on the blog in a few days time.


I also made some progress on those first forests, so I`ll show them off in a short bit as well.


In the coming week, I hope to get some more italians for BKC4 done, work a bit on that battlesuit in the back, and do some more terrain.

See you next week!

vrijdag 24 juli 2020

Sherman's March to the Sea 1864 - David Smith

Part of the Campaign series by osprey, number CAM 179, this book describes the ruthless trek by William Tecumseh Sherman through Georgia during the American Civil War.



A trek that actually might not have happened, had Jefferson Davies not made a big mistake.

Because in the beginning of 1864, tactical genius Sherman was tied up against the defensive battles fought by confederate general Johnston.  And things looked well for the Confederacy, as Lincoln would have a big struggle to get re-elected in november, as the North grew war weary, and the in July Davies made the mistake.  he thought Johnston would hand over Atlanta and replaced him with hot headed John Bell Hood, who promptly went on the attack... and suffered defeat after defeat against Sherman's maneuvering tactics.  This opened the way to heartland Georgia, and Sherman ultimately got the permission of Grant to push through, in what would become a hard march and "scorhed earth" tactics ripping the fight literally out of the state of Georgia, and securing the presidential election for Lincoln.

Hood tried to stop Sherman on multiple occassions, but events like destroying railroads, only to see them rebuild in a week's time severly demoralised the south.  And at times by luck, at times by numbers, but often by quality of Sherman's Corps commanders, the southern army of Tennessee is forced back one city at a time, until Sherman reached his target: Savannah.  Having set out from Atlanta, his March to the Sea was completed and a huge blow stricken to the Confederacy, as he wrote to Grant that he could "make the march, and make Georgia howl!", becoming the North's avengening angel; but the south's devil incarnate, driven as he was by his hatred for the southern sessessionists.

The book takes a look at the commanders of both sides, not only Sherman and Hood, but also Thomas (a Virginian chosing for the North and crucial in the whole March!), Schofield, colourful Killpatrick, Forrest, ... but also the opposing forces (though, Georgia had next to none) and plans.

The next parts are dedicated to the actual March to the Sea, on how the plans where forged by Sherman (and the razing of Atlanta) all the way to savannah, including the battles on the way like Griswoldville.  In these, it becomes quickly clear that not only Sherman was a superior tactical general compared to Hood, but also that as a result the Union steamroller couldn't be stopped by the spread out defenders, as the Confederates where pushed back piecemeal.  While the south managed to organise some delays and heroic stands, in the end the north was just to big a machine as it thundered through the lands.

Hood's Tennessee campaign, as he advanced on Nashville, on the other hand was blunted by miscommunications even when his army might have had an opportunity to strike a serious blow.  The morale had been boosted by his men going back to their homelands, but the failed offensives quickly started blunting this again and his men becoming less confident in their command hierarchy, especially after failing to exploit a critical mistake in the Union line at the battle of Franklin.

The first part of the March as such ends with the battle of Nashville, before starting off again towards Savannah.  But the hardest battles had been fought, and now Sherman could march his army into the histroy books.

Greatly detailed and mapped out, this campaign book is a true beauty to read.  It handles Sherman well, and how he was far ahead of his contemporaries in method of warfare, often seen as the first general to grasp the concept of current day fighting.  Hence, probably why they named the tank after him...


donderdag 23 juli 2020

Knights of the Zodiac season 1 part 2

So, the second half of the season, delayed by 6 months to be reworked after the car crash that the launch episodes where...


... and it still is utter garbage.

Detailing the Silver Saint arc, which, even though way to short in that it does it all in one location and 3 episodes, it had a few redeeming moments.   The Silver Saints themselves where okay, and Seiya vs Aiolia was good, but that is about it for the whole season.


Again with the cybernetic black saints and their general, who even goes to a uber black saint mode, and the lore changes make it horrible, not to mention those mistakes that make you wonder if the creators even ever seen the originals.  I mean, when the order comes to kill Athena, the Pope and the Gemini saint are in the same room... yeah...

And let's not go there that everyone bar Seiya and saori are fillers.  Ikki has one short moment de gloire, but the rest, well, I guess for example Hyoga can be counted in the whole series as having 25 lines or so?


No, I`m glad I went through this and don`t have to revisit it in all probability, because if the fanratings and critiques are anything to go by, this boat sunk faster then an ocean liner hitting an iceberg.

Maybe Hyoga created that iceberg, he had time enough on his hands during the season anyways...

woensdag 22 juli 2020

CSIR for BKC IV: first riflemen done

Slowly and surely I have begun painting on my 6mm World War 2 italians for the russian front, the CSIR (Corpo di Spedizione Italiano in Russia).


Woefully outarmoured and underequipped to face the russian might though, this will be a mainly infantry army to take to the field of battle, mostly supported by cannons and AT rifles to try and hold off the T-34's and the likes.

To that end, I started the force with the first completed infantry riflemen squads, models made by Adler, to serve as the backbone of the force.

These 7 stands give me the option of, in theory, already go to the aimed 3000 points for the force, as you need 2 of them minimum for each full 1000 points of the list.   Though with an infantry heavy force, that will mean there will be a heap more stands to bolster the numbers.


And so the first steps are taken to facing serious opposition and how to deal with tank-iness...




dinsdag 21 juli 2020

China Trees: 20pc Fruit Trees

The for now second type of cheap trees I found on eBay, this time from seller craft_mall, are these little fruit trees.


Listed as "20 pieces 1/300 scale DIY landscape model trees for railway garden decors" and costing, with free shipping, 3.76 GBP per bag, these fruit trees will make a lovely orchard.


I made a little clip about them, seen above, and I'm quite happy with how they turned out, as it is always a bit of a mystery what the quality and all will be with these sorts of items.

maandag 20 juli 2020

The Rocket Propelled Grenade - Gordon L. Rottman

One of the freebie Osprey's from the past Covid 19 lockdown, this book details the RPG weapon and it's 6 decades of development.


Created as a defense for infantry against tanks, this is one of the most common "support weapons" of recent warfare.

Lightwieght, rather compact, inexpensive, ease to build and maintain... all these factor in to the weapon's popularity, and it is used by armies, militia, insurgents... and not only against tanks or AFV's.  Personnel, fortifications, ships, aircraft... all have been shot at with these weapons, and this Osprey takes a deeper look at how it came about.

It is actually a recoilles weapon, and the RPG term as we know in english is rather misstranslated from the original cyrillic designation of hand antitank grenade launcher.  The nowadays weapon was first tested in 1954 and developped from there, though it's historical ancestor was the WW2 German Panzerfaust.

The book takes a look at how AT guns and rifles from WW2 slowly changed form and way of functioning to the portable rocket launchers of today, by looking at it's various development versions and sorts of ammunitions used.
It also takes a look at the various uses, from the jungles of Vietnam to the streets of Baghdad, as various forces started to deploy them more and more en masse, as well as how effective they actually are against AFV's and other targets.

An intresting book for the more modern wargame minded players, like those who play Spectre and the likes, but to be honest this wasn't my cup of tea.

zondag 19 juli 2020

The Haul Report 238

Quite a bit of haulage this week, starting off with a delayed birthday present from Noshi.


Namely the third volume of the No Game No Life books, which was delayed in the post to make it on time, but now I can continue reading the books of one of the best anime series I ever saw.

Talking No Game No Life, I also found the volume 5 through Archonia, so now I can go 3 to 6 in one go :-)


I also had a heap of mail orders coming in, the first being 60 by 30 mdf bases for all my 6mm forces to be build.  They where ordered from Warbases in the UK, as they are just well, plain cheaper then at Baccus for these.


Talking 6mm armies, three more arrived this week, as I had placed an order at Irregular for some of their army packs, great value at 17.60 each.  The selected forces where for Conquest of Mexico with some Aztecs, the Mexicans to besiege the Alamo and Mongols to rampage in China.


I`ll be doing pack reviews for these in the near future, so keep your eyes peeled!

Rounding out the week are some Earth Alliance "first era" Babylon 5 ships, whom I traded with Andy.


So a good week for sure, and a lot more to be painted up now.

zaterdag 18 juli 2020

Wayland Games: Warhammer 40k Terrain

Warhammer 40k Terrain: Have you Scene it all before?

Terrain is an essential part of any miniatures game: so spruce up your next tabletop game with the hottest and versatile terrain sets Wayland Games has to offer.

Whether you are looking for terrain to use as respite for your miniatures, or simply to immerse yourself further into the atmosphere of your game: we have plenty of terrain pieces to make your next tabletop skirmish come to life.







Check out our deals on Warhammer 40k Terrain. With the newest season approaching thick and fast, give your Indomitus miniatures a fresh look, by diversifying your gaming area further. Take your miniatures onto the turf of The Adepta Sororitas with the Adepta Sororitas Battle Sanctum, or improve your gaming experience with the Sector Imperialis: Administratum - a once imposing imperial building, turned ruins. All with upto 20% OFF RRP.

Warcradle Scenics has some fantastic terrain sets which are completely adaptable for several popular tabletop ranges. The Dark Assembly range is compatible with a vast range of miniature games, such as Warhammer 40k, Warhammer 40k Kill Team and much more.

Along with terrain sets, Warcradle Scenics offer bases ranging from 20mm to 40mm, with popular sizes in between if you are looking for a blank slate to diversify your miniatures. They also have several different sized movement trays to fully equip your tabletop needs.

You can order yours over at Wayland, but if you want to be so kind as going there through my affiliation link, it would be greatly appreciated!

So just click the banner and happy shopping!


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On the Painting Desk 152

Where last week was slow, I managed to get some things finished this week, huzzah!

Not only some bases of CSIR, whom I`ll feature later this week, but also the first of the 5 prepared forests for 6mm scenery.


Now to see what I can add this week to the completed stack, though I probably be doing glueing mostly...

vrijdag 17 juli 2020

Frontier season 3

Poor Noshi.  She skipped on this season after season 2 didn"t have "enough Momoa' anymore.


But in this 6 episode third (and final) season, Declan Harp is back as a full force of nature, now that Jason Momoa has finished filming some movie about a guy with fishes.

The story is split in two, with Michael, who kind of became the titular hero of season 2, staying at the Hudson Bay area to form an alliance against the HBC.  In the meantime, Declan travels to Scotland to bring back Grace and exact revenge on lord Benton.


Both these paths go to and fro with the necessary setbacks, but the series does tie up some nice arcs from the previous seasons.  It also has the added benefit though while an open ending, it doesn`t leave us on a cliffhanger as most stories are resolved, but still give a gateway for a continuation.

It was another enjoyable stint telling basically the tale of a bunch of thieves and cutthroats that formed the wealth of nations with the furtrade, and it is a shame it is finished, yet it is perhaps for the better as the main story has been told...

And especially for Noshi:



donderdag 16 juli 2020

Mortal Engines - Philip Reeve

I learned about this book by the Peter Jackson movie (which I really enjoyed btw), and when ordering it I found out it's not a book, but the first volume of a whole setting.






And truth to be told, the first 2/3rds of the movie and the book are quite similar, so that's top points for adaptation.

Surely, the book has a few more detailed exploits, like Valentine's daughter playing a bigger part in the city of London, Hester and Tom having a few more detours on the way of their journey, and Hester being far more disfigured then how she appears in the film, but all in all...

It's the last part of the book where the movie wildly deviates from, the moment the Great Wall comes in sight.  You see, millenia after the 60 minutes war, in which mankind nearly nuclearly razed itself into extinction, cities have become large rolling monstrosities.  Always on the look-out to "feed" on smaller ones, the hunting grounds are getting empty.  But the Anti-Tractionist League, or more "settled down" parts of the population, are mostly gathered behind a huge wall.

London has set it's sights on this area of Earth in an attempt to gain more power and become the biggest and strongest of them all.  But a mysterious girl named Hester Shaw is out for revenge on chief archeologist Valentine of London, who brought from one of his expeditions the mighty weapon called MEDUSA...

The biggest difference from the movie is that the book explores the route to the connection between hester and Valentine through the point of view of his daughter Katherine, but also that the "battle for the Wall" resolves very; very different from the movie version.

An enjoyable read, I will be over time getting my hands on more volumes from the series, and guard them afterwards for Thorin to read as well as this is some nice young adult fiction work.

woensdag 15 juli 2020

Wayland Games newsletter 15/7

For those intrested, Wayland Games is running a couple of promotions again this week, and as an affiliate I gladly share the newsletter.

So if anything catches your fancy, feel free to take a look at their webstore, and be so kind to use this link so my traffic numbers get a small bumpityupity:

 

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Myths and Legends are Rising

We have got some fantastic offers this week, showing you all the most popular games, tools and paints to ensure your miniatures are nothing short of legendary.

First up this week is Mythos. Factions are rising from the ashes to take ownership within the Shadow War. The Wyldborne have come out from the shadows of the wilderness, the Path of Chronozon have sharpened their knowledge, and the Brotherhood of Belial are prepping to join the fray this month (but are certainly not late to the battle), with lethal force and brutality.


Next, The Drowned Earth - a miniatures game full of pre-historic gusto. With up to 10% OFF RRP, order your faction starter set to get started, and prepare to battle in a tabletop world of dinosaurs, glorious riches and ancient technology.



We also have some fantastic paints and tools from The Army Painter that'll help you to achieve a stunning finish, with minimum effort and up to 10% OFF RRP. Get in quick before these incredible products are all gone.


Of course don't forget our usual selection of board games, all at great prices.

UPDATE: Warhammer 40,000: Indomitus MADE TO ORDER

As we’re sure you are aware, the new Warhammer 40,000 Indomitius box set has proven very popular for wargamers worldwide. Demand for this coveted box could not have been forseen, and pre-orders from us along with other major relatilers were out within minutes.

Games Workshop have enabled a way for more gamers to get hold of their own copy, and we are now able to take orders for this immediately.

These special boxes are going to be made to order by Games Workshop themselves and are looking to be shipped in either November or December, however this date is subject to change, and may be brought forward.

There is also no limit on the number of copies you can purchase too! So whether you would like to buy one for yourself and your friend, or just yourself; there are plenty to go round, so Warhammer Fans will not miss out on this iconic new edition box.