A bit of AA for FOW

   And today we have some photos of recently finished toy soldiers! These are all Battlefront Miniatures figures, for the Flames of War (v4) game. Of course, they can be used in any 15mm World War 2 game. But that's what they are for.

   Also, I am using my new pop-up photo box for the first time with these pictures. I don't know if it's a LOT better, but I think they are at least improved somewhat. Still just using my iPhone for the camera, since the old Sony died a year or so back.

8th Army 40mm Bofors AA gun scans the skies for the Hun!

The full battery of three guns. A nasty surprise for any lurking Stukas!

The DAK response: SdKfz 10/4: A halftrack mounted 2cm gun.

A platoon of four will help protect all those lovely Panzers

from nasty British Hurricanes.

Plans for 2019

   As we near the end of another year, I think it's a good idea for me to look forward to the year to come. I am hoping that with a plan I will perhaps stay more focused and therefore be more successful in finishing some projects so that I can play the games!

   First is to finish off a project that I thought I already had done. That's the 15mm Spanish Civil War force that I built for Spain in Flames. I am doing the Nationalist Carlists, the requetes. What do I need to do to finish this up? Not too much, really.

• Paint the Fiat Chirri biplane.
• Paint about three platoon command bases for the machineguns, mortars, and AT guns
• Consider a small armoured contingent, of perhaps three to five PzKW Is.
• Get a few Mediterranean terrain pieces. Battlefront's Italian houses will work fine.

   The second project to work on is Frostgrave. I bought a couple of wizards in November of 2017. I just bought a box of the plastic soldiers.

• Paint the wizards and apprentices. (4)
• Assemble and paint the soldiers.(20)
• Obtain and paint objective/treasure markers.
• Obtain terrain. I have a little bit, but more is needed. This is probably the hardest task for this project, though I already have a battlemat from Cigar Box Battle Mats.

   The third new project is a SAGA 2 Viking force. I am going to just do 4 points this year.

• Obtain and paint minis - about 25 
• Obtain terrain. I'm thinking a few 4-Ground Viking buildings will fit the bill well.

   Next, I want to finish off my Soviet Team Yankee forces. It's pretty much all vehicles.

• Finish 4x BDRMs
• Finish BMP-1 OP
• 10x BMP-2s
• 3x DANA SP Guns
• 3x Carnation or Acacias
• 2x Shilka AAA
• 4x SA-13 Gophers

   Then there are the few odds and ends for my Flames of War DAK and 8th Army...

• 4x Light AA half tracks
• 4x BOFORs 40mm
• Some sort of extra tanks for the Brits. Crusaders, maybe.

   Finally, I want to get my VBCW forces into a game!

• Terrain. Primary need for this to happen.

   Well, that's all. I think that's a pretty ambitious list for me, actually. I'm hoping to do the terrain as table ready as I can get it.

Skipping MillenniumCon This Year

   I won't be there this weekend in Round Rock. Life gets in the way sometimes, and I have a ton of research papers to finish grading. But it was a good convention last year and I think worth the time for folks to attend.

   I have been getting a few things finished up. The biggest deal is that I finished up enough Afrika Korps infantry to field a full Africa Rifle Company for Flames of War v4. That's a Company HQ consisting of two HQ stands; two platoons of four infantry stands, a 2.8cm AT gun stand, an sMG42 stand, and 8cm mortar stand; and a 5cm Tank Hunter Platoon of three PaK38 stands.  And that means I can field both sides!

The full company required to make a formation in FOW v4

Some Recent Painting

   Just a few quick snaps to show some of what I have been working on these last few weeks. I am almost "done" with my Flames of War Afrika Korps forces for v4. I just want to finish a trio of Panzer IVs, five stands of infantry and support weapons, and get some AA trucks (Sdkfz 250/4, I think...).

A Great Pillar to Great Cthulhu

For Frostgrave or just for fun...

3 PaK-38 5cm AT Guns for Afrika Korps in Flames of War

Afrika Korps infantry and support weapons

Better shot of the 2.8cm AT gun

DAK 8cm mortar

Closeup of the Phone Box for VBCW (28mm)

Police Box, Phone Box, and Post Box, all 28mm for VBCW

Pair of JU-87 Stukas for FOW v4 in Africa

Stuff on the Table

   I have prepped a bunch of stuff for the table, if you follow that listing on here. Much of it is 15mm Deutsches Afrika Korp (DAK) for Flames of War v. 4. Of course, the same minis can be used for earlier versions as well, though possibly in different numbers per unit.

   I will soon have a decent DAK selection for North African warfare. That would include a small infantry company, two platoons of Panzer IIIs, a platoon of Panzer IVs, a battery of Lorraine Schlepper 15cm guns, a Panzer II OP, and a pair of the dreaded Flak 36 8.8cm guns. I want to add a pair of Stukas, enlarge my infantry sections, and build a second pair of Flak 36s. I may go ahead and get a pair of Tiger IEs from Schwere Panzerabteilung 501, too, but I am wavering on that. There were only like a dozen in all of Africa, after all. I own a fair number of unpainted halftrack transports, and a Kradschutzen motorcycle platoon for version 3.0, but I don't think they have rules for them in version 4. Maybe upgrade cards?

   I also took a look at what I already have for my British 8th Army forces to oppose the Huns. My infantry is solid - I have Indian troops. I have a section of India Pattern recon vehicles, too. For heavy stuff, there is a battery of 4x 25-pounders, a Honey OP tank, some Grants, some Crusaders, and a pair of Hurricanes. I have some 2-pdr and 6-pdr portees, but I have to look at how the game treats those in 4th Edition. I think there is an upgrade card for it, just like there is one for Indian infantry.

   Other than Flames of War stuff, I have a variety pack of 28mm stuff. That's basically stuff that has been sitting about, and I can use them as relaxation from the eyestrain of painting 15mm. That's getting harder these days.

Clear Coat still drying on these

But I thought I would share anyway. Please forgive the hasty and not too-well lit photos. I'm excited that I have been making progress on some projects.

A Paneuropean "Huscarl" (Mk. V) OGRE

(Steve Jackson Games, Plastic)

German, it calls itself "Das Schwarzeritter" - The Black Knight

Why? Because it's a massive unstoppable engine of war. It can call itself whatever it wants.

Another Paneuropean "Legionnaire", this one Neo-Soviet.

KMSR-1917, aka "Kommisar"

(Steve Jackson Games, Metal)

Turrets and hulls of some DAK PzKW III and IV

15mm Battlefront

Platoon Commander for Panzer IVs (with short 7.5cm gun)

Recent Painting

Reaper Bones Gutrags, the Stitch Golem

Rear view.

Bones Lesser Stitch Golems

"Spinne" Light Armoured Walker for Konflikt '47

Pink piping for Panzer crews

28mm terrain

A Paneuropean "Legionnaire" (Mk. III) OGRE

In Papal States Colours

Two Combine "Bigfoot" Mobile Howtizers

Painted to match existing 1st Cav Div Heavy Tanks

A pair of Flak 38 88mm guns for the Afrika Korps

15mm, Battlefront Miniatures

And more progress!

   This will go down as the busiest month on this blog in a long time.

   Here I present for your enjoyment and comments the remainder of my productivity over the past two months or so. A few 15mm Flames of War items and some terrain.

PzKw IV

   I bought these Battlefront Panzer IVs a long time ago in a platoon box. I have all five. Problem is, they are really a later war model than the Afrika Korps would have had. Note the Zimmerit anti-magnetic mine coating and the protective skirts on the turrets. Neither would have been in Afrika. When I figured it out I had already sprayed them in the basecoat. So I just inked them, dry brushed over it, and painted one or two minor details. I didn't bother with the track skirts, as they are both a  bit fiddly and inaccurate in the desert as far as I know. These will have to do until I get some more appropriate models.

Four of the six desert palm trees I finished

A pair of Hurricanes, ready to hunt the Hun in the North African desert.

These are the newer Battlefront range.

A resin palisade. suitable for 15mm as a tall fence or 25/28mm as a somewhat short one.

   Pieces by Ainsty Castings, I think. Or maybe Acheson Creations? I bought them years ago at Historicon from a big bin they keep, made from their leftover resin. Rather than waste what's left in the pot after a pour, they pour it into some small molds. The result is a lot of small pieces that they sell for relatively cheap - like a buck or two each.

We have painted minis! At last!

To be fair, these guys were mostly done before the move, so it's not quite as exciting as all that. But still! These days, any progress is good progress. So yay!

First up, some of Warlord Games' Bolt Action figures. These are Early War British (BEF) and Home Guard figures that I am planning to use both for Bolt Action and Very British Civil War.

Running to the front. Traditional enameled teacup accounted for!

Medium Mortar and Heavy Machinegun

Notice the Free Wales armband on the bombard gunner.

   Also, a few more. Here, Mister Bertram Wooster, of London, does battle with a Weeping Angel...

Bertie is another bit for my Home Guard/VBCW collection.

The Angel is from Reaper.

From Victoria Miniatures. This octopoid fellow is a slave labor

heavy weapons crewman - he carts ammo. The story behind it is 

that the German Empire rules the part of Venus from which his people

hail. They are used as heavy laborers in the colony. (VSF, obviously - I hope?)

   I hope you enjoyed them. I have several more figures similar that are nearing completion, then I am going to move on to painting a Soviet force for Team Yankee. Maybe I can get that completed before my gaming group moves on to another game...

Uh-oh, Pledge Trouble...

But it's not too bad. I got three minis, a pack of 28mm Schreckenwulf for Konflikt '47.

  The plan is to use them for Doctor Vardu in VSF, but of course, I can use them for their intended purposes as well... I love double-dipping on figures.

   So the tally is three purchased, zero painted. But I am really close on like a dozen or so finished painted. I may have started them in 2017, but it only counts when they are finished... right?

MillenniumCon XX Flash Report

   Just got home from Round Rock. Overall, I had a really good time at the convention. Photos will follow soon (ish). Highlights:

• My game went really well. A few bumps, but everyone seemed to enjoy it, and I got some good feedback for a future refinement... this one may return.

• I played in five games. Of those, I won four (one was a co-operative win). The other was determined a draw.

• Bought a good deal of new toys.

• Met a lot of new people, mainly gamers from Texas.

• Ran into a lot of people I have met over the years at various other stores and conventions.

• Best of all, I ran into someone I knew a long time ago. Tim was one of my fish buddies when we were in the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M. We are both Class of '94 members of Company A-2, 7th Btn, 1st Reg't. We hadn't seen one another in almost 24 years, but we got a chance to catch up some while we played a game of OGRE together. Information exchanged.

   Basically, I have to say that MillenniumCon is the best small convention I have ever attended. The atmosphere is fun and relaxed. The venue is good (could use food service) and clean.

   That's the FLASH report.

Recent Purchases

   Since the storm I have been engaging in a great deal of retail therapy. I know it's probably not real healthy, but I've spent a fair amount of money lately on a wide variety of games and accessories. SO, just to keep it in my mind, and give you faithful few an idea of where my madness has been leading me lately...

Rulebooks...

• Frostgrave Thaw of the Lich Lord

• Starfinder RPG Core Rulebook

• Bolt Action, 2nd Edition
• Armies of Germany

• Gothic: An Expansion for In Her Majesty's Name
• FOW 4E: Desert Rats

And Accessories...

• FOW 4e: Desert Rats Command Cards
• FOW 4e: Desert Rats Tokens

• Dystopian Wars: Cards
• IHMN: Tokens/markers
• Vallejo Paints and Brush On Primer

And boardgames...

• Machi Koro: Bright Lights, Big City

• SmashUp: Big in Japan
• SmashUp: Monster Movie Mashup
• SmashUp: Cease and Desist

And minis...

• Red Vectors Martian Skiffs (x2), custom scaled to work for 15mm.
• Trollbloods Starter Battlegroup

• Circle Oroboros Starter Battlegroup (old)

• Dystopian Wars FSA Valley-class Airship
• Ogre Miniatures: Hover Trucks and Light Artillery Drones (x3 each)

• Ogre Miniatures: Paneuro GEVs (x6)
• WH40K: Necron Canoptic Scarab Swarm (x6 bases) for use as Automaton Insects
• Bolt Action BEF Vickers MMG Team
• Bolt Action Home Guard Blacker Bombard Team

• Bolt Action BEF 3" Mortar Team

And a lot of terrain, too...

• Battlefield in a Box: Pacific Landing Mats
• Battlefield in a Box: Extra Large Dune
• Battlefield in a Box: Desert Escarpments

• Battlefield in a Box: Desert Scrub
• Battlefield in a Box: Desert Administration Building
• PlastCraft: Colored Desert Building Set (x2)

• PlastCraft: Colored Desert 2-story Desert Building
• PlastCraft: Colored Desert Dwelling
• PlastCraft: Colored Desert Dwelling with Stairs
• Ainsty 28mm wooden jetty
• Four Hirst Arts molds and plaster

   Ummm... I may have a problem.