Dealing with Battlefront... Unpleasant

   I have placed several orders over the years with Battlefront directly. Usually this is for items I just can't get in my local game store or that must be ordered directly from them. I've even had two occasions where I had a problem with a product I purchased that needed to be resolved. Once upon a time, that was a fairly easy process. No longer.

  I have written before about my problems with the Battlefront resin Amtracs. (see here) There never was a resolution to the problem, because, well, they had nothing better to send to me.

  Now my problem is in their direct orders. I placed an order back in October of 2017 that included a can of DAK Sand spray paint for my FOW Afrika Korps army I was buying. They held the entire order up for that one can of paint. Without telling me. I finally called them in January to ask about my order, and found out what was happening. The person I spoke to offered to send me the rest of my order and then send the paint along afterwards, if I would pay for shipping. I said no. This was about $150 order. They then offered to eat the shipping on the paint and sent the rest of the order to me. For the record, I never received the paint (nor was I ever charged for it, to be fair).

"You're never gonna get it.."

   The second order I placed directly with them was at the end of March 2018. This was for Team Yankee stuff, things that you could only order direct from Battlefront (a tank sprue, the aircon units, the extra floor for the factory, and the billboards). Again, no word for months, just the order held up. I emailed them last week. And again, the hold up is a single item, the extra floor. No contact, just wait for it. I again got them to send the rest of the order (still hasn't arrived) except for the backordered piece. Which, in a separate email, they confirmed would be another 4-6 weeks from receiving in their warehouse. I also cancelled the paint can order at this time.

The First Floor

   This is just bad service, period. I've decided that if I have to order directly from Battlefront to get something, I don't need it that badly.

Terrain woes

   I'm realizing just how little terrain I have. Well, not so much terrain in general, as in the specific. I have a good bit of rivers, and some roads, a few trees, a few rock outcroppings... I'm doing okay with the generic stuff, but I have almost no buildings. In fact, the only sort of building that I do have in any sort of sufficient amount is 15mm Desert buildings. And honestly, I could use more of it, too. At least those can be used for both historical and sci-fi.

   I have one more 28mm Victorian building (a store) that needs assembly and paint, to go with the one that I currently have. For a total of two 28mm buildings. Total. Full stop. Well, that's not entirely accurate. I have a few huts as well, and one or two painted.

   I've been working on the 15mm sci-fi buildings and terrain a bit as well. I have some industrial stuff, a bit of security fencing (need to make more, but I can make a 12" square gated compound as it stands. I've got a couple of desert sci-fi buildings made by Bart "Smokey" Allen for me. I've made some headway on the hab domes from Ion Age, but need more pieces to make that a true compound. Right now, call it a scientific outpost. I have a growing collection of street scatter bits, too.

   I do have a couple of very nice ridgelines, one done up as jungle and one as desert. Perfect for Venus and Mars. And the custom made canals - though I really need to build a few bridges for those.

  So what do I need?

   Well, a good deal of Victorian 28mm stuff. That's good for both VSF games and Very British Civil War, if I ever get off my duff on that project. At least four more terraced houses, a warehouse, a factory, some more shops, and a train station. Maybe some sort of government building to represent a library, town hall, museum, or something of that sort. Oh, and a church. And some walls.

   Same in 15mm, except that I have a train station and a sawmill for that. I'm thinking a mix of Battlefront and Miniature Building Authority. It means putting in more 20th Century Euro than Victorian, though. But at least it comes ready to play, which seriously improves the odds that it hits a table soon.

   6mm isn't as vital. A few buildings as representational is probably going to have to do a lot, and the same for fleet scale stuff. Of course, I haven't much of either of those. And, typically, what I do have is unpainted and sitting on a shelf. Or in a cupboard.

   The goal is to be able to put at least a small town in each of the scales. I want some specific pieces for each, and there are a couple of different genres: desert, modern/sci-fi, fantasy, and historic/VSF.

   Sorry, this post is mostly a bit of mental calculations and considerations of what I have and need. But I figured all of you have probably faced the same predicaments. Maybe someone has a pointer or two for me?

Must... Not... Kill!!!!

  So my wife has a puppy. A Smooth-Hair Chihuahua, but not pedigreed. Female. Named Empress Carlotta. About 9 months old now. Has been in our home since June or July. Is just starting to understand the concept of "pee here, and only here."

   The dog has now developed an interest in miniatures wargaming. Or at least in taking half-painted miniatures off of a table and dragging them into her lair under the TV cabinet. They were glued to some popsicle sticks (15mm Chuhuac). She chewed the sticks up pretty good. No damage to the minis that a bit of paint can't fix, and luckily she didn't actually swallow any of them.

   That said, she also knocked off a 90% finished Chuhuac battlesuit. And it broke. Now guess who gets to drill out broken pins and re-pin and glue the thing together?

   GRRRrrrrr.... at least if we had gotten my preferred dog, he would have had the good sense not to jump up on the table. Or the ability to do it - I want an English Bulldog. His name will be Winston.

Decision Making Time

   Alright, I have already made the decision and spent a few bucks in the pursuit of some 15mm Sci Fi, after years of holding out. The basic plan is to keep things relatively small scale, unlike my other grandiose projects, so that I can get a sense of accomplishment that will spur me forward. I am thinking a company-sized force on each side as the largest I want to field. That would be three infantry platoons of about 20-30 figures each, a command section, and a few support elements like a trio of grav bike scouts, a squad of power armour, or some crew-served weapons. Artillery will be off board, period, except for mortars. Just an observer team in play. Add in a few vehicles as well, no more than a platoon (3-4 vehicles). Figure eventually a hundred-ish figures for a side. Going to start with a platoon or so of each force and work my way up. Probably only do two or three factions (definitely two: Chuhuac and a human force).

   I have three decisions to make at this point, that will affect how I proceed. I thought mulling it over publicly and entertaining suggestions and polling the public would help me decide.

DECISION #1: RULES

   I have downloaded FUBAR. Not bad. I like the simplicity of it. I have also purchased Gruntz 15mm, which has a decent following on TMP and elsewhere. Also, not bad, and fairly straightforward. I like straightforward. So, I am looking for any other suggestions. I could always use GASLIGHT as well, since I have always liked how those rules work. I'm pretty sure there is even a mod for Flames of War into a Sci Fi game out there on the interwebs somewhere. Any other comments or suggestions?

DECISION #2: BASING

   FUBAR seems pretty straight-forward individual basing. That's fine for games with no more than two or three small units like I plan on starting with, but if I have to start moving a hundred or more figures a turn (like a company of infantry), that's going to take too much time. Gruntz has an optional rule, very simple, to go from individual basing to squad basing. This is making me lean a bit towards Gruntz. However, I don't want to always play a company-level game, either. For a platoon-level game, I don't want to have just seven or eight stands for maneuver elements. Finally, I would rather do one or the other, and not have some on stands and some on individual bases. That just makes more work for me to find, buy, and paint. So that's poll #2.

DECISION #3: HUMAN FORCE

   I need to decide on my Terran Hegemony force. I like the looks of both Khurasan's Federals and Critical Mass's ARC fleet. Definitely like the HALO-esque vibe. I am also a fan of Ground Zero Games's Neu Swabian League and New Anglian Confederation. All three manufacturers have pretty extensive lines so getting the figures I need shouldn't be a problem. Khurasan is in the US, which is an advantage, but has that issue about closing his website down sort of randomly and for unpredictable lengths of time.  I can't even show you pictures of the troops right now because it's down. Both Critical Mass and Ground Zero are in the UK, so I have to deal with currency differences and international shipping. I don't know if either has a US distributor, but that would help their cause.

GZG Neu Swabian League Panergrenadiers

  Then there is the question of vehicles for the Hegemony. I like Ion Age's line of vehicles, but also Critical Mass, Ground Zero Games, and Khurasan vehicles as well. This is easier to mix and match, though. Definitely want some bike-mounted recon units, an APC platoon, a C3 vehicle, and maybe a trio of tanks. Maybe a VTOL as well. Not sure if I want grav tanks or tracked. Not wheeled (for tanks), but wheeled for transports and C3 is fine.

Neu Swabian League Fan bikes

Projects List, 2014

Just to keep a record of what I am up to, gaming-wise... to be included, there has to be either actual minis in-hand (painted or otherwise) or particular forces planned but not purchased (marked with asterisk). Finished, or nearly finished projects are in green. Not many of those.

Historical:

• FOW British 8th Army (Indian)
• FOW German DAK
• 15mm SCW Carlistas
• 15mm FOG-R TYW German (Catholic/Imperial)
• 28mm SAGA Vikings
• 28mm SAGA Welsh*
• 28mm Dark Ages Terrain*

VSF:

• Dystopian Wars Prussians
• Dystopian Wars Federated States of America
• Dystopian Wars Britannia (w/ Indian Raj and HEIC)*
• Dystopian Wars Terrain
• 28mm British
• 28mm German
• 28mm Russian*
• 28mm French
• 28mm Japanese*
• 28mm Martians
• 28mm Automatons
• 28mm Lizardmen
• 28mm Police (IHMN)
• 28mm Servants of Ra (IHMN)
• 28mm Lord Curr's Company (IHMN)
• 28mm Society of Thule (IHMN)
• 28mm Brotherhood Monks (EotD)
• 28mm Characters
• 28mm Victorian Zombies*
• 28mm Victorian Vehicles (Hansom Cab, Omnibus)*
• 28mm Terrain
• 15mm Martians
• 15mm Automatons
• 15mm Lizardmen
• 15mm French
• 15mm Texicans
• 15mm Papal States
• 15mm Japanese
• 15mm Terrain
• 6mm Germans
• 6mm British
• 6mm Martians
• 6mm Terrain
• Sky Galleons - Martians
• Sky Galleons - British
• Aeronef  - Italians
• Sky Galleons/Aeronef Terrain

15mm Sci-Fi:

• Chuhuac
• Human (Khurasan Federal Army)*
• 15mm Sci-Fi Terrain*

Misc:

• 28mm VBCW - Republic of Wales
• Warhammer Fantasy - Empire
• Doctor Who - 28mm Daleks
• Doctor Who - 28mm Doctor and UNIT*
• Doctor Who - 15mm TARDIS
• BattleTech
• Ogre Miniatures
• 6mm Quar (for Ogre or BattleTech Aliens)

While I am quite sure there are more things that I am currently forgetting, this is the majority of my miniatures-based gaming. Now, add in some RPG and boardgames, and you are looking at a pretty hefty load.

I'm mad. That's the only explanation. And now you know why I sometimes feel overwhelmed and never seem to feel as if I am making progress...

I hate my wife's dog.

  Actually, she's a puppy. And I shouldn't, because she is just doing puppy things.

  Last night she knocked over my portable painting station, aka the TV tray. This entailed her carrying off three bottles of paint and my brush cup. Which was about half full of water at the time, so now there is paint water in the carpet. Joy. And of course the bottles of paint (Vallejo) were thoroughly chewed up. Can't even tell what the label says. The brush cup too, but that's not a major loss.

  To top it off, she snatched away two bases of almost finished FOW Indian mortars. Gnawed one of them up pretty well, but didn't swallow any lead. Did manage to pop some of the figures off of the stand, though, and got about half of the basing material down her mouth as well. Luckily for her, health-wise, it was just sand and PVA glue, and the paints are all non-toxic acrylics. Still...

  Anybody want a 7 pound female Chihuahua?

  AAAARGH!

Cold and Bored in Austin, Texas

   The memsahib and I drove up to Austin last night so that she could attend a continuing education seminar for windstorm engineering. Almost ran off the road a couple of times thanks to the ice. Did see three cars in the ditch, but everyone already had help from folks with flashing lights on the roof of their cars/trucks, so we kept on. had to stop and break the ice off of the windshield wipers so we could see to drive. Truly, not fun. This is a big part of the reason I would never consider moving to any Northern state, like, say, Oklahoma, Tennessee, etc. Too cold. North of there is right out.


   So it is cold. And at 0845, there is not much to do. So I am sitting in the hotel lobby business area (Hilton Garden Inn Downtown - not a bad place, but pricey), checking out TMP and blog-griping. I think after 10 or 11 I will go over to The Dragon's Lair, or Half-Price Books, or Great Hall Games (or all three - I have until about 1700).


   Blah blah blah. Thanks for listening. We now return you to our regularly scheduled gaming related stuff.


   Don't forget to vote on the Ogre Poll, if you play.

Crowdfunding Delay Rant

   Am I the only person who is really just fed up with the delays of virtually every Kickstarter / crowdfunding program out there? I have backed or am currently backing seven different games-related Kickstarters. Here's the performance record of those that have funded:

• Blackwater Gulch:  5 months late. 6x over goal. Funded April 15, 2012, Est. delivery June 2102, Actual receipt November 2012.
• Ogre: Designer's Edition: 11 months late. 46x over goal. Funded 5/11/12, Est. Delivery November 2012, Noe promised on 10/19/13.
• Empire of the Dead: Requiem: 2 months late. 18x over goal. Funded 3/26/13, Est. delivery June 2013, Now estimated "end of August and throughout September" 2013.
• Steampunk Cthulhu Playing Cards: 2 months late. 1.5x over goal. Funded 3/19/2013, Est. delivery June 2013, now estimated "within a few days", August 2013.
• 28mm Steampunk Inspired Heavy Weapons & Carriage: 3 months late. 12x over goal. Funded 5/5/13, est. delivery June 2013, partial fulfillment August 2013, remainder (including mine) expected in September.

   5 out of 5 late, so far. One I only donated a dollar, because my funds were otherwise occupied (All Quiet on the Martian Front). The last, the new Space: 1889 rules, is still going on, although it has also surpassed its funding goal bya wide margin. I hope this does not mean it too will be delayed by 2 to 5 months.

   Crowdfunding can be a really great way to get new designs and ideas and toys produced that might not otherwise ever see the light of day, and that is a great thing. But something is going terribly wrong when so many projects are delayed significantly. And I think I know where the problem is: stretch goals.

   Yep, the stretch goals. While they are undoubtedly very cool, they are also additional work for the creators. This work takes additional time, obviously. And when the creators just go nuts with the extras because of an overwhelming response to the project (like, say, Ogre, or EotD:R), then you get a significant delay in shipping out product. So, that's the problem. What's the solution?

   I see two options. Option 1 is just not to do stretch goals. While this may mean fewer backers (we all like the extra goodies, I am no exception to that), it should mean fewer excuses - er, reasons - for delays. Option 2 is what I would prefer to see happen: finish and ship the original project as soon as possible, then send the extras along in a reasonable time frame. And define that time frame with each stretch goal. For example: "Stretch Goal $300K: Solid Gold Widgets to replace the Original Cardstock Widgets - two months after delivery." So we can get started, and then get the extras later; after all, being extras, they aren't integral to the product, right?

Okay, /rant.

Bondage Girls of GW (Short Rant)

  While following a thread on TMP regarding a sort of steampunk-feel walker, with the driver out in the open, a la Ripley in Aliens, the miniature below was offered as a starting point.

   Okay, I don't like the figure much. It's a Sister of Battle Penitent Engine, for the record. I don't play 40K so I was unfamiliar with it. Worse, however, are some of the other Sisters of Battle: the Sisters Repentia.

   The backstory is essentially that they have been naughty and have to be punished. I mean, really? Is someone at Citadel having dominatrix fantasies? I am by no means opposed to the display of the female body, but this is just... twisted, if you ask me. Which none of you did, but its my blog, so you get my opinion. The old Penal Battalions were cool, with the human bombs and whatnot, trying to clear the stain on their honor through suicide attacks. That sort of thing has been around for a long time in the real world. But dressing up in bondage gear to do it? Ummmm... no.

   I may get a nasty letter from Games Workshop's legal department over this post. And that's fine. I used their images without permission and I said bad things about them, they will probably demand that I cease and desist. When I receive said letter, via certified mail and on legitimate letterhead so that I know for sure it came from them, I'll do as they ask.

[/rant]

A Question of Artillery on Tabletop...

   Why on Earth (or Mars, or wherever) do the rules for most wargames set in periods after the First World War place heavy artillery on a tabletop? With ranges measured in miles, I just think it is silly. I would much rather simply have the observer teams on the table, calling in artillery from guns properly placed, i.e., well behind the lines! And any point on the table is in range.

 

  Am I the only one?

 

   Certainly, you should still pay the point cost or whatever is involved in acquiring the things, but depciting them on the tabletop is an obvious ploy to sell miniatures. Sure, and they may even look really cool. It is just the stupidity of placing your guns somewhere that your enemy tanks could so easily get at them is mind-boggling.

 

   Unless the pieces in question are part of a scenario, like Captain Winters' capturing the gun positions at Brecourt Manor. Then it makes sense as part of the story or campaign.

FEEDBACK!

   Please!

I love comments. And heck, they aren't even moderated on this blog - though I will remove any that seem spammy or that include inappropriate language or material. My kids check this blog, after all.

On the plus side, the more feedback I get, the more active I will be on this blog. Positive cycle, and all that.

So please, feed me, Seymour!

The Reason I am So Dull These Days

   This is the really wonderful and greatly exciting book that I am in the process of reviewing for grad school. I have fallen asleep three times trying to work through it. And it is not all that long! The most interesting part is the cover photo. All I can say is that my review will concentrate on how the author shows the ineptitude of the German efforts to raise rebellions in India and across the Middle East against the British. Seems the most effective rebellion they influenced also got the Italians to enter the war... on the Allied side!

A Game of Thrones

   So, I read all the books for years, finally got the last one back in August. Can't wait for the next one. And this week, I broke down and bought the DVD set for the first season of HBO's treatment of the books.

   All in all, I like them. A bit too raunchy for my taste at times - I know, the books are just as bad in some ways, but then, my sons don't want to read over my shoulder. I find myself having to wait until they are in bed or otherwise occupied before I can watch an episode. Rather a pain. Such is the price of parenting, I suppose.

   I do wish more parents considered what their children watch. My students (13-14 year olds) think I am the meanest dad in the world because I won't let my sons watch garbage like the Saw movies. I don't mind them seeing violence in a battle scene or something like that, but the sick and twisted mindgames of a show like Saw - and I haven't seen it either, but know enough of the concept to think it is not worth my time - I just don't want my kids to watch. They are 13 and 16. They know that sick people are out in the world. I just don't think they need to watch someone's twisted sadistic fantasies played out on film.

   Actually, I just wish more parents realized that 'parent' is a verb as well as a noun. That is, it is an action, not just a title. The world would be a better place for it.

/soapbox

   I'll wrapup my monthly goals tomorrow, once I get my homework done. Look for next month's goals on Sunday. Say good night to the nice people, Gracie.

[Repost!] Have You Ever Noticed...

...that when you are away from your paints, minis, scalpels, bits, et cetera, you really, really get inspired to work on something? This is happening to me in a big way here in Minnesota. And blast it all, I have nothing to work with! And somehow, I don't think the memsahib is going to take it too kindly if I suggest a field trip to the arts and crafts and dollar stores to start a new kitbash.


But the Colonel and Dampfpanzerwagon's latest scratchbuilds have my juices flowing. I want to work on something! AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!

At least I can get on eBay and look for bits...

Infection 1, Me Nil

   I feel like something you would scrape off your shoe after walking through a particularly foetid stretch of sewer tunnel while being chased by the living dead. Something so nasty that - even though you're being pursued by flesh-eating zombies - you take a moment to notice just how gross it is. Heck, something that the ghoulish monstrosities themselves would moan about if presented with it.

   That's pretty bad.

   Took two days off work last week. Spent most of weekend in bed. Went to work today. Mistake. Yes, I have been to the doctor - that was last Thursday. Still feel horrible. But I actually think i am on the mend. After all, I got up the gumption to post for the first time in days. I haven't even checked my email yet. And the last post was actually created before I got to feeling poorly, and scheduled for later release so as not to conflict with other posts. I usually try to only put in one post a day.

  Anyway, I'm not dead yet. But I sure do feel like I have been through a wringer. Thanks for lisstening to me whinge and explain why I haven't been doing much of a much.

Analysis Paralysis in Gaming (Rant)

So I mentioned this same phenomenon on my other blgo dedicated to Victorian Science Fiction gaming, but I think it is such a general thought and problem in the wargaming hobby that it deserved a mention here as well.

My blog-buddy Eli and I have been discussing how we sometimes get bogged down with indecision about exactly how we want some portion of a project to look. Neither of us is overly concerned in most senses for accuracy (we were discussing a VSF project, after all, and imaginary nations at that!), but just getting the right look. Developing the vision of the project, I guess you could say.

And then he mentioned the phrase "analysis paralysis." I've never heard it before, but its a common enough phenomenon. I don't know if the term is used in other venues/industries or what have you, but it fits.

The problem is that you spend so much time planning and re-planning and so on, trying to get something to a perfect vision of what you want, that you never actually do anything. This leads to the infamous Great Lead Pile most of us wargamers have laying about the house that our wives would prefer we just do something useful with, like melt it down for radiation shielding for the Big One. Or something like that.

And that lead pile is discouraging to many of us (at least to me, and so I assume to others) as well. So that further compounds our lack of production.

So what's the solution to this double-edged sword? I wish I knew. All I know is I have a ton of projects just sitting there, wiating for me to do soemthing with them.

Eli suggested this: just work on something that catches your fancy at that moment. Then at least you get some progress made. Even if its just painting the hats on the 87th Light Aero-fusiliers Regiment the lime green you always wanted them, its progress. Then shift to something else if you have no further inspiration for the 87th Light Aero-fusiliers. Eventually, you'll come back to them, and in the meantime, something else will approach completion.

So far, its the best answer I have heard. What do you think?

Or is all of this a load of horse dung and I should just man up and get back to the terrain building saltmines?

[OOC] Indecision Delays

So, its been a little while since I posted anything. With Christmas just around the corner, and all the time demands that brings, to be honest, I haven't lifted paintbrush, nor really considered a single scenario in a week. The closest I have come has been lurking and posting on TMP in the wee hours or from work.

Well, that's not entirely true. I started on some telegraph poles that I have decided I cut way too tall. So I need to fix that.

Anyway, the point of this post was indecision delays. I was corresponding with another gamer today, and he mentioned how his current project is stalled out while he tries to decide exactly what he wants to do with it. And that got me to thinking about how many of my projects have stalled for extended periods for exactly the same reason: indecision.

I think it stems from two things: perfectionism and lack of funds.

Perfectionism is that drive that I have when it comes to my miniatures to get them 'just right.' That doesn't necessarily mean historically accurate. With VSF, it often does not mean that. I mean that it looks 'right' to me, and is such that I think others will ooh and aah over them toa degree. I don't expect abjecy adoration. Besides being blasphemous, I think its ridiculous considering my skills in converting and painting. I'm decent, but not more than that, and so expecting a lot of WOW factor is not in the cards. But everyone likes to have their efforts appreciated, and the more thought that goes into the project, the better the results are likely to be. Since we want the best we are capable of, this leads to lots of thought. In turn, it means a lot of time spent planning and less in doing. The end result is that little gets done, although perhaps it is of a better quality. I actually ran a poll over that not too long ago.

Lack of funds is an even more fundamental cause of indecision. If, like me, your gaming budget is rather limited, you simply can't afford to buy new minis when your conversion doesn't go as planned, or the paint job comes out completely horrible, or what have you. So we again spend a lot of time in thought and planning and tweaking ideas, rather than implementing them. Again, delay through indecision.

Is there a fix? Beyond massive government bailouts of the wargaming community, that is? (Sorry - no more politics, I promise.) I don't know if there is, but I know I need to get something done, or the Lead Pile may cause the Earth to wobble.

Thanks for listening. Let me know what you think.

[OOC] Adding to Eli's Lamentation

I was checking out Eli's blog I See Lead People (http://leadpeople.blogspot.com/) today. I do that a lot. He's doing some interesting things.

Eli lamented the fact that he didn't get too much accomplished on his projects as he had hoped to do in the month of November. That got me to thinking (always a Bad Idea) about how much I had gotten done.

And by 'done,' I mean get 'em off the painting/converting table and into storage until its game time.

And I am whiffing. Batting 0.000. I got a good bit of parts of a few projects done, but actually finishing anything? Not that I can tell. The closest I came to that was realizing my heart just wasn't in Napoleonics right now and packing that stuff away until such time as it is. But that's not the same as 'done.'

I worked on deathrays, and got a few of them done. Now I only need about seven more, and I have to buy some minis to get there. It being Christmas time, I should probably wait and see what I get for Christmas before I go buying lead.

I started on a few Papal Infantry. Again, waiting for additional stocks of lead to arrive. I suppose the fact that I came up with a color scheme I like is something...

I started repainting some Seebattalion troops into Etherschiffetruppen. I got about four or five close to done. Out of 20. So, progress, but no completion!

I started a minor conversion of a Battleball (sci-fi football board game, Milton Bradley I think) figurine into a 25mm German Power Armor Assault Trooper with Experimental Handwavium Engine. Even sculpted the Handwavium port (think Iron Man movie, but on the back and green not blue) and have that glued on. Still got a ways to go.

Re-visited the whole rocket situation for the second Sentinel. Decided to use the skinny missiles, even though I am not super happy with them. I would really like to find some 25/28mm Hale's or even Congreve rockets.

Worked some more on the rivers terrain project, including creating a narrow ford. Still, nothing completed.

I really need to just sit down and finish something. Anything. I know it will make me feel better. Maybe I will get something done tomorrow, as I am taking the day off work (been feeling rather ill, actually, so maybe not).

Thanks for listening to me whine on. Maybe, if I get anything done this week, there will be a more interesting post.

[OOC] Other Projects in the Works/Planned

There has been a sort of request to mention all of the plans I have for VSF gaming, as I listed all the aerial stuff previously. So, here's the ground and riverine stuff. Note that this does not include all the stuff already completed (which is as nothing compared to the nefarious grand plan)...

15/18mm:

• Pontifical forces: Zouaves, Infantry, and Artillery [Freikorps]. Purchased via Little Wars on Saturday, awaiting shipment of the order. Call it 45 minis.
• Texicans: Already have the minis [Freikorps Span-Am War Americans], just need to paint.
• British: Lancers, already have Old Glory minis, just need to get to painting them. Need to finish repaints on purchased naval brigade troops.
• Sidewheeler gunboat: Purchased. I have been adding wooden decking to it, and some cladding. Totally unpainted and still in need of lots of work. Will have interchangeable flagpole.
• French. Need some kind of cavalry and artillery. They only have infantry [Stone Mountain FFL] and one walker, though I have parts for more. Want at least one more officer figure for use with native troops if I give them over to the French for a scenario. I need pilot figures, though. Hmm...
• Steam launches. Technically, could be used as small boats for 25/28mm as well. Assembled, working on paint. Three of these, one pretty much done, except I need to rig up the sails, and come up with some kind of boiler. I am trying to make it where I can rig it either way - sail or steam. In addition, you can change out the flags to change nationality. Otherwise they are pretty non-specific.
• German Armored Suit. A "paint, flag and coal bunker" conversion from a MechWarrior: Dark Ages figure. Flamer and big slashing blade harvester thingy. About 2/3 finished.
• Martians. Black Hat, via Scale Creep. Just ordered some Ghost Archers to try out. Also, some Imperial Martians with guns and more with swords. I probably ought to do some more Imperial Guards, too. Two guns is enough, though.
• Dinosaur Howdahs. Have 9 Schleich Triceratops, which I want to mount platforms upon two or three. Rest are wild. Will be used with 25/28mm as well.
• Dinosaurs. Need at least three more Schleich Velociraptors. No, they are not to scale. So what? Will be used with 25/28mm as well.
• Germans. I have one German officer. That's it so far. Need at least one more officer and some troops, probably 20 or so, plus a gun.
• Prof. Maton: Have a mini, started painting. Assistant? Minions? Still need those. I do have a generic Oriental woman, maybe she's a mysterious Eastern assistant/spy for Fu Manchu? You can never trust your fellow evil geniuses...
• Personalities: Her Majesty, God Bless Her. Theodore Roosevelt. More mad scientist types (Tesla, etc.)
• Zombies. Yeah, I gotta have some of them, too. Raised from the dead by a fiendish device of some mad scientist, or the ancient technology of the Martians (Black Hat's Martian Thought Projector? Hmm...)

25/28mm:

• Sentinels conversion. One essentially done, only needs dullcote and pennant. Other completely untouched, although I have started to try to sculpt the big bombardment rocket launchers for it.
• AT-ST: Convert Star Wars Miniatures AT-ST to German walker. On hold.
• Steam-powered cavalry. Lots of different MageKnight toys being used here. Horses and rams (US or Texican, not sure yet), and cats (French). Need cavalry figures to mount on them, bases, paint touch-up, and so on. Essentially, nothing done but getting the mounts themselves.
• Martian Askaris/Sepoys: RAFM Colonial Martians. Ten down, nine to go (I think). Painted in neutral khaki, can be used for any native troops, be it German askaris, British sepoys, or even French tirailleurs martienne.
• Masked Minions: Purchased, but not even undercoated yet. These are the human minions of Professor Otto Maton. Need a special weapons figure or two.
• Clockwork Men: One down. Have one more, need to get a few more from London War Room. Maybe three or four more. Also used with 15/18mm.
• Hoverbots. Technically aerial, I guess, but not mentioned previously. Hydra Miniatures, IIRC makes a great hoverbot that I want to get for these - ten of them. I am going to add some details (maybe a clockwork key) and they will be Maton's flying minions. Also will be used with 15/18mm.
• Steam Spiders. Wyrd Miniatures. Nine of ten done. Also used with 15/18mm.
• Prof. Maton, Himself. Almost finished. Basework, a highlight on his massive wrench, and dullcote, he's done. But he needs an assistant or two. Need to find one (or two).
• Venusian Lizardmen. Two types, gex [GW old skinks] and gaters [GW old saurus]. Probably have about all the gex I need, but have a lot to paint still (about 40 or so left.) Way short on my gaters. Need to get enough to finish second unit of regular gaters and then I need Temple Guard for elite gaters. Also used with 15/18mm.
• Pappegaivolk: Have the parts for ten [GW Kroot]. Have begun on the project, but... slow progress. Eventually want 20 total. Could be used with 15/18mm, but are really too darned big for that.
• Germans. Mordians for VSF weapons, need more of them. Want grenade launcher, a few riflemen, sergeant and officer, have several mortars and flamethrower. Also, just need some good Seebattalion or Schutztruppen. About 20 or so of them would be good. Do have a good commanding officer in dress uniform, Herr Oberst Hans Klarkopf.
• British. Just about done. Have to finish up a few Praetorians that I (and everyone else) will use for VSF weapons (the voltaic rifle, the flame projector, the Portable Shoulder Mount Miniature Congreve Launcher, the Caloric Ray Emitter, etc.)
• German Landship. Got to either scratchbuild or purchase one of these. Leaning towards building.
• British Landship. Backburner, but definitely want to do one eventually.
• Martians. Parroom Station Martians. I want to get some Sverdvolk or whatever they call them, and Royal Infantry (maybe 40 or so of them). Also, I have a few of their characters, and want more civilian types. RAFM as well. Real mixed bag on the Martians.
• Turks. Over the Wire figures wanted.
• Texicans. Searching for suitable figures. Leaning towards Boxer Rebellion US Marines or Span-Am American infantry.
• French. Foreign Legion (Legion Extraterrestriale), Spahis or some sort of cavalry to mount on steam cats. Probably one gun. Leaning towards Askari Figures.
• Pontifical. At least some Zouaves. Need to find figures.
• Plantmen. Hydra Miniatures has some really cool looking plantmen, the Vardu, that I am dying to use as well. I may just get the smaller ones and use them with 15/18mm though, as I already have two major races in this scale for Venus.
• Personalities: Her Majesty, God Bless Her. Theodore Roosevelt.

Sadly, there are probably at least a half dozen more ideas and projects currently on the boil. Plus terrain. Add in the dabbling in 15mm Napoleonics (check that out on my other blog www.leadwellington.blogspot.com), and the straight Colonials (also in two scales!) and... no progress, it seems. I also want to get in some Aeronef stuff, eventually. Maybe in 2009.

I hope this list helps to spur up some creative juices for all of you guys and gals. Goodnight, Irene.

Ah... Love is in the air...

Tomorrow being the Feast of St. Valentine and all, love and romance permeate the air. The memsahib has received her flowers thanks to the good folks at ProFlowers. Quite satisfied. And, gentlemen, we all know what that means for tonight, right?

Right! It means I get to do some work without hearing about how I never spend any time with her in the evenings! What else would it mean?

So, let us be thankful for this holiday of love, designed to prop up the revenues for greeting card, jewelry, flower and candy companies. Ah, the scent of money as all this red stuff makes them green. Not that I am opposed to profit, but let's just be honest about what we're doing.

I have nearly completed the Martian reinforcements, and then, lo and behold, I found an additional group of Guard infantry with Guns and a second cannon! Forgotten lead, always a good thing to find. The Pledge is holding well, and I will update my Pledge Log this weekend. Might even actually get a few 25/28mm minis done. I also found some Minifigs 25mm Scots taht I owe a friend of mine for something like two years now. (Sorry Jim!) Maybe I'll get them finished up in a week or two. That would be just in time for my 36th birthday celebration on the 28th of this month.

Alright, I admit its not the most entertaining of journal entries. The landship is coming, though. Photostats this weekend, I promise! Until next time, have a wonderful day tomorrow, and be sure to remind the lady in your life why you're the gentleman in hers.