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.

And some more minis

   A few bits and bobs here. I got some more Bolt Action figures finished today too but I haven't taken photos yet. I will get those up next time, I promise.

A trio of Minotaur Howitzers. This particular battery is based out of Mexico

in the North American Combine, hence the flag on the concrete pads.

(OGRE, 6mm sci-fi)

A Republic of Wales medium machinegun team.

These are Territorial Army forces.

(Very British Civil War, figures by Warlord)

A repainted Fast Food Restaurant for Team Yankee.

When I get the sign on it, it will be a Waffle Haus.

Thinking about trying to do some window inserts, too.

(Battlefield in a Box, from Battlefront, repainted by me)

Finally, a humble cart for Pathfinder or D&D, or any RPG

The Republic of Wales Wishes You...

...a very happy St. David's Day!

   Oh, the Free Welsh project. Wow, is it languishing. Too many other things going on I suppose. There was some initial enthusiasm for Very British Civil War in 28mm amongst my friends but they all tapered off from it. I think I might still get one or two guys interested in it. I think Zach has a fair number of 28mm Condor Legion figures which we figured would work as a Fascist force in England as well as they did in Spain. The Fasco-Royalist oppressors invade our sacred Welsh homeland again! 

   One of the big sticking points is a lack of suitable terrain in house. What a shock, right? I have exactly one piece that would work, besides generic rivers, roads, and trees. Heck, most of my trees are really too small, especially the deciduous and conifers (as opposed to the palms, where I have a few really tall ones). So... I have a nasty suspicion the Free Welsh will languish further.

Gift from a Mate

   Knowing how much I like the TV series, and prompting me to do a bit of painting, too, my friend Zach saw these on sale at a nearby shop and decided they were just the thing for me. Personally, I was quite happy to receive them.

   The staunch defenders of Walmington-on-Sea will move a bit off the coast, transforming into supporters of the Free Welsh faction I've been working on for A Very British Civil War for a few years now. I have so many projects that just get bogged down and forgotten - see my recent posts there. This may be enough to at least muck about a bit with it.

  So these could be used as a bit of organized local troops. Proper rifles, and even a Tommy gun for a bit of covering fire. 

   As emergency Citizen's Militia... A stupid boy with his cricket bat, a pretentious bank manager with his brolly, and an antiquated butcher with his assegai (souvenier of his service in South Africa). The cold steel, that's the thing. They don't like it up 'em!

   Some proper Anglican clergymen, siding with God and the Right against that illegitimate king in London and his fascist thugs. The Vicar's not going to like that.

Happy Saint Daffyd's Day!

   CAERNARFON-- Today is, of course, the feast of Saint Daffyd, patron saint of Wales. Across the Republic of Wales, hundreds of thousands of Welshmen are celebrating. Here at the Castle, fireworks are planned for the evening, and a salute from the great guns of the battery.

Today I am...

HERE:

EATING THIS:

Wye Valley Pie, with Brains SA

IN THIS PUB:

BEFORE VISITING HERE:

Cardiff Castle

ALONG WITH:

Dane, my younger son (first shave, a year or so back)

Color me happy.

Summer Gaming Plans, Ver. 1.0

   We all know how 'buggy' a version 1.0 can be, right? So don't hold me too strictly to these plans. But in a few weeks I will go on summer vacation, and have significantly more time for gaming as a result. The thought occurred to me that some sort of plan might help with gaming productivity in my slow time. Thus, the following:

• Send 20 Kroot to painting service for Venusian Parrotmen.
• Send the boys' frogs to painting service.
• Obtain and paint about 15 Victoria Miniatures "Ood-like" figures.
• Paint eight 25 pdrs plus crew and staff for FOW.
• Paint an Indian mortar platoon for FOW.
• Obtain and paint more Cygnar figures ( a unit of trenchers and at least 2 warjacks).
• Finish painting Dragonfly Lancers.
• Finish painting 10 Empress Miniatures British.
• Obtain and paint replacement VSF British from Victoria Miniatures.
• Finish 5 German VSF figures.
• Obtain 10 more Prussian infantry. Paint all 20.
• Paint 10 more Aetherbattalion figures.
• Complete Volume 3, Issue 1 of The Aethergraph.
• Play some Star Frontiers RPG with the boys.
• Attend Historicon.
• Obtain a lot of terrain for 15mm desert and city.
• Obtain a lot of terrain for 25mm desert, jungle and city.

Ummmm... I think that's probably it. Look for updates, though. This is only v. 1.0, after all...

PanzerKaput's Painted Review: Welsh Flags without Writing

   PanzerKaput's Painted Review: Welsh Flags without Writing: Here is a second and requested Welsh flag for the use of. I hope you like it :D

   PK did this one on request for me. I love it. I present the flag of the Republic of Wales!

CDC: 1st Caernarfon Fusiliers Mobilized

Caernarfon -- Formerly a Territorial Army battalion of the British Army, the 1st Caernarfon Fusiliers have been mobilized (at last!) in defense of the Republic of Wales. 

   A military parade was held through the streets of the capital, ending in the Lower Ward of the castle. The commissioning ceremony culminated with the presentation of the regimental colours to Colonel William Jones (Officer Commanding) by Provisional President Saunders.

   Army officials have promised that as production permits, the 1st Caernarfon will receive helmets and additional support weapons, which are currently lagging in availability. Rifles and uniforms were those of the former TA battalion, suitably modified for current use until replacements come available.

[Editor's Note: Finally! Ten stout Welsh lads to fight the Fascists, Communists, and anyone who would reign over a free Wales! These were something of a chore to paint, though the paint jobs are not really complicated. I just find all that khaki (well, Vallejo English Uniform, mainly) excessively boring to paint. Now I just need to get some officers, a Maxim and a Lewis gun if possible. This is the second finished ten man unit  for my Welsh force.]

Winter of '79

   If you haven't run across it before, and you're interested in Alternate History gaming, you might find this blog very interesting: Winter of '79. Currently, they are chronicling the Welsh Rising of 1979. I hope it goes well for the Taffys.

   You might recall that my Very British Civil War faction is Welsh Nationalists. So it is interesting to see the results coming through.

   Anyway, if you are into Cold War-era gaming, you will probably enjoy it.

May Goals

   I suppose I ought to start with a wrap-up of last month. I did finish the Indian Rifle Platoon, as expected. I also painted a 25mm building for VSF on Venus. Still incomplete are the Welsh Regulars for VBCW, and the Empire Great Cannon's gunners. Have not started the Indian Machinegun Platoon. Which brings us to the May Goals:

• MG Platoon Goal: 15mm Indian Machinegun Platoon for FOW.
• Great Cannon Crew Goal: Finish these two buggers.
• Free Taffy Goal: Finish these ten sods, too.
• 6mm French Walker Goal: Epic GW Eldar War walkers, x4. (new!)
• 6mm British Walker Goal: Epic GW Imperial Guard Sentinels, x5 (new!)
• 6mm Rocket Goal: Epic GW Pulsa Rokkits, x2 (new!)

  My friend Zach bought me some toys when he was on vacation - a lot of GW Epic stuff. I will be using this as support weapons for my 6mm VSF forces. It will even be the start of the 6mm French, for which I have no infantry, cavalry, or guns. Oh well, I can always order some later, right?

   Not a lot of new stuff, and what there is should be fairly easy, but I want to get those 28mm figures DONE this month. Maybe I'll snap some WIP shots and post them. If that's all that gets completed, I will be happy. Happy-ish, at any rate.

April 2012 Goals

   As prophesied yesterday, here are this month's goals:

1. 6mm British WTNW Goal: Finish last two battalions from March.
2. VBCW Regulars Goal: Finish the unit of 10 Free Welsh Republic Army Regulars.
3. FOW Indians Rifle Platoon Goal: Finish the last section of the platoon. And the new stuff...
4. Brass Soldaten Goal: 7x Parroom Station Clockwork Soldiers I purchased at Historicon 2011 Flea Market.
5. WFB Empire Gunners Goal: Finish two gunners for Empire Great Cannon.
6. FOW Indians MG Section: At least one section of HMGs to support the Indians.

    I know its a lot of goals, but two of them are mostly finished, and one is a simple project. I have another, super secret project that I am not ready to unveil just yet, that I hope to have more work done on over the next few weeks. I'll reveal that when the time is ripe...

March Goals Wrapup

   Here we are, the start of a new month, and, of course, the end of the previous one. In March, I did fairly well on my goals, considering, and I think I am still motivated to put paint on lead, which is the idea of the whole "Small Short Range Goals" movement I started here. Now, I didn't finish everything, or even most of the four goals for March, because of a variety of factors. Still, I made some pretty good progress on them.

1. Zulu Rebasing Goal: 100% completed. Ready for battle. But I could use a unit of rifle armed Zulus, as all of mine are armed with melee weapons only.
2. FOW Indian Rifle Platoon Goal: 73%+. That's 27 of 37 done, with ten remaining in various stages of painting.
3. 6mm WTNW British Goal: 75%. Two battalions finished, two about 50% done, maybe a bit more.
4. VBCW Regulars Goal: 30% +/-. None finished. Added greenstuff armbands on Saturday night after realizing I needed to differentiate them from English soldiers - same uniforms and equipment, you know. But a lot of painting still to do on them.

  Not bad, considering the obstacles I had to overcome this month. That lost week really hurt me, though. I think I would have finished the 6mm and maybe the FOW Indians.

   What's on deck for this month? Two new items for sure. Check back in tomorrow for the scoop. Oh, and some pictures I hope of March's work.

CDC: Saint David's Day - A National Holiday

St. Daffyd's Cross

Caernarfon -- Today is March 1, the Feast of Saint Daffyd. Interim President Lewis, with the approval of the Welsh National Congress and the Anglican Bishops' Conference of Wales, has proclaimed the day henceforth to be a national holiday, with all government offices closed. Regular government services will be resumed tomorrow. Sadly, our armed forces will not be able to join their families on this celebratory day, as they must maintain their vigilant stance against the thugs in service to Moseby and the English monarch. It would be just like the Fascists to profane a holy day with a sneak attack against our sovereign nation.

The Christmas Goodies

  I usually don't get a lot of game stuff for Christmas. The reason for this is that my hobby tends to confuse most of the family, and my wife never knows "what you want the most."

   This year, I received the following:

• Welsh-English dictionary. Useful for my Republic of Wales faction in our upcoming (hopefully) Very British Civil War games.
• Desert Fort, 15mm. From Battlefield in a Box. Originally for Flames of War (and still useful for that), I imagine it will see more use as a fort on Mars for my 15mm VSF games. For which it is darned near perfect, right out of the box. At $40, I recommend it.
• Aztec Noble's House, Granary and Protoceratops Tent. From Acheson Creations. Resin buildings for my VSF gaming. They are destined to be used on Venus, or perhaps Earthin (When the Navy Walked). Will need a few more pieces for a small village, but a good start.

   That's pretty much it, from a gaming standpoint. I am hoping to pick up a few minis this week with some Christmas money, but not too much going down in that regard.

  I hope everyone else got some gaming goodies too. Let us know!

Photos of VBCW

  First and foremost today, a big thanks to all the veterans of the united States who fought in the Second World War, which began for the US 70 years ago today. Yes, I know we were late to the party, but at least we brought enough party favors for everyone when we did arrive.

  Anyway, I finally got around to dragging the camera out and snapping a few shots of my in progress VBCW forces. If you recall, I am making a Free Welsh Republic force. First up is the unit of schoolboys I have shown previously.

  Obviously, they are sitting in my display case waiting for the rest of my forces to be assembled. You can see some of my Papal States aeronefs in the background. I especially like the porter/veteran with the Lewis gun and the tin hat.

  Second (and last, for now, until I can get some Regulars painted up), is the Rolls Royce Armoured Car. Thanks to the glass shelf it is sitting on, it seems to be floating in midair. Kind of a neat but unintentional effect. In my fluff, I am claiming the Rolls is a gift to the Republic from some Scots who want to keep the English busy out West, and out of the North.

  I am planning on at least one 10-man unit of Regulars (part of the Welch Fusiliers, I think I decided) and some more armed civilians and a militia unit. I would also love to get one of the 1st Corps buses and a civilian truck I can mount a 2-pdr portee upon.

  All for now.

A Few Interesting Items from Other Blogs

An Anglo-Egyptian watch tower in the Sudan...

http://lonelygamers.blogspot.com/2011/11/signal-station-for-sudan-188485.html

Wales Invaded, 1979...

http://winterof79.blogspot.com/2011/11/newsflash-wales-invaded.html

Interesting as a different alternate history to the one for VBCW.

CDC: Guy Fawkes Night Celebrations

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,

the Powder, the Treason, the Plot!

I know of no Reason

The Gunpowder Treason

Should ever be Forgot!

Caernarfon -- Tonight is Guy Fawkes Night. Celebrated by England for the survival of their King James I, the Provisional Government of the Welsh Republic will instead hold celebrations in honor of Guy Fawkes, who was cruelly tortured and executed for his part in an attempt to overthrow the monarch.

  President Saunders Lewis will be giving a speech at sundown, followed by fireworks and a torchlight parade through the streets of the capital, culminating in a bonfire ceremony in which effigies of Edward the Adulterer and his Fascist pig of a Prime Minister, Moseby, shall be burnt.

VBCW Progress Report 1

   So here's a quick peek at what's going on with my VBCW forces. I started with my Cadet Defense Corps, a unit of young men from a public school supporting the Welsh Independence movement.

Mister Jones (student) and Mister Jones (school butler and Lewis gunner)

Mister Williams (student) and Headmaster Llewelyn

   The young men are led by their headmaster, Professor Llewelyn, wearing the old school tie. They get very valuable support in the field from Great War veteran Robert Jones, formerly Corporal Jones of the 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers Regiment of Foot. He has acquired a tin hat and a Lewis gun from somewhere.

  Obviously, they're not quite done yet, but getting close. Hope to finish them off this week if I can find the time. I'm also painting a few vehicles up, including one for the VBCW project, my Rolls Royce Armoured Car.

CDC: Scots Send Aid

Caernarfon -- The cause of the Provisional Republic of Wales has been much assisted by a recent shipment of supplies and war materiels from the Scottish Republic. The Scots are waging their own fight for independence in teh North, and giving King Edward the Adulterer a good thrashing! Knowing our desperate need for military hardware, the Scots have sent a Rolls Royce Armoured Car to assist us in our struggle against those still loyal to the English king in Cardiff, and the Blueshirt cronies they have brought in.

Model 1924 Rolls Royce Armoured Car

   Once appropriately painted, this new addition to the Welsh forces will help us sweep the Fascists back to the London gutters where they belong. It is expected that the Welch Fusiliers will be receiving this beauty.