A Welcome Return

The Colonel has returned ot his model building ways, at long last.

http://colonelotruth.blogspot.com/

This fellow's models are simply mind boggling. And after a 3 1/2 year hiatus, he's back at it again!

Just a sample of what he's up to now, in order to get you hungry for more...

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

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.

Martian Skyship, Part 1

   With a bit of space made on the table thanks to some finished 15mm vehicles, I decided it was time to finally work on the hulls at least of my pair of 28mm Martian Skyships. I bought these from Ironclad Miniatures through their US distributor at Historicon back in 2015, I think. So almost two years ago. For me, that's not too bad.

   Anyway, I took the pieces out of the boxes and cleaned them up with warm water and detergent, just like I always do with resin. Dull, but I hate it when I try to prime a piece and some mold release is still on it, causing all manner of havoc. So, suds, rinse, let dry overnight.

   Next day I laid out the pieces and did a bit of test fitting. The fit is pretty good. Looking at it, it seems that the deck and lower hull pieces are the same as in their British Airship. If not, they are pretty similar. It's not a problem or complaint, mind, just an observation. The upper works are nice, but they don't quite fit the curve of the deck. I thought about sanding down the edges of the deck, then though about how much time that would take and the chances I screwed it up worse, and decided that the small flaw wasn't going to be that much of an issue.

   Yeah, I am a bit lazy, too. But mostly I didn't want to make a hash of it and be forced to wait until I bought another ship.

You can see how the curve of the deck and the curve of the 

upper works doesn't quite match.

   Next I glued the lower hull to the underside of the deck, and after that dried for about ten minutes - I'm using CA - I flipped it over and attached the fore and aft bulwarks. Or gunwales? Anyway, the upper deck railings. I held off on attaching the mast collar on the deck for now, as I will need to carefully position it so the guns and ship's wheel won't be in the way. More on those later.

  Once the glue was nice and dry, I took the model out to my spray booth for a shot of flat black all over.

   And that's about as far as I have gotten in the actual build. Why? As I looked through the box in which I had stashed these kits, I noticed I had forgotten a couple of things that I need for them: to wit, guns and a ship's wheel! The ships come with a control console of sorts, but it looks too modern for my vision of VSF. So I need to order those... and that's why I know there will be at least a Part 2 to this series of posts. Probably a Part 3 as well.

  I'll end this post with a few thoughts about what I'm going to do with these two vessels.

• Sails: Lateen rigged, will cut the sail from some heavy paper, maybe some of that scrapbooking stuff, especially if it has a nice pattern on both sides. Rigging from white cotton thread.
• Ship's wheel: both Eureka and Houston's Ships make nice ones. Leaning towards Houston's because of the next item...
• Guns: I want at least a pair of swivel guns on the railings, and a heavier gun either in the bow on a raised carriage/slide, or in the waist with perhaps a pivot mount. Houston's makes some that are specifically for VSF aliens that are strangely reminiscent of designs in 1889.
• Flight Base: Not sure. I can custom build one, I suppose. I don't like how the champagne glass stand turned out, so I will be trying something else. Probably some thick brass wire. But it will need to have either a wide or a heavy base underneath for stability.
• Transportation: They are getting their very own trays and custom pluck foam. I may need two trays, one for each hull or one for the hulls and one for the sails. I am going to leave the masts removable, maybe magnetized.

6mm Cannons

   One of my gifts at Christmas last year was a box of Steve Jackson Games's Paneuropean Set 6: Howitzer Battery and Mobile Howitzers. I painted them up last week, along with another 6mm (nominally) giant, the Games Workshop Epic 40K Goliath Cannon. This will fill in as a terrain piece for 6mm VSF, the fabled Verne Cannon capable of intercontinental shelling. It could perhaps also be used as something for Battletech or even Ogre games, probably as some sort of orbital defense cannon objective.

Paneuropean 'Arquebus'-class Howitzer

Note French tricolor with Paneuropean Helmet logo.

I added the antennae to the bunkers.

I chose yellow ochre for the color because of the historical carriage color on French guns.

The Arquebus v. the Goliath

The Goliath.

Very simple, and I think striking, paint scheme.

Recent Projects Completed...

  A big update today. Lots of photos, and a few more are coming up on Victoria's Boys in Red, as well.

The Galvanic Ray Cannon

Germany's Newest Landship

A Simian Mutant Bodyguard for Doctor Vardu

OGRE meets Gojira!

IHMN: Lord Curr

IHMN: One of Lord Curr's Incorrigibles

A Texian Walker (French design) - a matched pair.

British Balloon Scouts (and nine friends)

     In addition to the items pictured above, I also managed to finish two more of my India Pattern Carriers for Flames of War. I don't have any photos of them, though.

   Plus, I have almost finished Lord Curr's Company for In Her Majesty's Name. Just lacking Lady Felicity, and she's still on the painting table. Once I finish her, I need to work on more Dystopian Wars vehicles - Prussian land forces this time!

Cool Rocket Bike

   I think this sucker would be awesome for any pulp or retro sci-fi game. With some added rivets and a bit of boilerwork, I think it might do for VSF as well. What do you chaps (nd lovely ladies, of course - don't want to forget them!) think?

 

   Speaking of 'suckers', wouldn't want to stand too close to that front intake. Looks too much like the old A-7 Corsair II, aka the"Maneater," for my comfort.

   This little beauty is on restock soon from Bombshell Miniatures. They also have a few other interesting miniatures. I especially like the female mechanic, who reminds me a fair bit of the mechanic on Firefly. Shiny!

 

 

 

The Bug Boy

  As I promised previously, and for those of you who do not also follow my VSF blog, Victoria's Boys in Red, here are the photos of the Dragonfly Lancer, aka the Bug Boy. By the way, calling a lancer "bug boy" is equivalent to asking a US Marine about his hat.

 

  "More commonly known as the "Dragonfly Lancers", the Aerocavalry ride into battle astride a mechanickal dragonfly, powered by handwavium and held aloft by unobtainite. They bravely (some would say 'recklessly') charge right at enemy aerial vessels, hoping to strike home with their long, spar torpedo-like Grantham Patent Explosive Lances. They make daring low-level attacks against landships and the like, skimming just over the terrain in a dashingly bold manner. The landing struts of the mount can also be used to carry cargo while in flight, and the whole thing can hover in place at need. Quite the thing for delivering desperately needed supplies to remote outposts, or for dropping small bombs on recalcitrant tribals."

 

Finishing Projects, 5/14/13

   Okay, so I have almost finished the prototype of the British 17th Lancers mounted on a mechanickal dragonfly. Once I get the base painted and flocked, I will take a picture and share. Or maybe not - I could save the group for next years Lead Adventures Lead Painter's League competition. Right now, the only way I am ever going to be able to pariticpate is to paint well ahead of time, since I am in school and painting time is somewhat limited.

 

   I have also just about finished the Prussian Naval Battlegroup for Dystopian Wars. All that remains is the two Geier-class bombers, and they are nearly finished. In addition, I have almost completed (about 90%) a Rhine-class fleet carrier. I just need to zig-zag stripe it and paint the Tiny Flyer tokens for a third Squadron (I already have two squadrons painted up from the battlegroup).

 

   So next up on the painting table of concentration to finish as a unit are the last five German riflemen of the KFG. The KFG, if you recall, is the name I gave to the German secret weapons group. These fellows are all armed with Lichtgewehre (light rifles - lasguns). The figures are GW Mordians. These have been about 50% done for over a year. Time to tick that unit off the list.

 

   One of my goals this year is to be prepared to field at least two 28mm forces for Battles by GASLIGHT on Venus, Earth, and Mars. I have enough Automatons on Mars for one force. I have nearly enough British for Mars, as well. I just need to finish up one or two British infantry to have a basic force, although my eventual plans for that require quite a bit more. I am in the same boat on Venus (which is good, what with the swamps and such). I have enough basic British infantry, but I need some support for them. I still need to add to the Germans. I also want to get the lizardmen finished up. I think one more unit of Gaters (Saurus) and a few Elder Ones (Temple Guard) to lead would be enough for a start. For Earth, anything human and set for Venus can work on Earth, though I want to do some redcoated British on Earth as well. Maybe Home Service uniform. We (my sons and I) have also considered using Eureka's frogs and turtles as Deep Amazonian lost tribes. Maybe I need to sit down and re-organize everything, really hash out the current plans...

 

   One last thought before I go for now...

 

 

 

Bust out the bubbly!

Now Showing: Master of the World

From MGM Studios, in 1961. Starring Vincent Price as Robur, renegade captain of the Albatross.

For awesome B-movie VSF, it is hard to beat.

Historicon 2011 Day Two Photos

   Only a week later...

Our friend Joe, playing against the boys in "Deutscheland and Dinosaurs"

Joe's Raptor-riding Nazis attack!

Chuck Vranel, in his customary pose for photos on my blogs...

An Eldar Craftworld for Battlefleet Gothic, made from a Seaquest DSV model

BUF Convoy on the way to St. Alban's

 

Lead BUF truck hit by fire from the right; the section bails out.

View from the road to St. Alban's. BUF forces push through cemetery,

while the armoured car holds the crossroads in background.

The BUF assault Anglican troops at the wall, and drive them off the road.

This clears the road for the BUF to advance to victory!

Richard Clarke of Too Fat Lardies and Yours Truly (short fellow on the right).

Eat yer heart out, Gerald!

Historicon 2011, Day 3

   I know it has been a few days, but I am just now fully recovered from my relaxing stay in lovely Pennsylvania. Not that I saw a whole lot of it, because I spent most of the time indoors. But you don't want to hear about all that - you want to know about the games!

Beautiful terrain from Miniature Building Authority.

  So by now it is Saturday, the last real day of games for Historicon. I have a game at 0900, a WWII game using a rules system new to me called NUTS! It's from Two Hour Wargames. The scenario was pretty simple: D-Day, American Airborne forces approach a village held by the Wehrmacht. Wehrmacht must hold village. Didn't enjoy the game. One of the main opponents was a 'psychic.' Always knew what my troops were doing even if there was no way for the troops to have such information. I didn't like the rules either. One of my troops dropped a hand grenade into a room full of Amis, rolled the best result possible, and the result was that two of the GIs charged up the stairs and killed not one but three Germans at the top. One of the Germans was my second best guy, and a 'Hero', unloaded his SMG at the GIs, while waiting at the top for them to approach, and missed totally. An unbalanced scenario maybe, and a bad opponent for sure, but any result that leaves a group of people in an enclosed area in which a grenade has gone off totally unharmed - not stunned, not anything? I didn't like the game.

Amis appear in the woods and ambush a Wehrmacht patrol.

   NUTS! is my second time to try a game by Two Hour Wargames. I know a lot of people who like their games, but all I can say is, so far, I'm not a fan. I do really want to try the All Things Zombies rules one of these days, however, as I have heard nothing but good about them.

   My next game wasn't to be until 1900, so I thought I'd hit the vendor's area and Wally's Basement (the flea market). the boys, on the other hand, were headed to their game at 1300; a game of Car Wars. I've been playing the game off and on since about 1983. Even been planning on getting a Matchbox scale game set up. So the boys take off; about 1305, I get a call from Greyson and they need another player since there's only the two of them there to play. Had a pretty good time. Killed Greyson's car, got rear-ended by a ramplate but survived (barely!), got revenge on the rammer by virtually eliminating him. Time was just about up so we called it, and I won (only 'kill').

My car. Twin MGs and a bumper trigger.

Dane in red, Greyson in green, myself in the rear.

When I was rammed. Greyson's car is against the wall, on its side.

   My last game was one of the ones I most anticipated since registering: a G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T. fleet battle. Simple scenario was that a new German aircraft carrier was damaged by a storm, and the British are trying to capture it while the Germans seek to prevent that.

Patrol boat HMS Courageous (fore) and cruiser HMS Essex

  I liked the game. It was very similar to Battles by G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T., and so it was familiar, with a few changes which had to be made in order to accomodate the third dimension. It seemed impossible to get to the carrier (the Valkyrie) before she made it off the table, and it proved so. Highlights of the game include the performance of HMS Cossack, one of my patrol boats absorbing fire from two German patrol boats and a German cruiser. After several turns, she was a wreck, and had three commanding officers killed aboard her. Finally, she settled to the surface, with no guns, no engine, and no officers left! Things looked very bad for the British side until the battleship finally got within range. Three German capital ships were crippled or destroyed, and three escorts, to the loss of three escorts on the British side. The Valkyrie did manage to escape, however.

The Valkyrie.

  The Valkyrie is a total scratch-built job, except for the mast and the flight stand. Absolutely beautiful piece of work. I especially like the raised hangar on the flight deck.



Weird War II: Jurassic Reich

   Why yes, that is an Ankylosaurus with a howdah mounted Flakverling-20 on it. This beautiful model, known as the Flakasaurus, is going to be available at Historicon next week from Eureka Miniatures. They have a growing line of Jurassic Reich figures, including Nazis riding Deinonychus, leading a pack of Velociraptors, and flying on Stukasaurus, a Pterosaur.

  I bought some of the Stukasaurus last year to add to my German VSF forces on Venus. Haven't done anything with them yet, but I might be moving them up the priority list soon.

"Germans Mister Rico! Zillions of 'em!"

   I've been working on a lot of stuff for the last few days. Strangely, a lot of it is Germans, in two different scales and in two different genres. There's also one other thing at the end. But no spoilers. You want to know what it is, you have to work your way down. All part of my sinister plan. Muah ha ha!

   Let's start with my very first base of FoG Renaissance troops. It is a command stand of Thirty Years War Catholic Germans. I'll let him be Johann Tserclaes, Count Tilly when I am using a Catholic League army, and the Tilly's Veterans regiments that come with them. Figures are 15mm Old Glory. I used GW's Devlan Mud wash for shading. Very happy with the results.

Banner is from warflag.com - an excellent resource

    This next batch is all of the 15mm Imperial German line infantry I have right now. I plan to get another twenty in the future, but this, plus the twenty Aetherbattalion (Seebattalion) I already have. In the background is a stone outcropping I have set up for the jungles of Venus.

 Figures are Black Hat Prussian Line Infantry

   A stealthy assault rises up in the midst of a strong fortification! 6mm VSF German tunneling vehicle which can carry a company of infantry (1 base). The wily Hun attacks from below! I only have one for now, but I want more (three more would be great so that I can transport a full battalion).

Figure is GW Epic 40K

   Finally, what you have all been waiting for: the secret surprise! My as-yet-incomplete Martian two-man skiff. Again, 15mm. The crew are about half-done. The motor needs to be finished as well. I have it mounted on a short brass rod and then into a base I built from three steel washers and some putty.

Skiff by Black Hat Miniatures