The Megalomaniac (Mwhaha): March 2015

Saturday, 28 March 2015

Battle Group Lokhvitsa Campaign ticket purchased

I enjoyed the Ponyri campaign last year at Stafford Games run by the Battle Group team and Plastic Soldier company. They are running another one this year 31st Oct to 1st Nov but instead of Kursk they have gone for a Barbarossa battle - Lokhvitsa.

It didn't take a lot of thought to book my room and purchase a ticket. I booked a room really early as last year I left it late and couldn't get a place nearby. This year I have learnt.

I am meeting up with my gaming buddy I left behind in Lincolnshire as an added bonus. We both went last year as Germans. I am staying German as I have (hopefully) most of the forces I need. My friend has jumped ship and is going Soviet, borrowing from another friend. His collection being 15mm and the campaign uses 20mm.

Considering the rush last year to get ready I'd better start working on the 450 point lists. I can take 1 or 2 forces, 1 for each day. Now do I go balanced or fun...

Conwy Wargames Club meet tomorrow

Club meeting tomorrow at the Anglers at Rhos. This month it's a 28mm Dark Ages game using Dux Bellorum. I'm looking forward to it. The chap putting on the game has really lovely troops. As an added bonus I also have the rules to read, purchased at a reasonable price for the Kindle.

Sunday, 15 March 2015

Painting Toy soldiers - after under coating

I decided to use 3 undercoat colours. The knights in full plate would be sprayed metallic silver - accept the Black knight. The good guys would be sprayed white so their colours will stand out more, and the bad guys black.

The factions sorted. Light and Dark, Good and Bad

Saturday, 14 March 2015

Painting Toy soldiers

My uncle is building a fort for his grandson (my first cousin once removed). He's a carpenter by trade and has been teased for years for not making dolls houses for any of his daughters or grand daughters. So when he announced he was making a fort I thought I'd support the effort. The little chaps' mum had bought him some 54mm knights and I'd asked his grandad if he was painting them. The answer was no, Well that's not on, so I volunteered.

I now have on my painting trays 40 knights and men at arms with armour styles from the 12th century to the 15th, plus 4 ancient Greek hoplites with no shields. All from Ebay for about £2.50.

First think I did was wash them with washing up liquid to clean them up. I then cut off any flash and checked their ability to stand upright. The majority stood on their bases OK but a couple didn't so I got some 50x30 mdf bases from Minibits. I glued the figures on the bases with wood glue. Next I washed them down with watered down wood glue (PVA) to seal them for paint and give a little strength.

They are now ready for under coating.

Grouped in to good and bad guys. Each knight in full plate armour gets 2 men at arms. The figures have been coated with a PVA wash.

The Greek an untreated figure as I ran out of bases

Ready for under coating

I now need to decide on colours. I've groups them in to sides already, which lefty me with 2 knights spare which I've decided to paint as the Green Knight and Black Knight.

Tuesday, 10 March 2015

2015-03-08 WMMS

Having relocated from Nottinghamshire to North Wales WMMS is now one of my closer shows that can I reach easily and was very pleased to discover it is a great show. Thirty odd years ago I visited as a youth and enjoyed it, but today the show is much bigger than I had anticipated.

The leisure centre had plenty of parking and facilities and the show benefited from the show being in one large hall. I thought the games were of a high standard and I loved the fact that there were modelling clubs showing off their superb models as well. I find models and dioramas are enjoyed more by families than perhaps the wargames, as they are seen as art and the level of skill is obvious.

The entry price was very reasonable at £3.

I apologise in advance that I didn't get the names of all the organisers of games. So what did I see:

Codbridge Old Contemptibles Battle of Oudnarde 1708 in 25mm

I didn't see who put this Franco Prussian 1870 game on in 15mm

15mm Prussians

15mm Imperial French

15mm Prussian Jagers and infantry

15mm Imperial French line infantry and Turcos

1941 20mm Japanese invasion of the Philippines

20mm Japanese invasion of the Philippines

20mm Japanese invasion of the Philippines. Unusual figures and lovely terrain made from house hold items. Quite inspirational.

20mm Japanese invasion of the Philippines. I assume Philippine Scouts advance

20mm Japanese invasion of the Philippines

1939 20mm Battle of Mokra. German invasion of Poland. This was one of the first battles of WW2

1939 20mm Battle of Mokra. German invasion of Poland.

1939 20mm Battle of Mokra. German invasion of Poland. The Polish forces yet to be revealed on the table

Star Wars Clone Wars Battle of Geonosis

10mm WW1 attack of the Prussian Guard at the 1st battle of Ypres

10mm WW1 attack of the Prussian Guard at the 1st battle of Ypres. WW1 is very effectively portrayed in this size. My 5 year old 1st cousin once removed was more interested in whether he could it the cake.

10mm WW1 attack of the Prussian Guard at the 1st battle of Ypres

10mm WW1 attack of the Prussian Guard at the 1st battle of Ypres. French 75mm battery

Always a fan of the Indian Mutiny 1857 and this was a splendid game in 25mm. The figures were mainly Foundry I
thought.

Indian Mutiny 1857 - rebels flying the flag

Indian Mutiny 1857 - loved the walled town

Indian Mutiny 1857 - mutinous defenders

25mm Indian Mutiny 1857

25mm Indian Mutiny 1857 - forces of the Crown

25mm Indian Mutiny 1857

25mm Indian Mutiny 1857 - forces of the Crown

25mm Indian Mutiny 1857 - mutineers

25mm Indian Mutiny 1857

28mm Battle of Poltava 1709

28mm Battle of Poltava 1709 - my favourite vignette of the day. Love the mirror. The poser is Russian

28mm Battle of Poltava 1709 - Russians

28mm Battle of Poltava 1709 - Swedes

28mm Battle of Poltava 1709 - Russians

28mm Battle of Poltava 1709

28mm Battle of Poltava 1709 - Swedes

28mm Battle of Poltava 1709 - Russians

28mm Battle of Poltava 1709 - Swedes

Peter Pig's Poor Bloody Infantryman demo

Models on display

WW1 Wings of War by Wings of Glory

Wings of Glory

15mm WW2 Flames of War

28mm Mexican Adventure 1863-7

28mm Mexican Adventure 1863-7 - Republicans. I think some of these are Perry ACW converted which is an interesting idea.

28mm Mexican Adventure 1863-7 Republicans

28mm Mexican Adventure 1863-7 French Chasseurs D'Afrique, Egyptian battalion, Belgium legion and French Turcos supporting the Emperor Maximilian I think the cacalry are converted Perry's again. The Gringo40s Egyptian officer by the Turcos is clearly very tall.

28mm Mexican Adventure 1863-7 French chasseurs lead 2 Mexican units

28mm Mexican Adventure 1863-7 Imperialists. The guys in red are contra-guerrillas

28mm Mexican Adventure 1863-7 Belgians. Egyptians and French

28mm Mexican Adventure 1863-7 Belgians. Egyptians, French, plus the Algerians fighting for the French

28mm Mexican Adventure 1863-7 Belgians

28mm Mexican Adventure 1863-7 French and Imperial Mexicans

28mm Mexican Adventure 1863-7 Republicans

28mm Mexican Adventure 1863-7

28mm Anglo Sikh war 1848 - lot s of lovely Foundry figures again

28mm Anglo Sikh war 1848

28mm Anglo Sikh war 1848 - forces of the Crown

28mm Anglo Sikh war 1848

28mm Anglo Sikh war 1848 - Madras horse artillery

28mm Anglo Sikh war 1848

Babylon 5 fighter - one of the models on display

Models on display

Models on display - Apollo's Viper from Battlestar Galactica

Models on display - you can even see the pilot

Models on display

Models on display - great painting

Models on display - I liked this fun diorama

Models on display - beautifully done

Models on display

Models on display - more stunning models

Models on display

Models on display - I love the water affect on this diorama

beautifully done

Models on display

Hasslefree miniatures I think

A wing

R2 D2

Great dioramas

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Very nicely done

28mm Greeks vs Persians hosted by the Border Warlords

28mm Greeks vs Persians

28mm Battle of Ashdown 871 AD Wessex vs Danes

28mm ACW

28mm Warzone Resurrection

Battletech

Huntingdon and District put on a 28mm Big Chain of Command WW2 game

Chase Wargames Club put on 1938 Spanish Civil War game the retreat from the Ebro in 6mm

28mm WW2 Rapid Fire game by Derby Wargames Society

Beautiful 28mm game put on by the Phoenix Society depicting the great cavalry charge at Waterloo 1815 by the French cavalry against the Allied squares.

Phoenix Society 28mm game depicting the great cavalry charge at Waterloo 1815

28mm 1815 Allies vs French

28mm In Her Majesties Name game

25mm Burmese vs Mongol I think

28mm Successors get ready to duke it out

Warhammer 40K game Tyranids vs Marines

15mm La Haye Sainte Waterloo 1815 using a variant of the Musket and Tomahawk rules

28mm Mayhem in the Med 1565 by the Wyrley Retinue. Ottomans attack the Knights of St. John on Malta

28mm Mayhem in the Med 1565 by the Wyrley Retinue. Ottomans attack the Knights of St. John on Malta
This was a great looking game and the terrain really added flavour

Telford Wargamers presented 28mm WW2 Operation Cobra using Chain of Command

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Telford Wargamers presented 28mm WW2 Operation Cobra using Chain of Command

Wyre Forest Gamers and their 6mm Mons Graupius, Caledonia AD83 game

Wyre Forest Gamers and their 6mm Mons Graupius, Caledonia AD83 game - Celts

Wyre Forest Gamers and their 6mm Mons Graupius, Caledonia AD83 game - Romans

28mm Lion Rampant game with Teutonic knights fighting the Baltic locals

15mm Battle of Bouvines 1214 by the Lance and Longbow Society

A simple but effective game by the Wyre Forest Gamers set in Normandy 1944 using Battlegroup rules

Wyre Forest Gamers set in Normandy 1944 using Battlegroup rules

28mm English Civil War game using To Defy a King rules

28mm Very British Civil War game put on by the The Very British Civil Forum. This game had lots of hidden gems to spot. Great stuff.

28mm Very British Civil War game put on by the The Very British Civil Forum.

Blazing Skies game of WW2 air combat - the chaps running this participation game sported suitable fake moustaches and caps!

Blazing Skies game of WW2 air combat

The Telford Stags had a couple of games

Telford Stags 28mm WW1 using To The Last Man rules

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10mm Scifi using Dropzone Commander. This was my 9 year old 1st cousin once removed's favourite game. She also spotted the highway being propped up by a die.

0mm Scifi using Dropzone Commander.

0mm Scifi using Dropzone Commander. This was a really atmospheric table. Spot the die

0mm Scifi using Dropzone Commander.

Telford Stags 32mm WW11 using Dust rules

28mm Royal Navy raiding revolutionary France

Wings of Glory changed their game part way through the day to a mass bomber raid which in their words was a world record attempt game for the most WW1 German bombers in a game. I counted 24