Happy Terry Pratchett Day

 Ook!

As the 28th April was Terry Pratchett’s birthday, today is Terry Pratchett Day.

I am currently enjoying reading Lords & Ladies. The 4th in the Witches series. 

So time to enjoy a banana daiquiri.

Rob 

Tricksy Goblins

 Gathering Horde

After putting WA parts on the Oathmark bodies yesterday, I thought would return the favour with Oathmark parts on the WA bodies. However, the arms don’t fit without drastic cutting, which can make them look very stunted. So, in short, I mostly gave up and used whatever remaining arms where left on the WA sprue. Nearly time for a bit of Green Stuff to cover up the joins. 

With over fifteen different heads, I didn't bother try using Oathmark heads for the WA goblins. 

I will make up a couple of group bases which give a really dynamic feel and combined with the single bases will give enough flexibility during games. 

A tale of two Boromirs. 

It is easy to get channelled down the thinking, that there are correct colour schemes for LotR figures after nearly twenty years of looking at the films. So I decided to go a different way with  a more colourful style for the older figure. 

Rob 

More Thistlewood Goblins

 Finally a bit of Hobby Time

Not  much hobby time recently as I am fitting our new kitchen at the moment. But I did manage to spend a bit of time yesterday putting together some more goblins. Even with five reclaimed figures from the bits box, I was still five short for the forty needed for Thistlewood. So ordered a Wargames Atlantic sprue to get the final five and give me plenty of extras to mix up the remaining Oathmark figures.

Just to make swapping a little more time consuming, the Oathmark figures come with a ball and socket head joint and flat arm joints. Whereas Wargames Atlantic do the opposite. However, first batch of Oathmark bodies with WA heads and arms done.

Also got a couple of printed tree stumps from a friend for the display table.

I did manage to pick up Skarloc for a reasonable price, so they are sort of Skarloc's wood elves. 

Finished off the prep on most of my Wood Elves.

Rob 

Throwback Friday - Salute 2016

 Braving the Frontier

My last Salute before 2021. I don't seem to have taken many photos. Most were of a participation game which I think was based on the film North West Frontier staring Kenneth More and Lauren Bacall. The film is about Kenneth More's character (A British Army Officer, Captain Scott) sent to rescue a five year old Indian Prince and his American governess, Catherine Wyatt (Lauren Bacall) from certain death at the hands of rebel tribesman. On the North West Frontier of colonial India in 1905. When I watched the film years ago, Herbert Lom plays a some sort of double-crossing companion aboard the train. 

A key moment of the film (and the upon which the game is based - I think!), The heroes discover the railway line has been destroyed and they decide to replace the damaged track in front of the train with good tracks from behind the train. Leaving them trapped whilst they repair the line. Obviously the rebel tribesmen turn up just as they are trying to finish repairing the track. There was a prize for the most successful escape (?!) on the day but it wasn't us. 

Kenneth & Lauren. 

The heroes have just realised the railway line as been destroyed. 

A very large model spaceship!

Playtesting a game based on a computer game,
I can't remember which. My son was very keen at the time!

Rob 

The French Connection

Entente Cordiale

Souma S-35 Cavalry tank

BUF panzers surprised by a mystery tank. 

The colour scheme of this tank wouldn't look out of place on the battlefields of WH40K. But is based on the one at the Bovington Tank museum so I assume is a 'real' period design. 

The Souma S-35 cavalry tank was designed by the Souma firm. This a was a modern tank design appearing at the beginning of 1935 and fitted with 47mm Sa35 gun (with over 100 rounds) and two 7.5mm Reibel machine guns. With a top speed of 29.2 mph on road and 14.3 mph cross country. With 40mm frontal armour. Making it a well armoured, armed and a fast tank. At the beginning of WWII over 260 were in service with the French army. Its limiting factor was a crew of only three, meaning the commander had to multi-task. 

It would have made a welcome addition to any of the warring factions in a VBCW. 

The colour scheme is based on the one
from Bovington Tank museum

Souma S35 from Bovington Tank museum. 

Renault Type UE Chenillette Supply Carrier
from Bovington tank Museum

Rob 

Nike Elf Maid

 Another Great Aly High Elf

After finishing my other vintage Citadel high elf, I thought I would finish the second one I had on the unpainted shelf. Obviously I have to sort the base out (See Bugbears post for my previous rant on this subject). But as I was painting I noticed that she has a description (War Maid) on the back of the base as well race indicator (High Elf) on the front. I have never noticed this on other vintage Citadel figures before?! So is it just her or have just not noticed it on other Citadel figures. The base of the other high elf is now covered in Milliput and paint so can't check that one. 

Anyone seen this on other figures?

In case you are wondering about the title of this post, I just thought the her shoes as trainers once I painted them white.  Seemed like an elven kind of style to wear sneakers into battle. 

I tried Scale 75 Cobalt Alchemy (for the first time)
on the blade to try and make it a bit more blue rather than silver. 

Never noticed that before...

Great sculpted shield. 

Add bit more detail needed, I think. 

Boromir called to me, as soon as
I started working  on all these orcs. 

Rob 

This Will Only take a Minute

 Adding a Bit of variety to the Wood Elves

Now I have several packs of the wood elves with spears and want to mix them up a bit. Apart from the obvious shield swaps , I can't think of what else to do with them.  

Anyway I decided I would quickly remove the shields at the end of the evening's session and in the  words of Homer Simpson:

All of the shields are in fact moulded very close to the body, so it was actually a bit of pain to remove them and took much longer than I expected. Also, I ended up breaking the feet of one of elves in the process. However, I think it was worth the effort and replaced them with the leftover shields from the Oathmark skeletons. Which have the same Celtic vibe as the original metal ones. 

Time to repair the legs on this one.

Rob

A Spot of Green Stuff

 Orcs or Goblins for Thistlewood

Still not decided if  these will be the Vile Rune orcs or the Black Sun goblins for Thistlewood.  I reasoned that I will  need a Warchief (and a bodyguard) regardless. So used a few of the spare dwarf arms to give them some hefty weapons followed by some Green Stuff fur collars to help bulk them up. I will also add some larger shields from the bits box as well to help them look more impressive. 

The Green Stuff seems to be drying out as
few bits of the yellow stuff wouldn't mix in. 

For reasons I can't remember.
A few headless goblins left in the bits box.

A few Moria goblins have been reclaimed from the bits box with new Oathmark goblin heads.  I will also change the weapons and shields to help them blend in with the others. This will help bulk the numbers up to the required forty. 

The shields have come out a bit dark,
so will have to be redone on the first five. 

Rob 

VBCW - Tank Reference

 You Can Never Have Too Many Tanks

Tanks of the New Anglican Confederation
take on Panzers of the BUF

The BUF flags clearly visible across the rear of the BUF panzers

A bit of a change of pace. The What If question posed by a 'Very British Civil War (VBCW)' make any interesting starting point for a number of alternate history games. And a great excuse to mix up a number of pre war and early war forces. I particularly interested in mixing up a number of different tanks of different nations.  There was a great deal of experimentation in tank design between the wars and it wasn't until the second world war did the designs crystallise into truly effective designs.  

Most of the games of VBCW I have seen focus on a larger scales but even at the pre-war levels there were reasonable numbers of tanks were in service with the British army. And looking at parallels like the Spanish Civil war both the Russians and Germans happily supplied their respective sides. So it is not inconceivable that they would supply their respective allies in a VBCW. Likewise France might find that it would have to support one side or other to prevent another potentially hostile state on their borders. 

So I have been thinking about large scale actions such as a raid on tank regiment base by several sides or tank regiments on different sides coming into conflict could have great potential for larger scale actions. 

Bovington Tank Museum : Pre- War / Early War British Tanks 

A few years ago, we went to Tankfest at Bovington Tank museum, which as the name suggests was a great day out for those interested in all things to do with tanks. With a number of great working displays throughout the day. Anyway it was a great opportunity to get some detailed photos. 

One of my favourites : Light Mark II.
Not a powerful tank by any standard but I like the idea
of these tanks acting like fast moving cavalry force. 

Vickers Medium Mark II

Close up of a Vickers Medium Mark II

Close up of Vickers A1E1 Independent

Close up of Vickers A1E1 Independent

Another Light Mark II - I think!

 Rolls-Royce Armoured Car

Vintage Reference Pictures

A quick trawl around for some relevant photos. 

Vickers Medium Mark II being inspected

Vickers Medium Mark II Tanks on masse

An interesting heavier variant.

Vickers A1E1 Independent

Rob