The results of my molding attempts

Not too shabby! Its a little light on the detail around the tracks and the rear looks scruffy. But thats what weathering and mud effects are for!

I could probably have paid for another set for the cost of the craft supplies I used to create this.  However I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and sometimes that's what this hobby is about. Or maybe my focus is changing and I'm getting more pleasure out of the hobby side these days than I am out of the gaming side. 

Who knows!

Not Lockdown Anymore - Sherman Firefly

A few months ago I added a very nice Rubicon Sherman Firefly to the lead pile and with the lockdown here in NZ coming to an end I thought why not celebrate by painting a tank! Makes a change from 28mm!

This kit was a dream to put together, which agrees with everything I've ever heard about Rubicon. Even better you get an extra hull and turret so you can build a regular 75mm and swap them if needed (its built so you don't have to glue the hull and chassis!)

The trickiest part was painting the camo on the barrel. Panzer crews quickly raised how deadly the 17 pdr was and would target the firefly in each tank troop first, so the crew camo'd the end of the barrel with a disruption pattern to make it look like the 75mm.

I'm looking forward to trying this bad boy out, i'm sure it'll suffer from the newly painted curse and explode in the first couple of turns.

Warlord Games SAS Jeep!

A Warlord Games SAS jeep,  resin model with white metal parts. This was a relatively easy build,  not much flash and the parts went together ok,  although the wheels were a bit fiddly! I like the characterful crew,  very dynamic and in theme for the majority of the Brit special forces in there Bolt Action range

The jeep itself is armed with two twin Vickers and a single driver operated Vickers, unfortunately this isn't reflected in the Bolt Action rules for this model. Luckily I'm not that precious in my games and neither are my gaming buddies although in a tournament it might be a different story !!!!

All in all I quite like this model and it makes a nice addition to my slowly growing Para force. 

Bolt Action Cromwell

This is a nice simple plastic kit from Warlord Games, not part of their collaboration with Italeri, and makes a welcome addition to my British Bolt Action force. The kitset comes with decals which are perfectly functional and as you can see provide that final finishing element.

This kit is similar in cleverness to Rubicon kits, very few visible join lines and was a joy to paint up. I may have gotten a little carried away with the weathering and mud, but I enjoyed it anyway!

And in the usual way for all newly painted models this went pop in its first game, why do all newly painted models fail miserably in their first outing?

Warlord Games Universal Carrier

Posted by Ste

I’ve always had a soft spot for the old UC so when one of my family got me one for my birthday I just had to get it painted. Unlike the Pz IV I talked about earlier this is a Warlord Bolt Action kit and is nice and sturdy with plenty of crew options and stowage. 

It painted up nicely although I’m not sure about the scale as it looks a little on the large side next to my SAS jeep!

Warlord Games/Italeri Panzer IV

Posted by Ste

I picked this cheap from a local model store and I have to say I’m not impressed. The Italeri/Warlord link up is producing some weird stuff. I’m sure you all remember the walls debacle from 2016 (I think). Well this range if models seems to be cut from the same cloth, I have two from this range (Pz IV and Tiger 1) and they’re both pretty average kits. The Panzer IV went together ok however the tracks and hull join on the Tiger were awful also both of them are pretty thin plastic, it’s questionable how long they’ll with stand the rigours of hard gaming. 

So what’s good about it, well it painted up ok!

I went for your pretty standard camo although I tried out sponging the greens and browns which seems to have worked out ok, there’s a few filters, inks and washes on there too and notwithstanding the average nature of the kit (it’s certainly not a Rubicon) it was actually quite good fun to paint. 

Walmington on Sea Part 2 – Jettys and a Boat

Posted by Ste

It’s not really a seatown without a boat of some kind and as I mentioned in the first part of this post that I’d be making a boat I’d better show you what I achieved. It was surprising simple really, cut a base shape out of 5mm foam board, stick some card sides on and leave to dry for about 4 days (just to make sure they don’t pop off). Then build various bits that make it look boaty (Cabin, mast type thing, maybe a hold). Mine looks a little like a boat/barge more than anything so I’m gonna say that it’s an inshore freighter that can travel upriver.

I may have to give it another go and make something a bit bigger.

So where can you board this wonderful contraption, why at the jetty of course. These were easy and annoying at the same time, the usual materials were used of coffee stirrers, some balsawood and pva. I quickly realised that to get the strength whilst meeting my need for speed (CTA was coming up fast at this point) I’d have to use the trusty glue gun for the framework. Don’t you just love all the blisters you get from burning yourself on hot glue? Such fun.

Walmington on Sea Part 1 – Building the Docks

Posted by Ste

When we decided to put on another Bolt Action demo game at Call To Arms 2017 we had a robust discussion about what the theme should be. I did my usual and stuck to my North Africa, desert obsession (one track mind!) however both Ash and Bryan were keen on exploring something a little bit sillier and we settled on Dads Army. Coincidentally Warlord Games had just published the Sealion campaign book so it was definitely a timely choice. In addition Bryan does a rather amusing range of Dads Army impressions and so the mood of the game was very quickly given a comedic feel.

First things first, roles? I volunteered to be Gamesmaster and generate the scenario with Ash opting for the dastardly Hun and Bryan the plucky homeguard. Now as GM I quickly realised that Walmington on Sea is just that, on sea and as such it would need a seafront.

So rolling up my sleeves I set to trying to build what could convincingly pass for a seafront/wharf/docks.

Ok, so the first task was to build the sea wall, luckily I had recently acquired a bunch of scrap polystyrene sheets, and with judicious application of pen and ruler could pass for a wall of sorts. Topped with thick card embossed with a biro to look like paving and I had a wall

Next was to get some water made. Not being familiar with all the plethora of fake water products and also being a complete cheapskate I opted for texturing a board and painting/varnishing to achieve the effect. So in steps Mr Polyfilla and Mrs Acrylic paint, liberally applied and then using a straight bit of sponge to stipple waves at the diagonal.

  

I’ve noticed now that we live next to the sea that generally waves roll in at an angel to the shore so that’s what I opted for. I mixed the polyfilla and paint before application so I wouldn’t have to paint the waves. Once dry it was a pretty straight forward thing highlight the waves with white and then slap three coats of water based gloss varnish on.

Next up, jettys and a boat!

Rubicon Panzer III

Posted by Ste

Although Ash, Bryan and I are busy beavering away with our Saga campaign I keep getting the urge to return to North Africa so here I present a rather significant reinforcement for my motorised column - a Rubicon Panzer III.

I have to say this was my first Rubicon kit and it was a pure pleasure to put together. It only had about 10 parts in total with almost all the joins cleverly hidden. the plastic is very sturdy and overall I was very impressed. The kits comes with  couple of options, I've chosen the ausf G with 50mm gun and external mantlet.

I have a Rubicon Hanomag to build which I'm looking forward to now as these kits are just superb.

Laters
Ste

Back to Afrika - DAK Motorbike and sidecar

Posted by Ste
My DAK force continues to grow with the addition of this Bolt Action motorbike and sidecar. This was a complete pain to build, my superglue refused to stick it together, I've pinned it and propped it and it's fallen to bits several times.

However it does look cool! In Bolt Action these guys are normally part of a Kradschutzen platoon however there is an option to have a single one operating in recce mode. However it normally mounts an MG34 which I couldn't be bothered to model on to this one.

Hey ho, it still looks cool and as I don't play in tournaments I don't have to worry about it as my regular gaming opponents will be fine with a "counts as" model.

Now on to my Rubicon Panzer iii

Grrrrrr - Beware the full moon!

Posted by Ste

Its funny how a game can have great miniatures but terrible rules! This cheerful chappy is a Schreckwulfen from Warlord Games/Clockwork Goblin's Konflikt 47. I have 6 of them in total however this is the only one to have made it to the (almost) complete stage. The other 5 are in various stages of disarray and may never make an appearance.

Hans the wolfie here is actually a pretty nice sculpt and was very easy to paint, however not having a reason to paint him (cos I don't like the game) made him a bit of a chore. On the bright side though he does look the part if I wanted to do some gothis horror gaming (if you ignore the cargo paints).

Maybe one day the rest of his pack will make an appearance.

We'll see.

Ste

Warlord Games British Paras

And finally Bolt Action had acquired a little momentum down here in Kiwi land and as such I thought I'd finally out paint to brush and get my paras done. These were the very first Bolt Action minis I ever bought back when it was just a miniatures range and Alessio was still dreaming up the rules. At the time I was looking fir an alternative to the nightmare that had become GW and these guys were just singing out to me from the shelf "buy us and read Pegasus Bridge !"

So I did and the rest is history so to speak.

Anyway here's a small squad with Vickers MMG in support. I have to say I'm happy with how the dennison smocks came out and also the mustachioed medic who looks quite distinguished don't ya think?

Because I enjoyed putting these guys together so much I decided I needed more, luckily the redoubtable Mr Bowman has decided to set himself up as a Warlord Games trader (seeing as there are no actual games shops in the Wellington region anymore) and has become the go to guy for all us big kids who need our fix of hobby related plastic krak, and therefore I placed a request for some more of these chaps to round out my platoon. Now I just have to paint them!


Also here's a bit of a work in progress shot, after all the Paras have to have something to capture!