Taking the Plunge... (and The Grommalo)

After reading through Daniel McCoy's Six-Day War FoW guides I feel enthused to take the plunge on the October War project, splashing the cash today on some GHQ Micro-Armour and the two Osprey Campaign guides on the war.

Miniatures wise I have started with a plans for a Magach-3 (M48A3) Tank Company and a Mechanised Infantry Company. I'm not quite sure why I went for the Magachs when I am doing a trial paint run on three GHQ Sho't Kals (Centurions) which I found in Lead Mountain but I did.

I am trying to make at least half the forces raise suitable for both the October and Six-Day Wars so I can do both with minimal additional outlay (I have been grabbed by having Amx-13's and Super Shermans and possibly Syrian PzIV's!)

Gromit of the Day:

The Grommalo

"Today We Face The Monsters At Our Door!" (and Where's Wallace?)

Today Saul and I went to see Pacific Rim, despite being a Guillermo del Toro film we set our expectations down a notch or to as it is at heart a Godzilla versus Battletech CGI blockbuster film and subtlety was not going to get a look in anywhere.

So what is it like? Well it is exactly what it says on the tin, giant monsters versus giant robots fighting, repeatedly, with lines of cheesy dialogue lifted from Independence Day. The CGI is good, the plot very limited but hell it is giant monsters and giant robots smashing seven kinds of crap out of each other (and the surrounding buildings), no more than that and really sometimes that is all we need when we go to the cinema. And of course it would make for a beer and pretzels wargame using cheap plastic Japanese robots and toy monsters...

Gromit of the Day:

Where's Wallace

Flames over the Sinai (and Gromit-o-Matic)

You may recall my murmurings about a 1973 Arab-Israeli project in 6mm using Flames of War, given it is the 40th anniversary and all that it would be pretty good to start the ball rolling this year...

Yesterday I can across another really interesting online resource to support my plans in he form of Daniel McCoy's blog Broke Low and the downloadable rules and lists he provides for the 1967 Six Day War.

The lists for the Egyptians, Israelis and Jordanians are really excellent and will be really useful along with the NDC lists. The effort Daniel has put into the presentation is especially noteworthy. I know it is not necessary but it does look the business and a pretty good facsimile of the official Battlefront briefings.

I just need to sit down and start pencilling some forces out and get the ball rolling...

Gromit of the Day:

Gromit-o-Matic

Blast-Tastic! (and Bark At Ee)

Hopefully you will have seen that Michael at Angel Barracks is organising an SF wargames show in Bristol called Blast-Tastic!, to be held on October 4th next year. As it is in my home town it would be churlish not to get involved so I have offered to put a game on at the event.

After some pondering, given the selection of Wessex Games SF rules I had to chose from, I have decided to be ambitious and put on a combined Aeronef/Aquanef game with aeronef engaged in anti-aquanef warfare and battles occurring on, in and over the ocean. This should look pretty funky and the rules were written with this kind of thing in mind.

With 14 1/2 months to go I should have enough time to get everything organised...

Gromit of the Day:

Bark At Ee

Building Wargame Terrain (and Gromberry)

The postie dropped off a nice surprise on Friday, a copy of Tony Harwood's Building Wargame Terrain which I've been enjoying reading in between some DIY jobs SWMBO found for me and watching England beat the Aussies in the first test. Obviously Tony's book is the most interesting topic, so we'll look at that!

I wasn't quite sure what I was going to get given this is a self-published affair but the quality is very good, 102 pages including the softcover, full colour throughout. 

The book is a step by step guide of a number of terrain projects Tony has undertaken with copious in progress photos and if you have read this blog you will know that he is a pretty dab hand at things.

I had assumed that by my advanced stage of life I knew most things when it came to making things for the wargames table out of card and polystrene but I was surprised by the amount of new techniques I have learnt just on one read through (the use of a broken tile is great). GW's old How To Make Wargames Terrain was my beloved bible for many years, Tony's Building Wargame Terrain is now my New Testament!

Overall, a must have for any wargamer, it is well worth the asking price (and postage...).

Gromit of the Day:

Gromberry

Rediscovering Miniature Wargames (and Groscar)

It's a couple of months now since Henry Hyde took over the reins at Miniature Wargames, combined it with his baby Battlegames and gave the whole thing a spruced up look.

Despite loving Battlegames when Henry published it I did not subscribe to it when Atlantic took over publishing for one simple reason - they didn't sell the electronic version as a downloadable PDF.

In fact the situation was even worse than that.

To read your electronic issue you had to download an app for your iPad (this would mean my old issues would be in iBooks, the newer ones in the Newsstand - it might seem a bit anal, but is it too much to ask that the e-mags are in the same place?). However the killer was that if you stopped your subscription you lost your magazines! In essence you were merely "renting" the magazines from Atlantic for the period of your subscription and whilst this allowed you to access a couple of years of back issues of both Miniature Wargames and Battlegames, you didn't actually own anything. Atlantic Publishing are not unique in this approach but I think it sucks.

So whilst I wanted to support Henry and the new Miniature Wargames, and despite the nice things people were saying about it, I was not prepared to "rent" an e-magazine and due to space/SWMBO considerations I could not buy the paper copy. My view was if Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy can sell you a PDF to download and keep, why couldn't Atlantic?

Well now you can. The app is still around and to access the back catalogue you need it (I would like to see the few Battlegames I have not got sold as downloadable PDF's but at least I can now read them) but at long last you can also download complete PDF's of the new Miniature Wargames onto your computer to keep. Hurrah!

So having now subscribed, what is it like?

First impressions are very good. I always enjoyed the old school Battle/Practical Wargamer feel of Battlegames, and Henry has built on this combining the charm of Battlegames with a more state of the art look akin to Wargames Illustrated but if anything better thought out.

The emphasis is on gaming rather than plain historical articles with a wargames paragraph tacked on and there is some interesting stuff in there that will be able to cross periods. Fantasy and SF get treated as a regular period as it should (hurrah!) and the standard of eye candy is very good indeed (with some excellent photos). My only criticism, and I'm not sure it really is even that, is the number of columnist pieces. I enjoyed all the opinion pieces but I am not sure whether four an issue is too many, perhaps they should alternate each month. Time will tell I suppose...

Overall, I am really happy with the new Miniature Wargames and glad to have finally subscribed now I can download and keep my PDF's!!!

Gromit of the Day:

Groscar

More Eighties Chaos Knights (and Being Gromit Malkovich)

The nice long summer evenings have allowed me to hide in the games room and continue painting whilst SWMBO watches Eastenders and Holby City resulting in a couple more pieces being finished.

First off are a couple more from Citadel's 1984 Speciality Set 3 - Knights of Chaos. This time I've finished off Thel - Knight of Gorth the Great Obesity and Buoophut Bane-Arrow - Devotee of Alaman. Both are lovely figures that hark back to a better age of less formularic chaos miniatures.

Also from the same time period, this time from Speciality Set 5 - Warrior Knights of Law is Sir Palomides Pureheart, a really oddly equipped miniature (what's with the hat?) that has previously thwarted my attempts at painting him but seems to have worked out ok this time.

Finally, a bit of a public service announcement. As you probably know Modelzone is in administration and the shops appear to be having a stock clearance sale amongst which I noticed, when I popped into the London store yesterday, that Vallejo paints are half price, so a good time to stock up.

Gromit of the Day:

Being Gromit Malkovich

Good Morning, Vietnam! (and Stat's The Way To Do It, Lad!)

I came across an interesting website yesterday called the Radio First Termer Restoration Project.

Radio First Termer was a pirate radio station that ran for just three weeks out of a brothel in Saigon in 1971 and the website is dedicated to not only promoting the station, its DJ Dave Rabbit, but also restoring the first three hour pirate radio broadcast.

Listening the broadcast yesterday was a great experience and the work of the restoration project to preserve this little bit of Vietnam history is one to be applauded. It struck me that the broadcast would make for a great soundtrack to any Vietnam game with its mix of hard acid rock (The Who, Cream, Santana etc) and irreverent commentary.

The language and jokes are a bit colourful (I won't post a picture of the Dave Rabbit shirts!) but it is reflective of the period and to be honest of it offends you more than playing games about war I think you need to have a serious sit down and think about things!

In conclusion, if you are interested in the Vietnam War or game the period I would thoroughly recommend downloading all three parts of the broadcast from here.

Gromit of the Day:

Stat's The Way To Do It, Lad!

Burma, My Father And The Forgotten Army (and Patch)

I caught up with a fascinating documentary last night that originally aired on Sunday on BBC 2 but is still available for the next few days here on iPlayer. Burma, My Father And The Forgotten Army is comedian Griff Rhys Jones investigation into his father's service during WW2 as a medical officer for the Gold Coast Regiment forming part of the 82nd West African Regiment which served in Burma.

Elywn Rhy Jones and the men of the Gold Coast Regiment

As I have stated previously, I do find it annoying that the contribution of soldiers from the four corners of the Empire is often forgotten, especially those from countries that were colonies at the time. In Burma itself many of the troops who fought the Japanese were African, Gurkha and Indian yet when we consider the battles of the war the default use of British or Imperial troops leads one to forget that this was not just a white man's war.

Troops of the Royal West African Frontier Force in the Arakan, Burma 1944 by Captain Hugh Micklem

The programme itself was extremely poignant, not only for Griff Rhys Jones' understanding of why his father did not really talk about his experience and his embracing of an ordinary post-war life, but also the interviews with a number of West African veterans from Ghana who fought in the war.

During the war around 375,000 men and women from African countries served in the Empire and Commonwealth forces. Of these 3,387 were killed and 5,549 wounded. It was therefore depressing to learn how poorly they were treated after the war by the Imperial authorities, a protest against broken promises seeing three veterans being shot dead by police in 1948, but really shocking that the families of those West Africans that died fighting the Japanese in 1944 and '45 were not informed of the fact and only found out when the regiments returned to the Gold Coast in 1945 and 1946. It is hard to comprehend that their efforts and sacrifice did not even warrant a telegram to their families.

HQ Company, 81st West African Division, Burma 1944

Overall an interesting documentary, well worth watching not only to gain an insight into the West African contribution in the fighting in Arakan, but also to hear the first hand accounts of brave veterans who fought in the name of the Crown against our enemy.

Gromit of the Day:

Patch

A Couple More Brigands (and National Treasure)

I have managed to finish a couple more Citadel generic fantasy fighters for my band of brigands mercenary unit (aka the solution to all the odd figures you bought years ago).

The first one is a pre-slotta figure from a 1984 boxed set called Knights of Chaos. This obviously predates the ten ton armour look and the four Chaos gods of the Realm of Chaos background as on the box he is called Red Dulmoon - Dark Saint of Insane Gotd (who is Gotd?). Nice miniature this and I am working on a few others from the box. The fact that he doesn't look like a current day Chaos follower, makes him ideal as a slightly nasty looking fantasy fighter for the band.

Second is a slotta-era female fighter. I must confess I don't particularly like this figure, the sculpting is not of a very high quality, but she will fill up the unit hiding somewhere in the middle!

Gromit of the Day:

National Treasure

I Pledge Myself (and my Wallet) to Great Cthulhu! (and What a Wind Up!)

The Cthulhu Wars Kickstarter ended last night with over 4,000 backers pledging over $1.4m. I had ummed and ahhed about getting involved and then when I decided to do so I ummed and ahhed about what level to pledge at. In the end to maximise the savings and minimise the shipping cost I went all in. That the product will ship fro the EU removed any VAT or Customs concerns and I am sure there will be a good resale value on anything I decide that I don't really need in the end.

I don't know how many miniatures I am going to end up with as I have lost count, but it is a lot. It certainly will be a challenge to paint them and I am going to have to put some serious thought into colour schemes that look realistic whilst being potentially mind-bending!

One of the reasons I went the whole hog was the miniatures and I am giving some serious thought about alternative uses beyond the boardgame. I have already started plotting ideas for a Geheimkrieg Cthulhu supplement but beyond Strange Aeons there is little miniatures based Cthulhu wargaming at present. My mind has been pondering introducing Cthulhu and his fellows into a whole host of periods. The Great Old Ones could feature in the Dark Ages, VSF, Pulp, WW2, modern games (Cloverfield could have been a GOO) and even SF. Really there are no limit to their use...

Despite the unusual weather here in the UK I have done some more painting on the fantasy fighters and  hope to start on some of the logjam projects later this week. It is certainly too hot to do anything else, I cut the front grass this morning and almost melted. I am seriously contemplating buying a goat for the back...

Gromit of the Day:

What a Wind Up!

Death Korps of Preisgünstig! (and Watch Out Gromit!)

Anyone with a passing interest in 40K must have cast an envious glance at Forgeworld's superb Death Korps of Krieg range and subsequently bought a lottery ticket in hope rather than expectation! I must confess to being in a similar boat but undaunted cast my eyes around for suitable (cheaper) proxies.

First and foremost are Wargames Factory's plastic Shock Troops (Sci-Fi Greatcoat troopers).  For around £18 (they can be found cheaper) you get 18 multi-part troopers with tons of extras (the box includes 84 heads!). They are nicely done and easy to make up in a variety of poses. A complementary Support Weapons box is also available. At about £1 a miniature, that compares favourable with Forgeworld's £3.70 a trooper.

As stated the Shock Troops box gives you a ton of bits for your spares box and consequently I investigated even cheaper options to convert using these spares. You can't get much cheaper than Prince August's Warzone Mutant Chronicles Bag of 80 Plastic Soldiers for just £21.48 (27p a figure). Ok, the contents a bit limited but they are decent enough and by combining heads and other bits and pieces from the Wargames Factory box you can get very pleasing results (the one below uses the Imperial Trooper body...)

When it came to painting I have kept things to an absolute minimum for these test pieces. I decided against painting WWI German Camo on the helmets or Freikorps skulls. I may do this once I make up and sort out the rest of the models using this to differentiate between regular troopers and elites, but today have stuck to using Vajello's 830 German Field Grey and 920 German Uniform for the most part.

Overall, whilst they cannot compete with the high quality Forgeworld releases, these are decent enough proxies and by combing the Wargames Factory and Prince August packs they will cost a fraction of the price.

Gromit of the Day:

Watch Out Gromit!

Scorcher! (and A Grand Day Out)

Phew! Been a bit hot here today! Apparently it is warmer here than the Caribbean!

I have done some painting today having dug out half a dozen miscellaneous fantasy fighters produced by Citadel in the eighties (I suspect they are mainly original Chaos Warrior types before they had factions and looks) and have based and undercoated them. I've also been playing with some paint on a couple of cheap Death Korp of Krieg proxies. More on both of these when finished...

Today sees the start of the West Wind summer sale. 30% off their 28mm WW2, Arthurian and Samurai ranges, the latter will be useful if you plan to try out the latest Osprey wargames rules Ronin. I took advantage last year to grab some of the Arthurians for the Dux Bellorum armies and was very pleased with them, this year I may have to pick up some WW2 to fill the gaps...

Finally this post could not go by without some reference to the cracking performance by the British and Irish Lions down under, thrashing the Aussies 41-16 in the decisive third test. Hurrah!

Gromit of the Day:

A Grand Day Out

Devil Dogs And Dragons (and Bunty)

Kickstarter's are definitely all the rage these days but it is not often that they are used for just miniatures lines. Empress Miniatures, purveyors of fine Zulu War and SAS miniatures, have one on the go at the moment that has caught my eye but I am doing my best to resist.

Devil Dogs and Dragons is a new 28mm modern miniatures line being financed through Kickstarter with contemporary ranges of US Marines, Chinese PLA and now Australian army figures all for a hypothetical armed clash in the Pacific.

The miniatures shown so far are absolutely exquisite but I would be hard pushed to justify them as an "existing project additions" and the USMC and PLA camo patterns look quite challenging!

There's six days to go and I am really trying to be good (especially as I have been so naughty with Cthulhu Wars!!!)

Gromit of the Day:

Bunty

Gromit Unleashed!

I've had a pretty crap day at work so I thought I'd put my happy hat on and share this photos I've taken of some of the Gromits that have invaded Bristol since the weekend as part of Gromit Unleashed...

Gromit

Blazing Saddles

Isambark Kingdog Brunel

Astro Dog

Jack

Steam Dog

Fish Tales

Salty Sea Dog

World War FTW!

You may recall last November my excitement for World War Z being somewhat tempered by the trailer. So, with expectations set firmly at zero, Saul dragged me along to see it at the weekend - what a blast!

Ok, it is not Citizen Kane and it won't win any Oscars, but it is a decent enough film, the opening act is great, the sprinting zombies genuinely scary. The Jerusalem sequence (shown in the trailer) makes more sense in context and the waves of zombies, whilst obviously CGI, is not as off putting as the trailer makes it and the final act ratchets up the tension.

It could be better, it owes little to the book, but as summer blockbusters go it is a very good one and worth seeing on the big screen (in 2D). After seeing the trailer last November that is something I never thought I'd write!

Evil Never Ends...

I know, I know. Remember the episode one poster was just as cool...

July is... Catch Up Month!

After some thought I have decided to dedicate my painting efforts in July to finishing a logjam of projects including AirWar: 1918, the Belgian Land Ironclads supplement, the Dux Bellorum Saxons and Tusk II, rather than start on anything new. That should keep me busy...