Projects Progress

With no games to report on and little of my own figures painted up to show I thought I would post the customary review of the year.
Where did I get to project wise, here we go, last years words in bold .......................

First Carlist War 
Up next is another 8 figure cavalry unit for each side, target for completion by the end of February, this will leave two more Isabellino battalions and a cavalry unit to do plus one more Carlist battalion and a mountain gun for each side.
I have 2 figures done for each towards the eight, so not much progress on this one.

The Great War 
Support weapon wise I have a field gun for the Germans and a 3" Stokes mortar for the British, I have just finished a Minenwerfer for the Germans and I have signallers for both sides in progress at the moment which I plan to complete by the end of January. I also have half a dozen British cavalry to do at some point.
The above were done apart from the Stokes mortar and the cavalry, I have actually added some dismounted cavalry, these are the early war ones, I have bought some Woodbine Designs heads and will add Green Stuff gas masks to them, as its most unlikely that Great War Miniatures will make any. I got these via Colonel Bills together with some more British infantry, there was a figure Dave was after amongst them and it gives me another section. Earlier in the year you may remember I picked up some Renegade Germans at the Penkridge tabletop sale, at Derby Worlds I also got some Brigade ones, all these at 50p figure, you have to get them don't you? As well as adding a MkIV to the German force I have also completed various terrain items, so all in all a good year on this one, now on to the early war.
That covers the late war, for the early war project with Dave I am working on the battalion command to finish the third one, we decided to add another battalion so I also have that and another gun to do in the new year.
The above is done, however I realised that I have only done one HMG for the jaeger battalion, I have one already, Renegade figures again from Colonel Bills. I will await the release of a Mutton Chop one for the third and I really need some hussars, but flatly refuse to get any until there are dismounted ones available.

Arthurian ( for want of a better word ) 

Although I only need to paint another 18 figures now, so 2016 is a possible to complete. Although I did buy extra figures to double up the size of the units for Lion Rampant.
I think I have done about four figures towards the eighteen.

Wars Of The Roses 

A bit of a saga this one, but I have decided to keep the figures and eventually paint enough for Lion Rampant games, this is still on the back burner at present though.
No change, these figures will probably be sold off in the new year.

Third Century Rome

My retirement project which I have started on the basis that it is doubtful I will ever fully retire, again I will pop paint on these over the year. To date I have three Roman foot units and two cavalry units for the Goths I have two infantry units and I have started a cavalry unit.
Made great strides with this one, seven units of Romans completed and six units of Goths, together with a general for each, I fully intend to make them up to seven for game of To The Strongest in the new year as early as I can.

Spanish Civil War 

Again a project on the back burner.
Having said that I did add half a dozen figures and a couple of Grand Manner buildings to the collection
.

World War Two

Probably my first love and a period that can never be really completed the odd one or two vehicles can change a game. I have bought several more vehicles, aircraft  and figures since the purchase of the excellent Battlegroup rules. I always have something for this period on the stocks and 2016 will be no exception.
Yup did add various pieces, tanks, planes, terrain items and I am well on with a volksturm platoon, this will be completed soon as I need them for the Battlegroup Campaign weekend at the end of January

On reflection despite being very busy with the commission work, a very productive year, now what project to start next ;~)

 Merry Christmas

Joyeux Noël

Fröhliche Weihnachten

Buon Natale

Feliz Navidad

счастливого Рождества

Laid Low

A crap year end on the gaming front, the winter V bug as struck the folk at OHQ, so no game this week or next, I am now behind with work so chances of putting paint on my own stuff is not likely until the new year now.
Before this however I was able to finish off a German Great War flame thrower team and five 20mm volksturm for the Battlegroup campaign weekend next month, these require basing though.
I have also finished this Perry Miniatures bren carrier, I have been working on this for a while on and off, not the start of a new project (flutter, flutter) but an iconic vehicle I fancied owning. I also picked up a 20mm Britannia one for my WWII Soviet forces at Warfare.

TTFN

Fields Of Gold

When we play our WWII Eastern Front games I usually plonk down some sprayed and cut up doormat and disguise some of the edge with walls, fences etc. in an endeavour to make it look more than a sprayed doormat, which works pretty well. Until that is you have a tank or figures balanced on top, now I know its only a game of toy soldiers, but I thought it would look better if sections could be removed. So to this end I have based a piece up, added a cut in two strip of wall from the Last Valley and made a balsa fence.

Light Footfall

Heavier Footfall

More Than Just Footfall

 I am quite pleased with the result so may do another, but not until I have done a bit more to the bad boy below that I started last year

The Ruins Of Rawnstadt

TTFN

Somewhere In Eastern Germany, 1945

Dave came over today for our planned WWII game using Battlegroup  Fall Of The Reich supplement, it was to prove yet another gargantuan struggle between the two ideologies.

Somewhere East

We used a scenario from the supplement, the Russians have been advancing unopposed so far, but have now been halted by a German blocking force, the Germans have their backs to the wall and have received hold till the last man or bullet orders. This has given them a BR of 31, whilst the advancing Russians have a BR of 25, both sides have around 520 points in this platoon sized action.

The Volksgrenadiers Await Ivan

 Both sides began the action with roughly the same amount of units on the table, the Germans began in their defences around a road block in the road, while the Russians began in column of march on the road to the right in the above picture. The Russians would roll a D6 on their first and subsequent turns to see how many more units would enter that turn, the Germans would have to wait until turn three to dice to bring on reinforcements.

Here He Comes

Hetzers Advance

 Despite the disparity in the BR scores it turned out to be a very close game, both sides off table artillery being most ineffective, especially when it mattered, I am sure each sides battery was commanded by Von Mulligan and Mulliganski respectively. The game may have been over a lot sooner, Dave drew an "Endkampf" counter this compels the Germans to draw three counters, what luck? No, I drew two Air Attack and one German "Out Of Ammo" a 0 counter to me, phew! Of course neither plane appeared as usual.

The Scout T70 Is Brewed Up

While The Baiters Burn

 Things were getting tight for the Russians, they had been drawing appalling high value counters for most of the game and despite now only facing what was basically one man and his dog they could have been on the cusp of withdrawing, have I mentioned previously the Battlegroup system does well in removing the gamers all seeing eye?
 The Germans turn with only their artillery that could deliver the killer blow, it all hinged on Von Mulligans battery, contact yes! On target? Bloody miles off! Dave was only 2 BR points away from exceeding is total too.

Well that was it, next turn Dave's T34 claimed one of the objectives and the resulting counter took the Germans over their BR. The Germans had put up a magnificent fight, though it would had been a travesty if the Russians had been forced to withdraw, all in all a splendid game, tense but fun all the way.

The Russians Claim An Objective Ending The Game

I should note that in this game we did not use the rules ammo supply rule, but one from a fellow Guild member who kindly gave me the info to use, with this if you fire twice in a turn, you roll two D6, dependent on how  much ammo you have determines the score that is required for you to run out. Both of us will admit that in the heat of battle we both invariably fail to mark off, this system negates any oversight, and the reasoning for using the dice instead sits with me fine.

We are off to Warfare on Sunday, I am off to make a list :~)

TTFN

Three Softies And A Tough Nut

Recent additions to my German WWII forces, some much needed transport and some possible air support.

Ready To Roll - Opel Blitz

Ready To Roll - Stoewer Personnel Car

Ready To Roll - Horch Personnel Carrier

Frog - Junkers Ju.87G

Ready To Roll (clicky) vehicles are not every ones cup of tea, but are good value and robust wargame pieces. 

Next game will be here at OHQ on Monday, a Battlegroup Rules, Fall Of The Reich supplement game.

Check out yesterdays French Revolutionary Wars game over on Dave's Blog (clicky)

TTFN