KBO

Family health issues continue to consume my time, any free time is currently being spent painting the paid stuff so to keep the blog ticking and me sane, here, as they say is one I did earlier together with with some pics of the recent French Indian Wars game at GHQ, where you will also find a write up of the action.

SHQ Miniatures Panther AusfG

Major Joroas plans the defence of New Cheltenham

British Regulars prepare to stoutly defend Fort Aston

Col. Robinspierre's French Regulars advance on the township

The townsfolk prepare to sell themselves dearly

French Regulars storm the bridge

Chief Biccachook's Braves enter the town

Fierce fighting ensues

The French get hemmed in by British Regulars, meanwhile the Town Militia hold at bay the French irregulars and Indians

For those folk who like to know such things, the stone house is by Architectural Heritage, the blue farm building was scratch built by Dave and myself, long ago, far longer than both of us care to remember, the shacks etc were also scratched by Dave, although I think I may have done the piggy sty. The bridge is an old Ian Weekly piece, trees, fences, fields etc are from The Last Valley, I built the boards, a commission for GHQ. Dave picked up the fort from the Derby Worlds one year for the princely sum of £14 painted, those were the days when you could really find a bargain, we believe it is a Grand Mannr piece. The figures are all wonderfully painted by Dave and are mainly Redoubt figures.

That's all folks.

TTFN 

Giving Up?

Hi fellow bloggers, it has been over month since the last blog entry, where does the time go? Pretty heavy here on the business and family front of late. But apart from finishing off a couple of commissions I have managed to assemble and paint a box of Plastic Soldier Company T70's, not a very effective unit but as annoying as gnats to the opposition. Also got a trip to New York in for my wife's "big" birthday, had a great time but very tiring, so much to see and do four days was no where near enough, still a good excuse to return in the future. Speaking of the future I was seriously considering just letting the blog slowly slip away, I sometimes wonder whether it is worth the time and effort involved, then out of the blue I had an email from a fellow blogger who's work I admire greatly, saying how my Carlist War project had inspired him to perservere with his own, this together with the subsequent telephone conservation swept away my negative waves, at least for now. Anyway, back to more cheerful things, the gnatski's, a Civil War monument in Brooklyn and a couple of shots of the Chrysler Building because I like Art-Deco.



 Only managed to get one game in so far this month this was a 1920's ganster game over at GHQ, click the link for all the gory detail. All things being well I will be over at GHQ again this Thursday, John is coming up from Cheltenham for a three way FIW bash.

TTFN

Defence Line Ost 1943

Dave popped over yesterday for our Eastern front WWII game using Battlegroup rules, the scenario was taken from the Kursk book.

The Soviet objectives apart from destroying the fascist invaders are the crossroads, the rise at the end of the village and the railway siding just out of shot on the far right. The German dice throw gave them just four units with which to form the initial defence, luckily only one of these became pinned by the preliminary Soviet bombardment, it was however my poor choice in these initial units that lead to my eventual downfall. Not however did it take away from Dave the finesse of his attack plan which always had me on the back foot throughout the game. As always i can remember what took place in the early moves but as things hot up and further units appear on table one gets caught up in the action and cannot remember the fine detail, therefore below is a little photo montage with narrative which will give a flavour of the action I hope.

Aerial view from the Soviet start line.

The initial German defence position.

One of the few German successes, a T34 burns

It could have been worse, the result of a Soviet 120mm mortar battery strike

Soviet infantry work around the German right flank

And Lo! things were worse, a hit from a Soviet T34 destroys a German PzIII

Anti-tank grenade attack! Ivan Upyaabhum scores a home run.

The Russians steam forward along the entire front

Another PzIII bites the dust, side swiped by the T34

A Soviet KV1E follows up in un-needed support

German grenadiers shelter behind a burning PzIII

By turn seven the Soviets had gained two objectives with the third about to be attained next turn, the Germans needed to unpin units for that turn if they were to stop that happening, the resultant battle rating counter took them over their total, so the remaining units quit the field. An impressive Soviet win, breaking Dave's current run of defeats.

Ps. ITS MY BIRTHDAY TODAY!

TTFN

The 3 R's - Romans, Russians and Rapid Fire

Quite a productive week, much inspired by a visit to the Derby Worlds on Sunday best year yet at the new venue IMHO. I finally finished my Legion Lanciarii unit and a KV1 tank I bought along with the T34/76 featured in the last post and also got in a visit to GHQ for a Rapid Fire NW Europe game, which I won! pop over to GHQ for all the details and some nice photo's.
Here are the pics

Next game will be here at OHQ, an Eastern Front game, maybe featuring the above using Battlegroup Kursk rules.

TTFN 

C'est la Vie

Family and medical issues meant that this week's game had to be postponed. As I was working on some WWII commission work I took the opportunity while I had the WWII colours out, to finish off some AB Germans and a SHQ T34/76, all of which had been primed ready for painting quite some time ago.

Painted using PSC tank spray and dry brushed using shades of VMC Russian Green, washed with GW Agrax Earthshade and MIG filter applied and a light drybrush with my lightened base colour.

Hope to have a game next week, and in the meantime its off to the Worlds on Sunday.

TTFN