Stuff on the table - October 2017 UPDATE

Updates to the October list:

• Zvezda 1/144th Ju-87 Stuka (2017) - no further progress
• Minicraft 1/144th Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero (2017) - underneath painted and shaded, top surfaces base coated and weathered. Just detail painting and decals to do.
• Privateer Press Hordes Ravagore (2016) - some further prep work done. 
• Battlefront Miniatures 15mm USA WW2 Parachute rifle platoon (2016) - COMPLETED

The priority for the month was to complete the parachute rile platoon which was achieved. And here's some shots of the lads on their snowy bases. 

Additional items worked on:

• Artizan Designs 28mm WW2 Maquis (2013) - cleaned, primed and varnished, awaiting basing.
• Newline Designs 10mm Greek Hoplites (2015) - shield designs started (9 of 32)

These are the oldest figures that are outstanding. The Maquis were picked up very cheap from a Wayland Games stall at the Writtle Wargames show in 2013, with a whole batch of other Artizan WW2 figures they were selling off. I think it averaged about £2 a pack. I sold most but kept these, some partisans and the LRDG and i didn't really know what to do with them for awhile. Recently though I began to mull over an idea I had  about 6 years ago when I started to collect towards a squad level, early WWW2 game set in Nazi occupied Britain using AE:WW2 rules. This didn't go far but I kept some of the figures so I think I may resurrect this idea and the Maquis will fit well into this - they could as easily be British as French!. 

LRDG Pt.2 - 15mm

Inspired by working on the Artizan Designs 28mm LRDG I got a pair of 15mm Battlefront Ford V8 trucks. I don't play FOW (although I have a number of the force books) but I use my FOW figures for Bolt Action. On being given the Duel in the Sun supplement for my birthday I liked the idea of adding an LRDG squad.

I really like these little trucks. What I didn't like was 2 machine guns missing (according to BF there should be 4 in the pack) and the 2 crews being duplicate figures. To improve on this I did a head swap for one of the drivers, modified a British bailed out tankman I had from a Grant, added a spare Bren Gunner from a Motor Platoon pack and an LRDG man from the SAS patrol which were the first Battlefront Figures I bought in 2007 when I still had a FLGS. I also added stowage from a German stowage set I had. I think it makes a big difference to the models as they look somewhat naked and unfinished without this additions. 

Here's some more pictures:

Bye, Bye Boutiques

This is a piece that I wrote early on but didn't get round to posting. As I think about what I'm going to do for the last three months of the year I came across it and decided to post it. 

As part of my overall strategy of balancing the three demands of Time, Money and Space I decided to look at whether to clear out any of the "boutique" games that I'd purchased in the last couple of years. As it was I hadn't been too indulgent and I only had the Batman Miniatures Game and Carnevale to look at. 

Having collected a few Batman comics when that was one of my things back in the 80s, I always had a soft spot for the Caped Crusader. When the game came out it coincided with Gotham starting on the TV so I was enthused to order a copy of the rules with the Alfred figure. Both the book and figure were top quality. I then starting to properly think about what was needed to play a game ie. a number of very expensive figures which would need very careful (read time consuming)  painting . Would it keep my interest long enough to warrant the outlay in money and time?

My other impulse boutique purchase was Carnevale, which came on the back of reading the excellent "The Bellini Card" by Jason Goodwin, one of his Yashim the Ottoman Detective novels . This book is set in Venice and reignited an interest I've had with the city since visiting it. I'd been aware of the Carnevale game for awhile and decided to take the plunge. An order for the rulebook and a starter set of figures was placed and duly came. Once again lovely book and figures. But after the initial excitement reality struck. Long term was the outlay worth the return? 

After much thought and being ruthlessly honest with myself I decided that the time needed to paint up opposing factions and make appropriate terrain for what may be only a couple of sessions of gaming, coupled with some significant monetary outlay on assembling the forces meant that neither game was viable. 

A quick post on The Lead Adventure forum and within days both Batman and Carnevale had found new homes and I'd recouped a fair amount. And I think that's me done with the boutiques. As a postscript to this I've since found out that the makers of Carnevale have gone belly up so I'm very pleased that I didn't invest any more in this. I have boxes of Celtos figures and the AE:WW2 rules gathering dust to show what happens when the boutique bubble bursts.