Stuff on the table - December 2017 update

Here's the final update for stuff on the table for 2017:

• Zvezda 1/144th Ju-87 Stuka (2017) - no further progress
• Privateer Press Hordes Ravagore (2016) - COMPLETED

Additional items worked on:

• Battlefront 15mm Panzer Grenadier platoon (Winter) (2016) - cleaned, primed, painted, varnished, based COMPLETED 
• Newline Designs 10mm Roman Princeps (2016) - cleaned, primed, started painting
• Revell 1/144th Me-262 (2016) - started assembly
  

And that's it. I'll do a summary of 2017 early on in 2018 and I wish everyone all the best for the new year and beyond.

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!. 

Stuff on the table - October 2017

A mixed bag to kick off October:

• Zvezda 1/144th Ju-87 Stuka (2017)
• Minicraft 1/144th Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero (2017)
• Privateer Press Hordes Ravagore (2016)
• Battlefront Miniatures 15mm USA WW2 Parachute rifle platoon (2016)

The priority is the parachute rile platoon which is part of my North West Europe winter 1944/45 project. 

Stuff on the table - September 2017 UPDATE

Updated list for September:

Zvezda 1/144th Ju-87 Stuka (2017) - assembled

Minicraft 1/144th Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero (2017) - assembled and primed, painting started 

Additional items worked on:

Privateer Press Hordes Ravagore (2016) - cleaned up and started assembly

Battlefront Miniatures 15mm WW2 Parachute rifle platoon (2016) - cleaned up and primed, painting started

I was away for a couple of weeks so not too much was done on existing projects. However, when I returned I got straight on with my winter project which is North West Europe winter 1944/45. 

Stuff on the table - August 2017 UPDATE

Here's the updated list for August:

• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Toad Animist (2016) - painted, varnished, based COMPLETED
• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Badger Mercenary (2016) - painted, varnished, based COMPLETED
• Battlefront Miniatures 15mm WW2 Japanese Hohei platoon (2016) - foliage added to bases COMPLETED
• Battlefront Miniatures 15mm WW2 USMC rifle platoon (2016) - foliage added to bases COMPLETED

A clean sweep this month - I don't think that's ever happened!  All things in progress as I started August have been completed. It's very satisfying. I bought some grass tufts to do the Japanese and USMC platoons and liked the effect, which overcame my natural tightness and I bought more to really fill the bases up. I've now gone back and added some more foliage to my Burrows and Badgers bases 

Additional items I worked on:

• Artizan Designs 28mm Partisan (2013) - cleaned up, primed, painted, varnished and based COMPLETED
• Zvezda 1/144th Ju-87 Stuka (2017) - assembled
• Minicraft 1/144th Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero (2017) - assembly started
  

My order for the Dracula's America Nickstarter came earlier in the month than anticipated. Beautifully produced book and some nice figures. I opted for the Dark Confederacy posse and they look suitably grim. I was a tad disappointed with the book and think there could be much more background and options for the various posses, but maybe that will be covered in a later supplement. 

Stuff on the table - August 2017

Here's the starting point for August:

• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Toad Animist (2016) 
• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Badger Mercenary (2016) 
• Battlefront Miniatures 15mm WW2 Japanese Hohei platoon (2016) 
• Battlefront Miniatures 15mm WW2 USMC rifle platoon (2016) 

The Japanese Hohei platoon and USMC rifle just need grass and foliage added to be complete. And then it really is time to tackle the last of my Oathsworn minis, the Badger and Toad. They've been looking at me for far too long on the painting table. 

I've bought in to the Nickstarter for Dracula's America with the Dark Confederates bundle. That should come in August so I have a good incentive to try and clear the decks for that. I have loads of suitable Old West figures that I can use for this so almost feel that I'm ahead of the game which is an unusual place for me to be. 

Stuff on the table - July 2017 UPDATE

Here's the update for July:

• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Toad Animist (2016) - no further progress
• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Badger Mercenary (2016) - no further progress
• Battlefront Miniatures 15mm WW2 Japanese Hohei platoon (2016) - Bases painted and highlighted.
• Battlefront Miniatures 15mm WW2 USMC rifle platoon (2016) - All figures painted and  varnished. Bases textured, painted and highlighted.

I made good progress with the WW2 Pacific project this month.

 

I took the USMC rifle platoon (above right)from primed to based and virtually complete. I also painted the Japanese Hohei platoon's bases (above left ). All that's needed to complete these two platoons is to add final highlights and then foliage and grass which I need to buy. And do two Japanese sniper teams which I managed to eke out of the Japanese pack. 

As you can see in the photo above I left an empty slot on six of the USMC bases. This enables me to add either a rifle man or BAR gunner as required. The BF pack provided options to add a BAR gunner per rifle team so I have a nice lot of spares. These figures have had their cast on bases textured and painting to fit in with the team bases. They also got an additional two coats of varnish as they'll be subjected to more handling. 

Stuff on the table - July 2017

Here's the starting point for July:

• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Toad Animist (2016) 
• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Badger Mercenary (2016) 
• Battlefront Miniatures 15mm WW2 Japanese Hohei platoon (2016) 
• Battlefront Miniatures 15mm WW2 USMC rifle platoon (2016) 

I really hope to complete the USMC rifle platoon and finish off the bases for the Hohei platoon this month. After that I'll take a break from painting little men and try and make some progress with the Toad and Badger or do something different like tackle some of the 1/144th plane stockpile. 

Stuff on the table - June 2017 UPDATE

Here's the update for June:

• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Toad Animist (2016) - no further progress
• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Badger Mercenary (2016) - no further progress
• Battlefront Miniatures 15mm WW2 Japanese Hohei platoon (2016) - based and sand added to bases
• Battlefront Miniatures 15mm WW2 USMC rifle platoon (2016) - cleaned up, primed, test figure completed

There was some progress with the WW2 Pacific Project this month. I based the Japanese platoon and added a layer of sand. I thought that by using the FOW bases with holes this would be a quicker process, However, the figure bases were much smaller than all the holes and I ended up filling all the gaps with green stuff. The USMC look they fit far more snugly.

Stuff on the table - June 2017

Another nice manageable list to start June:

• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Toad Animist (2016)
• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Badger Mercenary (2016)
• Battlefront Miniatures 15mm WW2 Japanese Hohei platoon (2016)
• Battlefront Miniatures 15mm WW2 USMC rifle platoon (2016)

The focus on this month is to make as much progress as possible with the USMC platoon. Their opponents, the Japanese Hohei platoon are waiting to be based. The plan is to do them and the USMC at the same time so there's a consistent look across all my WW2 Pacific troops.

Stuff on the table - May 2017 UPDATE

Here's the update for May:

• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Toad Animist (2016) - no further progress
• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Badger Mercenary (2016) - no further progress
• Battlefront Miniatures 15mm WW2 Japanese Hohei platoon (2016) - painted and varnished

I've been focused on the Japanese Hohei platoon this month. I completed a test figure, which turned out well and for once I had the forethought to write down all the colours and mixes I used. I could then crack on to complete the rest of the platoon. They are the usual Battlefront mix - some poses excellent, some woeful. However, there is a nice variety (more then Peter Pigs) and you get light mortars and lmgs, so the one pack has given me my core platoon for my Imperial Japanese Army Bolt Action force. I also like the bases with figure holes as this will speed up the basing process. I will do a write up on these at some stage.

Additional items I worked on:

• Battlefront Miniatures 15mm WW2 USMC rifle platoon (2016) - clean up started

Stuff on the table - April 2017 UPDATE

Here's the update for April:

Newline Designs 10mm Greek Hoplites (2015) - no further progress

Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Toad Animist (2016) - no further progress

Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Badger Mercenary (2016) - no further progress

Battlefront Miniatures 15mm WW2 Japanese Hohei platoon (2016) - Cleaned, primed, started painting

Privateer Press 30mm Hordes Gatormen (2016) - COMPLETED

Most of my hobby time this month was spent on the 5 Hordes Gatormen. These were the first plastic Privateer Press figures I've done. They needed a fair bit of clean up to remove flash and although they were supposed to be assembled using superglue I found this didn't work. I ended up assembling them by packing each joint with green stuff which did the job nicely. They came up pretty well and I'll add some photos when I get a chance. 

I had a change of heart and decided not to attend Salute. Various factors went into this decision which I won't bore you with, but the key was that there was nothing I wanted to buy. Strange but true. I'm content with what I've got to work on. I spent the £12 cost of admission ordering a copy of the Osprey rule book Scrappers instead and spent the time working on my 15mm WW2 Japanese infantry platoon. 

Stuff on the table - May 2017

A very small list to start the month:

• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Toad Animist (2016)
• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Badger Mercenary (2016)
• Battlefront Miniatures 15mm WW2 Japanese Hohei platoon (2016)

My priority for the month is to complete the Japanese Hohei platoon. I'll do the Toad and Badger when I fancy a change from the production line, which in itself is a nice change from painting the beasties (Oathsworn and Privateer Press) which has been my main focus this year. Therein lies the answer for me - swap it about to keep it fresh. I don't know how people can paint hundreds of the same thing. Hats off to them but it's not for me. 

I've removed the Newline Designs 10mm Greek Hoplites from the table and in progress list as I don't know what to do with them. The shields need completing and they need basing. However, I have another pack so may wait to do them and finish them off altogether. I have to admit I didn't enjoy painting 10mm that much which could be a problem as I bought about 300 last year!!!

Stuff on the table - April 2017

Here's the starting point for April:

Newline Designs 10mm Greek Hoplites (2015)

Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Toad Animist (2016) 

Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Badger Mercenary (2016) 

Battlefront Miniatures 15mm WW2 Japanese Hohei platoon (2016)

Privateer Press 30mm Hordes Gatormen (2016)

Of course April is a big month as it's Salute month. My wargaming year starts with Salute and I like to try and get as much cleared up so I can justify buying shiny new things! The plan for this month is to concentrate on the Gatormen and if time allows press on with the remaining two Oathsworn anthropomorphic miniatures.

Stuff on the table - March 2017 UPDATE

March was a productive and satisfying month. Here's March's updated list:

• Newline Designs 10mm Greek Hoplites (2015) - all painted, awaiting basing
• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Rabbit Heroine (2016) - completed
• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Toad Animist (2016) - primed ready to begin painting 
• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Marmot Mercenary (2016) - completed
• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Fox Huntress (2016) - completed
• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Otter Mercenary (2016) - completed
• Artizan Designs 28mm WW2 Partisans (2013) - 2 of 6 completed 
• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Badger Mercenary (2016) - primed ready to begin painting 
• Oathsworn Miniatures 28mm Burrows and Badgers Hare Warrior (2016) - completed

Once I had completed the two Artizan Partisans, I decided to focus on only one Burrows and Badgers figure at a time. This worked very well and I got into a good rhythm completing five in the month. I only have two left to do now. I don't think I'll manage to complete them by Salute which was the original plan but I'm ok with that.

Additional items I worked on:

• Battlefront Miniatures 15mm WW2 Japanese Hohei platoon - started clean up
• Peter Pig 15mm WW2 Japanese infantry - completed
• Peter Pig 15mm WW2 14th Army infantry - completed
• Privateer Press 30mm Hordes Gatormen - Cleaned up and assembled 

I finally made a decision about collecting Far East WW2, which I've been wanting to do for many years. At Salute 2016 I bought two packs of Peter Pig figures to see how I got on with them. I then picked up a platoon each of Battlefront Japanese and USMC cheap off eBay in the summer and then was in two minds whether to go with BF or PP. Due to the fact I already have them I'm going with BF. In my opinion PP are the better figures but at 15mm it doesn't matter too much. So to cut a long story short I based up the PP figures to finish them off.

Finally a game - Bolt Action Western Desert 1942

I coerced my wife to play the traditional New Year's Day wargame with me. This year we played a game of Bolt Action set in the Western Desert c.1942 at around 700 points a side.

There was no real choosing of sides as my father-in-law had served in Eighth Army in the desert campaign, so my wife was obviously the Desert Rat.

The Desert Rats: 2 Regular infantry squads with command, 2" mortar team and transports and a Lee for support.

The Afika Korps: 2 Veteran infantry squads with command and transports and a Pz IIIJ for support.

The Brits had the manpower advantage with 2 extra men per squad and also had a mortar for support. The Afrika Korps were vets though. After some moving round the shooting started. I lost a few infantry to a shot from the Lee but in the next round my Pz III took care of the pesky Tommy tank.

One of my infantry squads was then decimated by a combination lucky mortar shot and the withering SMLE and Bren fire put up by the Brits. 

The game was then decided by a British bayonet charge onto my remaining infantry squad (they don't like it up them!) After a right fracas I lost the close combat and was left with the Pz III and the transports intact. At that point we decided to call it a draw and have dinner!

This was my first game of Bolt Action and I enjoyed it. I've had the rules since 2013 but I spend 99% of my hobby time in the prep phase and never get round to a game. If there's one resolution I want to stick to it's to play more games and actually use the stuff I've got. It was good to get the old desert board out the loft. Sometimes I think we're so intent on getting the next thing we forget how much good stuff we've already got. 

You'll see from the photos that I use Battlefront minis and tanks. I have quite a large collection of their stuff for Western Desert and Med but have never played FOW.  I think that they work really well for Bolt Action with some modifications.  

To help with identification and tracking I add a post-it note to the bottom of each base with a little bit left showing on which I note the armament of each base and leave a space to mark casualties.  In addition I don't have Bolt Action dice. I made 2 sets of chits with the orders on and then use different coloured dice to decide who goes next. The player them just places the chit next to the base. It worked fine. If I can get hold of a couple of sets of BA dice for a fair price I'll do it but there's lot of other things that I'd rather pay £20 on. 

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: