AAR: The Cats Go Out At Night
/Originally posted 20th February 2014
An unusual AAR from The Mad Padre: a battle that takes place at night as the Canadians attempt to hold off marauding Big Cats in June 1944.
WW2 US Artillery HQ from Battlefront
/Originally posted 16th February 2014
Whilst waiting for more decals to arrive from Dom in order to finish my Churchill squadron, I thought I'd polish off something that has been sitting, half-finished, on my painting table for ages: the Battlefront US Artillery HQ.
Absolutely pointless in wargaming terms for IABSM, it's nevertheless another piece of battlefield clutter with which to dress the table.
Oh, and for those interested, the maps are made from the QR code found on the cards you find inside the Zvezda boxes. Just cut out a square or a rectangle from the QR code and add a little blue line (for a river) and some green patches (for woods) and away you go.
AAR: Counter-Attack on Cameron Ridge
/Originally posted 16th February 2014
A quick After Action Report from Paul Scivens-Smith, once again from early-war East Africa. Will the Italian counter-attack throw the British off the ridge that they so recently captured?
More TFL Painting Challenge Updates
/Originally posted 15th February 2014
Here's today's update: achievements from Messrs Llano; Hodge; Bax; Stoesen; Nissvik; Slade; Yuengling; and the Mad Padre.
Today's picture? No question but it's got to be Thomas', er, questionable tank. So, Thomas, me old mucker, this fascination with Japanese anime schoolgirls...care to explain?
Bashnya or Bust!
/Originally posted 15th February 2014
Good news for those awaiting my next scenario book: the writing bug has bitten me again.
I am now deep into Bashnya or Bust! - a Vyazma/Blenneville style scenario pack set in late July/August 1944 during the Kaunas Offensive i.e. the latter stages of Operation Bagration.
Can't promise when it will be finished (early summer's my best bet) but I can promise a linked campaign featuring a possible thirty-one late war eastern front scenarios.
If you liked Blenneville, you'll love Bashnya!
TFL Painting Challenge: More Achievements
/Originally posted 11th February 2014
More achievements...always more achievements!
Today's batch are from: Chris Stoesen; Jon Yuengling; Egg; Topi; Richard Danziger; Warrior in the Attic; I'm also pleased to add pictures of his previous achievements from Craig Ambler.
Three candidates for picture-of-the-update, but I'm going for Dick Bax's 20mm Fallschirmjaeger today:
Lots for the TFL Painting Challenge
/Originally posted 6th February 2014
A late entrant to the campaign: welcome Jim Weir.
Otherwise, vast numbers of achievements from (deep breath): Messrs Clarke, Ralls, Hodge; Lowth; Armstrong; Bax; Ambler; and Bailey.
To celebrate the breaking of his duck, here's Mr Armstrong's achievement: two beautifully painted sci-fi vehciles...ideal for Q13!
More for the TFL Painting Challenge
/Originally posted 1st February 2014
The end of another working week, and an impressive list of achievements to be added. Today we have contributions from Chris Stoesen; Mr Luther; Egg; Dave Bailey; Kev; Matt Slade; Alexandros; Jon Yuengling and the Mad Padre.
Today's picture was a toss up between Alexandros' 28mm Churchill (love the stowage) and Egg's 15mm Centurions (a very nice green)...so you get both:
TFL Painting Challenge
/Originally posted 28th January 2014
So many more achievements that I can't possibly list them all here. What I will do, though, is feature some very nice Saxon-types for Dux B from munsterfan8.
Oh, okay then...if a job's worth doing...
Achievements from Andy Miller (first timer); Chris Stoesen; munsterfan8 (obviously), Egg, Manuel Llano, Benito (I've corrected your numbers!), Craig, Dave Bailey, Joakim, Jon and Vidal. And there are some more as well!
TFL Painting Challenge: New Starters
/Originally posted 22nd January 2014
A few more people have joined up: welcome Egg and Bond, Geoff Bond. I'm looking forward to your first achievements.
And there are new achievements from Topi, Chris, and Mr Bailey. Today's featured shot is from Topi: ten Shermans for his US Normandy forces.
TFL Painting Challenge Update
/Originally posted 22nd January 2014
A few more uploads: achievements from Owen, Treadhead and Mr Hodge. Here are some of Derek's 10mm Vietnam figures: a couple of Vietcong platoons plus supports from Pendraken.
Lend-lease Churchill
/Originally posted 20th January 2014
Those of you who visit regularly will know that I am in the process of painting a whole squadron of Churchill tanks: 19 vehicles if you include the full HQ Troop.
Boxes of tanks from PSC come in fives (although they also do single sprues if you need just a single tank etc) so the four boxes I bought at Warfare left me with one left over.
This I painted up as a lend-lease tank sent to the Soviets. It gave me a chance to practice painting a model from start to finish, which was very useful in terms of finding out if the spray paint I was using would melt the plastic (it didn't) and such things as checking and then repainting the road wheels not in black 'tyre' colour but in 'rest of the tank' metal colour - doh!
So here is my single lend-lease Mk III Churchill from PSC (with Battlefront Soviet tank commander). Lovely model but, as always, the turret was a pain to put together. I'm just glad that all my British Mk IVs have the cast turret! BTW, note the way the varnish has frosted the (very thin) gun barrel...must remember to watch out for this when painting the '19'.
WW2 British Tanks: Great Sources of Info
/Originally posted 20th January 2014
Now I am not normally particularly fussed about making my tanks from specific units: I use the same Panzers for every theatre they fought in. With the Churchills, however, I am endeavouring to paint up one specific unit: C Squadron from 4th Coldstream Guards, part of 6th Guards Tank Brigade. This is mainly because Dom's Decals provide a sheet with the names of all the C Squadron tanks on them, so I don't have to go mad painting the little blighters' names myself!
I thought, therefore, I'd share some of the research I used when deciding which unit to paint up, all of which came via the excellent TFL Forum.
June tank returns:
http://niehorster.orbat.com/017_britain/44-06-06_Neptune/Land/z_tanks_44-06-22_21AG.html
A complete list of British tank names (this is incredible!):
http://mmpbooks.biz/mmp/tables/Vehicle_Names_V3.pdf
The Armour in Focus page of the Churchill tank:
http://freespace.virgin.net/chris.shillito/a22new/
And, finally, the FOW page on Churchill tanks in Normandy:
TFL Painting Challenge
/Originally posted 18th January 2014
Loads of updates today: it's taken me all evening!
In no particular order, we have Kev's first entries (superb ECW troops); David Bailey's catch-up entries; and more from Mssrs Luther, Bax, Yuengling, Ralls, Nissvik and Ambler.
Today's picture? Has to be a close up of some of Kev's ECW troops:
TFL Painting Challenge: First Entry from Mr Clarke
/Originally posted 16th January 2014
Updated again.
Achievements from Mike Whitaker; munsterfan8; Thomas Nissvik; the Mad Padre; Jason Ralls and (shock, awe) the big man himself, Mr Richard Clarke!
And Kev (Fat Wally) has signed up as well, although he says he's only going to enter the stuff he paints for himself. I say no! Enter it all!
Anyway, as I know what's good for me, today's picture is from Mr Richard Clarke: a rather nice Panzer III from the Western Desert.
TFL Painting Challenge: Updated Again
/Originally posted 14th January 2014
Updated again.
A couple of new participants: Stumpy and Alexandros. That makes thirty-six people striving to increase their productivity!
And this weekend saw achievements from Benito, Mr Hodge, myself, Stumpy, Jon Yuengling, and Manuel Llano, with Manuel and Stumpy breaking their ducks.
Today's picture is from Stumpy: a Soviet T-35 with converted T-70 ammo carrier and three T-26 escorts. All in 15mm.
How Horrid!
/Originally posted 13th January 2014
Finished off the rest of the Horrid support for the Vornid army. The plantmen now have four tanks and a scanner courtesy of Ravenstar's Horrid range. Time to get them onto the tabletop!
TFL Painting Challenge
/Originally posted 11th January 2014
Updated again.
Achievements from Dave Humm, Jason Ralls, Jon Yuengling, Chris Stoesen, and Benito.
Top choices today, chosen by my daughter Catherine, are from Jason and Benito:
WW2 troops from Jason Ralls
Italians from Benito
AAR: Eyes & Ears
/Originally posted 10th January 2014
A battle report featuring a game played using the first scenario from the Five Planets scenario pack: the Avians launch their invasion of the Gitungi controlled Pankova star system!
TFL Painting Challenge: Entries Flooding In!
/Originally posted 9th January 2014
More participants and more achievements for the 2014 Painting Campaign.
Additional participants (in no particular order) are Ralph Plowman, Joakim Ström, and Steve Parry-Harries,
Lots of achievements as well. Top of the list has to be Warrior In The Attic who has managed to complete three Napoleonic French foot units plus officer and artillery. Lovely paint jobs worth a stunning 607 points.
Other achievers are Jon Yuengling, two T-62 15mm tanks; Dick Bax, two 20mm Universal Carriers; Mike Whitaker, two 15mm anti-tank guns; and Jason Ralls with thirty-two 15mm Napoleonic British infantry and their mounted officer.
Napoleonic Foot from Warrior in the Attic
