TFL Painting Challenge: Sunday Morning Update

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Fantastic day of rugby yesterday with the climax of the Six Nations. Once again England were so close but yet so far from becoming champions, but well done to the Irish anyway.

How can we maintain that level of excitement through to Sunday night? Why, an update to the painting challenge of course!

Today's achievements (and they are legion!) are:

  • Mr Luther with some more 6mm planes (more photos please Mark!)
  • Nils with a whole load of 10mm figures and a 15mm rabbit
  • Mr Naylor with some more 6mm AFVs
  • My favourite entry of the week: WillieB's Napoleonic fleet in 1/500th scale. This takes huim over 500 points and over his last year score...so double cheers all round
  • Egg plays Captain Mainwaring with the Bang On Trend Home Guard platoon
  •  Sapper with a mixed bag of 15mm & 28mm figures
  • Mr Douglas with...yes, you guessed it, more LOTR figures...and a couple of 15mm Crusaders
  • Carole builds a bridge and some bunkers, and populates them with Marders...and gets over the 1,000 point mark: huzzah!
  • Mr Yuengling with more teeny-tiny tanks
  • and finally Jason Ralls with some 28mm VBCW and WW2 figures

Today's picture, as you might have guessed, is of WillieB's ships. Very nice:

Old Hickory Released for Chain of Command

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Old Hickory, released today, is the third of the Pint-Sized campaigns for Chain of Command, designed to be played using the campaign handbook At the Sharp End.

 Thirty pages long, Old Hickory contains an overview of US operations in Normandy and beyond from Operation Cobra to the German counter attack at Mortain, Operation Luttich.  It goes on to present a mini-campaign covering the defence of L'Abbaye Blanche, a key position to the North of Mortain where the US 30th Division stood firm against 2nd SS Das Reich, and Der Fuhrer regiment in particular.   

The campaign is a total of six game tables with the duration running between three and eight games.  Briefings are provided for both sides, along with measurable objectives, period maps, force and support option listings and everything you need to play this campaign through to its conclusion. 

Now available at only £3.60 (the price of a pint!) at www.toofatlardies.co.uk.

Hopefully the next special will contain a conversion for IABSM as the Christmas Special 2014 did for the first Pint-Sized Campaign for Chain of Command, 29! Let's go!
 

IABSM AAR: West of Pierrecourt

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Here's the third and, for the moment, final AAR from The Wargaming Addict played on a wargaming engine as opposed to the tabletop.

This time the Addict picks a scenario from the Blenneville or Bust! scenario pack, set in Normandy: the opening game involving the clash of two recon forces just west of Pierrecourt.

Click here or on the picture below to see the whole report

IABSM AAR: The Road From Fort Capuzzo

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As those who follow this blog will know, I have recently painted a squadron of plastic British A13 cruiser tanks from Zvezda in desert colours. I was naturally keen to get them onto the tabletop, so invited my regular opponent, Neil, round for a battle.

I'd determined to use one of the two 'all tank' scenarios from the Operation Compass scenario pack (written by me and available to purchase from all good retailers: well, here and the TFL main site!) so carefully printed off the pages we'd need for Scenario 10: The Road From Fort Capuzzo.

It wasn't until I'd laid out the terrain and turned to getting the figures out that I realised that Scenario 10 doesn't feature any A13s: just A9s and A10s!

No bother: the newly painted tanks will have to wait their turn as my BEF tanks demonstrate what they can do re-tasked to the desert.

So click here or on the picture below to see what happens when Rae Leakey and his tank squadron drive towards the road from Fort Capuzzo in December 1940: an interesting game that takes place up in the blue in the dead of the night...

Rae Leaky up in the blue in the dead of the night

Rae Leaky up in the blue in the dead of the night

TFL Painting Challenge: So Many Entries, A Special Monday Nighter Is Needed!

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Having updated the challenge on Saturday, I thought I'd be okay for a couple of days, especially as I am in the middle of writing up the AAR from Saturday night's game...but, no, unfortunately not: so many entries flooded in yesterday and today that I have had to sacrifice my AAR writing for a special Monday Night update.

So, in no particular order, we have achievements from:

  • Treadhead in 28mm, a couple of Shermans and a farm
  • Mr Douglas with yet more LOTR figures
  • Benito hasn't painted much recently (been playing rather than painting, lucky man) but here are a fistful of grenadiers 
  • Egg is re-born, sending in his first entry of the new year, a lovely company of Skytrex and Forged in Battle early war British infantry
  • Jason Ralls has a platoon of his own to send in: Soviets in 28mm. These take him over the 1,500 points mark: huzzah!
  • Topyob submits some 15mm infantry of his own...but no pictures again!
  • Mr Luther pops in seventy Aussie militia: also no photo, but one is sure to follow. This entry takes Mark over 500 points.
  • Jon Yuengling enters sixty-three 1/600 tanks...and could someone make him three Crusader AA tanks, please, in the same scale
  • Matt Slade achieves his usual high painting standard with 36 VSF infantry in 28mm
  • and, last but not least, Mr Baldwin submits ten tiny houses from Bacchus

Inspired by the above, I'm off to do some painting of my own now, but before I do, here's today's picture: Egg's British infantry in 15mm

TFL Painting Challenge: Post-Rugby Round-Up

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Now that the rugby is over for the day (magnificent game Wales vs Ireland...more mixed feelings about the England vs Scotland game), it must be time for a painting challenge update.

A high volume of entries today:

  • Mr 'I Am Bruce' submits some 28mm Romans and Polish-types (I have answered your query re farmyard animals via e-mail)
  • Richard Naylor achieves some more 6mm modern Soviet tanks
  • New entrant Lloyd Bowler (must not make a hat joke, must not make a hat joke) smashes his way onto the scoreboard with a whole range of 1/600 ACW riverine craft supported by some 20mm Soviets
  • Topi is back with some 15mm BEF figures (you're still just ahead!)
  • Mr Plowman submits some lovely 15mm sci-fi figures
  • Carole had apparently finished painting figures for the moment (at least until the postman arrives) and so turns her hands towards building terrain, lots of terrain
  • Matt Slade goes very small and then very large, with entries from 6mm to 35mm
  • and finally Mr Yuengling pops in some more 28mm cowboy types

Three photos today: a close up of Mr Plowman's sci-fi figures; one of Mr Bowler's 1/600 ships, and Carole's walled garden...

Great Paint Job!

Great Paint Job!

USS Ossippi in 1/600th scale

USS Ossippi in 1/600th scale

Carole's Walled Garden

Carole's Walled Garden

IABSM AAR: North of Caen/02

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Here's the second of the three promised IABSM AARs from The Wargaming Addict.

Keen to make up for his previous performance, the Addict plays the same scenario again, but this time with very different results.

Click here or on the picture below to see another great battle played out not on the tabletop, but on the Battleground Engine.

 

All this posting of AARs has made me quite jealous for a game: lucky I have one tomorrow night!

Oh, and I'll update the painting challenge this weekend too.

IABSM AAR: North of Caen

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Although I have occasionally played computer wargames or wargames moderated by a computer, I have primarily always been a wargames who games on the tabletop with figures, dice and a rulebook.

There's something immensely satisfying about pushing lead around a tabletop loaded with brilliant terrain, and nothing beats the feeling of dice in the hand ready to roll just what you need!

Tabletop gaming, however, does require an awful lot of room.

I, for example, have only recently reclaimed my wargaming room from its sabbatical as a 'kids playroom', and so am very familiar with the effort involved in having to clear the living room, set everything up, and then put it all away before the house can resume normal function.

The Wargaming Addict has apparently solved that problem with the use of the Battleground Gaming Engine. You can visit his site by clicking here, or more simply read the AAR describing his first foray into non-figure gaming using IABSM from December 2013 by clicking on the picture, below.

Interesting stuff...with two more AARs to follow over the next week or so.

IABSM AAR: The Ponte Grande Bridge

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Martin981463 posted some great photographs of a recent IABSM game onto the TFL Yahoo group, but Yahoo being Yahoo, the pictures came out in all the wrong order and without the captions.

Here are the pictures again, carefully organised into a gallery, and with captions included.

Click here or on the picture, below, to see the storyboard unfold: enjoy!

TFL Painting Challenge: Sunday Night Update, Quite Large!

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Plenty of entries flooding in: last update was Tuesday, and easily enough new achievements to justify another update now.

In no particular order, we have:

  • Richard Naylor with a company of 6mm Russian APCs and some 20mm WW2 US infantry and supports
  • Mr Douglas with some orcs and Uruk Hai
  • The painting machine masquerading as Carole bangs in a brigade of 15mm French cavalry and a couple of terrain pieces
  • The notorious AJH rides again with large numbers of 6mm ACW infantry and artillery
  • Mr Stapells has, in his own words, gone Fallschirm-crazy, submitting a platoon of late war troopers plus enough supports to justify his opponent fielding a company of Shermans!
  • Jason Ralls rises phoenix-like once again, with some dead cowboys and a massive beastie from the depths of Brimstone
  • Mr Baldwin prepares for Market Larden with over two score 28mm WoR infantry and a Spanish guerilla (the freedom fighter sort, not the great ape)

Plenty of pictures to choose from...let's have one of Mr Baldwin's WoR units:

Still plenty of you who haven't submitted anything yet for the new year: time for a catch-up submission if you ask me!

25mm SA-34 Portee

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I've now almost finished all the models I bought in the Battlefront early war sale. Here are a couple more: two 25mm SA-34 Portees for a French Escadron de Fusiliers Portees. 

These are fine models that paint up beautifully. Although the picture is not a particularly good one, there's some nice layering on the crew's uniforms and helmets, and you can see that the brown patches that form part of the vehicles' camouflage has come out quite well too.

Right, back to the sci-fi figures now... 

TFL Painting Challenge: Tuesday Night

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Hi all.

Enough achievements posted to merit a quick Tuesday night update.

In no particular order, we have:

  • Joakim with some completes he forgot to mention last time
  • Mr Helliwell with some more Hessian types
  • Fred Bloggs lists what he painted in February
  •  Andrew McCarthy enters more (pictures, Andrew, pictures!)
  • Jon adds some men to his cacti
  • And Topyob bangs in some AWI and FOW figures

Plus I've had several requests to badger Rich for pics of his painting...but I think I'd rather leave him to get on with rule-writing. After all, he's got to hurry if he's going to get everything finished by Easter!

As for today's photo...well, it's a few days late but it's my tribute to an actor who both was and was not his most famous character. RIP Leonard Nimoy, 1931-2015:

Live long and prosper!

Live long and prosper!

Weedl Scout Flyer

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I've mentioned before how much I like Zombiesmith's Quar: WW1 era anteater types with suitably Heath Robinson vehicles.

One of their latest releases is the first of the 'aerocraft': the Weedl Scout Kite. This is a lovely model that is easy to put together and paint. It even comes with a propeller in thin brass.

Here's my attempt at painting one of them:

TFL Painting Challenge: Saturday Night Update

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Ah, as I listen to the oft-heard sound of wife and eldest daughter arguing about...well, I don't know what and, quite frankly, have no wish to know as I might then get dragged into it, I think it's time for a painting challenge update.

Today's entries are from:

  • Mr Douglas with more LOTR figures
  • Mr Baldwin with an entry that originally got lost and is now found: some 6mm Sudan figures and some 15mm WW2 American Paras (I must get started on mine)
  • Joakim with twelve Brimstone figures
  • Mr Luther with over 100 6mm infantry and 24 6mm AFVs
  • Jon Yuengling submits some cacti
  • Mr Slade submits some Prussians
  • Our friend Topi submits some 15mm WW2 vehicles and guns
  • Mr Ralls returns with some more re-basing and also a spot of Brimstone painting
  • Bad news for Carole: she's been laid up with a bad foot...but good news for her painting challenge score as it's given her a chance to ready another prodigious entry

Carole also becomes the first person to beat her 2014 score (new entrants don't count) although I suspect her previous year's score was so low because she only started submitting entries late in the year!

Today's picture is a reminder to me to get on with my US Paratroops: it's Mr Baldwin's US Paratroopers...

CDS AAR: The Horror, The Horror!

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Something we haven't had for quite a while: a Charlie Don't Surf! after action report.

This one comes from the excellent A Wargaming Gallimaufry blog (click on the name to go there) where you'll also find AARs for Chain of Command  and other, non-Lardy games.

The scenario pitches a Free World aid station coming under attack from NVA while an under-strength company is on their way to relieve it.  The aid station has the advantage of a Platoon of special forces but were likely to face a heavy assault before the relief force could get there. Click on the picture, below, to see the full report.