Sumerian Archers

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I’m making a real push to finish my Sumerians now. These are from the excellent Museum Miniatures 15mm range, painted with Citadel Contrast paints.

Today’s offering is a non-core unit: a regiment of either Bodyguard or City archers:

Lovely figures, as you can hopefully see, and really easy to paint. Here’s a view from the back:

On to the Battle Carts next!

IABSM AAR: On the Shoulder of Kursk, Fight 2

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Another stupendous After Action Report from Just Jack, currently fighting a mini-campaign On the Northern Shoulder of Kursk.

This is fight two, so make sure you are sitting comfortably as we launch into another epic tale: even if this report contains only 144 photos this time!

Just Jack runs as excellent blog, Blackhawknet, that can be found by clicking here.

Click on the pic below to see all:

Q13: New Manufacturer Added: Trilaterum

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I’ve added a new company to the list of 15mm sci-fi figure manufacturers: Trilaterum.

Trilaterum produce a set of rules (not that you’ll need them obviously, as Q13 will fulfil your every need!) and several ranges of figures. So far they have:

  • The Agarascale: fungus-looking lifeforms that would go well with Ravenstar’s Horrids

  • The Dominion: humans in battlesuits

  • The Kaevur: they look like space dwarves to me…so I’ve ordered a load and will report back once they arrive

  • Quite a few larger mecha, space beasts and vehicles

Overall they look very nice. As I said above, I’ve already ordered some Kaevur, and if they prove worthwhile, I’ll probably get some Agarascale basic toadstool infantry too.

A couple of negatives, though. Firstly, the website shop doesn’t, as far as I can see, give a clear listing of pack contents. It has plenty of photos, but it’s not clear if the group shots are meant to be photographic catalogue entries or just examples. If the former, then my second negative is that it looks to be quite difficult to amass enough infantry for a platoon without buying loads of (perhaps unwanted) support material.

For example, Kaevur pack one is listed as containing:

The Photo of Pack 1

Kaevur Pack 1 contains enough miniatures to make the following units

Hoolda Infantry x 2
Juht Infantry
Kaevamine Heavy Mecha Vehicle

If I only get six basic infantry figures, I’m going to have to get a lot of drilly-things (at the back on the left) to get a decent platoon’s worth of PBI.

I suppose I could just e-mail them and ask, but where’s the fun in that?

Review to be continued when my Kaevur arrive…

IABSM AAR: The Road to Gravelines

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Tim Whitworth and friends are working their way through the Defence of Calais scenario pack. Here’s a quick AAR from Scenario #04: The Road to Gravelines.

The unenviable task facing the British was to get a massive truck borne supply consignment of rations from Calais to Dunkirk along the road via Gravelines. Early in morning the convoy left the Calais Gate and travelled the route until it reached the village of Le Beau Marais where 1 Panzer Division forward elements had set up a substantial roadblock on the village crossroads and billeted up for the night.

The game begins with the British reaching the roadblock and the Germans being alerted to their presence.

Click on the picture below to see what happened:

TFL Painting Challenge: Big Update

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Aztec Priest from The Hat

Morning All! Big Painting Challenge update today.

I’ve actually been adding entries over the last couple of days, but haven’t had a chance to get it all finished until now. Scorecard is up to date as well.

We’re now only a couple of months away from the end of the year: so let’s have a big push from everyone…especially those who haven’t sent much in so far.

So, today, in no particular order, we have:

  • Carole adds to her Gothic horror collection

  • There are lots of Romans from Mr Stoesen

  • Lloyd is off to South America with some amazingly painted Aztecs

  • Jason Ralls sends in some nice early war WW2 figures

  • Mervyn finds time not only to see Alice Cooper but also to finish some banshees (no comparison made, I’m sure!)

  • There’s a mix of Hessians and Romans from Travis

  • And a big lot from Fred Bloggs: his usual mixture of everything from Epic scale to 35mm

  • David Scott sends in his first entry of the year, proving it’s never too late to break your duck

  • A new army from Mr Helliwell: 7YW Austrians are now underway

  • Andy Duffell is back: some French/Indian wars native Americans plus a confused looking German officer (although I’m not sure they’re together!)

  • And last, but not least, Mr Luther is back in the Ukraine with some hovels and haystacks

As usual, clicking on the name of the person in the list above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window).

Today’s pictures are below:

IABSM AAR: On the Northern Shoulder of Kursk

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A stupendous AAR from Just Jack from his excellent blog BlackHawkNet covering a game of IABSM set on the northern shoulder of the great battle of Kursk in July 1943.

This is well worth a read although, just to warn you, there are 175 captioned photos of the action!

So get yourself a cup of tea, settle down, and click on the picture below…

IABSM at Pie, Mash & Lard 2019

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It was the Pie, Mash & Lard Lardy Day at the South London Warlords yesterday: a day which included a IABSM game put on by Ian Spence involving a US mixed force of tanks, Recce and infantry pushing German defenders out of a village and driving off table. A bloody affair which ended up with most German units eliminated, except the crucial platoon that held the village itself.

Click on the pic below to see Desmondo Darkin’s full report plus pictures:

More Museum Miniatures Sumerians

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Here’s the latest batch of the 15mm Museum Miniatures Sumerians that I have finished. The more I paint this range, the more I appreciate the beauty of the figures.

48 City Spearmen

I’m painting them using the new Citadel paints: using just one coat over an undercoat to get all the highlights you can see. I reckon that now I’m more familiar with the figures, I could add a few extra highlights to make them even better (especially on the flesh), but as I’m painting about 400 of the little blighters, I think I’ll stick with what I’m doing!

City Axemen

The next big challenge is how to paint the equids/onagers i.e. the proto-horses they used to pull their battle carts. Might do a bit of easy-to-paint light infantry first whilst I think about it…

Levy Slingers

TFL Painting Challenge: Update

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I thought I’d get ahead of myself as I have a busy weekend coming up!

In no particular order, we have:

  • Derek Hodge with lots of Samurai and WW2 goodness

  • Carole with some more sci-fi figures

  • Mervyn is in the middle-ages (oh, in so many ways!)

  • A lovely mix from Travis: an armoured car, some buildings, Hessians

  • Mr Helliwell also sends in a mixture…along with a foolish claim to have finished one of his armies (we’ve all heard that before!)

  • Mark Luther fills a gap or two

  • There’s a gigantic castle and some occupants from Chris Cornwell

  • And last, but by no means least, it’s great to welcome Jason Ralls back to the challenge, and with a big first submission of the year as well

As usual, clicking o the name of the person in the list above will send you straight through to their gallery (opens in a new window).

We’re in the last quarter of the year now, so keep an eye on those points totals: got to beat last year! Speaking of which, the Scorecard will be updated in the next day or so: apologies for the delay, especially after my previous exhortation!

Today’s pictures:

Blitzkrieg in the Far East Part One: Japan now available!

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Published today, and available to buy from the TooFatLardies shop, Blitzkrieg in the Far East 1: Japan is the sixth in the series of early war handbooks for I Ain’t Been Shot, Mum. The handbook is 116 pages long and covers the Japanese army during the first phase of the War in the Pacific, December 1941 to June 1942, when its battle-hardened armies inflicted defeat after defeat on the Allies. 

Unlike the other titles so far in the series, the nature of Japan’s campaign of expansion means that the booklet is not divided into sections defined by the different types of division that fought, but into sections defined by the different geographical mini-campaigns: Malaya and Singapore, Burma, the Philippines, The Dutch East Indies and the South Seas. In effect, it is several theatre booklets rolled into one.  

There are a total of forty-eight different lists split as follows: 

  • Malaya & Singapore: 7 lists from 25th Army 

  • Thailand & Burma: 5 lists from 15th Army 

  • The Philippines: 16 lists from 14th Army 

  • Hong Kong: 1 list from 38th Division 

  • Borneo:  2 lists from 35th Brigade 

  • The Dutch East Indies: 15 lists from 16th Army 

  • The South Seas: 2 lists from the South Seas Detachment 

Finally, we have the usual ratings and armoury sections, and a note on air support. 

Although designed for IABSM, Blitzkrieg in the Far East: Japan contains a vast amount of information useful to gamers of other systems, and is really a must-buy for anyone interested in the early war period. 

Buy it here, now!

TFL Painting Challenge: End of September Update

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More entries have been flying in, but generally from the same people. Come on the rest of you! Let’s make a bit of an effort in the run up to Christmas!

Today, in no particular order, we have:

  • Mark Luther and a lot of Germans for WW2 Crimea

  • Lloyd Bowler submits a stunning model of HMS Blankney

  • There are some sci-fi Ghosts from Carole

  • An emergency paint job from Mervyn

  • Lots of barbarians and a few Romans to face them, and some Shermans, from Travis

  • Stumpy has shroffed up an E-Bay bargain

  • Matt Slade has a multitude of Sengalese Tirailleusr for us to admire, and some tanks

  • There’s more Moorish cavalry from Steve Burt

  • Sapper sends in the Spanish

  • And last, but not least, there some more Italian Wars figures and, randomly, two doors, from Mr Helliwell

As usual, clicking on the name of the person in the list above will send you straight through to their gallery.

Here are today’s pictures: