Wednesday 18 June 2014

Peninsular War: Two Fields

Here are a couple of bits of scenery I have been making for my Peninsular War campaign... 

First up- an orange orchard (An orangery perhaps? or what ever the correct term for it is). This time I thought I would really go overboard on the terrain and really go for that dry dusty Iberian Peninsular feel. The walls are 1/72 scale Italieri plastic ones. The rest is scratch built. It is A4 size so it will easily fit in the IKEA Pappis storage box, and the orange trees will lift out for ease of storage and to allow figures to be placed during play. the oranges are a combination of tiny balls of green stuff, and coriander seeds (when I got board of making tiny balls of GS). The cabbages are made from paper roses from the craft shop painted green and dry-brushed. 




The Ploughed Field is made the same way. the fence is made by Redendra and the rest is scratch built. The Field is a piece of door mat sold in ALDI stuck down and given a light dry brush. The flowers were from Atenociti's Workshop.  




I hope you like them- Next up a farm house and a barn. 

Friday 6 June 2014

AtDE: Wrecked Cars for Across The Dead Earth

Here are a couple of diecast repaints I have done for Across the Dead Earth, a post apocalypse game set in Britain forty or so years after a devastating war/disaster. I wanted to do a few wrecked and really rusted vehicals. I was going for a 'The Last of Us' vibe as that seems to fit with my idea of a post-apoc Britain. 





These cars are diecast from the Disney Cars film. They are about 1/50 scale and that works just great for 28mm. A few of the vehicles have funny faces on the front but these are usually easy to cover with Green Stuff, Liquid Green Stuff or textured paint, then apply rust effect liberally to cover up the area and conceal the filler. 
It's also worth remembering that a few of the vehicals have odd scales, exaggerated for comics effect, so it is worth checking out the car before you buy it if you can. 
The bases for these models are made form a rubbery floor tile I bought form B+Q. it is soft and easy to cut with scissors or a craft knife. 
The figures in the back ground will be featured soon- they are my stand in gang while I wait for my AtDE minis to be delivered from my Kick Starter. 

Wednesday 4 June 2014

Home Front 1941: Home Guard Big Guns

Well, it's not that big a gun really, but it's better that a Boys anti-tank rifle. This is  is a 2pdr AT gun. It packs enough force to scare a German tank crew, but it's unlikely to do to much damage to the front of a Panzer, and is best deployed in ambush. With the Home Guard crew is a Forward Observer Officer from the Royal Artillery and his radio operator. British armies in Bolt Action get a FOO officer free, to represent the British tenancy to prefer heavy artillery over infantry and armour. This FOO can call down off field artillery to punish the enemy and drive them out of cover onto the waiting guns of the Home Guard!




This ATG is now sold by Warlord Games, although I have had this one in my cupboard for years and back then I think it was sold by a company called BEF.  The FOO and his aide are also from Warlord. 

Sunday 1 June 2014

Russian Civil War Battle Report

This weekend I journeyed to Herefordshire to join in with a Russian Civil War battle hosted by Giles. It was the same gamers who play the  VBCW Big Games, and we were trying out the modifications for Mort's own rules 'Went the Day Well?'- imaginatively entitled 'Went the Revolution Well'.

I haven't got any RCW figures, so Giles leant me a Kuban Cossack army. I was fighting against the Turks and their treacherous Cossack allies. The Russians had an armoured train due to arrive at any moment and the Turks and their allies were trying to knock it out or destroy the track in order to stop it. Basically my side had to stop them. 

In the battle I was lined up on the flank facing the treacherous Cossack army- they had an armoured car and a field gun- both of which I lacked. I concluded that the best plan was to race towards the enemy as quickly as possible and engage in melee- if I could beat his cavalry my infantry would be able to close and finish him off before he could attack the train. 

The plan might have worked too, except a badly aimed shot from the field gun landed in the mist of the swirling melee, and by shear chance killed more a lot more of my cavalry than the enemy, effectively turning the tide. My cavalry fought on bravely, but it looked grim for them....then the train arrived!

It turns out the armoured train was the one thing on the table that didn't need protecting- given that it was heavily armoured and bristling with cannons and machine guns!

We had been successful in keeping the Turks and their allies away from the railway, and they had been forced to keep their field guns back to protect them, but now they were too far away to use their AT shells...so their was little they could do as the armoured brute thundered past, guns blazing, leaving both sides in a cloud of dust and smoke.

Mission accomplished...just about

Some Treacherous Cossacks!


My good brave Loyal Cossacks charging towards the enemy

Turkish Infantry

As both Cossack forces close, they prepare to charge

My Flag Bearer signals the Charge
 

The Cossacks clash in a swirl of melee
Russian Filed guns pound the Turks (well try to)


The train arrives. 

Elsewhere their was another battle raging as the Red Russians tried to dislodge a French force from a village. Ultimately their were successful,as the Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys and their heroic Senegalese troops decided enough was enough.  


The French employed their technological superiority- A spotter plain and a radio!

Red Russians advance on the French held village

Their is little the French and Senegalese can do to stop the wave of Reds

Not sure what this is, but it had a lot of firepower!
All in all a great game- thank you to Giles and the lads for a great day.