2013 Round Up

Four colour super agents

2013 has been a very 'productive' year for me for a figure painting point of view. I have managed to finish 280 figures in the year, which is insane! I have completed two SAGA warbands, a Chindit army, a WW2 Japanese army, a Finland based zombie apocalypse game with scenery and over 30 zombies, 50+ urban zombies and survivors (with my son Charlie's help), an angry mob of modern civilians and African Union Peace Keepers. I have started a blog, Hotel Zugando, dedicated to my modern warfare setting in my imagi-nation of Zugando, complete with background.  
  
Phew! It's a wonder I found any time to go to work!

A converted Panhard VBL for my Nigerian Army

The downside for me for all this frenzy of painting is that I can't help but feel that the standards of the painting has slipped, as it has become a case of trying to get 'boots on the ground' at the expense of painting quality. That is something I want to address in 2014- paint a few less figures- but make them better.  

A couple of my modern Angry Mob

The highlight of the year was probably Zombtober- which began last year as a silly idea to get Pulp Citizen to actually finish some of the massive pile of lead zombies he has accumulated, but which this year, thanks to the help and support of Pulp Citizen and Simon (the Brummie lad) had blossomed into a mini-phenomenon, with dozens of zombie enthusiast from all over the world joining in, adding zeds and survivors to their groaning, moaning piles of living lead. 

A close up of my Finland Supermarket's fire escape

I haven't got as much gaming done as I would have liked- I am desperate to get some more VBCW, Saga and Force on Force games in, but want to get some Bolt Action and Muskets and Tomahawks next year too.

My ASBO zombie apocalypse survivors

I also had cause, during the year, to reflect on the mess of games and periods I have been working on, and I realised that I have spent 2012 and 2013 flitting from one project to the next. Like many games I am attracted to new shiny things, and in the past I have, given into the urges, which is why when I made a list of current projects I was working on there were at least fourteen of them! This is unacceptable as it means I often never finish projects, and it is also very expensive as it adds to the lead mountain- and right now I just can' afford expensive!
The solution, it would seem, it to set realistic objectives at the start of as project, and to not begin another one without first completing the last one. Business types out there will no doubt have headr of SMART objectives- this is when the goal of a project is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. I will be applying these objectives to all current, and any new projects. In other words I will set out at the beginning of the projects exactly what I am doing, so I will no longer say 'I am going to paint some French and Indian Wars figures'; instead I will say 'I am going to paint a 200pt French irregulars force for Muskets and Tomahawks, by the end of February.' I don't know if that is how everybody else does it, but that is what I am going to try, and that way I hope I will be able to finish some projects before I start more.

My VBCW armoured car (just before it got blew up) in another Herefordshire game

And so, with that in mind, what is for 2014? Well current ongoing projects will be

• 200pt French Irregulars and British Regulars for M+T, 
• 5pt Norman Warband for SAGA, 
• A platoon of USMC for my Zugando campaign (when the KS figures arrive from Empress games). 
• Finish a Platoon of African Union peace keepers for Zugando

Future projects will include 

• A company for In Her Majesties Name (someting to do with cowboys and zombies)
• Another WW2 force (Dads army, Winter War or more forces for Burma Campaign)
• Some more supervillians and henchmen

The start of my Norman SAGA warband- just need the rest of them

Other possible projects that have caught my eye, based on the availability of time and money might include

• Modern Winter War (Russians vs Finns- using Force on Force)
• Mexican Revolution (skirmish- probably using Triumph and tragedy) 
• Sharp Practice (Napoleonic skirmish)
• Ronin
• Lord of the Rings Breeland army
• Elizabethan pirates (using Mordhiem)
• More survivors and terrain for my zombie apoc games. 

Rangers for my Breeland army

So, there you go- 2013 is all but done, and 2014 is about to begin. I hope the year has been goon to you, and I hope the next is even better. Happy New Year.

Review: Rare Exports (Film)

Christmas Eve: Film 4. 12.45am

Back in the summer when I was working on my Finnish Village for my 'It Snows in Hell' zombie game, one of the Finnish guys on Lead Adventure Forum strongly recommend that I get hold of Rare Exports, a Finnish film set in the same region of Finland as my own zombie games. I dutifully followed his advise, but then, because I was decorating the lounge and my Blue-ray player was packed away I never got round to watching it. This week I fancied watching a Christmas movie with my wife, and was about to put 'The Holiday' on again, when I remembered I had this film, still in its cellophane wrap. 

Digging it out I slipped the disk into the player and was immediate immersed in a story set in snow-bound rural Finland. Its a very strange story, built around old Finnish folk stories where Santa was not the guy who brings the good children pressies, but rather a monstrous demon who punishes naughty children by killing them in nasty ways. Now I don't know if this plot is actually based on real folk stories or if it is just a construct to drive the movie, but I think this is a cracking idea for a story. 

The film is nicely shot, with some stunning scenery and is darkly funny in a way that I suspect in uniquely Finnish. The acting is very good, especially the young boy (Onni Tommila) who is very believable and funny. The story moves along a a lively pace, and even though it is in Finnish with subtitles, I found the I got very engaged in the characters. The film has a 15 certificate, and that is probably deserving- it is dark and twisted, but not really a horror movie as such- It probably wont make you jump too much, but it is creepy. 

All in all, if you want an different sort of Christmas Movie, I would highly recommend this one- its should be a cult classic!

Here are my own Finnish survivors from 'It Snows in Hell'

Visit to Wargames Store

Sorry I haven't posted much of late but I have been very busy at work and, even though I have been furiously painting on my evenings off, I haven't got round to getting much ready for photographing.  I have been painting some Chindits and Japanese for my Bruma campaign, and some more VBCW characters  for an upcoming Big Game in Hereford, and I will defiantly post pictures of these as an when they are completed. 

Today my son Charlie and I went to the subtly titled 'Wargames Store' (can you guess what they sell there?) in Brimstage, on the Wirral. What I saw impressed me no end! The store is huge, stocking a wide range of wargaming stuff from most of the major manufactures  GW, War Machine, Warlord Games  Flames of War, Perry Miniatures, Wargames Factory and much more. We could have spent ages there- they have a cool gaming room too, with permanently set up tables. 

Charlie picked up some Wargames Factory Greek hoplites- he fancies collecting figures inspired by Greek mythology. It's going to be quite Hollywood, rather than accurate. He's already done  a Medusa, and wants some minatores too!

Anyway, the Wargames Store is lovely- the staff are friendly and helpful, and it is housed in a stunning stone barn. It's also very close to a nice craft center my good lady wife could poke around in while we boys were getting our geek on looking at little figures.

First SAGA Game

Leon and I got together last week for a bit of a go at SAGA, the rules all the cool kids have been playing last year. Being something of a fashion victim/trend-setter and while I have had the rules for ages but this was actually the first time we have played the game as it has taken me about two years to get my warbands ready.

We found SAGA to be lots of fun- it is a radically different game to any others we have played, and it is fast pace and fun. We played with four point warbands, and found that we could easily get through a game in an hour, and that is with a rules set we are still leaning!

Combat was suitably brutal and short affair, and usually decisive one way or another. In the first game Leon's Viking berserkers cut a bloody swathe through my ranks. 

It strikes me that SAGA is one of those games that is easy to learn but difficult to master. There are lots of tactical decisions to be made, and that keeps it lively and fresh.

By the end of the day what had we learned? SAGA is a lot of fun, for sure, and I can see why it has become an instant hit in the gaming community  It is brutal, quick and bloody, which is the way I like my Viking action. Berserkers are REALLY scary and need to be managed (i.e. quickly killed) if you are fighting against them. We also need more units and more options. Four points is the minim sized war band recommended in the game, but I think another unit or two for either side would be great. I also plan to do some Normans, while Leon is going to do a Jomsviking warband. This will give us four different warbands, which will greatly increase the variation. In the mean time, we can carry on trying to master the subtle variations of the Viking and Anglo-Danish warbands, and once we have dome that we can swap armies and do it all again. I think there is a lot of life left in this game and we will defiantly come back to it!

Alfred Grey-beard looks out at the approaching Viking raiders.

"Sound the horn- let battle begin!"

 The Viking Warriors advance- eager for battle and plunder!

The Vikings sneak through the ruins of a Roman temple to out-flank the Anglo-Danish army

Anglo-Danish warriors from a shield wall- ready to meet their enemy. 

Osombie Review

I have just finished watching a great new movie I bought from Tescos this week- I thought I would share it with you guys. 

The film is Osombie, and it’s a straight to DVD Zombie movie (my favourite sort of zombie move!). The plot follows a team of Special Ops as they attempt to contain a zombie outbreak in Afganistan. Bin Laden is not dead, at least not properly; as he infected himself with the zombie virus just before he was killed by the navy SEALs, and is now back from his watery grave. Meanwhile the Taliban are using the zombie contagion to create an army of infected terrorist- the suicide bomber that can kill over and over again!

I bought this movie thinking it was a comedy- it certainly looks it from the cover, but it turns out it is quite serious- a little tongue in cheek perhaps, as most zombie movies are. It’s a good movie, and I really enjoyed it. It’s well plotted, with fairly good acting and script. The special effects are not bad, for a strait to DVD movie, and the zombie make-up is quite gruesome. OK, so it might not bring  anything stunningly original to the genre, but its a cracking way to spend a couple of hours. And it was only £7 in Tescos. 

The best bit, as far as I am concerned was Danielle Chuchran as ‘Tomboy’, one of the Special Forces soldiers. I have never seen her in any other films, and she is very nice indeed! A little bit too much mascara for a Special Ops solder operating behind enemy lines perhaps, but I am not complaining.

Tomboy

Osombie gave me plenty of inspiration for wargaming- Special ops vs. Zombies- you know it makes sence. All I need now is a company making 28mm Taliban zombies. I am off to goggle it straight away. 

A look in the Zombicide box.

  As promised, a quick review of the new game Zombicide. My gaming buddies and I cracked open the game to get a look at the icky goodies inside. My first impressions- what have they put in this box- bricks? This is one heavy box, crammed with bits and bobs. There are loads of plastic zombies, and a much smaller number of survivors. The board is built of a heavy card and is lavishly (and gorily) illustrated. It consists of double-sided tiles that can be arranged in various ways for the different missions.

  The sculpting of the figures is very good, although they are not 28mm scale- closer to 30-32 I would say. That doesn’t bother me, but I think some people were hoping they could use the zombies in their wargames.

  The production quality is fantastic- the best I have ever seen in a board game. The rulebook is in full colour and beautifully illustrated throughout. The figures are great: The board is great.

  Based on what I have seen, without playing the game, I would say it looks great, and I would certainly recommend it to any fans of Zed based games.

The Rules- Very pretty!

 The Survivors- Very Colourful!

Glow in the dark dice- Mad but cool. Useful for when play a board game in the dark.

This is Doug's character sheet. There are also blank character sheets so presumable you can create your own.

A sample of the board tiles. Lovely. Check out the trails of blood!

A sample of the many zombies in the box.

This bad guy is an Abomination!

I can't wait to get a few games in.

Two Flames of War Buildings

These two buildings are both 15mm scale World War 2 buildings suitable for Flames of War games set in Normandy. Both are made from pre-cut laser-cut MDF.

Flames of War Buildings

The one on the left is by Sassissa Precision and comes flat pack and unpainted: It costs £9. Obviously I have painted this one myself, and it took 2-3 hours to assemble and paint to this standard.

The one on the right is a new one from 4Ground, and also comes flat pack- the difference is that 4Ground gives the option of having pre-painted models- like this one. This one took about an hour to assemble- it’s a more complicated model that the Sarrissa Precision one- but obviously did not need painting. It cost £13.

Now- personally I think the one I painted looks a bit better- given that you can see the joints on the roof and walls of the 4Ground one, but give that it was a pain in the butt to paint, the 4Ground stuff certainly has some merit. The difference of just £4 for the models is quite surprising, and the fact that the laser cutters adds a thin layer of soot that provides instant weathering is a great feature- so much so that I think I will go back to the Sarrissa buildings I have already finished and add some weathering powder.

Over all, I think that if you want to lavish lots of time and attention on your scenery and have a fantastic looking table top- then I would go with Sarrissa (or even 4Grounds very reasonably priced unpainted models), and paint them yourself. But if you want a pretty good-looking tabletop, and quickly- then go for the new 4Ground stuff.

Me? I think I am too lazy to paint more houses for Flames of War. In future 4Ground will get my business. 

Best Toys ''R' Us trip ever!

I just popped down to Toys ‘R’ Us to get some play sand for the kids so they can make the most of this very un-English weather while it lasts and while I was in there thought I would just take a quick look around to see if there was anything suitable for gaming/conversion. I was glad that I did…

  First off, I found a die cast Apache helicopter (an AH-64) made by Fastlane for Toys ‘R’ Us. It was on special offer, being reduced from £12.99 to £9.99. It is modelled in 1/55 scale, which if you are interested in using die cast for wargaming you will probably know that it is something of a holy grail when it comes to scale.

  

Scale is a very subjective thing, but it is generally considered that for 28mm scale figures, something between 1/50 and 1/56 is about perfect. 1/48 is far more common form die cast and for model kits, but it is generally too big for 28mm scale figures. 1/72 scale is used for a lot of military models, but is too small for 28mm, being better suited for 20mm or 18mm scale. As I say, scale is very subjective, and people choose to use all sorts of scales, and that’s fine. I think the most important thing is to remains consistent.

My second find, in the bargain bucket, was some models form the Disney’s Cars movie range. I have used these before for my African scenery as these are generally approaching 1/56 scale (although there is some inconsistencies across the range as the models are based on the characters in the film and sometimes the sizes are exaggerated for comic effect, so you have to be wary). These models are based on a Range Rover, and were just £2.49 each. They will be converted and used as part of my cavalcade for The President of Zugando, or any other ranking dignitaries.

  

All in all, I would consider that to be a good shopping trip!

Salute 2012 Report

I have recovered enough from my mammoth gaming and shopping trip to Salute 2012, in London yesterday, to post some of my pictures here. I had a great day, and spent too much money!
Amongst my purchases were some VBCW figures from Muttonchops, Empress and Hasslefree, some Victorian Zombies from West Wind Games, some cows from Redoubt, a couple of carrying boxes from KR muiltcase (perhaps not that exciting, but I saved the postage), a USMC recon unit and some Victorian SciFi stuff from Eureka. My biggest purchase was a copy of Dread Fleet I bought from Stafford Games.
I had a chance to meet up with a few VBCW gamers, and with the creative team behind Pulp City. Best of all, from an eye candy perspective, I got to see some of the most impressive boards and table tops I have ever set eyes on. The standard of board at salute is exceptionally high- just take a look.

An ice station by 7TV for Crooked Dice. Perfectly executed!

MicroArt Studio did this superb VSF board. They will be releasing these buildings in laser cut HDF later this year, in the autumn. The MicroArt figures were lovely, but oddly scaled and very costly.

This is my favourite. A Force on Force board made by Chemins de Feu, with Russians vs Nato- 28mm scale. Absolutely stunning.

I couldn't miss out VBCW. There were two VBCW tables at Salute. The GWP one had some lovely looking scenery. There was another one, involving naval battles, but I never got a chance to photograph that.

West Midlands Millitary Show 2012

I went to the West Midlands Military Show with my son Charlie. It is a medium sized historic war gaming show in Wolverhampton. It's been around for years, but this is only the second time I have been, an Charlie's first. There were a lot of retailers there, and I fished up a few bargains and came across a few games and retailers that were new to me. I also had a chance to see some stunning table tops. Here's a pile of pictures of some of the best. I apologies that I never wrote the name of the individuals and groups who created these masterpieces. If you recognise any of them and want to credit their creators properly please post a comment at the end of this entry.

This was a lovely 28mm cowboy town, apparently under attack by a large number of bandits. The scenery was great, as were the minis. I thought it was a bit too busy, but impressive nether the less.

Here a couple of shots of a Victorian city-scape for a horror skirmish game. Jaw droppingly good scenery! The majority of the buildings were scratch built!

As always at these kind of shows there were a number of re-enactment groups. We thought the guy running the WW2 table was very friendly and knowledgeable. Charlie was impressed with the Bren Gun- but damn those things are heavy. I wouldn't fancy lugging one from here to Berlin!

Charlie enjoyed a game of Pike and Shot, using a homegrown rules set. It was a lot of fun and easy to pick up. The group running it , the Sir Gilbert Hoghton's Company of Foote, were very friendly and welcoming.

Another spectacular board from (I think) the Shewsbury Wargaming Society. This one is a pirate themed battle, featuring a large number of none-combatant villagers. The shear number and range of civilians was remarkable- and every were I looked there were amusing details like the string quartet and the man proposing to the goat herdess.

My own extravagant purchases included (but were not restricted to) a couple of Britannia Miniatures 'Technicals' and a crashed Black Hawk helicopters for my African board, a new laser cut MDF house from 4 Ground, some sailors for VBCW, and some 28mm sheep.

Overall, we had a great day out. I spent too much money, and so now I am going to have to put some stuff on eBay to pay form Salute next month.

Hello...I am still here!

It has been too long since my last post. There have been a number of reasons for that- I have been finishing off my African scenery: I have been rather unwell with a nasty stomach bug; I have been painting for the Lead Painters League. The Lead painters League (LPL) is a painting competition ran by Lead Adventure Forum. I have entered the last two years and really enjoyed it. The basic idea is that you have to submit a new entry each week for ten weeks. Each entry must comprise of a 'team' of at least five figures. Exactly what constitutes a team is quite open, as long as there is an obvious theme running through them. Additionally there are three bonus rounds where there is a extra points if you can produce a team that matches the theme for that round. This year the bonus rounds are Old Lead (any figures older than 1991), Tolkien and Maritime.


The LPL is a great way of making a bit of progress on the many half finished projects I have kicking around, as well as upping my game when it comes to painting miniatures. This year I am looking to do some more Saxons, some Old School Citadel, some stuff form my African adventures, some VBCW and defiantly some KKBB.



This year there is a restriction on the number of entries, and as part of the rules changes we have to submit three 'teams' by the end of February, hence me being rather busy getting my entries ready. Because of the rules of the competition, I can't show my figures on the Blog until after the competition has started, so February might not see to many post with new figures, but you will still be treated to a few bits and bobs, along with some scenery.

I had a nice parcel in the post yesterday form The Assault Group with my African militia men. I have been shopping about on the Internet trying to find some nice modern African 28mm to go with my shanty town scenery. Basically it seemed to boil down to two UK manufacturers, Britannia and The Assault Group (TAG). I ordered a few testers from both companies, and was impressed by the customer service from both.

A Britannia Somalian and a TAG African Militiaman

Here is a picture of a couple of miniatures from these companies. Scale wise, as you can see, they are very compatible, and the weapons are a good scale match too. While being defiantly 'Heroic' proportioned 28mm miniatures, they work well together. The Britannia miniatures are dynamic, while TAG tend to be more statically posed. Cost wise, there is not a lot in it, with both manufactures minis averaging about £1.45 each, if you buy 30+ minis at a time.

I have decided to opt for the TAG for the bulk of my force because I prefer the sculpt. The lines and styling reminds me of Mark Coppletone's work, although I don't know it he did the sculpts. They certainly would not look out of place mixed in with Copplestone miniatures. That said, Britannia do a fantastic range of resin and metal vehicles that will be prefect for my needs, including the ubiquitous 'Technical'- a Toyota pick-up with a .50cal HMG on the back. I am sure to be getting some of those to build up my force soon enough.

Das Panzergrenadiers

Just a quick Flames of War update- I have finished my first Panzergrenadier platoon, complete with their Opal Blitz trucks. These will support my Panzerkompanie, providing much needed infantry support to scout out the enemy and protect the valuable panzers from the British infantry.

These infantry figures are by Plastic Soldier Company and are hard plastic 15 mm German soldiers. You get over 100 models for £18. The bases are by Warbases and are pre-cut from MDF, as the PSC figures don't come with bases. These figures are nicely sculpted and well cast, with a lot of detail. The box included a few medics, radio operators and ammunition carriers, which adds to the details. I am not sure the sculpting is quite as good as on the very excellent vehicles, but they are inexpensive compared to metal, so I mustn't grumble too much. Another minor point is that they are actually relatively tall when compared with the Flames of War British I have painted- actually a head taller- they are also much more anatomically proportioned. Its only a minor thing, but it's worth noting.

The Opel Blitz trucks are resin and are made by Battlefront for Flames of War.

Summer Holiday Trip to Warhammer World

Summer Holidays are here and I had to organise a day trip for the kids while my wife was busy. Where to go? Let me think....

Warhammer World of course! Warhammer world, Games Workshop's flagship store, is in Nottingham, less that an hour and a half from our house- I perfect chance to engage in a bit of gaming related shenanigans while maintaining the pretence of taking the kids out for the day. In my defence, I must point out that my son Charlie was a keen as I was to go. Eleanor was not so enthusiastic as she wanted to go to Florida, but then you cant win them all.

Charlie took the opportunity to expand his already massive Lord of the Rings Moria Goblin army. I added a few Hobbits to my Shire army. I had previously decided not to collect any more GW Armies, as they are just too expensive, but as this was more a case of adding to an existing army I felt that is was justifiable.

All in all, Charlie and I had a great time. The whole experience for Eleanor could have been enhanced by the addition of Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Here's some gaming tables I photographed while I was there. Amazingly, if you turn up with your own armies, you can play on these masterpieces!

This just goes to show what you can do with a ware house of plastic kits if some one tells you to design something impressive.


This is a gorgeous Eldar vs Imperial Guard table- kind of half diorama and half battle board- amazing!

A sweet little Empire Village built just using the GW plastic buildings- A bit to built up for Warhammer, in my opinion, but great for Mordhiem or similar games.