WHFB: Magic Users

31/07/2012

As well as the Mother Lode of Giants I found at University, the shop was also selling a lot of old C02 Magic Users, and in between my lectures I painted a few:

Yes, my lectures, our course had one of the highest number of lectures in the university: at one point we were looking at 39 hours of lectures, not counting the 2 hours overlap where we were meant to be in two different faculties at the same time, nor the extra hour’s tutorial. We staged a protest walking out of one lecture half way through and into the next one half way through to make the point.

What really rankled was we were sharing accommodation with arts students who had a total of 6 hours total per week. Twenty years on and its still annoying. Ironically, one of the arts students I lived with got kicked out for 6 months for “not attending enough”…he was a good guy and contested that and they let him back in thankfully.

As our course was split between two faculties, it turned out that each faculty thought we were ‘theirs’ and they could load us with the usual 20 or so hours their own students dealt with normally. 2 x20 = 40. Oops.

Oops, I’m sorry, I seem to have rambled on about 20 year old slights against my time. So here’s the commentary on the pictures I’ve been posting, thought I’d make you work for your viewing like I did for my degree:

  • Picture 1: C02 Wizards
  • Picture 2: L-R – C41 Lone Wolf (Helghast) – C02 Wizard (Rynkar) – C46 Townsfolk (Unknown)
  • Picture 3: C03 Clerics
  • Picture 4: C02 Wizard – Familiars – Mithril Miniatures Cleric

All of these are OOP, and they represent a lot of time early on in my efforts to be a painter as you can see. Again, the states of the bases give away the early efforts of painting, and they’re pretty basic paint jobs. In time I hope to have repainted all of them. These early figures really hark back to the D&D period of the late seventies to mid ‘eighties, and yes these were painted with RPGs in mind.

Filed under Painting, Warhammer

BoB/RCW: White Russian Command

31/07/2012

“General Wrangel: Russia’s White Crusader”

Bought week before last this is a hard backed book written by Alexis Wrangel on his father’s leadership in the Russian Civil War.

This is a good read with a wealth of information on Wrangel and the White forces of the AFSR in general. It highlights the divisions in the White AFSR forces and their strategy (or lack thereof) to a greater degree than I’ve seen before. It also repeats the lack of organisation of the AFSR’s rear areas and the accumulation of hangers on that cost both roubles, morals and popularity. It is only towards the end that the author (naturally) tends to be overly generous towards the subjects’ strengths. It is also a useful guide to what happened to the AFSR after they were evacuated from the Crimea. The book is covered in my usual post it note flags for usfeul information

Meanwhile

Inexorably, in between the Dwarves and so forth, I’ve been painting the White Russian command units I bought a few weeks back. I haven’t even removed the case from the kitchen in an effort to keep myself focused. So finally, here are the rest of them:

You can see I used the wrong soil flock on one of the command’s bases ! Too late and it’s not too bad a mistake anyway.
At the moment I am using the standard Russian flag for the flags, but will look to produce some different ones later:

And another standard bearer on foot:

And Sidney “Two Gun” Cohen and an Orthodox Priest (by Brigade Games):

Meanwhile the White Russian cavalry come on apace, and I might be able to finish this mini army off in its entirety by the w/e. Now there’s a novelty !

Filed under Painting, RCW / BoB

Films: Of Things To Come

30/07/2012

A film that caught my eye many years ago was Alexander Korda’s version of H G Wells’ “Things to Come” which describes a (then) future second world war and its aftermath.

Here’s someone else’s efforts at war gaming it.

Through a combination of ruthlessness and guile one man rose to become leader in the south of England, and he mounted an attack on the Hill People (I assume that this is a euphemism for the Welsh) to take control of their very important natural resources … coal and oil-bearing shale.

An excellent idea, and one I’ve ahd on the backburner for AVBCW for some time.

They’ve also done a quick montage.

It helps that there is a “Boss” character in the Musketeer range that I have…

Again, a film inspiring more than one scenario !

And of course there is the “Wandering Sickness“….Zombies….(about three minutes in)…

And it also features some footage of Vickers Medium Tanks as well.

Filed under AVBCW, Film

WHFB: Orc War Wyvern

30/07/2012

Emerging from the geological strata in the Playroom, is this item, the first Citadel Orc War Wyvern, sculpted by Tony Ackland and dating back to 1983 or so:

As with my Dwarf collection, my collection of Orcs & Goblins were formulated on my very first experiences of Citadel miniatures and my ongoing gaming with Byakhee Gav A over the last 25+ years.So when it came up for sale on evil-bay I had to buy it.

Ironically I lent it to gav A whose own copy had gone AWOL at the time, and he then used it to trash Mengil Manhide's unit in a battle against me.

It’s a nice model, but quite small by modern standards and old skool. Which for an orc is no bad thing. the Orc is even equipped with a crossbow !

Filed under Painting, Warhammer

AVBCW: Cavalry

29/07/2012

With limited supplies of petrol, AVBCW in 1938 would have to rely on infantry, bicycles and horse cavalry far more than in WW2.

Here’s my BUF Cavalry:

Miniatures by Great War Miniatures, WW1 Cavalry, but dressed in black !

Now I’m busy with my BoB/RCW White Russian Cavalry at the moment, more later on those, but am rapidly learning how to paint non-fantasy horses. So of coruse I had to buy the new cavalry by Musketeer. Only they come with closed hands for the lancers ! Luckily Byakhee Rich is good with the drill, so I persuaded/coerced/bribed him into drilling all the hands out for the steel pin lances I will need.

I now have enough cavalry for both the BUF and MHC (30 of eash plus commands), and will slowly grind my way through painting them all in time for the Big Game at Evesham in the Autumn.

Also on the painting list is the Big Beast I pictured earlier. Again Rich has done an excellent job of driling and fitting the guns:

And he then added a set of magnets for the turret. Which was nice.

So I can now position the turret as I like, and make “bang, bang” noises as befiting my mental age of seven !

Filed under AVBCW, Painting

WHFB: Dwarves

27/07/2012 2 Comments

I’m trying to stick to a new rule, that I build and paint all the figures I buy, BEFORE I pack them away. This should hopefully encourage me to reduce spending as I already have enough figures, and encourage me to have more painted units.

So last Friday I received a package of Dwarves I’d bought off of evil-bay. I spent some of the time whilst Rich & Anthony were playing painting Antyhony’s troops, and also these new troops of my own.

I bought fifteen ordinary warriors, of the previous plastic set, to act as a flank guard for my artillery:

the 10 hand Gunners had been wiped out easily, but I figure that 15 warriors with standard, musician and champion should last at least one round and hold up the artillery hunting units. twenty is simply a waste of points.
Here’s the command:

I’ve also written up a stock unit’s stats on my Dwarf spreadsheet so I can add this into any army I have. I also obviously did the 5×3 movement tray at the same time, so I should have my first off the shelf Dwarf unit to play with.

And it’s protecting, a Bolt Thrower that was bought at the same time:

As you can see from the top, I used the green static grass to help pick out the bolt thrower as otherwise its was brown on brown and not very distinguished.

The base is an off cut from one of the GW plastic movement tray sets. The crew are separate as they come with slotta-bases. Crew for weapons for historical stuff rarely do this and have to be glued onto the base, and the wounds received represented by d4s usually.

(For example, my AVBCW HMGs have 3 crew all stuck to the same base, and any wounds taken are represented by a d4 discretely placed behind the base.)

Filed under Painting, Warhammer

Denialists & Spammers

27/07/2012 1 Comment

I’m talking about AGW Deniers here, and Spammers. And what they have in common. Which is quite a lot. A tendency to gum up the internet with incontinent drivel that they post time and again.

On Wednesday, logging into update the site, I found 30, yes 30 spam messages. Whereas previously I’d joked about this using the Monty Python Spam sketch, the one thing that struck me about this huge pile of spam was that it was obviously a template:

I simply want to say I am just all new to weblog and absolutely savored you’re web blog. Likely I’m planning to bookmark your blog . You absolutely come with beneficial well written articles. Bless you for sharing your web page.

and:

I simply want to tell you that I am just beginner to weblog and honestly liked your web page. Almost certainly I’m want to bookmark your website . You actually have amazing writings. Bless you for sharing your webpage.

Now spammers aren’t that clever and are simply using scripts and pre-generated messages to bombard many websites in the hope a few get through. Sadly, the 30 didn’t (No Mr Spammer, I expect you to get deleted).

So what’s this got to do with AGW Deniers ?

Quite a lot. The same characters turn up time and again with their often pre-scripted comments designed to spread Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD).

For example:

euangray
27 July 2012 12:10PM
Now, how do you prove that climate change is caused by human activity? Remembering, of course, that (a) the climate has always changed and always will whatever humans do or do not do, and (b) correlation is not causation.

Well that’s an easy enough example to deal with:

OfficeEd
27 July 2012 12:57PM
Response to euangray, 27 July 2012 12:10PM
Analysis of infrared spectrum shows that less heat is escaping atmosphere, and that missing heat just happens to be in the same spectrum that c02 absorbs outgoing radiation.

Declining ratio of c13 & c14 isotopes in atmosphere rule out atmospheric C02 & volcanoc action.

100 ppm rise is c02 levels is matched by a drop in atmospheric 02, to be expected from burning fossil fuels.

Co2 levels in oceans show over absorbtion of c02, so that rules out oceanic outgassing.

The planet aborbs as much c02 as it produces, but I’m pretty sure that humans do not absorb the c02 that they produce, therefore any imbalance in c02 has to be caused by the 25 gigatonnes of additional c02 that human activity produces every year, that stays in the atmosphere for decades.

Now everyone can make mistakes, I do, especially given the number of edits I have to do on this site !

However, there is a time when you know its not just a suspect bit of junk mail you get, when it really is spam:

I simply want to mention I’m newbie to blogging and definitely loved you’re website. Most likely I’m likely to bookmark your blog post . You really come with wonderful article content. Bless you for sharing your web page.

And of course it is all a mistake and they’ll never ever do it again…well not until the next time…

Oh well let’s see here:

euangray
27 July 2012 12:25PM
Response to pretendname, 27 July 2012 12:15PM
The hockey stick algorithm produces a hockey stick shape irrespective of the data input.

Hmm, and let’s see what the response was:

AlanC
27 July 2012 1:28PM
Response to euangray, 27 July 2012 12:25PM

Which you know perfectly well is simply not the truth. I say ‘perfectly well’ as I have seen you pulled up on this many times before and, your being a frequent visitor to climate change threads, have seen other proponents of the ‘any input numbers make a hockey stick identical to Mann’s’ meme told that they are spouting rubbish.

You know, or should do so, that such ‘random input’ hockey sticks were produced by discarding all outcomes that did NOT produce a hockey stick! The old million monkeys + typewriters scenario.

Here’s a collection of hockey sticks, not just the original that makes skeptics/deniers get itchy pants. Can they all be ‘wrong’ in the same way? Is there perhaps a reason why anti-AGW campaigners haven’t been able to turn the hockey stick upside down using the same data since they claim loudly that the world is really cooling?

So really, the spammers are the hooligans of the internet, and the AGW Deniers are the scientific hooligans. neither has an iota of honesty about their actions and will continue to repeat their actions for their own obscure reasons much to the irritation of the rest of us.

Original postings on CiF.

Of course none of them directly claim there is a conspiracy, it’s just that:

  • it’s not happening
  • we don’t know everything about the climate, therefore we know nothing
  • well ok, we know a lot, but it is something we don’t know about, like the sun, nobody’s checked the sun recently have they ?
  • if it is, it’s not us
  • if it is, then it’ll be ok
  • they’re only it it for the money
  • it’s all a scam
  • the data is not available so we can’t check it out
  • the data when it is available has been fiddled with
  • it’s all part of the fascist/communist (?) eco plot for one world government
  • anyway I know more about the first and second laws of Physics than all the world’s scientists for the last 100+ years put together do, and I’m not going to explain it to you because I’m in a huff and…
  • Look ! Behind you. It’s the pope !

Repeat ad nauseam.

Sweet & Tender Hooligan – The Smiths

He was a sweet and tender hooligan, hooligan
And he said that he’d never, never do it again
And of course he won’t (oh, not until the next time)

He was a sweet and tender hooligan, hooligan
And he swore that he’ll never, never do it again
And of course he won’t (oh, not until the next time)

Poor old man
He had an “accident” with a three-bar fire
But that’s OK
Because he wasn’t very happy anyway
Poor woman
Strangled in her very own bed as she read
But that’s OK
Because she was old and she would have died anyway
DON’T BLAME

The sweet and tender hooligan, hooligan
Because he’ll never, never, never, never, never, never do it again
(not until the next time)

Jury, you’ve heard every word
So before you decide
Would you look into those “Mother me” eyes
I love you for you, my love, you my love
You my love, you my love
Jury, you’ve heard every word
But before you decide
Would you look into those “Mother me” eyes
I love you for you my love, you my love
I love you just for you, my love
Don’t blame

The sweet and tender hooligan, hooligan
Because he’ll never, never do it again
And …
“In the midst of life we are in death ETC.”
Don’t forget the hooligan, hooligan
Because he’ll never, never do it again
And …
“In the midst of life we are in death ETC.”

ETC! ETC! ETC! ETC!
IN THE MIDST OF LIFE WE ARE IN DEATH ETC!
ETC! ETC! ETC! ETC!
IN THE MIDST OF LIFE WE ARE IN DEBT ETC!

Just will you free me ?
Will you find me ?
Will you free me ?
Will you find me ?
Will you free me, free me, free me, free me, free me, free me, free me ?
Jury will you free me ?
Will you find me ?
Will you free me ?
Will you find me ?
How will you find me, find me, find me, find me, find me, find me, find me ?
Oh ETC! ETC! ETC! ETC! ETC! ETC!
ETC! ETC! ETC! ETC!
IN THE MIDST OF LIFE WE ARE IN DEBT ETC!
Oh … oh …

Filed under AGW

Special Guest Superstar DJ: Goldfigure !

26/07/2012 1 Comment

First there was The Man with the Golden Gun.

Then there was Goldmember.

Now, there is Gold figure !

Byakhee Rich works in a lab and has access to metal plating equipment. So, obviously, he had to use this to plate some of his figures in different metals, including Gold:

What did I do?

The pin holes on the skaven were drilled first. Then the models needed to be scrupulously cleaned of paint, using lots of nasty chemicals. Then they were electroplated with copper – it’s a bad idea to plate gold directly onto white metal – and then with gold. There is about 10 microns (0.01 mm) thickness of gold on each model, it doesn’t sound much but if you buy gold plated jewellery it’ll have a lot less!

It was hard to paint over the gold, the paint would rub off at the merest touch. In the end I had to brush on “Imperial Primer”, then a layer of the base colours, and then spray on a coat of Purity Seal. This gave a stable base to paint on top of.

The pegasus is supported by two steel pins which slot into the skaven’s spear and held in place by the power of super glue. It helps that the balance of the model pretty much keeps it in place without the glue, but the assembled model is a lot stronger than it looks.

Having seen the model, the pictures barely do it justice, and it is a solid item, I look forward to Rich playing it on the battlefield some day. 🙂

Filed under Painting, Warhammer

BoB: White Russians, Officers, Standard and more books.

25/07/2012

The previous books I’ve bought from Military History Books have been POD thermal bound books, but the two i received on Saturday were the full on hardback variety:

Again, as you can see I’ve already read one of them: “Stamping out the Virus”, and have liberally adorned it with my post it note flags. It’s an interesting read and contains a vast amount of Orbats, and details on many of the lesser known fronts such as Northern Russia. It also has a lot of details on the tanks, artillery and supply situations of the White Russian armies of the Northern and Southern fronts. Its a bit scanty on the North western front and mostly absent of details on the Siberian front. The writer could really do with a good editor as the grammar and spelling mistakes are frequent. These criticsims aside this is a very valuable book

Now all I need to do is read the book on Wrangel.

Whilst mucking around finding paints in the Play room, I chanced upon some more White Russian figures:

.

The figure on the Right is the Mad Baron by Copplestone Castings, and the other two are by Brigade Games.
I also finished off my first White Russian standard bearer (Copplestone Castings):

As you can see, I didn’t prepare this figure well enough, and you can see a very small casting line of flash from shoulder down his arm to the greatcoat. I only spotted this when dry brushing the figure. the next one is going to get the attention of a needle file.

The other mounted White Officers are nearing completion including a standard bearer. The subsequent standard bearers I’ll give flags other than the national Russian flag, I may even invent a banner for this alohisotrical unit I’m painting, based on the Kornilovski banner.

Filed under Painting, RCW / BoB

Zombies

24/07/2012

Well, we all know it is only a matter of time before the Zombie Apocalypse is upon us.

Even the CDC (Centre for Disease Control – and if you didn’t know that then you’re not on my team of survivors) know about it and are preparing us:

So whilst we can all get out survival manuals ready, our Bug Out Bags ready (yes, I do have one)…

There’s also the Zombie Hunter’s guide to consider.

We need to remember things about the economics of the whole affair, in particular you need to read this new legal paper: Death, Tax & Zombies.

Abstract:
The U.S. stands on the precipice of a financial disaster, and Congress has done nothing but bicker. Of course, I refer to the coming day when the undead walk the earth, feasting on the living. A zombie apocalypse will create an urgent need for significant government revenues to protect the living, while at the same time rendering a large portion of the taxpaying public dead or undead. The government’s failure to anticipate or plan for this eventuality could cripple its ability to respond effectively, putting us all at risk.

So is it the Zombies, the economy or your fellow survivors you need to fear most ?

After all, in my quest to eat a wide variety of exotic meats, I haven’t eaten Long Pig, yet.

Don’t let me get hungry, not with that flint axe around…

Filed under Film, Welcome

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