This week’s challenge completed !

10/07/2014

So I set myself the challenge at the end of last week, and have completed it today.

I’d actually finished off the MHC Shotgun section yesterday bar their moustaches, and the Lanchester bar the MHC markings. However, I had a community meeting to attend at 7pm, so had to rush my cooking/eating, and inevitably the meeting went on until 9pm and by the time I’d edited the documents it was way to late to finish things off and post them.

So here they are in their finest facial hirsuteness. Hopefully not too bland, without looking like a rainbow of colour out on the hunt. Having rooted round in my collection, I’ll now be looking for another 4 or so shotgun toting nutters for my bandit force that has also seen a lick of paint late yesterday whilst I was waiting for the washes to dry. Bitten by the AVBCW bug again, just as well as it will give me enough time to sort out loads of stuff for the September Big Game JP & I are planning.

Here’s the Lanchester. I’m glad I didn’t try and rush it yesterday. This morning I tried daubing it with the simple slogan “MHC” (Malvern Hills Conservators), but it looked like a ham fisted 5 year old with a 1′ brush had done it. So I dug out a sheet of transfers I did some time ago and used them. Of course that takes a lot longer as you have to wait for the various washes you apply to dry. As of course these are roundels about 1cm in diameter, trying to cut a perfect circle is impossible, and even touching the edges up with paint still leaves a far from perfect circle. The pictures are obviously larger than life, so on a wargaming table its ok. Its something I’ll have to work on though.

As mentioned I had also done a quick couple of Objective markers as well and these were finished off.

Some more simple objective markers for AQMF.

So a total of:

  • 10 Shotgun weilding LDV – as they are all unique, this is going to count for 15 points on the paint log.
  • 1 Lanchester A/C – 5 points
  • 6 Objective markers – 6 points.

Total so far this year painted: 411.

I’ve set my next Objective for the w/e already and started.

Filed under 15mm Sci-Fi, AVBCW, Scenery Tagged with , , ,

AVBCW: WIP for Friday’s games session

08/07/2014

Byakhee JP & I are keen to carry on a narrative for Hereford, so we always write up some background fluff. We’d both spotted that there were several parishes undecided along the western flanks of the Malverns, so with my desire to get the MHC out to play, decided we’d game their take over of those parishes.

General background.

The fighting in the eastern parts of Herefordshire has concerned the Malvern Hills Conservators, whose land holdings extend into the county, and so far have not been proactively defended from the BUF, Anglicans and other assorted ne’er do wells. Therefore, Sir Jonathan Porridge has decided to send in his Wardens to clear the areas of their land and neighbouring areas of Mathon & Cradley Partishes. Ed (Ted) Ward-Glear has been chosen to lead this mission and firmly establish MHC (and Royal) control on these parishes and forestall any interlopers. Luckily, Ted has just taken ownership of a new lanchester Armoured Car refitted by the Morgan Motor Company and views this as the ideal opportunity to use its capabilities to see off any of the unwelcome factions. He has also arranged for a local force of landowners, gameskeepers and other hillsmen to support his Wardens. They come with a large amount of shotguns, ammunition, and enthusiasm…if not skill…

Scenario 1: Harcourt Road & Ham Green road junction

The Conservators attack down the Harcourt Road towards Ham Green.
The table should be set up with a Y road junction.
The Conservators attack down the single road and may deploy across their entire board edge
The defenders may deploy ONE unit at the junction, all other units come on on the two other roads
In order to win the Conservators must be in control of the road junction, with a unit of more than half strength after 6 turns or at an appropriate juncture.
And vice versa.

AVBCW MHC Shotguns 4

The shotgun unit is coming along nicely – washed and half of the highlighting done, I’ve called them Squire Charnley’s Hunting Party.

Scenario 2: Ham Green Hill

The Conservators need to capture the ridge following the battle at the road junction.
Divide the table into 4 quarters. One end is North.
Across the middle hills should be placed.
The south east quarter is covered in scribland. The rest is open farmland with hedges, stiles and gates.
No tanks or armoured cars may be used.
The Conservators are attacking from the East.
Each player takes it in turn to place units.
In order to win the Conservators must be in control of a majority of the hills, with a unit of more than half strength after 6 turns or at an appropriate juncture on each hill.
And vice versa.

AVBCW MHC Lanchester 3

The Lanchester should come in handy, awaiting another highlight layer and then a wash. I’d originally thought it’d only need one highlight, but the contrast isn’t big enough, so I didn’t finish it as planned today.

Scenario 3: Whippets Brook Bridge

Though only a small stream, the brook can often over flow and hence there are several bridges over it. This one near Cradley and Cowleigh is important.
The Conservators approach from the east, within 12″ the road.
The defenders may place a single unit on the bridge. All other units are placed on the table edge.
Each player takes it in turns to place a unit.
In order to win the Conservators must be in control of the bridge, with a unit of more than half strength after 6 turns or at an appropriate juncture.
And vice versa.

Given I’d been doing well with the figures, I diverted my attention to some objective markers.

AQMF Martian Objective Markers 1

Yes some more Critical Mass Games stuff for AQMF and Laserburn.

I also realised I had some spare barrels and crates loitering, so have based them up as objective markers for AVBCW, should have them done by tomorrow – a quick win.

Filed under 15mm Sci-Fi, AVBCW, Painting

This weeks challange – paint palette

06/07/2014

So, I have the 10 civilians with shotguns to paint for my games session with JP on Friday. Painting uniformed unit is dead easy, you have a very limited palette to use and you can churn them out easily enough. And by paint palette, I mean the range of colours that will be used to paint them and so that they hang together as a distinct unit whilst remaining different from each other. (I’ll come up with a more succinct definition I am sure)

With ten civilians wearing different clothes, equipped and baggaged differently – that’s a different game.

Here’s progress – they’re no longer just black undercoat with flesh painted in !

I have kept the palette of colours to mostly greens, browns and greys with a yellow/leather colour for brightness. They’re nearly all Foundry colours as they provide a large range of natural looking colours. As these guys are meant to be wardens, and hunting types they aren’t in general going to wear garish colours, nor are they going to be wearing military colours. I shied away from doing the fancy plaid and tweed paint jobs as these are only going to be painted to wargaming standard. I am sure JP will massacre them first turn on Friday ! 😉

Except for the leader, who has a funky red waistcoat – a product of my MHC leader wearing a similar outfit, and that the red paint pot is on the table as I do more AQMF scenery. (His red clown nose will opbviously be highlighted with flesh !)

They’re coming together as a unit. I have also done some research on Sir Edward Elgar who famously lived in Malvern and based many of his compositions of the countryside around the Malverns including Herefordshire. I’ll be using a lot of names for the units of the MHC from now on.

The Lanchester has been sprayed, this time with a Tamiya Olive Green, and is now going to be highlighted with Foundry Moss and GW Caomoshade and the guns/tyres done with Foundry Charocal, GW Leadbelcher (silver) and a wash of GW Nuln Oil. (I still prefer the old names of GW stuff like Chaos Black et al)

Filed under AVBCW, Painting Tagged with

AVBCW: A Week’s challenge

04/07/2014

Byakhee JP and I are planning a game of AVBCW next Friday. Having had the unit of (10) shotguns on the painting table for ever and a day, plus a built Lanchester A/C, I will now use the next week to complete these figures and vehicle.

So I’m seeting myself a challenge to do these figures. They’re a mixture of Gripping Beast and Musketeer miniatures. Civilians, so will all need unique paint schemes which is probably why I’ve procrastinated over painting them for so very long !

Then there is the Lanchester (Copplestone Castings). As I intend to play the Malvern Hills Conservators, the Local Defence Volunteers, they only have A/Cs and other light vehicles save for one tank (Tanks and the Malverns don’t get on well together).

Having done loads of tanks for AQMF, I’ll be using the same schemes for painting this so I can get this on the table ASAP.

Updates of scenarios and paint progress over the next week.

I’m hoping this self imposed deadline, will also spill over into finishing off the BUF dismounted cavalry unit I also have half completed on the painting table. I’ve not done enough figure painting for AVBCW (and Warhammer) for some time…

Filed under AVBCW Tagged with , , , ,

Film: All Quiet on the Western Front

04/07/2014 1 Comment

Quite by coincidence, whilst creating yet more CD scenery bases from the stack of freebies I was given, I came across a couple that I’ll keep, and after last week’s binge on the Martian Front, one was “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

aqwf 2

This is the 1979 film not the original 1930’s film, but as last week was the anniversdary of events leading to the largest slaughter in history I watched it, and found it was a good film (certainly as it was free!).

Most people will know the overall plot and tenor of the book and therefore the films. It made a good viewing and lead up to the disillusionment of the actual war experience.

aqwf 1

Interestingly, the film is set during the period the Germans were changing from the picklhaube (spiked) hemet that had proved pretty useless, and moving to the new more familiar coal scuttle or Stahlheim M1916 helmet. One scene in particular highlights the changing nature of war as the front line unit meets their reinforcemnents. the front line units have the pickelhaube, the new recruits the stahlheim.A quick search on the net and I found this was a common case – the Germans despite starting to investigate steel helemts for their troops first, were the last to actually deploy them with the British Brodie, and French Adrian pattern helmets reaching their armies beforehand.

I often comment that as wargamers, we are not celebrating war at all – more often than not having lovingly built, based, researched and painted our favoiurite units we plonk them on the table, and ourt opponents proceed to get lucky and slaughter them in seconds.Its a very sobering experience to think that in real life and commanders and generals often do exactly the same, only its flesh and blood being killed not chuncks of metal/plastic/resin.

Filed under Film Tagged with

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