Here be Monsters!

 Ok that sounds like I’m about to launch into a pirate post. Nope, this is actually related to the Back of Beyond 1920s China collection I’m building. These monsters are dinosaurs! Or more to the point, fossils. 

I’ve taken my inspiration from my friends that run Legendary Wargames. One of their regular clients brings his children along (Madness!). And whilst he forms square to receive a Mahdist charge, his children are scouring the Sudan for clues to hidden treasure. In essence there is a sub-plot. I quite like sub-plots. Usually they provide extra laughs. Even for us large children. 

The palaeontologist and his faithful assistant stand ready to enjoy a sub-plot. Or fall foul of bandits. Or buy the protection of the local warlord. You get the idea!

The hill and this fossil benefit from my 3D printing. Files for both fossils were downloaded free from the internet. Ain’t technology marvellous!

The hill is cut from that dense pink foam. First time I’ve tried this. Once I’d shaped the foam and slotted in the print of the fossil, I applied fine and coarse sand with pva glue. Then just painted the whole thing using the same colours as I’m painting the bases for my Back of Beyond figures: Colour Party ECW buff with a dry brush of their sand. It’s come out ok.

The fossils are all painted with the same simple palette as of course fossils are rocks not bones.  

The palaeontologist, his buddy and these fossils are from Copplestone Miniatures. The blokes are mostly painted using GW’s new-ish Contrast paints. I’m really enjoying using these paints. It’s so blinkin’ quick n easy!

At the same time, I’ve painted a couple of pack camels for Back of Beyond. Like the palaeontologist, not essential for a game, but baggage can be useful to a scenario. These were mostly painted using Contrast paints, but also a bit of block painting, washing and dry brushing. Got to use ALL the techniques!

I block painted the camels a buff colour then applied a heavy coat of the Contrast brown. It’s a very strong colour. Before it dried, I gently wiped it off with a cloth so as not to remove all of it. The brown is left in the creases and still tints the upper surfaces. I’ve never tried oil paint on horses. That’s the same idea. Block paint the horse. Paint on the dark oil paint and wipe it off. I know it works really well and this gave a very similar look. The camels were finished with a dry brushing. 

I really like that last photo lol!

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading. A bit different, but different is good right?

Cheers

Chris 

Game preview,Ancients.

Due to changes in diaries,logistics and planning(as well as Paul's second "jab"), we won't be playing this week,but I thought a preview may be of interest(?) 

Top photo shows the scenario,bottom shows the table as Paul and Brian will eventually see it.Paul will command the Romans,Brian the Germans, and I will command the Dacians.

Top shows the Roman Auxiliary Legion(Gallia Alba) and bottom shows Legio Corona(well you've got to try and be topical!)

This is the Fort destroyed by the dastardly Dacians!!

These are the dastardly Dacians,preventing the Romans from getting to the Fort!

Brian's Germans-half of them are naked-ooh er!!

I'm looking forward to this game and to seeing Paul and Brian-we hope to get us all together soon,just sitting in the garden talking wargames and showing off our newly painted figures and equipment!

From Hero to Zero!!!

I am reliably informed that some people make "Airfix " kits for fun-fun? bloody fun?? they must be mad!! I bought two (why?) Airfix Zero Fighter kits to add to Brian's collection of Japanese WW2 troops and spent hours and hours trying to decipher the instructions,sticking every part of the damned kit to various parts of my body,whilst drinking copious amounts of Rum to try and make sense of it all!!-then there were the "decals"-enough said about those bloody things..............

Beautiful coloured box and equipment needed to assemble the kit,and instructions(well one of three pages of them!!)

After "completing" the kits,these are the bits I had left-I'm sure I was supposed to use all of them!

There's even a little man to put in the cockpit thingy-by the time I'd had a couple of glasses of rum,I didn't know if he was supposed to be a pirate or a pilot!!

The 134 refers to the number of times I tried to get the bloody thing level!!!!-why do all Airforces have targets painted on their sides??-the undersides have decals on them too,but I wouldn't dare photograph them-disaster is too kind a word for them!!

The finished articles mounted on pieces of MDF with a wooden BBQ skewer to hold them up!

Well,I'm off to do something easy now-I'm studying Quantum Physics at the Open University (Westerhope Campus)-well,its got to be easier than building an Airfix kit!!!

Battle of Whinney's Burn.

Today was a double joyous occasion-firstly I gave Paul the biggest defeat of his wargaming career,secondly Brian turned up to give us the benefit of his "wit and wisdom"-it was great!

Top photo is the scenario,bottom is the table as Paul saw it when he turned up-he was English,I was Scots,and Brian sat this one out!

The Scots gunners take aim at the troops on the bridge.

Top photo shows the Clans being unleashed against the Camp,bottom photo shows the Clans and some "Gentlemen Volunteers" Of Horse attacking the English cavalry-very successfully I might add!my dice throwing was immaculate,knocking over English Officer after English Officer-brilliant stuff!(can you spot Brian?)

Despite some fairly good shooting,my Clans make it to the camp "walls" and start to work with the claymore and targe-bottom photo shows the same about to happen on the right flank of the camp-Paul,by this time was in a complete panic-he had nothing to answer the rage and fighting ability of the Clans!!

The top photo shows the Clans on my right attacking a make-shift barricade set up by the English-to no avail of course-they were put to the sword,as were the chaps in the bottom photo-the camp has been taken and all is lost for the English-hurrah!!

Look at the mess Paul has got himself into-Scots running amok and slaughtering troops and officers "willy-nilly"-time to send in the "Dogs of War"...........................

First of all they "chewed"(literally) the English Gunners,then they terrorised the English General,forcing him to surrender-another hurrah!!-time for Whinney to accept the General's sword,I think..........................

A picture paints a thousand words!!!-"giz ya sword ye Sasenach git!"

The above report was a complete fabrication,of course,I was actually "hammered" and humiliated,but it's my blog and if I want to win,I bloody well will!!!!

Roll on next week,Brian is coming along again,and we will probably be having a grand Ancients game.

 

Successful Successors!

These Thursday morning games with Paul are just getting better and better -Todays foray into history pitted Ptolemy against Antigonus,and it was another "cracker" of a game!

Terrain map and table before any movement-I was Ptolemy and Paul was Antigonus(on the left of picture)

Top photo shows the "calm before the storm"-bottom photo shows the STORM!!-Billy Smart didn't have as many Elephants as this!!(but probably handled them better!)

Things are starting to hot up-my phalanx is advancing "En Echelon" and my first line of peltasts are advancing to contact Paul's-it's going to get messy soon!

Top photo shows my 2 strong phalanx units mixing it with Paul's units,bottom photo shows the Elephants running amok-I said it would get messy!!-Why would anyone have Elephants in their army by choice??-bloody things!

Top shot shows the on-going melee between phalanx units,bottom shot shows all of the phalanx units making contact-these melees went on for three or four moves before we both had units retiring(it's good being retired!)-look at the centre-the peltasts are slaughtering each other-neither side gaining a foothold!!

This is move 7,and my plan has just come to fruition-my second line peltasts are just about to hit Paul's phalanx in the flank-however,his second line of peltasts are still fresh and could sweep down on my centre,so we decided that a  draw was  a good result for both of us-at least I hadn't lost!

The final shot just had to go to the remaining Elephants-still rampaging around the place-absolutely great game,I lost 7 officers to Paul's 3-same old,same old!!! Roll on next week,maybe Brian can come along,you never know! Next week might be a Jacobite game.

A Colonial Classic!

It might have been 5 or 6 degrees outside,but inside the Garage this morning it was 30 degrees and rising ,in the Sudan where the British were about to face a Dervish Horde ....................

The scenario and table before any movement-Paul was British,I was the Mahdi(I must be mad!)

Detail of the British square,and detail of the Ansars position in EL SHOKAR.(note Palm Trees!)

Top photo shows the first wave of Hadendowah infantry and camels,which Paul's scouts "found", bottom photo shows the square's response to them-"right face,fire!"-you could tell from the outset that this was going to be bloody! The Hadendowah's advance was matched by a "sortie" from El Shokar by the Ansar infantry and cavalry.

Top photo shows the Hadendowah's three waves on the board and approaching the square at a rate of knots,bottom photo shows the Ansar infantry and cavalry also approaching the square. Paul had cleverly manoeuvered the square away from its original direction,moving it along the edge of the board,making me having to move farther,subsequently getting shot more-the swine!

Top photo shows the Hadendowah attack-awsome or what? Bottom photo shows the Ansars getting a taste of rifle fire from the front of the square.By this time Paul had dealt with my Camels with a combination of artillery,rifle and Bengal Lancers-has the man no mercy in his heart?-NO!!!

Bye,bye Ansars!! A cavalry battle developed on my right which I was confident that I would win,after all I had twice the number of figures in the melee that Paul had- but guess what,the "diabolical demon dice thrower" bloody well won,throwing high dice to my low-how does he do it???

Look,he's outnumbered,and even out-flanked,and he still won!-I challenged his officer to fight mine,one against one,and he won again (I think I'll take up knitting instead of wargaming!)

This shot shows the state of my "army"-all is lost,apart from one major success..........................

On the last throw of the dice,I broke into the square-to no avail,of course,I was faced with a whole side of the square that hadn't been involved in any fighting!!

The  whole game was absolutely great,spectacular,colouful and exciting-what more could you ask for?(well a win would be nice!) Roll on next week-possibly an Ancients game using the same terrain.