tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29657389352737272802024-03-18T12:28:49.740-07:00The Complete Greek GeekGreek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-69194796602008863592018-03-10T14:03:00.000-08:002018-03-10T14:03:10.364-08:00Against The Giants, Part II<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As promised, I'm back. The image hosting issues have been thankfully resolved, so here is part deux of Against The Giants (on the cheap).</div>
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After the Steading of the Hill Giant Chief, intrepid heroes who survive are expected to take on frost giants (and yetis, and white dragons, and a remorhaz) in the Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl. I had an ancient Ral Partha frost giant, at this point about 15 years in my possession. It was sculpted in Ye Olde Days of true 25mm, and whilst a bit old and clunky, I really liked it. I've stripped it and repainted it twice, always with blue skin and blonde hair. Still, I'd need more than that. Surfing the web, I came across a Russian company called Tehnolog. You can get some of their stuff on eBay, for what seems like pennies, especially if you're a hardened war gamer. They had some promising 54mm figures (1/32 if you cut your teeth on old Airfix). Cost including shipping came to roughly £1 per figure, which was exceptionally reasonable. I ordered some to use for both frost (Vikings) and fire (undead and paladins) giants. Allowing 6-8 weeks for delivery, this is what I got:<br />
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Whereas they won't win any prizes, and they have the occasional ejection pin marking, they are highly serviceable. The Vikings soon got based, primed and block-painted. This is what they look like:<br />
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They most definitely look the part. There is a Varangian set available as well, and that should give me enough miniatures and poses. Let's face it, if the players are facing more than 10 frost giants a time, it usually results to lots of Wish and Raise Dead spells. In other words, It Does Not End Well (and I know at least one reader of this blog who will get this reference).<br />
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Defeat of the Jarl gives the players the opportunity to travel to the Hall of the Fire Giant King. The fire giants needed some more work; namely beards. I've only finished one, as a proof of concept. I originally dallied with the idea of painting them red-skinned and black-bearded, like the fire giants in the Rules Cyclopedia. I went with the classic AD&D black skin and fiery beard instead. Why mess with perfection?<br />
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Ok, my lava painting skills leave much to be desired, but these are impressive miniatures. How do they scale up? Pretty darn well.<br />
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They even scale up well to my old Ral Partha figure, which works well for 15mm.<br />
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So, is that all? Yes for now. There are lots of other giant-kin seen in the G1-3 series. Cloud and stone giants, even a Titan. There are female giants as well; some of the Tehnolog sets include females that can be utilised. The only other giant I could find was an ettin. Actually two, a Reaper Bones one, and a MageKnight one.<br />
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Both look the part, and I'm happy with them. I also did myself a small conversion of one of the least known kinds of giants, using two MageKnight minis and lots of green stuff. I really liked the athach from Rules Cyclopedia, so here is my 15mm rendition of one:<br />
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That's all from the Greek Geek workbench for now. </div>
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Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-89671534860365582282018-02-24T02:19:00.000-08:002018-03-10T09:01:01.689-08:00Against the Giants, Part I<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yes, I'm alive and still painting (and as usually, overworked). So, if this comes up on your feed, rest assured, the Greek Geek is still well and painting in an undisclosed location in London.<br />
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So, Against the Giants. For me, running the G1-3 series has been a Holy Grail of sorts. My normal gaming group never got to the levels required to run it, although I had converted some of it for third edition D&D. My son visited the Steading of the Hill Giant Chief, and then decided to adventure in other parts of the Flanaess. But like all Holy Grails, a good portion of the fun in the chase.<br />
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In planning for it, I had to find giants, and lots of them (and in 15mm no less). Oh, there are some in the market. Ral Partha has some in their old 25mm line and in their Demonworld series. Alternative Armies has several frost, hill, and stone giants. Older sculpts, but I'm not bothered much by it. Splintered Light has them as well, but shipping from the U.S. plus taxes would be a killer. So, what to do? Research, improvise, and overcome (the thrifty gamer's motto).<br />
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So, Hill Giants. Lots of stuff there. Almost any 28mm ogre would make a passable, if not excellent, hill giant. Reaper Bones comes to mind, and they have some lovely sculpts.<br />
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These are properly semi barbaric and primitive. Almost like giant humans, but different, and menacing . Next stop was my MageKnight collection.<br />
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Not quite the same level of sculpting, but they are even cheaper than Bones (merely gathering dust in the old Bunker), and easy to paint. I don't even bother stripping the Chinese paint jobs. Prime over them and just crack on.<br />
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So, how do they look next to a 15mm human?<br />
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Suitably scary. Maybe a tad on the large side, but they are giants after all. That is all for now. Expect Part II soon. Sooner than two years that is. Keep on painting! And gaming!</div>
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Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-30582500897142641072016-05-07T15:16:00.000-07:002016-05-07T16:03:56.774-07:00Here there be dragons!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Back again. My absence was not force upon me by lack of painted lead, but rather because I did not have the time to sit and write anything. Finally, after over a month, I have a full weekend at my disposal, and thus some time to post stuff.</span></div>
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After forty Afghans in various shades of white, cream, grey and sand, I decided to get involved something more colourful. I was not in the mood for Sikhs (which would have been colourful enough) so that meant going back to my fantasy projects. The idea of wargaming Middle Earth (and particularly the area around Mirkwood) has been in my mind for a while. I had originally wanted to do this in 28mm, but 15mm has been my love. I have found most of the miniatures for it, except for good wood elves. I've painted Gandalf the Grey, Beorn, Bilbo and some more of the characters, as well as goblins, but I'll save these for another time. Looking for some minutes, I came across a Ghoul Dragon in 15mm.co.uk, one of my favourite sites for 15mm fantasy and sci-fi goodies. It looked like it would be a lovely wyrm for Mirkwood. Not Smaug, and definitely non canon, but its old Saxon look was close to what I had in mind for my Middle Earth.</div>
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I envisioned this as a forgotten wood wyrm, and painted it in a variety of dark greens and black that would match the oppressive environs of Mirkwood.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gUFlBAi8G3Q/Vy5sRHNOPWI/AAAAAAAAA4U/tl2FoO6QEOw/s640/blogger-image--371201125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gUFlBAi8G3Q/Vy5sRHNOPWI/AAAAAAAAA4U/tl2FoO6QEOw/s640/blogger-image--371201125.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iLJtIElVcxs/Vy5sQB9XGiI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/p5her1r4thc/s640/blogger-image--1263267455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iLJtIElVcxs/Vy5sQB9XGiI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/p5her1r4thc/s640/blogger-image--1263267455.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It is a lovely figure with lots of detail. The wings are separate pieces and attach easily enough. I glued mine with epoxy glue and used green stuff to smooth the joints. The only problem I had was a casting feeder on the back and some loss of detail around it, but that was solved easily enough with some filling and resculpting with a sharp X-Acto knife. It does look the part, and at £10, it did not break the bank (one of the reasons I like 15mm).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Since we are on the subject of dragons, here is one more, painted a few months back. It's a red dragon by Reaper. It comes in their Bones series, and thus also cheap. It did not look like a red dragon in my eyes, but more like a blue, and thus it became a blue dragon. It would not have been a great wyrm in 28mm, but it is more than respectable in 15.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WKrlfKgeNIw/Vy5sR0oo0uI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/tfowpTAB6Ko/s640/blogger-image-1362175047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WKrlfKgeNIw/Vy5sR0oo0uI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/tfowpTAB6Ko/s640/blogger-image-1362175047.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Inf90vIysN0/Vy5sOpVYpDI/AAAAAAAAA4I/3W2APsQ9S08/s640/blogger-image--109521227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Inf90vIysN0/Vy5sOpVYpDI/AAAAAAAAA4I/3W2APsQ9S08/s640/blogger-image--109521227.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I am happy about the way both turned out. The second won't have much of a place in my Middle Earth games, but it would work pretty well for any other fantasy setting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here is a comparison shot of both:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-59U1VGBHq8s/Vy5sPRzTxEI/AAAAAAAAA4M/0eoqYnFkr3U/s640/blogger-image-701103513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-59U1VGBHq8s/Vy5sPRzTxEI/AAAAAAAAA4M/0eoqYnFkr3U/s640/blogger-image-701103513.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">That is all from London for now. Game on!</div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div>
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Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-26066997328591895982015-11-29T04:35:00.001-08:002015-11-29T04:35:36.789-08:00Halfway to KabulHalfway to Kabul indeed. Well, figuratively. I am still in England, where I plan to stay for a long, long time yet. I even like the weather. However, my plans for some colonial wargaming are coming along rather well. I managed to complete two more units of the Honorable East India Company and very soon I will have a solid core of forces to take on the Afghans, Sikh and, later on, the mutinous sepoys.<div><br></div><div>Naturally, I have gone for the coolness and not the complete historical accuracy factor. And what can be cooler than the uniforms of the Bengal Horse Artillery? Maned helmet? Check. Blue, red, white and gold uniform? Check. Dinky 6-pounder guns? Check. So I went ahead and ordered some in 15mm from Black Hat Miniatures, together with a set of their gorgeous 6-pounder guns.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NTiK7DfX5Cc/VlrxEDo9wPI/AAAAAAAAA24/kFpsSyZVWY8/s640/blogger-image--1396395974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NTiK7DfX5Cc/VlrxEDo9wPI/AAAAAAAAA24/kFpsSyZVWY8/s640/blogger-image--1396395974.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">They came out quite well, especially considering they are 15mm. One was slightly miscast, but nothing some "modelling skill required" could not fix. However, I did have trouble with one of the gun carriages. In cleaning the flash between the spokes, I broke a couple. OK, more than a couple. I binned it and in my next order I'll get some 9-pounders instead as the Bengal Horse Artillery used some in the Sikh Wars. Purists may also note that the gunner handling the shot will have a pretty rough time sliding it down the scales 6-pounder barrel. We don't like gaming with people who notice things like that.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Another part of my order was some Sepoys. You are spoiled for choice. Covered, uncovered shako or foraging cap? Winter or summer uniform? Personally, I like the winter uniform, with the smart blue pants and their red stripe. More like a dress uniform. I also went for covered shakos in order to cut down on the gold braiding. In choosing poses, I prefer the advancing pose. It looks good whether the troops are marching, forming a line or engaged in combat. A command pack, a flank company pack and troop lack gave me my first unit. I painted them up in batches of five each (roughly two afternoons work per batch). In choosing a regiment (which would affect the colour of my facings), I went with the 31st Bengal Native Infantry. A regiment with a long history that fought in the Mahratta Wars, First Afghan War, the Sikh Wars, and the Indian Mutiny on the side of the British. You can read about the regiment's history on Wikipedia (<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Queen_Victoria%27s_Own_Rajput_Light_Infantry" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Queen_Victoria%27s_Own_Rajput_Light_Infantry</a>).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wHb3uqhXFn0/VlrxCyo4twI/AAAAAAAAA2w/w5zrzB67YPc/s640/blogger-image--109043880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wHb3uqhXFn0/VlrxCyo4twI/AAAAAAAAA2w/w5zrzB67YPc/s640/blogger-image--109043880.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-39uPjhh0bbI/VlrxFz3Pz_I/AAAAAAAAA3A/0CrIEnq5IfM/s640/blogger-image-1166913798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-39uPjhh0bbI/VlrxFz3Pz_I/AAAAAAAAA3A/0CrIEnq5IfM/s640/blogger-image-1166913798.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hPyg3zdTH1Q/VlrxBhUKmTI/AAAAAAAAA2o/kHJxk6rksZw/s640/blogger-image--1931975187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hPyg3zdTH1Q/VlrxBhUKmTI/AAAAAAAAA2o/kHJxk6rksZw/s640/blogger-image--1931975187.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I downloaded some regimental and John Company flags, resized them, and glued them on the poles. Yes, the regiment number is wrong, but if you like to bring up things like that when you are gaming with me, I will throw my dice at you. Hard.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I still need to get some more infantry for my force (British regulars this time). I got tired of all the braiding, so I ordered some Gurkhas from Irregular Miniatures. They'll be part of the Sirmoor Battalion fighting the Sikhs, the sepoys, or general unrest in the frontier. I know they did not fit in Afghanistan during the first war, but they look pretty nice with their rifleman green uniforms. However, they have no faces (not the best work I've gotten from Irregular, although they paint up nicely). The Afghans that were a part of the same ordered look quite handsome, and I'll paint some up soon to see how they measure up. </div></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">That's all for now from rainy old England. Model on!</div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-50725746885399976842015-11-04T00:23:00.001-08:002015-11-04T00:26:51.552-08:00We are the Law!Back to science fiction again, and this time with a very British subject; Judge Dredd. He's been a seminal character of the British comic book scene, and although he is well represented in 28mm, his first appearance in wargaming was in 15mm. Back in the day, Laserburn included some not-Judges in their miniature line. These are still available from 15mm.co.uk and, despite the age of the sculpts, they are rather nice figures. I got some of them a while back, more on a whim than a desire to wargaming the conflicts of MegaCity One. I painted them and found the, to be excellent figures, full of character, so I ordered some more and now I have a pretty complete little force. I will probably get some Judges on motorcycles with my next order plus a few more codes to round out things out.<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZU2rWSHVj24/VjnAmTSrhoI/AAAAAAAAA2M/cBneh-LCWKo/s640/blogger-image--1636410487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZU2rWSHVj24/VjnAmTSrhoI/AAAAAAAAA2M/cBneh-LCWKo/s640/blogger-image--1636410487.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here is my force as it stands now. In the foreground are four troops in a riot police load out. Shields (with some weird projection in the front which could be anything from a tear gas nozzle to a static field projector), batons, sidearms and body armour. </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-06LPh5uDb1Q/VjnAgJCIATI/AAAAAAAAA1c/RHB7hssSil4/s640/blogger-image--377269734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-06LPh5uDb1Q/VjnAgJCIATI/AAAAAAAAA1c/RHB7hssSil4/s640/blogger-image--377269734.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Following them are police officers with grenade launchers. These can be used for anything ranging from teargas, non-lethal rounds for crowd control or plain old grenades or shotgun pellets. Some are dressed as the riot police squad (I think these are the sergeants, but you can use them as plain old riot cops) and some have partially open face shields and no body armour.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1EQOP5eFAUI/VjnAjdjZt_I/AAAAAAAAA10/YKt2VWcaMYQ/s640/blogger-image-20881483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1EQOP5eFAUI/VjnAjdjZt_I/AAAAAAAAA10/YKt2VWcaMYQ/s640/blogger-image-20881483.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oHiPzQFliSs/VjnAhVGDvsI/AAAAAAAAA1k/VXLFv6BrtaQ/s640/blogger-image--1886759852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oHiPzQFliSs/VjnAhVGDvsI/AAAAAAAAA1k/VXLFv6BrtaQ/s640/blogger-image--1886759852.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The final row includes a cyber mastiff and a figure I use as its handler, and two more miniatures armed with sidearms. These I plan to use as a force commander and a sergeant.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LUCynNvVwX8/VjnAkT-hDYI/AAAAAAAAA18/Y4iWBJvlP8o/s640/blogger-image-966470519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LUCynNvVwX8/VjnAkT-hDYI/AAAAAAAAA18/Y4iWBJvlP8o/s640/blogger-image-966470519.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-loEZalatKVQ/VjnAibiva-I/AAAAAAAAA1s/IUmfyanLW6k/s640/blogger-image--808554606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-loEZalatKVQ/VjnAibiva-I/AAAAAAAAA1s/IUmfyanLW6k/s640/blogger-image--808554606.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KvqGorlrUBY/VjnAlcp6mRI/AAAAAAAAA2E/hUKqcOlYblc/s640/blogger-image--1496518882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KvqGorlrUBY/VjnAlcp6mRI/AAAAAAAAA2E/hUKqcOlYblc/s640/blogger-image--1496518882.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As I said, these are very good miniatures, especially when you consider their age. They need some cleaning up (the riot police in particular),the detail is not as refined as the newer stuff and they may look a little anaemic and short when compared with newer offerings. However, their detail is great for table top standards, they paint up like a dream, and I never pay too much attention in size discrepancies. At any rate, if you hunker for some 15mm Judge Dredd action, it's all you're gone get. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">That's all from foggy London and the Greeg Geek workbench.</div></div><br></div><br></div><br></div>Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-15186865643603030782015-10-25T13:24:00.001-07:002015-10-25T13:33:24.056-07:00The Yellow BoysIt's funny how we end up starting projects. Last year's visit to the Imperial War Museum cured me of historical wargaming for quite some time. Their WWI exhibit is a sobering experienced and so is the stamp collection on the Falkland's dead. I could not bring myself to paint anything historical after that.<div><br></div><div>A couple of months back, I picked up a book on the First Afghan War, more on a whim than anything else. It was 3 quid, hardly a sum to break the bank and the conflict did offer some minor interest. The book was "The Return of a King" by William Darlymple and it offered a very exciting glimpse into India and Afghanistan of the 1830s and 1840s. The description of one of the cavalry regiments, Skinner's Horse with its commanding officer Sikander Sahib (James Skinner) was particularly evocative. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XEoNdj_h_vY/Vi06cv_RDqI/AAAAAAAAA0w/abCBaaHd-TU/s640/blogger-image-99909545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XEoNdj_h_vY/Vi06cv_RDqI/AAAAAAAAA0w/abCBaaHd-TU/s640/blogger-image-99909545.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Yellow tunics, red belts and turbans, lances and matchlocks, what's not to like? I spent sometime debating whether I really needed to start collecting miniatures from another time period (seriously?) and after some debate, I spent roughly ten pounds to order three packs of Skinner's Horse from Lancashire Games. These are for the Sikh Wars where the regiment also fought, so they were close enough to what I wanted. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w8Ron5VseN0/Vi06dUZWkDI/AAAAAAAAA04/jBJRIwM2-h4/s640/blogger-image-82682370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w8Ron5VseN0/Vi06dUZWkDI/AAAAAAAAA04/jBJRIwM2-h4/s640/blogger-image-82682370.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VFw001GG3rU/Vi06bmUxSkI/AAAAAAAAA0o/ZmN40PJZMhU/s640/blogger-image--1045051259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VFw001GG3rU/Vi06bmUxSkI/AAAAAAAAA0o/ZmN40PJZMhU/s640/blogger-image--1045051259.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Needless to say, unpainted they don't look like much, especially the horses. But the detail was there and these are aimed to mass combats, not skirmishes. Whatever faults would be hidden by the mandatory three feet of distance and the unit itself.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Not wanting to spend more time or money than necessary, I did not order an Osprey Book on the Honorable East India Company or the Sikh Wars, I looked around on the web. Lots of images around, including some from a reenactment group. Google them, they are spectacular. This however, from, the Army Museum if I am not mistaken is breathtaking.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Drd63tNyxVA/Vi06eXsJDBI/AAAAAAAAA1A/FJLzTkYJ32o/s640/blogger-image-143743155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Drd63tNyxVA/Vi06eXsJDBI/AAAAAAAAA1A/FJLzTkYJ32o/s640/blogger-image-143743155.jpg"></a></div><br></div></div>These are probably of Skinner's Horse at the time of the Afghanistan invasion. Needless to say, the figures I have did not look like that exactly. However this has never been a problem in the past, nor will it be in the future. After about a week of work, I had my unit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-i7F-FIx8Ka4/Vi06ZzvWjlI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/3YKiRBMlyvA/s640/blogger-image--1763050253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-i7F-FIx8Ka4/Vi06ZzvWjlI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/3YKiRBMlyvA/s640/blogger-image--1763050253.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WlxyiT00Wjs/Vi06aqYsPDI/AAAAAAAAA0g/LeLkwkO6Nko/s640/blogger-image-773760668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WlxyiT00Wjs/Vi06aqYsPDI/AAAAAAAAA0g/LeLkwkO6Nko/s640/blogger-image-773760668.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mhvba6zdeTg/Vi06fXr2vgI/AAAAAAAAA1I/IQESmO-tWUo/s640/blogger-image-363709730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mhvba6zdeTg/Vi06fXr2vgI/AAAAAAAAA1I/IQESmO-tWUo/s640/blogger-image-363709730.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As you can see, they fall into that much maligned wargaming category; they paint up well. However, they will more than look the part on the gaming table. <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">I am not sure I did justice to the regiment's original colours (the yellow does not look close enough to the one in the paintings but it looks closer to the one the reenactors use). The white trousers are barely visible, but these are one piece castings, and reaching all the details was not easy. I painted the saddle blankets red, yellow and white, having seen all colours used.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I like the end result. Painting Indian skin tones was an interesting exercise. So was manoeuvring my brush to reach all crevices. Will I paint more First Afghan War miniatures? Yes, they are very colourful and the unit histories are fascinating. I ordered some Bengal Horse Artillery (whose uniforms have to be seen to be believed) and some Sepoys. Will I game them? Maybe. I am thinking about getting either Colonial Adventures by Two Hour Games or Larry Brom's The Sword and the Flame. My units will be based so that they can be used with both of these systems.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">That's all from the Greek Geek workbench and London.</div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div>Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-10612112483265265652015-10-15T02:42:00.001-07:002015-10-15T07:46:34.896-07:00Micro Machine MadnessDespite not writing for quite some time, things have been busy on the Greek Geek workbench. Three more warbands for Song of Blades and Heroes have been completed, but real life barely allows enough time for me to paint.<div><br></div><div>If you are marginally interested in science fiction and not been hiding under a rock for the last few months, you probably know that a new Star Wars movie is coming out right before Christmas. The franchise has fortunately been acquired by the Mad Mouse company, something that might do away with some of the political incorrectness of Episodes IV-VI but will hopefully help us get rid of the complete and utter nonsense that came to movie screens with Episode I (and the crap that followed). Another thing that the Mouse company is well known for is milking a franchise for all its worth. That means tons of merchandise, including some very useful Micro Machine sets. Now, SW and MM go way back, and searching eBay will help you net tons of figures and vehicles, some at reasonable prices, some at perfectly silly ones (but, hey, it's your money). A recent visit to the local toy store netted me a pack of three micro machines, just shy of a five-pound note. Naturally, these were washed, dried, repainted and mounted. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4RK5twlU3cI/Vh90wtm9S6I/AAAAAAAAAzM/AkfVRupFPwM/s640/blogger-image--11376166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4RK5twlU3cI/Vh90wtm9S6I/AAAAAAAAAzM/AkfVRupFPwM/s640/blogger-image--11376166.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zJXJf47OJq0/Vh90-cH42WI/AAAAAAAAAz0/w8FQQVSxvso/s640/blogger-image--1342883137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zJXJf47OJq0/Vh90-cH42WI/AAAAAAAAAz0/w8FQQVSxvso/s640/blogger-image--1342883137.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here is the first figure, an Imperial Scout trooper on his jet bike. It was an easy enough repaint and it is based for skirmish war gaming. I plan to get at least one more, as the reconnaissance element of my Imperial force, when I get around to painting one. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rdLd9NdctBw/Vh90vjcOaGI/AAAAAAAAAzE/yiDdff0hSjM/s640/blogger-image-579873952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rdLd9NdctBw/Vh90vjcOaGI/AAAAAAAAAzE/yiDdff0hSjM/s640/blogger-image-579873952.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JXnk4mewd3M/Vh904bvKPCI/AAAAAAAAAzk/oPEDoiK7_pg/s640/blogger-image--621312377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JXnk4mewd3M/Vh904bvKPCI/AAAAAAAAAzk/oPEDoiK7_pg/s640/blogger-image--621312377.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Rebel Commando was a bit trickier, as it is originally painted as Luke Skywalker. The information on Rebel Commando uniforms during the raid on Endor is not great either. I just took a look at picture from the movie and just improvised. The uniform may be a bit off, but it looks the part, and it's all I am going for.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Both jet bikes and riders were roughly 18mm in scale. That makes them large 15s or small 20s, but as they are mounted on bikes, the difference will not be noticeable under war gaming conditions.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HDMk36Ar638/Vh-8PlKtmBI/AAAAAAAAA0A/9v1wiIk6VXU/s640/blogger-image--1852311760.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HDMk36Ar638/Vh-8PlKtmBI/AAAAAAAAA0A/9v1wiIk6VXU/s640/blogger-image--1852311760.jpg"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HDMk36Ar638/Vh-8PlKtmBI/AAAAAAAAA0A/9v1wiIk6VXU/s640/blogger-image--1852311760.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rQExXz-c9dw/Vh-8Safmb0I/AAAAAAAAA0I/rhddvExqJ1k/s640/blogger-image-87031823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rQExXz-c9dw/Vh-8Safmb0I/AAAAAAAAA0I/rhddvExqJ1k/s640/blogger-image-87031823.jpg"></a></div></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The final figure in the set was an AT ST walker. This is closer to 6mm scale and it was based for Horted of the Things. Using some other Micro Machine sets and some 6mm figures, I think I can make a creditable effort in reproducing the Rebel and Imperial forces for the battle on the planet Hoth. It is an interesting side project and one that won't be exceptionally pricey. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Finally, I have started a slow return to historical war gaming. By accident, I read a book on the First Afghan War and got hooked on the history and diversity of the units involved. As a result, I ordered some 15mm lancers for Skinner's Horse from Lancashire Games. The order was small, but three working days later, my 12 horsemen had arrived. They are old school, one piece castings, with lots of character and good war gaming detail. More information to follow.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ohn_til7zJ4/Vh903YBaCaI/AAAAAAAAAzc/fsuoUW3V9_U/s640/blogger-image--1341955882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ohn_til7zJ4/Vh903YBaCaI/AAAAAAAAAzc/fsuoUW3V9_U/s640/blogger-image--1341955882.jpg"></font></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BKHSXulu8Kk/Vh90uTJ_vCI/AAAAAAAAAy8/NGfLuF3T9sU/s640/blogger-image-23013081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BKHSXulu8Kk/Vh90uTJ_vCI/AAAAAAAAAy8/NGfLuF3T9sU/s640/blogger-image-23013081.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zNXyLbvGklw/Vh909d57CFI/AAAAAAAAAzs/ZSOK7f0WUpA/s640/blogger-image--387232046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zNXyLbvGklw/Vh909d57CFI/AAAAAAAAAzs/ZSOK7f0WUpA/s640/blogger-image--387232046.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S4LYiCuCAeU/Vh90xbtTqwI/AAAAAAAAAzU/SIBYWOYZbxw/s640/blogger-image-1696400439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S4LYiCuCAeU/Vh90xbtTqwI/AAAAAAAAAzU/SIBYWOYZbxw/s640/blogger-image-1696400439.jpg"></a></div></div></div>Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-59394986747465960682015-07-14T00:55:00.002-07:002015-07-14T01:00:10.042-07:00Lizardmen!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Another cloudy summer morning here in London. Apparently the definition of summer is different in the British Isles.</div>
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I finally put the last touches yesterday on the Splintered Light 20mm Lizardmen set (despite the 20mm label, they work just fine with other 15mm miniatures). It's been sitting on the lead pile for a few years now, and I decided to finally paint it, as a warband for Song of Blades and Heroes. Point-wise and figure-wise, it's closer to two or three warbands, so it's excellent value in that respect. For $25 you get 21 figures; all of them excellent castings, with good detail and minimal clean-up required. While being in the lead pile, a couple of small bits and pieces broke and I had to pin and glue them in place. Nothing difficult and the repairs are not visible.</div>
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So what do you get in the lizardman set? First of all, a command set with a Leader (or Champion if you prefer), a stanadard bearer, a musician (who can very well substitute as a Leader) and a Shaman. All are have stats in the main SOBH book, so there is no need to use the Warband Calculator in the Ganesha Games site. You get two lizards that look like komodo dragons and are quite hefty. There are 8 warriors armed with stone swords (flint or obsidian, your choice) and turtle or tortoise-shell shields. Ranged combat capability is supplied in the form of 3 figures armed with longbows and 4 armed with shortbows. These are the only ones not outlined in the rulebook. I decided to call the shortbow-armed lizardmen "scouts" and give them Q3+, C2, Amphibious, Tailslap, Shooter (Medium) and Stealth for 46 points. The ones armed with logbows will be straight shooters with Q3+, C3, Amphbious, Tailslap and Shooter (long) for 56 points. Total points for all 21 figures (using the profiles in the book and those listed above) is 1114 points, quite sufficient for 3 300-point warbands. I consider roughly $8 per warband a pretty good investment.</div>
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I decided to go for an old-school scheme. In my view, these look very much like swamp- or lake-dwelling lizardmen, so I went for greens and yellows. Painting was done with the Army Painter colours and inks. Basing them was also simple and old-school; brown base with green flock. And with that, on to the actual miniatures. The pictures are not perfect as I am used to using more natural light; good luck with that in the UK.</div>
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Command </div>
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Lizards</div>
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Shaman</div>
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Scouts</div>
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Long Bows</div>
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Lizardman Warriors</div>
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All in all, pleasant figures to work with, another project completed. At some point I will order the mounted lizardmen from the same series, just for completeness' sake. Splintered Light is one of the best miniature manufacturers in 15mm and well worth their money.</div>
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Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-65041158087241002822015-06-27T14:15:00.000-07:002015-06-27T14:15:21.417-07:00"And they shall know no fear"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Wow! It's been a year since I have last written here. Long time. Well, life has been interesting. New country (England), new city (London), new girlfriend (this one is sane), new workplace (still drilling teeth though). My addiction to lead and plastic miniatures is still the same, and unfortunately, I am in a country where you can get almost anything you want. Most of my collection is back in Greece, so I had to get some new miniatures.<br /><br />One of the things I really liked about British wargaming, was Games Workshop. Seriously. Their fluff is excellent, they had some very interesting games (Warhammer Ancients is still an excellent system in my book, and who can forget Man O War and Blood Bowl?). Unfortunately, their prices and incistence to make only 28mm miniatures put them out of my league. But wait, there is always a solution. What if I buy 15mm proxy miniatures? And use rule systems that are better suited to skirmish games, like Flying Lead and Song of Blades and Heroes and In The Emperor's Name? Would that work? Why the heck not?</div>
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There are quite a few 15mm proxies for Space Marines out there. Which is surprising, as GW smites with Cease and Desist orders anything that comes close to infringing their copyright. Thankfully, they can't do that to the game that was one of the inspirations for Warhammer 40K; Laserburn. Laserburn is still around and the rules and miniatures can be bought from <a href="http://www.15mm.co.uk/">www.15mm.co.uk</a>. </div>
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When it comes to Space Marines, I really like the Ultramarines, because of their blue and white uniform and their plain simple vanilla Space Marine flavour. So I got me a bunch of Imperial troopers and started painting them. This is the first batch: </div>
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Space Marine in Dreadnought armour. Armed with rocket launcer, storm bolter, flamer and grenade launcher.</div>
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Space Marine in Terminator armor carrying a plasma gun.</div>
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Space Marine in Terminator armor armed with Heavy Bolter.</div>
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Space Marine Sergeant with Terminator armor. Armed with Storm Bolter(s)</div>
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As you can see, they are not really GW Space Marines. On the other hand, as GW borrowed heavily from the Laserburn fluff, they are not that different either. Khurasan has some that are pretty close to the originals, but I just felt like going old-skool here and I can't say I am disappointed. I also have some of their Imperial Troopers to use as Space Marines in normal power armor and some Disciples of the Redemption to use as Chaos Space Marines. Those last ones are next on the bench, so I guess you'll see what they look like by next weekend.</div>
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Until then, keep on painting and gaming! Goodnight from London.</div>
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Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-90352676861154612872014-06-02T19:27:00.000-07:002014-06-02T19:27:15.432-07:00For a Few Chickens More<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Beware the postman bearing news! In my case it was my placement as a member of the elections committee in the recent municipal, regional and European parliament elections. Oh. The. Joy. Still, being a civic-minded individual, I showed up and had my weekend scedule screwed up for the last weekend. And if you add my weekend with the young Master, that should explain my "disappearance" for the last 3 weeks.</div>
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I called my partner-in-crime Thanos from <a href="http://miniaturesterrainpage.blogspot.gr/" target="_blank">Miniatures and Terrain</a> and scheduled another game of Napoleonic skirmishing using Song of Drums and Shakos. We had another game, over a year ago. Once a year is hardly enough for the cool games that Andrea writes up over in <a href="http://www.ganeshagames.net/" target="_blank">Ganesha Games</a>. Do visit and support him, as he is one of the few people I know who prices his games reasonable and makes a living out of them.</div>
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Song of Drums and Shakos is cool as it allows you to run off-the-wall scenarios. In this case, the situation was rough in the Iberian Penninsula. Both the French and British were running low on provisions, so foraging parties were sent out to seek out victuals. Thanos had painted farm animals from the <a href="http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=1728" target="_blank">Pegasus set</a>, and had a beautiful pig sty (there's a contradiction in terms if ever there was one). He brought them over at the Führerbunker for another afternoon of iced coffee and dice-rolling.<br />
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Here was the set up. A road divides the board and 6 bases of cows, fowl and pigs were placed so that each player had easy access to half of them. We added some special rules to make the game more fun:<br />
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<li>Each base of farm animals was worth one point. Whoever had collected more points at the end of the game would be the winner.</li>
<li>Collecting a base of livestock meant either killing it (we set the Combat value of all animals at 0) and carrying it out of your table edge, or coming in contact with it and herding it (after a successful Quality roll) towards your table edge.</li>
<li>If one failed at his Quality roll to herd the animals, these would wander off in a random direction (1 Short for fowl, 1 Medium for pigs and cows). If you ceased to be in contact with the animals you'd have to roll to succeed in "herding" them again.</li>
<li>Carrying a base of dead animals dropped your movement by one category.</li>
<li>If a base of animals randomly moved off the board, it was lost to both parties.</li>
<li>If a figure carried a base of killed animals off the board, it could not reenter.</li>
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These might seem complicated, but they are not. Plus the added possibility of Riflemen and dragoons chasing pigs or failing to kill chickens added to enjoyment factor. What follows is the AAR, mostly from the British side. I am sure Thanos will be posting about the French within the next couple of days.</div>
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The British force: Rifles Officer, 2 Chosen Men, 2 riflemen, 1 center company NCO, 2 center company fusiliers.</div>
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The forces of the Corsican Ogre: Officer on foot, 4 fusiliers, 2 Dragoons and 1 Old Guard Grenadier.</div>
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The French decide to move in and try and get some chickens for the pot. The fusilier succeeds in his Quality check and guides his feathered friends towards the French table edge. Two of the fusiliers and the grenadier advance through the field using the wall as cover. The dragoons move down the road, ready to cut down any British foragers. The remaining fusilier and the officer try to bag some more chickens and some beer for the pot-au-feu.</div>
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The British using some desultory rifle fire to keep French heads down. And then, turnover.</div>
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The fusilier fails to herd the remaining chicken base, guiding perilously close to the table edge. The forces in the tilled field move on before (you guessed it), turnover.</div>
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Two of the riflemen advance in the woods, securing the right British flank. The fusiliers move down the road, finding strength and confidence in their numbers. One of the Chosen Men reloads and before yet another turn over (there were several of those in this game).</div>
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Thanos is tired of getting plinked by the riflemen, so he decides to send one of his Dragoons to clear the road. Tactically, it was not a bad decision. </div>
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However, there were another 4 figures ready to assist the poor Rifleman. Maybe he would have been better off trying to fight the fusiliers and NCO. Two furious rounds of fighting take place with the Dragoon getting mobbed by 5 figures. He survives for one round, even dropping temporarily one of his opponents.</div>
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However, the result was never in doubt. After getting bayoneted repeatedly, the poor Dragoon is hors de combat. To add insult to injury, one of the Frenchmen manages to drive one of the cow bases out of the game. Now Thanos has to secure the remaining cow or pigs in order to win.</div>
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And after all this crappy rolling, the dreaded snakeyes come up, forcing Thanos to end his turn at this critical point.</div>
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The British dress their ranks and one of the Chosen Men walks up to the cows and calmly shoots them. Meat is meat.</div>
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One of the riflemen enters the pigsty where he (unsuccessfully) tries to kill some pigs. </div>
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At this point, the British are firmly in control of the center. They have a base of animals out, like the French. The fusiliers fire to keep the Grenadier's head down and succeed. So far so good.<br />
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After two rounds of fighting with the dreaded pig, one of the riflemen kills it and starts dragging the carcass towards the British table edge. Mad with hunger, the Dragoon charges. The British line holds it's ground and after some fighting manages to repel the horseman. In the next round volley fire wounds the last Dragoon and secures the center for the British for good. </div>
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At this point we decided to call it a night. The French were close to having another base of livestock out of their table edge, but lacked sufficient force to take the last one before I killed it and left with it.</div>
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All in all, this was a fun and different game. The location of the animal bases gave you the choice of going for a quick draw (nothing wrong with that) or trying for victory. Also the choice of killing (and then losing a figure who would carry the carcass off the table) or trying to herd one of the animals was a good one. Once again, it came down to the luck of the dice and the dice liked me tonight. Thanos managed to wing a couple of my men, but failed to incapacitate any. Poor rolling will get you any time. Song of Drums and Shakos is easily adaptable as everything can be boiled down to a combat or quality roll. Thus some more interesting scenarios can be played without much trouble. After all, how many times can you storm the farmhouse before it become old?</div>
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Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-88818650593936289962014-05-11T13:29:00.001-07:002014-05-11T13:29:25.557-07:00Flying Lead. Tons of it.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Fellow modeler and wargamer Thanos, of the <a href="http://miniaturesterrainpage.blogspot.gr/" target="_blank">Miniatures and Terrain</a> blog made it to the Fuhrerbunker tonight for yet another game. World War II skirmishing, using Flying Lead from <a href="http://www.ganeshagames.net/" target="_blank">Ganesha Games</a>. If you don't know them, visit their site. Andrea is an awesome guy to deal with and his rules are ALWAYS great fun. Flying Lead is a generic skirmish game that can be used for WWII, pulp adventures, cops and robbers, science fiction and probably more types of wargaming. Not having used it for WWII (I used to play Hit the Dirt from <a href="http://www.freewargamesrules.co.uk/" target="_blank">Free Wargames Rules</a>) I decided to try it out. Heck, I had a squad or three of US infantry and Germans painted for while now and the rules just sitting on my shelves.</div>
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So, the rules came out, two forces of 600 points each were assembled, the battlefield was laid out, and battle was joined.</div>
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The battlefield. I would have liked some more terrain. Next time.</div>
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Rules, army list, QR sheet, dice, measuring sticks. Ready to rock and roll.</div>
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The Yanks. Heroic sarge, corporal, BAR gunner, 4 privates, 1 veteran in CQB, 1 veteran with hand grenades.</div>
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The Krauts. Heroic unteroffizier, gefreiter, MG-34 gunner and loader, 4 grenadiers, 1 veteran grenadier with rifle grenades.</div>
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Thanos' task was simple. Patrol the area, entering from one table edge, exiting from the opposite. All I had to do was stop him. Since he will be posting about the game in his blog, here is my part. I split my force in two. The bulk was placed in the courtyard of the intact house where they would have cover, a safe line of retreat to the house and be able to command the road with the MG34. Two were placed in one of the ruins across the street to act as a mobile reserve and dislodge any Yanks that tried to use the ruins to form a base of fire. One more grenadier joined them later in the game.</div>
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Group one of the Amis.</div>
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Group 2 of the Americans.</div>
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Hiding behind a stone wall is always a good idea.</div>
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Thanos checking line of sight.</div>
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Before I go any further, let me tell you, Thanos had terrible luck with his dice. And I do mean terrible. Twice he had the chance of ending the game then and there. Twice he rolled a succession of "1"s and "2"s that allowed me to rally.</div>
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One of his teams tried to occupy the top ruin (the old Airfix command post) but continuous fire from the MG34 and rifle grenades killed the sergeant early in the game. The BAR gunner followed suit after a few rounds of combat leaving 3 riflemen to hold the area against 3 grenadiers and the weight of fire from the machine gun.</div>
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The other team delayed in reaching the cover of the stone fence near the oak tree. From there, they became a serious hazard to my command and fire support group. The unteroffizier was twice forced to seek cover and the grenades from the veteran rifleman came close to wiping out all of the troops (by that time, the MG34 had already crossed the street to try and find a better vantage point). Thanos' dice however were anything but hot, so the veteran grenadier and the gefreiter wounded the veteran and the corporal.</div>
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Sarge is down. I repeat Sarge is down.</div>
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There goes the BAR.</div>
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One man is a waste of ammo. Six men is a good target</div>
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Before long the MG34 was close to reaching a position to enfilade the group taking cover behind the stone fence. Some of the Americans climbed the fence and tried to enter the house from the back door. The Germans retreated and used the windows to pour out defensive fire, forcing the Americans to stop their advance.</div>
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While all this was happening, the grenadiers across the street had gotten into melee with 2 of the Americans. The third was shot and gruesomely killed when his M-1 jammed. This lead to morale rolls for the remaining Yanks who failed them and were cut down as they were fleeing. This left Thanos with one dead, four wounded and three uninjured men. </div>
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Hand to hand combat in the ruins.</div>
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Going through the back door.</div>
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The house, endgame.</div>
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The ruins, endgame.</div>
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We called it a night there. Thanos had suffered severe losses and although my troops were divided, he lacked the power to either enter the house or clear the ruins and evade. He had had the chance to end the game twice, but the dice cheated him of a well-deserved victory (or at the very least a tie).</div>
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If you are looking for a fun, fast and cheap set of rules, Flying Lead delivers. We are looking forward to our next game, where Thanos will bring his British and I plan to include a StuG ΙΙΙ so that I can test the vehicle rules.</div>
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That is all for now from Athens. Stay tuned for our next battle report.</div>
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Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-16404988553292515052014-05-10T13:16:00.001-07:002014-05-10T13:16:43.995-07:00Fitter to be tied<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Just a quick post this time. I finally finished my Su-22 from Academy. It is a 1/144 model and the best thing I can say about it is that there are not a lot of parts. The fit is meh, the decals are meh, the weapons load is meh. Still, for 4 euros it cannot be beat. I plan to some more Dragon Fitters, giving me a complete flight. Although it is not an exceptional plane, the Fitter looks very Russian to me and would be very common among Frontal Aviation units used for ground support.</div>
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That's all for now from Athens, where most people are watching the Eurovision song contest. Model on!</div>
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Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-8500657846302664652014-05-05T23:07:00.001-07:002014-05-05T23:07:20.344-07:00 GSG 9 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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OK, maybe not <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSG_9" target="_blank">GSG9</a>. These are the Revell figures for the <a href="http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=298" target="_blank">German Commando Special Forces</a>, but I will be using them as GSG9 as well in my Cold War Gone Hot games. Just the thing to deal with Spetsnaz and Russian sleeper agents about to cause havoc before WWIII kicks off. They are also great for some "SWAT vs. terrorists" action. Mind you, the weapons are definitely not right for the late 80s, but these look much more varied than the Caesar SAS (that languish somewhere in The Stash).</div>
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Here is the complete team. I painted one of each pose. Although these are going to be used in an urban environment, I used my typical "countryside" basing. Black on grey is sooo boring, plus central European cities have substantial park areas (often courtesy of Bomber Command's Urban Planning Division).</div>
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Sniper and Spotter. Stay back figures providing intel and long-range hitting power. I would have preferred the spotter having a sniper rifle of his own for those tricky "two-gun jobs", but they look pretty good.</div>
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The rest of the team. These were easy to paint, with everything being mostly black. I did paint the helmets, shield and "door knocker" dark blue in order to make them stand out. Probably not entirely correct, but if you belong in the color fanatic crowd, you are probably reading the wrong blog.</div>
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That's all from sunny Athens. Now, if I can only entice Thanos of <a href="http://miniaturesterrainpage.blogspot.gr/" target="_blank">Miniatures and Terrain</a> for a special op against those pesky Soviet agents..</div>
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Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-64017319143947534022014-04-27T10:12:00.000-07:002014-04-27T10:12:15.442-07:00Cold War Gone Hot APCs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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My forays into the Cold War continue with 2 more models. The first is the old and venerable M-163 from Esci, this time reissued by Italeri. Italeri is slowly reissuing all the M-113 variants that Esci produced, and a jolly good thing it is too. This is an old kit, one that I built as a teenager. Hated the lenght and link tracks then, still hate them now. I don't have a problem with Revell's L&L tracks, because they actually FIT. These took some cursing and chopping, but they finally conformed somewhat. I added a commander from the other M-113 kit I am building, and called it a day. Yes, it is not my best job by far, but I just wanted to build something after my divorce and this was a pleasant distraction.</div>
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The other is the (essentially quick-build) M-113 from JB, reissued by Airfix. Although this is supposedly 1/76 scale, it is very very similar to the Esci offering which is 1/72. Oh well, makes my life simpler. Great little model, easy to build, very durable, perfect for wargaming. Once again, quick build, quick paint. Nothing to really write home about, but it gets the job done. If you buy one (or three) make sure you wash the parts extra well. Some sort of weird releasing agent was used and I had trouble getting paint to stick, despite washing things with water and detergent.</div>
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That's all for now. Off to the bunker where more Cold War goodness (plus WWII, Napoleonics and even some stuff for Mogadishu) awaits.</div>
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Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-82504776944246957692014-04-18T14:04:00.001-07:002014-04-18T14:04:21.328-07:00Which way to Paris comrades?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A few months back I completed this squad of Vozdysho Desantnye Voyska (or Spetsnaz if you are feeling more adventurous) for my Cold War Gone Hot project. Needless to say, I had spent another two days of my life re-reading Red Storm Rising, and I was in the mood for some Warsaw Pact vs. NATO action. This was the result. Naturally, I used the old Esci Spetsnaz issued when I was in my (very early teens) and recently re-issued by Italeri. Excellent sculpts, if a little boring in terms of poses. Although they are kitted out for Afghanistan, they will see action in Central Europe, maybe even south Europe just fine. </div>
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Fist completed squad.</div>
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NCO/Junior CO</div>
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Squad Machine Gun</div>
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I have a few more metal VDV from Elhiem and with these I will be able to boost my forces to a full platoon, if not more. The lack of any vehicles in styrene is an issue, but I think I will make do with Hinds. I already have my eyes set on an old Airfix Hind-D and I aquired some 1/144 air support today. Given my current gaming table, I find it doubtfull that I will be able to field more than a platoon anytime soon.</div>
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Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-54824773781561816442014-04-13T09:31:00.002-07:002014-04-13T12:07:09.530-07:00British Doorknocker<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A few months back I got a Zvezda 2-pounder for my BEF project (still plodding along with that one; with a bit of luck they will be ready in a couple of months). Just when I had given up on getting a plastic 2-lb anti-tank gun, Zvezda came to the rescue. To my understanding, it is not entirely accurate for France, since a lot of units used a French 25mm anti-tank gun (almost as useless), but hey, it is too good to pass up. I used it as it, adding another figure from the Zvezda Vickers machinegun kit.</div>
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Lovely little kit, as most if not all of Zvezda's offerings are. I need to finish my command stand, the rest of the artillery and the Mathildas, and I will be pretty much done. Not everything will be entirely accurate, but it promises to be a fun little army on the table top.</div>
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Here is the state of the bench as of this afternoon. Most of the stuff is commission work.</div>
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That's all for now from Athens. Keep modeling!</div>
Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-71839936673515938872014-04-08T23:17:00.001-07:002014-04-13T12:08:06.731-07:00"Uri, uinciri, uerberari, ferroque necari"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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"To endure burning with fire, shackling with chains, to be whipped with rods and killed with steel". Not a fun time! Still, this was the Roman gladiator's oath of submission and it illustrated the life they led pretty well. Last year, I decided I wanted me some action in the arena, so I got a box each of the Italeri and Pegasus gladiators and a copy of the "Red Sands, Blue Sky: Heroes of the Arena" rules from <a href="http://www.twohourwargames.com/" target="_blank">Two Hour Wargames</a>. This is a neat sense of rules that allows you to play at three levels: solo game (always a good idea), head-head campaign where you are the head of a troupe of gladiators or <i>familia gladiatoria</i>, or a campaign where your gladiator(s) try to make it to Rome and win the coveted <i>rudis</i> (wooden sword) and freedom.</div>
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The game is pretty complete, coming with pretty much all the rules you will need, paper miniatures and a paper arena. Paper is for pussies I tell you. We are here to get our hands dirty with styrene and polyethelene and paints. So I went ahead and painted one each of the six gladiator types outlined in the rules:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4jRdV222nOc/U0Tjb6QcWsI/AAAAAAAAAis/ZnQLdp-jbEQ/s1600/Hoplomachus.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4jRdV222nOc/U0Tjb6QcWsI/AAAAAAAAAis/ZnQLdp-jbEQ/s1600/Hoplomachus.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hoplomachus (<i>sans</i> shield): Italeri</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I4119icMiug/U0Tjbvr-cJI/AAAAAAAAAio/HTNDN1l8u90/s1600/Murmillo+front.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I4119icMiug/U0Tjbvr-cJI/AAAAAAAAAio/HTNDN1l8u90/s1600/Murmillo+front.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Murmillo (front): Italeri</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B14FKzaXnRI/U0TjcNyRbGI/AAAAAAAAAiw/Ip_y7tkqCPQ/s1600/Murmillo+back.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B14FKzaXnRI/U0TjcNyRbGI/AAAAAAAAAiw/Ip_y7tkqCPQ/s1600/Murmillo+back.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Murmillo (back)<span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div>
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Retarius (net added from gauze): Italeri</div>
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Secutor (without helmet): Pegasus</div>
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Thraex: Pegasus</div>
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Dimachaerus: Pegasus</div>
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It was a fun little project. I still have more gladiators to paint if I so desire (including women and midgets who are also included in the ruleset) and some animals. Now, to motivate myself to build a small arena and invite fellow blogger Thanos from <a href="http://miniaturesterrainpage.blogspot.gr/" target="_blank">Miniatures and Terrain</a> for an evening of casual slaughter <i>sine missione</i> (without mercy) on the sands.</div>
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Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-48368311183707384282014-04-01T23:58:00.000-07:002014-04-13T12:07:29.805-07:00MageKnight Night<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I finally managed to put my (extensive) MageKnight miniature collection. For those not familiar with the game <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mage_Knight" target="_blank">here is the Wikipedia article on it.</a> Last night, feeling kind of bored and with nothing interesting to do, I called the dreaded Colonel McRaffy, Scourge of the Steppes, Hammer of the Elves, Lord of the Orcs. OK, his name is NOT Colonel McRaffy, but he is a dedicated Orc player in every game from D&D to WH40K. He picked Orcs (no surprise there), I picked Elemental League. </div>
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Colonel McRaffy poring over troop dispositions.</div>
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McRaffy's plan was simple. Move fast, get into melee, kill. Considering the orcs, this is not a bad plan at all.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0PtURVavSfA/Uzus_lKJZxI/AAAAAAAAAgs/lH6lC0JpGQc/s1600/DSC00880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0PtURVavSfA/Uzus_lKJZxI/AAAAAAAAAgs/lH6lC0JpGQc/s1600/DSC00880.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I am afraid the Elemental League Death Star will be operational before the Orcs arrive.</div>
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I used a simple, old tactic. I had some pretty powerful ranged combat figures (a Troll Artillerist and a Troll Gunner) backed up by some enhancers that improved their ranged damage and provided them with high defense. A Centaur Champion secured one of my flanks, and the winged little elf provided me with healing and interference.</div>
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Orcs moving down the middle.</div>
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McRaffy selected two pieces of blocking terrain to limit my fields of fire. I selected two long, narrow bodies of water to funnel him to a prepared position.</div>
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When in doubt, Trolls with big guns win.</div>
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Knowing I would be facing orcs, I selected a Troll Gunner to use the Flame/Lightning special ability and shred their formations. True enough, when the orcs reached the top of the funnel, I was able to hit their formation for considerable damage. Pushing the figure in the next round and rolling a fumble was bad luck, but I had started whittling him down.</div>
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The top of the funnel</div>
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The killing ground.</div>
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The orcs spent two rounds in the killing ground of the funnel before breaking out. After repeated shots, the units that were left were not in any shape to deal with a relatively intact Death Star.</div>
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The Ankhar Butcher charges in.</div>
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The Centaur Champion clears my right flank.</div>
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Endgame. </div>
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In the end, only 3 figures essentially reached melee range with my Trolls. With a Defend "daisy chain", they were not able to damage them and were soon dispatched. Apparently shooting fence posts as crossbow bolts is not fun for the targets.</div>
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Roll of the dice</div>
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In the end, it was poor figure selection that did Colonel McRaffy in. More figures, figures with Force March to move them quickly across the killing ground and a killer figure with high attack and damage output (or autodamage figures with Poison or Ram) would have been more effective. Still, a good time was had by the both of us, and by the time we called it a night, midnight had already come and gone. </div>
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MageKnight is a fun, quick and deceptively simple game with good strategic depth. If you haven't played it, lots of figures appear on EBay and other sites regularly and with reasonable prices. Perhaps next time I will convince the good Colonel to try his hand at MageKnight Dungeons. With close to 700 figures available, I don't think that either of us will be bored any time soon.</div>
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Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-31418241911316657672014-03-29T05:47:00.002-07:002014-03-29T05:49:51.618-07:00Irene, Irene, Irene. The word is "Irene".<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Ah, life can be interesting. Of course interesting is rarely pleasant, but it beats plodding along day in and day out. After closing my practice, going through a divorce, getting ready to move abroad, I finally got the urge to paint little plastic (or metal; I am not particular), sniff styrene glue and write on this blog. It's been a year, but what a year. I hope this is as bad as it gets.</div>
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So, Irene is NOT the name of my ex-wife. If you have seen "Black Hawk Down" (and if you haven't seen it, go read another blog, one that does not have pictures of toy soldiers in it), "Irene" was the "go" codeword for the combined Ranger/Delta operation in Mogadishu that resulted in a monumental screw-up, a cool movie and an even cooler book.</div>
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Having gotten a bunch of Cold War Americans (Esci and Revell) and some Somalis (Caesar and Elhiem metals), I decided to paint me some Rangers. I started off with one chalk: two fireteams, an M-60 team and a chalk leader. Each fireteam is composed of one grenadier (M-16/M-203 combo), one SAW (M-249), fireteam leader and rifleman. The M-60 team is gunner and assistant gunner. All in all, 11 figures. I started them off sometime in 2013 and finished them off yesterday:</div>
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Fireteam 1:<br />
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M-60 Team:<br />
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Fireteam 2:</div>
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Chalk Leader:<br />
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I had some problems with the flat coat (frosting in a couple of figs) but I am too lazy to repaint the area. The Mog was dusty anyways. I primed the Elhiem Delta teams as well, but it might be a couple of weeks before I get around to painting them. I've found most of the stuff I need for Mogadishu (Humvees, Blackhawks, Somalis, Rangers, Delta, Blackhawks, Blackhawk crews) except Little Birds. There are kits for it out there, but I haven't seen one in Athens yet.</div>
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That's all from Athens for now. Tune in for another update soon (I hope).</div>
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Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-37846333900970224182013-04-02T00:53:00.001-07:002013-04-02T00:53:40.991-07:00Bridge Across the River Die<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's been nine months since I last wrote here. Wow! You can have a kid in this amount of time. Well, real life conspired to keep me away (moving to a new home, camera knocked out of action during move, my personal computer shortly after). Still, I've kept up with painting plastic crack and here is a celebratory come-back with nothing less than a battle report. My opponent was none else than Thanos, the extremely talented modeler of the <a href="http://miniaturesterrainpage.blogspot.com/">Miniatures and Terrain</a> blog.<br />
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Although my primary areas of interest are fantasy and WWII wargaming, I recently dabbled in Napoleonic wargaming. Ah, yes, the time when real men got their hair curled and wearing pink, green and riding boots was a fashion statement. And lace. Let's not forget the tons of lace and pipping you'll have to paint. So I picked a rule system that is light on rules and even lighter on figures, Song of Drums and Shakos from Italian <a href="http://www.ganeshagames.net/">Ganesha Game</a>. SDS uses the Song of Blades and Heroes engine which is rules-light and forces you to make some interesting tactical decisions on allocating actions to your miniatures. Being a skirmish game, it uses a small number of figures, typically no more than 20 per side. It took me about two months (including the normal break times for work, the Mistress complaining and the Young Master falling ill) to complete all the figures and terrain for this particular game. I'm pretty sure that someone could do it in half the time though. Although the figures used were 1/72, I used the scales for 15mm figures, mainly because my current gaming table is 60cm wide (normal playing area for 1/72-28mm figs is 90cmX90cm).<br />
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The scenario details are as follows. A group of French line infantry (together with their officer and two members of the Old Guard) have been stationed in an old farmhouse, next to a bridge. Their orders are simple: hold the bridge against British probes. A small force of British troops (five Riflemen and their officer together with some center company infantry with their officer and NCO) have been ordered to force a crossing, essentially conducting a reconnaissance in force. The south side of the map is covered in woods, except for the road leading to the bridge and the north side is essentially open, other than the farmhouse and its low wall. Thanos decided to use the British and that left me to defend the honor of the Emperor and France.<br />
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Turn I found the redcoats split into three groups. The center company infantry was positioned on the road leading to the bridge, three riflemen and their officer on the right flank and two more riflemen on the left flank. All groups advanced cautiously, with the center company NCO being a little more zealous and running to the top of the bridge. The French had one of their line infantry together with the grenadiers hold the north end of the bridge while the rest of the fusileers holding the south wall of the farm. The officer was behind the line of fire able to command both groups. The flag-bearer was close by acting as a rally point should things go sour. The French line infantry on the south wall fired on the Rifles skirmish line, forcing one of them back, deeper in the cover of the copse. They reload. One of the Old Guard fires on the foolhardy NCO, forcing him to drop for cover and reloads.<br />
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In Turn II the British start using the longer reach of their rifles. The British riflemen on the left fire, missing one of the grenadiers. More determined rifle fire on the British right forces two of the French infantry to drop for cover behind the stone wall. The British CO however rolls snakeyes leading to a changeover. The French have had enough of this pesky rifle fire. The Grenadier that got shot returns fire, killing one of the riflemen on the left and then reloads. One of the line infantry moves from the south wall to the bridge, but the French officer also rolls double "1"s leading to a turnover.<br />
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On the beginning of Turn III, the British right flank advances, leaving the tree line. The center squad of redcoats advances and crosses the bridge at a run. The NCO manages to stand up. The rifleman on the left flank fires and misses. The French decide to fight the British hand to hand. One of the redcoats is killed and one is pushed back, with the Grenadier following on his advantage.<br />
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The British CO correctly deduces that this is the turn that will make or break the battle. He advances and fights hand to hand against the French. End result, he and one of the infantrymen are wounded, forcing a morale roll for the NCO and remaining redcoat on the bridge. They both fail and decide to run like crazy (wise decision). On the French left, the infantry stands up behind the stone wall and fires at the Rifles officer. After three shots, the officer falls wounded and the troops decide to fall back running, except for a brave fellow who stands his ground.<br />
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End result: 4 British dead and wounded (including both officers), not even a scratch for the French. This was a pretty solid win for the French. In the post-game discussion with Thanos, we determined that he would have been better off moving his entire skirmish line of riflemen on his left flank and used it to fire from a defiladed position to the French holding the north end of the bridge. That, or some cavalry, which is next on the painting block.<br />
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That's all for now from sunny Athens.<br />
<span id="goog_549061673"></span><span id="goog_549061674"></span></div>
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Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-31907835648742178202012-06-10T03:29:00.000-07:002012-06-10T04:26:04.918-07:00Rot scheint die Sonne!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Summer has truly set in over here in Athens, so I decided to continue with another project that is both Greek and summery; a Fallschirmjager battalion (later to be expanded to a complete regiment). I have not lost interest in my BEF project, but with the political and financial situation in Greece being what it is, I cannot find all the necessary components. I'm done with infantry and most of the arty, but vehicles are a problem for now, especially my Panzer companies.</div>
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Although we are spoiled for choice when it comes to late war Fallschirm, there are only two sets that are suitable for the early days of the war and some of the greatest moments of German paratroopers (Norway, Belgium and of course Crete): Airfix and Revell. Both are out of production but since there is a set of Airfix available, and a good one at that, there was really only one choice. I sourced three boxes and set to make my battalion. The Blitzkrieg Commander rule book gives a simplified TOE giving me 3 companies (9 platoons), 2 MG platoons, one mortar platoon, one assault engineer platoon and of course the command element. </div>
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The command element was a simple thing to put together. The main problem is that there is only on command figure (but two radios) per box, so I might need an extra box or two down the road. One commander, one radio operator and one wounder paratrooper and done. </div>
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The platoon stands include a variety of the lovely poses included in the set. This was one of Airfix's better efforts and together with the Mountain Troop set, one of my favorites.</div>
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The MG stands were a bit of a problem, since there are no suitable figures. The only ones that come close have the FG42, a weapon that was (obviously) not used in Crete. Not being able to scratchbuild a MG34, I did what I used to do back in the day; I simply ignored the fact. Yes, it's not historically accurate, but quite acceptable for me. </div>
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I scratch built an 80mm mortar and modified one of the figures to look as if it tossing a mortar bomb down the tube. Italeri has some mortars in their newest Fallschirm set, but the size and style looked off. Some sprue and plastic card, two pins and it was ready.</div>
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The assault engineer platoon was a bit more complicated as there was nothing that would even resemble a flamethrower in the set. Since this battalion was going to Crete, where there was little in the ways of mine removal and forcing troops out of concrete bunkers, I simply used 2 suitably energetic figs with Schmeissers.</div>
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There are other sundry elements in the TOE (a battery of 75mm infantry guns and a battery of 28mm antitank cannons) but I don't think these made it to Crete and either way I'd have to buy metal for these, defeating the spirit of the entire project.</div>
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That's all for now from sunny and hot Athens and the Greek Geek household.</div>
</div>Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-90018394706145851482012-05-28T12:16:00.003-07:002012-06-10T04:25:39.958-07:00German Early War Battalion Support<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In addition to the three companies of line troops and the heavy company of machineguns and mortars, I've added some support elements. These were sourced from the excellent Zvezda mini-sets, with some additions from the venerable Esci Wehrmacht.</div>
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Here are three platoons of combat engineers. In order to differentiate different classes of troops, I've opted for basing two instead of three figures per base, so that it is readily apparent that these guys are special (and thus a great target for artillery fire). The two bases are mine detector teams, using one figure from the Zvezda set and one from the Esci Germans. The Zvezda miniatures are exceptional and although more petite than their Esci counterparts, they look OK on the same base. The third base is an Esci flamethrower and a simple infantryman. </div>
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Anti-aircraft support (where's the bloody RAF poms<span class="st">?</span>) is a 20mm gun from Zvezda. Not much to say, except that the fit is so tight that I prefer to assemble the model and then run some Tamiya extra thin cement along the join lines. Capillary action takes care of the rest. This will probably spend more time shooting at infantry than planes.</div>
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The ubiquitous early war doorknocker provides the battalion with some much needed anti-tank firepower. Granted, it won't penetrate a Matilda, but other than an 88, nothing else is available 'till they invade Russia. Again the model is from Zvezda, with an extra crew from the Caesar 150mm howitzer.</div>
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Finally these guys. Nope, they aren't Wehrmacht. Any idea where they're heading<span class="st">?</span></div>
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<span class="st">That's a</span>ll for now from cool, evening Athens. </div>
</div>Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-69418166441865982052012-05-20T11:55:00.001-07:002012-06-10T04:26:45.912-07:00German Early War Battalion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I've finally found some time to write up on my projects. Real life and the renovation of my old apartment have taken up too many hours of the day for me to blog. Still, I've been painting steadily and my early WWII German battalion is finally complete. It's been complete for a while now, but SWMBO has had other plans for my time. Kitchen appliances, bathroom fittings, you get the idea. Anyways, back to the figures. I used classic Esci and Revell for these. The Esci figures (reboxed by Italeri) were as perfect as when I used to buy them in my (very early) teens. The Revell stuff had a lot flash. I did not remove all of it, lazy sod that I am. After lots and lots of Feldgrau they were ready.</div>
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Here are all nine platoons. The figures mix well together and have great detail as all of us know. There are still enough figs left over for another two companies or so.</div>
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The machinegun platoons were Esci and Zvezda. Zvezda are a bit more accurate with their sustained fire tripods but I like the old-fashioned stuff as well. </div>
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Mortar platoon is Zvezda. Great little kit, not at all fiddly.</div>
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And finally the command stand. All Esci. Radio man, officer (for once showing some common sense and wearing a helmet) and NCO.</div>
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This was a surprisingly pleasant experience. I thought that I'd be bored to death after all this feldgrau, but it was very zen in a way. No worrying about what design to paint or which colours to use. Just plain old field grey. Eventually all of these guys will get transport. I'm thinking about a mix of 251's, trucks and motorcycle combos. With the crisis in Greece its getting difficult to find a lot of stuff so I'm stuck with only 2 Opels, one for the battalion AA (a 20mm gun) and one for the AT battery (one door knocker). Still, better days for styrene are bound to come.</div>
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This is all from the Greek Geek household and a pleasantly cool Athens evening.</div>
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</div>Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-58527953490367342392012-04-28T23:31:00.001-07:002012-04-28T23:31:49.781-07:00Immortals Complete<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sorry for not posting in almost a month now, but real life has kept me too busy to shoot photos and type. Needless to say, I've kept up with my painting and some of the projects that I decided on for 2012 are well on the way to completion.</div>
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I finally completed my first base for Basic Impetus Persians. A total of 10 figures, half being archers, half being armed with melee weapons. I chose to portray the Yellow Regiment of the Immortals, that's why most figures have a yellow-purple tunic. As much as I tried, I could not paint the delicate patterns on the back of the Zvezda box. Even this took a respectable 15 hours to complete. I have another 6 bases of Persians to complete, but I expect only the two bases of medium cavalry to be as much of a hassle.</div>
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That's all for now from the Greek Geek household. </div>
</div>Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965738935273727280.post-14391888602455975632012-03-22T03:57:00.005-07:002012-03-22T04:12:39.310-07:00By Your Command<div style="text-align: justify;">Sunday night was always a bummer when you're a kid. But for a while at least we had Battlestar Galactica to take the sting off. I always used to watch it before dinner and talk about it with my friends in school come Monday. I found that Studio Bergstrom had some great BSG miniatures so I ordered some about a year ago. With my usual glacial pace, it took about 4 months I think until I finished them, although the castings are sublime and real easy to paint. Here is a Cylon Basestar from the original series with some Raiders. I chose 1" starfighters as I can use them both as squadron tokens and starfighter games). The Basestar is excellent but needed quite a bit of glue. It's hefty too. I went for a light gray color with red lights on the landing bays and light blue trim. I could have done a better job with Raiders, but I'll live with those.<br /></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OzZSd3-YYYU/T2sHPe4ItAI/AAAAAAAAAYU/kWApwbnZJbg/s1600/DSC02791.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OzZSd3-YYYU/T2sHPe4ItAI/AAAAAAAAAYU/kWApwbnZJbg/s320/DSC02791.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722675714072294402" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5md_uQKPPTE/T2sHQLx_USI/AAAAAAAAAYg/6ybiNrcm_Fg/s1600/DSC02793.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5md_uQKPPTE/T2sHQLx_USI/AAAAAAAAAYg/6ybiNrcm_Fg/s320/DSC02793.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722675726126108962" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OzZSd3-YYYU/T2sHPe4ItAI/AAAAAAAAAYU/kWApwbnZJbg/s1600/DSC02791.JPG"><br /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9phtppSVPRw/T2sIeIGDrEI/AAAAAAAAAYs/HvgegbImxqA/s1600/DSC02792.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9phtppSVPRw/T2sIeIGDrEI/AAAAAAAAAYs/HvgegbImxqA/s320/DSC02792.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722677065166335042" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Hopefully I'll have some more Basestars and Battlestars (with associated fighters) on my bench before spring is out. Until then, these will have to do for my playtesting for Song of Voids and Stars. That's all for now from warm and sunny Athens.<br /></div>Greek_Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05662638987159841688noreply@blogger.com4