Things have been moving along at a nice and steady pace here of late, so I thought I'd provide a bit of an update on what's been happening on the gaming front. So in no particular order:
It's life Jim, but not as we know it
A classic line along with "It's worse than that, he's dead Jim" or "Klingons on the starboard bow" is my feeble attempt to segway into some recent sci-fi purchases. These are based upon the wonderful creatures from the Alien films (the first two are absolute classics) and I've been mulling over getting them for several years. So after some light bedtime reading of Xenos Rampant I took the plunge and ordered a mix of figures with no firm plans just as yet on how to base them etc.
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| The bare metal figures from Pendraken next to some 10mm cavalry to give an idea of scale, with the base being 40mm x 30mm. I wasn't quite sure how big they were but am very happy with how they fit with the other figures, as I was worried they might be smaller than I wanted. |
As is my wont, I already have loads of ideas of settings for them! A few include:
Space 1899 to use my 19thC figures.
Quatermass and the Pit for my AVBCW forces or even WWII.
Archaeological digs in Eygpt, so think the Mummy films with Brendan Fraser (I have a great Mummy figure should I need it).
Italy at Pompeii or Herculaneum with Vesuvius being their lair .
Sicily 1843 with Etna being the lair (again).
Los Alamos nuclear tests.
Tunguska type event.
Well you get the idea. Really I just fancied something that is pure fun and gives my loads of leeway for my games, which is pretty easy to do to be fair with this genre. Really the only limit is your imagination. I'm certainly looking forward to painting them, probably mainly black with colourful and bright marking and a good gloss varnish coat to really make them pop.
Scratch Building
I've always loved scratch building stuff and have some ideas for later in the year, once the India 18thC project is wrapped up for the wargames show. But as a sneak preview, the following items will form the basis of a couple of 'things'.
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| See if you can guess what they might become, after all it's not rocket science... |
The Korean War
With Father's Day recently come and gone, I treated myself to the latest BKC supplement from Pendraken on the Korean War. I have no plans to game this really but like to see what new rules they include and what ideas I can take from them for WWII or a possible 'what if?' of the Cold War kicking off in late '45 or '46.
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| Very happy with the purchase but the maps had to be done at the last minute as the person lined up to do them pulled out the day before it went off to the printers! |
Prime Time
For more years than I care to count I have primed my figures using either spray guns when at work or aerosols, the latter of which I always find hard to control, but do provide good adhesion. Then I saw a small video on Little Wars TV where Greg Wagman simply painted his 10mm figures with black paint over the bare metal using a brush. So I thought I'd give this a go as the weather these past few weeks has seen lots of rain which meant no aerosol usage was possible. Well it worked pretty damn well and allowed me to prime loads of stuff that I simply wouldn't have been able to do if going down the aerosol route. The other big advantage was NO toxic fumes as aerosols contain loads of really, really nasty chemicals! So I can see me now using the brush for most of my work but will still use aerosols for my AFV's due to the better adhesion and coverage.
18thC India
With my 'new method' of priming I have been making great progress on getting my 18thC India project moving force at a nice pace. I still have about 8 bases of infantry to do and then when complete, can start on painting each unit. I have an idea on uniform colours which will speed things up no end, at least for the Light Troops that is. I find that if I can see myself making progress, it spurs me on no end. Some of the units that will take more time to paint are included below, as they are pretty cool, but of doubtful use on the field of battle, but that is really not point!
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| Ottoman heavy siege artillery masquerading as some from an Indian state. However they did use Ottoman artillery experts and from what I can see the designs are fairly similar. I had intended to scratch build a wheeled platform for this, pushed by elephants and pulled by oxen, based upon illustrations I've seen, but I knew it would take too much time and effort given the October deadline I'm working to. |
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| Some Magister Militum elephants with Afghan jezzail armed infantry. Of little use by the mid-18thC and rather like the artillery above, more of a status and prestige thing to have. Time permitting these should look nice and colourful on the table top. |
I'm carrying on with various bit of terrain and hopefully some updates to show you in the coming weeks.
In Other News
With the school holidays upon us, things might slow down a bit as SWMBO and I take day trips etc as and when the weather permits. Our daughter now has a job in London which starts in October, so I might be allowed to have a semi-permanent games room if I'm lucky! Also our son, after many hurdles, should now be on the way to supported independent living, which might take some time to sort out, but at least that's positive news!
I have another Napoleonic game at Chris Gregg's at the end of the month which I'm looking forward to and will natrually provide a report post game. All the hard work he has put into it already should pay handsome dividends for all involved.
No gaming at all at present and I'm trying to maintain focus on the India project, rather than get distracted, which is my usual modus operandi! At least once things are moving on that front and I'm happy, some games will surely feature.
TTFN.
Sci-fi - so you ordered some figures with no clear idea what you’d do with them? Not a problem Steve - that is typical gamer behaviour. 🤣😂
ReplyDeleteI’ve got a 2mm humanoid sci-fi set-up - currently for Government/imperial vs “rebel” games - but I’d love to find some 2mm generic “alien swarms”. Can I find anything suitable? Not really. I’m tempted to see what the smallest metal balls are that I can find (say 1mm size?) and simply just pour them onto a glue covered base to form some sort of squig-like swarm or herd of nurglings.
I could be tempted by the Korean War, but I suspect if anything I would probably go the French-Indochina route - so, like the Korean conflict, able to use much WW2 kit including US figures. And, if you lose a battle, you can always blame the French.
Your priming experiments look decent enough. Hopefully you can give us all an update when you’ve finished painting ‘em.
Children leaving the family nest… Yes, it will generate extra space around the house - be sure to utilise it. You will also be utterly amazed at much less full the bin is and the significant reduction in washing machine use. Our daughter lives fairly close by, with her fiancé. They still show up each week for “free food”. 😉 It’s a small price to pay I suppose.
Cheers,
Geoff
Very much typical gaming behaviour as you rightly say Chris! Rather like when I go to a garden centre and see a plant I like, but with no real idea where I will put it, but I'll squeeze it in somehow.
DeleteKorea had challenges in terms of the terrain and how best to replicate some of the battles, that were rather large to say the least. Then of course if you go for human wave attacks, then you needs LOTS of miniatures, often fighting at night. One chap took his Korean bespoke board with 6mm figures to many shows last year, which looked superb, but does highlight the terrain issue. If I ever do game it it will require some careful choosing of engagements or go for some generic ones to make them manageable.
So far the priming seems fine, given that once finished I always pick up the unit by its base, rather than the figures themselves. I certainly has speeded up my painting which is a big bonus, as setting everything up in the garage is a pain.
If and when we have the house to ourselves, the drop off in rubbish, washing etc will be remarkable. We noticed this when our daughter was in Uni! I know her bedroom will have to remain as a sort of guest room, so not a complete man cave, but our son's room is rather small so I'm sure I will be allowed free rein there...
Sci-fi? This is a bit of a surprise. I do like the idea of Space 1899 and your Egyptian adventures. You are keeping yourself quite busy even without any gaming of late. Good news on the Homefront with the possibility of dedicated gaming space opening up. Carry on!
ReplyDeleteHopefully a pleasant surprise and I have dabbled with it over the years. No rules have really grabbed me but I do like the look and approach of Xenos Rampant, as they give fun games and are quick and easy to set up, plus you have the chance for a strong narrative to develop which I like.
DeleteAs mentioned to Geoff above, at least one room will be 'mine', but not sure when. Our daughter is due to start in October so should have access then, once I've given it a deep clean and tidy up!
I have Xenos Rampant too with a fleeting thought to giving it a try with Star Wars Legion. The earth’s axis shift must be affecting more than climate.
DeleteI hope to see you have a go with Star Wars using these rules. They are so flexible that as mentioned, really the only limit is your imagination. I even dug out (or should say found after I thought I'd sold them) some EM4 Miniatures tiny space fighters and walkers just to see how I could fit them in with say Space 1899. Tricky to be honest but I have two 6mm forces I could field straight away, but am being good and focussing on India, he says...
DeleteLots of interesting stuff going on there Steve! Interesting your "discovery" of just painting the black (or white) undercoat on - apart from a brief period about ten years ago, I have always painted rather than sprayed my undercoat - it can take a bit longer but is MUCH cheaper - I found $20 spray can of matt black paint might last me three or four spraying sessions, whereas, I buy a 200nl test pot of black paint for $4 and it lasts me 6 months or more! Then there is the health and environmental benefits, for those who worry about that sort of stuff (just kidding!)
ReplyDeleteGlad you found my ponderings of interest Keith! I suppose having access to a full spray booth for donkey's years meant I never had to consider anything else, but now I'm a big convert to brush on primer for multiple reasons, including cost as you mentioned. I will try some Vallejo brush on primer when next in town to see how that compares. I have some old GW white primer that is OK, but a bit granular for 10mm figures.
DeleteEveryone needs a little dab of sci-fy. Those are done cool alien sculpts as well. And I’m interested in what you concoct with that scratch build.
ReplyDeleteGood luck getting your 18th cent stuff done on time. 😀
A little bit of Sci-Fi certainly is fun as it releases the inner child in you IMHO! The scratch build will have to wait until the Autumn, as India takes priority at present:).
DeleteInteresting and varied post. I abandoned spray undercoating a long time ago. Fumes and cost the reasons.. too much paint not on the figures.
ReplyDeleteI always like to have a few things on the go Richard, so I can chop and change as the mood takes me. Spraying does lose lots of paint (30% IIRC), which is why companies like you to buy spray deodorants rather than roll-ons! The things you learn over your career in design...
DeleteCrikey, you've got a lot on the go Steve. Seeing photo 2 reminded me of some posts by Peter of 'Grid based wargaming - but not always' fame a couple of years ago. Ingenious use of household items for his sci-fi world.
ReplyDeleteWhat scale are your 18th C Indians? Something I've been tempted by on and off.
Well lots of ideas for sure Chris, but really only the India project an active one. However the kids beginning to fly the nest is going to be a big thing to deal with these next few months for one and a longer term one for the other.
DeleteAll the Indians are Pendraken 10mm, with the exception of the elephants which are Magister Militum and are 12mm IIRC. They don't do a dedicated 18th range, but the Ottomans, Afghans and a mix of other ranges give you a good start IMHO. Not perfect but they work for me. Irregular Miniatures do a range though but they look more 17thC to me, but again perfectly usuable. With my ImagiNations approach these will pop up in Europe in an Ottoman type role in the future for sure:).
Very interested in the non-primer experiment. In the past, I have found handling a figure while painting just sees the high points on the metal rubbing off. Is it the case that once painted and varnished, the base black is locked on and totally stable?
ReplyDeleteI've had cases before of where they sprayed on primer has rubbed off too, but on rare occasions Norm. As I base my figures before priming (as seen in the photos above) I rarely find it an issue whilst painting. In theory, with the black, the brushed on brown to show detail, base colours, wash, highlights and lacquer, there should be enough layers to provide as reasonable protection as possible.
DeleteIf I was gaming say every week with the same figures, then I would probably spray on etch primer so it physically bonds to the metal, then prime black etc. But as my gaming is on average a few times a month at best, the above method should prove fine, famous last words!
I will at some point buy the brush on Vallejo black primer just to see how it works compared to say the old GW white primer I have that is rather 'chalky', but then that 'roughness' helps the main colours to adhere to the figures.
It is worth noting on the Pendraken forum that a lot of members have used the brush on method for years with no real issues it would appear.
A lovely update Steve and lots going on. I’m guessing you’ll be making some sort of rocket ? Getting the children sorted out in a big move and should give you lots more hobby time ?
ReplyDeleteThanks Matt! Yep, you guessed it, some sort of spaceship type thing is the plan, or two maybe, depending upon how things go. I'm certainly looking forward to scratchbuilding them and keep looking at bits of plastic as they go into the recycling to see if they might be of use:).
DeleteI think the next few months getting our daughter to London will be a big effort, but luckily (famous last words) she will be working for a major global company who has a relocation team etc to help her. Trying to change her mindset from 'student lifestyle' to a working one might be a challenge, but current chats seem to be moving her in the right direction...