2020 a Review

First off, Happy New Year to everyone. Well what can you say about 2020? The pandemic has had a huge impact on everyone's life. Let's hope 2021 is an improvement.

So how did 2020 go. On the gaming front, pretty much null and void as the club has been closed since the end of February. On the painting front I have seen happy and significant upward trend on numbers painted. Every year I also hope to hit the mythical 1000 figure barrier and this year I finally did it. The various lock downs have contributed to additional painting time which did help. I was also surprised by the number of 28mm figures as my preference is for the smaller scales.

Painting Totals

15mm artillery - 4
15mm infantry - 239
15mm cavalry - 10
28mm artillery - 1
28mm infantry - 685
28mm cavalry - 63
28mm monsters - 6
28mm vehicles - 24

28mm scenic/building - 35
Total = 1067 figures.

So what have I painted this year. I had intended to try and progress my Franco Prussian war project. I eventually got going in the last quarter of the year, completing both a French and Prussian Division, I can see me continuing with these into the new year. The other project I intended to complete was my Lord of the Rings armies. The orcs were finally completed but progress stalled on the Elves, though there is more than enough for club games. I was adapting the Dragon Rampant rules for larger battles, but this was never complete after the club closed.

There were 4 projects in 28mm that I really got my teeth into. The first was WWII Germans for Chain of Command. I completed a full platoon and support options. I also spent quite a bit of time on some Winter themed terrain. Going forward with this I have some Russians, to paint up in 2021.

The next 2 projects were purely on a whim. This was both Judge Dredd and Star Wars. I really enjoyed painting these up and like the WWII project I also spent time on adding terrain, particularly buildings. These are both projects I will dip into again, especially Star Wars as I picked up the Legion boxed set.

The final project was a return to Ancients. It was the release of the Infamy, infamy rules that triggered this. This saw me complete 3 armies for the rules, Caesarian Romans, Germans and Britons. Unfortunately this coincided with the first lock down and I've never yet had a chance to play the rules. I also constructed both a British and German village for when I do get a chance to play.

So overall, very happy with the painting output, just wish I could get a game in at some point. As for 2021, as mentioned I aim to continue with the Franco Prussian and WWII stuff. I'm sure at some point there will be a return to Tricorns (can't believe I didn't paint any this year), I've picked up the Donnybrook rules so may see some skirmish action for this period. Not sure what else I'll take a fancy to, the absence of Wargame shows, particularly York where I often get seduced to new projects will be a void.

So Let's just hope 2021 brings life back to some kind of normality. Happy gaming.

FPW Prussian IR#22

Despite the festive period I have been able to make a start on the Prussian 12th Division under Hoffman as part of VI Corps. These are representing the 22nd Infantry regiment. The figures are all from Outpost miniatures and the flag is from Maverick Models.

I've also received a fresh order from Outpost, this gives me 8 artillery pieces and some extra cavalry to work on before I add anymore infantry. Once these are done I can switch over to the French which need a few additions to balance the forces out.

FPW Prussian Dragoons

These are the 3rd Dragoon regiment. I'll be using these as the start of XII Division. Unlike the rest of my Prussian cavalry which are from Essex miniatures, these are from Outpost miniatures.

I've now got the first infantry regiment awaiting undercoating. Hopefully I can make progress on these shortly. I've also put in an order with Outpost for another 8 artillery pieces, some Uhlans and more Dragoons.

FPW Prussian IR#38

After spending a lot of time on other projects, I finally got the last regiment completed for 11th Division. Like the rest of the collection these are Outpost figures and represent the 38th Infantry regiment. The flag is from Maverick Models.

So that completes 11th Division as part of VI Corps. I am currently using a detachment of Hussars instead of Dragoons, simply because they are the figures I have available. I will eventially replace them with a Dragoon detachment. So here is the completed Division.

I can now look to complete 12th Division. I have all the infantry tgat I need but will need to pick up 8 artillery pieces, some Dragoons and Uhlans. Plenty to keep me occupied.

Star Wars Phase 1 complete

As the title says, phase 1 of my Star Wars project is complete. I.e. enough figures and terrain to get a game with. I finally managed to complete the last of my unpainted figures.

First up is an AT-ST, this is not from the Legion game, but one from Wizards of the Coast. The scale may not be quite right, but I picked this up for £10, significantly cheaper than the Fantasy flight model. The first photo has a Stormtrooper for scale.

The next model is for the Rebels, a third AT-RT. I've deliberatly given each of these a different paint scheme. My reason being as these are old vehicles from the Clone Wars that the Rebels have scavenged.

I also completed another 3d printed terrain piece. To tie it in with the rest of the collection I went with a grey colour scheme.

So with Phase 1 complete I got all the toys out of storage for a quick photo. Not bad for 3 months work.

For Phase 2 I will be looking to add a few more figures. In particular I want some more Stormtroopers and probably Darth Vader. I would also like a few more creatures and alien bounty hunters; then onto more terrain with a few extra buildings and battlefield clutter. In the meantime back to the Franco Prussian war project.

Wookies and more

Who doesn't love Wookies, one of the iconic races in Star Wars. So I just had to add a few to my collection. The first 3 are  to complete the set of 4, I'd already painted one. Simple dark brown for the fur followed by a couple of lighter highlights and then a touch of creamaround the face.

And when you have Wookies you just have to have the mighty Chewbacca. I painted him the same as the 3 Wookies above. Pretty happy with how he turned out.

Next up was the last few Rebel figures I had left over. 1 Commando, a Fleet trooper and an Astromech.

As most of the figures are now done, I turned my attention to some extra scenery. There are 2 more landing pads, one of which is a refurbished piece of terrain. There is also the a tower and a power generator, these were 3d printed pieces that I picked up.

I've now got a couple more scenic pieces to complete as well as another AT-RT and an AT-ST.

Star Wars odds and sods

A quick post with a some more progress on my Star Wars project as a few more complered models are added to the collection. First up is 2 Rebel commandos. I envisage using these as a stand alone sniper team. I even managed to do some camo on their cloaks. Pretty basic but I'm happy enough with them.

Next up is a landing platform and some refurbished battlefield clutter. The platform is a card printed model. I decided to just use the platform, added to some foamboard then a MDF base. Perfect for a backwater/Outer Rim space station. The clutter are just some old pieces I had lying around from a 40K project.  Just required some re-basing.

As mentioned in the last post, I need to bulk out my Imperial forces. So here are 7 Imperial Scouts. Lovely poses but I must admit to not enjoying painting them. Also as the rebels got a photo shoot, I did one for the Imperials.

I'm now getting to the last few figures for this project. Will need to pick up some more as I want to round out both forces. There are also a few character figures I want. Also I fancy some of the more unusual aliens for some small scale action using Rogue Stars.

More Rebels

Been quite a slow week on the painting front, but still managed to add a few more figures to my Rebels. I've managed to add 5 more Rebel troopers, 2 extra pathfinders, a Medical droid, Rebel officer, my first Wookie and a second AT-RT. Sorry not the best photos taken with my mobile.

With just over 50 figures in the force I'm very happy with the progress, though my Imperial forces are now heavily outnumbered and I've still got a few more Rebels to add. An extra fleet trooper, an Astromech, 3 Commandos, 3 Wookies and the Mighty Chewbacca. I also have a 3rd AT-RT on order

So with the figures out I took a couple of pictures of the force so far.

I think I'll need to switch to Imperials to balance the numbers. I do have 7 scouts to complete and an AT-ST scout walker on order. I may add some more Stormtroopers in the future to fill out the rank and file. I would also like to expand my Scum faction with a few more unsavory types.

 

Jabba the Hut and more Rebels

As my Star Wars journey continues it was time add a more sinister figure to the collection. What could be better than the Crimelord Jabba the Hutt. This is a 3d printed model I picked up off EBay.

It was quite a simple paint scheme, starting with chocolate brown, adding some light earth in succesive lighter layers before adding extra layers to his face and belly. Now just need some minions to serve him.

Next up is 2 heroes of the Rebellion. Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. I tried to stick to the colour schemes from the films. Did make a mistake with Lukes lightsaber. It should have been green by the time of  this colour scheme from Return of the Jedi.

Work has also continued with more Rebel troopers. I completed another unit of 7 figures. There was also another commandos and 4 pathfinders.

The troopers are just a mix from a limited colour palette like the rest of the troopers. The pathfinders I kept to a very military colour. I was trying to get them to look like the rebels in Rogue 1.

I've still got a few more rebels to complete. I've also managed to pick up Chewbacca, some wookies and a few more commandos and pathfinders.