Thursday, January 31, 2013

Challengers

…as in… the tanks…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version):


These are a pair of 1/48 Academy models Challenger 1 tanks. They are meant to give my Modern British some heavy support.


Here ‘s how they look with the Imprint Models Warrior MCVs.


Ready for some combined arms action!! Against whom… um… well, I guess I have to work on that next.

I’ve been updating my Modern Gallery. It’s still a “work in progress”. I have a lot yet to do, but go check it out and see what I’ve been up to…


Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Since I’m on a roll with the modern British stuff, maybe I should finish up those last two Warrior MCVs…? 

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Painting Zombies with the Kids

My kids have been hounding me about when I’m going to let them paint some figures for some time. Over the holidaze I finally broke down and bought two sets of Wargames Factory zombies for them to assemble and paint. I figured zombies would be good place to start as it wouldn't matter if they looked a mess. They're Zombies. They're SUPPOSED to look a mess!  

A week or so ago we each assembled four of them – using similar bodies – so I could got through with them and show them – step by step – how I go about painting minis. Here are the results…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version):




Can you tell who did which ones?


These are Keira’s. She is six.


These are finnegan’s. He just turned nine.

Not bad for first attempts EVER – certainly far better than my first minis!


These are the ones I painted.

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

I have some armoured vehicles on the workbench and have to finish up a Pak40 for our first stab at Bolt Action this weekend!

Amanda just left for three weeks in Costa Rica, so productivity will probably pick up as I spend some long, lonely, cold saskatchewan winter evenings painting toys after the kids go to bed… I think she’s in for a shocker. It was -40°C (with the wind chill), it’s +35°C today where she’s going…


Of course, now that the kids are painting – I have an excuse to paint toys during the day!! 

Monday, January 28, 2013

Cold War British Infantry


Whenever new stuff arrives I always seem to drop everything else and paint some of the new stuff – part of the “Ooh, Shiny!” Complex I suppose… So here (following fast on the heels of the BTR-60s I posted earlier today) are some of the new Cold War British from Gripping Beast that arrived earlier this week…

I also repainted all FN furniture (fore and aft stocks) on all my Cold War British armed with the L1A1, as I’d been painting them a dark brown to look like wood (as they would have been originally issued). After having a long look at a number of pictures it seems to me that the original wooden stocks were replaced sometime in the 70s with black nylon.

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version):


The lot of them (the new ones, that is…).


Some Special Forces – SAS or Marine Arctic & Mountian Warfare Cadre. Some of them are just from regular infantry packs, but I ordered the knit cap head option to pass them off as SF.


Marines from NLP8901 – ready to defend the Falklands against the initial Argentine invasion.


Regular Infantry in steel helmets – to go with the rest of the Cold War Brits I have – and ready to see action anywhere from East Falkland to the Inter-German Border…

Adding them to the stuff I already have…


These are all the Cold War British Special Forces types I have. Some are from Mongrel Miniatures. I think I should have enough to play the Top Malo House scenario from the Force on Force main rule book… I just have to make a house and paint the argentines… I’ll have to make some substitutions – or assume certain kit is hidden away in the packs of those carrying them – as the scenario calls for a number of troopers armed with M79 grenade launchers and M72 LAWs.


All the Cold War British regular infantry I have… Pretty much enough for a leg infantry platoon – and then some! (I think). I’d need a couple more Carl Gs for a mechanized platoon (and some APCs!!). If I’m picking up some Carl Gs (form Mongrel), I’ll probably pick up a pack of SF-GPMGs and some Soviets… Then I just need a platoon of APCs… Saxons or FV432s?

Anybody out there know what the organization of a British Light infantry (or Para, or Marine) platoon would have been in the last 70s early 80s? Would the sections have been 8 or 10 (in theory). I’m sure I saw at some point (probably 20 years ago) a TO&E that indicated that a leg infantry section carried both a GPMG and an L4 Bren!? Can anyone confirm or deny that? Am I totally smoking crack or something?


I have a few spare guys with SMGs – perhaps for dismounted APC/Lorry drivers?


Some support weapons and Forward Observers.


I also have four Gurkhas I picked up ages ago, just for fun. The only real difference between these and the other infantry from Gripping Beast is these packs come with a Kukri knife to glue on to their belt somewhere - you can just make out one on the kneeling chap on the left.

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

I should have a post shortly about the kids first zombie figures.

After that..? Argentines? Some new terrain?

There’ll probably some new WW2 stuff painted up this week as we’re going to try out Bolt Action next weekend…

BTR-60


Some support for some of my modern forces…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version):


Three BTR-60s for my Russian/Soviet (or Russian/Soviet backed/supplied) forces.

The handy thing about old Cold War Soviet equipment is it can be used for so many different forces….


Actual Soviet Cold War Motor Rifles


East German Motor Rifles


The Federal Army of the Republic of Timbogo definitely has them…


Even the Peoples Revolutionary Army of Timbogo is rumoured to have a few (likely stolen from the F.A.R.T.)

The models are actually Russian die-casts I picked up off ebay. They’re a bit on the large-ish side…


They absolutely dwarf the 1/55 S&S Models BTR-80 that I have.


Another shot with the S&S BTR-80


They seem a little more close in scale to the Imprint Models Warrior MCV-80 models that I recently picked up…


Another shot with the the Imprint Models Warrior MCV-80.

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Cold War British Infantry… They’re done, just need to take pics… Probably later today.

After that…? Maybe the kids zombies…? 

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Yet Another Modern-ish Assortment of Toys


More stuff rolling off the workbench….

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version):


A few more African Militia from The Assault Group


Another “Armed Office Worker” from Victory Force Miniatures.


Another batch of Cold War era British from Mongrel Miniatures - this finishes off the Cold War British I currently have on hand.

I did, however, order a handful more from Gripping Beast (along with some Argentines) which should be arriving presently (Ha! Actually they arrived while I was typing this!). I think I might, at some point, pick up another pack of Mongrel Carl G teams (as, apparently, there was one in each section!? I always thought they were a platoon weapon!?).

Also, I’d like to pick up some FV-432 and/or Saxon APCs from Sloppy Jalopy for these guys to ride around in… someday…

Not what most gamers would refer to as “modern”, but…


Two dismounted WW2 Canadian tank crew from Black Tree Design - should any of my Shermans get knocked out and the crew successfully bail before it brews up… (should my Shermans ever see action!? Over two years since I painted those… haven’t used them yet…)


Finally some support for my Soviet Naval infantry – a Maxim team, also from Black Tree Design.


Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Oh, more of the same… Probably those new Gripping Beast Brits and Argentines. 

Saturday, January 19, 2013

The Marines Have Landed!


I ran a quick game of Ambush Z for the kids and some friends on Friday afternoon. It almost turned out a lot quicker than I’d anticipated!?

SITUATION

Royal Marines from an Amphibious Task Group are landing on the shores of Scotland to begin the reclamation of  the UK after the zombie “invasion”.

SCENARIO

Duration:10 turns
Table Size: 4’x4’

ROYAL MARINE MISSION

Clear the beach and first row of buildings to begin establishing a beachhead.

ROYAL MARINE FORCE
Supply Level: Normal
Body Armour: 1D
Troop Quality/Morale: D8/D10

Royal Marine Forces

Fire Team B
Team Leader – SA-80
Marine – SA-80
Marine – SA-80 with UGL
Marine – GPMG

Fire Team K
Team Leader – SA-80
Marine – SA-80
Marine – SA-80 with UGL
Marine – GPMG


Fire Team F
Team Leader – SA-80
Marine – SA-80
Marine – SA-80 with UGL
Marine – LSW

Fire Team S
Team Leader – SA-80
Marine – SA-80
Marine – SA-80 with UGL
Marine – LSW

Sniper Team
Sniper – Sniper Rifle
Spotter – SA-80


Infection Level: 2

THE GAME

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


Starting Set up – the Marines are aboard their landing craft… Zombies roaming the shore and street.


Fire Team K stormed ashore! Before they could get shots off they were overrun by zombies.


…and… um…


…I kind of took them all out…


Fire Team B didn’t fair much better!? (At least they took a couple with them!?)


Teams F & S rushed to the front of their respective crafts and shot the remaining zombies.


On Turn 2 the medic made it to Fire Team B and got most of them back on their feet. One seriously wounded, one lightly wounded, the other two were just fine – knocked down by the rushing zombies, but completely unscathed!


The Sniper team started picking off Zombies in the street.

It took a turn or two for the Marines to get on their feet after the initial shock of being ambushed as they hit the beaches. On the second turn the medic made it to Fire Team K. Casualties there included one dead, one lightly wounded, and, once again, the other two were completely unscathed! The four that were unscathed reformed a new team (with two grenade launchers and two GPMGs!?) and left their wounded in the care of the Medic – who escorted them back aboard the landing craft.


Teams F and S made their way past the mess of wounded and disorganized and rushed the buildings at the North end of their AO.


Sniper picking off more Zomibes in the street.


Just as they were about to reach the buildings a group of zombies shambled out and made a mess of Fire Team S!

On the following turn, however, they did a first aid check and, once again, found two to be perfectly okay and the third downed member was dead. They rushed into the Comic Cave to clear it only to find MORE Zombies there and this tiem they were wiped out and no one was able to come to their rescue in time.

Fire Team F, meanwhile, had stormed the Flower shop and cleared it.

The reforemed heavy weapon team making a mess of the Zombies rushing them at the other end of the street.


Fire Team F moved next door into the Comic Cave and cleared it. I can’t remember what happened to the downed member(s). But I know there was some still kicking at the end of the game and they cleared the Comic Cave…

Y’know I think he might have died because I remember thinking they’d had 6 dead at the end of the game…


The amalgamated Heavy Weapon Team cleared the Thrift Store and was in the Credit Union at the end of the game.

There were no Zombies on the table at the end of the game, three buildings/hot spots had been cleared, but two hot spots had yet to be cleared. The Marines had suffered six dead, one seriously wounded, and two lightly wounded.

Straight off things looked pretty grim, but the marines bounced back and did not too bad in the end.

I hadn’t really thought of victory points for the scenario beforehand. I suppose there should have been points for each building cleared/hot spot removed and clearing all the zombies off the table by the end of the ten turn limit. Zombies would get points for killing Marines… but how many…?! I haven’t realy got my head around that part of scenario development.

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

More painting… modern… WW2… 

Thursday, January 17, 2013

A Few More Assorted Moderns

…and then I got sick. After enjoying two days of relative quite as the rest of my family lay in bed mostly sleeping all day long, it was finally my turn for a bout of the flu and productivity for the rest of the week went into the crapper…

I did get a few things finished up over the last - mostly over the weekend.

Most of these are from The Assault Group.

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version):



Another Assault Group SAS figure turned into a modern survivor.



WW2 US Marine. This chap (and the next two) are Special "Freebie" figures. Usually if you order 6 packs you get one "freebie" figure. In December The Assault Group celebrated it's 10th Anniversary and had a special on where you cold get one "Freebie" for EACH pack you ordered... I ordered a few...



Chechen (or Wherever...) sniper. 


ADRIIIIEEEEEEENNNNNNNN!!! 

Wait, Maybe I'm getting my movies mixed up... 

'80's vietnam vet ready to free some MIA/POWs. We remember the disappeared... The Truth is out there... and all that... 


Some Militia from Timbogo... or Rioters from L.A. ....




Some riot police. good for keeping rioters or zombie hordes in check... or protesters... or Canadian Hockey Fans... I originally painted their batons black, but it was just too much black stuff... so I went with making them wood. 



This is the only figure that isn't from the Assault Group. It's an old coppelstone/Grenadier figure (currently available from EM4 Miniatures). I think he's called "Tinpot Dictator". He'll be perfect for the President of San Theodoros (or whatever fictional South/Central American land I set ablaze!) 


I did also start re-basing the 20mm East Germans and Canadians – which took up a lot of hobby time…

I also spent a bit of time on other creative endeavors this weekend - Sewing Snakes with the kids. Our new hobby may be shelved as our batch o’plastic zombies has arrived from Wargames Factory

I know what you long time followers are thinking “Tim’s fallen on his head and damaged his brain severely – there can be no other explanation for him buying plastic figures – he HATES plastic figures!?”. Fear naught, dear reader, I am still not fond of the plastics… but I can’t deny that seems to be the way things are going and they’re cheap. Really cheap. And my kids are desperately excited about the idea of starting to paint their own miniatures and so I thought what better thing to start them on? Something that’s a) cheap and b) doesn’t really matter if you don’t do that great of a job because they’re SUPPOSED to be rather messy anyway – plastic zombies seemed to fit the bill perfectly. Stay tuned for those in the days and weeks ahead…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Zombies… Modern stuff… WW2…