fredag 28 februari 2014

Perry Miniatures D.A.K. progress

About a month ago I showed you some WIP shots of my Afrika Korps figures from Perry Miniatures. Today I'm proud to show the first finished figures.
The first of my mighty Afrika Korps, a half squad and their platoon commander.
I haven't been working on them for a while really, because the 20mm US paras for the upcoming convention are taking precedence. Yet I keep returning to the DAK figures to get some variation. More pictures after the break.

söndag 16 februari 2014

Elhiem US Paratroopers Painting Guide

I have finally recieved all I need to start painting the forces for Easter's demo game at GothCon in Gothenburg.

Some lurrverly figures from Elhiem, or Matt as his real name is.
When I ordered the figures last summer I simply ordered a pack of everything, thinking it would give me roughly a platoon sized force. However, the 82nd and 101st airborne had very different equipment in Normandy which meant I couldn't use some packs and didn't have enough of other packs. I also realised when I was about to start painting that I was out of round bases. After a frenzy of completing orders I was finally able to start painting last week.

torsdag 13 februari 2014

PSC Panther A with Zimmerit Review

This will be a quick build and I will let the photos do the most of the talking. Afterwards I will give you my thoughts on the kit.

The finest Krupp steel, but in plastic.
For those unfamiliar with The Plastic Soldier Company, they do fast build affordable WW2 models and figures aimed at Wargamers. They recently released a kit with two Panthers with Zimmerit in 1/72 (or 20mm) which is what we will be looking at today. You get two model tanks in the box for £13.95. Presumably the Zimmerit is harder to sculpt and mold since you get three tanks for the same price in PSC's other kits.

måndag 3 februari 2014

At the Sharp End and In the Sticky Stuff

Just a couple of quick tips today.

First, Wayland Games has a post free promotion until the 12th of february.


Just head over to Wayland Games and use the code above at check-out. (Not available if you live in Brazil or Russia though, bummer if you do.)

Buy this now!
Second, TooFatLardies has released a campaign supplement for their innovative WW2 rules, Chain of Command. Titled "At the Sharp End" this is a 48 page PDF detailing how to -- you guessed it -- run a small campaign centred around platoon sized forces.

The system uses a "ladder campaign", where each battle is represented as a rung on a ladder. At each end of the ladder is the objectives for either force, and the outcome of each battle will see the campaign climb up or down on the ladder until it reaches one of the objectives. What "At the Sharp End" does is tell us how to apply a lot of window dressing to this simple system to give the campaign both flair and a compelling story. The supplement contains info on both how to roll up the Big Men for your campaign as well as casualties, reinforcements and replacements. Your platoon commander must both succeed with his missions to appease his superiors while keeping the losses down to keep his men's trust. The system will also track your platoon commander's mental health, will he succumb to Exhaustion after loosing too many men, or will his string of victories make him an arrogant bastard?

The final chapter shows us how to put everything together and build a campaign. Richard Clarke talks through the process of aquiring info about the 5th Wiltshire regiment during the battles around Hill 112 in Normandy. Several actions are suitable for a platoon sized force such as the taking of the village Maltot. In showing us how to construct the campaign we also get to see the end result, meaning the book features a ready made campaign to play. Just add water, as they say. (And figures, and an opponent, but you knew that.)

At only £6, At the Sharpe End is a extremely good value for anyone thinking about putting together a small campaign for WW2. With some small changes it will also function for other periods like the Spanish Civil War and Korea or Vietnam. Adding to that the text is very entertaining to read as well. So what are you waiting for, go buy it now!

It's the secret ingredient in Noodle Soup!
My last tip is Instamold, or Oyumaru as it's originally called in Japan. I have had a hard time finding some as I didn't know what the real name was, but a friend who visits Japan quite frequently brought some back. If you do not know what Instamold is used for, let me just say that it's a reusable re-shapeable substance that can be used to make press molds with. It's like magic, just read on after the break.