Sunday 2 December 2018

A Tale of Ten Cities

Well cities and towns really. This series of posts will chart the development of ten of our ranges in various scales. Hopefully this will encourage us to fill in gaps and add some typical details to the cities and towns we produce. 

I will be focusing on the following-

28mm Old West
20mm Normandy
10mm Modern/Sci fy
6mm Modern city
28mm Normandy
28mm Spanish/Italian
28mm Roman
15mm Spanish
15mm Normandy
28mm ACW

First up is-

28mm Old West


When putting out the figures i picked up a couple of bank robbers and quickly realised i don't have a bank!



Really need some fencing for the Livery stable








Next up

10mm Modern/Sci Fy

My son has a collection of Dropzone Commander factions so this range got off the ground for our own use.


In the right foreground is a bombed out abandoned quarter which has been earmarked for redevelopment into an advanced ultra modern quarter. The first part of this can be seen in the left foreground. To the rear can be seen the in between development of commercial buildings.


Plenty of painting or repainting needed here with plenty of rubble needed for the bombed out buildings. I may have these covered in plant life so they look long abandoned. I have been experimenting with this on 28mm Normandy buildings depicting creeping ivy and it looks good adding a nice touch of colour.


Using my newly acquired, well last years birthday present anyway, airbrush the main building here painted in layers. I am just starting to use this despite having if for nearly 2 years now!



The figures, vehicles and ships are Dropzone Commander.




Last one for today is-

20mm Normandy

This table uses models from the 20mm Normandy and Normandy ruined ranges.


A column of 20mm German tanks makes its way through the village. Britannia and SHQ models.



The idea is to represent a typical Normandy terraced street. Typically these would consist of a hotch potch of various buildings with different door sizes and even floor, and therefore window heights.

Some of these models are inspired by period images of places like Carentan and St Lo and of course Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan. The 15 and 28mm ranges are basically the same models scaled up or down.


The church and farm.



Notice the different door and window heights on this shot.


We have more ruined versions that need to be added.


The building on the right is based on a one in the later scenes of Saving Private Ryan.



More in the next few days.




















Friday 30 November 2018

Phalanx v Legion

We played this game quite a few weeks ago so this will have mostly pictures with not too many comments. Memory is not what it used to be!

We used Hail Caesar for this dust up between Macedonian Successors and Roman Republicans. I purchased the Macedonian army from a club member and had high hopes for them in their first battle as a single army  having previously only been split into 2 for a battle of the Successors.


Macedonian right wing, Companion cavalry ready to smash the Roman left and sweep victoriously around the rear of the Roman centre and soften them up for the Phalanx to finish the job.


The 2 armies face off, how could those pikemen possibly lose?


The left wing whose job was to hold the Roman right in check while the Companions mashed the Roman cavalry before them and buttered up the centre for the pikes. This is going to be a cakewalk. Did i mention i commanded the Macedonians by the way?


A bunch of Romans with puny little sticks for weapons.


And trying to look hard in their maniples!


As if Romans know how to use elephants!


Our Elephants are bigger than yours, prepare for a hard earned lesson, Roman scum!



Just look at those bloody pikes man!


The first part of the plan gets underway. The Companions sweep forward in style.




Skirmish cavalry butter up some Roman cavalry ready for the Companions.


the centres advance.


Let lessons begin!


Well this should be easy....


Well half right at least, a 1-1 draw i think.





Battle continues on the Macedonian right


Something seems to have gone wrong!!!! Where have all the Companions gone?


It's barbecue sticks v toothpicks here, this should be a doddle!


Same for the left centre


The left wing.


One of the Kamikaze chariots has done its bit here leaving one left.


Tough as old boots, the elephants start to take hits.


Lesson not going quite to plan!


Back to the main event, surely this can't go wrong!


Weren't there  two there before?


What's gannin (Translation- gannin-Geordie slang for going) on here like? Losing all the elephants wasn't in the plan!


Guess it's  down to the boys in the centre to save the day.


This is no longer funny!


The remaining chariot gets stuck in.


while the cavalry clash.


Hmmm that's a temping gap in the line, my line!


Looks a bit more even here. Can the glory boys with the barbecue sticks save the day before they are enveloped and taken from behind?



Looks like a piece of cake really, they're only Romans after all. I mean, what have the Romans ever taught us about winning a battle?


The death or glory boys on the left wing do their bit.



Still not looking too bad here.


The right wing, however, well the less said about that the better. At least the commander chose to take the honourable way out, hopefully with a Roman javelin inserted into a very painful spot!


The death or glory boys chose death leaving a sole infantry unit to protect the flank and rear of the Phalanx.


The lads in the middle decided against being taken from behind, quite unusual for your average hunky Macedonian, and decided to leg it.


Anyone in the market for a barely used Macedonian army?????? Going cheap, honest!

Thanks for enjoying my suffering.

Mick