Bolt Action: 2nd IJA Jungle Fighter Squad

Hi Folks,

After an actual Family Holiday away with the Wife and Kids (something of a first for us as usually I have worked through Christmas) there was not a lot of time left for Hobby stuff.

I did however manage to get in a game of War of the Ring using Xelee's revised Noldor Elven army list which focuses on the forces of Rivendell.  I was facing the revised Men of Angmar which have also had teh revision hammer applied.  Overall the armies were quite balanced with some terrible luck on Jamie's part and some great luck on mine (go go pink dice :) ) resulting in a decisive win to the Elves. I was stoked as well as I also found 8 sweet High Elven Cohort Spearmen prior to the game I had forgotten I had, so now I have enough for four companies (32 models).

Today I finished the second squad for my Bolt Action Japanese army, for which the new PDF list is here: Bolt Action Japanese PDF

Now as BA is mostly same/ same the list has only a few variations, but one of them is that the Japanese can get bigger squads then most forces (7-15 men instead of 5-11)  which while cool means that my two small min sized squads dont work anymore as I lack the extra models for now...so I bumped this squad to 8 men as well.

2nd Squad Up.

These guys are really stealth...

Totally stealth Type 99 LMG Gunner

Two squads down, One BIG squad and supports to go.

I am also about to be reading this:

So will see how it is but looks interesting s far as its form the Japanese perspective.

Looking forward to trying out the BA: Japanese later on this week maybe.

Cheers
Jason

ACtA: Star Fleet - Kzinti Test Model

Hey Folks,

I have been quite busy but I have managed to get hooked by yet ANOTHER game system.


Which I blame entirely on Jamie's Children and a test game with our Star Wars fleets subbing for Star Trek in truly Geektastic fashion.

Now initially I was dead keen on Klingon's, but alas Austerity Measures (and my vast amount of other half finished projects) meant that I really shouldnt buy anything new.

Not to be deterred I fell back on my plan B: Build my Own fleet.  Now I am blessed with an extensive bits box which I have accumulated over many years and many different games systems.  I also really enjoy scratch building, like when I built my Orks for Epic

Now looking through the book apparently in the Star Fleet Battles ships have "drones", which are good old fashion Battlestar Galactica style Nuclear Missiles.  I like nukes, and so do the Kzinti;

 Now Space Tigers in Purple and Pink (apparently as the designer was colour blind and it was supposed to be Green...) are kind of silly, and alas, so are their ships;

Kind of 'meh' - the triangular wing things are the"Drone" launchers

Now I have always loved this game;

And my favourite ship is the Vaygar Destroyer as its asymmetrical - and packs a mean punch with its Anti-Ship Missiles from a off-set Vertical Launch System  - sounds perfect for Kzinti!

So Ideally I wanted this sort of style - but Trekked up so as to fit for when I am fighting Jamie's Fed's.  This meant it had to have some sort of deflector dish and warp engine nacelles - but otherwise I was pretty free.

Here is what I have come up with - my first Kzinti cruiser.  Depending on the actual size and mass of the Federation ships this will either be a Heavy Cruiser or a Battlecrusier.  Its 103mm long (so probably Battlecrusier weight)  from the prow sensors to the aft nacelles and is about 45mm wide so would mass a fair bit. The base is a 60mm base.

Spot the parts!

I'm looking forward to trying him out!

Cheers
Jason

6mm Modern's: Israeli Armoured Combat Group

Hey Folks,

Long time no post, and very little work on my Man Barbie's as well. Real Life can be a pain like that and I took a job that involved commuting to another city about 5 months ago, and have been busy ever since.

A few lads and I have been getting into 6mm Modern using lovely GHQ miniatures, which while not the cheapest have amazing detail at this scale.  We have based the rules on Games Workshops Epic:40k Armageddon rules with some tweaks and self made army lists and unit stats.  These are continually evolving btu we are up to version 2.8 of the lists and we cover pretty much every Gulf State from Israel to Iran and most of the Western powers too (and Soviet Russia!)

Pooch has been busy: http://warpooch.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/6mm%20Moderns

So has Adam: http://panzerfaustnostalgia.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/6mm

And John too: http://than-aleaiactaest.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/Epic%20Moderns

One of our mates Andy has some awesome Iraqi's, and some awesome terrain too but he isn't the blogger type :)

I originally started with Israelis, and based my force around composite Combat Group from an Armoured Battalion that has been rapidly assembled.  This mixes Regular Army units (initiative 1+) and Reserve Army units (initiative 2+) backed up by some serious IAF Air Support!

So far its at around 2000pts but I have more to add on the painting table. 

The Combat Group so far. Left to Right: Merkava IV Coy, Cobra Gunships, Mech Infantry Company in M113 Zeldas, Chapperal SAM's, M125 Mortars, F-16'sand a Magach (upgraded M60) Company 

Magach 6's and 7's: Upgraded and Up armoured M60A3's

F-16's in IAF colours on Ground Attack Missions

Mechanised Infantry in M113 Zeldas

Chapperal SAM's and M125 Mortar Carrierw

Cobras!  Super cool :)

Merkava IV Company.  These are Bad Ass so I mainly use them as Merkava III's which are a bit more tame, but look very similar.

Close up of Merkava IV

Close up of the Magach types.  Magach 6 is an M60 with ERA while the Mgach 7 has added laminate armour.  I ahev added some stowage and flags etc made out of tin foil. 

Next up I have more Infantry and Azcherzit ("Evil Bitch!) Heavy APC's as well as a few more tanks and some Recon to add to take me to 3000pts.

Played a few games so far, and on the whole they preform pretty well and are heaps of fun. 

Next up: Iranians :)

Cheers,

Jason

Illiad SAGA: Trojans

Hey Folks,

Here is yet another project start, Trojans for Jamies Trojan War SAGA adaption

Still mostly "Stealth" but I have started painting Hectors Royal Guard (hearthgaurd)
The rest of the army is 4 points of Warriors, with a unit of 12 Trojan Hoplites, 12 Lycian Warriors and 8 Trojan Bowmen.

6th Point will be Cavalry :

                                      

Flames of War 2012 Completion Challenge: Ze Germans

Hey Folks,

Pooch and I were discussing how much Flames of War models we have lying around, being all tardy and unpainted and the like.  So far he has been a machine and cracked through some Kiwi Armour of Mid and Late war as well as Early and Late war Germans.

I, truth be told have not done a whole lot, mainly focusing on Dystopian Wars as well as being diverted by SAGA.  Craig's Day of Days event has prompted me to paint up some Germans, and it was while searching through my collection I realised I had a ridiculous (though not as bad as some: I'm looking at you of the broken arm, you know who you are!) amount that needed to be built and painted...so the Challenge this year is to get this done;

 And note this doesn't include all my Transports that I need to strip/ assemble and paint.

 So for the Panzers this is;

• A full 14 Tank Tiger Kompanie (note 6 of the Forged in Battle Tigers are a mates that I will paint for him) Including two Tiger I (Porsche) that will do double duty in my 653. Schwerepanzerjager Kompanie
• Another Elefant (for 3 total) and a Jagdtiger for 653. Schwerepanzerjager
• 4 Brumbarr's, 3 Mobelwagons and 3 Hummels for the Panzer IV Panzer Kompanie (11 Panzer IV's painted so far)
• 5 StuG's to add to my 5 Painted StuG's to make a StuG Batterie
• 9 Panthers, 2 Jagdpanthers and a Bergepanther to make a Panther Kompanie
• 4 PaK 40 RSO's to go with a Speerverband

For the Infantry this is;

• 5 Grenadier Platoons, 3 with Light Mortars.  This combined with my one painted platoon will allow me to field a Grenadier Kompanie or Sperverband as well as have more than enough MG Teams to transition to a Panzergrenadier/ Aufklarungs Kompanie or Sturm Kompanie as well as Rifle Teams to field a Schirungs Kompanie
• 1 Pioneer Platoon with two goliaths. This combined with my painted Pioneer platoon, and pumped out by some Grenadiers will allow me to field a Panzerpioneer Kompanie or a foot Pioneer Kompanie
• 3 More Fallshcirmjager stands, allowing me to field two full strength squads in Fallschirmjager Kompanie
• 6 HMG Teams and 2 8cm  to add to my two painted Mortars and HMG's so I can field two full HMG platoons and a full Mortar platoon.
• A full PaK 40, Pak 36 (7.62cm)r, Pak 38 and Pak 36 Anti-Tank Gun platoons
• 3 NW42 Nebelwerfers
• Objectives

So this is an awful lot to paint, and I STILL want more (I would love a Czech and a Medium Panzerkompanie) but I really need to get all this done first...and then onto fixing/ painting replacements for my damaged Soviets and the start of some Kiwis!

So, better get cracking then!

Cheers

Jason

Thunder from Heaven: EotBS Air Support

Hey Folks,


Hope you all had a good Christmas!


Here is my work over the last few days.


I have always though that the Tiny Tokens cast on the resin bases looked pants, so resolved to "set my flyers free".  I also made flight stands out of clear acrylic, GW flight stems and blister pack plastic.  I also converted up tiny torpedo bombers...which was a bit fiddly. 


Finally I painted up the extra DFA-170 bomber and repainted my other two at the same time to match. 


Here is also my first "in character" post...:)

A sight to warm any Naval Captains heart: Ho-O Air Armada units pass overhead 

Kaigun Shosho (Rear Admiral) Hitorio Hanso stood at the rail of the weather bridge on his flagship, the Sokotsu Class Battleship Masaka, and pondered the uncouthness of the baku gai-jin Capitan Sheridan. At the State dinner after the treaty signing in Bangkok the pig had had the gall to describe the Divine Empress Shizuna as a "pretty slip of a girl!"

How dare he talk of our Divine Empress in such a low manner!. His attempt to teach the teach the cur a lesson ended without resolution, or satisfaction.  His Honour demanded that the lesson be delivered, and with suitable emphasis so that it was well learned.  

Shinobi agents within the FSA CINCPAC headquarters had sent work that the Americans planned to contravene the terms of the treaty by deploying Saratoga Class Fleet Carrier's into the Coral Sea to reinforce Sheridan's Battle Group.  This gave him a convenient political reason to exact revenge on the pig, and in doing so restore the Honour debt to its correct balance.  If the payment was in the keels of his enemies fleet, than so much the better. 

The Masaka was only escorted by a small naval detachment consisting of the cruisers of Ryu squadron Nagara, Yura, Natori and Shatori as well as the Ichi frigate squadron Hatsuune, Enoki, Hatsuzakura and Hinoki.

Appearances can be deceptive however...the drone of rotors grows to a thunderous roar as the squadrons of the Ho-O Air Armada arrive to support his punitive expedition.  A gleam enters Hitorio's eye as he watch's the finest precision engineered fighters and bombers in the world stream past followed by the more stately DFA-170 Bombers and the Inari Scout Gyro's.  While he has always preferred the sway and swell of the sea instead of the bucking turbulence of the sky, he truly appreciated the capabilities of the Air Armada's forces. He almost felt sorry for the Americans who will be on the end of the the Air Armada's rockets.

Tonight he shall have his honour debt fulfilled. 

No ship is safe from the wrath of our Torpedo Bombers

Swarms of Blazing Sun Fighters darken the sky.

DFA-170 Bombers are the scourge of enemy shipping, able to stand off and smash them apart with massed rocketry

The FSA will not know what hit them! 

Assembling the Fleet

Hey Folks,

Long time no post, for which I blame work and the release of The Eldar Scrolls: Skyrim for Xbox 360...

I am not alone in a sudden drop of productivity, but at least I have managed to assemble my Prussian Fleet which took its sweet time to turn up from Old Blighty.  This was after NZ Post left it on my front porch for a couple of days as well, in which it got soaked (thankfully my rulebook survived!) and was amazingly not stolen!

In all there unpainted and semi-painted (read: stealth) glory;

So that's Destoyers at the front, followed by Crusiers and a Dreadnought flanked by two Battleships.  Two squadrons of Frigates flank the battleships while two squadrons of Escorts are in the centre.  The supporting Luftwaffe consists of two Scout Zeppelins, two Bombers, 3 squadrons of Tiny Fliers, a Recon Tiny Flyer and the massive Sky Fortress. Bringing up the rear is a par of wading Metzgar Giant Robots

Cruisers are part painted, will take good photo's when they are finished. 

 As you can see the fleet is in good order, mainly because;

Man this thing is huge!

So Jamie has Challenged me to have a 1000pt fleet painted in a little over a week.  Easy.  But what to paint?

Cheers
Jason

Dystopian Wars Terrain

Hey Folks,

Did this awhile ago, but here is the first 2' by 2' section of my naval terrain I am making for my impending Prussian Empire fleet;

Steam Punk Oil/ Sturginum drilling platform

So, brass and bricks and wood!

Some of Poochs KoB Destroyers dropping off prisoners to the  Australian Re-education  and Scrivening Enclave (or A.R.S.E Prison Island)

Back of the A.R.S.E facility, with the General Population and Main Prison Admin building. 

Little Arse Island

Little Arse from the other side

Bottom is High Security, Middle General Population and the single building with out the walls is solitary

Board sans Poochies KoB fleet.

Back of the Island

The boards are 3mm MDF (which is a bit thin)  with the water areas covered in tin foil, sprayed a couple of shades of blue, drybrushed a lighter blue and then given a couple of layers of gloss varnish.

The islands are thick as polystyrene covered in bostik gap filler and then a mix of sand with the rocks being pumice.  Painted with test paints.

The kids helped me cover two open flat boards with foil and I have added foil to another board with islands.

I will be looking to add a landmass to one with a largish city as well.

Cheers
Jason

Start of a New Napoleonic Lasalle Army: Peninsula British

Hey Folks,

Completely off track from doing a Prussian Army I have acquired a start to a Peninsula British army!

Now as Pooch is using the lovely Perry Models British models as a Waterloo force he had a heap of Perry Peninsula Heads as well as a pile of spare Victrix models I snapped them up :)

Well I am always one to do my wargaming on the cheap so I don't mind that the Victrix models are not as good as the Perry's (well, not THAT much) and to be honest the Perry heads fix the biggest sin of the the Victrix models, they are butt ugly!

So I am doing a Light Division, as its super cool, it has;


1 Rifle (+)
1 Elite Infantry (+)
1 Infantry
2 Caçadore
1 RHA BTY
2 Infantry 


(The + symbol means that its a large 6 base unit instead of the usual 4 bases)

It also has;

If Jamie can have Russell Crowe to leas his Impetus Romans I can have Sean Bean for my 95th Rifles!

Structure looked something like this;

Structure during the Peninsular War

• Commanding Generals: Robert Craufurd, William Erskine, Charles Alten
• 1st Brigade
  • 1/43rd (Monmouthshire Light Infantry) Regiment - This would be the Core Infantry Unit
  • 1/95th Rifles -This Unit combined with the 3/95th could be the Core Large Rifles Unit
  • 3/95th Rifles (HQ & 5 companies)
  • 3rd Portuguese Caçadores  This would be a Core Cacadore Unit (duh) 
• 2nd Brigade
  • 1/52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) - This is the Core Large Elite Infantry Unit (as these guys kicked ass, though not sure on size)
  • 2/95th Rifles
  • 1/17th Portuguese Line
  • 2/17th Portuguese Line
  • 1st Portuguese Caçadores.^{[18] This would be a Core Cacadore Unit}
• Divisional Troops
• 1 troop, Royal Horse Artillery The Core RHA Battery 
• Part of the 14th Light Dragoons
• Part of the 16th Light Dragoons

I'm still not sure on what to run as the support choice. Brunswicks (though maybe run them as Kings German Legion) would be the obvious choice but Allied Portuguese (crappy) or Reserve Light Cavalry (also crappy) would be the historical choice...

Looking forward to getting some paint on some models tomorrow.

Cheers
Jason