31/12/2011

I give up/Happy new year

Yes, I can't finish any more stuff in 2011, I thought I had a good chance of finishing the SU76s, but the paint just dries too slow at this time of year.

So that forces me to sit down and review what progress I made over the year. One target I almost met was to reduce the stash down to 5,000 from 6,500. I got down to 5,048 just before Christmas and then of course it rose again with the presents.

So the first project of 2012 will be to review progress and set targets for 2012.

Have a great New Year wherever you are.

Cheers

Will

29/12/2011

Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero

A quick dip into the stash for the "Wings" speed build over on the Guild. It's an old Airfix kit, an impulse buy at a Warboot sale a while back.



The big problem was the decals as not only were they fragile, but they had also discoloured, so I had to touch up the white areas and the white engine rings had to be added freehand



I'm not sure how I'm going to use it as it acted as either a medium bomber or a torpedo bomber so I have left off the torpedos for now.



Off course to above pictures have been altered to remove the stand, so here is how the aircraft is fixed to an aerial.

25/12/2011

Thank you Santa

Received some nice gifts this year

Somehow I think they will define some projects for next year

24/12/2011

Hanoverian Foot Guards

A seasonally coloured update, not Santa's helpers, but Hanoverian Fussgarde grenadiers. The Revell Prussian Grenadiers were ideal for this as there was no detail on the grenadier caps, so it was easy(?) to paint on the detail.

In the background are various other bits I finished for my Frundsbergers.

Merry Christmas everyone and may you get lots of toys.

Will

22/12/2011

Catching up

Slowly getting there. here's some more completed bits and pieces.

The Italian trucks 2 x Lancia L6 and 1 x Fiat 621

A pair of 100mm Austrian Feldhaublitze, just need to buy some crew.

The Zvezda AT teams, a very useful pack as I only needed a couple extra, in case I field a Guards Rifle regiment, which has double the normal allocation of AT rifles

15/12/2011

Radio Operators

The finishing touches for my US Parachute regiment are the radio operators. Typically like many sets of plastic figures there were none in the various US Para sets so I had to convert some.


The radio is basically a rectangle of thick plasticard framed by thin microstrip. The aerial is fine copper wire so it will flex without breaking. Finally a rolled cover made of greenstuff was added round the top and sides and additionally served to hide the gaps.

Not visible is a length of rod drilled through the radio and into the figure to ensure it stays in place. The dials, etc are a simple paint job.

GNW Russians for sale

These figures are from the Strelets Court of Peter the great set. I had hoped to use the infantry figures, but they are so significantly different in scale from those by Zvezda so I have decided to sell them.

The whole lot is available for £10 plus P&P

email Fire-at-WillatLive.co.uk (replacing the second at with @)

10/12/2011

Soviet Reece

While working on the cavalry I also finished this Zvezda mini-set of Russian Recon, quite nice figures, but in retrospect I should have based them on thinner bases than those provided



Also shown are a couple of my panzerfaust markers, I based up another twelve as I'm always short of some.

09/12/2011

SYW Frundsberg cavalry

They took a while, but they are now complete, well almost, as I want to add a few more figures to go with the foot officers, but I haven't decided what to use yet.

Front front to rear Stocwold Kuirassiers, Pidnem Dragoons and the Battenburg Kuirassiers.

The cavalry are all the Revell SYW Austrian Dragoons with the Cuirassiers converted by trimming off the lapels and painting on a breastplate.

04/12/2011

Reflections on Recon

A much smaller show than Fiasco and very much an outing to meet up with friends rather than seeing lots of eye-candy. This time it was very much a joint effort of the Society of Ancients; Lance & Longbow and the Towton Battlefield Societies. The game was a refight of the battle of Wakefield 1460 using an alternative scenario as proposed by Helen Cox in her book "The battle of Wakefield revisited". Helen herself was on hand to sign copies of her book and answer any queries

Richard of York sallies out with the treacherous Nevilles on the right flank


The centres come to blows! Both sides successfully pushing back one opposing contingent.


By the time we packed up the Nevilles had still not come to blows leaving the rest of the Yorkists to be crushed by the Lancastrians despite their earlier successes.

Personally I managed to clear quite a bit of my stash and limited my purchases to some static grass, a Zvezda 88mm gun and a box of Airfix Matador and 5.5" parts on the B&B. Hopefully there will be enough bits to make up two guns for "Monty's battles".

03/12/2011

For Sale - December 2011 update

These will be up for sale at our local club Deeside Defenders. I'll take anything to the next shows I'm attending (should be Vapanartak - York) so if you are interested in any items let me know and I'll bring them along.

Painted Figures/Vehicles (Unpainted are in trading -haves)

WW2 German Infantry (Airfix 46 figs) £6.00

Terrain

Various Airfix/Dapol buildings £2.00 each
2 x scratch built Russian houses £4.00 each
Old School style river system and bridge £6.00




Books (separate entry)

Books for sale - December 2011 update

If you are interested in any of these, I'll bring them along to whatever show I'm next attending (Vapanartak - York) The list includes a fellow wargamer's books as well.
  • Mallisonson - A close run thing, The Nizams daughters £1.50 each
  • Bernard Cornwall - Sharpes Havoc, Prey, Fortress, Devil, Triumph, Tiger and Trafalgar £1.00 each
  • Bernard Cornwall - Excalibur, Enemy of God £1.00 each
  • Curtis Cate - Russia 1812 - £5.00
  • WRG Rennaissance Rules (1st Ed) £3.00
  • Ireland - Battle of the Atlantic - £5.00 (mint)
  • Deighton - Bomber £1.00
  • Destroyers, Frigates and Corvettes £3.00
  • O'Siochru - Gods Executioner - Cromwell in Ireland £4.00
  • Life on the home front £2
  • Modern Warfare (IWM) £3
  • Kegan & Holmes - Soldiers – A history of men in battle £3.00
  • The D Day story £2.00 - Daily Express reprint of 10th anniversary book
  • Osprey Aircraft of the Aces - P38 Lightnings of Eu and Med £3.00
  • Andre Hue - The Next Moon £1.50
  • George/Anne Forty - Women War Heroines £1.50
Contact me at Fire-At-Will at live.co.uk

01/12/2011

On the Workbench - December 2011

For a chance, here is the real workbench, quite a mess with all the bits "in progress". I'm not sure whether I'll do more in December other than finishing what's on show here.

Left rear - SU76s, an old model needing repair and the new ones have needed quite a bit of sanding down to fit. One part remains stubbornly distorted even with dunking in hot water.

Middle row, left to right - Frundsberg staff; Battenberg Cuirassiers (having painted the infantry I just had to have a unit of cavalry) Frundsberg Dragoons; Frundsberg Cuirassiers.

Front row - Box 1 - panzerfaust markers, 2x Lancia L6 trucks, Befehlspanzer I, Skoda 100mm Radio Operators for my US Paras, Chevauux de Frises (need rebased) and British Airborne Jeeps (they'll be up for sale at Recon)
Box2 - Soviet Recon and German Engineers
Box 3 - German m'c combos (one assembled and one still on sprue - I thick I'll head swap them and use them as DAK), a 100mm Skoda still on sprue, a Fiat truck and if you look carefully a 37mm Pak36.

On top of that lot I'll have to work on the Glowstein grenadiers, but...

Temptation

I bought this and typically to play any of the scenarios I'll have to buy more stuff, I may well get tempted at Recon on Saturday.