Boxfile Spaceship Module 3 complete

Lorks-a-lordy, here's a sight more unexpected than the flag the North Korean Olympic Women's football team ran out to. After a brief hiatus of only 2 years the third module of my Boxfile Spaceship project gets wheeled out. To those of you who have not shared my trip on the blogisphere that long this is part of my Lunchtime Project series (hobby work I do in my lunch break funnily enough). The first two sections were a central accommodation section and a cargo/loading bay section. Here we have engineering:

Pretty much a shell filled with large pieces of equipment to create a cramped environment. I'm sure the majority of you can recognise that I've looted some old computers for heatsinks, fans, etc. No doors have been added as they are going to be flexible between the various sections. As a note I'm going to ditch the magnetic door on washer idea as seen at the end of the  section 2 post as it's a bit ugly when the door isn't there. I hope to develop a way of incorporating the doors into a clipping system to hold the boxes in place as well.

The next section is planned to include the control deck. I'll try and take some WIP pictures by way of a "how-to" article.

SoBH Campaign Battle 2

Battlefield: Standard

Weather: Heavy Rain

Scenario: A Chance Encounter

Defender: Beastmen


Forces:
(New additions/changes are shown in italics. Full stats are shown for new recruits)

Valgen Maests Warband (216pts*)

• Valgen Maest: DWARF COMMANDER (96 Pts) XP: 1
• Falster Vonlyr: Elite Warrior (46 Pts) XP:1 Moderate Injury, +1 Q For Battle
• Halgar Snowbeard: Warrior (26 Pts) XP: 1
• Squint Ironsights: Crossbowman (New recruit) (24 Pts) XP: 0Quality 4+ Combat 3, Short Move, Medium Shooter

* Falkaya Bloodsworn "Mrs Maest" sits out this battle with a Serious Wound

Johan's Beast Herd

• Johan Tierpfleger: HUMAN LEADER (60 Pts) XP:1
• Torgor: Beastman #1 (32 Pts)  XP:1
  Moderate Injury, +1 Q For Battle
• Kragos:  Beastman  #2 (32 Pts)  XP:1
• Arax:  Beastman  #3 (32 Pts)  XP:1
• Sidern: Minotaur Warrior (52 Pts)  XP:1
• Jamwar: Young Minotaur (32 Pts)  XP:1
• Kodar the Cruel: Chaos Warrior (39 Pts)  XP:1
• Equipment: Healing Elixir

Setup: The scenario rules meant that players took alternate turns to place one of their opponents figures on the table. Unsurprisingly there was quite a bit of spread.

At the start of the battle everyone tried to rally round to either their leader or at least a comrade. The weather conditions meant that models would slip and fall on any roll of a "1" on their activation dice, making the regrouping slow and hazardous.MacSver was also aware that his warband was down to 4 for this battle.

With the beastmen generally making heavy going to the conditions as they headed towards the village square, Dwarven leader Valgen and Snowbeard managed to join up. Falster and new recruit Squinty made their way from the opposite side of the town, trying a distracting faint flank keeping the buildings between themselves and danger. With a few enemy numbers in front of them they spotted a lone flounderingly beastman...

...and took advantage to grab first blood and dispatch him.

The beastmen were starting to reach the same area, although some were finding that hooves on town cobbles were a bit treacherous.

The Dwarven leader and bolstered warrior looked to give the Johan's crew a run around and keep the barrels between themselves, looking to pick off anything that wandered round on it's own. But disaster struck and leader Valgen had a series of slips, letting the Johan's Minotaur Warrior get in range and then attack whilst the dwarf tried to get off his back. He didn't manage and was defeated for the first ever time.

The dwarves retreated without their leader. The beastmen tried to give chase, but again underfoot conditions shut the brief door of opportunity.


Battle result: A win for Johan's Beastmen

Wamp Hasslefree Competition

Opened up Wamp's latest newsletter email today (a week after publication but these things happen when your away on your holidays) to look at the usual nice tutorials, gallery pictures, etc. I've been a registered member there for the best part of a couple of years now but as it's more a painters forum rather than a gamers one I've never really done anything else other than lurk.

The latest newsletter, however, sparked my interest. They are holding a Hasslefree Miniatures contest. Now I have quite a few Hasslefree mini's in the unpainted zone at the moment and I had fun painting for the last (and only so far) online competition at the Pendraken forum at the start of the year. I've no illusions about winning, but with a 2 month entry deadline I hope that I'll be able to knock up an entry or two amidst my tabletop army painting.

My Pendraken Competition Entry

It'll be a nice distraction from painting the same colour scheme over and over. I certainly enjoyed my one off for Tristan and it's always nice to try and up your game for a mini or two every now and again - even if it's just to remind yourself what areas you need work on.

A Practice in Nostalgia

Over the last few weeks I had more than the odd occasion where I've found myself taking a sharp intake of breath and going all glassy eyed in front of a set of shelves full of Airfix models. Fortunately the Arabian Queen has been around to give me one of those patient looks to remind me I have more than enough in the hobby shed already.

So after another plastic kit induced heart flutter at the end of this week I decided it was time to start one from the shed. It must be around 26 years since my last kit (at the tender age of around 14 I suspect), and with quite a few vehicles bought waiting for the WWII project I thought it best to revisit some of the old skills  and tools needed.

I'd "started" (ie painted the cockpit) of a Revell 1:72 RAF P-51 Mustang III (kit code 04167) a few years ago, so could launch straight in.

Early impressions? Well the set plastic was much thinner (with more flash) than I remembered, but the assembly was simpler and better fitting than several kits I had as a lad. Also I'd bought some glue (Revell Universal Liquid glue Contacta Special) on a naive assumption that if it had a brush it was good old liquid poly. This stuff is more the old glue from the tube I remember, but with a brush. So thicker than expected with a bit of stringing if you're not careful. Might make an effort to look out some thinner liquid poly  before embarking on my panzers!

End of first session

The Plan

"Please play with us"

Usually at this time of year we bloggers delve into "Six month review" mode. Well as you can tell from the post count it's been a pretty quite hobby time over the last couple of months. Generally to busy or too tired to do any. But of course that doesn't stop me constantly thinking my beloved pastime. I (like the majority of you I suspect) spend a lot of time thinking about gaming and all the fun and frustrations that can go along with it.

One of the frustrations has been that the starting dates of some of my planned projects never see to get any closer, and some are just left stagnant never being played but cluttering up my hobby shed and my (limited) mental space as well.I gaze longingly at my WWII figure boxes, Dr Who figures and Victorian Sci-fi gathering dust, just waiting to be picked up, painted and played with. (The Crooked Dice newsletter doesn't help either)

So I've decided to focus and cut down. I have 3 Sci-fi armies in progress at the moment (Warmachine Cygnar and Urban War Vasa & Viridian). I want to get these painted and finished first. And sort out my "future skirmish" terrain. This will draw a temporary line under my sci-fi projects (My Mantic Orc Marauders, Forgefather Dwarves and Space Marines will have to wait!). I can then take stock on what next after that. Other games have left in the clearout, numbers of unpained gladiators, Aeronef, and superheroes (and others) have all gone on loving homes. We at Wee Blokes never want to see a healthy game put down (just to nick the slogan of a certain dog charity).

My main "dream sequence" projects are Doctor Who/7TV, WWII and probably Zombies. On the plus side I have most the figures/etc ready and waiting (although WWII being a different scale requires alot more work). But I'll address that at the time. Manageable chunks, achievable goals and all that.

Terrain Textures

Well my favourite gaming company of the moment, Crooked Dice, have yet again released another product to love and enjoy. But for once it's not a cool cult TV style character.

As someone who doesn't have the time or money to build or buy some of fantastic terrain you see on the net I end up with basic cardboard/foam board construction that look OK on the table. I spent countless hours raking through google images for textures etc. Obviously the folk at CD have as well, as they've made their own and released them (for a modest price) in a 179 page download to help with your "set design" to keep their TV theme. The preview looks pretty flexible to extend to most modern settings, and with the page count that high there must be a decent variety.


Marked!

More Urban War VASA

A month seems an awful long time between supposed quick painted figures, but I suppose if you don't pick up the brush you don't get them done.

Following my (as yet unpublished) master plan some more VASA hit the completed shelf. 2 Supressors (2 rifle, one baton), another sniper and two grenade launchers, which are new troop types to the force. Also to add some leadership I've painted my first character, Konrad Borislav.

I really love the distopian future enforcer look of these models, and can see them being used in a variety of games and urban scenarios.

Light The Beacon

Warbands Here

Battlefield: Hilly
Weather: Heat Wave
Scenario: Burn Em Out
Defender: Beastmen

The torch bearers

Setup:

The Beastmen clustered round the path entrance leading to the tower door, where the Dwarves had to reach to light the warning beacon on the tower, warning of the incursion of the taint of chaos. The Dwarves had split themselves into two groups. The main party (left) had the torch bearers, the second group had the bear cavalry and crossbowman to harry the enemy.

The dwarves pushed through towards the pass. On the other side the bear flanked round the back of the tower to distract the beastmen and the crossbowman looked to cause problems from the side. The beastmen responded by moving to defend the pass whilst leaving their Minotaur warrior to protect the tower, leader and rear from the cavalry. A force was sent en-mass to try and quickly take out the crossbowman so that they could concentrate on the main force...

Which they did.

The heatwave weather conditions were taking their toll already. The bear had somewhat hampered his progress by becoming fatigued (as had a beastman and dwarf), and the two generals were choosing their activation dice carefully to avoid more heatstroke. As the dwarves tried to push through the Minotaur joined the heavily armoured chaos warrior to block the way and try and take out a torchbearer (Mrs Valgen) early door.

Mrs Valgen showed why she was the "First Lady" and fought off her attackers and knocked down the chaos warrior for the rest of her comrades to follow up and dispatch. The bear managed to reach the beastmen leader and guard to cause a few problems, and with the dwarven numbers pushing together they were on the ascendancy.

But as ever with SoBH it doesn't take much for the initiative to swing. The Minotaur warrior was knocked back from a melee battle, but the beastmen had managed to come back into the fold, and their numbers saw the bear cavalry go down as well as one of the torchbearers.

Bolstered by the presence of her husband over her shoulder Falkaya pushed forward towards the beacon tower again, but her eagerness lulled her into carelessness and she was felled by the beasts savage attack. Redbeard, the final torch bearer, failed his morale test and started to flee, and Valgen turned to go, the battle seemingly over.

The Beastmen gave chase to the Redbeard and closed in on Falster, the Elite Dwarven Warrior. The beastial jeers and desperate yells from his comrades turned Valgen, and he headed back into the affray.

The Beastmen swarmed to Faster like rats, but fatigue by heat and heavily outnumbered he fought of, exchanging blows left, right and centre.

With such a concentration of numbers at the pass Valgen had no option but to sound the retreat. Redbeard made for safety and The Dwarf Leader glanced back to see his Elite Warrior finally go down under a barrage of tooth and clue.

Battle Result:

Win for Johan's Beastmen.