Richard's June

I started the month thinking it was realistic to average a model a day for all 30 days. That hope lasted for about a week. During the month I switched from working at home to being back in the office. This change was pretty draining, presumably due to having to interact with people, and I struggled with energy and motivation to paint in the evenings. When I did finally get back into painting, I found myself only wanting to do 40K, leaving a bunch of half finished historicals on the desk.

1. Painting 28mm FJ. 

I had been planning to complete a squad of Luftwaffe troops, but in the end just managed two figures.

2. Find a set of WW2 rules that I enjoy playing in 28mm.

We did have plans to play Battlegroup at the club, but life got in the way.

3. Paint a Landsknecht square for Impetus.

No progress.

4. Complete a Black Seas fleet. 

I painted three schooners, which wasn't a very pleasant experience, so the second half of the box remains undone.

This leaves just two cutters to complete the project. In the absence of a Warlord product, I have ordered some from Hagen Miniatures, but Deutsche Post is not currently delivering to New Zealand so I am not sure when they will arrive. 

5. Try out Battlegroup: NORTHAG, and write a review. 

No progress, although my hard copy of the rules arrived this month.

6. Complete some of the random FOW platoons that I have lying around. 

A little more progress with the Mediterranean British, completing a platoon of 4.2" mortars.

7. Syrians for Team Yankee.

No progress.

8. Put together an event or campaign of some kind. 

No progress.

9. Paint 500 points for 40K. 

I settled on the basing for my AdMech, decided to change the base colour that I was using for the Skitarii robes, painted four Rangers and updated the Vanguard to match. I still have two more figures from that first box, to be done as Alphas to make two minimum sized units, and then I've got a Dunecrawler to start.

June Summary

• Models Finished: 13
• Leadpile Size: Reduced, just.
• Month Rating: Meh

Richard's May

Life is returning to normal here with the progressive lifting of COVID-related restrictions. It has been ten days since the last case was found, and it's likely that all restrictions except for the border controls will disappear in the next week or so.

1. Painting 28mm FJ. 

No progress.

2. Find a set of WW2 rules that I enjoy playing in 28mm.

No progress.

3. Paint a Landsknecht square for Impetus.

No progress.

4. Complete a Black Seas fleet. 

I finally finished USS Constitution, which was started in January, and then reflagged my Spanish ships as Americans. I also painted the last gunboat squadron I needed for my RN fleet. I have three schooners on the workbench, they would have to be the least enjoyable Black Seas kits I've made so far, and I'm worried about how sturdy they'll be on the table: narrow, all metal including sails, and very top heavy.

I also bought some Battlefoam trays for storage and transportation. These were BFL size trays for X-Wing, with packers made from some spare foam I had lying around.

5. Try out Battlegroup: NORTHAG, and write a review. 

With restrictions easing, I'm hopeful of getting a game in the not too distant future.

6. Complete some of the random FOW platoons that I have lying around. 

I made good progress on this one. I pulled a few things out of the stash and did a bunch of work on my Mediterranean British, including finishing my last two Early War Armoured Car Platoons, a platoon of Light Mk VIbs, a platoon of Vickers MMGs, and some carriers and trucks. I only have a few related models left for the army, so will finish those off and then post photos of the wider collection.

7. Syrians for Team Yankee.

No progress.

8. Put together an event or campaign of some kind. 

On hold, but I’m thinking about what we could do for some multiplayer TY once we’re able to reopen the club.

9. Paint 500 points for 40K. 

No progress. I'm annoyed that I put off buying more for so long, as the AdMech Start Collecting box I was intending to get has been re-released, replacing the Dunecrawler with a Dunerider, which is a disappointing change.

May Summary

• Models Finished: 21
• Leadpile Size: Reduced!
• Month Rating: Productive.

Richard's April

We spent most of April in national lockdown, but the restrictions have eased slightly in the last week, allowing non-essential businesses to open. I'm continuing to work from home under the new regime, which is being reassessed on 11 May. Much of the month was spent finish off the company's annual Asset Management Plan (if you feel like reading 400 pages on electricity distribution network management practices, you can download your very own copy), so I didn't get as much hobbying done as I would have like to.

1. Painting 28mm FJ. 

No further progress.

2. Find a set of WW2 rules that I enjoy playing in 28mm.

A couple of us are going to give Battlegroup WW2 a go, so that will be first cab off the rank once we're able to get together.

3. Paint a Landsknecht square for Impetus.

Nope.

4. Complete a Black Seas fleet box. 

I completed my Royal Navy First Rate. This was hard going, and I had to take a break halfway through to work on something else, but I got there in the end. The Black Seas resin/metal models aren't quite as nice as the plastics, and I was particularly concerned about the metal masts. They definitely won't take much punishment, but the rigging seems to stabilise them enough to be okay for use in games.

For my smuggler hunters, that leaves the following still to go:

• 2 x Cutter.
• 3 x Schooner.
• 1 x Gunboat Squadron.

5. Try out Battlegroup: NORTHAG, and write a review. 

I have written some first thoughts in an earlier post. I'm looking forward to the club being able to reopen in order to try it for real.

6. Complete some of the random FOW platoons that I have lying around. 

No progress.

7. Syrians for Team Yankee.

No further progress, but I did paint a pair of Geckos for my Soviets.

8. Put together an event or campaign of some kind. 

On hold.

9. Paint 500 points for 40K. 

A new one! I started painting my Skitarii during April. Only four figures painted so far, but I really enjoyed it. Now that we have moved out of lockdown I will order some bits to bring me up to 500pts of Adeptus Mechanicus.

April Summary

• Models Finished: 7
• Leadpile Size: Reduced!
• Month Rating: Quiet.

Richard's March

What a crazy month. In New Zealand we are locked down for at least the next three weeks. All schools and businesses are closed except for essential services, and we are required to remain at home except for buying food, medicine, and other essentials, although you are still allowed to walk around your neighbourhood. Needless to say, there are more people out walking each day that I've ever seen in the past.

I'm working from home, and Sarah has taken on home-schooling the kids. In a way it's a relief to have reached this point: over the last few weeks you couldn't plan even a few days ahead due to the rate at which the situation was changing. Now, we are on an island of certainty for four weeks: hunker down, stay in your bubble, and make do with whatever activities are already in the house.

March is always a busy month at work, and I ended up working some pretty long hours before the lockdown, but I still managed to get a few things done on my list.

1. Painting 28mm FJ. 

I completed two squads during March. One had previously been painted but hadn't based, and the other had been base coated. I still have some support weapons and a squad of Luftwaffe troops to go.

2. Find a set of WW2 rules that I enjoy playing in 28mm.

Alas, games are pretty much off the menu for the foreseeable future. But at least it looks like I'll have an army to use once things return to normal.

3. Paint a Landsknecht square for Impetus.

Moving on.

4. Complete a Black Seas fleet box. 

I completed two frigates and a third rate. This means I've now finished the Master and Commander box..

For my smuggler hunters, that leaves the following still to go:

• 1 x First Rate. Purchased.
• 2 x Cutter. No indication of when Warlord are going to release any of these.
• 3 x Schooner. On order.
• 1 x Gunboat Squadron: Primed.

5. Try out Battlegroup: NORTHAG, and write a review. 

There was a post on the PSC Facebook page that they would be sending a PDF of the rules to all pre-order customers, so I should be able to do this in April with some solo play.

6. Complete some of the random FOW platoons that I have lying around. 

No progress.

7. Syrians for Team Yankee.

No further progress.

8. Put together an event or campaign of some kind. 

In this time of physical distancing, this is on hold.

March Summary

• Models Finished: 20
• Leadpile Size: Reduced!
• Month Rating: Productive.

Richard’s February

How did I go during February? Apparently not too well.

1. Painting 28mm FJ. 

No progress.

2. Find a set of WW2 rules that I enjoy playing in 28mm.

Nothing happening here yet.

3. Paint a Landsknecht square for Impetus.

I'm kinda regretting putting this one on the list.

4. Complete a Black Seas fleet box. 

I completed a third brig, a sloop conversion, and a gunboat squadron. That leaves the following still to go:

• 1 x First Rate. Purchased
• 1 x Third Rate. Primed and ready to paint.
• 2 x Frigate. Also primed.
• 2 x Cutter. No indication that Warlord are going to release any of these, but I may have a plan.
• 3 x Schooner. On order.
• 1 x Gunboat Squadron: Primed.

 

5. Try out Battlegroup: NORTHAG, and write a review. 

Waiting for its release in April.

6. Complete some of the random FOW platoons that I have lying around. 

No progress.

7. Syrians for Team Yankee.

A lot of the interest went out of this one after seeing minor nations struggle at ValleyCon. One of the main reasons for going with Syrians was that they're Warpac-aligned with hunter killer helicopters, so to try and get back into it, this month I completed the Gazelle flight.

8. Put together an event or campaign of some kind. 

Pencilled in to start in March!

February Summary

• Models Painted: 5
• Leadpile Size: Reduced!
• Month Rating: Slow

Black Seas Conversions

This is a post where I probably get a whole lot of nautical terminology wrong, but this week I’ve been working on a couple of conversions for Black Seas.

The first is a Gunboat Squadron.

I decided that the boats in the stock kit looks a little too much like a trireme for my liking, so set about modifying them. 

How the kit is meant to look

I added bowsprits made from brass rod, removed the original mainsails and replaced them with gaff-rigged ones. 

Modifications with 1mm brass rod

The resin Warlord has used is quite ductile, so it drilled easily without fracturing. You may not see them in the photos, but there are 1mm holes drilled for rigging just above the waterline, on a line right between the two cannons. Apart from the metal topsail, the other sails were made from paper, based off the ones in the brig kit.

The second conversion was a 12-gun Sloop made from the 18-gun Brig kit.

I sliced out the four middle guns with a razor saw, and joined the resulting halves together, while also removing the rear-most pair of guns and placing the mast slightly aft of where the main mast was on the brig. From the mast I removed the lower two yards. The result is a little bit fat, probably by about 2mm, but the surgery that would be required to remove that extra width from the kit doesn't bear thinking about.

The hull after joining the halves together

The bits that were removed

I’ve used the headsails and spanker from the Third Rate kit while keeping the Brig kit’s topgallant. With the spanker boons from the Brig being too small for the 3rd Rate sail, I could have used the ones from the Third Rate, but wasn’t prepared to cannibalise the kit to that extent, so the brass rod came out again to make new ones. 

Sloop next to a Brig

Both the Gunboats and the Sloop should see action in the Smuggler’s Run campaign, hopefully kicking off in March.

Richard's January

At the start of the year I set myself eight goals for 2020, with the intention of posting my progress at the end of each month. So, how did I go during January?

1. Painting 28mm FJ. 

I painted the pants on another squad, and bought a StuG to support them. I guess that counts as progress?

2. Find a set of WW2 rules that I enjoy playing in 28mm.

A couple of ideas for systems have been kicked around by people at the club, so I'm sure something will happen with this.

3. Paint a Landsknecht square for Impetus.

I took a few figures out of their boxes, looked at them, freaked out and put them away again.

4. Complete a Black Seas fleet box. 

I've been a bit all over the place on this. Last year I was heading towards a Spanish fleet box, but then I received USS Constitution for Christmas, so began looking at the US version. But then Warlord Games released their 'Smuggler's Run' campaign, and it looks great. So rather than a fleet box, I'm going to change this goal to be the ships for the campaign, both my own company and HM Customs.

My smuggling company will start with the two brigs and the frigate that I originally painted up as Spanish, and I will add to it when the Schooners and Merchants are released next month (assuming business is good and the company can afford new ships...), the incentive being that I can't add a ship to my roster until I have a painted model of it.

For the British, I need the following to be able to field all of the combinations that the campaign can throw at you:

• 1 x First Rate
• 1 x Third Rate
• 2 x Frigate
• 3 x Brig
• 1 x Sloop
• 2 x Cutter
• 3 x Schooner
• 2 x Gunboat Squadron

So, in January I painted and rigged two Royal Navy Brigs.

I still have have two Brigs and two Frigates left from the starter box, plus a box each of the Third Rates and Gunboats, so will continue by working on those in February. I will get the Schooners when they are released, and maybe even see if I can convert the second of my spare Brigs into a Sloop.

5. Try out Battlegroup: NORTHAG, and write a review. 

It sounds like this will be released at Salute in April.

6. Complete some of the random FOW platoons that I have lying around. 

I haven't painted anything, but I've had a good look through the pile, and have a bit of a plan.

• Early War British - complete this army by painting some armoured cars and Vickers MkVIb.
• Mid War British - repaint and rebase my old 8th Army support weapons to match my more recent work.
• Late War British - rebase my infantry company, and paint the kits that I have in order to make a 100pt force under the upcoming D-Day: British book.

I've also cleared the decks a bit by selling most of my MW British Armour, and may do another pass through the collection at some point because, to be honest, I have way too much FOW.

7. Syrians for Team Yankee.

No progress.

8. Put together an event or campaign of some kind. 

This is going to be the Smuggler's Run campaign.

Overall Theme: Uncompleted Projects

I've already failed here. I had toyed around with buying into 40K when the Chaos new releases came out last year, but in the end decided against it. Then this month I saw the Adeptus Mechanicus Pteraxii and Serberys Sulphurhounds that were announced at LVO, and I was immediately grabbed by the aesthetic.

Rather than going crazy and jumping straight in, I have picked up a second hand set of Skitarii Rangers sprues to see whether I like the models. They are my first ever GW models, never having played any of their games, and my first impressions are that they're amazing. The casts are beautiful, the sprues are packed with parts, and I'm looking forward to painting them.

January Summary

• Models Painted: 2
• Leadpile Size: Increased
• Month Rating: Poor