First AHPC 8 Submissions

Delighted to report that the lack of recent blogging indicates a wonderfully full start to the year - a visit to Melbourne to visit family and friends, attending the 5th Test of the Ashes Series at the Sydney Cricket Ground (for non Commonwealth types and Canucks that sporting event goes for 5 days), a game of Chain of Command and a Campaign of Battlegroup Barbarossa is also unerway!  More on the latter shortly.

In the meantime AHPC 8 is well underway and the submissions are flowing in.  I did get a chance to put pigment to a few bits and bobs and here are my first few entries:

First up, the start of a new project - a 28mm Friekorps Armoured Car (model by 1st Corps).
https://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com.au/2018/01/from-paul-og-freikorps-panzerauto-and.html

An Austin Armoured Car Mk 2 fitted with two turreted maxim guns. A number of these British made machines were purchased by the Russian Army prior to WW1.  After the war they were used widely during the Russian Civil War but many were captured on the Eastern Front by the Germans and pressed into post-war service by the Friekorps. 

The model is from 1st Corps' WW1 vehicle range.  Resin body with metal fittings.  Curiously, there were no fixing points for the turrets to the chassis. Rather than glue them in place I magnetised them which helps with storage as well as being able to train them in action.

I drew inspiration from the period pics, including the skull and crossbones totems which were prolific

Alan gave me this kit as a Christmas present...last year...so its good to finally get it completed! Thanks for lending me the thematic background for the pics too mate.

This year I have been embracing the new AHOC terrain category, starting with this 6mm scale Castle to act as a Royalist Stronghold for our ECW gaming
http://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com.au/2017/12/from-paulog-fortified-royalist.html

This a resin model, manufacturer unknown, which I have based on mdf and sculpted the surrounds.  There was a bit of damage since I bought it (some 15 years ago!) so I added a bit of detritus to make it look recently attacked and damaged.  Finally, I used some Noch brand flock with flowers to add some colour to the greys.

And some 15mm Russian farmhouses for Battlegroup Blitzkrieg (by Mk IV Miniatures). More now under construction for my current Battlegroup Barbarossa campaign with Alan.

And for the first bonus round:
https://analogue-hobbies-theme-rounds.blogspot.com.au/2018/01/flight-from-paulog-one-man-dirigible.html

"Flight"this screw powered one man dirigible is a VSF delight to battle foes in the Back of Beyond, over the Red Planet or as some sort of diesel punk version of the Gyro Captain from Mad Max 2! I found this kit in the depths of the Man Cave where had lurked since purchase. The Flight bonus round gave me the impetus to give it the attention it so richly deserves

The model is a resin and metal casting from Tobsen Miniatures in Germany, who do some fantastically crazy and wacky stuff: https://shop.tobsen77.com/en/  He also sells the pilot figure. Maxim gun and the backpack/ammo pouches are from my spares box.

In the Bonus Round voting my dirigible was equal runner up to some amazing other submissions, which I am obviously thrilled with.
The Votes are in for the 'Flight' Bonus Round Theme!

So AHPC 8 is now 3 weeks down, these entries take me 150 points towards my target and I am ahead of the curve.  Admittedly, I have a more modest target of 500 points in comparison to my 1200 odd points for AHPC 7.  If I get there quickly I will bump it up appropriately.

2017 Reflections

Time for another reflective post on my hobby year - seems this is the 8th time I have self indulged in this manner.  In terms of playing I would put this year right up there for consistency of playing and number of games played.  In terms of hobby and painting I firmly believe 2017 was the most productive I have ever had.

Starting with AHPC VII, I cracked a personal best of 1200 points (my former record was 850) and while the pace slowed a little I never stopped painting afterwards.  Amongst other bits 'n bobs, this year I have built a Dragon Rampant Army, a FIW British Army, bolstered my WW2 Brits and painted some Weird WW2 stuff - all in 28mm

My AHPC VII output: a personal best

This year at our Odin's Night gaming club we've played quite regularly (usually weekly), and had some big battle days and multi-player games. My FIW games with Alan earlier in the year were a particular highlight:

My British Regulars in action!

British Infantry advance...

...under the watchful eye of their Commander! (I think this is probably my best painting ever)

...as were Patrol level Bolt Action games (particularly the smaller Patrol scenarios from OP SEALION) and lots of Dragon Rampant - all of which inspired more painting throughout the year.

Herr Flick interrogates General Urquart!

Squadron Leader "Topper" Redfern, RAF

Winston ready for Action!

1st Leichestershire Scout Group at the Bexhill-on-Sea Jamboree

Angry Dwarves assault a fortified city!

Trolls! One of my most fun units to paint ever!

6mm ECW action with Barqoue

I also rediscovered Colonial gaming by unearthing my Anglo-Zulu collection which had been buried for 23 odd years and then popped it back to the table for some very enjoyable games

In terms of Cons, I went to CanCon (Jan), MOAB (Oct) and Little Wars (Nov) - didn't play at any of them but enjoyed all the socials and of course bought lots of treasures :-)

Unfortunately I wont be able to make it to CanCon 18

As always, the best bit was sharing it all with mates:

2018 will see a dramatic shift in my hobby routines due to life changes and going back to sea.
Will be interesting to see what I am able to achieve in between, though I have a few project ideas up my sleeve of course :-)

May 2018 bring you all lots of hobby happiness!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and yours a happy and safe Christmas

Edward the festive Emu 

May Santa bring you cool hobby stuff in your stocking!

Review: The Men Who Would Be Kings

To play with my recently unearthed Anglo Zulu War armies we picked up Osprey's The Men Who Would Be Kings, by Dan Mersey - the same author as our much played Lion and Dragon Rampant.

While the rules are definitely in the same family tree, they are not just a carbon copy but a definite development with adjustments for the period and which reflect not just the improved technologies but the way in which armies were put together and used.


Bottom Line up Front: A lot of Fun, we had a blast.  Highly recommended.


The system will be very familiar to Lion/Dragon Rampant players but there are some key nuances which you will likely miss on the first swing (as we did).  One of these is that charge moves are not double your normal move, but now the addition of d6 inches. I like the uncertainty this presents as a Commander's decision point.


The moral effects are interesting and disrupting the enemy is all about pins.  Pinning the enemy really stops them in their tracks and if you can set up a crossfire to inflict multiple pins they will likely take another turn or two to recover.  Of course, if you focus all your firepower on one enemy units to do that, the other enemy units will close in with impunity...


The rules are definitely a simpler system to achieve speed so there are a few abstractions which players need to adjust to - for example, there is no reaction fire, so if your dapper redcoats get caught in the wrong spot they wont be getting a chance to fire a volley from their Martini-Henrys before those Zulus crash into them with those sharp assegais!


To achieve of intent of big battle vice a skirmish game, we adjusted the rules so that units are 3/4 strength from those in the book. Thus, Regular Infantry units are 8 points not 12, Tribal Infantry 12 vice 16 etc.  As the ratios remain the same, I do not believe this made any significant impact. We also used one stand (of 3 x 15mm figures) per unit strength vice 1 x 28mm Figure, and thus we were able to achieve a satisfying massed battle look vice it feeling like a skirmish game.

Under our adjusted unit sizes, this is a Regular Infantry unit at full strength with 8 stands of troops plus its Leader

There are also some neat rules for your tribal opponents to play on automatic rules, allowing the humans to play cooperatively and try to survive together; my very favourite way to play colonial games.

Finally, you get 30 different suggestions for different Colonial armies and their foes.
These include the usual Sons of Empire type lists, plus the French in Africa and the Italians in Ethiopia.

Dan Mersey has also published some additional rules on his blog which will be of interest to TMWWBK players: TMWWBK extra rules  you may also find this of interest: A little bit about Command & Control in my games

Another cracking and inexpensive offering from Osprey and which deliver a heck of a lot of fun. TMWWBK is the fourth of Dan Mersey's games now on my shelf and I'm sure it will not be my last.

Now I'm thinking about how I might combine TMWWBK and Dragon Rampant to play some VSF colonial gaming on Barsoom Mars...