Let’s start this Wargaming Week, covering the 14th through to the 21st of May.
BLOG STUFF
Last week’s post was kicking off a new project! B-Town is going to be packed full of me finally getting my MDF finished off and ready for the tabletop as well as lots of opportunities to try out new things. I talk about it a bit more in the hobby section but this is something I’m really looking forward to. Even better, it’s a project that I get to show off without any preset deadlines… for now.
Speaking of blog stuff, a post went up yesterday about GDPR changes as well as a whole bunch of tweaks to how the site (and my other web stuff) works. For most people, nothing will change, except maybe the page loads a little faster.
NEWS
First up, Sally 4th have been showing off their new boat! Their tramp steamer, made of MDF and with plenty of access to the interior. If you’re looking for a small commercial vessel to sit in your 3rd world port and possibly be assaulted by frogmen, this one would be great! It’s available on their site for pre-order, will be shipping in early June.
Next, SASM have a new range of figures. This time, they are being CAD designed and the pack includes 10 US Special Operators. The link also includes some WIP photos of the physical figures being painted up. I’ll admit, I’m not rushing to buy these guys but it’s exciting to see everything SASM is trying out. They are currently available to pre-order, details in the link.
Finally, Alan from White Dragon Miniatures dropped this teaser on the Modern Miniature Warfare page. If you don’t recognise it, that is some brass etched bar armour (designed to beat RPGs) and, based on chatting to him at shows and the size/shape of it, it’s for a Mastiff. I’ve been looking forward to one of these for a while and the idea its coming complete with bar armour makes me pretty excited. I’ll be keeping an eye open for when the rest of vehicle arrives.
GAMING
No gaming – I’m beginning to forget the rattle of dice or how to use a tape measure.
PURCHASES
Bit of a strange one – I picked up the ebook version of Outremer: Fatith and Blood, the latest ruleset from Osprey. I really like these small scale skirmish/gang games and after reading some of the designer notes in the last issue of Wargames Illustrated, I just had to take a look. It’s a really interesting little system, with plenty of cool features including a great progression system that I could see being a lot of fun.
HOBBY
In case you hadn’t noticed from the purchases section over the last few months, I really like picking up rule sets to read and maybe play someday down the line once I finish painting up most of what I have. My day job is related to games design, so getting the chance to dissect rules is great fun. Of course, this also means that, like many wargamers cursed with the joy of tinkering, I like to write my own wargames stuff. I’ve started playing with some ideas for a squad vs squad wargames with a big focus on characters and some aspects not normally seen in wargames inspired by talking to some people. No idea what I plan to do with them (probably just subject my friends in Edinburgh and York to them) but it’s a fun side project that I can do when I don’t feel like picking up a paint brush.
Of course based on this week’s article the big thing was getting the first building painted up. It really was a trial piece and I think there are a few things I’ll change in the future. Of course, having painted up the first building there is now going to be a delay until building two while I grab all the supplies I need. As well as the various paints I’ll need, there is also wires, styrene and detailing bits I’ll pick up to add all the extra features needed to make them look like a modern urban area. I also need to source some more photos on top of the coca cola advert I already have.
The other bit of painting time was done on the subjects for this week’s post. I FINALLY finished off the SPG-9 and ZPU and so I’m ready to talk about them on Friday. It felt a bit strange going back to painting stuff for technicals after already having so much done, but it’s quite nice painting something that isn’t on a tan base!
That’s it for this update, expect more updates next week!