Let’s start this Wargaming Week, covering the 15th through to the 21st of October.
BLOG STUFF
This week’s post was taking a look at the Spectre Tier 1 Operator range. This was another range that has been sat in my “to be finished” queue for a while and, despite not having much hobby time, it was really great to just push them over the edge and get them ready for the tabletop.
IMPORTANT BLOG NEWS
So things in the real world have been a little busy for the last few months. The project at work is wrapping up (you’ve probably been seeing adverts for the release out and about – being bright red they are hard to miss) but things are in the final stages and I don’t want extra deadlines hanging around my neck.
Don’t get me wrong I really love writing the posts and getting everything together but it takes time. Lots of time. And that time is among the first thing to get cut when I need to do more stuff at work or indulge in other hobbies to relax.
What I’m trying to say is that there will be no Friday posts for the next month or so. Wargaming Week will still be going up every Monday. My plan is to come back in December for a few posts before my Christmas break and maybe sneak in a battle report if I manage to get down to the club.
NEWS
First up, Spectre has shown off the model they will be releasing at Millenium Con in Texas. Appropriate for the area, it looks like a US Law Enforcement Officer complete with. For those of us not making the trip to the Lone Star State, the figure should be available on the web store for a limited time, in the same way that the other event exclusives go up.
Despite not really focusing on the Cops and Robbers side of wargaming, the smart clothing means I might end up using him as a slightly more eccentric US offical.
Spectre also had some new releases this week! This time they are focusing on terrain, both human and physical. For those wanting their civilians to be doing something more than just strolling around or being dodgy, these packs give you two figures on phones and two slightly more irrate fellows. Both of these are going to be great for scenarios, either needing some pacification or arrest. The phones especially could stand in for a dicker.
The physical terrain is the release of the various walls and pieces of cover that we have in several of the press shot for recent ranges. As well as the brick piles, there are several small walls (ideal for scatter) and larger full size walls in brick and concrete. When I started working on my KOD buildings, I’ll definitely be picking up some to build up the detail on them.
Finally some interesting news coming out of Sarissa Precision and SASM. They are teaming up to produce some MDF buildings for modern wargaming and are kicking off with a certain compound in Libya. This is something that I’ve been waiting for Sarissa to do for a while and I’ll be interested in seeing how the range turns out, both with the Libya items and with what comes next.
PURCHASES
For a change from the last few weeks, I actually grabbed something. From the new Spectre releases, I just had to pick up both the civilian packs. Next year I’m planning to run several scenarios as part of a campaign set in Bazistan and more civilians will be exactly what I need to give my players concern.
I’m also in the process of changing my brushes. For the longest time when I first started, I was buying GW’s supplies which, although good, were a little expensive. Being a cheapskate, I found an “8 brushes for £13” pack on Amazon which have been absolute garbage. So for Christmas, I’m going to get a few new brushes. On advice from one of my hobby senseis/former housemate Dreadquill, I’m going to take a look at Broken Toad’s offerings. I’ve grabbed a size 1 brush just to try them out before pushing the button on a full set.
HOBBY
So the Tier 1 Operators. I had actually already painted most of these guys last year but I wasn’t a massive fan of the look of them. So after a quick wash in the Iso Alcohol and some repainting, these look a lot less garish than the original version. Also, it’s nice to get the get them finished off rather than just still sitting on my desk staring at me.
It’s time. One of the first sets I bought all those years ago when I first started wargaming was the Empress British Infantry. There were also one of the first groups I actually painted up fully and they got lots of use.
However, I was never happy with the MTP, especially after Spectre showed off their methods. So, in a fit of rage, I stripped all 50 figures down, rebased them, corrected a few assembly mistakes and then got ready to repaint them. And then I started needing to do a post every week and so they fell back down the list (right next to the mountain of US Marines).
However, I’ve always wanted to get them back on the table. And so, in some of my break, I’m going to start getting these guys ready again.
That’s it for this update, expect more updates next week!