Bocage and Fields

I've done what many other wargamers have done. I've taken those green potscrubbers and turned them into bocage (in 6mm) or rough hedges (15mm). I start by giving them a rough cut and glue them onto some plasticard.

My variation is that I brushed them with glue and then dipped them in my flock mix. I shook my flock mix up before the dip so that a lot of the course flock came to the surface. That gives my bocage a more fluffy, less boxy look.

I made my fields by taking brown corduroy and semi-dry brushing it with cheap craft paint of various shades of brown.

Closer up with more of a miniature eye view:

Beer Interlude: Granville Island Lions Winter Ale

8/10

This is first time I've had this beer and it is very enjoyable. There's a hint of coffee in its fragrance. It has a nice chocolate flavour that comes on strong right away. The hint of coffee is in the taste as well. The beer lingers with a nutty tone.

I'm definitely buying more of this one.

March 16 update:
I had this again and enjoyed this again. I got a hint of sourness that adds a depth to this beer.

The Painting Post

We reorganized the basement over the last two weekends. The first weekend was for the various baking and kitchen supplies in the front half of the basement. This weekend was for my half of the basement (which I share with The Immortal Cat).

Some things got thrown out but nothing miniatures-related (funny how that worked out). I did, however, box a lot of things. I also cleared off the glass-topped table I've been using. My resolution is to only work on one thing at a time. If I'm not working on it, it goes back into storage. This goes against my natural inclinations, but we'll see if I can sustain this resolution.

AAR: Two battles using Starfire

Glory to the Great Khan!

I have the greatest pleasure in announcing two victories over the hairless apes. In the first, they invaded with three ships the system to which I am your humble governor. I observed them from the bridge of my light cruiser.

Our brave escorts launched themselves at our foe. The escorts clawed deep at the enemy but the return fire was fierce and we suffered our first loss. Meanwhile I circled the enemy looking for their soft underbelly.

 Another view of those heroes of the Khanate sacrificing themselves to honour you, Great Khan!

 

Their sacrifice was not in vain. For they damaged an ape ship, and fearing our fangs, that ship ran for the warp point.

 Soon the enemy realized our teeth are sharp and our claws are long and they began to flee.

But as they turned to run, the apes destroyed another escort. Here is the glorious final moment of those heroes. You can see one ape ship routing to the warp point.

At this point, I closed with the enemy and raked first one and then the other. We raced to the warp point.

Again and again, I slashed the ape ships but they were able to keep speed.

As they neared the warp point, their fire slackened and their engines slowed and I was able to close to optimal range.

Just as both ape ships were set to exit through the warp point, I struck fatal blows and both ships were destroyed.



 


I show here the final moment of the largest ape ship just before I destroyed the other.

In our second victory, we avenged the hairless apes' intrusion by invading them. I told our escorts to hang back while we concentrated extreme range fire on the enemy's small ships. Soon we damaged both of them for the loss of one our brave escorts. The enemy lost heart and fled back through the warp point they had entered with. In our pursuit, we lost another escort.

At this point, our mighty fleet destroyed the two small ships that the apes were abandoning. We should have captured them, but our blood was hot for revenge. The enemy paid the price for daring to destroy your ships, Great Khan!

I would have recorded this victory but the Archivist failed in his duty.

ACW really really miniatures part 2

I finished painting my 2mm figures and based them. I've flocked the front bases but I'm going to add unit numbers and corps/division markings to the back. When I've done those, I'll flock around those markings.

Anyway, here are some of them:

Close up of the Union infantry:

Close up of the Confederate infantry:

Yes, I'm mad enough to paint stars in 2mm!

The Leadpile

Time for a bit of an inventory of things I might or might not get to:

• 6mm (mostly) WW2 American vehicles (mostly Shermans) that I did not previously get to.
• 6mm Adler WW2 Germans.
• 6mm WW2 German vehicles that Stephen gave to me to paint when I announced that I had completed all of the vehicles he sent to me earlier.
• Re-base some of my 6mm infantry for skirmish.
• 30 28mm WW2 Americans (and it looks like I'll need to pick up another box for CoC because 30 leaves me a bit short and I'll have no support options either otherwise)
• 2mm ACW that David gave to me for my birthday after I announced that I had completed my 2mm ACW armies. I'm sensing a theme here.
• 15mm ECW armies to re-base and matte down a bit.
• 15mm 100yrs War armies that I've had for a while.
• 15mm Egyptian armies that I've had for even longer.
• 6mm Zulus and English
• Various other bits and bobs like 2mm Carthaginian and Roman, 28mm future that I'm now not feeling any motivation whatsoever to complete.

Sigh. This is gonna take a while.

ACW really really miniatures

A long time ago, I ordered a pack of 2mm ACW figures from Irregular, They sat for while and then I got around to painting some of them. Here's some pix of them painted but not fully based. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of detail on these little guys.

Just to give you an idea of the size of these little guys, here's a picture with a Canadian penny:

I finally finished painting them recently and re-based them onto slightly larger bases. Pix to come

Creating Chain of Command markers

You can find quite a few examples of creative patrol markers and jump off points. Rich at Too Fat Lardies has produced what look to be nice collections of object de guerre and others have similar creative 3D markers. Mine aren't like those markers.

They are, however, dead simple and quick to do.

1. Print out the markers from the Lardies Yahoo group. I suppose I could have used photo paper or such, but I settled for standard paper.
2. Stick them on to some plasticard that is cut to fit the entire marker. A while ago, we asked our security company for some new stickers. They included a sign in the package. I chucked the aluminum post in the recycle bin but I kept the sign, figuring that I could find a use for it.
3. Paint around the marker using brown paint. I use some cheap craft paint for this. You don't have to be too precise as long as you don't go too much over the printed marker. The brown is for when the flock wears off and the underneath looks like dirt rather than white plastic.
4. Paint white glue over the brown paint and then dip the marker into your flock mix. My mix is about 1/3 course and 2/3 fine.
5. Shake off the excess flock and your are done.

I hammered these out in about an hour all told,