Land Ironclads: Leviathan Edition

Hi!

I've spent the last few days pondering my Land Ironclads project with the aim of bringing it to the setting of Leviathan, a project I started late last year and actually got some gubbins painted too before I drifted off on other stuff.

But here we are in December of 2019 and I'm hoping to round out the year by getting the last of the bits and bobs I have painted up and making a start on bringing the other forces and units to life in my alternate post apocalyptic/steampunk/magitech setting.

28mm vs 2mm

The first issue I need to cover is how to translate the units and assorted armies from 28mm into microscale 2mm. Leviathan has lots of big war engines and beasties but I want to really push the envelope a bit to bring in some properly vast stuff the give a sense of scale to my games which will pit teeny tiny infantry and cavalry against battletanks, warbeasts and larger colossal devices of destruction. 

Similarly, I will need to incorporate magic and elemental summoning into my games but Land Ironclads is a pretty flexible system so I'm sure with a bit of bodging it will be ok! 

Thunderhammer battletank

My initial plan is to design and build units representing all the Dwarf and Orc forces available in the book and add my own twist to it and then add the larger stuff, such as the bigger level of Land Ironclads before having a bash at a game or two.

With this in mind, I've ordered some MDF bases so I can crack on with the smaller stuff just now and hope to place a small order with Irregular Miniatures for some 2mm infantry, cavalry and artillery in the next month or so. Hopefully as things progress I will be able to add the Barbarians and Elves before moving onto the other races that inhabit Aeroth as well as building some more 2mm suitable terrain for them all to fight over. 

I must admit that the prospect of finally getting the image I've had in my head out onto the gaming table is rather exciting and I'm hoping to post an assortment of doodles on the blog as I slowly design up the redesigned units and set about sculpting them.

Sadly the closer we get to Christmas, the busier I am at work but fingers crossed I'll be able to grab a few moments to work on my miniproject!

In the meantime, All the best!

Land Ironclads Ponderings

Hi!

I've been a tad busy with work related shenanigans over the last month or so since my last post but have managed to paint some more 15mm gubbins which I will try and get some pics of in the next week or so once the batch of them are all finished but in the meantime I've been pondering a serious return to my fantasy Land Ironclads project.

 Orc Warbeasts with infantry

I started 2019 with quite a bit of activity around the tiny 2mm scale figures and was really progressing well with them until I hit a bit of a roadblock in the form of the infantry. I had tried making my own from cut down plastic grid and while it looked ok, I wasn't entirely happy with it and the project kind of fizzled out.

 Titanosaur Wartowers

I actually managed to play out several games of Land Ironclads and rather enjoyed it's simplicity and how well it worked with a grand scaled fantasy setting too and as we head towards the end of the year, I find myself once again drawn to it and really want to have a second bash at it, especially as I still have several unpainted models.

With that in mind, I've cracked out the paints and hope to add the level 3 Dwarf Ironclad and several Thunderhammer tank formations to my Dwarf collection as well as the command Titanosaur to my Orcs.

Dwarf Ironclad formation on maneuver

I've got absolutely tons of ideas for adding to the project and refuse to let it sit unloved any longer and have decided to place a small order with Irregular Miniatures to furnish me with infantry, cavalry and artillery for this project. I had swithered about this for some time as fantasy races in Aeroth don't use horses but a mottley array of lizards, boars and other, more peculiar mounts but in 2mm scale, I don't think it will matter too much!

I've been rather inspired by some of the blogging over on WRONGHAMMER and IN A WORLD OF PAINT  for in one case rather impressive collection of 2mm armies and the other constant blogging and some interesting conversions and a rather fun battle report so have pulled myself together and will hopefully get the odd post done over the coming week or two!

In the meantime, All the best!

An Update!

Greetings!

It's been a while since I had chance to update my blog as I've been run off my feet with work which has resulted in me being too tired to spend any time with my hobby but I happened to have today off and noticed that Skelp, the wargame show was on so decided to wander up to Forfar for a peruse and see if anything caught my fancy.

I have to say that it was a really disappointing show with only about half a dozen traders and demos along with a few bits and bobs at the bring and buy and I ended up leaving empty handed, a first for me for a wargame show.

I must admit that I've not been for a few years as I always seem to have work on the day but I remember my last visit having a lot more stuff on the go with over a dozen traders and tons of goodies in the bring and buy but instead of inspiring me to crack on with hobby shenanigans, I found myself really disappointed with the whole experience.

Now I do apologise for being so very negative about my visit but I do have fond memories of picking up all manner of interesting things the last time I was there and that there was considerably more to see as well.

Still, I was also oddly relieved as I had vague ideas of picking up some 28mm gubbins for either 40k or Age of Sigmar and am glad that I didn't give in to temptation as I know from bitter experience that the scale holds no real love for me anymore and smaller stuff is the way to go!

With that in mind, I've been spending a bit of time this evening organising my 15mm leadpile and have discovered that I actually have quite a few nice bits and bobs secreted away that are in need of a lick of paint so in a somewhat odd turn of events, the least inspiring show I've been to has become a bit of an inspiration to revamp my wargaming slump!

Saying that, I am off on holiday in a week to Greece for my 40th so suspect that I'll not be posting much till early November but hope that some classical civilisation will be just what I need to see out 2019!

In the meantime, All the best!

Davion Mechs Sighted!

Hi!

While I've been rummaging my Flintloque stuff, I happened across some of my old Battletech SD sculpts and thought it might be rather fun to finish painting them up!

Davion Light Mechs

I've now got three completed in the form of a pair of Valkyries and a Javelin and am now thinking of finally finishing my lance off with a Centurion that I've had on the drawing board for four years. 

I'm rather fond of the little chaps and we shall have to see what I can cobble together in the coming weeks, once my last Deadloque Undead musketeer is finished obviously!

In the meantime, All the best!

A Return to Flintloque

Hi!

I can't believe it's already half way through August! I've taken a bit of a break from all the 15mm scale gubbins that I've been painting over the last few weeks to crack on with my small Flintloque project.

Grigori Dracsul and Zombie Musketeers

I'm rather enjoying painting the chunky sculpts that I have such fond memories of and must admit that I'm sorely tempted to pick up some more Flintloque gubbins once I've finished painting my way through the Deadloque boxed set that I picked up earlier this year.

Now all my scenery collection consists of 5-15mm scale stuff so playing a game of Flintloque would be a bit of a challenge so I had a rummage through my bits box and found an old Grendel Artillery position and have had a crack at painting up the Mantlet:

Grendel Mantlet and Undead Musketeer

I must say that the Grendel resin scenics pieces are utterly fab! The detail is nice and chunky and it takes very little effort to bring out the best in the kits. This piece was mainly done over the course of an evening with several drybrushes and washes and really looks great now it's finished. The application of some snow effect really made it fit in with the frozen Witchlands aesthetic of Flintloque too.

I still have the spotters position to finish and will post a picture of the complete set once I get the chance but In the meantime, I have also finished an old plastic Darkworld treasure chest for use as a scenario objective:

Chest of Grave Dirt

Game wise, it will be Grigori's daytime retreat for when the sun makes a rare appearance and is full of grave dirt for him to recuperate in. I used black glitter which doesn't really show up too well in the photo but gives quite a nice magical finish in the flesh.

Looking at my progress, I have a single Zombie musketeer to paint but he's going to need a bit of tlc as he's got quite a bit of flash and mould slippage going on which will see me doing a bit of carving to clean him up and then the whole Undead force will be finished!

 Grigori and Musketeers

I find it fascinating that I'm more than happy to paint up these chunky fellows while more modern 28mm sculpts leave me dreading picking up a brush. I suspect the forgiving nature of the sculpts appeals to me as it's awfully easy to bring out the best in them and get a finish that is deeply satisfying.

Stalinov and Skeletal Militia

As already mentioned, I've been looking back fondly on the old sculpts and I'm rather tempted to pick up one or two more for the Peninsular campaign with Wheelingturn's Orcs but I'm trying to restrain myself as I still have the Elven survivor miniatures to paint from the Deadloque box but I do recommend folks give them a try as once you get past the slightly crude and cartoony sculpts, they are rather good fun to work on!

Hopefully I'll have the Undead finished by the end of the month and hope to finish off one or two odds and ends that have been sat partly painted on my shelves for quite some time so watch this space!

All the best!

Steampowered Infantry

Hi!

I've just finished a squad of steampowered infantry for my ongoing VSF/Steampunk/Weird West project!

1st Texan Ironclad Infantry 

Constructed from plastic gubbins with some wire and putty to make rifles and a bit of cotton for their smokestacks, I'm quite pleased with how they have turned out and they will make a good addition to my no longer fledgeling force!

Ironclad Infantry are the marvel of the age with their miniaturised boilers allowing them full mobility for a full thirty minutes before needing stoking again, their thick iron plate making them nigh invulnerable to small arms fire and allowing the brave crewman to wade into the thick of the action before unleashing a barrage of lead from his heavy shotgun.

Scale Shot

I imagine these little chaps clanking forward towards their enemy, occasionally exploding spectacularly but I do love a steampunk suit, no matter how unsuited to actual combat it may be!

My next task will be to add some more contraptions for my Texans to field so watch this space!

Cowboys vs Aliens

Hi!

It's been a bit quiet here on my blog but I have been quietly beavering away with my ongoing Peter Pig Weird West mini project and have finished a second unit of 12 rifles!

Riflemen

The figures are almost entirely comprised of Peter Pig's rather good 15mm Wild West range apart from a singly Laserburn hunter after I realised that I was short a figure for a nice 12 man unit!

I went for lots of browns, greys and blues again with the colour scheme and rather like how they turned out, even if they are possibly not too historically accurate and unlike the pistol unit, they have  a bit more interesting of a selection of poses as there's a few shotgun toting types amidst the unit.

This gives me two full units for my Weird West force which is rather surprising and I seem to be almost putting together a full army without meaning to!

Here's the full force as it stands:

A Posse of the Rootinist, Tootinist Varmints this side of the Rio Grande!

I must admit that I've really enjoyed working on the little guys and look forward to adding some more mounted units before adding some character figures into the mix. Having had these chaps for an absolute age (as best as I can remember, I got them in 2006-7) I am overjoyed to actually have them painted up and am constantly pleased and surprised by the little details the Peter Pig figures have. 

While they are mostly going to be seeing action somewhere in the West, I do plan on using them as disgruntled settlers or Grox herders for my Alternative 40k setting too. Sadly they are true 15mm scale so some of my other figures kind of loom a bit over them but I'm looking forward to working on more of them and dare I say it, pick up the remaining units to complete an actual factual army!

 Grox Herders defend a promethium store on Farpoint

In order to keep the painting mojo going, I've been mixing all manner of other figures into the paint queue to stop me getting bored and I've managed to complete the first two of my Boglin figures:

Boglins

They are from a set of soft rubber toy figures I picked up from Tesco a few years ago as they looked suitable for 15mm sci-fi gaming and I've finally managed to paint a couple of the bounders!

The soft rubber meant that I couldn't clean off the mould lines and I never bothered stripping off the original paint and just primed over the top. I was pleasantly surprised by the sharp details they had lurking about them as their teeth and beady eyes really came out well. A good coat of varnish has firmed them up enough for use and I hope to paint the remaining four over the next week or two!

I've no idea who made them but am rather sad that I didn't pick up a couple more packs when they were available as they are rather fun. Mounted on 25mm bases they are a lot bulkier than an average 15mm scale figure but they do the job as some foul mutant from the depths or a toxically inclined alien for the good guys to shoot at in small skirmishes which is fine with me.

Hopefully I'll finish the last of my Salvage Crew this weekend too and will be able to post some pics of them next time along with a few random figures I've been working on over the last couple of weeks so watch this space.

In the meantime, All the best!

Weird West Cowboys

Hi!

Last week I previewed some 15mm scale Cowboys I've been painting and I've managed to finish a unit of 12 of the little chaps.

Cowboys

I've had the little chaps for at least 10-15 years now and some were painted (badly) as colonial militia for my old Stainless Steel Rat project and I figured it was high time that I did something with them rather than having them just languish in a box.

After a bit of pondering, I decided to base them up with a mixture of individual and group bases with the vague idea of using them as a Weird West force as I've got enough to form 3-4 units all told and with a bit of bodging, I can easily add some more unusual elements such as zombie gunfighters or warwagons...

I've now got the first half of a rifle unit painted and hope to get it finished for the weekend before moving onto some mounted troops. I've also got some sci-fi salvage team done which will be getting photographed too as time permits!

I seem to have really got into 15mm painting again after almost six months of working on all sorts of other scales so we shall have to see how I get on but in the meantime, all the best!

Homicidal Pepperpots Tutorial

Hi!

Last week I made myself some Dalek proxies in 15mm scale and I've been asked to put together a step by step guide on how to make the angry little fellows so here goes!

EXTERMINATE!

Supplies

To make the proxy Daleks, you will need a selection of plasticard (cardboard will do at a pinch!) of different thicknesses, some plastic rod and some plastic embellishments (I picked these up from The Range in their craft section for about £2.99 and they are dead handy).

Building The Daleks

The first step is to cut some pieces of the plastic rod (mine is 7mm thick) to 10mm lengths and then fasten on a piece of 2mm thick plasticard to it. This gives the backpack/rear of the armour. Next add some smaller sections of plasticard to the sides. I used slightly thinner plasticard for this and cut it to 7mm sections. 

Next add a smaller piece of plasticard in front of that (the right hand of the pic). 

Next use a small piece of thicker plasticard to the front of the robots body and the basic shape is done. The next steps were to add some extra panelling to the rear of the armour to add some more detail. Finally peel off one of the larger embellishments and glue it on and the Dalek is starting to take shape!

Once the head is in place, peel off two small dome embellishments and stick them on the sides of the head giving the flashy communication lights. A third dome is reversed and glued in place to give the eye stalk and then a small piece of wire to give the laser gun/cattleprod/deathray. On the other side, I added a small piece of thin plastic rod to make the basis of it's manipulator arm.

As I already had six basic Daleks, I wanted to add some commanders and heavy weapons to my fledgling force so I gave two the normal manipulator arms by using another of the small domes reversed and glued in place while the remaining two became heavy weapon Daleks by gluing a small dome in the centre of their casing and fastening on a small piece of thin plastic rod!

While not perfect representations of the Daleks, they do the job. If I had endless patience I would add all the little domes on their casing to give a more classic Dalek look but as they are now, they will do and they make handy additions to my other projects, be they Imperial Extermination droids or Ghoulani Enslaver bots!

It took me about an hour to make four of them and cost about £1 worth of materials and if you do an assembly line approach rather than stopping to take pictures, it takes even less time and I'm rather pleased with how they turned out. Hopefully I'll get the remaining four painted this week and will showcase my fledgling force then.

In other news, I've been furiously painting my way through my 15mm gubbins and have got a load more cowboys done as well as the first four members of my salvage crew and will post some pics up in the coming week!

In the meantime, All the best!

Re-Exploring Old Rulesets

Hi!

I can't believe it's almost the end of June and I've not posted anything here for almost a month!

Saying that, I've been rather busy both with my lovely wife's birthday, two weeks holidays and organising our spare room/man cave/library. This has given me the chance to finally have a bit of a sort through my old ruleset collection which has given me the urge to have a good rummage through the books and have a peruse!

I'm often struck by what a shame it is when great games vanish or are left in a zombie state where they are still available but never get any support, be that new releases or indeed anybody playing them. It's doubly so when some of these games have a fascinating setting with some great ideas that really lend themselves to brilliant fun gaming possibilities.

Take a look at Kryomek for example. It's never been out of production, the rules are freely available to download and the miniatures are still being made but it gets very little attention these days. I must admit that I'm just as guilty as any as I originally picked up the books back in the 90's from the long lamented Mac's Models in Edinburgh as well as a handful of miniatures but never seriously tried to play a game.

Similarly, Void 1.1 is still readily available, the rules are also free downloads and the figures are still available. I even had a VASA force fully painted back in the day but sold it off when I went off to uni and never really got back into it which is a real shame as the rules are really good and the setting is rather enjoyable!

For fantasy gaming, how about Crucible by FASA? While the company is long gone, the core rule book is still available from Ral Partha Europe and the forces are generic enough to allow proxy games without too much issue. The rules themselves are actually really good and the setting is brilliant but nobody plays it.

I think part of the issue with these games is that they are aimed at the GW sort of large scale gamers with multiple units, large gaming surfaces and infinite time to paint stuff for them whereas my interests have moved onto smaller scale skirmishing with at most a couple of dozen figures a side. But should this stop me from incorporating the settings, forces and ideas into the sort of games I play now?

No! Having re-read quite a few of my old books, I'm sorely tempted to put together some small skirmish bands and explore the settings. Imagine a UNION marine squad from Vor: The Maelstrom being dispatched to scout a new world and encountering some unfriendly Growlers or Nexus Marines being tasked with searching a hulk and discovering a Kryomek infestation. How about Principality adventurers exploring ancient ruins for artifacts of power in Crucible or grim survivors fighting over precious supplies in the endless wastes of Leviathan's Aeroth.

The list is infinite and the possibilities for some really fascinating games are out there and it's well worth having a peek at some of the old, forgotten and unappreciated rulesets that are sat in many folks collections.

These possibilities are even greater when using 15mm scale figures as it's possible to create a decent sized skirmish force for under a tenner. For example, Star Mogul only requires about a dozen figures and a vehicle a side while Nuclear Renaissance only needs a handful plus suitably converted vehicles.

With this in mind, I hope to use the opportunity to put together some small forces by rummaging my leadpile of 15mm gubbins to see what I can put together. I will be using the month of July to see what themed forces I can clobber together and see how feasible such a scheme would be.

A good example of this is my Bauhaus Jaeger squad that I put together a while back:

Bauhaus Jaegers

They are Ground Zero Games miniatures with added shoulder pads which gives them the suitably 90's Warzone vibe and with a few additions, I have a Warzone 1st edition force ready to rock!

It's going to be an interesting process and we shall have to see what I come up with but hopefully I will resume regular posting here and I even have a couple of batches of 15mm stuff that I've finished off over the last couple of weeks that needs posting up so watch this space!

Badlands Skirmish

Hi!

After my angry review of the other day, I managed to get a quick game of a Song of Blasters using my Epic scaled Ultramarines versus some Eldar.

I've also been working on getting some new scenery put together in the form of some rock columns to add a bit of height to my setup.

 Early Deployment

The Imperials had a more mobile force consisting of several tactical squads mounted in Rhinos and a Landspeeder to give a bit of mobile punch to the patrol and the Imperial forces quickly took control of the settlement in the centre of the board and pushed forward towards the Eldar positions.

Some poor activation rolls saw the Eldar flank refusing to move off the hill which left the Warlock and his Guardians somewhat exposed with just a Falcon grav tank to support them. The Landspeeder had hurtled up the flank and hit the tank with a heavy plasma gun but only succeeded in damaging it and in return the Falcons Brightlance sent the skimmer crashing to the ground in flames.

At this point it became clear that the Eldar had the edge in ranged firepower with the Falcon, Dark Reapers and Warlock able to hit the Marines before their shorter range Bolters could be brought to bare and if it hadn't been for the use of their transports as a shield, the Ultramarines would have been in for a rough day.

The Dark Reapers on the flank blow up a squad of Marines 

Fortunately for the Marines, their transports sacrifice saw them able to get close enough to the Eldar to let rip with their bolters and the lithe Guardians were shredded in a storm of explosive shells.

At this point, the Eldar were forced to retreat having lost most of their infantry but the Ultramarines vehicles were all wrecked apart from the command Rhino.

 The Imperial Rhino's cook off following Brightlance strikes and Warlock Powers

I'm rather enjoying playing very small games in 6mm scale and think I may have some more skirmishes to play but do need to look at my rules a bit further to make things run a bit more smoothly and do need to add some more balancing units to my forces as my Ultramarines need some long range firepower while my Eldar need more swift moving units too!

At present, an average game lasts about 20-30 minutes which should allow me to run a decent mini campaign over the course of an evening but the more multi wound vehicles and units I add, the longer it takes to play.

In the meantime, I'm also starting work on my Orks and have managed to finish two stands of Goff boyz to test out how they look and if a more verdant base works with them. While I like the Orks, I'm not sure about the bases and think I need to add some green static grass or patches of vegetation like I did with my aris bases to make them pop.

Ork Boyz

I think I need to rummage my Epic boxes to see what I have and what I can add to my forces as it would be great to see some fully fleshed out little patrols duking it out over the coming months!

In the meantime, All the best!

Osprey's Ragnarok: An Angry Review UPDATED

Hi!

I recently picked up a copy of Osprey's new wargame, Ragnarok and thought I'd share my initial thoughts on it.

I'm sorry if I upset anyone with this review but rarely do I get so angered by something to the point of having to post a massive rant about it and Ragnarok has really annoyed me and sadly reading through this post again makes me sound like a loon so apologies for the raging that follows!

Ragnarok

I'd heard rumour of Ragnarok a while ago and really liked the idea of epic skirmishes in a post apocalyptic Viking world and pre ordered a copy from Waterstones (my store here in Dundee!). I must admit that I was a bit hesitant as it comes in at a hefty £25 which is a fair chunk of change for a rulebook but I really wanted to give it a bash.

 Berzerker

On first perusal, I was pleasantly surprised as the artwork throughout is pretty fantastic, as is the case with all of Osprey's games range but when I got down to the nitty gritty, things started to go a bit pear shaped.

I have now read through the rules three times to try and figure out how close combat works in the game and am still no clearer on it than I was the first time I read it. The rules seem to have been noted down by someone who knows the game and therefore doesn't need to explain how it works which is incredibly frustrating. 

Even after my third attempt at reading it, close combat doesn't appear to be explained unless from the attackers point if he's charging or the defender's if he decides to attack back. The stats you compare for the opposed roll isn't mentioned in this section of the rulebook but further back in the Morpheus Engine section (this is the authors generic rule system which I think he's planning on using for multiple different games).

There are few if any examples featured and even then they are badly worded to the point that they don't actually help at all and the layout itself irks me too as it just seems to be jumbled in with the background and rules for campaigns. 

A perfect example of this is the Success Table, the basis for all rolls made in the game. The table itself makes little to no sense but the wording that goes with it makes it even more obscure to the point of madness! 

Another thing that irked me was the poor quality of the miniatures pictures. It's a miniatures game and the rulebook is pretty expensive so the least they could do is feature some decent pictures instead of this:

Meh

I get the impression that Osprey have spent quite a bit on the book so why is it ok to feature tabletop quality figures on a game mat with some polystyrene hills? Worse yet, quite a few of the pictures in the book are decidedly blurry or pixelated and it looks suspiciously like they've been taken on a phone. 

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I've had very mixed feelings about Osprey games releases but this one has really frustrated me to the point that I'm actually considering returning it to the shop which is saying something.

Annoyingly it looks like there may actually be a good game hiding in there and the campaigns look like they may be fun to play BUT it's all let down by seemingly not having anyone who isn't experienced with playtesting the game sit down and read through it to see if it actually makes sense! Ooh it makes me cross!

I must admit that by the time it got to covering the interesting stuff like Godspark (the ability to harness the power of the dead gods to perform heroic actions) and the assorted equipment, denizens of the nine realms and so on, I had lost pretty much all enthusiasm for Ragnarok as no matter how pretty looking a game is and all the shiny bells and whistles of super special abilities or innovative campaign systems it may have, if the rules don't mesh or are so poorly laid, missing out as to be unclear to the point of unusable, they are going to fail!

My angry advice would be to give the whole thing a miss and save a waste of £25!

All the best!

UPDATE

Tim, the author of Ragnarok has contacted me to showcase some examples of play and mentioned that Osprey had edited out all the examples in the game to fit the word count.

I apologise to Tim for raging about his rules which he is clearly passionate about but I don't feel that I can remove this post as it's still my honest opinion that there is something wrong with Ragnarok that needs serious attention and it's a waste of what could been an epic game. 

If anyone has played and enjoyed Ragnarok, please do drop a message here and let me know how you got on with it! 

All the best.

Richard

Epic Command Squads

Hi!

I've passed the blip of mentalness concerning 28mm and have been working on repairing my Epic command stands that my cat so thoughtfully ate the banners from last year.

Ultramarine Command Squads, Techmarine, Captain and Medic

Whilst pootling away with them, it got me to thinking about how command squads are represented in Epic. In 2nd edition, each Space Marine character got it's own base with different abilities while in Epic 40k, things got streamlined and they all got combined on to one.

While I can see the wisdom of such a move, I do like the spectacle of having each little character moving around the battlefield carrying out their own role so went with mounting each on their own base with a bodyguard and banner.

I love the spectacle it provides and helps identify command elements from a distance and while a tad ostentatious, I think it fits the 40k universe quite well!

Here's a pic of all my command squads to show how they look:

Banners Aplenty

Eventually, I plan on adding a Chaplain and Librarian to my Ultramarine force and have got their stands underway as I type but I also have some Orks primed and ready as well as a batch of jungle terrain that I'm busily making for my retro green table!

I had forgotten how much fun it was to paint in Epic scale as it's surprisingly easy to paint up a small formation of troops and vehicles in a short period of time. The only downside is that I am running low on lipped bases so will need to replenish my supply soon. I'm also looking for some slightly larger lipped bases for superheavy tanks and titans so will need to have a bit of a peruse of the interwebs for a source that's not too expensive to fit my meagre budget.

In the meantime, All the best!

Hitting a Snag

Hi!

Well I seem to have hit a bit of a snag in that I find myself wanting to do about a million different projects in different scales all at the same time and it's resulted in me grinding to a halt with all things hobby!

It's rather frustrating as I've been plugging away quite happily for a while now with my assorted bits and bobs but all of a sudden it has all stopped dead in its tracks. I think the problem is that I've been trying to put together some 2mm scale Dwarf infantry for my ongoing Land Ironclads project and it's just not working.

Orc Infantry

My Orcs are made out of plastic Granny Grid, the stuff that is used for cross stitch but I've now tried three different ways for my Dwarves using the same materials and must admit that each result has been less than satisfactory. It has got me tempted to take a peek at getting some of the Irregular Miniatures 2mm stuff but the prospect of spending even a small sum is causing me to baulk. I have tons of 15mm and 6mm stuff that I can be getting on with, not to mention the Flintloque stuff that I've been slowly painting my way through so what is it about the struggle to get some tiny, tiny infantry looking right that has resulted in such a jam?

Maybe I just need to rummage out a random figure and paint it instead but I've been wanting to get my forces for such a tiny scale game painted for a while!

The other issue I find myself flailing against is that I recently picked up a green gaming mat and it's got me looking longingly at 2nd edition 40k and 4th edition Fantasy Battle and images like this aren't helping:

Orky Goodness!

High Elf Army

On the one hand I know I'm being ridiculous as painting 28mm scale armies is now beyond me as I don't have the budget, space, time or patience for such an unwieldy project but there's still that nagging urge to give it a go and that, along with my current 2mm conundrum seems to have resulted in me utterly bamboozled as to what to do.

I'm going to take a bit of a break, go out and enjoy my day off and hopefully come back with some sort of plan but in the meantime, if you've got any suggestions, give me a shout as I'd love some advice!

All the best!

Aldi Gaming Mat

Hi!

I'd noticed mention on assorted sites over the last week that Aldi were selling a grass effect mat that many in the wargaming community suspected would do for a gaming mat so when we were out today getting our shopping, I nipped in and had a peruse.

They only had one left, the dark green one at that and at first I wasn't too sure but my ever patient wife suggested I should pick it up anyway as it's only £6.99 and we could use it for something else if it wasn't suitable for gaming. I must admit that I am super glad that I heeded her advice!

Gaming Mat!

Measuring 1x2 metres, it's perfect for gaming purposes and I had originally planned on chopping it in two for use as two skirmish mats, one green and the other somewhat snow covered but having plopped it on my 3'x3' board, I find myself sorely tempted to keep the full length as is as there's something pleasingly retro about it that got me thinking about those classic White Dwarf battle reports where either the Old World or some far flung planet had vivid green boards.

15mm scale shot

While our library most definitely hasn't got space for anything as grand as a classic 6'x4' gaming board, I do think that with a bit of bodging, I could just about manage a 5'x3' or am I being a mentalist? I'm not sure but I find myself trawling through the old Citadel terrain book for inspiration and itching to make some simple scenery to add to it and recreate some of those classic stylings!

 28mm scale shot

I think for £6.99 it's proved to be a total bargain and with a little bit of drybrushing and addition of flock it will look the business and if you've got an Aldi near you, it's well worth a peruse to see if they've got any left.

Zombie Musketeer

It's a nice change from all the desert landscapes I've been working with over the last decade or so and I'm going to use the opportunity to explore some more retro gaming so watch this space.

In the meantime, All the best!