AWI flags arrive!

Well, the flags have arrived for my sons project. Courtesy of Rick "The Flag Dude" O'Brien, I have all the ones I need, and they look fantastic! The American rifles and the Hessian jaegers won't get any, but the rest will.

The Workbench: 40mm AWI militia

Hi all!

Well, this is the next 40mm AWI unit for my son's army... A unit of six militia.  I did include a woman, even though I know that isn't very historical... But I want him to at least have ONE female figure!  I did a bit of green stuff work with her, adding a long ponytail and some hair strands in front of her face.  Hey, if he is going to have a girl figure, she should at least look nice!

This unit is actually almost done, so I'll post final photos in a day or two.

Thanks for looking!

Star Wars Armada heroes

Hey all!

I recently realized something, as I was painting my Armada squadrons... unlike X-Wing, where EVERYONE is "special," for Armada I can actually paint the hero ships a bit different!

So I have started to do that with the Rebels.  Below you can see Dutch Vander (left) and Tycho Chelu (right).  I made their ships stand out a little, and also made their squadrons a bit more flashy, as befits the wingmen of a hero!  Note the white chevron on Dutch's ship... that represents a Victory Star Destroy that he destroyed.  I might change it up though.

Above is Soontir Fel, in his traditional blood-striped Interceptor.

First 40mm AWI unit done

Hi all!

Well, the first of the 40mm AWI units for my son's Christmas gift is done!

Overall they were VERY simple to paint... the 40s REALLY take paint easily.  All the belts and details are SO large, it makes it a real pleasure to do!

Here is a shot from the back.

And one from the front!  I will say... trying to figure out the lighting in a new environment can be HARD... gotta keep messing with things, I think!

Test 40mm AWI figure finished

Well, here is the finished test figure for my son's 40mm AWI figure... a British regular.

I went SUPER simple with the paint job... just block paints, then a brown wash, and then a little work on the skin.  I think I might keep it this simple... I could do highlighting on the whole thing, but that adds a LOT more time, and frankly as a gift for a 4 year old I think it doesn't need it:)

So!  Working on the whole unit now... the 40mms paint up SOOOO fast!  It is lovely to do them.  I should have the unit done shortly:)

Thanks for coming by!

Started in on the son's collection!

Hey all!

Okay, the son's first collection is underway!

Now, I did make some changes to the original idea.  First, I went with Trident Miniatures instead of Sash and Saber.  While I hate doing that to a fellow Duke guy, and given that I love Sash and Saber so much, I ran into two issues.  The smaller one was cost; doing such a small collection (or should I say light on infantry compared to command) S&S was going to be a solid 60 bucks more.  More importantly, though, I really settled on the idea that a kid probably wants their toy soldiers shooting instead of marching.  Sounds silly, but I know that as a kid I liked the shooting poses a lot more than the marching ones.  When he gets older he can get those.

So... the numbers and all of that are staying the same as the last post.  Above is the unit of British regulars, all based up.  Since I took that picture I've gotten one guy fully painted, as a test... I'll post him later.  But the 40mms are HUGE compared to 28s, and paint up SO much quick... it seems like a fun project!

I'll have more later!:)  Got to finish this collection by Christmas!

Planning my son's first collection!

Hey all!

Well, my son is three and a half, and I figure it is about time he had his own toy soldier collection!

So the plan is the following:

Sash and Saber 40mm AWI... Chunky enough for little hands, simple blue and red colors, and good historical background, especially here in NJ.

I plan for these initial forces to be his Christmas present:

One unit of 8 british regulars with command
One unit of 8 british grenadiers with command
One unit of 5 jaegers
One mounted officer

One unit of 8 continentals with command
Two units of 6 militia with limited command
One unit of 5 rifles
One mounted officer

So I think that is a great start!  Now, I did email Chris to see if I could buy such odd amounts... S&S don't sell in those small amounts... Fingers crossed that he can do such a strange order!

So!  What do folks think?  Good breakdown?  It allows for expansion (cavalry, artillery, more infantry) but covers the basics pretty well.  Any recommendations?

The Workbench: Napoleonic Prussians

Hey all!

Well, here is what is currently on the workbench... some 1815ish Prussians!  I'd like to combine the two tables and do Waterloo, so I have a few figures to paint, and some buildings to build... namely, the various chateaus on the battlefield, and some buildings for Plancenoit.  I'll have more as I work!

These guys just need a touch more paint, some basing, and that's it.

Some photos from an Armada game

Hey all!

Well, had a friend by for a game of Armada a few nights ago... thought I would share some photos!  Unfortunately in the heat of the action I missed a LOT, but what can you do:)

I don't remember the exact forces.  I had an Assault Frigate B with the Gallant Haven title (never even got used)... a Corvette A with enhanced armaments, a single Nebulon B, three Y-Wings, Dutch Vander, Tycho, and three X-Wings.  He took a Victory II, a pretty decked out Gladiator (with Advanced Armaments and Expanded Launchers)... Vader, four or so TIE fighters, a pair of TIE Interceptors, and a pair of TIE bombers.

Here is the initial set-up.  I was going to try to use the Corvette to get around and harass them... little did I know how maneuverable that damn Gladiator was!

Here we are a turn in.

Tycho went right after one of the Interceptors... it took him a few rounds to knock the TIEs down.

Here is the Assault Frigate, chugging forward, surrounded by a cloud of Y-Wings...

All of which have their eyes set on the Victory II!

The Star Destroyer and the Assault Frigate began to pound on each other, shields dropping like flies.

Meanwhile, on the left flank, the Corvette picked up speed, but the rebel squadrons looked to be in bad shape...

The Assault Frigate and the Star Destroyer continued beating the piss out of each other...

Meanwhile the 'Vette got behind the Gladiator... but I realized a little too late that I was going WAY too fast... speed 4 would cause me to overshoot the slower moving imperial ship!  I started to dump power from the engines, but it still looked bad...

The Nebulon B survived sitting directly in front of the Victory for a turn and then blasted past, but two TIE bombers ensured that it wouldn't get far...

The Y-Wings close in for the kill...

And Dutch Vander eventually shoots the shot that ends the massive Imperial ship!

Meanwhile the Neb B goes down in flames as the Gladiator gets some fire on it.

The swarm of Y-Wings line up for an attack on the Gladiator, but the Imperial ship suddenly accelerates, and actually manages to get PAST the Y-Wings without taking too much damage... and leaving the Y-Wings at the mercy of the imperial squadrons...

The imperials wreck the rebels... the Y-Wings can take some punishment, but engaged and unable to get away they didn't have much of a chance.

The Assault Frigate, which managed to get around to unleash flank fire onto the Gladiator, wasn't able to end the Imperial ship.  And again the rebel commander (me!) underestimates the imperial ship's turning radius, and the Gladiator is able to absolutely rip the Assault Frigate in half, using both the front and side arcs to fire!

So that was it!  The Gladiator in particular just seems impossible to handle... relatively fast, GREAT turn radius, and SOOO much damage... I don't understand how to stay away from it!:)  But it was a fun game!