2 Projects, SAGA Myrmidons and FOW Valentines

Well, I completed a big-ish project last weekend and a smaller side project (pics of both soon!), so I need something new to get my painting total up for Analogue!

First up is my army for Valleycon- and after spending such a long time thinking I would be playing a German Kradschutzen company, a lack of motorbikes means that that plan went out the window! So, I was too short of panzers to run a proper company, and I have no inspiration to play a German Infantry company (they are boring, and I have played them before!). So, I am going with British instead!

I am using the Early War powerhouse that is the Valentine Tank!

So to support them, I am going to bring some NZ Infantry. The list looks like this...

HQ-2 Valentine II
Tank Platoon- 3 Valentine II
Infantry Platoon- Full Strength, Sticky Bombs
Carrier Platoon- 2 Patrols
Field Artillery Battery- 4 25pdr guns

And the army looks like this....

Boy does this look like a tournament ready army....

So.. there is plenty of painting that needs to be done! The valentines have a base coat of dark sand on them, but that needs a few more coats before it looks anywhere near right! The artillery need to be put onto new bases (I don't like the ones they are on now)- the carriers need a repaint..... And so on.

So that is project 1, this is project 2.

Achilles v Hector

Jamie had the cunning plan to adapt SAGA for the Trojan War. This is far more interesting to me than the Dark Ages (I will still make a Saxon army still...). I have chosen the Achaeans as my army, specifically those killers who answered only to Achilles- the Myrmidons.

Now there isn't a battleboard for them yet, Jamie is still writing it! But the overall plan for the Myrmidon list is that they will have no Levy. None. So the warband then is going to be Hoplites and better Hoplites! Which is pretty damn cool I think!

The great Hoplite race of 2012- This was a real olympic event by the way....

So, this is the army as it stands, fully assembled! I have...
Achilles and an extra Warlord (plus another in the works)
8 Elite Hoplites
24 Hoplites

And that's it! A 5 point army! We are currently working out what to have Achilles as- probably a "named hero", meaning he is an extra point.

Generic Achaean Warlord (name to be determined) and Achilles himself!

My hope is that SAGA Trojan War becomes a playground of heroes, the armies changing depending on which Hero is leading them, Odysseus, Ajax, Achilles, Agamemnon or even Menelaus for the Greeks.

But more on all of this on the future, I am thinking this will be pretty cool!

As for the Trojans, you are going to have to wait for Jas to update his blog......

CP

Melchett's Revenge- Dystopian Wars Game

Lord Commander Melchett stood atop the bridge of the HMS Thunderchild, taking in the bitterly cold sea air of the Southern Ocean. He had been sailing with his two escort vessels steadily south for a week now, chasing that damn engineer. It had been a week ago that one of Her Majesty's agents had told him of Sturginum's whereabouts, he immediately had set sail with the Thunderchild with all due haste.

A runner-boy interrupted his musings, exasperated and gasping at the frozen air. "My Lord, it's... it's... the fleet, they attacked the Eyrie, Admiral Cromwell took control of the Southern Fleet, stating you as a madman tilting at windmills and chasing ghosts, and immediately set to sea to attack". The runner by now had begun to catch his breath in the cold air, giving the statistics with time worn efficiency "the Achilles sunk, along with the vessels from S-Class. Frigate squadrons 1 through 4 all destroyed". Melchett's only reply was "Who controls the Eye now?". The runner needed only to say one word, "Sheridan".

With that word, Melchett's course of action was clear. The Thunderchild immediately turned around, and set sail at full steam back to the home port of Christ's Church. There he knew was the valuable ship yards and the better part of the Southern Fleet. It was a full 4 day's steam away, he just prayed that Sheridan stayed distracted enough by the Eye that he would not press home his advantage....

It was when Melchett reached the harbor at Christ's Church that news of the FSA fleet. Hawk Scouts had been trailing the ships as they left the Eye, Sheridan's flag flying high above the lead Battleship. It was clear they were headed away from the Eye, seeking the safer port of the Phoenix Islands. Clearly they had also received news of the intense storms which were expected for the area of the Eye, and sought safe port for their ill equipped paddle steamers.

Gathering his fleet, Melchett set off at full steam for the Phoenix Islands, with the intent of arriving as the storm closed, to make advantage of the Brittanian vessel's superior oceangoing capabilities.

The HMS Thunderchild with her supporting vessel, the HMS King George

Cruisers HMS Colossus, Vanuard and Excelsior with supporting frigate class vessels.

Melchett caught the FSA fleet leaving the Phoenix Islands, with bitter squalls effecting air support capabilities, the supporting reconnaissance and Hawk Scouts were unable to fly, and quickly quit the battle. Melchett caught the enemy vessel's abeam, ordering all of the forward turrets on the Thunderchild to target the enemy battleship off in the distance. The four turrets forward of the bridge spat forth round after round, targetting the core of the enemy battleship. Few were caught in a haze surrounding the ship, but one shell struck through, crashing into the enemy vessel causing an eruption of green fire, known among sailors as the "green dragon"- signalling an eruption of the fusion generators which powered the ship. Torpedoes rippled forth from the front of the Thunderchild, striking the enemy battleship. The enemy vessel was crippled, suffering extreme damage from both gunnery and torpedoes, and soon sank below the waves once the Thunderchild's  supporting vessel, the HMS King George joined fire.

The second enemy battleship, bearing Sheridan's color's skulked off around a nearby island, leaving the other ship to it's fate. It was only the first battleship's supporting Cruiser squadrons that sought to engage the British fleet, only to suffer the same fate as the Battleship, as the combined fire from the Dreadnought, Battleship and Cruisers were far too much for the small vessels to handle.

The only loss was sustained when a group of enemy torpedo bombers struck the cruiser HMS Colossus below decks, causing a fire below decks, causing the crew to abandon ship. Fortunately the ship was able to be saved, the vessel is currently under tow back to the safe harbor of Christ's Church.

In the confusion caused by the damage to the Colossus, the enemy battleship had escaped out of operational range. Despite the high seas, the enemy battleship was able to run at full steam out of the Phoenix Islands, the FSA quitting the area completly.

Melchett stood impassivly, watching the bow of the enemy Battleship finally succumb to the waves, as frigates moved in to collect those sailors who abandoned ship. The Thunderchild had defeated Sheridan again, but it was without a doubt that the FSA would return.

As the Thunderchild set sail once again for Christ's Church, Melchett could only think, Brittania's interests are preserved once again.

Melchett's map of the Pacific

 Melchett's spies intercepted Sheridan's log to his superiors, it can only be a matter of time before they return to trouble Brittanian waters once again....

So another super fun Dystopian Wars game, the Thunderchild proved it's worth exceptionally, taking just 2 turns to sink a FSA Battleship- crippling Jamie's ability to do damage to the Dreadnought, which would only mean it could keep doing more and more damage to the FSA with no fears of reprisals. It is sad that to make KoB work well, you have to take the Dreadnought, because of it's brutal effectiveness it is hard to pass up, but I don't want to use it all the time either! 


Melchett will be back....


CP

Clearing the Cupboard- a FOW Challenge for 2012

Well, with the world ending this year in December, I thought that I should at least get something finished!

Like all wargamers, I have collected cupboards filled with wargaming miniatures, armies I planned to complete but never did, additions I never saw the need to finish or just never got around to doing! Most of it is additions to armies, I tend to build an army specific for a tournament (Kiwi Sherman's case and point), but end up with a smattering of other units which I plan to add, but never seem to do.

So, in speaking with Jason, we agreed that we should work on our horrendous backlog of miniatures! He is starting with Germans, here is the list of what I am looking at.

1) US Beach Assault Company- I have had these for ages, and I will use them for the Infantry Aces Campaign coming up.
2) More Kiwis- Infantry, Artillery, Tank Hunters
3) US Infantry- M18 Hellcats, Another Infantry Platoon, P-38 Lightnings, M3 Halftracks
4) Germans- 15cm SiGs, 7 251/7D's, Panzer IVs (I would like a company of them), an Early War army (Kradschutzen!)
5) British- More additions for my Guards Rifle Company- Carriers, Typhoons, Pioneers, 25pdrs...
6) US Paratroopers- I want these on rubble bases, with snow, and there needs to be more of them done.

That is enough of a starting point to keep me out of trouble I reckon! The world is meant to end on the 21st of December- I reckon I can have my backlog cleared by then!

First up, the Beach Assault Company- Look on Analogue Hobbies for the first bit of them, the second update will be up on here tomorrow afternoon....

Back to the painting table,

CP

New Zealand 4th Armoured Division

Well, here is my 1200 point force for Day of Days this year, the New Zealand Armoured!

Now, in keeping with the "Ironman Challenge"- I had to choose a force that was either mechanised or tank based. This all stemmed from Jamie pointing out the proliferation of "tough" infantry forces- and the players running them not taking any risks with the lists!

1200 points, in all it's glory!

So, for 1200 points, what do I get?

Company HQ- 2 Sherman M4A2, 1 AA 50 cal HMG
Tank Platoon- 3 M4A2 Sherman
Tank Platoon- 3 M4A2 Sherman

Company HQ- Tank numbers 15 and 16

First Platoon- Tank Numbers 3, 4 and 5

Second Platoon- Tanks 6,7 and 8

So that is 1200 points. To bring it up to the 1750 needed for Warclouds (if i go) I needed to add yet more stuff!

Sherman OP Tank (left) and an extra Company HQ Sherman- number 17

An M32 Tank Recovery Vehicle

'The story goes that the 4th armoured had only wheeled recovery vehicles on their Order of Battle, but the terrain in Italy demanded the need for something more capable! The 20th Armoured Regiment came upon a suspicious looking haystack in their advance in Italy, lo and behold an armoured recovery vehicle was inside, bogged down! So once the kiwis had pulled it out under sporadic mortar fire, they painted over the allied star and then it was theirs! Eventually the Americans wanted it back, but the 20th managed to keep it. Once the 20th had gotten theirs, the other armoured regiments got one through far more legitimate means!'

Three Stuart V Jalopies- Tank Numbers 4,5 and 6

The Stuart Light tank had been in service since the desert war, acting as a light tank, but by late war was relegated totally to a recon role. The 37mm turret was removed, to produce the Jalopy. This gave it better cross country performance (due to the reduced weight). Defense was kept with a 50 cal HMG, which the Kiwis put with a gun shield (borrowed in this case from a BF ACAV kit). 

Hope you like them! Need more stuff for Warclouds, need to paint more for Valleycon and then I did this last night....

This will be my infantry aces army! More on this over the weekend...

Having 3 flames of war armies on the go at once is a good idea right?

CP

More of ze Germans

Well, the painting has been continuing!

Here are some Panzer III's- Pretty standard Panzer Grey. Definitly not as shiny in person- thats just the sun in effect!

These Panzers are part of my Early War army for Valleycon- they get one more to their number (who is on the painting table right now...). Armed with the massive 37mm gun, and lots of MGs these guys are a big part of my Tank defenses for the army.

Another big part are these...

Two PaK 36 guns, for more 37mm goodness! These guys round out the platoon (one was done before) and are my ground pouding AT weapons, ready to hunt those dastardly Limeys and Frogs!

Lastly for Ze Germans this update, and the big guns....

Well not guns per say, rather bombs! Two 1/100th scale Stukas to act as my air support. These are two die cast models, sourced from a random Aircraft magazine (I bought 3, one is an objective marker). Pretty standard German Stuka camo for the invasion of France (that is, none) with the crosses done freehand. Not the neatest thing ever, but they give a good impression of some air support!

Next up? Kiwis for DoD!

But what of Ze Germans?

For those who don't get the title reference, you really should see the movie A Bridge Too Far, and marvel at Gene Hackman's polish accent.

But What of Ze Germans? Here are some I painted a couple of days ago...

First up are some Late War German tank hunters. We have 2 PaK 40 guns (the only ones I own...), as well as one man with a Panzerfaust who will be used as the Warrior team from Stalin's Onslaught.

The last base is a new Company Command team, because this happened to the old one...

Apparently my puppy, Jose, found quite a liking to the taste of Kraut!

So, with Valleycon being Early War, I need to paint a few things for that too (by few, I mean a whole lot)

Some 253 8-rads, cruising the road; mainly because if the road was not there, they would be totally invisible! Perfect German Grey camo!

Here is a much, much smaller AT weapon than the ones earlier, a little PaK 36- not too bad early war, absolutely horrible at any other time. Known to the Germans as the "door-knocker" due to having about as much effect as knocking on a door to an enemy tank! Along side the PaK is two Anti-Tank Rifle teams for my infantry platoons.

Last up, is 3 new command stands. I needed new ones, because most of my other ones have guys with Panzerfausts on their bases! Not at all appropriate for early war....

Oh, I was meant to do a Dystopian Wars update... Sometime? Promise!

Back to the painting table...

CP

Hello 2012

Happy New Year!

So, with the beginning of 2012, I have returned from my sojurn up north, and have powered back into wargaming.

Centurion Tank at the Waiouru Army Museum, with some doofus in front of it....

So, in terms of the painting challenge. At this exact point, I am a bare 800 points away from the leader Kent (go NZ!). He has been likened to a painting version of the Terminator; but Kent has never seemed Austrian enough to pull that off. I like to think of him as akin to Robocop, his painting life tragically cut down by gangsters, he was rebuilt to become a mesh of human and robot components optimised to produce great work, incredibly fast.

So, my excuse for not winning the painting challenge? The winner is a cyborg.

But I have managed to get some painting in at any rate, here are the completed 69th South Lincolnshire Regiment.

The regiment itself

The poor skirmisher out by himself!

So with them completed, I only have ONE small infantry unit to get finished before my Guards British army is completed! Well, until I want to run some different support. Which I probably will. But I will at least have enough to have a game!

Right, so on the painting table now is some 15mm Germans, some 15mm Kiwis, some Stukas...

Oh and this arrived....

Looks like I am going to be a busy boy!

Some info on Dystopian Wars tomorrow, and some more painted stuff....

CP