220, 221. Whatever it takes.

Bonus points to anyone who gets that headline.

But what we're really looking at here is a 221. Sdkfz 221. German armored car. Sort of. At least the pieces for same. Lots of pieces. Lots of metal pieces. Lots of heavy, metal pieces.

This is the Sdkfz 221 from Black Tree Design, listed at 25mm, but it looks closer to 1/50 or even 1/48 than 1/56 to my eye and compared to the Warlord Games vehicles I have, including the Sdkfz 222. I'll try to get a comparison shot at some point.

I've actually had this for probably 10 years or so, but have never had the courage to attempt it. Now, with my German motor pool finally growing, I think it's time.

As you might suspect with an all metal kit, fit is, well, a relative term. At first it appeared horrible, but as I started filing and sanding last night, it started to get better. Not great, or even good, but not as bad. I think I can make this work. It's going to take quite a bit of epoxy, plenty of squadron putty and lots of good old fashioned elbow grease, but I think in the end it will make a reasonable armored car to support my blitzkrieging early war Germans. (Which, by the way, I thought I had three squads, but can only find two! Another order, perhaps...)

And yes, I've been slacking in the photo department, but I have completed six motorcycles (four with sidecars), a Pz Ib and a Skfz 221. I have a kubelwagen almost done, and am well along on an Opel Blitz truck and a Hanomag. The Hanomag is a Warlord plastic kit, considerably lighter than the BTD 221!

On a related note, I have also prepped and primed a second Belgian squad, so maybe soon there can even be a game.

So did you get the headline?

Some Yankees

Just two of the Union regiments I now have. A bit on the small size, perhaps, but maybe they've been around a while?

I Wish I Was in the Land of Cotton...

I had originally planned on posting some photos of some Union troops today. But it being cold enough to freeze the balls of a brass monkey this morning (-23F), I really wish I was in Dixie. Anywhere warmer, actually.

So instead, here are a couple regiments from what I can only assume would be a warmer place. Tennessee? Georgia? Alabama? Yes, please.

I've also been trying to inventory the ACW collection. I'm realizing I need to put some effort into a project like this that already has a lot done. Still, I'm not 100% settled on a ruleset. I may go back and look at adapting The British Are Coming again.

Dixon figures, painted some time ago with the usual mix of Vallejo and Testors.

Happy Mardi Gras from Wheat's Tigers

Seems like as good a day as any to post these. I won't go into the unit histories, but suffice to say no ACW collection is really complete without these guys - the 1st and 2nd Louisiana, better known to history as the Tigers.

I finished these guys up last fall, but just got around to taking some pics. The pants were a bit of a pain, and it's why I kept procrastinating! In the end, though, I think they turned out pretty well. Dixon 25mm figs, the usual Vallejo and Testors paints.

This is probably about as close as I may ever get to New Orleans, so happy mardi gras!

President Grant On Presidents' Day

Yeah, Presidents' Day isn't one of those "cool" holidays. More of an annoyance, really, with banks, schools and government offices closed while the rest of us working stiffs march on.

Actually one of the best descriptions I heard is it is the day the President goes outside and if he sees his shadow it means one more year of bullshit. Sounds about right!

Anyway, when looking at my ACW stuff yesterday, I realized I had a president in the mix. OK, so not the greatest president. OK, OK. One of the worst. But still. Here is U.S. Grant still in his guise of Union general. I have a George Washington mini somewhere that may have been a better choice, but this photo was immediately accessible, so here he is. Old Dixon, 25mm, the usual assortment of Vallejo and Testors paints.


More on the ACW coming soon.

And in This Corner...

Of course, the Mexica need an opponent. How about these Tlaxcallans? Rather an interesting bunch. They hated the Mexica/Aztecs so much, they sided with the Spanish conquistadores. Some speculate the Mexica let them continue to exist so they could continue to have an opponent to fight. I.e., a steady stream of potential prisoners to be sacrificed on the bloody altars to their gods. I really need to read up more on this period.

Not a huge collection here. All minis from Monday Knight Productions. The Tlaxcallans can be distinguished by the red and white head bands. Pretty cool idea. Plus the fellow with the crane on his back just screams elite, doesn't he?

Alas, these have never seen table top action and have spent all their painted life in a box. Except when it's time for a photo shop. I suppose it's too early in the period to say "queso"?

Meanwhile, South of the Border

Holy cow. Summer is officially over. The wife (a teacher) went back to work today, and the kids are in full-time day care. Big changes, and it will take a while to get used to the routine. But hopefully the change will allow some additional hobby time. Fear not, all has not been completely quiet on that front the last few weeks, and I shall strive to provide some updates on the various happenings the next few days.

Anyway, to today's topic. So what if there wouldn't have even been a border in 1521. At least not one we would recognize. But that was certainly an eventful year in North American history, what with the Spaniards conquering the Aztec empire and all that. Once upon a time, I had delusions of gaming this period. I had visited Mexico, and loved the culture and history (and the food). Colorful troop types, different levels of technology, what could be better?

Oh yeah, I forgot about the multitudes of Aztecs to paint, with all those colors. And the terrain, yikes. So much urban fighting, and building (and storing) all those temples and pyramids was daunting at best. So it never went beyond a handful of Monday Knight Productions and Foundry minis.

Today, I can't make up my mind. Sell them, or perhaps hold out hope that suitable rules may yet come along that allow small scale pre-Spaniard battles. The so-called "Flower Wars" between the Mexica and their enemies still has potential, in my opinion. Saga, perhaps?

It should also be noted I bought my wife a new camera this summer, so hopefully the quality of the photos here will improve. I may not use it all the time, but this collection was shot with the new camera with natural light, and I think the effect is quite good. These are the Mexica, a various mix of basic warriors, some suited warriers and, of course, the big fella, Moctezuma hisself.

Gettysburg: 149 Years and a Week or So Later

I really should have posted this photo a week ago. One of my favorite minis, Dixon's representation of General Lewis Armistead as he would have appeared at the height of Pickett's charge at Gettysburg, hat pierced by sword an all. Alas, Armistead was mortally wounded in the ensuing assault on the Union positions. Somewhat limited then in tabletop possibilities, but a joy to paint.

I've also included a couple other shots of another random Confederate regiment completed some time ago. Again primarily, if not all, Dixon minis. Painted with the usual assortment of Vallejo and Testors paints.

I wonder if I will ever be able to sit down and paint all of those ACW minis languishing in the unpainted pile. Much less ever put them on a table in action. Sigh.

Confederate Artillery

After yesterday’s post featuring Union artillery, I felt it only fair to give equal time today to a Confederate counterpart. This set is another one painted up some time ago, and it appears to be all Dixon.

The bulk of my ACW collection is infantry, by quite a wide margin. I have some artillery, but not a lot. I have a few more pieces in the pile to paint, but have looked at getting more. The Sash & Saber sets look nice.

As for cavalry, I have some dismounted Union cavalry painted up I should show one of these days, and some unpainted Confederates deep in the pile. No mounted troops, which isn’t a huge issue for ACW, but it would be nice. I’ve had my eye on some Perry plastics for a while. Seems like I say it a lot, but one of these days…

Irish Brigade: 69th New York

Lest you think this blog has become nothing but an outlet for my p'ing and m'ing, I decided to dig through the archives for something more fun worth posting. Plus we've been void of any good gaming posts for far too long.

So, who among ACW gamers has never had at least a passing interest in the Irish Brigade? Its exploits are well documented, so I won't go into them here. But there is something about this brigade that captures the imagination, no? My goal is to ultimately do the entire brigade, but of course had to start with the core unit, the 69th New York.

Figures are from Redoubt. Actually, this is the first time I painted up any from Redoubt, and I rather liked them. The whole mixed head option is very appealing, and the detail is raised well enough to make them fairly easy to paint, and I find the poses animated and realistic. The end result is rather good and effective. The heads and overall style are quite a bit different than Dixon (which still make up the bulk of my ACW forces), however, and while I don't mind them sharing a table, I think mixing within a unit might look a bit odd.

Paint was the usual standard mix of Polly S, Testors and Vallejo.

I spent the weekend entirely at home, as quite honestly I was just not in the mood for any human interaction whatsoever. I did get a few home-related things done (like mow the lawn), but I also made time for some reading (Hunger Games trilogy) and some hobby-related exercises. These included some more work on the paper Skylab (actually getting close on that) and getting back to some CY6 things. I also placed a small order for some decals and more planes on that front. I know there are some busy weeks and weekends coming up, but we'll see.

And for those of you keeping score at home on the Mustang saga, I respectfully declined the invitation to appear on the Judge Judy show. Call me idealistic and naive, but I just could not come to grips with how quickly he was willing to sell himself out so that someone else would pay his tab. I may never get my money, but going through district court will mean that he himself is held accountable and responsible. What's right is right.

Funny Looking French There...

I think I mentioned a while back that I was waiting for some early WW2 French I ordered to complement the platoon I picked up at Spartacon. Well, they've arrived. For the most part, they're good. But this one gave me pause...

Clearly it's labelled as a French Hotchkiss gun. Clearly those are not French gunners, and though it's a little hard to tell in the photo, that's not a Hotchkiss gun, either. Most definitely Germans. I contacted FRP Games, where I ordered them from, and let them know they apparently have a collection of mislabeled stock. I suspect it was a mislabeling done by Crusader USA, and isn't FRP Games' fault. Still, I asked them to let me know if they have any actual French. I haven't heard back yet, and I may not, as I suspect Crusader USA minis are getting scarcer by the day.

In the meantime, I guess I now am the proud owner of a German machine gun team. And while I do have a Bolt Action French gun team, I still wouldn't mind getting a Crusader one as well.

I do have to say over time I generally have had good luck with mail order, which has become the lifeblood of all my hobbies, including the Mustang restoration, the model cars and the gaming. Oh, there is the occasional foul-up with a shopping cart (how did I get two vials of the same paint?), and the occasional long waiting period, but for the most part the vendors I've dealt with have been good. And again, in this case I can't really blame the vendor, if you just read it, you'd think these were French if you didn't take a look or didn't know the difference.

C'est la vie. Or should that be, so ist das Liben?

Some Germans While I Wait

While waiting for more of my French to arrive, along with a new assortment of Vallejo paint, here are some Battle Honors Germans I did a while back. I'll need to do a lot more, I suppose, unless I can talk someone else into doing some. I also have some fallschirmjagers to do, but my likely opponent also has those, so those are low priority for me.

I'm very seriously considering redoing my BEF figs. I used a black wash instead of brown, and it is just way too dark. Fortunately I've only done one squad and a Vickers team.

I also basecoated five Zeroes last night for CY6. So that project is ongoing as well.

I'm actually excited, I don't think there is anything on the agenda this weekend at all. A true rarity. I'm sure there will be the usual cleaning and housework to do, but I hope to get some good painting in this weekend. And eventually I need to get back to the race cars, too!

From Russia, With Love

I should have posted these before along with the Russo-Finnish report. Just some more views of my Battle Honors early war Russians in great coats. The basic color here is Testors Dark Earth. Lots of it, as you can see.

When assembling this force based on the lists in the Skirmish Campaigns book, I contacted Old Glory 15s directly, and they were kind enough to put together a special order of 50 (or was it 60? I forget now...) riflemen only, no officers or SMG- or LMG-armed figs. I don't often need to order large amounts of figures for this period, but when I do, I use Battle Honors. (I am the most interesting gamer in the world. Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Merry Christmas, Comrade

This is how we celebrate in Soviet Russia... by invading our neighbors.

Here's the first in a set of photos of the Russians to complement the Finns of the past couple of days. I'm not sure how much I will be online the next few days, so I thought I would take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, in accordance with the wishes of our political officer here.

If I do find the time, I will post more of these. But with travel plans, and honey-do lists, it may be next week! I also have a tentative game session set for New Year's, which will be nice. And then the one con I manage each year just two weeks after that.

For now, these are also Battle Honors minis, painted with the usual mix of Testors and Vallejo.

More Finns - On Skis!

The workbench focus remains CY6 aircraft, as well as finishing the Guerriere and starting the Constitution, along with that Foyt Olds that really just needs an afternoon to finish, but it seems an appropriate time of year to continue showing some of these Battle Honors Finns.

Today's installment shows some of the ski troops, as well as some of the heavier weapons. At the end is an overview shot of all the Finns I have painted to date. There are no immediate plans to do any more, but that could change if I get a game going. Unlikely at this point, but you never know.

Again, a good word on the Battle Honors minis. A good variety that pretty much covers anything you need for this period, and they are easy to paint to boot. Recommended.

Coming soon: The Russian hordes...

Talvisota - Winter War Finns

Finland has one of the more fascinating national stories to come out of World War II. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place - Stalin on one side, Hitler on the other. There is no good choice there. Yet, somehow they managed to pull it off. Call it sisu, I guess.

From a gaming perspective, the Winter War has great potential. Small, well-trained and motivated units on one side, bigger, poorly equipped and prepared troops on the other. And darn few (expensive) vehicles and aircraft. One of these days I'll put together some games using Skirmish Campaigns' excellent scenario book and Arc of Fire. I played a few solo at one time, but have never put together a "real" game, despite having painted enough troops for both sides. I haven't been able to justify any additional troops or vehicles until I get an opponent. Skirmish WW2 hasn't been a priority, but if anyone's willing, I'll get back at it.

Hard to see from this angle, but that's a suomi machine gun at left.

Molotov cocktail!

So since I don't have any new pictures of what I've been working on, today let's dig into the vault and look at some Finns I painted some time ago. All figures are Battle Honors 25/28 mm, which I actually like rather well, though you don't seem to see them that often. Painted primarily with Vallejo, along with some Testors acrylics. Based on washers. White is tough to pull off; these are simply white washed with light grey. Good enough.

148th Pennsylvania

Mini painting has sort of been placed on the backburner the last few weeks. In addition to other projects (some model cars) working their way to the forefront, other life projects have also moved up. Rake the leaves, for one. Getting busier at work, for another.

But for today, here is another one of those ACW units I was talking about a few weeks ago. This one shall be known as the 148th Pennsylvania, because that's one of the flags I had, not so much for any pure historical context. Still, I think it looks good.

Once again, Dixon minis. But I have a confession to make on paint. I have apparently been having a series of premature senior moments, and have failed to accurately present how I paint Union uniforms. My preferred method for the coats is Floquil Dark Blue, drybrushed with Testors intermediate blue. I can't believe I haven't mentioned Floquil previously. My approach to pants is also a bit different than my norm, as I use a Apple Barn or whatever it is called hobby acrylics sky blue from Michael's. That sometimes takes two coats over the primer to get the precise coverage I want, then I wash it with the aforementioned Floquil Dark Blue, and sometimes highlight with the Testors Intermediate Blue again.

So there you have it! More Yankees!

Whistling Dixie

The last couple of evenings while my wife and I prepare dinner, for some reason she has been humming the Battle Hymn of the Republic. She can't really explain why, it's just stuck in her head at the moment, she says. Of course, ever ready to play the role of her foil, I start in with a rousing rendition of Dixie. Yes, we're an odd couple sometimes.

So in that spirit, along with the suggestion that my posts have leaned toward the cause of the Union, here are some more Confederates painted up some time ago, fuzzy photos and all. These appear to be Foundry minis, which I know I haven't bought any ACW Foundry minis in years, so this must go back a ways. As best I can recall, it does not represent any specific unit, and was in all likelihood painted with the usual mix of Vallejo and Testors acrylics.

But doesn't the officer look dashing?