Hammerhead 2023

 Took a road trip last Friday to Newark with Will and we spent an enjoyable afternoon and evening boardgaming with Si G, Si H, Paddy and Garry over a bite to eat and a few drinks.  Saturday, we all went to Newark Showground for the Hammerhead event.

Got to say, the show was excellent, witha good selection of traders - more than I was expecting from the list of traders published beforehand.  There was also an excellent set of pre-loved seller tables, which changed several times during the day.  Many of the traders were asking very reasonable prices.

During the course of the day I picked up some SHQ figures from their Vietnam range, specifically packs of their Navy Seals, LRRPs and Green Berets, plus a .50 cal tripod MG for the regular US infantry.  I also picked up some Warbases Old West buildings and stagecoach, plus a couple of horses to pull the stage and a pack of Chain of Command markers.  Col Bill's provided a couple of pioneer wagons to use as Old West street scatter.  Grubby had some lovely 28mm resin prints of German WW2 motorcycles and sidecar versions, which will make their way into Dak Attack games as DAK Schutzen, as well as a very reasonably priced pair of Schwimwagens with late war crews (KG Peiper style).  I also rounded off my Late Romans with a box of Cataphracts from Gripping Beast.  Pendraken provided some 20mm pigs for my Red Vectors pig sty and a pack of 28mm sheep for Saga games.

Pre-loved purchases included a squad box of veteran SS Charlemagne metal figures and a box of plastic Fallschirmjager, as well as a bag with three sentry figures, one German and one Brit in greatcoat smoking a cigarette and one what looks to be a WW1 US sentry figure.  I also used my last £10 plus £2 in change to pick up an Old West Saloon, which cleaned me out of cash.

Some great looking games, some of those that caught my eye are shown below. 

All in all a good show.  Was very cramped and congested during the morning, but was much easier to move around after lunch.

Thanks for looking.

Epic scale Sci-Fi using 3D prints. 

VBCW canal/river crossing.

Really nice looking games using Old West terrain tweaked slightly to give it a 1920's setting.  Think Bonnie and Clyde, Paper Moon, etc.  Old abandoned stage coach in one of the back lots was an inspired idea.

A 1980's NATO vs Warpact game in 3mm scale, run by a couple of people including my good friend Mark Julian.  Nice looking terrain, which was stackable with lift off built up areas etc.  I didn't get a chance to see the game mechanism in action but it looked to be working well, even with the use of nuclear demolitions.

28mm Cowboy additions

 At the Penkridge tabletop sale I picked up some 28mm metal castings of Old West figures to add to my Dead Man's Hand posses.  Most are from Wargames Foundry, but not sure on the manufacturer for a couple of them.

Shotgun toting dudes in long coats.

Old timer with what looks to be a muzzle loading musket and a pistol toting desperado, both in long coats.

Pistol armed cowboy in chaps and a Billy the Kid wannabe toting a pistol.

Repeating rifleman sharpshooter and rawhide clad ranger, armed with what appears to be a muzzle loading musket.

Rather well dressed gunslinger/card sharp type - could be a lawman, but tin star not on show.

Warbases 2 storey building - I'm going to have to do a sign with "Ma's Flophouse" or similar.

Another Warbases building, this time a bank with barred windows and stone built sides and rear.

I'll probably add another couple of buildings, maybe a saloon and a general stores, enough to do a street intersection on a 3ft square table.  With some scatter terrain (carts, boxes and crates, hitching posts, etc.) should do quite nicely for pick-up games of DMH.  I might even work on a Zombicide Undead or Alive version using actual terrain.

Thanks for looking.

Mid-18th Cent 20mm Eye Candy

 I had the opportunity to play Will last Thursday using his (mostly) Strelets figures and Black Powder 2 rules.  I only took photos in the early stages of the game as we soon lost ourselves in the hectic to and fro of cavalry actions.

The scenario involved the British infantry advancing in column along a road and an attempted ambush by French cavalry, followed up by infantry.  The British cavalry arrived in the nick of time and deployed to meet the oncoming French (out of shot to the right in the photo below).

Lots of lovely cavalry.

Hessians, I think, masquerading as Dutch for this scenario.

British and Hessian infantry columns plodding along the road axis.

The dastardly French cavalry ready to dash for death or glory.

The British slowly start to shake out into line using the hedgerows as cover where possible.

British horse doing their thing.

The bally French coming to meet them.

The cavalry fight was fun, with honours more or less even on both sides combat losses, but as the French outnumbered the British, this wasn't particularly good outcome.  The complete battle was too big to play to a conclusion in an evening, but the cavalry action made up for it.  Thanks to Will for bringing along his lovely troops.

Thanks for looking.

Year end post

End of the year and on the whole 2022 has been quite kind overall, despite some upsets along the way.

Modelling and painting early in the year focused on 3D printing various Cold War and WW2 vehicles in 15 and 20mm.  I had a big push on getting an NVA/VC army together in 15mm ready to do battle against ANZACs for a club Saturday game.  With the cooler weather, the printer is having a rest.  I've focussed on 20mm US troops for Vietnam (60/70s NW Europe too), plus 28mm Late Roman's, both projects with lots to do.  I've also started a 15mm VDV unit to go with some of the 3D printed vehicles.  Then there has been a dalliance with 28mm WW2, with a platoon of Waffen SS panzergrenadiers completed, plus some odds and ends (Volksturm, Heer, Hitler Youth, etc).

In 2023 I plan to continue with the Late Romans in 28mm, as well as a Viking warband from Santa (possibly my Mrs), and maybe British paratroopers.  In 20mm, I've just placed a small order with Elhiem for some insurgents to polish off my irregular forces.  Santa also brought me a copy of Xenos Rampant and I am thinking of using Star Wars Legion 501st Legion for this as well as a starter pack of Stargrunt infantry from GZG I've had for years in the stash.  I also took advantage of an Airfix sale to add an Italian farm and town house and Czech restaurant to my 20mm buildings, so more on them this coming year.

Below are a couple of shots from a game of Chain of Command played at the club in December.

Owain's rather rash US glider infantry advance across a field, praying the Germans dont deploy in the hedgerow.

SS panzergrenadiers are exchanging shots with US Paratroopers in woods out of picture on the left.  Superior firepower and a couple of double activations have caused huge casualties to two US squads and their MMG teams.  The SS have taken casualties from a sniper and return US fire from the woods.

On the German left, a full squad of SS panzergrenadiers awaits those rather relaxed US glider infantry crossing the field in the first photo.

 In the game, US morale had plummeted and they were throwing 2 dice for commands.  We called it a night shortly after.

Thanks for looking.  Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and have a very Happy New Year.

More 28mm Late Roman shock cavalry

 More Late Roman shock cavalry from my club purchase, this time mainly unarmored cavalry.  I've done these on Royal Blue uniforms with a green and white shield pattern.

Some close ups of the figures.

The labarum carrier, again bearing the chirho symbol.

Lots on the painting table although a new puppy is taking up a lot of time.

Thanks for looking.

2022 Grimsby Cold War Commanders Game

 The weekend of the 7th to 10th October saw those Cold War Commanders who could make it assembling at the Grimsby Wargames Society venue for a mega game of CWC 1.5 (not quite CWC 1 and not quite CWC 2).  It was an opportunity to get my French armor on the table, with a French armored division (really only a reinforced brigade) shared between two players, each getting an armored battalion and a mechanised battalion, with each also getting a uniquely French armoured car battalion mounting the same gun as their bigger tracked AMX-30 chums.  There was also a VAB motorised infantry battalion and another armored car battalion in reserve.

On my left was my French commander, to my right was a light infantry battlegroup of US paratroopers, with some specially airlifted Sheridans in support, betong them a unit of British armor/mechanized infantry and beyond them on the far right a US battlegroup with M1s.  The French were deployed behind a substantial river, with flooded banks.  On the first day of the Warsaw Pact offensive, an East German Motor Rifle batt attempted to fan out on the French side of the river and roll up the defences, but some good initial moves meant the French were able to push into some key wooded areas ahead of the East Germans, who could then make little headway into the ring of French armor, despite using pre-planned smoke as a screen. 

French mechanized infantry on my left flank in contact with French armor to their left - a solid defence against river crossing.

French armor holding trees on the flank of the little town thinly held by the US paratroopers.

East Germans trying to close with the French.

Waves of French coming up in support.

East Germans advance beyond the smoke and are punished by withering French fire.

On the French right, armor and US ATGMs deal with another East German thrust.

River crossing still covered.

Overnight, the French on my left push amphibious mechanized infantry across the river and construct bridging points to allow the heavier armor across. 

The bridging column arrives.

Next morning, the Soviets push infantry and armor forwards to try to pinch out the crossings.

To my front, the French mechanized infantry consolidate their hold on the woods.

On my right, the US infantry look in danger, with a concerted WP effort to push through the boundary between them and the British.  To support, my armored cars moved into the town to form a secure firebase, while the French armor in the woods attempted to shift laterally to the right.  First turn orders weren't too helpful.

Eventually they got moving, just in time as the first Soviet tank brigade (in the far distance) was beginning to see the danger and swing to their right towards the new French menace.

Sheridans slow to get moving as well.

French pushing forwards.

In the excitement of the last couple of turns, I forgot pictures.  The French armour on the right were unable to take up better firing positions in the woods, but were able to put multiple activations of fire into the lead Soviet tank battalion, effectively destroying in.  The second battalion was more canny and from hull down positions on the ridge took out most of the French armor with some long range help from the East Germans.  However, the danger had past and the British and US were able to contain the Soviet push.  But for how long?  Lots of fun, a great weekend with good company, good food and drink and lots of laughs.

Thanks for looking.