Author: lorenzoseventh

Wargaming in an erratic style

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wargaming

Shop “Parade”

I was on taxi duty the other day which as it happens took me to the south side of Harrogate in North Yorkshire. And there was a window of waiting time that was just right for a quick coffee and a visit to Harrogate model shop. The post office and coffee shop are part of a parade of shops – something I associate with “not the high street”. Typically I remember them as serving a community with essential daily needs. Often lacking in car parking this was because people would walk or cycle or bus to such places. Some like this parade of shops still recognisably do that and even have easy parking along the street.

Great coffee….

This particular model shop is actually inside a post office – a combination of rarities indeed.

Plenty of paint and balsa wood

The model shop is on the top floor and is focused on 1/48, 1/32 or 1/35 kits of vehicles, ships and aircraft plus a model railway section. It also caters for home build aero modelling – I was tempted by the balsa wood packs….

More paint

There were the odd figure sets for wargames like the airfix range but not a lot.

Plenty of stock variety
Some interesting card kits
I spotted this model railway set
A machine gun nest and pill box – ready made – oh the horror!
And then this farmhouse – I normally associate airfix with kit building
Ok so you get two etched brass window frames to fit and paint plus glazing pieces! That’s near enough a kit build!
Decent instructions
Slightly smaller than 1/72 but it will be fine for me.
The three additions to my scenery collection – EWM cobbled road in background still not progressed….not sure about the dark green or blueish concrete finishes so a dry brush might be in order.

You might say this is a bit close to Partizan to be splashing the cash but life has intervened and so I will miss the Other Partizan at Newark as well as the Leeds Fiasco show – again in the Royal Armouries museum and expanded from last years reduced size, after years of the Dock Hall expanse. A bit frustrating but in reality it drew me to visit this model shop. It’s always enjoyable browsing a shop or traders offering in real life. In fact it’s fair to say I would never have bought these items online.

Not sure what’s next but my thoughts are beginning to turn to the winter painting campaign that’s AHPC17 and Dave Stones Paint what you Got. I have learnt it’s better to have a plan at the start even if you deviate later on. Better than planning when you could be painting and of course prepping does not count as painting!

Categories
Scenery

Painting Picnic V and VI

This year’s season of scenery has been very productive indeed. Thanks Dave.

Although Dave has extended the season which would be great for me normally I think life will intervene a lot in September and so I will call it for now. If I get lucky there might be a picnic no7 in October- who knows?

Anyway back to the scenery…

The test piece of battlement is from my iron gate scenery Scottish castle set. I have opted for a Norman’s in the south theme.

I base primed with Vallejo white then a stone craft paint coat followed. A heavy dry brush of Naples yellow craft paint left the stonework as suggested pale mortar with sandstone walling. Finally a sand highlight gave it a more dusty look. I used a very diluted raw sienna wash for the steps and walkway. I may yet make the walling look a bit more grubby.

Now I need to decide if this is the look I will run with – about a dozen pieces make up the castle as sold.

The water tower is an Airfix original 1/72 kit for model railways. Dapol make these kits in Wales using the original moulds. They warn about warping and miscasting etc and offer to replace completely any kit found wanting. Unlike Airfix who offered a parts service dapol only swop complete kits.

The parts did have flash but it was easily removed. Instructions were clear but I did not follow them
I opted to make the cross ties first which was a mistake
Top right you can see due to the warped base of the tank that there is a gap glueing the last column to cross ties piece. I was able to coax everything into position and then with some restraint to hold everything together the glue (revel) welded the parts solid.

Next time ! I will probably glue the ties to the columns and then take out any mismatch on the circular castings which is probably how the originals were tensioned up…

I had a few issues with twisted parts but managed to fix them all without resorting to hot water flexing.

I am pleased with the result especially once it was painted.

A suggested level of wear – I might try a bit more weathering on this one.
Categories
wargaming

Another bricks and mortar bargain? Shop

I had good fortune to see this box in a charity shop window. There is something satisfying about just walking into a shop and picking up a bargain. I did optimistically ask if there were others, to no avail.

The box was sealed with what looked like proper tape. But I seem to recall that was not the norm back when this model first found itself on a shelf.

Suffice to say the kit had been started although it is a complete set of parts including transfers.

A previous owner has started to gloss figures and parts. Unlike metals you can’t put this lot in a slime bath to lift off the paint – and scratching it without of mark suggests this a baked on humbrol gloss paint.

I guess it’s a case of sanding before applying acrylic primer unless anyone has a better suggestion? Blue is not my colour of choice here either as my Fauxterre 1930 forces tend to be in black, beige, khaki, green or brown …..

Other than that it’s a snip at a tenner for two very detailed vehicles. I see 3d prints inevitably climbing in price so airfix injection moulding kits remain an option if you don’t mind building them.

On that last point the history blurb ends with comments that these two chassis make great conversion opportunities by dumping the tanks and post factory doing your own fit outs….

Categories
wargaming

Fragment 26/4

A couple of noticeable events caught my eye.

Gripping beast appeared around the time my interest in wargames was reawakened

Back in the 1990’s my wargaming interest was limited to occasionally buying a magazine plus perusing (not buying) 15mm figures in a real model soldier shop. That was it plus I read military history books – a lot.

Then I went to the York wargames show – I can’t remember whether it was the de grey rooms or the merchant adventurers hall where I started to reconnect with the wider hobby but I do remember one show in the merchant adventurers hall where gripping beast were displaying their wares. I remember them being big on dark ages and I reckon they still strongly represented that ancient/medieval bias which is maybe why they picked up front rank miniatures to balance the offering? Yet it was the howling and hilarity I heard from people crowded round small gaming tables that I remember most. They were playing DBA – what appeared at the time to be a brutal, fast and undignified game. Crucially people were having fun. Eventually I bought the book, figures and had fun too.

I am sure many people had equally as much fun with gripping beast over the years while I took the 15mm route instead of the 28mm route.

Its always sad to see a company decide the end of the road is nigh although it is quite possible someone else will run with the gripping beast business into the future.

York is losing it city centre post office and the rest of its big old TGJones store

The same can’t be said for TGJones who are the high street remnants of WHSmith, once a household name in mainstream retail before the internet, mobiles and white vans became de rigeur.

Actually two city based smaller sub post offices will be promoted instead, however, there is no replacement for TGJones and their magazine hub which is definitely an overdue sign of the times. In fact it’s a wonder stores like these have managed to survive the enduring online sunami for so long.

As I mentioned in my last fragment I had deliberately bought magazines on the hoof allowing me to select any or none from miniature wargames, wargames, soldiers and strategy or wargames illustrated.

MW usually carry the most diverse offering of the three uk popular Wargame print magazine offerings

So this was probably my last visit – miniature wargames won out on this occasion simply for variety of content!

Although my book buying has petered out in terms of charity shops or secondhand online wants, the occasional new publication catches my eye – in this case it’s later Romans with Osprey kindly issuing their eastern complimentary edition of 4/5th century provincial units book. I already have the western units book. Raffaele D’Amato brings new material to a popular story. I already had the late Roman infantry and cavalry books by Osprey not to mention the early Byzantine book too. Yet the books are additive in my view based on the western version. A quick flick through suggests I will not be disappointed by the eastern edition.

It remains to be seen if this translates into more painted figures….

De Gaulle focuses on the man and the French
Rick Atkinson is all about the US Army story

In my last post about the film de Gaulle (which I very much enjoyed) I omitted mentioning Rick Atkinson’s book – An Army at Dawn, being his take on the US Army’s first western theatre operations especially amphibious landings. I really enjoyed Rick Atkinson – he gives sufficient colour to the preparations for operation torch – and I went onto enjoy the second part of the story in the Italian peninsula. Again, I can’t emphasise enough how much I have benefited from reading around this (operation torch) often neglected part of the world war two history.

Categories
Book Reviews cinema

The impossible journey to Casablanca and beyond

Cards on the table the French in World War Two are fascinating not least because they ended up fighting on both sides as well as themselves.

I don’t think any other nation got so twisted up by the global conflict.

And then there is the enduring link that ww2 war films tend to be about how the Americans won the war – not least because they provided the “means” plus they fund so many films but still go to the cinema.

Mind you the French audience failed to appear for this expensive double act. Well initially, in fact this film according to its Wikipedia entry managed the unusual feat of gradually becoming more popular as time passed.

My audience in dear old Blighty amounted to about six of us one lunchtime. It’s a long film – I skipped the Odyssey on that basis although I have no regrets about watching the super long Oppenheimer.

A film about a politician during ww2 is unlikely to gather many punters these days as most films have to be either sugar coated comedies, full on horror or have at least one superhero with powers in it.

De Gaulle is clearly a niche film. But then a niche within a niche?

The film was fine on content – what they left out versus what they chose to focus on. Characters and actors were all ok with me. And that’s the critics point – where’s the “wow” guys: we seriously need entertaining. Why didn’t de Gaulle grow wings or have eye lasers etc.

There were no action sequences calamities unlike Napoleon although no doubt “Frank” will be commenting on fire effectiveness and tank operations – my only real query was the use of a later war tank in the first sequence as we get introduced to de Gaulle who is really a military non entity in 1940 at the sharp end of the Blitzkrieg in northern France.

The pace of the film is constant with no let up but then again no dwelling either. Again probably not what critics like at the cinema – surely this is documentary posing as film they probably cry.

Wikipedia have an informative review.
There’s plenty of books on this obscure subject if you go hunting

My starting point is I have read the books you see at the top of the post and shown above. Most important is the dull cover – the murder of Marshal Darlan. The author spends a lot of time framing the French North African events through American and to some extent British eyes. And it’s spot on for that.

Charles Whitings Kasserine quite simply is a very accessible read about the American forces first real engagement with the German military machine. It was painful.

De Gaulle obviously talks himself up in his memoirs – who wouldn’t! Yet it is because he is not British or an American that it’s worth the read – you get a different viewpoint.

The Vichy airforce book is a reminder that Vichy France was not a lame duck and carried potency even if it was fortunately not well used against the allies.

So you could say I didn’t need to see a film having read all those books. But a book is not a film nor are either a play. They all offer something different.

My verdict on de Gaulle is it’s a great war film and I look forward to part 2 which apparently already has better ratings.

Categories
wargaming

Painting Picnic VII

Screenshot

So this is more an ideas in progress rather than even a work in progress post.

Packaging Polystyrene blocks kicked this idea off

Having just been on a late Roman figure painting jaunt this summer and despite having numerous castles yet to be built I somehow returned to a theme of Roman city walls “would be nice”. I think it was propelled by the guardsmen diorama where I made a card backdrop.

All sorts of ideas have led to experiments
The internet has plenty of gatehouses
Colchester’s almost unique 4 arch gateway – I do like the red brick courses……
And at the east coast end of Hadrian’s wall but on the south side of the Tyne river is Arbeia

So plenty to inspire and cajole me into trying out some homespun walls. Of course I could just buy off the shelf or made to print ones but it is of course the creativity element that’s being sought here.

I have opted for some crenellations and a ready supply of thick corrugated cardboard is the experiment here
Dove grey dry brushed over a light grey and then a very light dusting of dry white on top. The roughness comes from the polystyrene plus some indenting with a cuticle manicure pusher! Then tissue paper glued over with pva followed by the paint regime.

And those brick courses which it turns out were most definitely a later Roman idea which among other things could sustain the wall better during earthquakes!

I decided I would experiment with discrete strips of coursing made from cornflake card

So here is some wall testing for the look of the thing.

Categories
wargaming

Fragment 26/3 A mixed bag

This is a bit of a wandering post.

First up when I visit York I often liberate a magazine or two from TGJones in Coney street (formerly WHSmith). Now it is also soon to be formerly TGJones as the company has got permission to shut what was York’s main post office which currently relocated, sits inside this store. The rest of the shop sales I am sure relied on post office footfall for a now faded business model. Of course the original grand Edwardian? general post office building is now a giant steakhouse restaurant…..

Anyway it looks like my “walk up and look before buying” days are over and I might need to subscribe. Hmmmm or maybe not?

I did like the fact they carried three magazines and I could just pick the one I liked the most that month. With subscription, which is cheaper, you are locked in for good or ill and three subscriptions of course makes no sense at all.

I might revert to buying up old magazines instead.

Farewell dear friend

“magister militum” Tiny (was a giant of a cat at 6kg!) looks away in disgust as he gets some bad rolling of the dice while reluctantly playing modern stuff.

My favourite cat Tiny (he was the runt of a litter where we got three including the ginger alpha male) sadly died in a road accident. Given he was a big rat hunter and crossed a busy road to his hunting grounds he had used up his nine lives – in his case by the age of nine.

As my constant companion during lockdown and then home working not to mention wargaming, he will be greatly missed. From a Wargames perspective he was the “Magister Militum” to the ginger alpha males “Emperor” as our ginger cat rarely bothered to leave the house let alone the garden or street! Tiny on the other hand was a fighter, kept the street clear and was often reported beating the bounds over a kilometre away by dog walkers and runners I knew.

Farewell to an ever cheerful cat.

Pro cycling still just about delivers

Pro cycling has pretty much blown out its commercial popularity on media, with the demise of the GCN app showing the sports world has moved on.

The days of 100% coverage of the big three tours – de France , Giro and la Vuelta are gone. In their place a lot more studio chat and analysis while focus on geography and historical views from the helicopter are now often faded out in favour of yet another meaningless opinion interview. And the coverage of races is now shrunken even for live showings.

Still I have picked up a few good castles this season while Spanish soil offers the gamer absolutely anything to justify any colour or grass you could want!

Plenty of soil variation
A bit like spurn head with nicer climate!
Plenty of castles
Yep that’s a drawing pin!

A recent trip to Newby Hall, Ripon, North Yorkshire brought me into the world of dolls houses, very much expensive museum pieces these models are quite stunning pieces of work.

Did you spot the castle and boxed soldiers? Much of what was on show was scratch made.

Categories
wargaming

Intermission 26d

Clouds
Categories
wargaming

Just in at my local hobby store!

Screenshot

Yep I strolled into my favourite hobby shop on a trip into York to discover they had not only stocked the said new products but even had the original General Lee version of the famous British Grant M3 and in 1:72.

Nowadays M3’s are a rare beast even in the ubiquitous world of 3D prints. Let’s face it who wants an already outdated quirky tank of 1942 when you can have the elegant simplicity of the Sherman in all its variants running through to ‘45 and beyond.

An excellent walk out price with no waiting nor postage but included friendly chat with store guy and some exercise in my part.

Well given my preference is anything up to and including Operation Torch and maybe a bit of Italian toe, then some M3’s are worth a punt.

See the cupolas tower and blob nosed gun

The US original comes with the impossible multi stack turreting (great for looking over hedges) and a chunky balancing weight on the 75mm gun. Talk about ugly.

Ok so the lead photo is actually the British “Lee” with tapered barrel and flexible sponson but you can also do a US troop of Lee’s and Russian lend lease versions. I guess the Russian ones might have been lend only?

And that’s not all, Monkbar Models are stocking some classic vintage airfix figures as well.

1960’s Airfix vintage rub shoulders with more recent ? lines from the seventies and eighties !!!
A convertors classic
I have rediscovered this great range in recent times – I converted a couple stephensons rockets for AHPC16 this year- that was fun if a little tortuous at times.

I also picked up a dapol 1/72 water tank – always needed….. I am thinking of Fauxterre 1930 here. A utilitarian design that still has some character.

Categories
Scenery

Painting Picnic IV – medieval

I captioned this latest painting picnic offering as medieval yet of course the building by definition is able to fit into centuries of warfare and wargaming periods.

This tabletop workshop item led me to their website and holy moly August sees them launch Lee and Grant M3’s in 1/72 !!!!!!

I picked up the kit at a late bring and buy tour as I left the May Partizan show around three pm.

It was a tenner – the “walk away with it” price seemed ok and I was buying some magazines from the same guy – he was pricing to shift stuff unlike a guy next to him where the seller was asking far too much – the 1/72 imex stuff was way more expensive than grubby tanks was selling in the show itself off a trade stand.

Clip together simples, no flash, no prep, very sharp moulding – top quality.

It pays to check stuff out and I had quick look online and found my kit building selling at 15-20 quid.

The building is designed to hold gaming miniatures with an easily removable first floor and roof piece

I took a shine to it and the guy extra discounted a bulk buy of old practical wargamer magazines into the deal.

The magazines are great as they all have Mr Ralph Weaver C19th wars articles complete with his glorious artwork in them.

Their website shows far better more grubby versions than mine which looks more like a 21st century makeover 😂

Back to the medieval building I gave it a Vallejo white prime then black undercoat interior plus roof before my craft paints provided the sand all over wood and walls then followed by citadels dark oath flesh contrast for the wood. Naples yellow dry brush for the stone base with coffee highlights did for the building. Roof wise I did a blue, black, red mix rough brushed and then dark grey dry brush with same grey plus white for final very light dry brush.

All done in quick time. Another pleasing result both at speed and to my visual liking.

It’s bit like buses here – expect a long wait for the next one!