tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67347491649341219572024-03-13T22:51:33.367-07:00Corner of a Foreign Fieldlocker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-86366751539741779492014-08-31T10:53:00.002-07:002014-08-31T10:53:59.843-07:00GHQ "Big E" Miniature ReviewThings have definitely slowed down for me on the hobby front recently but I was inspired by the the great <a href="http://wwiicentral.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">World War II Central</a> blog and painted a a <a href="http://www.ghqmodels.com/store/ghq-military-models.html" target="_blank">GHQ</a> Micronaut 1/2400th scale USS Enterprise CV-6, the "Big E." The World War II central blog showcases some mind-blowing painting of some smaller scale miniatures by GHQ. What really impressed me are the <a href="http://shop.ww2central.com/" target="_blank">decals</a> that are available and I had to give it a try. I followed the <a href="http://ww2central.com/decal-tutorial.html" target="_blank">tutorial</a> with the following results:<br />
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I ordered the miniature from <a href="http://www.nobleknight.com/" target="_blank">Noble Knight Games</a> since I had a coupon from a previous purchase and they seem to have good stock of this miniature range. The miniature arrived promptly in the mail.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uCQ12PZMubw/VAK4H3LZzOI/AAAAAAAAF7A/fvay-yRakIw/s1600/DSC09801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uCQ12PZMubw/VAK4H3LZzOI/AAAAAAAAF7A/fvay-yRakIw/s1600/DSC09801.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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I purchased the decal on eBay using the link provided on the decal page and it arrived quickly in a letter envelope in the mail:<a href="http://wwiicentral.blogspot.com/"></a></div>
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I received both of the available decals. I'm not sure why?</div>
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I also purchased the supplies I did not already have in the tutorial, the enamel. I always tend to agonize over the colors, so I went with the tutorial recommendation.<br />
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I did have some concern using laquers over enamel due to paint blistering but some internet research indicated using Testors' brand for both would not be an issue. I had none.<br />
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I assembled the miniature per the instructions provided with no problems and minimal cleaning of mold lines and flash.<br />
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I primered the model with the enamel with the smell of the enamel bringing back an old memory I couldn't quite put my finger on. It's funny how smells can trigger memories. I quickly realized I needed to hold the spray can further away from the model than I was typically used to and the enamel paint went on nicely. I left it for 24 hours to dry.</div>
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I then coated the mini with Testors Glosscote and trimmed the decal. The decal wasn't too hard to trim. I used a combination of sharp scissors and a sharp hobby knife. Since I didn't want to get the wash on the decal, I went ahead and added a black was to the appropriate places and then decided to also highlight the mini before adding the decal also.</div>
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The wash and highlight color, Light Grey and then Light Grey with White.:</div>
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I carefully placed the decal, using Microset and Microsol per the tutorial and then gave the mini a decent coat of Testors Dullcote to finish.</div>
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Overall, I'm very happy with the results but I can see where I could improve, a good test fit of the decal is crucial. I didn't paint the planes yet. I'm considering mounting them on stands per examples I saw on the blog. Especially if I end up using a rules set. I can see myself painting more, especially since it was relatively quick project.</div>
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I took this picture before the final highlight was added. The mini is bigger than I expected:</div>
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Overall, a big thumbs up.</div>
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locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-87725026489326920092014-07-27T12:27:00.002-07:002014-07-27T15:11:05.054-07:00Soviet Attack In Force<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I went through a very prolific phase for a while and was able to complete a large portion of my Soviet armored vehicles. The progress was fueled by my need to get them done since I'm looking forward to moving on to Germans. Also, I'm trying to take a more organised approach to my painting queue due to my constant switching of priorities based on my current fad interests, an ongoing battle. I added a painting queue tab on my blog to monitor my progress and plan ahead.<br />
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Due to the heat and other commitments, I'm pretty sure my progress will be slow over the next couple of months, but as long as I keep plugging away, getting at least something each evening, I'll eventually have another breakthrough phase of accomplishment. I'll tortoise it for a while.<br />
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BA-64s roll through the town to scout ahead:<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">The ground shakes as the heavy armor moves towards the front:</span><br />
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ZSU M17 MGMC AA provide cover for the heavy armor moving forward:<br />
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Infantry support starts to assemble:<br />
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Reports of heavy German armor from the scouts sends in the tank destroyers:<br />
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Katayusha rocket battery prepares to support the attack:<br />
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Next is 5 T34/85s and 9 T34s to flesh out my existing forces. Basing my soviet infantry is also going to take some time, too. Got to keep plugging away!locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-78147346008737178412014-06-01T22:30:00.000-07:002014-06-03T20:49:31.016-07:00Painting Table Update - Elephants and an AirbrushOver the Christmas break I took the time to get setup for some airbrushing I want to do for German camo. I've had some serious approach avoidance regarding this since, well, I've never done it before, and based on forum posts on the subject, the process can be wrought with problems it seems. Christmas was five months ago...really? This year is going cliche fast! Here are the results of my first try with my budget airbrush setup. Elephants for my HG force.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Around ten years ago I received a nice gift from my friends of an an Aztek airbrush set. And I must admit that I'm embarrassed it took this long to use it. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something I had some reservations about doing so I took the budget route. Fortunately for me, I had resisted the temptation of selling the airbrush a few years ago. So a good start, no initial airbrush investment for me. I know Aztek isn't a preferred option but for a beginner I figure it was a good starting point. I picked up a few accessories from Harbor freight, a $40 compressor, a $7 braided air hose and a $8 airbrush cleaning bottle with coupons. I already had a moisture trap and an air pressure regulator from an old air compressor a friend had. I didn't want to mess with it so I just stuck the whole thing on there even though the new compressor has a regulator already. The air hose didn't fit the airbrush but some google-fu found an adapter at Airbrush-Depot. I think it was around $10 to $12 with shipping.<br />
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I bought some Vallejo Airbrush paints and some thinner just in case and I gave it a shot while listening to the WWPD and Breakthrough Assault podcasts. With some minor effort I got it done and have enough confidence to continue. I'm looking forward to doing more. I would like to purchase a finer tip than the smallest tip in my kit, a 0.35 mm tip. I'm thinking around 0.20 mm. I'll practice more with what I have now, though.<br />
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Of course, it has been a distraction from my Desperate Measure soviet commitment. I glued and primered some Panzer III Ms, too. Is it me or are the books coming out too fast? I already impulse bought some Jagdtigers for the Bridge at Remagen book. Darn those previews. I'm probably two full rounds of book revisions away from having a list I can actually play in the Europe theater.<br />
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Here's my painting table as of today:<br />
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Arggh, there is nothing worse than dropping a fully glued vehicle on the garage floor! It's a gonna.<br />
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Making some solid progress all around lately.<br />
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<br />locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-40765380531680921002014-05-04T23:05:00.001-07:002014-05-04T23:14:17.874-07:00Hetzers gonna Hetz and so did I!Today was my annual pilgrimage to the local Air Show. I have to admit I was somewhat reluctant to go since I was feeling it was getting a little old because it doesn't seem to change much from year to year. Checking the program online, I saw a F-22 Raptor would be attending. I knew I didn't want to miss that and I headed out the door to the show. I was in for a nice surprise, though.<br />
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I hopped off the Tram from the parking lot and walked straight towards the reenactment camp, my favorite part of the show, when I immediately spotted a Hetzer. Not only was it a Hetzer, but there was a short line to actually climb inside it.<br />
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The access hatch.<br />
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Looking down the gun sight they had positioned the the Sherman tank so you could see it. The sight had the triangles to help in compensating for moving targets. I wish I had remembered to take a picture of the sight.<br />
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Stored ammo.<br />
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Sitting inside seemed so uncomfortable. Can't imagine what it must have been like moving and in combat. Driver's side.<br />
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It's for sale if you want one.<br />
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Sherman with Tunisia markings. They let you climb on but didn't let you go inside.<br />
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Some sort of Russian Jeep with the BA-64 that was there last year.<br />
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Not sure what this is?<br />
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WW1 New Zealand reeanctor. I think he said 3rd Auckland?<br />
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The F-22 demonstration was mind blowing. What that plane can do is absolutely amazing. You can hear and feel the power. Take off straight to vertical. Flied backwards, sideways, seemed to float in the air at a stand still. I'm glad they made it look like a plane or you would think it was a UFO. A BSEG on my face the entire time.<br />
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Sorry it's so far away in this picture. I was going to put the zoom lens on but I just wanted to soak it in. Next time.<br />
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locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-68482599098964739822014-03-31T21:46:00.001-07:002014-03-31T21:51:06.160-07:00Painting Table Update - More SovietsDesperate Measures soviet scope creep has found me somewhat behind schedule as I continue to add to my soviets. The Italy compilation showed up on my doorstep last week and I'm psychologically ready for some focus on Italy, especially my HG and British armor: Panzer III Ms and Churchills. <br />
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I know painting takes me some time but I always seem to underestimate how long assembly will take. I'm tempted to move away from Soviets but the idea of not having a completed LW force to play is really bugging me. Plenty of partials, though, as I chase releases. I'm a tortoise chasing a hare right now but I am making progress. Since I do have substantially more soviets painted than anything else, I think I'll stick with them for a while. I'm continuing to reach my goal of twenty plus T-34s. More than twenty to make up for the ones with broken sides.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I've been slowly purchasing ruined buildings for a Stalingrad themed table. I was hoping to find the Stalingrad fountain when I stumbled across this <a href="http://forum.wwpd.net/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=12411" target="_blank">WWPD thread</a>. I purchased the <a href="http://escenografia-epsilon.com/piezas/15mm/iiww/stalingradfont.html" target="_blank">Stalingrad fountain</a>, and after some very good communication regarding its progress, it arrived today. Very cool, I like it. I love pre-painted items.<br />
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The end of March has the following ready to to start painting:<br />
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I'm really looking forward to getting the captured half-tracks painted for my Spetsnaz platoon.<br />
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So for now it's more soviets, but Italy is calling.<br />
<br />locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-38503553057027897742014-03-09T01:04:00.002-08:002014-03-09T09:09:39.029-07:0050 Shades of HayIn anticipation of determining what materials I would need to base my Soviet horde, I went ahead and based a Spetsnaz platoon. As usual I agonized over what color schemes to go with since there are some excellent examples out there, especially in my favorite blog roll. Soviets look great with GF9's static grass colors Aria and Winter or any other color that lands in the '50 shades of hay' spectrum. After some deep thought I decided to stick with GF9's green static grass to be consistent with what I had originally planned for my German bases.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I used a fine pumice gel mixed with German Camo. Med. Brown to build up the ground around the bases for each of the infantry and to give the base a muddy look. I then sparingly added some fine ballast using school glue to give a small rocky look in a few places. Thinned down German Camo. Med. Brown was painted on the ballast and I then dry brushed Beige Brown followed by Brown Sand to give the appearance of drying mud. I used Silfor MiniNatur Long buffalo grass tufts in the late summer and autumn colors. I'm also using long tufts in autumn. I was surprised to find the buffalo grass and long tufts in autumn are two different colors? The autumn and late summer colored silfor products offer a nice contrast to the green static and, to me, have the hay color shades.<br />
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I also completed Ford GPA amphibious Jeeps for a Sapper Spetsnaz Platoon. I painted them using Russian Green but I'm wondering if I should have painted them in US colors, I'll have to look into that? I do need to paint up some captured half tracks at some point.<br />
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I've been diligently assembling and painting T34s and BA-64s, too. Well, that's it for my late February update, I'll have more Soviet stuff in my next post and after that I'll start to work on HG in Italy. I always seem to be behind, playing catch up with the book releases.</div>
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locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-27138463146191798462014-01-27T21:22:00.002-08:002014-01-27T21:34:41.798-08:00Katyushas are hard!As in hard to glue together. In game terms assembling Katyushas are the Flames of War equivalent of a cross between Rubik's Cube and a 3D version of Twister. Which brings me to the stark realization of...how cool would 3D Twister be! I stared at the pieces for a while trying to imagine how they would go together, trying to align the pieces like my two year old son did trying to put Legos together. I felt like a caveman.<br />
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Aha, I thought, I'll try the internet and I had a eureka moment when I found the Katyusha assembly instructions on the Battlefront site only to find the instructions are for the older version of the models. I was relieved to find my newer models from the box set looked easier than the older version. That's until I started to glue them together. My first attempt had the rocket launchers so crooked, when the rockets launched they would take out the Katy next to it. Gluing sixty sets of Necron arms was easier than this! I finally got them done over a few nights but what a hassle.<br />
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I've been concentrating on finishing up my Soviets. I'll need to base all my Soviet infantry, too. My goal is to have the Soviets completed by the end of February. Probably unrealistic, but hey, I'm shooting for it. Once done, I can then move on to Germans; a great motivator since Germans tanks are so cool. As I stated in a previous post, I'd like to assemble and paint up tanks for my Hermann Goring force in time for the Italy compilation.<br />
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Here's what I have on my workbench:<br />
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Katyushas, BA-64s and some Ford GPA jeeps.<br />
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More T34s and T34/85s to enable me to run two Tankovy companies. A third DShK AA, too.<br />
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And then lastly, a reserve artillery batalion I'm in the process of magnetizing so I can use both guns:<br />
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I'm planning on doing at least one post a month with a focus on my progress this year. So that's it for my January update.locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-70848646713777595072013-12-21T17:19:00.003-08:002013-12-21T17:19:57.800-08:00Tally Ho! CrusadersI finished my Crusaders for a MW Light Armoured Squadron a while back. Two platoons and a HQ with the option to field the CS variants. I did get to use them on the table at my FLGS EW Operation Crusader Campaign even though the camo is more MW than EW, I believe. Digging out infantry was quite the challenge. More deck-turrets? (Doesn't quite work for my MW Crusaders, though) The campaign was great but I was unable to attend as much as I wanted due to work commitments. Great bunch of guys and I had a blast!<br />
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As you can see from the previous blog post date, it has been far too long since my last post. The goal of this blog is primarily to track my hobby progress and progress has been very slow over the last four or five months. The slow progress is due to increased work commitments and responsibilities, some family medical issues that are resolved now, and getting my Mom moved closer. I also passed the last professional certification goal I had set, something I'm quite proud of since it has been a two year process. And, believe or not, I lucked into an acting gig here in Los Angeles working on a Sizzle Reel. What made it extra special was I got a chance to work with my son and his friends. I'm not an actor so getting a glimpse into that world was very cool. Luckily, I did get some time to relax listening to the great FOW podcasts that are now available. So happy about that, especially the Breakthrough Assault guy's commitment. I think they've done seven already.</div>
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<b>So what's next for FOW for me in 2014:</b></div>
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I have some Soviet items re-inspired by Desperate Measures that are assembled but need painting:</div>
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5x SU-100</div>
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4x IS-122</div>
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7x BA-64</div>
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And as you all have possibly seen by now, the Italy Compilation is coming out in March! I'm very excited about this. I've been working on an airbrush setup for camo and HG Division will be my main focus for at least the first part of the year:</div>
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10x Panzer III Ms</div>
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5 x Stug G</div>
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2x Tiger</div>
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4x Panther</div>
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1x Elephant</div>
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3x Panzer 38t</div>
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Recce</div>
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Next British in Italy and then start on a US force. Can't wait!</div>
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I'm also hoping to get plenty of North Africa games in,too. Tally Ho!:</div>
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<br />locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-5205412341923658882013-07-10T20:10:00.000-07:002013-07-10T20:17:31.067-07:00Army Display Tray ReviewI was in the process of investigating what to do regarding an army display tray for tournaments when I stumbled upon the perfect solution for me: USChris on the <a href="http://www.wwpd.net/" target="_blank">WWPD</a> site had <a href="http://forum.wwpd.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8546" target="_blank">posted pictures</a> of his scratch built army display tray / organizer--it had me at hello. And, as it turned out, he was selling some! A short time later it was at my door. Fortunately for me it arrived on July 3rd, giving me a four day weekend to work on it.<br />
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Here it is with the core of my Hermann Goring division force displayed:<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I picked up some black handles and a can of Rustoleum Satin in Fossil (tan color with a hint of green) from my local Home Depot and I already had the flock I needed, buying extra when I purchased my game mats from <a href="http://www.theterrainguy.com/gamemats.html" target="_blank">The Terrain Guy</a> site. One thing I really like about this tray is it's reversible! Desert on one side and Europe on the other. Perfect. There is a dice tray drawer that pulls out all the way that can be flipped, and can be used for storage. There is also one slot that will fit a full sized rule book and templates, and one for army lists. I am very happy with the tray. It's what I would have liked to have made if I had the carpentry skill; I don't. Overall, 10 out of 10. Thank you USChris!<br />
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<br />locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-48306090042855796072013-06-30T21:20:00.000-07:002013-07-02T08:00:41.156-07:00North Africa Motor Platoon and 37mm Bofors Portees<div>
I have recently made some progress with my Crusader Armoured Squadron, having completed a Motor platoon and four 37mm Bofors Portee's. </div>
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For the first time in a while the weekend didn't have anything social planned, so I made good use of the time by declaring the weekend an official hobby weekend. All I had to do was take my wife out to lunch on Saturday, stare at her all googly eyed, and then take her to our favorite coffee shop, Dripp, and I had just enough frequent flyer miles accrued for a round trip ticket to FOW paradise. I happily cashed in all my points.</div>
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I have been especially motivated by a couple of things: first, I'm reading Steven Pressfield's Killing Rommel and I'm thoroughly enjoying it, which is putting me in the desert mood. Second, Ben on one of my favorite blogs, <a href="http://breakthroughassault.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Breakthrough Assault</a>, is posting about EW North Africa and is working on an <a href="http://breakthroughassault.blogspot.com/2013/06/firestorm-operation-crusader-draft-rules_28.html" target="_blank">Operation Crusader Firestorm campaign</a>--very cool. I have to admit, Hellfire and Back! is my favorite FOW book.</div>
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Next in the painting queue are 10 Crusaders, two of which are the CS variant for the HQ. They are assembled and ready for primer and are my July project--we'll see.</div>
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As an added bonus, I found myself at my FLGS, <a href="http://gmigames.com/" target="_blank">GMI Games</a>, purchasing the new D-Day books; some hobby weekend icing on the cake.</div>
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Motor Platoon:</div>
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37mm Bofors Portee:</div>
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locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-53389982804589363162013-05-12T10:10:00.001-07:002013-07-01T12:42:42.084-07:00BA-64 Soviet Reenactor PicturesI can't believe another year has gone by and that it was time for the local Planes of Fame airshow again. How time does really fly by, especially at an air show. I've found over the years that my focus has been less on the planes and more on the reenactors at the event. I spent quite a bit of time talking to Jerry in the LRDG camp, covering mostly the Humphrey Bogart movie, Sahara, and its remake among other things. A great guy.<br />
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I did a double take, though, when I saw in the corner of my eye something I would never expect to see, a BA-64! Awesome.</div>
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<a name='more'></a>From what I understand it's a replica but interesting, nonetheless. The gentleman in the picture was working hard on it on a hot day every time I walked by You know he loves it.</div>
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locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-88430942676870715512013-04-07T08:31:00.002-07:002013-07-01T12:43:36.364-07:00Civil War ReenactmentI've been looking forward to seeing this Civil War reenactment for quite some time now. Sponsored by the <a href="http://sccwa.com/toc.htm" target="_blank">Southern California Civil War Association (SCCWA)</a>, the event was also supported by Scout Troop 202 , the city of Chino, and the surrounding communities of which I'm proud to be a part of. So luckily for me, the event was just five minutes away. As an added bonus my son drove out from Los Angeles to attend, his new stomping grounds. The weather was perfect for this type of event and we timed it just perfect when a couple of P-38s took off over us as we passed Chino Airport on the way to the park. The <a href="http://planesoffame.org/" target="_blank">Planes of Fame</a> had an event I skipped to see the reenactment.<br />
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The battle was a reenactment of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gettysburg" target="_blank">Battle of Gettysburg</a> but I'm not sure how accurately the battle was depicted. Not that it really mattered that much to me. I was pleasantly surprised by the scale of the battle and the event. There was also quite a few children involved and you could tell this was a family hobby for many of the participants. Very cool.<br />
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The event included mounted cavalry, infantry and artillery. One of the highlights was the cannons being hooked up (I'm sure there is an official term for this) to the horses and then pulled on to the battlefield. The authenticity of it all enhanced by the soldiers in charge barking orders. There was also a war correspondent with what seemed to be a branch hanging out of his bag and I'm wondering what the branch is. I didn't get a chance to talk to him and ask.<br />
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We had a great time and I'm finding the reenactments are something I have been enjoying very much when I get the chance to see them. Hopefully, there will be a bunch of WWII reenactors like last year in the local Air Show in early May. I have quite a few picture of these on my blog and hope to add more.<br />
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On a side note, I seem to be having an internal, OCD struggle with re-enactment versus reenactment. It appears both are correct and it is common to see a hyphen between two vowels?<br />
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Here are some pictures I took in no particular order:<br />
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<br />locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-26070011150553608342013-04-01T22:19:00.000-07:002013-07-01T12:43:50.669-07:00The World's Most Provocative Piece of TerrainAfter pushing the literary boundaries of the blogosphere with my previous Hunter S. Thompson inspired post, it was only a matter of time until I would reveal a terrain masterpiece from my past to turn the gaming and art worlds upside down...literally.<br />
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I bring you The World's Most Provocative Piece of Terrain (capitalized on purpose):<br />
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This mind-locking piece of terrain is nothing short of a masterpiece. I don't hesitate for one second to call this pro-painted. I could list this on eBay for $199.99, no problem, but this is going to stay in my family for generations; it is in my will for my first born son. Using only the greatest terrain building techniques of the early 1990's, it also has something only true art possesses: A thought provoking paradox! How did that pirate ship end up in that field? Think Tardis here, it's on par. Sure, put it on a Warhammer or D&D table and you could say it was High Elven magic, or a 9th level spell, but put it on a Saga or Bolt Action table...What the deuce! MIND BLOWN! More splattered heads than an episode of Walking Dead. Before I bring this piece of terrain out, I'm forced to make the feeble minded to go home, it's that psychologically dangerous. (Plus, they are D &D players for the most part anyway so I'm looking for an excuse to get rid of them. No way they could pass <i>this</i> saving throw).<br />
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Right now, I'm sure you are thinking, how did this mere mortal produce this and why isn't it in the Louvre. As a gift to the gaming and art community, I'm willing to share my techniques because that is the type of person I am. Prepare yourself...<br />
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<u>The Flock</u><br />
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Use real flock. Not that blow in the wind, multi-colored static grass or Silfor tufts, but buy in it a bag that will last you a life time flock. I only use Elmer's school glue from Staples, it's worth the extra 75 cents. Remember, this is a family heirloom level terrain.<br />
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<u>The Foliage:</u><br />
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I prefer the natural look of lichen. Ever since I found out it's real, I used it. No shredded artificial foam stuff here. I studied each piece in the bag for hours to find the two best ones to use. It was worth it.<br />
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<u>The Paint Job:</u><br />
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I only use Michael's paints since that is where real artists shop. In order to spend more time painting, I have my wife pick some paints up when she is shopping for fake plants and items for what ever crappy crafts she is into that week.<br />
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When it comes to base coating, I prefer a medium texture roller for 15mm and a heavy texture roller for 28mm. Finished base coating some FOW Panzergrenadiers tonight:<br />
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I use this deck brush my wife purchased at Home Depot to dry brush. It's more expensive than a paint brush, but man is it efficient!:<br />
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I will sleep well tonight knowing I have made the gaming community that much better. But be careful, with great terrain comes great responsibility. Come to think of it, I better get this piece insured. Another great tip.locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-24422646435853541422013-03-05T23:02:00.001-08:002013-07-01T12:44:09.583-07:00Gonzo Journalism FOW UpdateI surfed a wave of prolific gluing and painting, crashing headfirst and hard onto my Omaha beach of life. I've been spitting out it's sand since my last post. I'd happily eat the the tabletop sands of 1942 North Africa, if only the dug in, artillery barrage feel of everyday work hadn't somehow x32'd me into March, 2013...a rich and hypnotic newsreel grainy black and white into dull, boring high definition color of an 8:00 am until done work life. Now, faint echoes of Olivier's narration in my head, followed by a blunt realization tonight of trenched paced accomplished on the FOW front. I'm pinned. Gom jabbar pinned.<br />
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Not even a post. Send me your boats across the Channel becuzzz I long for my own Dunkirk. I write this post. What would Patton do? A Dirty Jon podcast voice from the past..."reinforce success": 1.5 year old grandson, Conner, said, "Papa". Some good sand...Jeeping in Calico, Odessa Canyon with my Band of Brothers. A great FOW deal on eBay. An un-nested family I hobby love. A rationed few nights of accelerator taste in my mouth, followed by morning drive teeth scraping super glue off nails. Grants already done but added to, with 3 Lee turrets for North Africa Sandworm spice. Honey dripped with sherm...man. Newsreel grey driving into my blue-eyed 1080p:<br />
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I briefly insert. A scenic detour into a Market Garden:<br />
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Rolling dice thud onto a tabletop game of my life in miniatures...I unpin. Dreams of FOW Kwisatz Haderach tonight?<br />
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<br />locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-13791734195796674422013-01-06T20:17:00.000-08:002013-07-01T12:45:30.583-07:00DAK PioniersI finished basing my DAK Pioniers over the last month, with enough bases to run a Pionierkompanie if needed: 16 Pioneer Rifle/MG teams. 6 Flame-thrower teams and Command options. There are few extra Rifle/Mg teams due to the new DAK Pionier blister being released with new figures during the build. But looking to the future, I'll have enough Pionier Rifle teams to run a Lietche Pionier platoon from Hellfire and Back!, grabbing a rifle team from a Schutzen platoon if I'm not running Flame-throwers. EW North Africa is probably in the far future, though.<br />
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Sometimes the Holidays are relaxing and other times they are very busy. This year was the busy kind. My wife and I worked hard to install new flooring in our bedrooms and my brother, his girlfriend and my niece visited from England over New Years for a holiday. Since my niece recently turned 21, we headed out to Vegas with my mom and son for New Years family reunion. We had a blast. Doing the countdown on the strip and watching the firework display will be a fond memory. A hectic two weeks topped off with a killer cold just in time to go back to work. End result...no time for hobbies.<br />
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Heading into the new year my goal is to complete North Africa and finally move on to the Eastern Front and Italy full force.<br />
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What I have left for North Africa:<br />
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A bunch of Panzer IIIs, mostly J Lates and a few Panzer IVs to run a Panzerkompanie.<br />
Lots of Grants and Lees - Assembled and ready to be primed.<br />
Crusaders - On the back burner for now and I may choose to wait on these.<br />
Italians - A Battaglione Bersaglieri and a Compagnia Carri. The infantry are painted but I need to base them. Everything else needs to be glued and painted.<br />
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Looks like a year of North Africa tank battles!<br />
<br />locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-60856916246625776502012-11-12T21:31:00.001-08:002013-07-01T12:46:16.502-07:00British 8th Army Field BattteryActivate hobby mode...It's good to be back. It has been a while between blog posts due to my studying for another work related quality certification. The good news is I passed.<br />
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I recently found time to finish basing an 8th Army field battery with two gun troops:<br />
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I'm pretty happy with these, especially with the staff team map. I had purchased some Normandy themed 15mm transfers from the Model Dads blog a while back since they contain maps among other things. Unfortunately, I don't think the transfers are available anymore. You can find the Model Dads blog in my 'Blogs I Follow..." section, although I'm sure most FOW fans are already aware of it. I'm a fan.<br />
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I'm currently focusing on North Africa, hoping to finish it up but there is still quite a bit to do. I've been working on some DAK pioneers as of late. I'm hoping to get in an AAR soon. Should be easier with the holidays coming up.locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-48407406994504157512012-09-04T23:17:00.000-07:002013-03-25T21:53:13.158-07:00A visit to the USS Iowa Battleship<div>
My wife and I drove to see the USS Iowa (BB-61) <a href="http://www.pacificbattleship.com/" target="_blank">museum</a> in San Pedro, California during our summer vacation this year. Known as the 'The Big Stick', the Iowa has had a very impressive <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Iowa_(BB-61)" target="_blank">history</a>. I was particularly interested in seeing the Iowa since it was commissioned in 1943 during WWII. This was to be our first battleship visit and we were looking forward to it since we really enjoyed seeing the USS Midway in San Diego a couple of summers ago.</div>
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The Iowa at sea:<br />
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The ship was quite impressive, especially the 16" guns as expected:<br />
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I was somewhat disappointed to find there was no access to the gun turrets. I asked about this and was informed access would be available in the future as tours are added. The museum at the time of our visit had only been open for a few weeks and in fact, quite a bit of the ship was not accessible.<br />
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The ship had been updated with modern weapon systems:<br />
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The awesome <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalanx_CIWS" target="_blank">Phalanx CWIS</a> (Nicknamed 'R2D2' in US Navy and 'Dalek' in the Royal Navy. That's right, new season of Doctor Who starting...YES!) :<br />
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Back in the day I used to pass General Dynamics in Pomona, California on my way to school at Cal Poly in the nineties. One afternoon, on my way home to my amazement, a truck with a Phalanx on it ready for transport was in the parking lot. My friend was in the Navy at the time and got to watch them test fire it. I would have like to have experienced that event. According to my friend, they sometimes tested the tracking system by tracking the helicopter as it came in to land on the ship. I wonder how the pilot felt about that.<br />
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Tomahawk Armored Box Launchers (ABL):<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpoon_(missile)" target="_blank">Harpoon</a> Tubes:<br />
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Captains quarters where President Roosevelt stayed:<br />
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Door of bridge control center used during battle armor thickness (I think it was 17"):<br />
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Overall, well worth the visit with the main drawback being the lack of access to much of the ship made the tour of the ship seem short. Basically the deck, bridge, Captain's quarters and galley. Looks like that will be changed soon, though. Also, other than the Iowa, there isn't really anything else to do there. My wife and I both felt the USS Midway experience was much better but we enjoyed the trip, nonetheless.<br />
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<br />locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-8266815264411890172012-08-19T12:41:00.000-07:002012-08-21T18:19:35.964-07:00Eighth Army Recce Complete - First DecalsI was able to finish the Eighth Army recce and the 25pdr support vehicles this week:<br />
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I finally got around to adding some decals for the first time, having some approach avoidance in the past but thinking I could use the decals to help differentiate platoons in order to avoid confusion during the fog of battle. I was hoping to avoid using a high gloss coat for the decals and after some research, I found some videos on YouTube for using Microscale Industries, Inc. Micro Set and Micro Sol. I didn't have to give the model a gloss coat and considering this was my first time, I was very happy with the results. The two step process seemed quick and easy.</div>
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A good tip is to label the Micro Set and Micro Sol lids to remember the order of use. After accidentally switching the lids, a better tip is to label the bottle as well:</div>
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I'm a somewhat quick and dirty painter, settling on table top, playing quality due to limited time and, well, I'm not that great of a painter. I mostly use dry brushing techniques:</div>
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Using a tip Dirty Jon posted on the WWPD forum, I starting adding radio antennas using brush bristles. Finding the right brush was harder than I anticipated since the bristles tended to be bigger than I liked, bent in a wavy pattern, or some color other than black. I'm pretty sure I would like to go with a thinner antenna but I seem to be having trouble finding something. I'll keep looking.</div>
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Overall, I'm very happy with the results. I'm especially motivated since I found out the next WWPD campaign will be in North Africa. I was unable to participate in Operation Sea Lion since I didn't have any European troops completed.</div>
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Next, I'll finish basing the additional four 25pdrs to give me a full battery of eight. Then I'll start working on the Heavy Armoured Squadron of Grants I had glued before realizing I have to adjust the tracks slightly. After that, the much anticipated Bersaglieri followed by an Eighth Army Light Armoured Squadron of Crusaders. Can't wait!</div>
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locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-44953810064116711092012-07-16T22:19:00.000-07:002012-07-17T10:40:19.805-07:00Fleshing out my British Eighth Army - RecceIt's back to basics this week, fleshing out my North Africa British Eighth Army. There are a few transports I'm missing for my 25 pdrs, a Jeep and two 15 cwt trucks. I also picked up two blisters of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmon-Herrington_Armoured_Car" target="_blank">Marmon Herrington IIIs</a> armored cars for some much wanted Recce. There are three in a unit and two to a blister, so the fourth one I assembled with a captured anti-tank gun.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">I've never really had a thing for the looks of this vehicle but after assembling them and taking a good look, I have to admit they are really growing on me. Can't wait to get them on the table. I've developed a romantic connection to the desert over the years, and if I was ever to get into reenactment, it would be the LRDG for me. Especially after seeing them in person at the local Air Show (pictures </span><a href="http://cornerofaforeignfield.blogspot.com/2012/05/long-range-desert-group-reenactment.html" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="background-color: white;">)</span><span style="background-color: white;">.</span><br />
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I set up on the dining room table with the vehicles I glued this weekend to beat the heat out in the garage. Surprisingly, though, it's relatively cool tonight, but I have a few TV shows to catch up on. Mostly dry brushing, anyway.<br />
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My painting setup with my old and faithful MDF paint tray from Games Workshop:<br />
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A brew would probably have been more appropriate, but after a long day at work, a cappuccino did the job:<br />
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This last weekend there was an interesting lecture at the local air museum about the P51 Mustang long range bomber escorts. Listening to the veterans talk about their experiences flying these planes was quite an experience.<br />
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The gentleman on the left is the son of the pilot who flew the Mustang named Dolly and the museum unveiled the plane with Dolly newly painted on the nose. The other two gentleman are Veterans that flew the P51s during WWII. <span style="background-color: white;">True heroes in my mind:</span><br />
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That's is one beautiful plane!<br />
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<br />locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-42025927746460199592012-06-24T20:14:00.000-07:002012-06-29T13:42:38.735-07:00North Africa Practice GameI was able to get in a quick practice game in this Saturday morning. I spent most of the week studying the rules and taking notes. I starting to think I'm getting the hang of it for the most part. I've invited over some friends and regular players to play Friday night. Work has been very busy and I'm hoping I won't have to cancel. We'll see.<br />
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We played 1000 point lists, with the British infantry list having two infantry platoons instead of the required three. Since it was a practice game, I figured it didn't matter. The game went well; a little slow, but the emphasis was on learning the rules. It started to get pretty hot in the garage so we called it draw; it is getting to be that time of year. I snapped a few pictures below.<br />
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The <a href="http://forum.wwpd.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1264" target="_blank">bocage I ordered from Luke at WWPD</a> showed up this week. Looks great. See below.<br />
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On a side note the England vs Italy game was terrible We lost on penalties again.<br />
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Notes and play aids:<br />
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Lucage looks great! (Luke's Bocage):<br />
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<br />locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-58332536464336704952012-06-16T09:33:00.000-07:002013-04-07T08:33:22.478-07:00FOW Rookie Game ReportMy anticipation had been building up all week for the game I had planned with my son, Curtis (graduated with a bachelor degree last week--very proud). I spent a few evenings during the week getting ready and setting up the table. My wife made pulled pork tacos again -delicious. The North Africa, mid-war game started off well, but our second game was cursed with a sophomore jinx; we made some glaring rules errors and spent too much time looking up rules. Too long since our last and first game. I had placed more terrain on the table this time, bogging the game down somewhat as well as our vehicles. We were a little shaky on the terrain rules. The fog of war was thick and so were our heads. We resigned ourselves to using the game as a much needed training session, therefore no battle report. We had some good laughs as rules were remembered on my son's turn since I thought more on his turn due to not having to concentrate on moving and shooting. This was an obvious disadvantage for him. Plus, my die rolling was on fire.<br />
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The great news is we learned a lot and will now be playing on a more regular basis.<br />
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Lessons learned:<br />
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<li>Know the rules. We need to study more. The obvious good thing about playing is knowing where your rule knowledge is weakest. I took notes of the questions we had.</li>
<li>Practice with smaller armies. Starting off at 1500 points is probably not a good idea.</li>
<li>This game is fun. Even with our issues, we still had a good time. I want a game that's not too complicated and not too simple: this game is right in there.</li>
<li>Use the turn sequence steps at the beginning of the rule book chapters. I think I'll type them up and print them out.</li>
<li>Have the terrain summary handy: Page 30. I emailed Battlefront a few months ago requesting this page as a PDF game aid. Hopefully, it will happen.</li>
<li>Have the 'Concealment Status Summary' on page 89 readily available. Also understand what 'dig in' and 'go to ground' does.</li>
<li>Continue to use this great tool: <a href="http://forum.wwpd.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1064" target="_blank">assault phase flowchart</a>. Great tool for the new player.</li>
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The proud family from left to right: my mom, me with my Luke from WWPD mask on. Curtis, my beautiful wife and taco maker, and our favorite professor:</div>
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locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-68811852324802336952012-06-11T21:59:00.000-07:002013-04-09T09:08:20.752-07:00More Reenactment PicturesI passed the exam of another certification for work so I'm back in FOW mode again. So happy. It has been a while. I spent some time gluing my Russians this last week, mostly 'god of war' artillery. I'm so far away from being ready for the Eastern Front but I'll keep plugging away. My son and I plan on playing this Friday, so hopefully a North Africa battle report soon. I'll generate the lists and then setup the table on Thursday so we can get right to it after dinner, Friday evening. Can't wait.<br />
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In the mean time, here are some more WWII re-enactment pictures (soviet stuff, too!) from the Planes of Fame Airshow, in no particular order:<br />
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<br />locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-72317850410781148752012-05-09T23:25:00.001-07:002013-04-09T09:09:17.225-07:00Long Range Desert Group Re-enactmentMy grandson, a couple of friends and I headed out to the Planes of Fame Airshow last weekend. We had a great time. While walking around I was somewhat surprised to find some WWII reeanctors along with their equipment. I was really excited to see a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Range_Desert_Group" target="_blank">Long Range Desert Group</a> represented, belonging to the<a href="http://www.lrdg.org/" target="_blank"> Long Range Desert Group Preservation Society</a>. They were a cool bunch of guys, and very willing to answer questions about a subject they are obviously passionate about. North Africa is my favorite WWII theater and I get to go out in the desert in my own Jeep, so I had a special interest in their display. Packing enough to camp for four people for a couple of days in a Jeep is a challenge, so I can appreciate what the LRDG were able to do on long range missions.<br />
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Wouldn't be complete without a brew up area:<br />
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And on desert themed Flames of War note, a great article was posted on the FOW site about <a href="http://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=3266" target="_blank">pimping out your Battlefield in a Box desert terrain</a> tonight. Mike always does a good job on those articles. Burning Empires is calling me but it's going to have to wait.<br />
<br />locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-42419032261606887472012-03-26T23:28:00.001-07:002012-03-27T10:14:59.258-07:00Our first game!My son was on spring break last week and we able to get our first game in Friday night. Mid-war North Africa. I had spent most of the week leading up to the game painting three Valentine II's and three Matilda II's, making lists, reviewing the rules and getting the table ready. I wanted to do an after action report with <a href="http://www.wwpd.net/p/software.html" target="_blank">Batrepper</a>, but it quickly became apparent learning how to play would make that difficult. Hopefully, next time.<br />
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We loaded up on Tacos my awesome wife cooked and headed in the garage. We had a lot of fun! The game was quite competitive considering it was our first even though the rules presented some challenges at times due to our inexperience. We played Free-For-All, a good place to start we thought. I played British and my son the DAK.<br />
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I tried to make well rounded lists that would give us an opportunity to learn.<br />
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The lists:<br />
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My son on the right was the attacker. Our setup:<br />
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My plan was to dominate the right flank and grab the objective but the Panzer III J's were in the way. Initially things were going my way as I had some success against the German tanks. It went downhill from there with the confident veteran tanks having an edge over my confident trained tanks. It seemed like the Germans may have been a little luckier, or was it Rommel's superior tactics? Our artillery were pinning machines. We didn't smoke once which I thought was a little odd, I'll have to think about that more.<br />
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Trust the Italian truck to get stuck in the only deep sand in the area:<br />
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Oh yeah, it's going my way...<br />
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I loose a Matilda II...<br />
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Not much action on the left flank:<br />
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It's not looking so good for me. I've lost the ability to destroy tanks. But the platoon on the left has Sticky Sticky Bombs and I'm going to assault the Panzers to win the game! I pass the tank terror test, yes. Out comes the <a href="http://forum.wwpd.net/resources/V3%20Assault%20Step%20Final%20ver%201.0.pdf" target="_blank">assault flowchar</a>t from the <a href="http://www.wwpd.net/" target="_blank">WWPD</a> website. Defensive fire--what 15 shots from three veteran tanks. Six hits and I look two feet shorter and my unit is two inches further away. Is that right: main gun ROF 3 and then 1 for each MG? What was I thinking?<br />
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I try a different approach but get shot up:<br />
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The Universal Carriers fall victim to the Pak38:<br />
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I get shot to pieces and the Panzer III's finish off my tanks and take the objective. We had a blast with some good laughs and trash talking.<br />
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A few rules we had issues with (I'm hoping I have these right):<br />
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<li>Does a 2iC re-roll motivation tests? No he doesn't as far as I can tell.</li>
<li>Observers. We forgot they can't spot for other platoons without both having staff teams.</li>
<li>The Panzer III defensive fire shot count. Is it really five. The rule book on page 111says use machine guns against infantry?</li>
<li>Thinking sixes always hit with the Pak38s but they are not artillery. </li>
<li>The difference between Dug in and Gone to Ground. Still confused.</li>
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Can't wait for the next game.<br />
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<br />locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734749164934121957.post-30268946882985201112012-02-27T18:49:00.000-08:002012-02-29T21:03:15.616-08:00Man on Fire!I've been on it like white on rice on a paper plate in a snow storm. I completed the first phase of basing the 8th Army using a 50/50 mix of the Coarse and Fine Pumice Gel from Michael's:<br />
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I mix German Camo Medium Brown (826) into the pumice gel jar to remove a step. I got this idea from the <a href="http://www.bardsabode.com/TomWise_101stAirborne.pdf" target="_blank">Tom Wise 101st Airborne painting PDF</a>. I then highlight with Desert Yellow (977), Yellow Ochre (913), and then Iraqi Sand (819). The base is painted with Tan-Earth (874) which I find, as I have said before in a previous post, a good match for the Battlefront desert terrain.<br />
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Here's my first article:<br />
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I'll add a conservative amount of Silfor tufts and some static grass on some of the bases, eventually. I found I over did it on the DAK bases, particularly with the rocks I added to match the Battlefront Desert terrain. Sometimes less is more as the saying goes.<br />
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I also found time to assemble the infantry in the 8y Gvardeyskiy Strelkovy Korpus box set, plus an extra blister of Flame Throwers to add to my existing soviet figures:<br />
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Now that's done I can focus on getting ready for the fully painted North Africa game which, if all goes well, will be in a couple of weeks.<br />
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I was also able to find time to read the new V3 rule book but that will obviously be an ongoing project as I learn to play the game. The assault phase is the most intimidating for me. I was very excited to find an <a href="http://forum.wwpd.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1064" target="_blank">assault phase flow chart</a> has been created by members of the <a href="http://forum.wwpd.net/viewforum.php?f=3&sid=cdef85e12c7d763edbd8a43d94a45b0f" target="_blank">WWPD</a> forum. Great job!<br />
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Next, paint the North Africa British tanks.locker.wheeliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879590438582388147noreply@blogger.com1