690 - Fairly Random Recent Hobby Pics

For anyone still out there, some snaps of recent hobby antics...

Stay well,

- Drax.

669 - 2018 Winter Challenge: British Paras! Days 33+

Alright, All?

Well, it's the last day of January and I have failed to make my challenge. 

However, being the generous person that I am, I have magnanimously decided to give myself a ten-day extension. This is because of four significant factors. 
1) I mentioned before the Bolt Action 'Desert Heroes' event up in County Durham, but I'd failed to take into account that it would wipe out three whole painting sessions;

This remains the last photo taken, but now, they ALL have almost all
of their khaki bits painted. That honestly doesn't leave much!

2) I utterly hadn't anticipated needing to both build and paint the Cruel Seas starter vessels - my pal needs them for a demo he's running this weekend. We worked on this together...but that;s something else for a future post! 

Terrible flash-pic: they look cracking in real life!

3) I also got the sudden commission to build this 28mm 4-Ground kit on a five-day turnaround. It's immense (7" tall; 12" wide), and ridiculously complicated: hundreds - quite literally hundreds - of those planks had to be individually stuck on:

4) Finally, Mrs Drax and I (and sadly now even Draxlette No.1) have all come down with - in my doctor's words - "a bad case of the flu." This is the first time in three days that I've even been able to look at a screen for this long! 

So...

The 2018(?) Winter Challenge continues...!

Watch this space.

- Drax.

667 - 2018 Winter Challenge: British Paras! Days 9-15

Evening, All!

It's been a mixed week. I made a lot of progress to start with, and then realised - to my utter frustration, that I was missing a key colour: the red-brown for the camo. 

As you might be able to see from the test figure I did, below, (which is only about 90% complete) the brown is just too...brown. Rats.

So how, then, did I fill the time in my hour of need? Well firstly, I got all the green patches, helmets and equipment...

 ...including my 4KSLI medic and my RAF Regiment PIAT team, just because they were at hand (note the RAF shoulder flashes on the chaps at the back):

I also bought this paint rack for a few quid. It's basic, but fits inside my little hobby cupboard:

 ...and whilst I had the Russian Armour green out, I took the chance to prime and base-coat my Challenger A30 - more on this in another post, sometime.

I also finished off the last of the Sarissa MDF scenery I was putting together for Guy, for Beyond the Gates of Antares:

And finally - I quickly put together a small rocky outcrop with a simple automated lighthouse and hut for Cruel Seas:

Annoyingly, what makes this worse is that I thought I'd ordered the red-brown colour. The paints arrived today, and I didn't. That means an even longer wait, and so I'll have to work out what to do with the paras in the meantime: probably boots and flesh at least...

- Drax.

664 - Bolt Action Tank Wars

Hullo, All!

Last week I had the singular pleasure of getting to play a stonkingly fun game of Bolt Action 'Tank Wars' again...and I just had to share some of the pics!

I'll spare you the detailed narrative, but essentially it was a 'meeting engagement' between two of my own forces: my late-war Heer versus my British 11th Armoured Division, played by 'C', who also brought a Churchill Mk III along to join in the fun.

Many thanks to David at the club (and C) who between them contrived to make a beautifully themed 8x4 German village table with smoke curling gently from the homes of its unsuspecting residents. 

Pics now!

One of my 11AD objective markers

 Flammenwerfer!

 Flammenwerfer incredibly strikes again! Bye-bye Tommycooker Firefly!

This bastard 6pdr was in ambush all game. Git.

 First outing for this lorry.

It turns out that the sides (1750pts each) were really well matched, and 'C' was of course a smashing opponent: he was thoroughly sporting throughout, and - like me - took as much amusement in his own fluffed rolls as he did joy in mine!

As always, the real star of this clash was the scenery. Now...what I really need is a better camera!

Thanks also to Justin for the kind use of his photos.

Cheers,

- Drax.