633 - Drax's Painting Charts - Now Available in Print!

Hullo All,

Great news! I've had an article published in the latest edition of 'Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy' magazine! 

WSS 95 - I'm there, baby!

Long-term readers will be aware of the way in which I track the progress of my modelling and painting: the fabled Draxian Paint Chart [there's usually a link on the right sidebar], which uses simple colour-coding on a basic Excel spreadsheet.

It's a self-explanatory system, but rather pleasingly I've been able to share it with the wider wargaming world through my article - here's a link to the entirely excellent magazine [link here] ...and here are the rest of my painting charts, as they stand in March 2018:

My Main Guys!

Their Late-War Foes (and the key again)

The Early-War Germans (late-1940/Sealion theme)

My Rock Apes, for Italy/NW Europe

And of course, my (recently expanded) Desert Rats

...and in 15mm, the discovery of Battlegroup has led me to revisit and start to slightly expand my old Flames of War models - also 4KSLI:

It should be noted that I do also have a small15mm Bolt Action reinforced platoon, with the troops on separate (fivepence) bases, but they've not got their own chart yet.

Until next time, then...

- Chris

609 - PER ARDUA! Start of the Rock Apes

Hullo, All.

This is the start - at last - of a project that I've been considering for a while: my RAF Regiment platoon for Bolt Action. 

The idea of these guys is two-fold: 
(1) I wanted the reinforcements for expanding my 4KSLI infantry to be something different yet compatible (mostly so that their half-arsed presence was more explainable!), and 
(2) I wanted troops who could feasibly be in either the Italian campaign or in NW Europe. 
In Italy, the plan was to have them fighting alongside my brave Sikh boys, but I've realised that not only are the figure proportions a little too different; they also have differently sized and textured bases. I couldn't handle that, so the plan is that alongside my formidable Churchill I, I'd also be able to field the Boys in Blue, above, and maybe a small box-set platoon of US Buffalo Soldiers too. But shhh! - don't tell my wife!

The plan for this lot will be a force (Flight) of about 500pts, comprising a Pilot Officer, two sections, a PIAT, a medium mortar [they seemed to use these a lot!], a forward air observer, a Marmon-Herrington armoured car, and a selection of small transports. I don't yet have the armoured car, but otherwise I'm good to go!

In addition to scouting, securing and patrolling forward air bases, these boys were also used extensively from late '44 onwards as general line infantry: equipped and used in the same way as their Army brethren. And there were thousands of them!

In terms of what I've done, it's nothing super exciting. A couple of RAF berets, the regimental shoulder flashes in sky blue on navy, and the NCO's rank chevrons in the same style. A fellow in the other squad will be wearing the popular RAF forage cap/side cap...or at any rate, a slightly altered version of the equivalent Heer headgear! 

Right then. Back to work.

TTFN!

- Drax.