690 - Fairly Random Recent Hobby Pics

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

Stay well,

- Drax.

688 - Painting Chart Updates (Part 1 - WWII)

Hullo All,

Well, I'm back at work (which sucks) but I'm also partway through a pretty productive summer!

I thought I'd mark this by updating where I am with all of my forces and projects, starting with the WWII 28mm stuff. Next post will be the Ancient and Dark Ages stuff, which has been...er...expanding rather rapidly of late!

So without further ado, this is where I am with my...

British 4KSLI (11th Armoured Division): 

(Here's the key, by the way)

The British Indian Army in the Desert:

British Paras:

German Early-War Heer:

German Late-War Heer Grenadiers: 

...and finally, the RAF Regiment and the (as yet unbuilt but nevertheless expanding) US Buffalo Soldiers:

Cheers,

- Drax.

671 - 2018 Winter Challenge: British Paras! Days 37-42

Back in the saddle again.

Thankfully, I'm feeling better now (I hope I never ever catch flu again), and thankfully, I've been able to get back to painting, so the boys of 21st Independent Company are now pretty much done: all that's left now are the beret badges, a wash for everyone, and the basing.

...except I've just remembered about their jump wing decals.

Oh, strewth.

Aaaarrgh!

Well, we'll see, I guess...

- Drax.

670 - Bolt Action Cromwell ARV

Hi All,

I still feel way too poorly to paint, but I did at least manage to get something built this week: my lovely new Cromwell ARV from S and S models:

The metal conversion pieces can come with the Italeri 1/56 kit at a tempting discount, and they're beautifully crisp with next to no flash or mold lines at all!

I chose to pin most of the bits in place, as they're REALLY bulky and heavy, but they are well-measured to fit the kit.

What makes this even better for me, is that I now - at last - have a spare Cromwell 75mm turret, just in case I want to field my CS howitzer variant as a normal tank. Why might I wish to do this? - well, because if I wish to play a squadron of Cromwells in - say - 'What A Tanker!', howitzers are useless in that game: there are no squishy targets. Hmmmm.

Rear view.

(Incidentally, S and S make a Cromwell CS conversion kit, too, as well as other ARVs!)

Another piece of the 11AD puzzle in place.

TTFN,

- Drax

666 - 2018 Winter Challenge: British Paras! Days 1-8

Happy New Year, All!

I decided - as I had less homework than normal this holiday - to challenge myself to get an entire project done. To this end, I opened-up my options as polls in a couple of my games clubs, and the winning option for completion by the end of January 2019 was 1000 points of British Paras: 

To be more precise, a list from the Market Garden campaign book for the 21st Independent Company - the British Pathfinders. I've always been interested in those who drop in first, and I enjoy playing unusual lists too. It's going to be a tricky list, mind: there's no free artillery FOO, no AT guns, no vehicles, no on-table artillery, none of my beloved 3" mortar...essentially nothing that couldn't be sneakily parachuted in. What they do have is more PIATs, snipers and 2" mortars than normal, a Captain as their default OC, and a cool special rule for the actual pathfinder sections.

The plan (ha!) is to make some progress - however minimal - as often as I can: every day, if possible. I'm now on Day 8, and by now I have all 39 men in the platoon based, primed, base-coated and with the desert yellow base-coat on their smocks. It's been quite a slog!

Day 1. Metal teams assembled.

Day 5...maybe? All models assembled and based.

Day 6 (below, too.) All models primed and base-coated
with English Uniform. It looks better without a flash.

Day 7: some smocks base-coated Desert Yellow

Day 8: the rest of the smocks base-coated.

...So there you go.

It's been an uncharacteristically speedy start (for me) and although I'm dreading the painting of the Denison smock camouflage, I think I should be okay to get them finished by the end of January. 

I must say, it's really weird for me to see a 1000pt Bolt Action army represented by just 39 men! Still, I've wanted paras for ages - they're so damned iconic - and as I got the box set essentially for free in a trade for some mid-90s Space Marine odds-and-sods that I found in a box, I'm laughing, really!

More updates as I get to them. 

Happy New Year, folks - my 2019 be a great one for you!

- Chris.

662 - German E-50 Standardpanzer W-i-P

Hullo,

I've been busy: it's not yet done, but here are some work-in-progress shots of my hulking-great E-50:

 With ''ambush" camouflage, above, and with just the colours blocked in, below.

It should go without saying that it looks far better in real life than these pics can do justice to!

Model by Company B, courtesy of Zzzzzz's generosity.

- Drax.