Cheap flexible river

       The Housemartin came to me needing a five-foot long river for a game he wished to present at Pro or Con. I dug around in my terrain pile looking for a suitable river model. Finding nothing to match the need, and not having done a terrain item in a while, I decided to make one. I based my model on a section of Eco Rug as it is cheap, strong and doesn't fray or tear. I needed a flexible material to build up the riverbank and create texture for both the shore and the river. My answer is cheap water-soluble latex caulk. It is flexible, paint-able and easy to to work with. I cut a length of Eco-Rug about eight inches wide with an irregular edge, I then marked the center and laid out a 4 inch wide river that wandered along the length of the piece. You can follow the step-by-step below.

 

 

I got mine at Lowe's for three bucks a tube,

 you can source yours as you like 

 

Ship Happens, Part IX 1/600 USS Susquehanna; or making the Bambu earn its keep Part II

 

        A little while ago R.U.P. brought his ACW naval rules over for a test-run. We used my 1/600 models and had a most enjoyable evening. This, of course, got me thinking about adding to my collection of ACW ships. Checking online for the prices of metal models nearly caused an aneurysm.  I retreated into the idea of scratchbuilding some models when the thought occurred to me that I own a 3d printer and there might be some STLs floating about on the internet that I could put to use.

        Lo and behold! There are more than a few. One particularly generous fellow that goes by the moniker R_A_T_ offers sets of Union or Confederate ships free of charge. I downloaded several of his designs and set to work printing them in 1/600 scale. In about six hours I had more models than I can paint this week but I decided to give the Susquehanna a try. I replaced the bowsprit with a bit of wire but all the rest is 3d printed. I rather like the result.

 

 

28mm Egyptian Infantry from Wargames Atlantic

 

Midgard and The Problem of Peltasts

       Having played well over a hundred games of Midgard in the past eighteen months our group has run into a number of questions that cannot be properly addressed within the letter of the rulebook. Primarily the way that the rules group troops into only two types of order; close order and skirmish order. Either packed shoulder-to-shoulder or scattered in a free-flowing cloud. The sort of dispersed order that many historical formations employed to move rapidly, or cope with rugged terrain, can't be properly modeled. Thracians, Celts, Spaniards and the specifically organized peltasts from the Greek military tradition cannot be reflected within the rules. After trying various tweaks we gave up and decided to step outside the letter of the rules and concoct a new troop type. 

        To try to make a unit that behaves the way that the historical prototypes did with the attendant abilities and limitations. They should be terrain insensitive, but still have the ability to fight close-formed troops with some hope of success. To model the lower number of troops in the space their stamina would have to be lower. We struggled to make as few changes to the rules, and to use existing rules as much as possible to model the abilities of these troops. After play-testing we decided to modify the points as well. In the end we came up with the following.

       First reduce the points cost by two. Then reduce the stamina to three. Last endow them with the Agile trait, but only in the forward movement aspect (see sketch below). You can enter this as a trait in the  Midgard Force Builder software by using the Settings and  entering the Custom Unit Traits with the Trait of Peltasts a point reduction of two and the entering the Description of "Gain Agile, lose one Stamina".  Please note that you will have to manually modify the printout of your list because there is no facility in the Force Builder to reduce the Stamina to three. Each troop type keeps all its available Traits such as armor upgrades or characteristics like Brutal or Drilled

  

       These troops use the Agile trait when moving to the side or forward, any movement behind the rear of the base is restricted and use the 1/2 Spear-throw move stick. They DO NOT have the ability to Evade and cannot pass through formed units. They shoot at the end of the turn with the other formed troops.

 

      We have found that these changes effectively model the behavior of the historical troops without any major overhaul of the rules. The unit can maneuver over terrain, still posses significant fighting power and lack the staying power of denser formations. Observations and feedback are welcome.
 

25 Years ago today; Never Forgive, Never Forget

The Trojan Wars Grind

        If it wasn't for the fact that the box of minis is almost empty I might have given up by now. What started as a "fun side-trip" has turned into a serious trudge (mostly because of those wretched boars-tusk helmets) that is rapidly sucking the fun out of the enterprise. Yet I persist! All that remains is a few archers and a half-dozen or so chariots. Anyway, enough of my grouchy ruminations, I have completed the latest batch of Bronze-Age warriors and they are happy to meet you.

 

please excuse the tatty looking painting sticks, it was around 1am when I got these done

 and didn't have the energy to pop them off the stick and rank them up for photos 

Ship Happens, Part VIII Thoroughbred Miniatures CSS Charleston

        To take a break from all these figures I decided to relax a bit a build/paint one of the many excellent Thoroughbred Models ACW ships. I am happy to report that they are back in production after a recent hiatus! These are always a delight to assemble as the casting is without equal and the design of the models makes assembly a breeze. Not to mention that the ultra imaginative paint-jobs most ACW ships got also makes painting a simple process.

       Behold the CSS Charleston in all her glory!

 

Trojan Heroes, painting the Foundry Myceneans and Minoans 28mm minis

        Not really the heroes of Troy, I got these guys in a bulk-buy on Ebay and it seems that they are a mixtures of three different sets. I intend to use them as foot generals and as a unit of Myrmidons and, assuming there are enough left over, leaders mixed into units of spearmen. These are delightful sculpts (from the Perry brothers, if memory serves) but marred by casting flaws and a couple of short-shots that I had to remedy. All the same they painted up pretty well.

 

a combination of large heavy shields and tiny bases 

meant that I couldn't line them up for the usual "mug-shots"

 

my biggest concern is that they are very much more animated than the spearmen

 and will look out of place in the sedate ranks of the formation 

Painting the Trench Crusade Stosstruppen

 

 

you've met these guys before

 

 

       I reviewed these minis back in April when they were released but haven't gotten around to assembling/painting until now (which, by the way, is a rather fast turnaround time for my painting schedule which often runs to decades). Of course I struggled with assembly, not because of parts fit or lack of instructions mind you, just my endless fascination with the huge variety of poses that are possible. The vast selection of weapons was another distraction. But, in the end, they were assembled and marched off to the spray-booth for priming. I had decided early-on that they would be painted fairly closely to Great War Germans rather than the rather garish schemes posited on the box artwork. Muted bluish gray and natural leather were at the top of the list.

 

I'm still up in the air about blood-spatter on the bladed weapons 

 

they might need another pass with the black-wash 

 

next up will be the  Prussian Stosstruppen Warband

somewhere in The Vault I have some largish Balkankruze from WW1 tank kits, 

they would look great on the shields, dig I must
 

Upcoming Gaming Convention, Pro-Or-Con 2026, September 26th in Westland Michigan

 

        One of Metro Detroit's premiere wargaming events returns to kick off the Fall season on Saturday,  September 26th. Pro or Con has long been a staple of the local gaming environment here in southeast Michigan and has always been a fun show. Participation games are the main fare mostly comprised of historical miniatures events but by no means is it a purist event. One low entry fee gains you access to joining games, the retailers, the raffle and the extensive Flea Market. The mood is laid-back and friendly. Gaming runs from 9am to 11pm in three sessions.

      You can check out a list of games and pre-register through Table-Top Events 

       I will be running a (largish) Midgard game set in central Europe in the 1300s. 

Send in the Cavalry! 28mm U.S. Cavalry from Great Escape Games

 

       I got this set courtesy of Michigan Toy Soldier for this review.  Completing their Wild West collection Great Escape Games has released dismounted U.S. Cavalry. This set compliments the earlier Mounted U.S. Cavalry (and neatly includes the same selection of faces so that you can build mounted and dismounted versions of your characters). Compared to other manufacturers Great Escape doesn't release a lot of sets of miniatures, but when they do, it is something to pay attention to. Inside the box you will find ten multi-part miniatures with a good selection of heads  as well as a wide selection of weapons. Enough pistols and carbines are provided so that you can arm all of your miniatures alike if you choose. Of course there is a sword-armed hand, somebody has to be in charge and nothing says "I'm the Boss" like a sword. Included is a trumpet equipped arm as well as a loyal dog (does every military unit try to adopt a dog at one point or another?)

 

       The minis themselves are cast in the common medium gray plastic with no flash and nearly no mold-lines. The detailing is sharply defined and the proportions and posing is well done. The minis appear a bit thick around the ankles which may come from the style of boot worn at the time or the sculptor strengthening the miniature to avoid breakage. The holsters are all loose, three of the minis have cartridge belts but there is no trace of cartridge boxes for rifle ammunition. The figures are mounted on small puddle bases.

 

 

cover art is pretty good 

Les femmes fatales 28mm Wargames Atlantic Partisans 2: French Resistance Women

 

the front of the box 

some painting ideas 

       I just picked these up from Michigan Toy Soldier. We now have the "better half" of the French Partisans in hand. Wargames Atlantic has released the second part of their Resistance fighters series and it is a handy set! It is titled French Resistance Women but I am willing to bet that they would do well as Dutch, Belgian, or Danish. Careful choice of which figure to use as well as attention to how they are armed could easily extend these minis into Poland or even move them temporally to earlier and later conflicts (Spanish Civil War, Irish War of Independence or the chaos in eastern Europe after the Great War) or into gangster scenarios as well. 

       The minis are all conventionally dressed, no pseudo-uniforms or high fashion outfits here. The figures are well sculpted with good proportions and reasonable poses. The clothing drapes over the figure convincingly. This is a well-armed band of heroines, enough SMGs are provided to give every mini one; other weapons vary from open hands to rifles, with a choice of revolvers, or semi-auto pistols and a viscous-looking knife as well. Of course there is a hyper-abundance of heads with a wide choice of hairstyles and headgear. The faces are excellent with clear expressions and delicate features. 

       The molding work is up to the usual excellent standards we have come to expect from Wargames Atlantic; medium gray plastic, with no flash and only the faintest of mold-lines. The figures are cast without puddle bases.