Gaming Update: Saturday 11JUN22 1900hrs at R.U.P.'s place

       Rich Uncle Pat has offered to host this weekend's game. 

His place at 7pm, Saturday the 11th of June, 2022.

Be there!

Wargames Atlantic 28mm Aztec Warriors

       Wargames Atlantic has provided the opposing forces to the Conquistadors set in the form of Aztec Warriors. As is usual with Wargames Atlantic products the miniatures are cast in a firm medium gray plastic that is nearly perfectly cast with no flash and only the faintest hint of mold lines. Inside the well-illustrated box you will find five sprues that each contain six figures, two in complete feather "armor", two more in padded body protection and the remaining two wearing loincloths. These figures are accompanied by an array of terrifying weapons; obsidian edged wooden clubs and swords. 

        All of the figures have the arms attaching at the shoulder which allows for the widest set of options regarding positioning. Detail on the figures is crisp with the stone edges of the weapons coming through nicely. As usual with Wargames Atlantic miniatures there is a wide assortment of heads available with fifteen heads on each sprue. These cover the various religious and military orders within the Aztec military system. Pretty much every type of soldier fielded by the Aztec Empire at it's zenith can be represented with the components supplied. A couple of boxes of these will set you up with a great skirmish force to oppose the recently released Conquistadors. Well done indeed!

 

the cover, nicely done box-art paired with some expertly painted minis

Updated! Wargames Atlantic 28mm Generic Horses Updated! Size comparisons

       For ages I have had to put up with pricey horses, either to replace ones that were damaged or to provide horse to figures that came without them. At last someone is marketing affordable, good-looking horses, and that company is one of my new favorites Wargames Atlantic.  At long last I can replace the underfed-looking horses in some of my Lace Wars kits with nice powerful steeds. I have had contact with WA and they advise that mounted figures are in the offing (their capacity to have a dozen irons in the fire and still be on top of things never ceases to amaze me). Of course (rather selfishly) I wish for mounted Conquistadors. 

       The multi-part horses themselves are crisply molded in medium gray plastic that shows not a trace of flash and only the faintest of mold-lines. They are cast in left and right halves with separate heads. The horses are modeled with a halter and reins and a cinch-strap around the belly of the model, blankets are cast separately to add as you see fit. Eighteen horses for $35US is a very good deal, I will most likely be buying several more boxes.

Wargames Atlantic 28mm Conquistadors

       Fresh off the presses is another great product from Wargames Atlantic; 28mm Conquistadors! I picked this box up from Michigan Toy Soldier the other day. These guys are cast in light gray plastic with no trace of flash and almost no mold lines. At twenty-four figures for $34US you are getting away with less than a dollar and a half each. These figures will also double for Spanish foot of the Italian Wars of the 16th century as well as the Spanish armies in the Low Countries during the Armada period. And of course you could always head west and conquer the Americas, maybe even find the Fountain of Youth or the Lost City of El Dorado.

 

box front

A few shots from Motor City Mayhem 2022

 

       I had the opportunity to look in on the Death Or Glory tournament at the Best Western Southfield this past weekend. Motor City Mayhem 2022 was one of the circuit of wargames tournaments hosted by Death or Glory over the course of the year. The tournament was a nine-round, three day long event featuring Warhammer 40K. There were other subjects covered as well; Bolt Action and Age of Sigmar both had tournaments over the weekend. The sheer energy of such a large event was impressive, as were the vast number of beautifully painted armies  in play. Most impressive of all were the army display bases. Some players must have spent nearly as much time modelling the bases as they did assembling their armies.

 

an Ork Stronghold as a display base

I Just Couldn't Help Myself

 

the P-26 looks surprisingly small next to the Goshawk II

       While waiting for the glue to dry on some figures that I was assembling my wandering eye drifted toward some model aircraft that I had yet to put away in the Pile Of Guilt. The old classic Revell/Monogram kits were destined to employment in my Chinese Air Force (to oppose my recently completed Japanese forces). Knowing how simple and easy to assemble these kits are I thought to myself, "Why not?" (this sort of thinking has led to all sorts of trouble over the decades) and within the hour they were completed. To this day I am amazed at the excellent fit and design of these ancient models. I was forced to wait a couple of days to get them primed due to weather conditions but after that I was done in the blink of an eye. Now I am berating myself for not sticking to plan and finishing the Soviet Air Force, ah well, now I'm back to painting French Guard Artillery and assembling a horde of Victrix Carthaginians for The Housemartin (more on that later).

 

the Chinese bought a good many Hawks but only got eleven of the P-26

 

I still have a little work on the pilots and  the weathering to do

Ready for primer 28mm French Guard Artillery

 

just waiting for good weather to spray them

      After almost a week of alarums and excursions I had a chance to sit down and finish assembling these figures. I am a big fan of plastic minis because they allow for variety in positioning making my minis both more active-looking and personally "mine". This was a difficult case with this set. The Victrix figures are superbly sculpted, have excellent proportions and are very well cast but the sculpting allows for little choice in posing the minis (this is compounded by the fact that few choices of spare arms are offered with the set). I had to try out a great many combinations of arms and head positions to achieve my standard "no two guys alike". But, in the end, everything came together rather well.

More rabbit holes......28mm Victrix French Guard Artillery

 

at least there aren't a lot of gunners!

       While rummaging around in the Pile of Guilt I found that I had purchased a set of Victrix French artillery. Thinking that my Guard Chassuers have been alone at the task for too long I decided to build and paint these guys. The guns went together like a dream but the figures have specific but arcane instructions as to assembly. More to follow as I make progress.

Terrain Clearance Sale This Weekend at Bastion Gaming Saturday 23April22 15% off Everything

 

       Time to move some mountains (and hills, trees, buildings etc) ! This weekend is Bastion Gaming Center's Terrain Blowout Sale. 15% off prices as marked on the full array of terrain. If you need some 40K stuff for that Kill Team you just finished painting, or a load of Sarissa MDF to fill that WW2 table you can get it there. Store opens at noon, sale lasts until closing time at 9pm.

          Be There!

Clean out that storage space! Swap Meet / Flea Market coming soon at Bastion Gaming 16APR22

        Here is your chance to ditch all of those old projects that are never going to get finished and make a little coin along the way (maybe even start a NEW project the will "certainly take top priority"). Painted, unpainted, still in the box or never even opened; bring it all on down!

 

plenty of room in the Main Gaming Hall

        Bastion Gaming Center is hosting a Swap Meet/ Flea Market on Saturday April 16th from noon until three in the afternoon in the main gaming hall. Sixteen 6'x3' tables are available. All gamers and hobbyists are welcome, tables are free but space is limited so get there early to ensure that you can claim your spot.

Wargames Atlantic 28mm WW2 Italians

       Often considered the "junior partner" among the Axis powers in WW2 the Italian army had a longer battle history and wider experience than the Germans. While Adolph and his gang were Anschlussing a friendly Austria  the Italians had been fighting campaigns in Africa against Ethiopia, finishing the conquest of Libya and meddling in the Spanish Civil War. The Italian army had no lack of bravery, experience of battle or of fighting in wildly different climates. What they did lack was capable commanders and an advanced armaments industry, this led to them becoming less combat effective as the onset of war forced the pace of weapons development.

       This set of minis will allow you to build Italian forces for most of the pre-war conflicts as well and most of the troop types that saw service during the Second World War. The models are cast in the now-familiar soft gray plastic that give very precise detail and exhibits no flash and very few mold lines. Included in the kit are the dizzying array of headgear worn by the Italian army between 1936 and 1943 (some might start before and last longer for all I know), pith helmets, Alpini caps, steel helmets along with an assortment of feathers to mark them as Bersaglieri. Also included are  shovels and axes in a surprisingly large quantity. A particularly nice addition is a water-cooler MMG on the smaller command sprue, complete with tripod and arms with hands holding the grips, nicely thought through and parted-out.

 

the front of the box 

Wargames Atlantic 28mm Panzer Lehr

        Among the many units in the German army that laid claim to the status of "elite" few had a better claim than Panzer Lehr. Composed of veteran  (and very often decorated) soldiers drawn from German forces these troops were first assembled into a school unit but ended up being thrown into the maelstrom of combat that was the Normandy Campaign. Almost destroyed there they were withdrawn only to be used in the ill-fated Ardennes Campaign known to the Western Allies as The Battle of the Bulge. A distinctive part of their dress was the panzer-style crossover jacket rather than the usual infantry blouse. This set is molded in the now-standard soft gray plastic that provides a smooth finish and displays detail very well, no flash and very little by way of mold lines ca be seen. 

          Included in this set is the full array of Late War German infantry small arms; rifles, pistols, SMGs  and the ever present MG42. You get a bit of anti-tank ability with the included Panzerfausts and there is even enough spare parts to assemble these models as Panzer crews (seen fighting on foot at the Battle of Arnhem). There is even a jerry-can!

        The proportions and posing are natural and effective and the modeling of the uniform captures the comfortable loose fit of the German gear. Molding of the weapons is precise and crisply detailed,

 

the box cover