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The New Year Plan – Scoring My Success And My First Amendment (Score So Far -1)

Coronasan has suggested that I give myself a score out of 10 at the end of spring to see how well I have managed to keep to the proposed plan…  Well, I suspect that score would be quite low, but in the true spirit of the thing I propose the following:

Not to score my success at the end of spring with a 1-10 score, but to keep a running tally!

  • +1 point for each time I post something that IS on the listed plan.
  • -1 point for each time I post something that is NOT on the plan.

If I manage to remain above zero in the end I will call this a success.

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So, starting as I am sure I will go on, I present a Dust Tactics Fighter Bomber.

This was a model I bought on eBay.  Part painted and slightly worse for wear after its travels through the English mail system.  This has never been a major issue as our Royal Mail generally does a sterling job of getting things to me in one piece.  This one came boxed in what resembled an accordion on its arrival.  Someone tried really hard to flatten it to its thinnest.

Thankfully the seller did well to package it and only a few parts needed reattaching.  In my case it actually made it easier to complete the paint job.

A couple of areas just needed touching up and, as I liked the initial colour scheme, it only took me an hour or so to get it dome.  Getting the Perspex off the base so that I could spray it black and then reattaching it later may have taken just as long as the model itself.

I have to say, I am quite happy with the results, and as we are trying to get a game of Dust Tactics or two under our belts before the end of spring it will be useful to have it finished.

However, it was not on the list…  I already have twice as many points of painted Dust Tactics Allies (USMC) than I need to play a game, so I should have really left this alone and focused on ‘The Plan’.

Score for this post -1 point / Total score -1

Gaslands – Delving In Old Boxes For New Ideas

So, Xmas is over and I have to admit that I have not achieved all that much in the shed for the whole of the holiday period.  I think I played one or two games but I have not been moved to pick up a paint brush for the last three weeks.

I have tidied up a bit…  I then made it all untidy again by moving all the left over snacks out of the house and into the shed (purely as an act of kindness to my womenfolk, who are all claiming to be dieting now…)

I have considered making New Years Resolutions…  Then disregarded the idea as it will just lead to failure…

But mostly I have been looking through old boxes…  Over the years I have had some great ideas.  Big and small they all find their way onto a dusty shelf or into a handy compartmented toolbox or ten.

As the pre-Xmas activity was all about Gaslands (Ospreys car wars like game) I have been digging out anything that might be a similar scale.  For a gamer that mainly focuses on 28mm wargames I can lay my hands on a surprising amount of 20mm(ish) stuff.

I am not altogether sure what the ‘official’ scale of Hot Wheels cars is but they match up with most things from 1/72 to 1/64 pretty well in my opinion.

I suspect that I am not that dissimilar to other gamers when I say that I have too often been ‘distracted’ from a project (lets say like collecting both sides for a 20mm Vietnam game) and found myself acquiring things, just because they might fit for a similar game.

In this case, while acquiring some 20mm supply trucks, for my US forces in Vietnam, I found myself buying 20mm Humvees in case I might be able to use them for a US in Iraq style game. Not that I have any 20mm modern infantry to use with them…

And of course when looking for Humvees you always see Landrovers…

At least I did more with the Landrovers than just put them in a box…

A couple of weapons that would do fine for Gaslands I think…

Useful things 5 amp fuses…

Quite why these were in the same box I will never know…

But this…  This has potential…  This should be good for my first War Rig (and its already looking like its been weathered!)

Lets not mention the fact I have about fifteen 1/72nd scale tanks.  I wonder if I can play a game of Gaslands with just tanks on both sides (a tabletop version of world of tanks anyone…)

I am pleased to mention we did get our first game of Gaslands in just after Xmas.  A simple affair, with minimal scenery, and only a few cars on the field.  We played a scaled back version of a death race mission.  I have to mention that my opponent, Veganman, managed to ram anything and everything in our first game.  Knocking out a number of cars even before we cleared the first gate.

In honour of that achievement I will be adding a Ram to the front of a car or two of my own before our next game.

I suspect that my next few weeks will be just as unproductive as I settle into the new year.  I do have a Dust Tactics game planned, and more Gaslands to look forward to, over the next week.

So that paintbrush looks like it is going to get ignored for a week or two longer at this point…

Project 2018…

A large box was dropped off just before Xmas by a friend.  Said box contained what he described as ‘A project for 2018’!

Said project is likely to be attempted in 2018, but if I decide to go into as much depth as he has done on his own 2017 project, then I may still be doing it in 2020…

A photo does the scale of this ship no justice as it is one of the huge, original Kenner toys from 1979.  Although it is missing a few parts they should be replaceable or fixable.  Then it’s on to the job of converting it into a useable 28mm spacecraft.

Addendum:  It has a battery compartment…  Now I just need to find some old C size batteries.  All to hear if the bad sound effects still work…

Gaslands Team Two

So, like most people on the Gaslands Facebook page I seem to have purchased a few too many cars for a game that only needs 3-4 in the average team garage.

Therefore, I have made some happy people and already given them a copy of the rules and some of my haul in hopes of getting them started on this little game.

One lucky (read – no painting drive at all) fellow picked out his cars and left them just lying about on my painting table expecting them to paint themselves…

Well, I had 3 hours spare and a new pack of Ramshackle games upgrade parts that arrived that morning, so hey presto – Finished team (Extended team really, as only 3 were needed to fit the 50 can standard game limit)

First up, and my favourite, is this Buggy. Armed with little more than 2 crew to lob grenades and fire their handguns at passers by.

A little more classy and obviously the lead driver in this team.

Also slightly more ‘up gunned’, this little convertible has 2 crew and 2 MGs mounted on the front.

A second buggy, with grenades and 2 crew, gives the option for a larger, slightly lighter team, if speed is required instead of brute force.

Pickup trucks appear to be the easiest way to bring on the brute force. Either as a platform for a turreted HMG.

Or by applying that weight directly to your opponents cars in the form of a battering ram.

I suspect he will be happy with the simple paint jobs and little additions.  If left to him they would likely have been played ‘as is’ or replaced in time by eBay purchases of finished conversions.

First game is planned for later this week, so watch this space…

Gaslands – Starting Something New, Again…

Some gamers manage to find one game and fall in love with it.  They focus all their energies on becoming, at first competent in the game, then to excel in the game.  They exhibit a level of focus and dedication to their chosen ruleset that can be seen in vast and well thought out armies.

That is not me, and I suspect it is none of my few friends either.  We are gaming butterflies.  We flit from one game to another, always attracted by the possibility and promise of something new.

Hence I have bought the latest Osprey game Gaslands and accidentally wound up with two extra copies of the game for my closest (read – only) active gaming friends.

I may well have also purchased a couple of sets of upgrade parts from a few companies to add to the 30+ cars that eBay found me in the last week or so…

Any game that lets you take a mass produced toy car and, with the addition of a few parts, leaves you ready to play is good in my world.

As most gamers, my bits box always seems to have a few parts in it that work just like they were meant for the project…  Missile launchers that were too small for the last project turn out to be just the ticket for the next project.

For some weapon loadouts in Gaslands you don’t even have to have to add anything.  An oil slick dropper and a box of grenades on the passenger seat doesn’t need any modelling to make it work…

Warhammer 40,000 – Dreadnought Update

I have had this Dreadnought for a number of years.  He is an old Rogue Trader miniature and is armed with two close combat weapons with bolters.  He is a nice model that sadly no longer fits any Dreadnought weapon load out in any current GW rulebook other than a Blood Angels Furioso Dreadnought (and I don’t play Blood Angels).

I have found one option that will get him back on a table though.  In the Forgeworld Adeptus Astartes Index is a Chaplain Venerable Dreadnought that can field two close combat weapons with Storm Bolters.  Therefore this chap will need to be given some additions that make him look more Venerable and a bit Claplainesque. The skull faceplate from an imperial knight and the helmet wings from a dark angels terminator give me a start point but still leave him looking less than finished or Chaplainesque.

By Chaplainesque I do not plan to add a bowler hat, moustache or walking cane…

I am thinking of additions that are more like a Reliquary, Terminator Honours and a couple of Badges of Office…

Thankfully eBay has plenty of bits sellers that can provide terminator, officer and chaplain parts that can easily be added to the base model, as he looks a little plain at this point.

 

Dust Tactics – Up To Date. Yes, I Am As Surprised As You Are…

So the last unit for my Dust Tactics Allies force has been completed.  These guys are ‘Force Recon’ and designed to act officially as artillery observers.

I suspect that with an MG and a bunch of Shotguns I will be tempted to use them in an anti infantry capacity more often than I remember to fire my mortar using their activation. A full unit throws 30 dice in attack (granted at only 20cm range).

Not sure why the ‘Sarg’ came out with an odd skin tone as he was done exactly as the others were.

I wonder if he had a rougher base coat or undercoat when I started him…  I may go back and darken him further by giving him an African skin tone to hide the difference.

Anyhow, that’s all my USMC painted at this point.

Dust Tactics – 2 Out Of 3 Aint Bad

The second of my Dust Tactics units has been on the painting table this week.  About the only thing that has it would seem.

Life, in the run up to Xmas, has been quite busy for me, and it would seem that it has been the same for everyone else that I know as well.  These 5 guys are all that got painted over the last 7 days of inactivity on the hobby front.

These are a unit of ‘Hot Shots’ and they feature a couple of antitank fellows that should be able to target the odd Axis walker.  If they fail to do that, they might just draw a few shots away from other units before they die.  The light weight class 1 infantry do die very quickly in Dust 1947.

The unit appears to be fairly flexible though as the three non-antitank members of the unit are each toting BARs to help keep those pesky Axis infantrymen in order.

Only one more unit is left to go and I will be up to date on Dust Allies again…  We may even get that game in soon…

Dust Tactics – Back In The Paint Queue

Dust Tactics (or Dust 1947) has come back to focus for us with what seems like the possibility of a game on our horizon it would seem.  We pulled a list of games together on the way back from a show recently.  Said list was all the games we loved but didn’t get to play often enough.  Dust was at the top of that list.

I have a great little USMC force that is fine as it is.  I happened to buy a few more units though (just to complete the set you know).

Those three units needed painting so that they could be used in the next game.

First completed are these ‘Mustangs’ who are the command unit of the USMC.  Next up will be a unit of ‘Hot Shots’ armed with recoilless rifles. Hopefully the last unit will also get done before we get that game played.  They will be the ‘force recon’ observer unit that will let me get the best out of my mortar unit.