Saturday, March 31, 2007

Entry for March 31, 2007



Durkka-Durrka!


Very lazy this week, got little done. Have to try to do better this weekend. I have several stands of light mortars almost finished, I need to get them touched-up and given their washes and then standed. Still, platoon #4 needs only one more rifle stand, a Command stand and it's three 2-man stands of light mortars and it's finished. Platoons #2 & #3 need all their stands done. But then, THE BLOODY INFANTRY IS FINISHED!! The rest is alot easier to do. I also need to light a fire and finish the Mahdist's and get the Brit's underway. They will be really easy to do in blocks, uniforms grey serge, bluff on the helmets & some straps, black shoes.
Then it's time to play!


From that gentleman, Warpainter, who does such great FoW stuff he sells on e-bay, I got a "how-to" on cutting bases. Could have gotten the info & tool cheaper I'm sure, but it does show you how and it's not that hard to cut your own bases out of plastic stock. You could even cut your own FoW bases as well. As long as they are the proper size, having the beveling on the base edge doesn't matter. And for cutting bases for something like DBA/DBM, you could cut what you need in a hour or two.


TFFN

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Entry for March 22, 2007

Well, the Lt. Mortars for #1 Platoon are finished, and I think #4 Platoon is finished except for the Lt. Mortars, which I will get done ASAP. This makes #1 Platoon the first utterly finished Platoon I have!!! That leave most of #2 Platoon and all of #3. Or course that's all infantry and the heavy weapons are next, but they are fewer in number and sound be finished much quicker (HA!)

I have been thinking about rules for LotOW WII weapons all day and trying NOT TO BE distracted from my Son's of Nippon and my Colonials. Got one more stand of Dervishes done. I need to see what I have vs. what I need. Time to write up another list, and check it twice!Maybe go to Timmy's tomorrow, we will see. If not, back to the painting grindstone.

The garage has come alone quite nicely, I might add. Got it more squared away and freed up some space. Need to replace that plastic storage stand with one of the metal ones, which are far stronger. Also need to figure out figure storage again, as the plastic roll-away's hold a fair amount, but if I put them in the foam trays and then into the roll-aways, I can hold more per drawer it appears. Also need homes for the small plastic storage cases I already have, or condense them down into one or two big cases.

TTFN

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Entry for March 18, 2007


Well, I did up a check-list of what I need done for my FoW Japanese and checked off what is finished. Bummer..... Platoon #1 is finished except for the Lt Mortars (which will be finished tomorrow), a couple of stands for Platoons #2 & 3 and Platoon #4 is 75% finished. Looks like I scatter gun it, not using the marked sticks for figure painting in numerical order. I need two more stands of HMG's and they are done but NOTHING ELSE is!?! I need to speed up the process.


Order a bunch of cheap Osprey books from that site Tim e-mailed me about. The extra 20% discount at the end was SWEET! Also put myself on the list for Volumes #1 & #2 of the Mahdist Wars Source books when they are ready. More info on the Sudan! YIPPEE!
Also re-working the garage (AGAIN) to maximize my storage space. Coming along nicely and I will work on it some more tomorrow and work on my Japanese as well, painting and finishing the 3 stands of Light Mortars for Platoon #1, all while doing laundry. Then for my next trick, a rabbit out of my butt....


TTFN

Friday, March 16, 2007

Entry for March 16, 2007

Thursday saw another 6 stands finished, I should see what I have vs. what I need to finish the frakkin' infantry. The I start on the heavy mortars, etc. but that's a lot less to do. I need to Then finish my AB41's, the rest of my M13/41's and the German tanks I got from Tim (or at least see what I need to make a more uniform group of tanks).

Of course my Colonials need finishing and I hope when I can give them more attention, I care more. Right now I don't care about them as much ad the Japanese FoW army is monopolizing my time.

I went to see Mr. Harold on Wednesday, still not leaving the hospital it seems anytime soon. SIGH....But he did a very nice thing. He got me a starter set for the Axis and Allies game. Rules are a quick read and don't hurt the brain. He got it for me so he and I could play it when he gets (if ever it seems) out of the hospital and back home. The miniatures are easy to get but as they are that strange random way they do pre-paint figures in a box, and of course like the collectible card games are Common, Uncommon, Rare and Ultra-Rare or some such rot. However, being 15mm, if you can get the stats for the cards, you can get a 15mm figure/vehicle to stand in easy enough. The are a good match with Peter Pig 15mm (I checked) and it's easy to get them and one infantry figure to a stand, a Peter Pig bag becomes 8 stands of infantry. Just stand them on a small (1/2") washer. Tim wants me to get a starter set for him tomorrow when I got to Brookhurst. He'll like it and he can play it with his son quickly and easily.

Time for bed (2am) and I need to pack for my trip to Tim's for another Paint & Prattle session. Then it's off to Brookhurst and then a quick (!?!) trip up the 405 to the valley..

TTFN

Monday, March 12, 2007

Entry for March 12, 2007


Well, the FoW game here has come and gone and a good time was had by all. We got one quick game (armor vs armor) in, went to Brookhurst, ate, came back and had another quick armor vs armor game. The Italians lost both games but I learned alot, and it was fun. Must do it again soon.


Too damned hot today and no painting. Monday is laundry so I will try to get some done then. The garage needs a re-organizing again, so I need to get that underway. Bloody weather, it's as hot as it gets during the summer. Need to work on the Japanese as they won't finish themselves.


TTFN

Thursday, March 8, 2007

Entry for March 08, 2007


Got all done yesterday, have 4 more stands that need painting then flocking tomorrow and 4 more sticks are ready for basing. ON ROLL! boo ya! Still more to do but the end, at least of the infantry is in sight...way the heck down there! The Command stands should be easy. And each platoon gets 3 stands of grenade dischargers, but the are 2 man stands each and are starting along quite well already.


On the HMG's, I'm giving up on the ammo tray. Too fiddley and easy to break. 2 more stands of them and 1 Command and it's done. I have the HMG's done, just need 2 crew w/ammo. Then it's off to do my artillery, 20mm A/A guns and Heavy Mortars.


Now talk of 28mm WWI looms in the future....and this weekend is FoW with Tim and Mark....


TTFN

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Entry for March 07, 2007


Another nice CoD 2 screenshot with me armed w/a BAR. Anyway today (IE March 6th) was a good day for the Japanese Army. 2 bases flatted and 4 more infantry bases + one Command base to be sprayed in the morning. And more! 4 sticks of figure just needing brown & black washes and then they'll be ready for bases! So the Infantry are maybe 40 - 45% done? More sticks of figures need to made, primed and gotten under way.
And the HMG's are 50% done. I think I'll leave the ammo clips off the gun and finish the last two bases. Too easy to break off, so I'll just put brass next top the gun. It would work better in 25-28mm but in 15mm, it's too small to be worth it.

Also doing any experiment with a spare Dervish figure as I am not happy with how the white on their jibbeh is coming out. The washes just don't look the way I want on them...I'm trying a light to medium grey undercoat with a white heavy dry-brush to see what I get. And after the Mahdists, it's the turn of the British in their grey serge uniforms. They'll be a snap!

TTFN

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Entry for March 06, 2007

Well, go the 4 sticks on the bases, just have to wait till the Liquitex is dry. Tried to give a couple of hours and then work with it, but no go, still to soft and a figure tried to come off.
So in the morning spray flat two bases and flock the rest and get more underway. And figure out what I might want to do with the HMGs. I am think of gluing on a ammo strip to the gun but maybe to fiddley a thing to do. Break off too much. Check my pro-type later. Maybe just add spent brass to the stands.

The talk about using Legends of the Old West for other periods is going well. Just have to figure out how WWI weapon work within it.

TTFN

Sunday, March 4, 2007

Entry for March 4, 2007


Well, the Japanese Infantry grind on! I have one base ready to be spray flatted, one ready for dry brushing and then foliage, and 4 sticks of figures ready to be based! So it's onward and upward we go. And I need to finish the last 2 HMG bases, give them a Command Stand and it's done!!


It's fun on the LotOW WWII site Tim set up. Looking at the rules and working out stuff. As I am NOT getting into another project just yet....I can look at stuff, make ideas & suggestions but no figure work....just yet.


Copied the 4 page quick n' dirty Warhammer Colonial. Look like a snap to re-work to LotOW, but to do it in 28mm.


TTFN