tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41174459525438447902024-03-13T11:48:05.653-04:00Lair of the Uber GeekThis blog will will contain my rather pedantic ramblings on my experiences within the miniature war gaming hobby. There will be informative how-to’s, thrilling battle reports and thought provoking editorials. I fully expect that history will one day view the contents of this blog on par with Homer’s Illiad or Newton’s Principalia. Or it's a complete waste of time.Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.comBlogger1164125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-30166362046150102582022-04-11T07:37:00.002-04:002022-04-11T07:37:34.159-04:00Terrain Workshop Sorted (at least for now)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidpOGT0PWYWUggo9DvPnGqgS_yq9ppYXd5DeSA9qvQYUR_a2FbdlAnQoe9dQq9_GWMCUrE9cs20GpZKbCga34dsCyvOF_8LUpAmAoZztENU4NmOtTzVHbhBgHsXDQRPp-s1fahRLVEUAcKSJHwT-YYVMRX6T2gapCUcwrNAZ_fuH3GAMPITLcKYhXr/s4032/A74C7BC1-4B98-4172-A81B-58B4112B5EB4.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidpOGT0PWYWUggo9DvPnGqgS_yq9ppYXd5DeSA9qvQYUR_a2FbdlAnQoe9dQq9_GWMCUrE9cs20GpZKbCga34dsCyvOF_8LUpAmAoZztENU4NmOtTzVHbhBgHsXDQRPp-s1fahRLVEUAcKSJHwT-YYVMRX6T2gapCUcwrNAZ_fuH3GAMPITLcKYhXr/s320/A74C7BC1-4B98-4172-A81B-58B4112B5EB4.heic" width="320" /></a></div>Well I've managed to clean out the Terrain Workshop. Sadly, the bulk of the "debris" consisted of various shipping boxes that were retained for storage or to use in building terrain. Of course neither of those objectives were fulfilled.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>This space measure 8x8 and serves as both a terrain workbench and storage. The big plus of this apce is it has a pair of doors which can be closed and hide the mess from the wife. She has learned long ago that these doors are best left closed.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99Jb9ViVATk-lqSxw0f4BHOg-323W4DVfG_vQZyOYJg4H9nJvITB1iWXjMwFX8lllbOXM6_qfxWGqK29pqvmbdt3gfmqYTOZQ00XtlHW1nps5qI9x2gM65c67r9Ksenrd5D6flln-Yi86RxtqcDhVZyuSKSXw5_k_EnBOykWKzQYynedmwYztOB_e/s4032/0AEA45F9-E643-4A8C-B978-86CEF0D3E6DE.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99Jb9ViVATk-lqSxw0f4BHOg-323W4DVfG_vQZyOYJg4H9nJvITB1iWXjMwFX8lllbOXM6_qfxWGqK29pqvmbdt3gfmqYTOZQ00XtlHW1nps5qI9x2gM65c67r9Ksenrd5D6flln-Yi86RxtqcDhVZyuSKSXw5_k_EnBOykWKzQYynedmwYztOB_e/s320/0AEA45F9-E643-4A8C-B978-86CEF0D3E6DE.heic" width="320" /></a></div>I've got the bulk and most commonly used scenery materials in a shelf unit right next to the work bench.<p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYtsuNR1Hbji7hhHuxASekKZ8DJmZYKps-Din-7juWo430wSkBtfJcvGzMQUhDyBBedN_18HcTq8CAaBaFBdPtPlP7Rc4DZdQ6UmyoP8N__MHwjIg5tsY3z6-10pd0Ovxnc1_ImdfZnAnjAFBR6y3qycwvkf0TJUOf8--9hikpEjikG00wFyGv9is/s4032/1F04A411-8734-48B4-B177-B5AAF83A7983.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYtsuNR1Hbji7hhHuxASekKZ8DJmZYKps-Din-7juWo430wSkBtfJcvGzMQUhDyBBedN_18HcTq8CAaBaFBdPtPlP7Rc4DZdQ6UmyoP8N__MHwjIg5tsY3z6-10pd0Ovxnc1_ImdfZnAnjAFBR6y3qycwvkf0TJUOf8--9hikpEjikG00wFyGv9is/s320/1F04A411-8734-48B4-B177-B5AAF83A7983.heic" width="320" /></a></div><div>If we pan in a clockwise direction one can see 1 of 2 small parts bins - this one has small terrain items like various grass tufts, different grades of sand and special small detail parts.</div><div><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ln8dD0pSjlaHQ05fhxiutTh0OM9reNsjD28mBGvu5r80vgWKWDWhlfjaMEvA9gCfFIBaNq_cc_FU5ujiQ4HQMwuJXGcleZE1VD3ATKDidXR-qbrx8vDBT7uew-kPX1b-tbPO4yIfbCzYtEW9wRpWz9o8cwM5PgsPiuCiuT4Yw7nIFmYK33ISCcnF/s4032/42AD3472-57EE-40DA-88BF-5DD05208C3AD.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ln8dD0pSjlaHQ05fhxiutTh0OM9reNsjD28mBGvu5r80vgWKWDWhlfjaMEvA9gCfFIBaNq_cc_FU5ujiQ4HQMwuJXGcleZE1VD3ATKDidXR-qbrx8vDBT7uew-kPX1b-tbPO4yIfbCzYtEW9wRpWz9o8cwM5PgsPiuCiuT4Yw7nIFmYK33ISCcnF/s320/42AD3472-57EE-40DA-88BF-5DD05208C3AD.heic" width="320" /></a></div>Continuing our clockwise progression is a new paint rack for craft paints and the second small parts bin which is pretty much empty (for now)<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGowwxuleEfSIKaTJXDr-tulwwF8CJLlRAwTO6x-SbURT-qXb4BK6YK-_8BxobnguUwyoJx4iszOd4tcYMebt6AclUHLG1L99hY47Jqk83RZjvWUHHsrdR9DLd_m8AZe-86Wkkbb67CtkwoJ5tP8w1hnfhaqdscw9G51X-WfUklWy6nUSPvL-7qMhR/s4032/397F34C1-DDC4-4A67-B41D-FC8B8D21E5E9.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGowwxuleEfSIKaTJXDr-tulwwF8CJLlRAwTO6x-SbURT-qXb4BK6YK-_8BxobnguUwyoJx4iszOd4tcYMebt6AclUHLG1L99hY47Jqk83RZjvWUHHsrdR9DLd_m8AZe-86Wkkbb67CtkwoJ5tP8w1hnfhaqdscw9G51X-WfUklWy6nUSPvL-7qMhR/s320/397F34C1-DDC4-4A67-B41D-FC8B8D21E5E9.heic" width="320" /></a></div><div>In this corner, I store my unfinished hex terrain (just cut hexes in the boxes and my collection of 2x2 terrain panels.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjaqHGZfLJJLwCsKLXc1ux1L2NnvMm33d3QXYA5iYy4fG2Eqs2vuW9YyBjgJb7CbXQzmaidTQbwJW0itp5WZlPdS2TroAZ0dQ_F8l6XbCyDG5oaykmQLsIMXCNUetMf5kuqAaVdyOCSFCmQfBkWLPjc2uCBGJs74kJrykkums4jKrGoohA_TXw_Gp_/s4032/8FFAD033-6ED4-401E-91F4-05E50DB68DDA.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjaqHGZfLJJLwCsKLXc1ux1L2NnvMm33d3QXYA5iYy4fG2Eqs2vuW9YyBjgJb7CbXQzmaidTQbwJW0itp5WZlPdS2TroAZ0dQ_F8l6XbCyDG5oaykmQLsIMXCNUetMf5kuqAaVdyOCSFCmQfBkWLPjc2uCBGJs74kJrykkums4jKrGoohA_TXw_Gp_/s320/8FFAD033-6ED4-401E-91F4-05E50DB68DDA.heic" width="320" /></a></div>Finally, another storage cabinet - the drawers hold my 6mm Russo-Japanese War collection and the plastic bins have 6mm ancients. On top are my fully finished 4" hex terrain. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJaQxWf_h4uRIy15Gy2dYfVL08II_zmmmxfqlVyvG9qxMjDMMZ3UrauHeksOdFMZ6Zx8naDm81-Ob-Z_UpuUuiK04kYtRYTP0g8UpzLsLXXnoOX4AGVX7MjRw0oDgnQrIWKynoibfCx_eAqOGoL1u8XAmpc57lMZICJDVXd2yIxxr4RrszNqBI0zR/s4032/FFA224C0-3C9B-4C82-9098-65CA8204FFE5.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJaQxWf_h4uRIy15Gy2dYfVL08II_zmmmxfqlVyvG9qxMjDMMZ3UrauHeksOdFMZ6Zx8naDm81-Ob-Z_UpuUuiK04kYtRYTP0g8UpzLsLXXnoOX4AGVX7MjRw0oDgnQrIWKynoibfCx_eAqOGoL1u8XAmpc57lMZICJDVXd2yIxxr4RrszNqBI0zR/s320/FFA224C0-3C9B-4C82-9098-65CA8204FFE5.heic" width="320" /></a></div>Speaking of terrain making, I did decide to do a little work on the hex terrain - you knew that workbench couldn't stay that clean!<div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-84853867521704521272022-04-06T12:34:00.001-04:002022-04-06T12:34:42.737-04:00Hobby Space Reorg - Phase II<p> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4u8h0wpmuQRrWdIW5VXFDggDM2olth6uI_Q7-bsaByvKC102CVloc4MAMgJ_sxya3jZTj28deX8dmOc2-pfZg0N6zdUUCf0ZqiOTM_7kaCHWt_IanG4kcvDBkhRsQYB9b-drdOKN81akatAUrSOH38Imm7sxSaxWVi7in7O27047MGe3S_qk-brQ/s4032/073FA838-D44D-404A-AB67-5823C8122B1A.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4u8h0wpmuQRrWdIW5VXFDggDM2olth6uI_Q7-bsaByvKC102CVloc4MAMgJ_sxya3jZTj28deX8dmOc2-pfZg0N6zdUUCf0ZqiOTM_7kaCHWt_IanG4kcvDBkhRsQYB9b-drdOKN81akatAUrSOH38Imm7sxSaxWVi7in7O27047MGe3S_qk-brQ/s320/073FA838-D44D-404A-AB67-5823C8122B1A.heic" width="320" /></a></div>The Painting desk clean up is complete. I added some paint racks that I got from <a href="https://gcmini.mybigcommerce.com/" target="_blank">Gamecraft Miniatures</a> to organize my paints and try to keep them off the work space. We'll see how long that lasts.<p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3rEAkgmJHEzfMCwDFrdUt8STw5i3ks7SFDC_q4uTF64LEgLzM4bIsdMAsbGYvT5vuGkHcZ45P0-u5NJVbBOejQN41cCxhY6jv4gFsKQQBhmvpo0pe2bE48tRlGNcLvhEzuDhh3gDrD6w6mhnfhddzuwldeyXDVtEuAajGy_SbdyrffK2QEce_ujOA/s4032/C0B66A43-D43A-4F6C-A3B9-F1FF48641C14.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3rEAkgmJHEzfMCwDFrdUt8STw5i3ks7SFDC_q4uTF64LEgLzM4bIsdMAsbGYvT5vuGkHcZ45P0-u5NJVbBOejQN41cCxhY6jv4gFsKQQBhmvpo0pe2bE48tRlGNcLvhEzuDhh3gDrD6w6mhnfhddzuwldeyXDVtEuAajGy_SbdyrffK2QEce_ujOA/s320/C0B66A43-D43A-4F6C-A3B9-F1FF48641C14.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br />I also purchased a large small parts bin to organize my collection of basses. I think its safe to say that I'm long bases. During the clean up a large number of bases where discovered (re-discovered?) so my inventory of bases if rather large. Those very nice people at <a href="https://litko.net/" target="_blank">Litko</a> should be very happy with me. I. ummm, have a lot of bases to work through. Some people have a lead mountain, I've got a wood one.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ia6zjloWA4_TJgtMQgV3xIe1KEBXvT2Lc5IKUTu5U-2gDiPzLkpEdYn7IVaZjqFwfm0yyoSnVCKXx4NpKA5iz9yJE1IwjHQ7Q33P7WBIqY3Yrd5-wJT5Uh3ZTKiSXC4te1tDL1zRoXJcxNB0rpYcDixJk8vzCqASpRYxlYy11Ex1l6MXF8xwrE7b/s4032/CC99A4CA-8612-4CD0-8DAE-7BF5C4B27BD7.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ia6zjloWA4_TJgtMQgV3xIe1KEBXvT2Lc5IKUTu5U-2gDiPzLkpEdYn7IVaZjqFwfm0yyoSnVCKXx4NpKA5iz9yJE1IwjHQ7Q33P7WBIqY3Yrd5-wJT5Uh3ZTKiSXC4te1tDL1zRoXJcxNB0rpYcDixJk8vzCqASpRYxlYy11Ex1l6MXF8xwrE7b/s320/CC99A4CA-8612-4CD0-8DAE-7BF5C4B27BD7.heic" width="320" /></a></div>Next up will be organizing the workshop area I use for terrain making and storage. If my painting desk was described as a "disaster" the only word for this space is catastrophe! <div><br /></div><div><br /><p><br /></p></div>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-9378903427111726082022-03-27T12:14:00.004-04:002022-03-27T12:14:35.053-04:00Hobby Space Re-Organization<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJ8ff4n1ljGJHD0iGM8uYtjPRFlEzwDNVujCtedKs3k_XhweRE3mDphQxcPfhEeasbf--3RxwGygs517nenFYHLkqBVyMQ5YicgCiOQ9zsGMcAeSd2mEeOHuvqAI956dkXzUpjiqFNqcFAQItUiiEJkHLOPvgHYldy_xSLftC51sCHf5FXDbRRFXo/s4032/988B36D6-D942-4B80-814D-C3CBC27EB81F.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJ8ff4n1ljGJHD0iGM8uYtjPRFlEzwDNVujCtedKs3k_XhweRE3mDphQxcPfhEeasbf--3RxwGygs517nenFYHLkqBVyMQ5YicgCiOQ9zsGMcAeSd2mEeOHuvqAI956dkXzUpjiqFNqcFAQItUiiEJkHLOPvgHYldy_xSLftC51sCHf5FXDbRRFXo/s320/988B36D6-D942-4B80-814D-C3CBC27EB81F.heic" width="320" /></a></div>My Hobby area has become an organizational disaster - this is how it looks AFTER a massive clean up. It's just not as functional and tidy as it should be and I find my work space shrinking every month or so to a 6 inch x 6 inch spot in the center as debris piles up.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>I originally has this bench custom built at least 5 years ago and it's been really good hobby "investment" but it could be more functional. On each side are some cubbies that I thought would be useful for holding small parts and tools. Unfortunately, they functional more like a graveyard where stuff falls in never to be seen again.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqyOJTYoPSyEsvE4C3iXFELct_FBfotuc8iAl2ugLQwCBMtZ1eESR_GGAkcRXMaYxtwfOQA4jCjGP_10VUsSJgRRIXTBBMAqdCrmkzOEJYOpB7i1iKf_8DSTORonRjpUManCzIwkU3xGwI-fYw4oQmaUoYBHMiyMwBRILNSndYn10QzPv09dJmXF4/s4032/93F270FE-3999-42A8-8AE2-9E891895CE97.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqyOJTYoPSyEsvE4C3iXFELct_FBfotuc8iAl2ugLQwCBMtZ1eESR_GGAkcRXMaYxtwfOQA4jCjGP_10VUsSJgRRIXTBBMAqdCrmkzOEJYOpB7i1iKf_8DSTORonRjpUManCzIwkU3xGwI-fYw4oQmaUoYBHMiyMwBRILNSndYn10QzPv09dJmXF4/s320/93F270FE-3999-42A8-8AE2-9E891895CE97.heic" width="320" /></a></div>Heres the left side - I have no idea what the cubbies are stuffed with but at least I keep the TY remotes on top and accessible. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjG9EwQj1LDSrlmZPQU2rxxPwMccsSPC9wDD5IY-pgHl07eVAPGsNpe7NQSfDdo5LpbicMintvib7IeFSn-8MbqjiLgzVD9V5hLw8U6bXO99opo9H6lWJI68EIO5_09YTaEyw7j3YGmslFWVI7vErZ9CQiFAc9mmpm8ei1Avv27EFCu_sZEFO35npP/s4032/837B6E46-E765-4A97-A2B1-2A7A70C3163B.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjG9EwQj1LDSrlmZPQU2rxxPwMccsSPC9wDD5IY-pgHl07eVAPGsNpe7NQSfDdo5LpbicMintvib7IeFSn-8MbqjiLgzVD9V5hLw8U6bXO99opo9H6lWJI68EIO5_09YTaEyw7j3YGmslFWVI7vErZ9CQiFAc9mmpm8ei1Avv27EFCu_sZEFO35npP/s320/837B6E46-E765-4A97-A2B1-2A7A70C3163B.heic" width="320" /></a></div>The right side set of cubbies are just over-stuffed and essentially are inaccessible. <p></p><p><br /></p><p>I'm going to build some shelve units to sit on top the cubbies and provide some more platform space - on the right side of the picture you can see on of the tier paint rack systems I'm going to place on top of the shelves.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNTHtrjv8Ckw5cg9Ba2TJciGjT5BOdDKCmE2UGmOXCdsY-f_14A_6xhPjxPN01-5fy7wSkwg-INWRhl9-nkQfs1oM8XcXdOnMK-Zjj_nt8-YR8Kp0Sm-Nl9aTbrTXy5jCPtCzs7u11RTtFX0KeO_6NjI6mOrUUic5yZQ34li8zlC4mTse4F5siMLj/s4032/08A88DF8-9429-474A-900F-867A45C9D5E3.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNTHtrjv8Ckw5cg9Ba2TJciGjT5BOdDKCmE2UGmOXCdsY-f_14A_6xhPjxPN01-5fy7wSkwg-INWRhl9-nkQfs1oM8XcXdOnMK-Zjj_nt8-YR8Kp0Sm-Nl9aTbrTXy5jCPtCzs7u11RTtFX0KeO_6NjI6mOrUUic5yZQ34li8zlC4mTse4F5siMLj/s320/08A88DF8-9429-474A-900F-867A45C9D5E3.heic" width="320" /></a></div>I cleaned out the cubbies and piles all of that crap onto the bench top and installed the shelf extensions. The shel units are just 1/2 birch plywood cut in a 24x9 inch size. They're held in place by blocks of wood the are friction fit into the cubbies and then the plywood is screwed on. This makes them very secure but easily moveable to be reconfigured. Once I figure out the setup, I'll stain the shelves to match the chestnut coloring of the bench frame.<div><br /></div><div>I now need to sort through the mess of stuff that has accumulated over the years. There's just so much "stuff"...</div><div><br /></div><div>I do realize that it's been a very long time since I've updated this blog. I decided to take a little break from blogging as it was becoming more of a chore than fun. I may transition Lair of the Uber Geek away from blogger (as Google seems to be uninterested in really supporting the tool) and over to another platform but haven't made any decisions on that. <br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p></div>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-53034599966342693462021-08-17T06:24:00.002-04:002021-08-17T06:24:04.086-04:00New Family Member: Impawator Augustus<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SL5aJfLM_9v6z77xImSAkEqxZ6c2-IEddbyezNO3mV9Ls1Oej9gMPU0hT5Ee05DJB1jprys3BdnKFksQS33w3yX_xTkthPVlc6eO2q4XcOZdjGcCkwpxjkmLvAVk-ZcvaaTkv4rd7dc/s2048/59D22883-5E3A-4D3B-AA6A-47DD40CB94FC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SL5aJfLM_9v6z77xImSAkEqxZ6c2-IEddbyezNO3mV9Ls1Oej9gMPU0hT5Ee05DJB1jprys3BdnKFksQS33w3yX_xTkthPVlc6eO2q4XcOZdjGcCkwpxjkmLvAVk-ZcvaaTkv4rd7dc/s320/59D22883-5E3A-4D3B-AA6A-47DD40CB94FC.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>Things have been a little quite on the blog lately, but not that quite in real life. We’ve added a new member to our household - a puppy who has been named Augustus. Now this is pretty big news as I’ve been asking for a dog since my lovely wife and I got married. I was very surprised to find that on our 34th anniversary she finally agreed to add a dog to the family mix - Best anniversary present EVER!<p></p><p><br /></p><p>Augustus is 11 weeks old and is a Lagatto Romagnolo - an Italian water dog which are used to hunt for truffles. He is a wonderful addition to the family!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKERMtqToibYSJUXon-4FodVu83ZyvGqjqqWYoDitFyp7y-Y4zr6ezGUT1kr9EuHNi7zKaHu4zxMPkCv4PmrtEIrLLdsTkzvXlPAPzqaFGaZCXu62cNk8ltU95PXvGKbpNQOZLZVF2KP8/s2048/8B0E2D6F-D498-43A8-AEB3-2AFFD65E9D14.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKERMtqToibYSJUXon-4FodVu83ZyvGqjqqWYoDitFyp7y-Y4zr6ezGUT1kr9EuHNi7zKaHu4zxMPkCv4PmrtEIrLLdsTkzvXlPAPzqaFGaZCXu62cNk8ltU95PXvGKbpNQOZLZVF2KP8/s320/8B0E2D6F-D498-43A8-AEB3-2AFFD65E9D14.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Here you can see Augustus advising me on strategy as I get ready to play a game of Blucher online against Alex from the Storm of Steel You Tube channel. Augustus proved to be a canny strategist and is a very good boy, indeed.<p></p>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-40529929421929176362021-07-19T05:47:00.004-04:002021-07-19T05:47:29.544-04:00Garden Fun<p> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KJ0UrD8_5fHAgE0AffQuYjIbUYNK0fE25xNIBkM923cY07_8QhRCviawIqGiC2Ykgv5KRhVF-j67nNXuejuomaD3YjeD3VP8HJOVT8-oV9RETNH-5E3rcvp_182wraaSpcCI1MbWNxA/s2048/8A7BDE15-AF0D-47EE-848D-2BAB846EE56D.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KJ0UrD8_5fHAgE0AffQuYjIbUYNK0fE25xNIBkM923cY07_8QhRCviawIqGiC2Ykgv5KRhVF-j67nNXuejuomaD3YjeD3VP8HJOVT8-oV9RETNH-5E3rcvp_182wraaSpcCI1MbWNxA/s320/8A7BDE15-AF0D-47EE-848D-2BAB846EE56D.heic" width="320" /></a></div><p>The garden is doing really well this year - heres a picture of what we pulled out of it on Saturday - and this picture doesn't have the peppers</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWa8MOphghV5t7vacGtrIjNnLa9cPIklaSK9LeEN7v32SVt27vdniL-jGMa6_Q4EZpqfpfQP5rMXDpoqHjj2p1vewH29UY8TDRdzhGX7NyOdxShGn3CTESgdkyOjl-tea-k7vDwK290U/s2048/74B1FE4F-12ED-4444-A682-AE9FF21577A6.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWa8MOphghV5t7vacGtrIjNnLa9cPIklaSK9LeEN7v32SVt27vdniL-jGMa6_Q4EZpqfpfQP5rMXDpoqHjj2p1vewH29UY8TDRdzhGX7NyOdxShGn3CTESgdkyOjl-tea-k7vDwK290U/s320/74B1FE4F-12ED-4444-A682-AE9FF21577A6.heic" /></a></div>Lots of tomatoes - there have been rumors that I may have planted too many tomatoes - as if that is even possible. We do have 8 different types of Tomatoes this year. My favorites are the Roma's (the oval shaped ones) which are used primarily to make sauce.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6M9PC6uOtHLRmtdZa5P5vD41YTO44EWW_rL2a0dNYkQB4wlXeTXfp-1J2cvC7vEfctNE71cFfFKWTFruUVd8HGz3ygN5w8l6B9M3QE8Xj_FPtR5sMJsdAoDYrnAxmR7i2K1o1wKdxQQ/s2048/6BEE0356-0E2A-4803-BCCD-E66A5318FCAB.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6M9PC6uOtHLRmtdZa5P5vD41YTO44EWW_rL2a0dNYkQB4wlXeTXfp-1J2cvC7vEfctNE71cFfFKWTFruUVd8HGz3ygN5w8l6B9M3QE8Xj_FPtR5sMJsdAoDYrnAxmR7i2K1o1wKdxQQ/s320/6BEE0356-0E2A-4803-BCCD-E66A5318FCAB.heic" width="320" /></a></div>Speaking of sauce, the less than perfect tomatoes - ones that have split due to the heat or have some insect damage get cleaned up and then put through a food mill to make sauce. The pitcher holds 3 quarts and we managed to get a total of 6 quarts of tomato sauce. My wife then takes the sauce and turns it into marinara sauce which we freeze and use the rest of the year. We got 2/3 of a gallon today of that red gold.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkm8fwzvQ4MvguNtX4n_OMnPzTezXetC7IGUQFqIhi46vMuQ1FKiTHl4tmJOn2uzE3wE-EdHhqKEHZWIk8Rfqib3SIzqiEZRFQyunnlAYIw1jXGVZtE9nIxOFyBiT60RnKHNMjLqorWQ/s2048/C6DD2C71-D075-40F3-81C2-BBC831C08D35.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkm8fwzvQ4MvguNtX4n_OMnPzTezXetC7IGUQFqIhi46vMuQ1FKiTHl4tmJOn2uzE3wE-EdHhqKEHZWIk8Rfqib3SIzqiEZRFQyunnlAYIw1jXGVZtE9nIxOFyBiT60RnKHNMjLqorWQ/s320/C6DD2C71-D075-40F3-81C2-BBC831C08D35.heic" width="320" /></a></div>The garden looks like a bit of a jungle but is doing really well. It makes my wife really happy and after her year of dealing with COVID she gets what shes wants.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>I promise to have some miniatures content in a future post</p>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-85519531361418814702021-07-01T08:41:00.003-04:002021-07-01T08:41:59.608-04:00Shameless Self-Promotion: Austerlitz Game Video Trailer<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FBfh5ZKcXFc" width="320" youtube-src-id="FBfh5ZKcXFc"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p>Please take a look at the Austerlitz game video trailer. The full game video drops on July 20th.</p><p><br /></p><p>This game was one of my favorite Little Wars TV projects to work on and we used a slightly revised version of Dave Brown’s General D’Armee rules. The terrain was built by fellow club member Ed and is superb.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now this game was played with a twist - two different outcomes and viewers can choose which one they prefer. It was a super fun game that I am really looking forward to replaying at the club one day. There was also some surprises for both sides that are best not to be revealed here.</p><p><br /></p><p>We used my French and Greg’s Austrians and Russians for the game. </p>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-10282346010539178282021-06-27T07:41:00.000-04:002021-06-27T07:41:14.024-04:003D Resin Printing: USS Minnesota<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUijNWXMBnUan0WYtivsx3XONHTIVlumnmLaoLDMoMpbAraEPAbwfhFuZpdQ3w4A9PiXqIQkfo-wUBgWLQtKVO6xvp1Wt28UxxuihGezoILiL6sVR_etLUO9IpuuUHfwNnQFtSmdSj5I/s2048/50132B2A-B901-4DFC-956F-0380C2BCBE99.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUijNWXMBnUan0WYtivsx3XONHTIVlumnmLaoLDMoMpbAraEPAbwfhFuZpdQ3w4A9PiXqIQkfo-wUBgWLQtKVO6xvp1Wt28UxxuihGezoILiL6sVR_etLUO9IpuuUHfwNnQFtSmdSj5I/s320/50132B2A-B901-4DFC-956F-0380C2BCBE99.heic" width="320" /></a></div>Some more experimentation with 3D printing - in this case a 1/600 scale model of the USS Minnesota from the ACW.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>I purchased the stl files from a designer on the Wargaming 3D marketplace called <a href="https://www.wargaming3d.com/vendor/eastcoastironclads/" target="_blank">East Coast Ironclads</a>. He has a large range of ACW ships to choose from and of the two I've purchased I have been very impressed.</p><p><br /></p><p>The spars on the masts can be a bit delicate so I plan on reinforcing them with some green stuff sculpted to look like furled sails. Off course if they break due to gameplay one can always just print off a new one!</p><p><br /></p><p>I've got some pretty large gaps in my ACW ironclad collection and these models are a great way to fill them without spending a ton of money.</p>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-58679525426802956892021-06-22T06:31:00.000-04:002021-06-22T06:31:13.917-04:003D Resin Printing Week 2: Printed Terrain Details<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHHucnMyb3Ixuv6cIJTJshdXHCHaJO9h273Fr8WM_WyHnwzG17S1dQN46ZVh9NiX6ebVdSneVlBwzaen3aYpxHShXW1UCGPY5yCwEWe4zRsiqO20kq9NENGZUWVGM7NQyHlh8wzKRYLM/s2048/04835F9E-7F2E-4E12-A7D9-1EEE8387FD6D.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHHucnMyb3Ixuv6cIJTJshdXHCHaJO9h273Fr8WM_WyHnwzG17S1dQN46ZVh9NiX6ebVdSneVlBwzaen3aYpxHShXW1UCGPY5yCwEWe4zRsiqO20kq9NENGZUWVGM7NQyHlh8wzKRYLM/s320/04835F9E-7F2E-4E12-A7D9-1EEE8387FD6D.heic" width="320" /></a></div>Week 2 of my foray into 3D resin printing continues to show real promise. Despite the the build volume being small (3.1 inches wide, 5 inches long and 6 inches high), one can cram a good bit on the plate. One of the terrain features I was missing for the Stalingrad table was the Barmaley Fountain and I was struggling to scratch build one. Let's just say there have been 2 scratch build failures.<div><br /></div><div>A quick internet search found that <a href="https://www.3dprintterrain.de/" target="_blank">3dPrintterrain</a> makes a collection of WW2 themed files which includes the fountain as well as some other iconic terrain pieces. </div><div><br /></div><div>It took a little maneuvering to get the fountain to fit on the build plate but it printed out great. It's also far superior to anything I would have scratch built do I am really pleased.</div><div><br /></div><div>I doubt I'll be printing out full building using the resin printer (expect for 6mm) but key detail parts like window frames, doors and signage will be easy to do and add a lot of visual appeal to my scratch builds.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgm_WziwAPG7SdZSRPAqQdTlCjNBld8RE_oSr_IpRonSkqH_-HjVB6dXgkYPYDGAv5xBFjVoXjXvqLl_b49y_eDVgM-KZoFe1YWLWJRE4-vVmBD5qvMt32oOwKVS83ZK6mDEJUQ1SC1CI/s2048/A8DD019E-02D5-4457-A107-E034EE433BD6.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgm_WziwAPG7SdZSRPAqQdTlCjNBld8RE_oSr_IpRonSkqH_-HjVB6dXgkYPYDGAv5xBFjVoXjXvqLl_b49y_eDVgM-KZoFe1YWLWJRE4-vVmBD5qvMt32oOwKVS83ZK6mDEJUQ1SC1CI/s320/A8DD019E-02D5-4457-A107-E034EE433BD6.heic" width="320" /></a></div>One other useful "discovery" are these cheap <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009NVCLTA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">plastic cafeteria trays</a>. The raise lips are great for keeping your printer in and protecting against the inevitable resin spills. They also make great spots for storing works in progress.<div><br /></div><div>The lips have edges that are 1/8 inch thick and about 3/8 of an inch wide. I think I can build some really simple cabinet boxes with 1/8 inch grooves and make some super quick storage shelves.</div><div><br /></div><div>I purchased 2 sets of 12 each, which cost me 20.00 each set (used). Thats kind of expensive for plastic but compared to the alternative cost of wood and build time a real bargain.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQXf2dL4K6gKop1IDsGOhv-o0VARNjMkNuJlaqeOBhPLDKt_50Sz1-OkWtDIG_2ovVHQQlA-v4LeKsT7m28wCgQFrn53UT6eLu9mRlr9bv0j-rE37e8bWGBOePLe1_OKBybAU0wBXjwk/s2048/i0rMDcAdSU2%2525p28Mi1FxIw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQXf2dL4K6gKop1IDsGOhv-o0VARNjMkNuJlaqeOBhPLDKt_50Sz1-OkWtDIG_2ovVHQQlA-v4LeKsT7m28wCgQFrn53UT6eLu9mRlr9bv0j-rE37e8bWGBOePLe1_OKBybAU0wBXjwk/s320/i0rMDcAdSU2%2525p28Mi1FxIw.jpg" /></a></div>Obviously, "cafeteria tray" storage shelves will not look as nice as my standard box shelves but after building 36 of these wooden shelves, I'm running out of space! Plus with wood prices being what they are, it's hard to justify the cost. Yes, all 36 drawers are filled just like the one pictured.<div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p></div></div></div>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-89328155318202028582021-06-13T08:05:00.002-04:002021-06-13T08:05:44.848-04:00Great 3D resin Printing Post on No Dice, No Glory<p> There is a great article on 3D Resin printing for Historical gamers over on the No Dice No Glory blog. You can find it <a href="https://nodicenoglory.com/2021/03/17/resin-3d-printer-a-war-gamers-dream-come-true/" target="_blank">HERE</a></p><p><br /></p><p>I’m referencing the blog post as it’s likely a better write-up than I can do and the use the same printer I got for Fathers Day. It also has some great links for historically themed 3D print files and I’m using the blog as a form of a notebook.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-32876850083633239882021-06-12T06:36:00.001-04:002021-06-12T06:36:30.865-04:00First 3D Resin Prints<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUCFJ265xVsYINT1KY3kh9cADtuzSME14z_3mSKsp0U0YN90ru6LpAZ_qEkZwYSPnT_PokX0pEvedAi0MnzQ4V4o2pEMYTknc0Tg9SLhJAUkyhTzK4gA3jTlrddBWuP8NKGC-Av9s6L8/s2048/AFB5A8B9-6F52-4C80-B3B6-D8BD05A54F98.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUCFJ265xVsYINT1KY3kh9cADtuzSME14z_3mSKsp0U0YN90ru6LpAZ_qEkZwYSPnT_PokX0pEvedAi0MnzQ4V4o2pEMYTknc0Tg9SLhJAUkyhTzK4gA3jTlrddBWuP8NKGC-Av9s6L8/s320/AFB5A8B9-6F52-4C80-B3B6-D8BD05A54F98.heic" /></a></div><p>The Elegoo Mars Pro 2 printer has been set up in a temporary location (the card table in the game room) so I could start to learn how to use it. Long term, I'll make some room in the shop.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-vkYHEsJLiYbWPoSUEXspZtwS2ckJhWzC2D05kNO44s-4s5BncE8ABQdskZLwx9kvYjDwACLnPQtJKrL6Oolwihhaus_gzI7egLjT_KD6QcpU2CLxplbXYCGAuS9ixuSO6a2hkpCnZk/s2048/B2437CAC-9275-4E96-BB80-C0FB310B6FED.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-vkYHEsJLiYbWPoSUEXspZtwS2ckJhWzC2D05kNO44s-4s5BncE8ABQdskZLwx9kvYjDwACLnPQtJKrL6Oolwihhaus_gzI7egLjT_KD6QcpU2CLxplbXYCGAuS9ixuSO6a2hkpCnZk/s320/B2437CAC-9275-4E96-BB80-C0FB310B6FED.heic" /></a></div><p></p><p>The first miniature prints are a German Bison Assault gun and 2 Soviet winter infantry figures, all 15mm scale. This picture shows the lot on the curing turn table right after finishing the ultra violet curing. </p><p><br /></p><p>I downloaded some all of these files from a sire called <a href="https://www.wargaming3d.com/" target="_blank">Wargaming 3D</a>, which is a market place for vendors to sell .stl files for historical wargaming - if you're thinking about a 3D resin printer go check it out as the selection is very, very broad.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH7GlNB3UCLfyfnTzr9tgWla0Bktb5kESo1a2n78UUDFBiT6UQoonep6CB05jTfdHfOwuIYtzybNXdhNvr2RT8nmjRQwnbERJsa9Sy3kHiZnwX2cd_ByzBD1VVH-u6VtKrS8qYaY2HxmI/s2048/3BD02AD8-3A46-4835-8B44-84F9F6DBE034.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH7GlNB3UCLfyfnTzr9tgWla0Bktb5kESo1a2n78UUDFBiT6UQoonep6CB05jTfdHfOwuIYtzybNXdhNvr2RT8nmjRQwnbERJsa9Sy3kHiZnwX2cd_ByzBD1VVH-u6VtKrS8qYaY2HxmI/s320/3BD02AD8-3A46-4835-8B44-84F9F6DBE034.heic" width="320" /></a></div>The second test print was a SU-76 and seven Soviet Naval Infantry figures (again, all 15mm). The SU-76 is a 2 -part model - the hulls is one piece and the gun compartment a second.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKpGnFW5o7t8Jb5lH0cim5XwzyDi0Fk6kezsDDPGYZhpmohJZiGz81igCFu8PqnBMpNIDDJ2Cr8-d3KU3CCza0igC1eYhrewvhDs8pRvFf5ZyH3G7vdddK7fY6JhQga0UmlsbPFmWh6U/s2048/EEC9E7AA-6204-4F19-AC59-B14D27F73C57.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKpGnFW5o7t8Jb5lH0cim5XwzyDi0Fk6kezsDDPGYZhpmohJZiGz81igCFu8PqnBMpNIDDJ2Cr8-d3KU3CCza0igC1eYhrewvhDs8pRvFf5ZyH3G7vdddK7fY6JhQga0UmlsbPFmWh6U/s320/EEC9E7AA-6204-4F19-AC59-B14D27F73C57.heic" width="320" /></a></div>I did have a minor issue with the back right corner of the gun compartment lifting off, as you can see in this picture. It will be easy to fix with a little green stuff and maybe some stowage.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2CiG4AwDDmnUw8aSc7pjF16u92q8xNlFfWdD4Kq4C5066C2GyfmXLWudxylSK3kMpaBZd6DKns4eV4yY10Wpjl7ptQNkdi-3228Npov_ja4VbDrr78tIM7AkrZWlMwI9ktnzU4D6q7L8/s2048/379381CD-B6CE-40BB-82C7-CBBD32D20CCD.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2CiG4AwDDmnUw8aSc7pjF16u92q8xNlFfWdD4Kq4C5066C2GyfmXLWudxylSK3kMpaBZd6DKns4eV4yY10Wpjl7ptQNkdi-3228Npov_ja4VbDrr78tIM7AkrZWlMwI9ktnzU4D6q7L8/s320/379381CD-B6CE-40BB-82C7-CBBD32D20CCD.heic" width="320" /></a></div>The corner lift continues around on this side. In all honesty Ive had much worse issues with resin cast tanks from Battlefront. I still need to remove some of the print supports from the model.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXEbiZ_cZtrXS_8Rr5WEnCBLPPCfaUw1NzFE-N01U9u6MbqQv8L1-qR9eOvuZx0PQRZ_exgpKiuJCuiZ3ZI8IktodhPgR7iiN9ig6l-eWDsEOqNl7DgA9JBE6jO4g4AyzbK3XTd8S-DY/s2048/DAACFAE0-1FF3-40E3-9393-B3EB78899BF5.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXEbiZ_cZtrXS_8Rr5WEnCBLPPCfaUw1NzFE-N01U9u6MbqQv8L1-qR9eOvuZx0PQRZ_exgpKiuJCuiZ3ZI8IktodhPgR7iiN9ig6l-eWDsEOqNl7DgA9JBE6jO4g4AyzbK3XTd8S-DY/s320/DAACFAE0-1FF3-40E3-9393-B3EB78899BF5.heic" width="320" /></a></div>A close up of the "warping". I'll be printing a bunch of SU-76's so will eventually figure out the right settings. I really shouldn't complain - the .STL files for the SU-76 were available for FREE from the wargaming 3D site. Free is a very good price.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdbbXpVe7NXyGJl0PmXM2LJGZHDIiKgVfVfQMG66XiDUnH2lJvgZcfXUoqK9h_jv5k0FkSffN7tD9vHgTQLEA83ifBGSOxQpFJVEnmBPI8cXhxzFyq92kRZ7B9GaNk_pfRmXzCkstz9g/s2048/746DFA8F-DEB5-4F4D-AF1D-13737EB580E7.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdbbXpVe7NXyGJl0PmXM2LJGZHDIiKgVfVfQMG66XiDUnH2lJvgZcfXUoqK9h_jv5k0FkSffN7tD9vHgTQLEA83ifBGSOxQpFJVEnmBPI8cXhxzFyq92kRZ7B9GaNk_pfRmXzCkstz9g/s320/746DFA8F-DEB5-4F4D-AF1D-13737EB580E7.heic" width="320" /></a></div>A close up for the Soviet Naval infantry. I am very pleased with the detail and think these figures are as good as the plastic or metal figures I'm used to purchasing for this scale. In fact, I'd say they are better than Plastic Soldier Company. These figures are from a file set called <a href="https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/rkka_naval_squad02/" target="_blank">RKKA_naval_squad_02</a> which has 12 different poses and you get files for both 28mm and 15 figures. There are also squads 01 & 03 from the same designer (mr3DPrint). My current set of Soviet Naval Infantry are metal casts from Peter Pig - they are great figures but only have SMG's and 2 or 3 poses. I'm very excited about the modeling possibilities here.<br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaEpyax559DhA5QiwUzUrS8ht_9HCor9CNexowvW89__RLXtCcn45m3-lYx6LD91aiBjaQA-qCrKNZuMKw-mTURa93XYSn5N2AMujvf8GqBT9nEmNdU0ku0TcqHI23cC9f279pyBWH1K4/s2048/15387F2B-8DB3-4D3F-8676-91CEA97E88F8.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaEpyax559DhA5QiwUzUrS8ht_9HCor9CNexowvW89__RLXtCcn45m3-lYx6LD91aiBjaQA-qCrKNZuMKw-mTURa93XYSn5N2AMujvf8GqBT9nEmNdU0ku0TcqHI23cC9f279pyBWH1K4/s320/15387F2B-8DB3-4D3F-8676-91CEA97E88F8.heic" width="320" /></a></div>The Su-76 and 7 infantry figures took about 1.5 hours to print and another 15-20 minutes post production to wash and cure. The build plate on the Mars 2 Pro isn't that large and I could probably fit another 3 infantry figures on it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am very struck by the reliability of resin printing. One does have to be very thoughtful in working with the resin - its rather toxic stuff. The key is developing a set workflow to ensure you don't contaminate surfaces with resin that gets on your gloves. I'll do a future post on my workflow once I feel its really nailed down.</div><div><br /></div><div>3d Resin printing is a really exciting technology for the hobby and I think it will have a profound impact on the distribution of miniatures. Will it replace cast metal of plastic figures - probably not. I think it will eventually reduce the sizes of those "mass produced" ranges to the basics and push the specialty troops to digital distribution. I'll probably always get my bog standard Soviet infantry from Battlefront or PSC, but specialty troops like Naval Infantry or NKVD will likely now just be purchased as files.<br /><p><br /></p></div>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-41430024586235373052021-06-04T05:53:00.000-04:002021-06-04T05:53:04.785-04:003D Resin Printing - Father's Day Gift<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1sbg2slFVA_n7KnJeUlQIzT1ep_j6L4bpnRnZ8ipKIna0mVXFIr2_HTvjOz1B5MLnFTIl-sEHHuKEoJjrHy0_ZCeRd287mUa9kymJ5pLUcByUmy2dZvUFRP-VqCbOymegFfq2b3Tx-U/s2048/F3B995F1-B157-4E62-9C5A-D37DBE727A1F.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1sbg2slFVA_n7KnJeUlQIzT1ep_j6L4bpnRnZ8ipKIna0mVXFIr2_HTvjOz1B5MLnFTIl-sEHHuKEoJjrHy0_ZCeRd287mUa9kymJ5pLUcByUmy2dZvUFRP-VqCbOymegFfq2b3Tx-U/s320/F3B995F1-B157-4E62-9C5A-D37DBE727A1F.heic" /></a></div>It looks like I'll be delving into the world of 3D resin printing as my Father's Day gift is a Elegoo Mars 2 Pro 3D Resin printer (on the right) and it's associated cleaning and curing station (on the left). Because I am smarter than the average bear, I have cracked the sophisticated code behind the color choices and will now reveal said revelation to you - Mars = Red! and Curing requires the sun = Yellow. Please use this information for good and not evil.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>I am fascinated by the prospect of "sculpting" in CAD and making food quality miniatures via a home printer. Since my 3D cad skills are, ummm, nonexistent, that may be awhile but there are a growing number of file vendors to choose from to get started.</p><p><br /></p><p>There will be lots of mistakes made along this journey which I'll post here for all of you to ridicule mercilessly.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of my inspirations for getting on this new journey is Aaron over at the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMaJ9WDbUDvuVKUp8TSpvAw" target="_blank">Project Wargaming </a>You-Tube channel. All of the buildings on his fabulous Berlin board we used in the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4qCEfjDZuo&t=1148s" target="_blank">LWTV Berlin episode</a> were 3D printed. I really excited about the prospects for adding details to the Stalingrad board and my next secret project once that's done.</p><p><br /></p><p>I'm compiling a list of 3D miniature file vendors so any suggestions are greatly appreciated.</p>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-65495447797279965272021-05-09T05:50:00.003-04:002021-05-09T05:50:29.417-04:00The Hunters - U-Boat Solitaire Game<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlm5ZjiKCIP4nPxdlembCDEjsodjLJTbjRtManCFZ5vt3WCH1dvmI69QclJMI59ImscNuO_OL6g_S_pHFvrR8m7lQsIjGY5ZSOZLzgAIB8Mjz0HZck2mJe6gE3F2VcsUM_Ipr_DGg9e4/s2048/223F97D4-B401-4E39-BC23-87170C45F263.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlm5ZjiKCIP4nPxdlembCDEjsodjLJTbjRtManCFZ5vt3WCH1dvmI69QclJMI59ImscNuO_OL6g_S_pHFvrR8m7lQsIjGY5ZSOZLzgAIB8Mjz0HZck2mJe6gE3F2VcsUM_Ipr_DGg9e4/s320/223F97D4-B401-4E39-BC23-87170C45F263.heic" /></a></div>It was a rainy and unseasonably cold Saturday morning so I decide to break out an old gem of a solitaire game "The Hunters" for a little diversion. The Hunters is a fun little game where the player is in command of a U-boat and you see how far you can get before, well, the allies catch up to you.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>I stated with a basic Type VIIB boat. Thew mechanics of the game are relatively simply - you roll to see which theater your next mission is - my first few where the British Isles. The sub marker is then placed on the right track and you roll for encounters which are varied and based on where you're patrolling. Earlier in the war (I started at Sep'39) you have a greater chance to catch single, unescorted ships. As the war progresses the allied escorts and air attacks become both more numerous and more effective.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNdvzAfnY9nOeTIOCQc0IGxWwFiUo6Sw6WQfvSSVrfp4De3r7lsRxBS6fJvJlurYevqfuivh35gcUpfoU0pZ2eM0e40oXU_9THgT7rI8TqhQZmZXfhJFWKP2_GeWIydTYn9kEuI6thslI/s2048/CDAFFB15-E33E-47B5-99CC-1ED41014899E.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNdvzAfnY9nOeTIOCQc0IGxWwFiUo6Sw6WQfvSSVrfp4De3r7lsRxBS6fJvJlurYevqfuivh35gcUpfoU0pZ2eM0e40oXU_9THgT7rI8TqhQZmZXfhJFWKP2_GeWIydTYn9kEuI6thslI/s320/CDAFFB15-E33E-47B5-99CC-1ED41014899E.heic" /></a></div>My first victim is an unescorted small freighter of the coast of Britain. Knowing this poor ship has no escort and it is a Daytime attack, I elect to approach on the surface so I can use the deck gun. I elect to shoot a single torpedo and fire two rounds of my deck gun. The torpedo hits and the deck gun proves to be overkill.<p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDH_koctRqEiDfoPJ9aNsdMPyUVwGqup2RkH-soEjBtR2dy16cXbtjijFe6HayI6k_rPd-TLRg7JPskDNawD_JOgTs2LVPow0n5UOXOY52fdC9Bfl7lvit-sfT_uzt7nIeVoNJQXr8n0c/s2048/51FDB37B-76AB-4809-9668-17CD18F55101.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDH_koctRqEiDfoPJ9aNsdMPyUVwGqup2RkH-soEjBtR2dy16cXbtjijFe6HayI6k_rPd-TLRg7JPskDNawD_JOgTs2LVPow0n5UOXOY52fdC9Bfl7lvit-sfT_uzt7nIeVoNJQXr8n0c/s320/51FDB37B-76AB-4809-9668-17CD18F55101.heic" /></a></div>Progress is tracked by mission, with the tonnage of each ship engaged written down - circled ships have been sunk. After my first three missions my U-boat had racked up an impressive 8 kills and 42,900 tons. We also successfully deployed mines on the third mission. I also almost lost the U-boat on the way back from the mission as we were attacked by allied aircraft and heavily damaged.<div><br /></div><div>After repairs, we shall see what more havoc we can inflict on allied shipping. Hopefully we roll up a Norway mission as it is rich in potential capital ship targets!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.gmtgames.com/p-556-the-hunters-3rd-printing.aspx" target="_blank">The Hunters</a> is available from GMT games. <br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-60202085559928685302021-05-07T07:11:00.004-04:002021-05-07T07:11:56.545-04:00Play Testing My Stalingrad Rules<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7MquHQN1c9ptOEK1OzhRR3GiwsmMFbQoRgb48DvY9quAWUfDMKHaxKaI28LV3UmxU2XQvhAkyq1mFft8Mrg8HtiH7dLHIM2hdy3R_2e1qz5wrb3q7oPLLvXeDqmSFEnSJ24vlKwAoKTQ/s2048/2B0D1A78-53ED-4D4C-B875-83F434A2BBE8_1_201_a.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7MquHQN1c9ptOEK1OzhRR3GiwsmMFbQoRgb48DvY9quAWUfDMKHaxKaI28LV3UmxU2XQvhAkyq1mFft8Mrg8HtiH7dLHIM2hdy3R_2e1qz5wrb3q7oPLLvXeDqmSFEnSJ24vlKwAoKTQ/s320/2B0D1A78-53ED-4D4C-B875-83F434A2BBE8_1_201_a.heic" width="320" /></a></div>My personal vanity project of writing a set of wargaming rules continues on. One of the goals of using hex-based terrain is speed of play (no measuring) for large participation games. Another side benefit, is I can test the rules using board games - as with the lovely Stalingrad board and counters from <a href="https://flyingpiggames.com/t/old-school-tactical" target="_blank">Flying Pig's Old School Tactical </a>game series. If you're looking for a fun and "not brain melting" complex tactical WW2 game, I highly recommend Old School Tactical.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>I've been running some company level actions to test the rules and find some logic flaws. The first game proved that KV-1's shred tiny Panzer III's if they can not be outflanked. It also proved Germans trying to cross open ground without smoke or artillery support do not have a very good time of it.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6svwBTPpqRq6vNIgIdlnhn89toLhDdCUwaMCaRXqomnOrEjjc5gaXI3P9BBpGwDovZ6VIwcBO1ALDpRdz4_-QwOFrRh85J-s62QKtLXgR3pXtmN8hu74fpVvt2NpI51ef6SqTUGTW88A/s2048/2628C704-69D4-4A65-9972-888A09800E8E_1_201_a.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6svwBTPpqRq6vNIgIdlnhn89toLhDdCUwaMCaRXqomnOrEjjc5gaXI3P9BBpGwDovZ6VIwcBO1ALDpRdz4_-QwOFrRh85J-s62QKtLXgR3pXtmN8hu74fpVvt2NpI51ef6SqTUGTW88A/s320/2628C704-69D4-4A65-9972-888A09800E8E_1_201_a.heic" width="320" /></a></div>A second test game, where that nasty old KV-1 was replaced by a T-34, proved a bit more even. The T-34 did drive off 1 Panzer III but was worn down by successive damage results and eventually caught fire and had to be abandoned.<div><br /></div><div>The infantry combat worked really well but I'm still tweaking the mechanics to make it a bit more deadly.</div><div><br /></div><div>Close Assault in the first game proved to be a bit bloodless and that combat results process needs to be tweaked also.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the evolving goals for this ruleset is to allow players to stage games with miniatures on a tabletop - lets call that "3D gaming" or using an existing hex and counter game like Old School Tactical / Squad Leader / Combat Commander to play out a "2D game". </div><div><br /></div><div>Why would one want to do that - to make the game more approachable to new players - there are a lot of copies of Squad Leader gathering dust on shelves around the world and to facilitate extended multiplayer campaigns. More on that in a later post.</div><div><br /></div><div>The working title for these rules is "Company Commander: WW2". I suspect that will change as there is all ready a ruleset named Company Commander but it's for small scale Napoleonics. Still I think using the same name isn't the right thing to do. At some point I'll need to put on my "brand management" thinking cap and come up with a suitably overwrought name. Maybe "The Brave Little Toy Soldiers".<br /><p><br /></p></div>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-4466632364988787682021-05-04T06:35:00.001-04:002021-05-04T06:35:14.844-04:00Last Night at the Club<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-2gjcHLswxXDDDYduswKzISj5jucCYh9eFhhEGIJe9KyrxG0dp59Of57KbjNPnJ6P6W0pKS25Fia8f6UFRFmzV6xeJJN_NgsEZpr-UqIxjcGJfJkNH-z_PX9K5VEi70gYq5ZP8K9_9eY/s2048/2D6B9D31-8E38-4FD1-A986-1993ABC9B879.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-2gjcHLswxXDDDYduswKzISj5jucCYh9eFhhEGIJe9KyrxG0dp59Of57KbjNPnJ6P6W0pKS25Fia8f6UFRFmzV6xeJJN_NgsEZpr-UqIxjcGJfJkNH-z_PX9K5VEi70gYq5ZP8K9_9eY/s320/2D6B9D31-8E38-4FD1-A986-1993ABC9B879.heic" width="320" /></a></div>Last Monday night at the club Tom ran a 100 Years War game using 10mm miniatures from Tony and Greg's collections.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>We refought the Battle of Poitiers - with Greg and I taking the French and Tony and Ed the British. The French forces outnumbered the english by almost 2:1 but our commander was rated as "buffoon" which ummm limited out choices!</p><p><br /></p><p>It was a great game and pretty close run affair but history repeated itself and the English won the day. These 10mm medieval armies are superb and very tempting....</p>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-186872025465195402021-04-25T11:09:00.000-04:002021-04-25T11:09:22.529-04:00Project Work has resumed<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJBNMvUxyQYKUqJXBMfqx_QiUa3jzsCMNGOMZmleKLPhKtOvwp8IxMmiTsUg4eJ3c6esTS3_oX-AM2Za8OAzggLrKWZ6GUayO0sdulYAAhP8C7tVXc9uaHwpJINvD0F2jXUcFyRDFAFo/s2048/A14754D8-0A77-4416-8C88-FF4FA2CA0F68.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJBNMvUxyQYKUqJXBMfqx_QiUa3jzsCMNGOMZmleKLPhKtOvwp8IxMmiTsUg4eJ3c6esTS3_oX-AM2Za8OAzggLrKWZ6GUayO0sdulYAAhP8C7tVXc9uaHwpJINvD0F2jXUcFyRDFAFo/s320/A14754D8-0A77-4416-8C88-FF4FA2CA0F68.heic" width="320" /></a></div>With work of refitting the basement pretty much done, time has been freed up to return to more important tasks - painting miniatures.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>Next up in the queue are some 15mm US Vietnam forces for an upcoming club project. These mini's are all from Battlefront and need to get painted over the course of May. There's some light terrain work for the project.</p><p><br /></p><p>It's nice to be able to have sometime to get back to the painting bench!</p>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-55353221826042604972021-04-20T10:44:00.005-04:002021-04-20T10:44:59.114-04:00New Top for the Game Table<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQNDV2-Kpt1zoW5r3l2zEHavnElkj4LynTQbtVA4x8ISd4O4VL8S9oyeAt8mhrkNZ3-Cn4xBRClK2FL9RctZC_uZ8dACA2K8EmClVlnGouhH-U5wJ8h8aCkcwNG15tn3dTH67HSUYLLA/s2048/F6D24AE4-3195-4464-BF5A-EC5F8EDDFB4D.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQNDV2-Kpt1zoW5r3l2zEHavnElkj4LynTQbtVA4x8ISd4O4VL8S9oyeAt8mhrkNZ3-Cn4xBRClK2FL9RctZC_uZ8dACA2K8EmClVlnGouhH-U5wJ8h8aCkcwNG15tn3dTH67HSUYLLA/s320/F6D24AE4-3195-4464-BF5A-EC5F8EDDFB4D.heic" /></a></div><p>The venerable game table has a new top and some sporty wheels. The old table was really beat up after 11+ years of gaming and high school robotics teams and just didn't look that good.</p><p><br /></p><p>I remove the top and replaced it with 2 laminated sheets of 3/4 inch plywood with a nice walnut edge treatment.</p><p><br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWjJgU6E3P0TChLcwwGLk6qAe6jaKFT7AfSiPyL6TfrOhWUyl7aHc7yMjwwFX46Dz3b_SQTaWxH2j8mO66kwemR_SrONGtpqCRy75UeebefRSrbAF4SyoIMGQyxjQPApPnNDedE_aXQ0/s2048/B91372C6-13F7-43C3-B823-4CCE00CFB34A.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWjJgU6E3P0TChLcwwGLk6qAe6jaKFT7AfSiPyL6TfrOhWUyl7aHc7yMjwwFX46Dz3b_SQTaWxH2j8mO66kwemR_SrONGtpqCRy75UeebefRSrbAF4SyoIMGQyxjQPApPnNDedE_aXQ0/s320/B91372C6-13F7-43C3-B823-4CCE00CFB34A.heic" /></a></div>I also ransacked the crap - I mean - treasure I had crammed inside it and have a lot of new storage space to work with.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGe8IuqVqPPL29i1L8aI8A5w76LdGTuQ9L0nArBvN-5MGcDDNufdN25M45tkDoC7COvx7is_Wcl_zM1lb2CnNk3-bLcSTX-Q6pyv-fEX3GVw31VZ0aBFk6IH5gFgTPNBb7dyjAZIpI9sQ/s2048/ECE8C146-008A-4394-AF21-9AE0AF22F161.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGe8IuqVqPPL29i1L8aI8A5w76LdGTuQ9L0nArBvN-5MGcDDNufdN25M45tkDoC7COvx7is_Wcl_zM1lb2CnNk3-bLcSTX-Q6pyv-fEX3GVw31VZ0aBFk6IH5gFgTPNBb7dyjAZIpI9sQ/s320/ECE8C146-008A-4394-AF21-9AE0AF22F161.heic" /></a></div>Despite getting a nick walnut edging while carrying the top down to the basement, I think it looks grand and cant wait until I can host some games on it. The nick is in the corner in the third picture/. Im thinking of using a bit of epoxy to cover it up. <div><br /></div><div>While carrying this top was a bit of a challenge, it's dead flat and will be a great play surface.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPjS8a1taSz7z2VTOd8FppPtygghiKm8zquqlHCZoWDg-UIIezXnew8VEp7Jha-zqm60IAe50LCUnQ3sMnCZAOuDCeKMyW3H6io3i3rgusGy65Oq9W7B4CIcNQV7WCdNIH5zna2ha3jqk/s2048/E81DE4A9-9209-4E47-8F78-211E39D1AE86.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPjS8a1taSz7z2VTOd8FppPtygghiKm8zquqlHCZoWDg-UIIezXnew8VEp7Jha-zqm60IAe50LCUnQ3sMnCZAOuDCeKMyW3H6io3i3rgusGy65Oq9W7B4CIcNQV7WCdNIH5zna2ha3jqk/s320/E81DE4A9-9209-4E47-8F78-211E39D1AE86.heic" width="320" /></a></div>The old top looked like this. The original design concept had the top on piano hinges so it could be opened to use as a drafting board and have storage underneath. It might have been a sound idea in theory. However, in practice it was never used as the top was awkward to lift and usually the table is covered in umm stuff.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEyDkBUQYpe_gRhW2zXLFPXVF8SR8ePbOAT5iMni3xH7Ml8Efmh4K0P0oEAxYffCBo96xAHB_h3OcvGi-82aIVD0G8AlSin8iRWQ5ZrNu8gTfIK3Aw7AhWj4r2bixvBSv0im11QirhNd4/s2048/68FC14DC-BDD0-424C-AE9E-F22EF0CCAB9E.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEyDkBUQYpe_gRhW2zXLFPXVF8SR8ePbOAT5iMni3xH7Ml8Efmh4K0P0oEAxYffCBo96xAHB_h3OcvGi-82aIVD0G8AlSin8iRWQ5ZrNu8gTfIK3Aw7AhWj4r2bixvBSv0im11QirhNd4/s320/68FC14DC-BDD0-424C-AE9E-F22EF0CCAB9E.heic" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdk2vUZLYxkmadSLazt4Odjq2ry5xREv-9D6J0jaCRDhDaY2YVAB6FnzONo5xPCM2Pa3jOPIU8sxrvC8FWbAd4429t1mJA6rEtF3ta4_oQ4Q8kjiPByH7cceGQrggZ1EXVD0mNhCLRy_4/s2048/F9B07677-559C-4755-A006-C32BB8CDE92E.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdk2vUZLYxkmadSLazt4Odjq2ry5xREv-9D6J0jaCRDhDaY2YVAB6FnzONo5xPCM2Pa3jOPIU8sxrvC8FWbAd4429t1mJA6rEtF3ta4_oQ4Q8kjiPByH7cceGQrggZ1EXVD0mNhCLRy_4/s320/F9B07677-559C-4755-A006-C32BB8CDE92E.heic" /></a></div>The table is 41 and 1/4 inches high so just a little shorter than the previous version but a nice height to game at.<div><br /></div><div>Next I want to build to extensions and bracket mounts to be able to have a larger than 8x4 playing area.</div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, I'm very pleased with how this came out!<br /><div><br /><div><br /></div></div></div>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-50522118277218320702021-04-13T07:42:00.001-04:002021-04-13T07:42:22.081-04:00Stalingrad Project: Third Test Game<p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYox3-Xcex-b-v2Kvnf192z1sLiDHIXjJZsVZt5qzHvoHszD08H7rjBesQ-4zhMdYFjRESeasHr03kkqEPj-Qw38dKF3qq9UgOGeHh9ZtSgZc7XtLFQrXy_Qx11G5jQbDUXNZORrRk9L0/s2048/B5060168-EF37-4A4E-ACAB-E3BD622FBE94.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYox3-Xcex-b-v2Kvnf192z1sLiDHIXjJZsVZt5qzHvoHszD08H7rjBesQ-4zhMdYFjRESeasHr03kkqEPj-Qw38dKF3qq9UgOGeHh9ZtSgZc7XtLFQrXy_Qx11G5jQbDUXNZORrRk9L0/s320/B5060168-EF37-4A4E-ACAB-E3BD622FBE94.heic" width="320" /></a></div><p>Last night up at the club, I we ran a third test game for Stalingrad. For a change we used the Southern end of the board so this was the first time that section has seen in "action". This first picture is taken from the Western (German) edge. </p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr2zFI7Vba7Vfp26yFz7XGR8_9zvXY8z6-vbUmU-UOf1eFJBQVhqcCxTSreZTgDFvIzEwISZlI9RGhfNkX1ZZRdZwP6wBR91iZiAp6k5oS-BFq-sbcQDri2XyTH3M_2JZz41uvoQd0TiA/s2048/279AA26E-4ED5-4F71-B6BE-B17FF794DDD6.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr2zFI7Vba7Vfp26yFz7XGR8_9zvXY8z6-vbUmU-UOf1eFJBQVhqcCxTSreZTgDFvIzEwISZlI9RGhfNkX1ZZRdZwP6wBR91iZiAp6k5oS-BFq-sbcQDri2XyTH3M_2JZz41uvoQd0TiA/s320/279AA26E-4ED5-4F71-B6BE-B17FF794DDD6.heic" width="320" /></a></div><p>A second shot looking on from the Volga river bank. The overall table is 17 columns of 18 hexes each. It took less than 30 minutes to set up - putting the hex column and row #'s on the back of the hexes really proved useful. I realize that seems like a very silly detail to remark about but this game is designed to travel to conventions so set up complexity and timing are important factors.</p><p><br /></p><p>The full table if 30 columns by 18 rows!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jB6aahzgZcKAzPtu5heCy8XXAvteF1BQJSpzC_yQeWpQazGBmpK_jb6f_hwy_y8kdy2DEGmaY_vSj6Na8XaxNIWBZ9iWrcsThfz5vfYrSzrYWSCsa-56EyoXL5GOJ6lVapAKWPysrD4/s2048/40135F69-C6FF-457C-983B-7C1698BEF68F.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jB6aahzgZcKAzPtu5heCy8XXAvteF1BQJSpzC_yQeWpQazGBmpK_jb6f_hwy_y8kdy2DEGmaY_vSj6Na8XaxNIWBZ9iWrcsThfz5vfYrSzrYWSCsa-56EyoXL5GOJ6lVapAKWPysrD4/s320/40135F69-C6FF-457C-983B-7C1698BEF68F.heic" width="320" /></a></div>We had a light turn out so only two players for me to torture with my draft rules. Both Greg and Ed were very gracious in letting me continue my self delusion that I am a rules writer. <p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHm_BLXfRDtGrfbzbQPxyobvKOAnaiEn8YvbL2drsm-bdVqDZnmM7G53EH9kTaCEK-K2FrPHl60xJDZWvTSm9nRx3095VRROn7PeR84OVl1YKXD4Yl9Ehq1vPQwopKPnMqlHmqZotx640/s2048/27B24ED3-0629-4C1F-980E-C501B036369E.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHm_BLXfRDtGrfbzbQPxyobvKOAnaiEn8YvbL2drsm-bdVqDZnmM7G53EH9kTaCEK-K2FrPHl60xJDZWvTSm9nRx3095VRROn7PeR84OVl1YKXD4Yl9Ehq1vPQwopKPnMqlHmqZotx640/s320/27B24ED3-0629-4C1F-980E-C501B036369E.heic" width="320" /></a></div>Artillery lands from both sides and causes havoc. The artillery rules seems to work well. It pretty devastating when it lands!<div><br /></div><div>We managed to get five turns in - the forces I laid out were likely to big to be handled by only two players</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginWzQFEXvmeE3bHBv9sFCllHv5tqWOnOybXWbahOQ42KqTuI76Kz4gsjmO9Dy-zzpx6V9WQi4hUKEZgRFd2fuY_GiZXwhgvbhWAgeRWSZfQq9ZGxpMAdMAxdA7P6o5AysERnowRCfHG8/s2048/BBADF225-ABB8-4471-9ECE-2627D510AAD1.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginWzQFEXvmeE3bHBv9sFCllHv5tqWOnOybXWbahOQ42KqTuI76Kz4gsjmO9Dy-zzpx6V9WQi4hUKEZgRFd2fuY_GiZXwhgvbhWAgeRWSZfQq9ZGxpMAdMAxdA7P6o5AysERnowRCfHG8/s320/BBADF225-ABB8-4471-9ECE-2627D510AAD1.heic" width="320" /></a></div>Greg's grenadiers launch a two platoon assault supported by a pair of Panzer II's. The cleared out the building.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbcWW2DbKl0Lri5JzoJW9zETpdbM88htPT9mAGh8xtRpoIDJK3aajxIRGEu_BEorVuuievbFku-f0QYtpST-XNeuxGvPQkNyuDAUokSMIAi-5L8Uhd6hddMlQ9PyPhTMMatsfFZWKe_o/s2048/C4F0DCD5-0011-459F-A99B-8FC95B16DA38.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbcWW2DbKl0Lri5JzoJW9zETpdbM88htPT9mAGh8xtRpoIDJK3aajxIRGEu_BEorVuuievbFku-f0QYtpST-XNeuxGvPQkNyuDAUokSMIAi-5L8Uhd6hddMlQ9PyPhTMMatsfFZWKe_o/s320/C4F0DCD5-0011-459F-A99B-8FC95B16DA38.heic" width="320" /></a></div>The Univermag Department store is very strongly defended by a Guards Rifle platoon plus a heavy machine gun section.<div><br /></div><div>I tested some new aspects of the rules, some of which worked, some of which not so much.</div><div><br /></div><div>Stuff that worked:</div><div><br /></div><div>Command Cards:</div><div>The turn sequence is based on players alternating activating platoons. I made up a deck of command cards for each side. It proved to be very useful to keep track of who's moved what and each card had a minot special ability that a player could elect to use instead of moving a platoon. They were limited to one special ability per turn. I'll do a future post on the cards but it seemed to work really well. The trick will be to refine the "special abilities" to be usefull and fun but not too powerful that they determine who wins.</div><div><br /></div><div>Removal of the Auto Rally Phase:</div><div>Previous games had a separate rally phase were every unit that was either Shaken or Routed would roll to rally - that proved to be too effective. Now, the only way to Rally is when the platoon activates so it cut down the rally rolls by half.</div><div><br /></div><div>Game Pace: </div><div>We only got in 5 turns over 2.5 hours but these were very big forces for two players to control and they were playing with new rules. Each side had 14-15 maneuver platoons between their 3 infantry companies and support elements. Urban environment terrain is also very complex with all of the line of sight checks so running 30 minutes per turn felt OK - I think it can get down to 20 minutes with some rules refinements and a lower unit "work-load" per player. Most participation games run in a 4 hour time slot, of which the first 30 minutes are dedicated to introductions and a rules overview so you get roughly 3.5 hours of play time. If I get it to 20 minutes a turn that will allow for 10-11 turns which should be plenty. </div><div><br /></div><div>Stuff that needs to be improved:</div><div><br /></div><div>Movement: </div><div>Currently Infantry has 4 Movement Points per turn and the terrain is pretty simple - 1MP for a clear / road hex, 2 MPs for a building / rubble. The table is 18 hexes deep so it will take 5 - 6 turns to traverse without interference from the enemy. I think I need to bump Infantry movement up to 6 MPs/turn and make corresponding adjustments for vehicles. Games need to have a sense of movement to keep the pace up.</div><div><br /></div><div>Close Assault Mechanics:</div><div>The current draft rules only allows units to mount a close assault (move into a defenders hex) if they start their activation adjacent to the target hex. That is proving cumbersome and there are already rules for overwatch fire as units move. I'm thinking of adding a feature to allow units to mount a "Hasty Assault" while moving or a "Deliberate Assault" is they start in an adjacent hex. The deliberate assault would get some form of attack benefit which I need to figure out. To be honest, this is a suggestion from Greg but I am more than happy to take credit for it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Defensive Saves:</div><div>Fire combat is pretty simple - the attacker rolls a pool of D6 "Fire Power Dice" based on the type of units that are attacking and every 4+ is a hit, the defender rolls saves on those hits, with the 5+ base save augmented by terrain and entrenchment. Their is an ability to stack these modifiers so defenders dave on anything but a "1" - I think I need to back that off to make any 1 or 2 rolled on a save a fail. Ed played the Soviets and he is a natural burrower and dug in any chance he could get. Ed is a very thematically correct Soviet player. This one will require some thinking, which as you can surmise from my tortured prose is not something I'm all that good at.</div><div><br /></div><div>I really do want to thank Ed and Greg again for being lab rats for my little passion project. They are both very experienced gamers and provide great feedback and did so in a way that didn't make me cry (that much). This game is getting close to being "convention ready" and now all I'll need are some conventions!</div><div><br /></div>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-79511588528787666622021-04-11T18:30:00.003-04:002021-04-13T07:42:52.898-04:00Weekend Basing Fun<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzSwPu60WeT79o5FJ-7YqulJcIrOu-F_tdnGinMNUAqEpBL6mVqmPXJfiEsKbk6DlqNmKUGXndIOufjWCus1uSZiU9OI2qTBQeAsyP7aXT_AKBUTjfYnG7gbZ-JSeSYSIxd9PIzSyPfiY/s2048/DF920A8F-C252-41C9-A68E-8681EC3EF85B.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzSwPu60WeT79o5FJ-7YqulJcIrOu-F_tdnGinMNUAqEpBL6mVqmPXJfiEsKbk6DlqNmKUGXndIOufjWCus1uSZiU9OI2qTBQeAsyP7aXT_AKBUTjfYnG7gbZ-JSeSYSIxd9PIzSyPfiY/s320/DF920A8F-C252-41C9-A68E-8681EC3EF85B.heic" width="320" /></a></div>Saturday afternoon and then Sunday morning was an epic basing session for both the Soviet and German Stalingrad armies. The figures were purchased from GAJO Miniatures and look way better than what I can muster (and did for the most recent Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenger.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>Two base scenicing methods were employed - my bog standard "country side" basing which uses a Vallejo texture gel - as pictured on these Soviets. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWD23GPvy31k3GTK6Ifr8lU34cLPhEKakQPsiWcFuULB1k-XEg27HrR2xRs6iocsy-TZwMo7o0MC2BdqLt8ATqFo1ZqM97Z5rcEozh9qMlSmLmUVALa2SAnWnignR3fYr7Sqv7IsMuBA/s2048/F973CDAD-2AE2-4B9E-866E-31AA3E73B517.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWD23GPvy31k3GTK6Ifr8lU34cLPhEKakQPsiWcFuULB1k-XEg27HrR2xRs6iocsy-TZwMo7o0MC2BdqLt8ATqFo1ZqM97Z5rcEozh9qMlSmLmUVALa2SAnWnignR3fYr7Sqv7IsMuBA/s320/F973CDAD-2AE2-4B9E-866E-31AA3E73B517.heic" width="320" /></a></div>Once the gel sets (about 8 hours) I mix up some craft paint to look kind of like Vallejo USA tan Earth. The mix is roughly a quarter sized dollop of "Country Tan", a drop of "Burnt Umber" mixed with the same volume of water. It's a pretty close match and way cheaper.<div><br /></div><div>The bases are then painted and set aside to dry (takes about an hour.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrePLUAKzVUHjCUXbBQtZ2x4u0oVn6C_RIG9-FooZvISbgqUFnntX6tIRb6zSfk1T5O7jxwABcu-601NUK0_SyUZHVnWRs3_0YZI-MMdkExb5vzHPjtBu0FKwvKLwRmFPAXS6dNOGBR4/s2048/6FBD8F8F-5402-4DFE-86B4-4CDE2521B29A.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrePLUAKzVUHjCUXbBQtZ2x4u0oVn6C_RIG9-FooZvISbgqUFnntX6tIRb6zSfk1T5O7jxwABcu-601NUK0_SyUZHVnWRs3_0YZI-MMdkExb5vzHPjtBu0FKwvKLwRmFPAXS6dNOGBR4/s320/6FBD8F8F-5402-4DFE-86B4-4CDE2521B29A.heic" width="320" /></a></div>The next step is adding some ground foam - i work with a pallet of 4 types of ground foam. Each base receives a coating of Modge Podge matte medium applied with a brush, and then a sprinkling of ground foam. I then hit the base with a spray of water to draw up the modge podge and then set aside to dry.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSdgLdpj8T0EMiZ_5YOGjknMUIOHi3xWVnV9_8j4RsbNlybE5cwQZ_mtbDbHZtR7foGBssV9sB1MOocF7SIF6KPmc6R3Tw8OA9Yepia1GMwjWbMASj3oJ17aax3ku57ljDiZuHXjwYI3E/s2048/BC441DFD-8187-4F64-B032-E92B02B270D2.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSdgLdpj8T0EMiZ_5YOGjknMUIOHi3xWVnV9_8j4RsbNlybE5cwQZ_mtbDbHZtR7foGBssV9sB1MOocF7SIF6KPmc6R3Tw8OA9Yepia1GMwjWbMASj3oJ17aax3ku57ljDiZuHXjwYI3E/s320/BC441DFD-8187-4F64-B032-E92B02B270D2.heic" width="320" /></a></div>Here are some Germans all done. 2 full German infantry companies plus supports where based for the countryside<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhIh3nhS51DKS4FUhCbpSzTyPBqCGhVAKIABRVNQB28gofYo4f-cdKOEo4mLAftjfsVoijPEw1ykLbdJe5Cm3OuA1CE41RYe74lCTa589IZwZL8XwU6CGsBTOcttkUpKBpyBTXgfuxHI/s2048/94DC898B-8800-4CDF-955D-7855ADD8AC13.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhIh3nhS51DKS4FUhCbpSzTyPBqCGhVAKIABRVNQB28gofYo4f-cdKOEo4mLAftjfsVoijPEw1ykLbdJe5Cm3OuA1CE41RYe74lCTa589IZwZL8XwU6CGsBTOcttkUpKBpyBTXgfuxHI/s320/94DC898B-8800-4CDF-955D-7855ADD8AC13.heic" width="320" /></a></div>and some Soviets. This session I added 2 full Soviet Rifle companies, which augment the 1 I did during the most recent Painting challenge.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NusZKF7mXV5APM7X0UlGPxCBKQray-7-KrOahJ73DDjUsJsZJ0n6cbajtxSKovDH7TC6gz2iadJyNtkXDb2txLTgNMHk_NBbCNAEk5as3RS0mGLRNnJCJODnJVoXhPae2QrtV9qbm6M/s2048/CCB53318-CDC2-464F-8DBD-E797E783A6D9.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NusZKF7mXV5APM7X0UlGPxCBKQray-7-KrOahJ73DDjUsJsZJ0n6cbajtxSKovDH7TC6gz2iadJyNtkXDb2txLTgNMHk_NBbCNAEk5as3RS0mGLRNnJCJODnJVoXhPae2QrtV9qbm6M/s320/CCB53318-CDC2-464F-8DBD-E797E783A6D9.heic" /></a></div>The second method of basing is dead easy and used for urban / rubble bases. The picture shows the 2 German infantry companies if prepared with this method.<div><br /></div><div>The process is simple - layer the entire base with modge podge and then dunk the base in a mixtures of colored sanded tile grout and different types of model railroad ballast. My came from the debris of making the hexes for Stalingrad.</div><div><br /></div><div>Shake the bases to get rid of loose gravel and then take a soft brush (I liberated one of my wife make up brushes) and dust most of the tile grout powder that may be on the figures - leave a little as it's a nice form of weathering. Once the figures are dusted, hit the entire base with a few water spritzes from a spray bottle and set aside to dry. Once the grout sets, it's rock hard. The bases look great and there is zero painting!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwignQeWnOw5ROr8pwu54TNlhFMWvZtfe4dI4uUexLDFu1aGT43VYW4Gl5JrD80lgQU9DDGCC4b1SAYPkGyN8fXlArpdvhPxV58YK5bPjZMKaP6Yfu_IOCzR2fZMbAyK_SUPcVOt3CVQ/s2048/485974A6-89E9-4C00-AFD8-4B5F1DB0B7F8.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwignQeWnOw5ROr8pwu54TNlhFMWvZtfe4dI4uUexLDFu1aGT43VYW4Gl5JrD80lgQU9DDGCC4b1SAYPkGyN8fXlArpdvhPxV58YK5bPjZMKaP6Yfu_IOCzR2fZMbAyK_SUPcVOt3CVQ/s320/485974A6-89E9-4C00-AFD8-4B5F1DB0B7F8.heic" width="320" /></a></div>Here are two additional Soviet Infantry companies with urban bases.<div><br /></div><div>I'm pretty much done with figures for Stalingrad - especially when I count the fantastic minis Tony painted up .</div><div><br /></div><div>I've got 7 full Soviet Infantry Companies and 4 german plus Tony has another 3 German companies.</div><div><br /></div><div>There still are some specialty figures to finish up. I do need a few extra guns....<br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p></div></div></div></div></div></div>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-71849843620714926682021-04-01T17:22:00.000-04:002021-04-01T17:22:01.547-04:00New Tabletop for the Game Table<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIfFhD3o2UjfLpjLrPvaBFf6ugFK5stE0kGf8LVPNnKdIiCSr8bjUs9_pDr7H5rOi4HopUCPoZ01tTO3V0BUXzqiV3v8-9QX_jk7gfJpvyDE43Rn_F1PhsuQyWnqGTSCB3vAeuaExlSiU/s2048/C3A13AD2-2721-4D25-9B00-2FAD11AAFCFF.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIfFhD3o2UjfLpjLrPvaBFf6ugFK5stE0kGf8LVPNnKdIiCSr8bjUs9_pDr7H5rOi4HopUCPoZ01tTO3V0BUXzqiV3v8-9QX_jk7gfJpvyDE43Rn_F1PhsuQyWnqGTSCB3vAeuaExlSiU/s320/C3A13AD2-2721-4D25-9B00-2FAD11AAFCFF.heic" /></a></div>With the flooring done, the next project is to revamp the gaming table. I've removed the old top, which was really, really beat up and am working on a nicer looking replacement<p></p><p><br /></p><p>I want to reduce the height of the table back down to 41 inches. The old table top was 47 inches high after the casters were installed.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYw54EmfG8CJOcycgQrTxMr5m1rjb5KBzzNuSw-N9WrnbkEKr0N6nYZ_CQFGFvWMtZ8xNfc9PKT1G0Do9maHjCXSuZ31ajLtRCvUpeXn2eD07MaCgb0z80kPndTFAhrbOR8N7RvLrqqUU/s2048/E81DE4A9-9209-4E47-8F78-211E39D1AE86.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYw54EmfG8CJOcycgQrTxMr5m1rjb5KBzzNuSw-N9WrnbkEKr0N6nYZ_CQFGFvWMtZ8xNfc9PKT1G0Do9maHjCXSuZ31ajLtRCvUpeXn2eD07MaCgb0z80kPndTFAhrbOR8N7RvLrqqUU/s320/E81DE4A9-9209-4E47-8F78-211E39D1AE86.heic" width="320" /></a></div>Here's a shot of the old table top (and the awful old carpet)<div><br /></div><div>Lots to do this weekend!<br /><p><br /> </p></div>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-9169954348652018382021-03-27T05:50:00.003-04:002021-03-27T05:50:54.477-04:00Basement Flooring Done<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilWuy6tCqTOY8XZgquHYr9w5DFiuSLOOcFlmG1R9i6k0EMAUrT_JBesBERyI-IkYEKJWodx9oU488zeimELaHpjY9jY8cGBtR3SKypGEGiazr9dgkCOKXOR431EiAac8INAx6sf9-tpJo/s2048/AAE74105-AB86-4F42-B2EB-16F48C92F0BE.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilWuy6tCqTOY8XZgquHYr9w5DFiuSLOOcFlmG1R9i6k0EMAUrT_JBesBERyI-IkYEKJWodx9oU488zeimELaHpjY9jY8cGBtR3SKypGEGiazr9dgkCOKXOR431EiAac8INAx6sf9-tpJo/s320/AAE74105-AB86-4F42-B2EB-16F48C92F0BE.heic" width="320" /></a></div>The basement re-flooring project is now complete. Well the flooring is now all down. I still have to attach the shoe moulding around all the trim but that's on order as it appears are most building supplies these days.<p></p><p>I am forced to admit that my lovely yet fierce wife was right (again) this type of vinyl flooring is superb - it feels like wood, looks great and is nigh on indestructible. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9CMdJAwmEDQq6Tuf7M4oBJer0I11Zgvsnn1JijypbdUstyHg4EEPE0Vibi9hs3Q_dw1gkNVJoZoxVoPGB1rb3QWribDQDmrYX-lyZg7izmtXZYiCPaVW3dsRZO4oNuvpg1VZrEt2AfnA/s2048/274234AD-140C-4F95-8F15-6521F3529FC4.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9CMdJAwmEDQq6Tuf7M4oBJer0I11Zgvsnn1JijypbdUstyHg4EEPE0Vibi9hs3Q_dw1gkNVJoZoxVoPGB1rb3QWribDQDmrYX-lyZg7izmtXZYiCPaVW3dsRZO4oNuvpg1VZrEt2AfnA/s320/274234AD-140C-4F95-8F15-6521F3529FC4.heic" width="320" /></a></div>The gaming area is looks great and is now due for a major refit since everything had to be moved. Moreover , the prospect of moving all of that "Sh**" oops - I meant to say "treasure" back really brought home that I can get rid of half of that stuff and clear out a lot of space. I often tease my wife about her hoarding tendencies with her research papers but I now realize that I "might" have a similar issue with tiny little figures. Somewhere in the world Marie Kondo is smiling.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>The sharpe eyed amongst you might be wondering - hey where did that massive table go?</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWGH1-7kVYyTU5sU4vZOQB3qPeD_UoepuPahwA40JdvkN1E4ejvhvbTBt_iNLfohHntEAMVtYink5h_zaQPFobk8nnwWwUnDK704HI5PLQlZTuKMeftmTThoKVdVkvrS4tgf-ALw5rxc/s2048/8EF34157-651C-48D0-8AD4-8ECA10278166.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWGH1-7kVYyTU5sU4vZOQB3qPeD_UoepuPahwA40JdvkN1E4ejvhvbTBt_iNLfohHntEAMVtYink5h_zaQPFobk8nnwWwUnDK704HI5PLQlZTuKMeftmTThoKVdVkvrS4tgf-ALw5rxc/s320/8EF34157-651C-48D0-8AD4-8ECA10278166.heic" width="320" /></a></div>It's on wheels! Very sporty.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>I borrowed one of those large floor jacks from a friend who runs a car repair garage and used it to jack up one end just enough so I could attach some heavy duty castors and then repeated the process for the other end. The castors have wheel locks and the table remains very sturdy when they are all locked up.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now that the basement repairs are almost done, I think I'm going to do a full refit of the gaming area. At some point in the future, I will be able to host people for a game (with or without bubble suits) and I'd like to make it a memorable experience.</p><p><br /></p><p>Adding the wheels was a great addition to the table but doing so has raise the table height from 42 inches to 47, which is a tad too high (in my opinion). I'm going to replace the top of the table with 2 sheets of 2/4 inch plywood so its nice and flat and maybe trim the edges in walnut. Technically the current table top was meant for storage under the playing surface but I've never used it so I can reduce the height back down to 43 inches and make the table look a bit better. I'll give the potential changes a "think" over the next week and then get to work.</p><p><br /></p><p>I need to move fast, as the Boss is coming up with other home improvement projects for me to do. There are rumors of putting in a heated floor in the master bath and upgrading it's counter tops and cabinets. We do live in perilous times.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-57205577626916149612021-03-26T06:06:00.000-04:002021-03-26T06:06:39.564-04:00Project Stalingrad: A Super Exciting Administrative Task<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuoXmMm8KLnaxrC0QBZta2IVgtf-9MMYpYpvTby0Ol2zoILjdvb2gd-iRSu1xak1tFSkp52va3nWoonHh1ZviR4yM3VEdQeZuePBrMxvzJT6MlMz4vR-KBj5a2Uv4IBRt8Eh3Ll1U2UL0/s2048/09E94E29-9A51-4516-A018-9234A62E42DA.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuoXmMm8KLnaxrC0QBZta2IVgtf-9MMYpYpvTby0Ol2zoILjdvb2gd-iRSu1xak1tFSkp52va3nWoonHh1ZviR4yM3VEdQeZuePBrMxvzJT6MlMz4vR-KBj5a2Uv4IBRt8Eh3Ll1U2UL0/s320/09E94E29-9A51-4516-A018-9234A62E42DA.heic" width="320" /></a></div>Hex terrain has the wonderful aspect of modularity - you can assemble them in all sorts of ways to make just about any battlefield one wants. It does take a little planning in design to ensure things like roads and streams match up but I really like the flexibility.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>Except for one thing - if one is crazy enough (or stupid - its hard to tell) to use hexes to recreate an approximation of a historical event, for example the battle of Stalingrad, well that flexibility becomes problematic. I discovered this fact when we were setting up the a section of the board up at the club for the recent test games.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GFzZ8o_shxJwr80ZvsQ1BqYUAXtkSzL2B9I9yxWaNqzFrzDGG2LmJHhxexh9rpdarunjuVik5cCpLpkjKpDFkg6eRCCFiVoFggvJmmzv9uhQLiZnbo5Z9nyFDXtiUChz7Pwvlh2TQps/s2048/6C5BBC32-5163-4DE7-A80B-F002941F840F.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GFzZ8o_shxJwr80ZvsQ1BqYUAXtkSzL2B9I9yxWaNqzFrzDGG2LmJHhxexh9rpdarunjuVik5cCpLpkjKpDFkg6eRCCFiVoFggvJmmzv9uhQLiZnbo5Z9nyFDXtiUChz7Pwvlh2TQps/s320/6C5BBC32-5163-4DE7-A80B-F002941F840F.heic" width="320" /></a></div>I had help from both Ed to set up a 6x4 section and it took us way too long to do so. I was working off a picture and trying to get the hexes in the right spots was a pain-in-the-, well you know where.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>The Stalingrad table is a bit of an approximation but the street pattern and location of the main historical buildings is both accurate and specific. The location of generic buildings and ruins within blocks created by the street grid is more an approximation but the set up needs to be consistent. A consistent set up will also be important for how I'm planning to use an off table map for sewer movement and combat. <br /> <br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF91UyK-C0D7Al6WCiETsZpoLnV_IH_rfofyLAE_VSX_tlICoJv5yxdU-SDC3anoIN4s4gSJw3dLpVTH_8hyphenhyphenwe3OKTUHpo_BoiZ_-cMSJuTBUOKxyei9rs27ZMajLjtuksmdOdEYxQjJ4/s2048/B839B73E-F6E8-4055-B4C8-42412592DBF1.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF91UyK-C0D7Al6WCiETsZpoLnV_IH_rfofyLAE_VSX_tlICoJv5yxdU-SDC3anoIN4s4gSJw3dLpVTH_8hyphenhyphenwe3OKTUHpo_BoiZ_-cMSJuTBUOKxyei9rs27ZMajLjtuksmdOdEYxQjJ4/s320/B839B73E-F6E8-4055-B4C8-42412592DBF1.heic" width="320" /></a></div>The solution is as simple as it is tedious - mark each hex's back with its specific row and column location. Borrowing from the late and great Redmond A Simonsen of SPI fame, I'm using a 4 digit hex numbering system where the first two digits are the column (north to south) and the second two digits are the rows (east to west). My previous attempt at just marking the column wasn't all that helpful setting up at the club.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>There are 30 columns and 18 rows for the 10x4 table and I'm about 75% done. My home gaming table is 8x4 so I can only work on a section at time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Just like a jigsaw puzzle, I will pack away the edge pieces in a smaller tub and set them out first and then use then fill in the rest. The table consists of 540 hexes (30x18) and the goal is to be able to set it up in under 30 minutes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Granted hex numbering really isn't the most exciting of war game game blog topics, but it is an example of the planning that is required to pull off a large participation game outside of your home. You need to get all the stuff there, set it up and not be exhausted or frazzled before even starting a game. So while tedious, putting in this level of preparation is really important to ensure the game runs smoothly and your players have a great time. If the players have a great time, so does the GM. If the players don't, then it's pretty much a disaster for the GM. The single biggest influencer of player satisfaction is the GM's attitude so a frazzle GM starts off at a huge disadvantage.</p><p><br /></p><p>OK, enough about hex numbering and the logic behind it - I suspect all of you are on the edge of cardiac arrest from the pure excitement of the topic.</p><p><br /></p><p>Maybe, if you're lucky, the next post will be about alphabetizing Vallejo paints or organizing game components and dice. Yes, that is just the kind of edgy, avant-garde topics one should expect from this blog and it's author - that's just the way I roll, baby.</p><p><br /></p><p> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-30167060619580854362021-03-25T06:09:00.001-04:002021-03-25T06:09:46.751-04:00Historicon Has Been Cancelled & Idiotic Musings from Me<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs23Ws3Xb7nHh_K8wFK5IwW987CsqUY9L26q0gsBGlVLggU5peaAw3yhCsYgx522Uf8Y574aSV5v1epK9Wnkha0qEs5FwRV2xCdF3DRagezWVtHpgCje7fRTP45AoZWHU_zNWb7UYbZ_k/s600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs23Ws3Xb7nHh_K8wFK5IwW987CsqUY9L26q0gsBGlVLggU5peaAw3yhCsYgx522Uf8Y574aSV5v1epK9Wnkha0qEs5FwRV2xCdF3DRagezWVtHpgCje7fRTP45AoZWHU_zNWb7UYbZ_k/s320/logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>The Historical Miniatures Gaming Society (HMGS) announced yesterday that their summer convention, Historicon'21, can not be held given the continuing restrictions in place for COVID-19 and the uncertainty of what restrictions will be required this coming July. Given the trends, I just don't see how they could have made any other decision and commend the group for both making a tough call and doing so with a good notice period. <p></p><p><br /></p><p>It would also be very fair to say I'm really disappointed, I really enjoy these conventions and had personally set Historicon'21 as a bit of a benchmark for when things return to normal. It was a little foolish to do so, but sometimes a desire for a return to "normal" outweighs the facts on display. The lack of these conventions also reminded me of a time during my hobby journey where the three HMGS shows (Falli-In, Cold Wars and Historicon) were my primary venues to play games with other people and interact socially in the hobby. I suspect that is still the case for a lot of people who aren't as fortunate as I am to have a club and close circle of friends to game with locally. Now I will not bore you with "deep thoughts" and moralizing statements but I will say as this pandemic drags on that it's more important than ever just to be kind to other people - everyone is hurting in one way or another, some show it others don't but we're all worn down. </p><p><br /></p><p>Civility in your comportment is always a virtue but really never more so than now. </p><p><br /></p><p>It does seem as if this pandemic has elected to crawl across, rather than race across the finish line, doesn't it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Still despite the loss of silly toy soldier shows things are definitely on the upswing and I consider myself impatiently optimistic, which is a bit out of character for a CFO/Investor type who specializes in crisis management (and looks dashing in green eye-shades). By the way, when one becomes a CFO, you are issued a designer set of green eye shades along with the secret handshake. Its all very Illuminate-like and hush-hush. I best not go into the details for security reasons and you'll all just be jealous of the glitzy, jet-set lifestyle we CFO's secretly lead.</p><p><br /></p><p>I didn't say Historicon was canceled above because in a welcome bit of scheduling sleight of hand, HMGS has changed the name of it's Fall event from Fall-In to Historicon and will be adding an extra day (from 3 to 4 days) to match the planned length of the summer event. That is welcome news and I've now declared "Historicon-Fall" as my new talisman for a return to normalcy. The "delay" in Historicon also provides a little bit more time to make the Stalingrad game even better. I wonder if they'll allow me to use tiny pyrotechnics during a game session? I'm sure they will and more importantly I shouldn't bother the convention runner with silly questions as they are very busy adjusting plans for this Fall. Besides, what could go wrong with tiny pyrotechnics in a packed gaming hall, right?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-23718229182101843712021-03-24T06:27:00.001-04:002021-03-24T06:27:41.312-04:00LaSalle 2<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizsLjEU0b4Zgb4zJuio-6Y4ltWPpLOUfUqN63fFXlP1Qfb1wPsgownOX9FQELg1j4baAVEF-omE2T41yPuHPn_iZnTHHXlmO0mR7L4qRCAYtTlLkJR-hcGXhduP0tATg2jM3ZwdepIzw/s2048/AEFFD507-0B4B-45AF-AB5F-C12B210D66C5.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizsLjEU0b4Zgb4zJuio-6Y4ltWPpLOUfUqN63fFXlP1Qfb1wPsgownOX9FQELg1j4baAVEF-omE2T41yPuHPn_iZnTHHXlmO0mR7L4qRCAYtTlLkJR-hcGXhduP0tATg2jM3ZwdepIzw/s320/AEFFD507-0B4B-45AF-AB5F-C12B210D66C5.heic" width="320" /></a></div><p>Tuesday afternoon presented a rare opportunity to game up at the club and Greg ran a game of new version of Lasalle with his 15mm figures. We refought the Battle of Elchingen, with Steve commanding the French as Ney and me playing the Austrians as Riesch. Greg adapted a scenario from the Age of Eagles ruleset. This was the first time Steve and I have played the new version of LaSalle. I I did play test an earlier version but the one that made it to print is very different.</p><p><br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOP7qOuvNMXlo_JQfC35het_A3KigAGSw68wnFmYNv_caQ3nZLnBdnCYdf2fElWQWWrnR9dGfLrHPan1wV1ryLyzdmZmla_80kWrnBGo5z7N4lDaV_djqAPJ4OTEzqdOJ2F8aos-FbXs/s2048/2D10AFBB-A321-4073-BB66-25001D03AF28.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOP7qOuvNMXlo_JQfC35het_A3KigAGSw68wnFmYNv_caQ3nZLnBdnCYdf2fElWQWWrnR9dGfLrHPan1wV1ryLyzdmZmla_80kWrnBGo5z7N4lDaV_djqAPJ4OTEzqdOJ2F8aos-FbXs/s320/2D10AFBB-A321-4073-BB66-25001D03AF28.heic" width="320" /></a></div>Steve's French troops are of superior quality but must deploy from a bridgehead and then attack my plucky Austrians are setup along a ridge. Like most games, I forgot to take a lot of pictures but history did not repeat itself. My Austians were able to launch an attack on the French's left flanks just as they were launching their attack on my center - the French attack had trouble breaking my lines and got stuck in while my flanking attack was very successful catching some infantry battalion in square. By mid-game the entire French left was in tatters and Steve elected to concede the field. The Austrian victory was due more to our newness with the rules and the fact the scenario needs to be tweaked a bit more to make it more balanced.<div><br /></div><div>So is LaSalle 2 Any Good?</div><div>I am intrigued with the rules, and definitely want to play them again but there are some good and really confusing aspects to them.</div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div><b><u>Good Stuff:</u></b></div><div>Sequence of Play</div><div>The turn structure is very fluid and your opponent can interrupt your turn based on your actions when your armies get close in. I really like the structure and think it provides for a very fluid game with lots of hard tradeoffs.</div><div><br /></div><div>Momentum Points / Command Friction</div><div>Each player is given a set number of momentum points based on force size and a minor random factor if you choose to commit your general and get a d3 roll of extra points. The points are based on the number of brigades that are deployed on the table so it goes up or down based on reinforcements / losses.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fire Combat</div><div>Artillery and musket fire use the same procedure that is simple and fun - you roll a d6 and every 4+ is a hit. There is a second save roll for hits, with higher quality troops saving on a 1-4 and average quality 1-3. An infantry battalion in line fires with 6 dice and an artillery battery fires with 4, which is double to 8 when in canister range. There are optional rules to add flavor, so you anglophiles get one or two extra dive for the Brits.</div><div><br /></div><div>Small Units</div><div>Infantry and calvary units consist of 4 bases - that make moving stuff really easy and for those of us from the church of six bases per battalion means our armies just grew by 50%. You still get the grans look of a Napoleonic game but moving stuff is a lot easier - also 50% easier!</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Confusing Stuff:</u></b></div><div>I haven't played enough to label anything as bad so will list out the "confusing" issues I have with the rules.</div><div><br /></div><div>Melee Combat is Deadly - maybe too much</div><div>The close assault procedure is an opposed dice role where each player rolls a d6 and adds their current strength plus any modifiers for defensive terrain or formation (all of which are plus 1's) - so 2 full strength battalions running into one another have a strength of 6 which you add the roll of a D6. If you loose the combat by 3 or more your battalion is destroyed and removed from the game. Rolling a few "1's" at the wrong time can loose the game for you.</div><div><br /></div><div>Skirmish Fire / Initiative Determination</div><div>Initiative is determined by each player rolling some D6 based on the units you have on the table, with every six counting as a success. The player who rolls the most 6's gets the initiative for the turn and can decide who goes first. You also get an extra momentum point. Sounds great right? Oh I should mention that the number of D6 you roll is based on the battalions you have on the field. I had 6 Austrian brigades and about 22 infantry battalion (+/-) and was rolling 45 D6 each turn which was<b><u> really</u></b> tedious. I understand the math behind rolling lots of dice as it evens out the chance for really random outcomes - like rolling a 1 vs a 6 in melee combat but the giant bucket of dice used here seems a bit of overkill </div><div><br /></div><div>Limited Role for Commanders</div><div>While we played with the basic rules, there didn't seem to be any of the Napoleonic flavor I expect from commanders - generals aren't really used expect to either add D3 of momentum points or you can plop them down once during a turn and perform a global formation change for any units within a set range. That's it - that's all they do. You also only have one per side - no St Cyr or Friants to help out in a nick of time. Maybe I'm a little to "Hollywood" but I like my Napoleonic generals to be able to attach to units and influence combat or rally rolls and be at risk to enemy action. In LaSalle your generals are essentially administrative counters</div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, I think the rules are very promising. They likely will not replace General D'Armee as my favorite but I think there are some really neat concepts in them and really do look forward to my next game with them.</div>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-66215156859684979082021-03-21T08:28:00.001-04:002021-03-21T08:28:57.707-04:00The Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge XI is Done: What a Blast!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8HzkX1q0tFRs2kf9ZQLxWTAOEEydVz29mNSeYQqlttKDf3jetw1cI9FKqNy3D9LO8qjjR8iwGRgbAlCQA7Lx-GIa60IaSbp0lRi3ycyD5zy6wJOrlB5IpW2Do9QXhT2iQSGJvrpepmTI/s2048/8868604A-C397-48B5-BDBE-277FC9805290.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8HzkX1q0tFRs2kf9ZQLxWTAOEEydVz29mNSeYQqlttKDf3jetw1cI9FKqNy3D9LO8qjjR8iwGRgbAlCQA7Lx-GIa60IaSbp0lRi3ycyD5zy6wJOrlB5IpW2Do9QXhT2iQSGJvrpepmTI/s320/8868604A-C397-48B5-BDBE-277FC9805290.heic" width="320" /></a></div>The 11th version of the <a href="https://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Analogues Hobbies Painting Challenge</a> (creatively named XI) is now complete. I had a blast and enjoyed every minute of it (as usual).<p></p><p><br /></p><p>I am very pleased to report that I find myself in a 3-way tie for the most points with Martin C and Noel W. All three of use crossed the line with 3,643 points. I'm really pleased that we tied as I think that's the best outcome. Remember points are based solely on output, if there were any adjustments for quality of painting, I would be trailing Martin and Noel by a wide margin. </p><p><br /></p><p>Still, I'm very pleased with my production this year. While my total points total isn't as high as some previous Challenges (me personal best is 5,051) this challenge represented the most I've has to do because of the large terrain component. It's also the first challenge where I didn't paint ANY 28mm figures. I had a few primed and ready to go but just didn't want to paint them. In past challenges, easily 75% of my points totals came from 28mm figures so there is some interesting commentary there on how my gaming and hobby direction is evolving. Perhaps more on that in another post.</p><p><br /></p><p>Similar to past Challenges, I did organize XI with building out what I need to put on a large participation game whenever conventions come back. Stalingrad is the most ambitious project I've ever tried to pull off and it's still an open question if it will work. The main project form Challenge X, the Russo Japanese war was also finished off this year as both the Japanese and Russian fleets were painted up. Finally this year saw a jump into 6mm ancients and the completion of 3 different armies - Republican Romans, Parthians and Seleucids. This ancients foray is in part to the campaign we are running at the club and on the LWTV channel.</p><p><br /></p><p>I'm sure all of you are burning with desire to understand what comprises the 3,643 point total and that's a natural - what? you're not? That's insane 'cause you're getting it anyway.</p><p><br /></p><p>Total Submission:<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 18</span></p><p><span>Total Points<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 3,634</span></span></p><p><span><span>Avg per Submission<span> </span><span> </span><span> 202</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>Figures Painted:</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>6mm</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>Infantry<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 1,656</span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>Cav/Guns<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 439</span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>Vehicles<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 1 (an Elephant!)</span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>15mm</span></span></span></p><p>Infantry<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 251</span></p><p>Cav/Guns<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 8</span></p><p>Vehicles<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 30</span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span>1/2400 Ships<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 98</span></span></p><p><span><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span><span>Terrain Cubes<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 54</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>(Terrain is scored by volume - each 6" cube is worth 20 points)</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytnQImiKPRApUjbl91vXqSmkvDAnjHhvZm6GQWR4HboGsQwUcRVhLQFHlug3vtwDk_kpiOiVMVSaI7UDtJ12hIZFZ8rXSPv17D62WjAXDX39gIZTDxtY3-albptDCHpjeO3ab-KDR7wE/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="129" data-original-width="472" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytnQImiKPRApUjbl91vXqSmkvDAnjHhvZm6GQWR4HboGsQwUcRVhLQFHlug3vtwDk_kpiOiVMVSaI7UDtJ12hIZFZ8rXSPv17D62WjAXDX39gIZTDxtY3-albptDCHpjeO3ab-KDR7wE/w566-h154/image.png" width="566" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>The chart above summarizes my challenge based on points by scale and allows a nice comparison to the totals for the full Challenge. Challenge XI was atypical for me given the lack of 28mm production and you can see that in my much higher points share for 6mm and 15mm (34.8% and 21.2%) vs the overall averages for 6 and 15's of 2.4% and 10.6% for all participants. </span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>One of the more interesting things I see in Challenge XI is the relatively small share of 6mm when everything I hear in the hobby points to it's growing popularity. Of course the sample size for Challenge XI is 84 and skewed towards people who focus on painting so it's likely not fully representative of the hobby. I was very surprised to see that my little ancients foray accounted for 63% of all 6mm figures points</span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmawKUC30Ri37yWxR0wtqLneoYGwFd4igad9FTqIBTazuGsnd8UkT5Jw0S4DktSTvePnkeCtrw_cL7NIrzTRo68XbCRGgoPC-9wkQkAvvOVFOtCa5Qboarvtf8SAQbyugsnF17MpMi6aE/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="113" data-original-width="334" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmawKUC30Ri37yWxR0wtqLneoYGwFd4igad9FTqIBTazuGsnd8UkT5Jw0S4DktSTvePnkeCtrw_cL7NIrzTRo68XbCRGgoPC-9wkQkAvvOVFOtCa5Qboarvtf8SAQbyugsnF17MpMi6aE/w462-h156/image.png" width="462" /></a></div><br /><p><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Points by project is't really a surprise with the main project (Stalingrad) accounting for roughly 1/2 of the total points and the 2 big ones totaling just under 85%</p><p><br /></p><p>As stated earlier in the post, while my points total isn't a personal best, the level of effort put into this years challenge was likely the most I've ever done. That's all due to the terrain building effort for Stalingrad and my choice of 15mm vs 6mm in scale. Making hex terrain is a lot of fun but it is time consuming and somewhat labor intensive - well as labor intensive as any hobby project. The choice of hexes was made for two reasons - one practical and one emotional. </p><p><br /></p><p>The practical reason is speed of play. As a convention GM of more than 100 games with 8+ players one of the things that really slows play down are tape measures, especially when you get "that player" who is measuring to 1/64th of an inch and brings their own protractor to figure angles. Hexes eliminate the need for tape measurers and also make LOS a lot easier. The key is to use a ruleset that takes advantage of these aspects without rendering the game to being just a hex and counter experience.</p><p><br /></p><p>The emotional reason is that I really want to put on the best game I can for my players when we can all return to gaming in large groups. I really miss it and I'm sure so does everyone else. I can't remove all the stress and loss we've endured due to COVID but I can try to make sure when we get back to the new nromal that next participation game experience is both fun and memorable. The first time I really enjoyed wargaming was playing Squad Leader and running the Guards Counter-Attack scenario - it was a blast and lead to a life long hobby. I want to try and recreate that evocative experience in miniatures for my players. Will I succeed, who knows? but I'm going to give it my best shot.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks to Curt and all the challenge participants for keeping me motivated to grind out the Stalingrad terrain. XI was fantastic and I cant wait for XII. Ok I need a bit of a break so I can wait a little bit for XII.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now where the hell am i going to store all this stuff.....</p><p><br /></p>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117445952543844790.post-34793861850916771212021-03-20T06:36:00.003-04:002021-03-20T06:36:57.058-04:00The Last Day of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge XI<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekTvLv3RHcIVxHDDuhn6BfHsxHgU8pCFGVO99YQ-RwUU3kI6SqhR1rT7Ni7kN_zkkBUszDBxwY9a63J47d8cuENZ30GY9cEZA_XbCJGePCpVQKh2RBrTU_u10BTnyVnX4cFB8fSFFn8A/s2048/8868604A-C397-48B5-BDBE-277FC9805290.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekTvLv3RHcIVxHDDuhn6BfHsxHgU8pCFGVO99YQ-RwUU3kI6SqhR1rT7Ni7kN_zkkBUszDBxwY9a63J47d8cuENZ30GY9cEZA_XbCJGePCpVQKh2RBrTU_u10BTnyVnX4cFB8fSFFn8A/s320/8868604A-C397-48B5-BDBE-277FC9805290.heic" width="320" /></a></div>My last submission for the 11th iteration of the <a href="https://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge</a> has been submitted - it was a 80 or so "countryside hexes" and were a nice change of pace from the grind of Stalingrad.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBUEi6HeQIbeBKoDDCOyxi-1oFloXB8ug7h8tMYMr4QZjV8_y4bxQDM49sjJRtTeatC5-kLzcrR4_5cNxAhKuvfbvUgyu7hxlGcuJM_xH70kHVraAjkCJ4BiID6JUj4_yMLTGfqkxcjo/s2048/4B0318D5-5E13-4C8E-865C-891C582F0757.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBUEi6HeQIbeBKoDDCOyxi-1oFloXB8ug7h8tMYMr4QZjV8_y4bxQDM49sjJRtTeatC5-kLzcrR4_5cNxAhKuvfbvUgyu7hxlGcuJM_xH70kHVraAjkCJ4BiID6JUj4_yMLTGfqkxcjo/s320/4B0318D5-5E13-4C8E-865C-891C582F0757.heic" width="320" /></a></div>These hexes are intended to be used with both 6mm stuff like in the second picture and<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VahObzqGrLyltqHk-y6JUqnnOjCX0if_u8b0msRtIs9Jr6xIdfkopAQtimKkH4cm5UJZsAH1nzknYbhptonUMt3lm0y88PXEPEXU2kQvGdTMEaDuGWBbAQfPtq2QjazL2WxMYWJ_QUQ/s2048/B9E9EE09-73C4-4642-8B98-4CD2E49CA0D0.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VahObzqGrLyltqHk-y6JUqnnOjCX0if_u8b0msRtIs9Jr6xIdfkopAQtimKkH4cm5UJZsAH1nzknYbhptonUMt3lm0y88PXEPEXU2kQvGdTMEaDuGWBbAQfPtq2QjazL2WxMYWJ_QUQ/s320/B9E9EE09-73C4-4642-8B98-4CD2E49CA0D0.heic" width="320" /></a></div>15mm miniatures as in the third picture.<div><br /></div><div>I'm not sure where I'll end up in the standings but it was a wonderful event. I encourage you to go check out the <a href="https://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">site </a>as the last day tends to bring out a avalanche of final submissions.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now I need to get to work getting some flooring down and cleaning up the basement. The combined effects of a flood and massive set of hobby projects have pretty much rendered the "man-cave a disaster of epic proportions!</div><div><br /><p><br /></p></div>Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09738324194285127894noreply@blogger.com3