11 More 28MM WW2 Japanese

 This morning I managed to knock out 11 WW2 Japanese infantry for my Bolt Action Force.  The figures are from Brigade Games and are all metals.

 There are 8 riflemen who will be used to replace the LMG teams in my 4 infantry squads.  The BA rules don't really handle LMGs well for a tournament - your better off replacing with riflemen.  12 regular riflemen cost the same as a regular squad with 10 figures - including the LMG team, yet have one more shooting dice (12 vs 11) and 2 extra swings in close combat.  It's not that historical but I mostly play in tournaments for BA.

I've got another 16 or so figures to finish up.

Nerf Sentry Gun

This a picture of the NERF sentry gun that my son and two of his friends built in this years robotics hack-a-thon at Carnegie Mellon.  The event was sponsored by Boeing and the teams had a 24 hour period to build their concepts.  Sean's team was the only all freshman team and they built an automated Nerf Sentry gun that can pivot 360 degrees and uses a sonar device to find and lock a target.  Once the device was calibrated it doesn't miss a shot.

It works really well and is now on guard duty in his dorm.

As for the competition, Sean,s team didn't win but received an honorable mention which is a pretty big accomplishment and was a lot of fun to do.

I didn't get to do stuff like this when I was in college!

Now I need to get him back working on the Bolt Action dice spitter out bot!

Longstreet Test Game

 After my terrain building binge, I decided it was time to set up my ACW stuff for some test games using the new Longstreet rules.  It also provides a nice opportunity to try out all the new terrain that was recently completed.  This test is less of a game and more of a "lab" to walkthrough and understand the rule mechanics.

 The forces are even - both the Union and CSA have 10 regiments of infantry, 1 cavalry and 2 artillery batteries of 2 guns each.  Here's a shot of the Union right wing defending a church and its really long stone wall.  It's actually two of the stone wall sets from AofW.

 Yet more stone wall and the large hill I made for last years Lundys Lane game (War of 1812) at Fall In.

 A view from the CSA side

 Over the top, boys!

 The LA Tigers

 Wow, that's a lot of open ground to cover....

 Contractual pig sty shot - this is one of my favorite terrain pieces from Architects of War.

 The confederate batteries on the hill.

The Union line

 Another shot down the left wing of the Union army

A shot of the recently completed hedges from Architects of War.

Another shot of the 45 degree section.

Over the next week or so, I plan to test out the Longstreet rules with various small unit actions to get a better feel for the game.

2013 US Sail Boat Show

Sailing is my other hobby and it vies for the number 1 spot with gaming.  On Sunday, I spent most of the day at the US Sailboat Show in Annapolis.  The Annapolis show is "the event" for sail boats and is the largest show of it's kind in the world.   The weather was awful - in fact Sunday was the only day it didn't rain all the time.  The first picture is a Great Harbor 26' Day Sailor that I've become very interested in.  The boats are built by Hank Hinkley Boat  Builders in Maine and it has a nice combination of simplicity and classical lines.

This year's show was much larger than the previous three years and it can be a bit overwhelming.  The big theme were cruising catamarans - there were about 20-25 different boats in the 30 ft plus range being debuted.  I'm a bit of a mono-hull type but some of the cat's are very nice.

I also got to meet a very impressive young lady who used the craft pictured to row across the Atlantic - wow!

I didn't take a lot of pictures as I was running from booth to booth but it was a good day.  Most importantly, I didn't buy a boat on impulse - had I done so, then I may not have survived the wrath of the Mrs!

Here's a picture of the Day Sailor's interior - I've never seen an "Easy Chair" configuration but it's pure genius!

Terrain Production Resumes

 It's early Saturday morning here in Maryland (5:15am) and the terrain production line has been restarted.  Currently "on-the-line" are some more tree plates, stone walls and hedge rows (all from Architects of War).  This morning's activity consisted of priming and dry-brushing basic colors.

 Stone wall sections and the 90 degree turn sections for the hedges.

 Straight sections for the hedges

A last picture of the walls after a quick dry brush of dark grey.  The next step for the walls will be a very light dry brush of white for highlights and then some flock.

Is there a master plan for all the terrain that's been under construction?  Well, ummm no.  I'm just going through the inventory of projects to flesh out the 28mm terrain inventory.  Plans?, PLANS?, there's no planning in Hobby Projects....

New Stuff and Japanese on the painting bench

Now that the Perry 28mm Brits are complete, it's only natural that the next miniature acquisition will be their old foes, the DAK, and wouldn't you know it, the Perry's just came out with a plastic box set.  These guys will likely see the business end of a brush in a few months.

 As you may have inferred from previous posts, I've been bitten by a terrain making bug (which seems to be catching).  As this weekend promises to be rainy and cold, it's a great time to further build out the 'old terrain inventory.   So a quick run over to Ernie and his Architects of War shop (it's very dangerous having his operation only a few miles from my home) and I've got some more terrain projects!  Who knows?, I may actually finish enough terrain to host a game in the next month or so.

Lastly, what's currently on the painting table are some 28mm WW2 Japanese (from Brigade Games) to flesh out the force I'll be taking to the Bolt Action tournament at Fall-In.  Pictured are 12 riflemen, 6 suicide anti-tank troops and a medium mortar team.  Also pictured in the extreme upper left is a Ho-Ni assault gun with a 150mm howitzer.  HE guns are all the "rage" in the current Bolt Action "meta".  I need to get these guys painted up quick for a local tournament on 11/2 at Huzzah Hobbies.

Perry 28mm British Infantry Completed

 The first box of 38mm Perry British infantry is complete - all 38 figures!  I apologize for the horrid photos - I thought natural sunlight would be great but not so much in this case.  Anyway the first batch of Brits are done.

 Yet another awful photo.  12 of the figures use the SAS heads that are supplied in the box - there are enough heads to do 18.  The Bren carrier is a separate kit.

 Three guesses what my next Bolt Action army will be - perhaps this picture of a Blitzkrieg models Panzer III J provides a hint.....

I'm looking forward to picking up a few boxes of the Perry DAK to go with the Brits.

4 More 28MM Terrain Pieces

 This weekend I continued the terrain making focus and completed 4 28mm terrain pieces.  First up is the American Farmhouse from Perry Miniatures.  This is a very simple kit to put together and I need to add a few more details to the front porch.

 Next up is the Church/Meeting House from Architects of war.  This kit is made of resin and has some heft to it.  It also has a complete interior which I still need to finish.  I think this one came out nicely.

 The third piece is another plastic kit, Renedra's "Ramshackle Barn".  Like the Perry house above, it's easy to put together.  I need to add a lot more weathering as it looks more "just built" than "ramshackle".

 Lastly, and perhaps my favorite of the group, is the Architects of War pig sty.  This is a great little kit which features a resin bases and metal detail parts.  It also comes with four pigs who are still on the painting workbench.  I've played numerous games at Ernie's when the pig sty was on the board and it always tended to become a focal point of any battle.  The details in the casting are very well done and include everything you'd expect to find and/or step on in a pig sty.

 Here are some more shots of the various terrain pieces.  Why all the 28mm terrain?  I'm planning to GM another largish ACW or War of 1812 game at Cold Wars and I want to get all the major terrain pieces out of the way by the end of November so I can focus on fleshing out the armies.  I also find that building terrain requires a lot more space and is messier than painting minis - the ground flock gets everywhere.  I've found in the past it's a lot more efficient to batch up my terrain projects and get them done in groups.

I'll likely be shifting over to some more trees and some new sectional terrain pieces.  October is a very pleasant time of year to be doing  carpentry work outside!

It's official

My son's Eagle Scout certificate finally came in today.  He was approved for his Eagle rank last May but it takes some time to get the official response.

I texted him a picture of the cert and he was very excited to become an official Eagle Scout.

I realize that I sometimes babble on about Sean, in that annoying "proud parent" way, but getting to Eagle is a pretty big deal as only a very small percent (4%) of Boy Scouts attain the rank.

Game Table Changes

 The clean up of the game room continues and I've made some repairs to the gaming table.  I really enjoy coaching robotics but sometimes high school aged boys can be both messy and a bit rough on the furniture - a shocking revelation to be sure.

 The sliding doors have been replaced with new tracks so hopefully they'll stay in working order.

 Look it now slides open!!!!!

The tabletop has a piano hinge along one side and can be propped open at a 45 and 60 degree angle to be used as a drafting board.  It was a great idea on paper but I think we've used it maybe 3 times.