March Forward Flames of War Tourney

I tied for 1st place in the tournament yesterday!  Sometimes things just work and they did for me!

What this has really taught me is I need to keep painting my miniatures.  I have a whole list of projects I need to finish and start.  I am going to concentrate on getting my DAK painted and my Vampire Counts for the Warhammer Fantasy League I am playing in.

-Tim, they call him...

Painter's Block (Part 2)

Earlier this month, I decided to embark on a project to paint up some of my long ago purchased 15mm DAK for a Flames of War tournament  (Painter's Block (Part 1)).

After two weeks I am very pleased with my progress.  Anyone who knows me, knows I am a slow painter.  

In the past couple of weeks I have painted:

4x Command SMG teams
3x Light mortar teams
2x Anti-tank team
4x HMG teams
4x PaK 36 gun teams
3x PaK38 gun teams
1x FlaK 36 gun team (stripped and repainted).

So now I am ready for the tournament.

Even better I really enjoyed painting these guys and am going to keep working on my Afrika Korps.

-Tim, they call him...

Painter's Block (Part 1)

Like most miniature painters, I go through periods where I just can't seem to paint.  I want to, I really do, but the "mojo" just isn't there.  

A decade or so ago when Flames of War first came out, I bought some painted Afrika Korps platoons and tanks.  I also bought a bunch of support platoons and vehicles in blister packs (unpainted).  I never painted the blisters.  I played FoW with the painted DAK troops I bought. 

 It always bugged me cause I could never have more than a few platoons of infantry, an HMG platoon and some tank, etc.  I spent a lot of time "noodling" out how I would paint them, but I never did. I decided to play in an early war FoW tournament that HMGS-PSW was putting on in late March.  I decided to take something different, a DAK MG Kompanie.

So my force would need:

Command

MG-Kompanie HQ      2 x Cmd SMG teams

Combat Platoons

MG-Platoon

                        1x Cmd SMG team

1x Light mortar team

1x Anti-tank rifle team

4x MG34 HMG team

MG-Platoon

                        1x Cmd SMG team

1x Light mortar team

4x MG34 HMG team

Weapons Platoon

Schützen Anti-tank Gun Platoon        

1x Cmd SMG team

3x 3.7cm PaK36 gun

3x Kfz 70 trucks

Divisional Support

Anti-tank Gun Platoon

1x Cmd SMG team

3x 5cm PaK38 gun

3x Kfz 70 trucks

Heavy Anti-aircraft Gun Platoon         

1x Cmd SMG team

1x 8.8cm FlaK36 anti-tank gun (8 crew)

One interesting thing about the MG kompanie is you can swap out the HMG teams for Rifle/MG teams before you deploy.  I had plenty of rifle teams, but only one HMG platoon.  I did have one 88 FlaK36, but it needed some work.  So I had a lot to paint.

I have always worked better with a deadline so with brush in hand I head off to my nerd cave.

Workbench Update - 

* 15mm 1941 era US Marines (Flames of War) 
I have spent a lot of time "agonizing" over the basing of these guys.  Wake Island had very "white" sand with scattered brush.  After a few test bases I think I have the combination down right.  These are figures from Eureka Miniatures and I ordered them to represent the mixed composition of the forces on Wake Island (Marines, Army Air Force, construction workers).  These really are very nice miniatures.  I have one platoon based.  I am going to prime, paint and base them and use them as my benchmark.

* 28mm SS (AE WWII)
I have these guys primed and their pants painted.  The separate heat system Bolt Action uses is a challenge to paint.  I am thinking maybe gluing the heads to nails so I can handle them.

* Caesarian Roman Army (Warhammer Ancients)
My Romans are sadly neglected these days.  I need to put more effort in here.  Some cavalry I think.


* SS-Panzergrenadier Kompanie (Flames of War)
My Panzergrenadier Kompanie continues to grow.  Currently it consists of:
1x Kompanie HQ
2x SS Panzergrenadier platoons (motorized)
1x SS Panzergrenadier platoons (armored)
1x SS Pioneer platoon
1x SS HMG platoon
1x SS Morar platoon (six tubes)
1x SS leIG (2 leIG 18)
1x SS AT platoon (4x PaK 38)
1x SS AT platoon (4x PaK 40)
1x SS AT platoon - motorized  (2x PaK 38 mounted on 1 ton half track)
1x SS Tank platoon (6x Pz35(t))
3x SS Tiger tanks


I am working on an armored car platoon; a three gun armored artillery platoon; light AA and a "whole passel" of  Pz IVs.


* Fallschirmjager Kompanie (Flames of War)
Recently I have completed:

1x Fallschirmjager (FJ) platoon
1x Fallschirmjager  Light AA platoon

My entire Fallschirmjager Kompanie consists of:

1x Fallschirmjager Kompanie HQ w/attached HMGs
1x Fallschirmjager platoon
2x Fallschirmpioneer platoons
1x Fallschirmjager  Light AA platoon

I have some recoiless rifles and PaK 40s I am working on.

Send in the Marines!

Some time ago (five years?) I purchased some 15mm US Marines in the 1941 pattern uniform.  I had just finished painting a USMC E-series rifle company.  I have always liked the early war uniform, but after painting 150+ Marines, I was not enthusiastic about repeating that.

So these miniatures have sat in a box since then and I actually forgot about them.  I happened to pull the box of my shelf to look for something and there they were.  They deserved to be rescued from the limbo of my closet shelves, so I decided to paint them up.

My WWII game of choice is Flames of War (FoW), which does not have any Pacific supplements.  There is a FoW Yahoo group dedicated to WWII in the Pacific, but I have decided to 'build' the unit as a US Army rifle company from the FoW mid-war North Africa supplement.  That way I can use them in  regular FoW games.

So to start off with I will build a company command; two full strength rifle platoons; some mortars and a HMG platoon. 

The figures I have are made by Eureka USA (http://www.eurekaminusa.com/catalog.aspx?c=Wake%20Island%20Marines&cid=258&pageIndex=0).  They are very nice miniatures and I am anxious to get some paint on them.

Tim, they call him...

So last September, while going through the flea market tables at Gateway 2011, I ran across this little gem and its first expansion for $60.  I always wanted to give it a try so I picked it up.  It sat on my shelf until a few weeks ago when I got it down from my game shelf and arm-twisted a fiend in to playing it with me.

I have to admit we found the first game a bit frustrating mostly due to the command control card system.  You can't always get your troops to do what you want them to do.  At the end of the day the game 'felt' right.  Since then I have played a few more games and each once increases my enjoyment and respect for the system.  At first glance it would seem that the rules are too simple and the strategy is lacking.  What I have discovered is that the rules may be simple, but the strategy can be complex.

It can be a quick game and is very satisfying to play.  This is a new favorite of mine...

Tim, then call him...

 

Progress Update Legion XIII Gemina - 10/25/2011 

So it has been a year; a very chaotic tumultuous year. I have been painting a lot during my blog hiatuses, but I am back.

In the interim I have painted a complete WHFB Vampire Army, many, many Flames of War units, some 28mm US Airborne and a few other things (pics to follow this time).

As for my legion, a few things have changed. The name for one; I had decided on doing the VIIII Hispania before the movies Centurion and Eagle came out. They are both about the VIIII. Frankly, it took some of the uniqueness out of it. I changed the designation to the XIII Gemina. The XIII was one of the legions that Caesar crossed the Rubicon with, so I settled on that.

Tim, them call him...

 

Cohors I 20 Legionaries 100%

Cohors II 20 Legionaries 90% need base detailing

Cohors III 20 Legionaries 90% need base detailing

Cohors IIII 20 Legionaries 85% need shields and base detailing

Cohors V 20 Legionaries 0% TBD

Cohors VI 20 Legionaries 0% TBD

Cohors VII 24 Legionaries (Recuits) 90% need base detailing

Cohors VIII 20 Legionaries 0% TBD

Cohors VIIII 20 Legionaries 0% TBD

(Cohors X) 20 Legionaries TBD future order

Legio Eques 6 Legionary Cavalry 0% TBD

General 2 (foot / mounted) 20% base coats

Aquilifier 2 (foot / mounted) 0% TBD

Tribunes 8 (foot / mounted) TBD TBD

- - - - - - -

 Cohors I Velites 12 Velites 0% TBD

Cohors II Velites 12 Velites 0% TBD

- - - - - - -

Ala Eques Praetore 12 Roman Guard Cavalry 50% horses done, figures not started

Ala Batavi seniores 12 Batavian (German) Cavalry 35% horses assembled, figures not started

Ala I Gallica 12 Gallic Cavalry 50% base coats done

Ala II Galica 12 Gallic Cavalry 50% base coats done

Ala Numidia 12 Numidian Cavalry 90% need base detailing & shields

Ala Syriae dromedariorum 9 Dromedarii 0% TBD

- - - - - - -

Cohors I Batavi 30 Aux. Infantry 100%

Cohors II Batavi 30 Aux. Infantry 100%

Cohors I Syriae sagittarii 14 Eastern Aux. Archers 90% need base detailing

Cohors II Syriae sagittarii 14 Eastern Aux. Archers 90% need base detailing

Cohors Tunguri sagittarii 12 Western Aux, Archers 100% need movement trays

Cohors I Balaerica funditorii 14 Baleric Slingers 100%

Cohors II Balaerica funditorii 14 Baleric Slingers 100%

Cohors I Numidia sagittarii 12 Numidian Archers 0% TBD

Cohors II Numidia sagittarii 12 Numidian Archers 0% TBD

- - - - - - -
 Balistarii 1 Heavy stone thrower 100% done

Balistarii 1 Light stone thrower 25% on hold for bases

Balistarii 2 Ballista 25% on hold for bases

Balistarii 4 Scorpio 100% done



Tim, they call him...