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...

Progress Update Legion VIIII Hispania - 10/25/2010

Legion VIIII Hispania - 10/25/2010
Cohors I	20	Legionaries	90%		need base detailing & shields
Cohors II	20	Legionaries	90%		need base detailing & shields
Cohors III	20	Legionaries	90%		need base detailing & shields
Cohors IIII	20	Legionaries	95%		need shields
Cohors V	20	Legionaries	0%		TBD
Cohors VI	20	Legionaries	0%		TBD
(Cohors VII)	24	Legionaries (Recuits)	45%		working on base coats
(Cohors VIII)	20	Legionaries	TBD		future order
(Cohors VIIII)	20	Legionaries	TBD		future order
(Cohors X)	20	Legionaries	TBD		future order
Legio Eques	6	Legionary Cavalry	TBD		future order
General	2	(foot / mounted)	0%		TBD
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	20	Aux. Infantry	0%		TBD
Cohors II Batavi	20	Aux. Infantry	0%		TBD
Cohors I Syriae sagittarii	12	Eastern Aux. Archers	90%		need base detailing
Cohors II Syriae sagittarii	12	Eastern Aux. Archers	90%		need base detailing
Cohors Tunguri sagittarii	12	Western Aux, Archers	90%		need base detailing
Cohors I Balaerica funditorii	14	Baleric Slingers	90%		need base detailing
Cohors II Balaerica funditorii	14	Baleric Slingers	90%		need base detailing
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

Roman Onager

Years ago I purchased a "Roman Stone Thrower" in 28mm. It was a nice metal kit with seven or eight crew. The model seemed to be a medieval catapult with Roman crew. Over the years I would pull it out and work on it a bit, then put it back in the 'TBD pile'.

The stone thrower had wheels, which I have never seen any evidence for on a Roman onager and the crew were a bit chunky (think Michelin tire man).

During my recent painting spree I decided to take a look at the onager again. Sometime in the past I had assembled (mostly) and primed it and the crew. I was unhappy with the wheels... they weren't well cast and they seemed out of place to me, so I removed them. Removing the wheels lowers the height, which makes the crew a bit to tall and the winch 'wheels' sit on the ground. I used some balsa wood to make a frame to raise the onager back to the proper height, added a few details and mounted it on a base.

I decided to not use all the crew, while I am sure an actual onager had more than the five I am using, mounting more on the base made the whole thing look like a Chinese fire drill (chaotic).

This is a work in progress, I am still not happy with it, but here it is in all it's glory

From the left side


3/4 view from right front

Tim, they call him...

Crouching Romans

Here is a cohort I recently finished that I am proud of. The figures are made by Foundry and I was always intrigued by the crouching pose.

I originally had ambitions of making these guys into a testudo, but it occurred to me that I really liked the way they looked and they would be wasted as a testudo.

These guys were the first cohort I painted that kicked off my 'painting spree'. As I painted and organized them I hit a pretty big snag; they had no command figures!

I quickly scoured the Foundry site and found they don't make a crouching command. An email to them confirmed this. So I would have to make my own.

The Centurion was simply a matter of attaching a transverse crest.

The Signifer and the Cornicen were a bit more work.

First, I had to cut away and remove all traces of the gladius in their right hands. Both hands had to be re-oriented (bent) to accommodate the signum in one case and the cornu in the other. I had to rebuild the Cornicen's left hand with green stuff since he wouldn't have a shield.


Then I had to remove their heads and do a head swap for one with the animal pelts covering the helmets (wolves in this case). I spent some time researching wolves to come up with an appropriate color pattern (I will have to take a picture of the wolf pelts, they really turned out nice).

Lastly I had to modify a signum and cornu to fit and put the whole thing together. I am proud of these guys; they look nice and the conversions were not too difficult and have a lot of character.

Tim, they call him...