Christmas Swag and 1st Entry to winter challenge

So here I am starting my third winter challenge, it seemed fitting that this forms my return to the hobby when it was into the first month of the forth challenge when I fell out of love with painting and gaming. I am already staggered with the output of (to me) new challengers and I look forward to getting to know the people behind this talent.

not changed much just the hair has slipped

 In the spirit of returning my first entry throws back to a young James who in 1989 was all about the GW and Warhammer, I had been one of the kids who watch the channel four NFL show so when GW released and game based on football but set in the Warhammer world I was sold. I played Blood bowl with a human team for a good year or two and if exams had not got in the way I would probably have been one of those who kept the game alive as a cult classic since. But while I did not play BB again I did keep the passion so after a commission opened my eyes to the vast collection of BB miniatures from other companies I started to collect them with a view to one day restarting. 

My Christmas Day haul

Giving yourself only 5 days to complete your Dad’s Christmas present with no plan B might seem mad to some but anyone who watched my output in my first Winter challenge will know I work best with tight a schedule.

I love the character in these figures the faces are the real star of the sculpts, the team consists of 2 throwers 2 blitzes 2 Black Orc Blockers and 8 linemen. All the numbers are free hand and the base has colour mark so indicate the position.

I continue to work on other figures ready for my second entry been working on some fantastic 40mm Rifles.

 

And so the time draws near.

No I am not talking about the time when the big fella come down your chimney with box's for you lead pile. I talk about the day when 100 hardy bloggers can finally put away the primer and glue and start slapping paint on those hard prepped figures. While I still had plenty of colonial figures still prepped from the forth painting challenge, as with any wargamer I can never resist new lead/plastic.

As I plan to use this challenge to get myself back up to speed with my painting have set myself a low 1000 point target and have two periods that will get my main attention. I have 40mm Perry miniatures Napoleonic figures that will be used to play skirmish level games using the Sharp Practise. I have a good starting level of figures but will need to add more as I go to get them up to the correct level for a big game.

The second period is Ancients and a new game system Kings Of War (KoW) historical while my Dad and I love to play some ancients we do not want to spend a lot of money so I suggested we scale down and play the game at 10mm so that is what I have two armies in 10mm from Pendraken miniatures I have British Celts and Romans.

So that is (was the plan) but.....

I want to finish the colonial period that I started back before I took my break so I have a dozen or so Afghan tribesmen and 12 mounted plus a great new Perry Miniatures mountain gun to finish all my Afghan stuff, this period is already getting some great gaming from my Dad with a adjusted set of Donnybrooke rules (Kilts up the Kyber)

I also have a few more to finish my Sudan period, while I have completed all the Highland Infantry I do have plenty of tribesmen both foot and mounted, I might also have bought myself a river boat....or two which will need building and painting and will give the games some real eye candy. I plan hope to play these as large skirmish game with another Donnybrooke adjustment.

But just next to the Sudan figures in my prep box is.... what is that, well it looks like a load of Zulu war British foot and Mounted, and if I have all these Brits I must have some Zulus around here somewhere.

I see Zulu's...

So I may have drifted away from my Two period painting challenge, but in for a penny in for a pound because I have asked Santa for the 2016 Blood Bowl game and had already stock piled several teams for playing, so these might have made it into the prep pile...

That's all....honest.....ok maybe you can see the ACW guys who will be played using Sharp Practise.

OK so I might have prepped a few Cars and bikes for Devils Run and some Fantasy figures ready to play KoW, namly my favourite race the dwarf's and some thing for my Dad in the Norsemen, and with Grand kids playing with my Dad nowadays we need a good fun army for them to use (because no one lays a finger on my Dwarf's) so we may have invested in a Goblin army.

I promise that's is all...wait..

Peace James

Fresh start, Fresh period and inspiration.

So with a return to the painting table and wargames in general, I wanted to look at a new period for me. I have often wanted to get into the American Civil War, even more so since reading the Bernard Cornwell Rebel books

I cant put my finger on why but reading the Cornwell books always inspires me to paint armies, after reading the Arthurian series I painted a Warhammer Ancients Arthurian army and the Sharpe books have lead me to delve into the Two Fat Ladies Sharp's Practise and the Perry miniatures 40mm range.

So when I resently sold my old climbing gear I put the money towards and new period for me and I have to admit that the attraction of the ACW is the Perry miniatures plastic box sets meaning if I want to expand my foothold in the period it will not break the bank. So I was very pleased to see that the Perry twins have created the ideal kit for me to get into this period in the form of their Battle in a box.

While the 40mm Sharp's Practise figures will be painted over the winter the ACW might wait a bit longer. My Daughter is looking to fly the nest in 2017 and that will open up her room to become our hobby room half will be dedicated to knitting and sewing (my wife's passion) and the other half will be my wargames room including a good sized wargames table. All this will be in the future, I hope that I will be able to document the building up of my hobby room in 2017 on this blog.

Winter is coming!!!

If you are a fan of a certain fantasy TV series you will understand the reference, but for many of us in the wargames blogosphere this has a far greater meaning because the start of winter heralds the return of the world famous Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. From the original idea of Canadian wargamers clubbing together through the dark cold winter months to pretend to be busy painting so the other half can't get them doing endless DIY jobs around the house (not true just my imagination....honest) to this the seventh edition, it has become the incentive for hundreds of mad painting projects that would otherwise sit in the lead pile.

I first took part as one of the 47 Ronin, when I was pipped at the post but an avalanche of points in the final hours from New Zealand.

I returned in the next winter with mad plans to paint three different Colonial periods and started on fire turning out loads of Afghan Tribesmen and Colonial troops

but then a month into the winter real life got in the way and I had a hobby shut down.
while I have been painting the odd figure or two since, it is three years since I turned out figures at that rate. So while I am picking up where I left off with this fantastic painting challenge I have set myself a reachable 1000 point target.
I look forward to watching the output from my fellow painters and hopefully offer support or/and advice where I can.
So to all my fellow Wargames bloging painters

Flag Football Pre-season games

I took my American Flag Football team up to Halifax yesterday (Sunday 20th) to play a couple of friendly games against team from our BAFA league conference (MEC Middle England). Due to a few of my players being coaches for University teams (Full kitted football) I was light on numbers. I have had to become a coach only due to tearing my Hamstring earlier in the year so I only had five players to call on. Our Flag is a 5v5 game so my lads had to play both Offence and Defence but I could not be prouder as they came away from the day with two wins.

25-22 Against the Leeds Samurai and despite our teams 2016 MVP Sergio de Paco having to leave game two with a fractured finger (at which point I changed from photographer to ambulance driver) the boys with the help of one of the watching Samurai carried on and took the second game 33-30. Was a hugly satistfing day with many of the aspects I have worked hard on with the team in training being put into effect.
If you are on facebook feel free to check out (and like) the teams page to keep in touch with all our efforts in 2017.
Cavaliers Facebook Page

Ready to get some serious painting done.

Spent the week putting my hobby room in order and very happy with the results.

New paint racks and storage draws

box's of prepped figures and a couple of box's of lead

a mobile paint desk so I can be more sociable

My plastic moutain and box sets

My board Games stash