Misc. Projects and Whatnot

Been working a lot (day job, not the hobby) since the last post, and between lack of time, energy, and plain old sore and stiff hands, I haven't made any progress on my APC, but have been doing what I can otherwise. 


Ponape; 28mm Colonial/Victorian Adventure Games

After re-discovering so much stuff for my colonial adventures that never got used, I've begun to start the process of rounding out the history and fluff for the many scenarios that never got ran.  This has mostly been a lunch time reading and research project thus far, but will eventually lead to miniatures and modeling.

I did have to throw out most of the uncompleted buildings, as they were basswood construction and got water damaged in the flood, but otherwise everything else seems to be intact.  The docking station for the airship, and winged version of the airship, bits for a narrow gauge railway and gold mine, all good.  Also found bits of the incomplete ships, and the hulk of my French ship, which was in the trunk of my car, when it got rear-ended and totaled (both ship and car).

Above, the start of a hull for Bully Hayes ship, the Leonora, my destroyed

French destroyer and a German gunboat.

In time, I intend to resurrect Ponape  as a convention game.   I have faded away from the convention scene in recent years, but have to admit, that after going to Origins this year, I feel a little of the old spark again.


The Space Bubble/Job Pod/Almost Spaceship

This was moving along nicely last year, until interrupted by my flood.  I haven't actually done anything with it recently, but it sets on a stool next to my paint table, ready to be worked on as soon as I clear enough space to work on it.

In addition to the bubble above, there are a couple of trays of bits in various stages of paint, waiting to be placed in the modules.  It will be a centerpiece for near future and maybe even post-apoc games at some point.


28mm Post-Apoc and Near Future Figs.

As I was sorting through stuff, I came to realize that I had a serious load of both painted and unpainted figs for near future and post apocalypse game.  This kind of got my juices going again, after more than a two year lapse.

As I discovered more an more figs, I started sorting them out into the various factions.

There are over 400 painted figs, about 400 unpainted, plus another 150 or so painted orks that I plan to use as mutants in the PA.  Portions of roughly 22 factions are represented above, some are pictured below:

Kryomek robots with scratch-built weapons, security for the industrial complex.

 

A colorful heard of mutants, hungering on their tray.

 

A few bikers, Foundry figs, I think.

 

Miscellaneous mercenaries, some work together, others have additional help.

 

Some Copplestone (mostly, anyway)  scavengers.

 

Could be corporate or Federal troops, wouldn't trust them either way.

 

Billy-Jo, Bubba and Mack, god old boys (and girl) to the end and after.

 

Two old Imperial Guard figs that make up part of the territorial defenses. 

 I've actually got an entire company of these figs, around 140 in all.

 

Alpha Forge Asteroid Miners, pilots of the space bubble,

and a threat to the near future, and beyond.

I'm currently working out what I need to complete each faction, and purposing some of the many figs that don't currently have a home yet. 


Texas Israeli War

A second post-apoc project that I've been tinkering with will bring a little of the Texas Israeli War to the table top.  I've got six factions and armies in mind at the moment, but only a handful  of unpainted figs for now.


So that is what I've been tinkering with in recent weeks in place of doing any real gaming.

WIP: Another Update on my 28mm Sci-Fi APC

Well, since it is the only thing that I have going on, while working stupid hours at the day job (they just have no consideration for my hobby), here are the pics of the latest progress on my 28mm APCs.

The biggest accomplishment is that I've roughed out the suspension, I've also finished the basic hull shape and started working on a low profile turret.

The Hull with wheels, no track yet.

With a space marine and Copplestone scavenger for a scale.

Rear view

And, with the beginnings of a low profile turret.

 

I think that I'm going to cast the wheels and track links, rather than scratch-build them all.  Don't know that it will save much time, but will reduce the wear on my hands and fingers.

I still don't know what the heavy turret will actually look like, but I did work out a low profile turret, and think that I will go with three of those and one heavy per for the platoon.

I toyed around with retractable hull side weapons in the sponsons, and just don't like it.  Just seems like too much of a risk of armor integrity in combat, and just didn't like the look.  Not sure what I'll do with the weapon modules, maybe mount them in additions to my bunker, but don't know yet.

I've build up the side frames and cut most of the hull panels for the other three vehicles in the platoon, but want to work out details on the first APC before assembling the others

The project is moving along when I get a chance to work on it, just not much time for that lately.  I expect to detail the hull and finish the low profile turret for the next update.  Probably be a week or two.

WIP: 28mm Sci-Fi Armored Infantry Carrier

Made a little progress on my 28mm sci-fi APC tonight, so thought I'd post a few pics:

 

 

 

 

The last couple photos include a Copplestone scavenger (left), and a plastic Space Marine (right) for size reference.

I'll post more pics when I get the turret roughed out.

Just a Hint of the Future (Early Stages of a 28mm Sci-Fi APC)

I've been doing a lot of cleaning and sorting of old figs and projects recently, and have a few sci-fi and post-apoc projects on my makeshift work table at the moment.

One of these projects was/is to complete a platoon of sci-fi APC/MICVs for my Marine Heavy infantry.  These are basically slightly de-imperialized 40K space marines.  Somewhere I picked up a Land Raider kit with intentions of scratch-building four of them in a less 40K-ish style.  My original sketches kept evolving to less and less land raider-like designs, and eventually the whole thing just got pushed back on the shelf as it became more involved than I had intended.

In the last week or so, I started playing around with the design again, and while I don't quite have a final design, I do have a basic chassis concept and have started a base vehicle.  I figure that I will complete the detail on the first one, then open a little assembly line to complete the final three models.

Here is my sketch, which includes layers of detail over layers of detail, sorry this isn't easier to see.

The outermost boxes drawn around the profile and plan views represent the overall dimensions of the GW land raider.  My models will be a little smaller in the hull length, width, and height, and a little taller with the turret.  Layout is very conventional with driver and vehicle commander left front (somewhat like a BMP1), turret center and slightly offset to the right, infantry compartment to the rear, with a rear ramp and large overhead hatch and small doors on each side of the vehicle.  My vehicles will be a little less fantastical than the GW inspiration with a three barreled gatling main armament.  It would be a large vehicle, maybe two and a half times the volume of an M2 Bradley with MBT type firepower  and armor, and a squad of infantry.

Here is a pic of current progress showing basic hull shape.

Tracks will rotate around large sponsons that each contain a firing port for a heavy MG, retractable anti-tank missiles and mortar tubes, and a small door.  You can see side panels for the other three models of the platoon in the background.

That's all for now.  Updates will come as I make progress.

Some Greens for the Table Top

While my wife was inventorying the discount bins at the local crafts store, I notice a bumpy green ball amongst the many treasures that I was hoping would not be making the trip home with us.  On closer inspection, I discovered that the bumpy green thing was a ball about 4 inches in diameter, covered with an infestation of green leafy stalks.  It looked like something that might spontaneously sprout to life in a dark corner of the bottom shelf of a neglected refrigerator.  After determining that it was unlikely to be harmful, I realized that it was indeed a treasure that needed to return home with us.

An alien life form?  No, gaming terrain in disguise.

 

I don't know what the thing was actually intended for, but it was loaded with small stocks of tiny leaves measuring about 3/16 inches long.  A virtual countryside of miniature foliage for my table top.  So this weekend, I brought out my box a greenery and got to work.

Some of the artificial fern fronds that I use for making jungle foliage.

I stripped leaflets off of my favorite plastic fern fronds, cut some bases out of scrap styrene, softened the edges of the bases with a Dremel and sanding drum, and armed by bottle of glue for some serious work.

 

A few washers were added as small weighted bases, with the centers covered over with thin styrene plastic.  I sanded the styrene on the washer into a domed shape to make the finished product a little smoother.

I made a assortment of single plants, as well as bases with clumps of foliage or small groups of palms.  The palms came from a model railroad supplier on E-bay a year or so ago.  I managed about 55 bases before using up all of the super glue.

The last step was to paint and flock the bases.  I found an old bottle of Pactra military yellow of some sort (the label fell off decades ago), and once the paint was dry, I flocked with a mix of Woodland Scenics  flock, using artists acrylic matte medium as the glue.

Clusters of foliage largely consisting of stalks from my bumpy green ball.

28mm, 20mm, and 15mm figs for size comparison.

 

Ferns or cycads, the larger for 28mm, smaller for 20mm and/or 15mm.

 

E-bay palms for use as 20mm palms and cycads in Vietnam.

The clusters of foliage will work with anything from 15mm to 28mm.  Some of the clusters feature only shorter plants up to about 3/4 of an inch tall particularly for use with my 15mmAfrican games.  All of the clusters can be used with 20mm Vietnam and 28mm Colonial and sci-fi games.

The fern leaflets serve to make nice cycad or fern fronds in the various scales, with the larger plants for 28mm games and the medium and small for use in 15-20mm. 

The palms are some of the smaller ones that I intend to add to my Vietnam riverine terrain.  The conventional palms are only about for to four and a half inches tall, and may see some use in my African games, depending on the settings for the games.  The shorter plants on the stubby trunks look more like many of the cycads that I have seen, and will be used as such in my Vietnam settings, or simply as foliage for some sci-fi games.

After picking up some glue this week, I hope to do another round of gardening next weekend.

A Miniatures Gamer's Perspective of Origins 2014

In recent years, I've become a bit of a gaming recluse, having faded away from very active involvement in HMGS-Great Lakes, and not having gone to a convention in years.  So, a couple of weeks ago, when an old friend got hold of me, and asked if I'd be interested in meeting up at Origins, it sounded like a great idea.

Origins (or Origins Game Fair 2014) is one of the premiere gaming conventions in the US, probably ranking only behind GenCon in size and scope.  Thousands come from all over the globe to participate in games of all genres; board games, card games, LARPing, miniatures, RPGs, and whatever else that I might have missed.  There is a large vending hall with artists, dealers, and manufacturers, an art show, auction, miniatures painting, and all sorts of things that gamers might be interested in.

I am basically a miniatures gamer, who likes a little role playing element in his games, and that has grown to a rather narrow minded focus in his old age.  Firstly, the terrain is more important than the miniatures, and my own gaming only spans colonial (including VSF with tanks), WWII to modern (I like tanks), and sci-fi genres (I like futuristic tanks too). But, I  do greatly enjoy seeing the artistry of any miniatures game, as well as the art and creativity of the costumes and creations of attendees and artists at a convention like Origins.  The creations of others are the inspiration for my own creations.  For me, conventions are about visual inspiration.

I arrived at the Columbus Convention Center at just past 9:00am on Saturday of the convention.  It was much like previous visits to Origins (I've been to Origins maybe six times over the years), with every manner of gamer scurrying about, a few sporting lasers, plate armor or fairy wings.

I made it to the registration desk at about 9:15 got in line maybe a 120-150 deep.  It was typical of my previous experiences at Origins.  What wasn't typical is the rate at which the line moved.  Previously, I had never been in line more than about 45 minutes.  But with the advancements in computer technology, the process was stretched to almost 90 minutes.

I met up with my friends, who had wisely managed to register the night before, and we were off to the dealer hall.  The hall seemed a little less full than in my previous visits, though by no means was it empty.  I don't know how many venders were present, as I never found a vender map or list.  The convention program was slightly larger than I remembered, but instead of the of the full color glossy program of years past, this year's was simply an event list without the gloss, advertising, or dealer map. 

The hall had an amazing selection of board and role playing games, and if you are into card games (particularly "Magic"), you were in luck. There were a reasonable representation of fantasy miniatures and less so of sci-fi,  though the Battlestar Galactica miniatures (Iron Wind booth?) were just outstanding.  There were also some incredible artists selling their work, as well as makers of costumes, clothing, artificial weapons, jewelry, etc.

I had targeted about six venders, that I new had attended the con in previous years, but soon discovered that none had attended this year.  After about 40 minutes of wondering through the hall, I came to the realization that there were was nothing that I was really interested. So, it was off  to miniatures gaming.

 As we walked down the concourse, talking over the ambient noise of the role playing and board game halls, I noticed that it was much more quiet as we neared the end hall with miniatures.  In my previous visits, miniatures were in a huge hall never tight for space, and with a vast number of miniatures events spanning the full range of possible periods and genres.

We entered the hall, only to find a long hallway created by temporary partitions that closed off half or more of the hall.  The miniatures area was still a large space, but smaller than in the past, and not terribly busy for noon-ish on the Saturday of a large convention.

After passing a couple of life size Space Marine statues, the first games that we encountered were a couple of Warhammer 40K tables.  One was loaded with GW manufactured ruins, and was quite attractive, another with a rather unique scratch-built set-up.  We then proceeded down the line of 40K games, which featured more unpainted or primered  miniatures than I have seen at all of my prior convention visits combined.  To be honest, I was shocked at the amount of unpainted lead (and plastic and resin).  There were some nice pieces mixed in , and some tables had only painted lead, but at least half of the 40K tables had some unpainted stuff.

Moving on, there was typical mix of games with several featuring very nice layouts and/or with cool features or miniatures. I saw more modern micro-armor than I have seen since the Cold-War was at its peak (did I mention that I like tanks), a couple very nice dungeon crawl layouts,  a "My Pretty Pony" game that was set-up, but not running ( I have to admit that I'm was curious),  some great pirate ships, etc.  What I didn't see was the show stopper.  Typically there are several really dynamic centerpiece games.  And there were some very nice and some really large games, but nothing that pushed the boundaries. 

My expectations are unfair; I know this.  I've been around the hobby a long time, and I've seen a lot of really cool and amazing stuff over the years, and thus, it is harder and harder for gamers to push that limit, to show me new things, amazing art and creations, original ideas, things that inspire me.  Yet, I find them on the internet almost every day, but  for the first time in over 25 years, I came away from a convention, visually uninspired.

After our pass through the miniatures gaming, we spent some time talking, catching up, and eventually made another pass through the miniatures area.  It was at this time that I realized something else was missing, or at least I did not see it.  Where was HMGS-Great Lakes?  I know that for some years, and during my last several visits to Origins, that GL had been involved in promoting and providing historical miniatures at Origins.  In the past, there had sometimes been a large service desk with HMGS volunteers doing things to assist/promote/recruit.  I did not see that this year, though that may have gone away some time ago or been located elsewhere.  I have no idea. 

A little more talking, a stop by the auction, and another pass through the dealer hall (with no purchases) concluded my visit to Origins 2014.

Though I didn't quite get what I was looking for out of Origins, I realize that is a function of my own narrow interests and admittedly unrealistic expectations.  In the end,  it was good to visit with old friends, and that still made it a good day.  

So Many Games, So little Time (Or, Me Whining About a Common Problem)

For me, miniatures gaming is a strange creature that brings together a huge range of interests under a single umbrella.  Interests in history, science, art, botany, sociology, etc., etc. all come together in "the game".  

My first few years of gaming were limited primarily to World War II and the American Civil War.  The scope of my gaming exploded in my late teens, adding fantasy, science fiction and a range of historical periods.  Though limited by money, I had lots of time and radically managed to expand the scope of my hobby.

A decade later, as I was staring at the onset of my thirties, I realized that I simply wouldn't live long enough to develop all of my gaming interests.  I separated gaming periods into primary and secondary interests.  This resulted in eliminating most periods prior to, and including World War I, and elimination of some redundant scales in primary periods of interest.  More than a dozen periods, and portions of about 30 armies were sold, traded, or given away. 

At heart, I am a "tread-head".  Whether it is a fantastical steam driven Victorian land-ship produced by fiction, when history and science could not, or the hard edged sleekness of an M1 bounding through the desert, I embrace the beauty of the beast.  Additionally, I love diversity on the battlefield, so a great variety of troop and equipment types are preferred.

The result is that the scope of my current gaming interests span a very narrow window of history, well, two narrow windows of history and a bit of the future, too.  A portion of the Victorian era from about 1860-1910, most of the age of the tank, about 1936- present, and  a little near future/post-apoc/sci-fi make up the current scope of the hobby for me.

Like many of us, In recent years free time has taken a big hit, as has the pocket book.  This has resulted in my accomplishing very little on the gaming front.  I've gone from gaming weekly with a group to gaming mostly solo a few times per year, from attending a dozen conventions per year to one every other, and from painting or building almost daily to sometimes not finding 20 minutes in a month for the game.

Given my limitations, I find myself making no noticeable  progress on my projects, and during my ailment earlier this year, I even considered leaving the hobby.  Didn't take long to realize that wasn't happening.

So here I am, accomplishing little, even with a greatly reduced range of periods and projects, and realizing that another purge is on the horizon...and it is killing me.

A few dwarfs making their "last stand" on my table.

I tried to do this the same way that I did in my late twenties, just looking at the shelves of stuff in the basement and pulling those things for which I no longer felt the fire.  On their way out are the 15mm ACW, the last of my fantasy figs, and my 28mm ancients.  But that is where it stopped, and that is not nearly enough.
 

ACW figs that never saw the table top.

I sat down this morning, put pencil to paper, and was shocked at how huge my narrow scope really is.  After eliminating the periods mentioned above, I am left with eight basic periods/conflicts/subjects.  But, that number "eight" is very misleading.  For example, 15mm World War II is one "period", but it breaks down into early and late war eastern front, 1940 France, late war western front and North Africa.  So, WWII is really five historical sub-periods, demanding three different sets of base terrain and 36 armies (many in two scales). Oh my.

Anyway, here is what I have or need to complete all of my current projects:
 8 Basic Periods (Modern, Cold War, Arab-Israeli, Vietnam, Korea, WWII, Colonial, Sci-fi*)
48 Sub-Periods
7 Scales (28mm, 20mm, 15mm, 1/144, 6mm, 1/2400, and whatever the old SFB miniatures are) 
5 Basic modular terrain sets
59 Specialized terrain sets
209 armies (209 armies!!!, ranging from about 40 figs to as many as 700 each)

Some periods I do in more than one scale to allow for games of different scope and feel, so some things are counted twice.  

The sad part is that I have some significant portion of each interest completed, either troops, miniatures masters, terrain, etc.  And, I still feel the fire for all of it.

 

One of several boxes of 28mm Celts.

I ran the idea past my wife of her getting two full times jobs, so that I could stay home and work on my hobbies all of the time.  When I regained consciousness, she assured me, that my idea was not a solution to my problem.

I guess I need to isolate my real core interests even further, identify which subjects require the most work with the least utility, and continue chopping.  This would be so much easier if I had just been born rich and immortal. Gotta go, much to do.

More dwarfs waiting to be imprisoned in shipping boxes.

* Yes, I play Star Fleet Battles (SFB), the First boxed version circa 1981 with the three soft-pack expansions.