Flames of War Projects for August

 August was a great month for me and the hobby.  I painted lots of stuff and managed to get in a few games as well.  August saw a return to Flames of War late war.  Late war has been a very limited period for me, even as it is the most popular period for FoW.  This has most been due to my primary opponent not really caring for the period.  Over last couple of years my gaming group has been changing and LW is not the main period for me for WWII.  This meant I needed to get my collection updated to be able to hang in this very competitive period.

The German army provided the most options for me from the dead-lead pile so I decided to jump back in with them.  The first thing on the agenda would be some AA.  Allied air is way more likely in LW than MW so this was a must have.

Sd Kfz 10/4 Platoon

I painted a couple of Sd Kfz 10/4 Light AA halftracks.  These are the Battlefront resin and metal models from the MW box set.  These are the same models they have had in production for years and I really like them.  They are easy to build and paint.  I have two more that I will paint on Panzer grey for my MW armies.

Next up is a platoon of 251 halftracks.

Sd Kfz 251D

These are the current LW German halftracks from Battlefront.  They are plastic models and are very nice.  I acquired these assembled from a local gamer as part of a collection I purchased a few years ago.  It was not the most precise build but after painting they turned out pretty good.  These have already seen battle as part of my Berlin training battalion army.

Over the years I have collected a number of LW Panther tanks from Battlefront.  These are the ausf A and are the old resin and metal models.  Several are from special characters, back when that was a thing with FoW.  I decided to paint up the first four in the collection for a Berlin Panzer Training Co army.

Panther A

Panther A

These are the first models where I used the Vallejo pigments.  After my normal paint process, I applied dry pigments to represent dirt and dust.  I really like the look and plan to experiment more with these pigments.

To support the Panthers I also needed some standard PzIVH tanks.  These are the back-bone of LW and have plenty of MW uses too.  Not sure why it took so long for me to paint these up and add them to the collection.  These are a mix of the old Battlefront resin and metal models and the current plastic models.  The resin ones are a salvage project that I have been working on for a number of years.  They are real Frankenstein tanks with parts from PSC PzIV.  The plastic models were pre-assembled as part of the collection with the 251 halftracks.

PzIVH Command

PzIVH

PzIVH

PzIVH

Sadly, the resin models are really showing their age.  They serve the purpose, in game terms, but I will likely replace them with plastics soon.  In nearly all cases the BF plastic kits are superior to the resin models.

Finally, we have more items painted specifically for the Berlin Panzer Training Co army.  Normally, PzII tanks would not be in a LW list, but Berlin changes that.  These are a mix of the N and M variants. They are plastic models from Battlefront.  They will definitely be doing double duty in my MW armies.

PzIII N and M

Twenty-six models all together.  Not a bad couple of months.  Sadly, I have slowed way down on painting production for the last couple of weeks but I am trying to get one more Napoleonic Russian battalion done.  Just need to push through the slump and get back on track.

2nd Battalion Tarnopol Regiment

 I finished the 2nd Battalion of the Tarnopol regiment.  These are Perry plastics and this time I went with the soft caps.  With 2 battalions the regiment is ready for battle!

1812 Russian Tarnopol Battalion

 As has become the norm around here, I have been very bad about blogging my gaming and modeling progress.  I have actually been having a pretty good year on both fronts, but I have been too lazy to document it. 

My most recent completed paint project is the 1st Battalion of the Tarnopol Regiment.  This is my first unit of Perry miniature for the Napoleonic era, and I must say, they are very nice.  I selected the Tarnopol regiment using the same reasoning I have used for all my Napoleonic units, I have the flags.  I do not know a thing about this unit or its history.

I also painted a commander for the musketeer brigade, also a Perry model.  Finally, I have my second  Russian gun.  This is a 12lb cannon from Warlord games.

Perry Plastic Russians.  Excellent figures that are not really a great match for my Warlord plastics but should be OK in separate units.  The kit allows for building earlier (1807-1812) or later (1812+) units.  It also has heads with soft caps.  There are way too many figures in the box for the size units I build so I ordered some separate command frames from Perry to build more units.

I am following my painting standard for Russians of red for collars, cuffs, shoulder straps, and turn backs.  These should have shoulder straps colored based on their seniority in the division.  I don't know this info so they gat red and that's that.  I might paint some units in the future where I use the regional color for the cuffs and collars.

This is a Perry Russian Officer that I will use as a brigade commander.  I don't have a good uniform reference so he got a fairly generic paint job.

The Perry miniatures really are the gold standard for the period.

This is the same model that my friend, Tim, painted for me a couple of years ago.  The Warlord stuff is good solid and functional stuff that will not wow you.  This is a half-battery so with the two I now have a full battery of artillery.

I expect this will be the last Warlord gun I paint.  Future artillery addition to this army will be Perry.

My Russian Napoleonic collection is nearing the point where I can play a game.  I now have 4 Grenadier battalions, 2 Musketeer battalions, a battery of cannon and 2 commanders.  On the paint bench I have the 2nd battalion of the Tarnopol regiment as well as the army commander.  After that I will paint the 2nd battalion of the Narva regiment and I will have 8 battalions.  That is enough to get these guys on the table.

Future plans will be to add a second battery (Perrys miniatures) and a brigade of cavalry.  That, I think, would complete this project.  The next Napoleonic army on the list will be British.  I really don't want to do them, but like the French, hard to do do the period without them.

Jordanian M47 Patton Tanks

 My first Finish it February project is done.  These are some 3D printed M47 Patton tanks for my FoaN Jordanian army.  My friend, Tom, printed these for me last summer and it is nice to have these done.  These are really nice little models and you can't beat the price.  The roof MGs are a bit chunking, and I was thinking about replacing them, but that is a lot of effort for an army that sees the table once a year.

Finish it February 2023

 After a couple of years off I am returning to Finish it February.  I started this idea in 2019 and managed 2 years but the last couple of been a bust for reason already explained.  Part of getting my gaming hobby back on track is to revitalize this tradition.  In the past I had lots of unfinished projects to choose from but this year I am keeping things modest.  Below are three projects I would like to complete this month and, frankly, finishing just one would be a win.

This first one is kind of cheating.  Finish it February is about finishing long neglected project but this is a project I started last month, so, technically its just a WIP.  This is my Army of the Dead for LOTR and I painting these as part of the slow grow league.  This will not be my first priority this month.

This next project is much more in the spirit of Finish it February.  These additions to my Flames of War DAK army have been in a box for a few years.  Now's the time to get them finished.

The final project on the list is not too old but has been sitting on my workbench for a few months.  These are my Jordanian M47 model my friend Tom printed for me last year.  These will be M48 proxies for my Fate of a Nation Jordanians.  These are pretty close to being done.

We'll see how I do this year.  It would be pretty sweet to get these all done.

The Grey Company

January was a good month for my revitalized gaming hobby.  I finished another long dreamed of project for LOTR (MESBG), my Grey Company.  I have had most of this stuff in the box of shame for years.  This is the project that I selected for our slow grow league but I managed to just paint it all in one go.  I was supposed to do 200 points to start and then 100 points a month until we got 600 points done.  Turns out this collection is more like 800+ points and it's only half of the planned army.   The other half is the Army of the Dead and that is just getting started.

The entire Grey Company collection.  I can't use all this as the same time but I have all the options.

Arathorn, father of Aragorn.  You can't take them both but Arathorn is way cheaper option.

Halbarad.  One with the Banner of Arwen Evenstar.

Twelve of the original metal Ranger of the North.  There are two of each pose.

Five of the six original metal Dunedain figures.  I would love to find that last figure to complete the set.

Five plastic rangers used as Dunedain.  I have my eye out for the metal Grey Company figures from the War of the Ring release.  I have never actually seen them.

The Fellowship of the Ring

 After many years away I am returning to Lord of the Rings, now known as Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game.  I last played in 2012, just prior to the release of The Hobbit.  There were many reasons for leaving the game I had grown to love, but I won't get into that now.

I purchased the first edition of the game - The Fellowship of the Ring - sometime in 2001 or 2002.  Soon after I purchased this set.

Gandalf.  Painted in 2003.  I don't think I ever used him in a game.

This is the original metal Fellowship from 2002, I think, I got them right around that time.  Back then, there were no 'armies' or 'match play'. It was all open play and there really wasn't much available.  There was a focus on recreating events from the books/movies so it made sense to buy these.  Beside, they are COOL!

Aragorn.  Also painted in 2003.  I used him in a couple games but I felt guilty so he went in a box.  Back then, we did not use to many heroes and most of my group felt they were overkill and gamey.

Intially, I painted Gandalf and Aragorn.  The rest of the fellowship was primed and I started the flesh.  I am not sure why I stopped work on these but stop I did.

Boromir.  Painted last week.

Several years later GW released the campaign books and I really wanted to work through all those narrative scenarios.  I would definitely need the Fellowship for that!

Gimli.  He could use a little more work but he is fine for gaming.

Sadly, that plan never really worked out and so these excellent figures sat in a box...for about 20 years.

Legolas.  I am not happy with his face.  Too much contrast makes him look undead.  I think I will need to redo the face.

Now that I back, I am renewing my desire to play the campaign through.  I will definitely need the Fellowship!

Frodo.  Hobbit feet are kind of tough and my eye are not too good anymore.

The Hobbits are the earliest member of the Fellowship you need for the campaign scenarios so I worked on them first.  Then you need Gandalf and Aragorn and finally the rest of the Fellowship.

Merry.  I really love this sculpt.  Ne seems so serious and determined.

I am using the old The Fellowship of the Ring campaign book from 2005.  That book has some great tutorials for building the terrain you need.  Much of it is modular in design and can be used for several scenarios and functions.  Cool old school stuff.

Pippin.  Another great sculpt!

Sam.  Not happy with this face either.  Not as bad as Legolas and I probably will not redo this one.

This one checks a lot of boxes for me; first figure painted this year, first figure painted in many months, first LOTR figure painted in more that 10 years, painted items that have been in the backlog for 20+ years!  That is a big win!

Out with the Old in with the New Year

 Another year has passed and more regrets have piled up.  I had some high hope for 2022 on the hobby and game front, but you couldn't tell by looking at this blog.  I actually did OK on the game playing front last year.  I got in several mid-war FoW games and played in a small tournament (and won).  I played some Team Yankee and a late war FoW game too.  Before the year ended I eve managed to get in a game of Middle-Earth Strategy Battle game (forever to be known to me as LOTR:SBG or just Lord of the Rings).

Painting was really not a good last year.  Most of what I painted I blogged about and that was not very much.  Without strong game inspiration I find it tough to paint.  I did acquire some new models and managed to build some.  I worked on some Necromunda models and added some of the new plastic Scum to the paint queue.  My friend, Tom, printed some 15mm M47 Patton tanks for my 6 Day War Jordanians and I did get some paint on those.  With the return of Lord of the Rings I dug out my LOTR project box and started work on some of those items.  I even bought the current and previous starter sets for the game.

On the topic of the blog, I am really not sure what to do.  For years and years the blog has been a major part of the hobby.  It served as a journal for tracking my painting and gaming interests, and as a form of motivation.  The desire to put up quality content inspired me to create.  With only 8 posts in 2 years that is no longer working.  I am really not sure what to do.  Should I redouble my efforts to get the blog back on track or should I accept the reality that is part of the hobby is dead?  I'm not sure anyone even comes here any more.

Looking ahead to 2023.  Strangely enough, it looks like '23 will be the year of the return of LOTR gaming.  It has been 10+ years since this has been a thing and I am super excited to get this back on the table.  There are several local people who will be joining in and we will be running a slow grow league for the first half of the year.  We might even do a tournament!  

I will continue with all the FoW variants.  I have several projects that I would like to get to.  I would love to get back to Necromunda and I do plan to paint stuff but I would love to play it again.  Not really sure what else might be on the horizon.