Salute 2015 Pictures - Rejects on Tour

I've just got back from Salute 2015 and its been as busy and as huge as always. I wasn't able to make the show last year so I was very eager to get along to it this time and meet up with loads of friends including several member of Posties Rejects. I'll work through my pictures this evening and tomorrow and hopefully will have all my pictures up and ready to view in short order. In the meantime here is a couple of pictures picked from the bunch just to whet your appetite.

Cherilea Montgomery

Continuing the occasional series of pictures of Toy Soldiers.

This is a 60m plastic Cherilea toy soldier and probably dates from the late 1960's-1970's. The moulds were reused for a long time and many were sold off so it is hard to pin an exact date on this particular figure. It was part of a range that included assorted figures of soldiers from the British 8th Army in North Africa. Its unclear from my research if this design was sold as a direct representation of Montgomery but the distinctive beret with two cap badges make it clear who it was modelled on.

The company of Cherilea originated in the mid 1940's in Burnley, England and was formed by Wilf Cherington, a former designer for the noted toy soldier manufacturer John Hill and Co. Like most toy soldier manufacturers of this period he originally produced figures in lead but later moved into plastics in the 1950's. The quality of Cherilea figures can vary a great deal with the earlier stuff being the best. Original figures were sold painted but as this example shows paint adhesion to the polyethylene plastic wasn't good.

Cherilea made figures in a range of scales including 30mm, 40mm, 54mm and the more common 60mm which eventually became their standard size. Earlier examples of the 60mm rectangular base figures have an easily recognizable base-mark - shown here on the left. Later castings (where the mould had been reworked) may not have the mark.

This particular figure can be seen at the House on the Hill Toy Museum in Stansted Mountfitchet.

A Ral Partha Giant by Tom Meier

This Ral Partha Hill Giant dates from 1977 and has spent a long time languishing on my desk in a semi painted state. Its an early Ral Partha figure by Tom Meier and was one of three Hill Giants that were available back when Ral Partha were still a basement business, this one being Version 1 (Reference ES/01-052 v1). Because this is an early Tom Meier Ral Partha figure it was part of its 25mm range ('Heroic' scale or 28mm hadn't appeared yet) but being a Giant it actually stands 50mm from Base to Eye level or 57mm to the top of its head. 

I'm not sure how this Hill Giant came into my possession but it had clearly had a hard life prior to its arrival in my hands. It had been painted and based by another painter but the quality of the finish was poor to say the least. It had taken quite a battering in its prior life and what paint remained on the figure was chipped and worn leaving the model in a very sorry state. It wasn't therefore a hard decision to strip the old paint off and give this model a new lease of life. 

I stripped the model by soaking it in a simple solution of washing-up liquid and warm water. I then gave it a gentle scrub with a soft brush. This process was repeated several more times until all the old paint had been removed. I them made sure the figure was thoroughly dry before priming the whole figure - including the underside of the base - to stop any potential damage from Lead Rot. Because this is an old figure the lead content is much higher than modern figures and therefore much more prone to corrosion. Painting the figure seals the surface and is a very effective means of conservation. 

During the clean up process I not only removed the old paint but also broke off a large clay base that had been added by the previous owner. The clay came off quite easily, pretty much in one big chunk. With the metal base cleaned the makers mark was revealed as Ral Partha 1977. I would have been 7 or 8 at the time this venerable old man first hit the shelves and he therefore pre-dates my introduction to D&D and a lifetime of gaming! 

Although this miniature started life as a Hill Giant I decided that I wanted to paint it as a Frost Giant instead. At the time when I acquired the figure I was writing a Dungeons and Dragons campaign to be set in the Frozen North of my Campaign Setting, The Isles of Ethos. A benign Frost Giant was required and this model fitted the role perfectly. But that campaign never came to fruition and the Giant remained semi-painted for a long long time.


In the intervening time I have painted a lot of 15mm WWII figures but now and again I feel the need to paint something completely different just to add a little variety to my art. I've come to a temporary halt on my Panzergrenadier project and was casting around for something quick to paint just for fun when I remembered this model.

Its a beautiful sculpt with lots of character and was really fun to paint. I don't know if this will ever see the surface of a games table but for now its taking pride of place in my rather small display cabinet.

15mm Laser Cut MDF Buildings

When I was at Broadside on Sunday my only purchase during my brief look round was two 15mm Laser Cut MDF Buildings by 4Ground. I've been jealously looking at the 28mm stuff produced in recent years and its good to see some high quality 15mm buildings being produced at last. 4Ground only released this range on the 8th June so I was very lucky to get these at this show.

15mm Semi Type 1

4Ground's Europe at War range currently includes five different terraced buildings all of which come painted or unpainted and simply clip together. I bought a painted building and one unpainted so I could see how they compared and how easy (or not) they are to paint once assembled. If I like what I see I'll buy some more from the range as it would be possible to put together a small town for relatively small outlay.

The Northwest European semi-detached houses are finely etched with tons of detail. Assembly looks fairly straightforward and all that is needed is a little bit of glue to hold them together. Being made from MDF they look a little more robust than resin (a particular concern of mine!) and they look like they would be easy to convert or 'distress' to fit in with existing buildings in my collection.

15mm Semi Type 2

The main thing I like about these buildings is that each floor is removable and lock into place so they don't fall apart on the table. Also each kit comes with paper road signs and advert/propaganda posters for that added 'custom' look to the finished building.

I also thought the price was very competitive, especially compared to similar resin alternatives. 

The range includes the two Semi Detached buildings you see here plus a three story Hotel, a 4 Story Apartment block and terrace of three buildings. I nearly bought the latter item but by the time I went back they had sold out (I'm an idiot) but I think its highly likely that I will buy more from this range in future. 

Making Trees for 15mm Wargaming

One thing that I have been lacking in my collection of 15mm wargame terrain are trees and woods. This has partly been due to lack of storage space and partly because I couldn't make my mind up whether to make my own trees or buy some pre-built. However having finally turned my mind to the project I was a little dismayed at the prices I came across and decided the most economical solution would be to make some myself. I decided to go down the Woodland Scenics route, mainly because I have easy access to most of the materials needed from my local branch of Model Zone. Also this very simple instructional video helped sway my decision-making...



First off let me say that the techniques and ideas listed here are not entirely my own. I searched various tutorials online when considering this project and plundered them for information. If you are considering making your own trees then I would definitely recommend looking at this post by Model Dads. It includes several videos and lots of great advice on how to get the best from your Woodland Scenics materials. Probably the best advice I took from this tutorial was to buy the WS Hob-e-tac glue. It truly is amazing stuff and makes building trees very easy. I also thought the idea of sealing the finished trees using a Matt spray varnish was excellent. Good advice, presented in an accessible format.

I started by collecting together all the materials I needed, primarily different coloured clump foliage and turf. I couldn't purchase the Woodland Scenics tree armatures I wanted from Model Zone so I bought them online from Antenocitis Workshop which were delivered the next day. I opted for the 3-5inch armatures (77-127mm) which roughly equates to trees about 27-44 feet in height. This a little smaller than the average heights for deciduous trees (which range from about 40-60 ft depending on species) but I think they look better proportioned when placed next to 15mm figures. The armatures twist easily to shape and come with separate bases so they can be removed during play while maintaining the 'footprint' of the tree.

One thing I wanted to do was clearly define the edges of woodland with a nice solid base that would not be prone to being knocked out of place during play. Some months ago I was doing a bit of DIY on my daughters bedroom and needed a sheet of 4mm MDF to repair a cupboard. I ended up with a larg'ish off-cut and thought to myself "that'll come in handy" so put it aside with no clear plan for it. Now I had a use for it so I cut out several woodland bases of different shapes. These were then quickly painted with a mixture of GW Black undercoat and Flames of War/Army Painter US Armour Green.

The next step was to put aside the bases and start building the trees. The tree armatures as already mentioned come with separate plastic roots/bases which I would later fix to the wooden base boards. For now though I kept them with the trunks as I wanted to see how big the tree's looked before positioning them. They are easily twisted and arranged into shape onto which the foliage can be glued using WS's Hob-e-tac glue. This stuff looks, feels and smells like Copydex (its even applied by a built in brush) but it dries clear after about 15-20 minutes and remains incredibly tacky for hours. Be patient at this stage, if you try to stick the foliage to the glue before it has dried clear it will just fall off.

With the foliage on the armatures I then tidied them up using a small pair of plastic tweezers to pluck out any loose material and tighten up the clumps. Then I took them all outside and gave them a liberal coating of Matt spray varnish. I then left these overnight to dry thoroughly. This varnish helps hold all the clumps together and makes the finished tress a little more resilient to in-game handling.

With the trees finished I removed the bases and glued them to my wooden base boards. I kept a couple of bases back for free standing trees but most were fixed to the bases. The next step was to cover the green boards with PVA glue and cover with a mixture of Woodland Scenic's Turf and Underbrush scatter material. The turf is very fine grained while the underbrush consists of 1-2mm foliage material. I like the look this gives and it helps clearly define the limits of the woods and the rough scrubby ground beneath the trees.

The whole project took me about four evenings to complete and cost about £30 in materials which worked out significantly cheaper than buying them pre made. I also think they look a lot better than many of the trees I could have bought online. Another advantage is that I still have enough material to make half a dozen more trees if needed.

 

Forged in Battle Panzer IV's

Yesterday afternoon I found myself alone in the house and deafened by the silence. So I took advantage of the lack of background noise and had a go at a short video review of some Forged in Battle miniatures I bought recently. Its a bit rough and ready but it kept me happily occupied until the clan returned. I may do a few more like this in the future and I may even make the effort to improve the quality of the finished product!



The first layers of paint are on and I'm working towards getting these finished before I go away on holiday in a couple of weeks time.

Panzer IV's from Forged in Battle

I recently ordered some Panzer IV's by Forged in Battle from Maelstrom Games and they have just arrived this afternoon. I was so excited by their arrival I got them out to look at on my desk in work. My colleges know about my mental problems 'hobby interests' so weren't too suprised to see me playing with my new toys and grinning like a kid at Christmas!

I've only had a chance to give these models a quick look over but I'm really impressed by the quality and detail of the moulding on these resin tanks (the turrets are metal). Every tank is individually sculpted with battle damage and stowage on each.

I'm really looking forward to painting these but I'm not going to rush headlong into a new project until I have finished off several small terrain items I'm working on. I'll clean, assemble and undercoat these models while I finish off the other items and should be able to get stuck into some proper work by the weekend.

Big Picture : 3D Dungeon

I took this picture at Dragonmeet in 2006. This is an example of the pre-painted modular dungeon scenery made by Dwarven Forge. The sections lock together and are of a reasonable quality in terms of detail and variety, although a large set-up like this could set you back a fair sum.

Many manufacturers now make similar products and accessories for the dedicated dungeon crawler.

The Science of Dice : Rant and Learn

Some time ago I came across these two YouTube videos about game dice. The guy featured is Colonel Louis Zocchi and he is quite passionate that the dice made by Game Science are the best on the market. Marketing speil aside this is actually a very interesting masterclass on the manufacture and science of dice and well worth watching if you have the time.


And Part 2

The Amazing Mr Stokes

Harwood Hobbies have just realsed a new range of miniatures for their Sinbad Fantasy range... and my mate and fellow member of the Dagenham Dungeon Delvers did the concept art for some of the figures. I have featured the artwork of Dave Stokes here several times and it was one such article that linked Harwood Miniatures up with the talented Mr Stokes.

This is one of my favorites, Zokoura the Sorceror. Sculpted by Sebastian Archer and painted by Adam Skinner it is 32/33mm and cast in metal. I'm currently working on a version of this myself but I keep getting sidetracked. Rest assured I will eventually post some pictures!

I really like this range (I know, I'm biased) and especially its 'utility'. Many of the figures would be just at home as character models for a D&D game or in a skirmish wargame. They are also very dynamic in their poses, outfits and general design and as such are an enjoyable challenge to paint.

Remember the Alamo

Today is the anniversary of the famous Battle of the Alamo. I was first aware of this important event in Texan history from the 1960 John Wayne epic The Alamo. What I didn't realise was they built a three quarter scale replica of the famous mission building for the film. On a slightly more practical scale for us wargamers is an excellent 25mm model of the Alamo complex by Hudson & Allen. If you want to replay the battle on a very tight budget (like me) then try the FREE downloadable game Charge at the Alamo by Richard Trevino.

New Project - Take 2

I've started a new Flames of War painting project, the US M10 3"GMC Tank Destroyer Platoon. Actually this is the second time I've 'started' this project because I had this ready to go way back in October last year. I got as far as cleaning the models of minor flash and other casting defects when I realised that I was missing a part. I immediately contacted customer services to request a replacement part and then waited....and waited....

Unfortunately after several attempts I still don't have a replacement part and my confidence in the much praised customer service of Battlefront Miniatures has been severely dented. I hope this was just a blip and hope that any future problems are resolved more efficiently.

The part I was missing was the Turret Counterweight (the metal bit on the back of the turrets in the above pictures). I had one counterweight and decided to make a replacement for the other model. I ended up making a part using some waste metal (to give the part strength) and milliput putty for the detail. The finished counterweight should look fine when painted, especially as I covered its imperfections with some pre cast stowage items that came in the box.

Everything is now assembled and ready to be undercoated, which is my job for tonight. I'm hoping to get these painted in short order as I now have enough models for a few practice games with my Brother in law. Once we've had a chance to get to grips with the rules we can settle on a scenario for some future game and work towards that. As I'll be doing most, if not all, the painting/modeling the sooner we decide what we want to refight the better.

The Empire Expands

I read an interesting article yesterday on John's Toy Soldiers the blog of John Lambshead (great blog by the way, well worth a visit). John reports that Games Workshop seem to be doing quite well at the moment despite the tough time retailers are having generally across the board. They have just revised their projected profits for the 12 months to May 30th upwards from £9 Million to £14 Million resulting in an increase in their share price of 30%!

There are various reasons for this success but key to it seems to be the new one-man-stores. A recent article on the FT website suggests that this has enabled GW to open stores in smaller towns. Another factor highlighted by the website Sharecast suggests that part of the companies success comes from its licencing of titles to games developers. John also highlighted an article by the Times which suggested that factory efficiencies meant that plastic miniatures now had a larger profit margin which was also contributing to the success of the company.

Its interesting to note that often variable performance of Games Workshop over the years is hotly debated on various Internet forums. The most vocal contributors still look on GW as some sort of Evil Empire that has been around too long and is bad for the hobby in general. Clearly this old dog isn't dead yet and can still learn some new tricks. Whether they are good for the industry in the long run, only time will tell.

Ral Partha Giant

I found this old model recently and decided to give it a makeover. I'm not sure where I got it from but it had been painted and based by another painter. Unfortunately the quality of the paint job was, well, poor (I'm being charitable, it is Christmas after all). The model also looked like it hadn't been varnished because pretty much every surface was chipped and bare metal showed through in several places. So I decided to strip it back to a clean surface and start over. So far I've only got as far as priming it but needless to say I'll post pictures of my progress when I finish. I made an interesting discovery while preparing the model. It had been based using some sort of clay material and I wanted to put it on a much larger plastic base. So I chipped some of the clay off and the last slab, covering the bottom of the base, came off in one chunk... revealing the makers date of 1977! This old fella pre-dates my introduction to D&D. I would have been 7 or 8 at the time this first hit the shelves.

I'll be painting him with reverence and when finished he'll get a special place for display. If anyone can identify the model further (Who sculpted it? Did it have a name?) I'd appreciate any information you can supply.

Holes in the Ground

I'm in that strange between projects sort of fugue at the moment. I'm not ready to plunge into the next big Tank Platoon for my FoW Lehr Panzer Kompanie. Not just yet. So I've started painting up some of the scenery items from Ironclad Miniatures I bought at SELWG. These include half a dozen resin craters for 15mm and the makings of a supply depot. The latter pack consists of six small stacks of supplies (Barrels, sacks, oil drums etc). I'm in two minds how to use these. I could paint each up separately as small scenery items or I could put them on a single base and use it as a larger objective marker... any suggestions?

Forest Troll by Dragonblood Miniatures

I've just read about the new release from Dragonblood Miniatures, the Forest Troll. This is an all resin, two part model and stands over 50mm tall. I'm not a big fan of resin for creature models normally but the quality and character of this model is making me reconsider my stance.

Plot Hook - The Druid's Altar

I've been a bit quiet on the painting front this month, having started a few projects and not finished them. This is partly due to the good weather here in the SE of England (Sit inside & paint or take the kids out? Hmmm) and partly due to the fact that I'm feeling a bit lazy. However I have finished one project for May, this "Druid's Altar" from Ainsty. The Ainsty lines have now been taken over by Old Crow who have continued to produce and sell these excellent resin castings.Technically it's not an altar but a Neolithic period Dolmen. This is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb consisting of three or more upright stones supporting a large flat capstone. Dolmens were usually covered with earth or smaller stones to form a barrow when first built. However the actions of gradual erosion (or treasure seeking Victorian archaeologists) has often stripped the Barrow of its dirt to reveal the stone tomb at its core.

For gaming purposes this could be the site of an ancient treasure; A portal to another realm; or the entrance to an underground dungeon complex.

My buddy the Lizardman

A few days ago I reported that I was rereading the Basic D&D rulebook with a view to possibly re creating my gaming groups first ever game. I mentioned that I had a Lizardman model from that very first game and that I was debating whether to paint it or not. A few people have expressed an interest in seeing that Lizardman so here he is.

I'm still undecided whether to paint it or not. This model has acquired quite a bit of sentimental value for me and I'd hate to ruin it with a terrible paintjob. However it may be time to consider painting the model as a form of conservation, to preserve it for years to come. This mini has a much higher lead content than modern miniatures and consequently has some of the white powdery bloom which is often called lead rot but which is actually Lead Carbonate. This is a form of corrosion which, in this case, seems to be fairly limited and doesn't look to have damaged the surface detail a great deal.

Incidentally this miniature is a pre-slottabase Games Workshop model date stamped 1984. I was surprised when I saw this because I was sure we started playing D&D earlier than that. So when I say I've been playing for nearly 30 years (a figure I have oft quoted in this very blog) what I actually mean is 25 years. Caught in the web of my own deceit!

Plastic Miniatures

28mm Plastic miniatures seem to have come of age recently. Or maybe they have been for some time and I’ve only just noticed. Either way I was struck by the number of manufactures of plastic figures that seem to have sprung up recently.
Most non-gamers would associate plastics miniatures with companies like Revel or Airfix. Within the hobby (or within my limited view of it anyway) I have long been aware of Games Workshops wide plastics ranges. The quality of these has seemed to get better year after year but of course their ranges have been limited to their core games Warhammer, LoTR and WH40K. But this year I have seen a number of excellent ranges from companies like Victrix, Warlord Games and Perry Miniatures that have used this technology to create high quality plastics ranges for Historical periods. Primary amongst these are Napoleonic, ECW, ACW and Ancients (Imperial Roman/Celts). There are probably more available but these are the ones that I have noticed.

This all creates a bit of a dilemma for me because I am tempted (Oh so tempted) to buy these and start painting like mad. But I have an insurmountable problem before me. Which period to pick? The quality of the models is very high and each army has something to lure me in. My mouth is drooling just thinking about it! I'd love to paint an Imperial Roman army but I also have a keen interest in the American Civil War period. I saw both Victrix and Perry's Napoleonic miniatures in display games at this years Salute and both ranges looked spectacular.

Then of course there's my painting speed (snail paced at best). I'd never get an army finished! Maybe I could focus on just painting a unit, for display purposes... hmmmmm... how much were those boxes again?

Review of Salute 09 - Pt 4 Traders

Over the last few days I have been writing about the great display and participation games on view at Salute. But of course this is only half the story as far as this show is concerned. Salute is an important event for many traders and this year - given the stormy financial climate at the moment - must have been an anxious one for many of them. If there is one thing that is a constant in the tabletop gaming industry it is that companies come and go. Many manufacturers or games designers have risen briefly, out shone everyone else, and the faded away. And this is during good economic times. So with the credit crunch biting almost every sector at the moment I guess I'm not alone in wondering who the victims will be within our hobby over the coming year.
Despite the pessimism it seems Salute was a roaring success from a traders point of view. Some traders reported their takings up by as much as a third which is very reassuring. And when I talked to retailers at the show I got the impression they were having a good days trade. Indeed much of the anecdotal evidence I have read or heard from Salute seems to suggest spending was generally 'up' on last year. Certainly visitor numbers seemed strong, especially while standing in the scrum that was the queue before the show started!

This anecdotal evidence seems to be backed up by a survey in Miniature Wargames magazine (Issue 312) which reported that 65% of respondents expected their hobby spending to increase this year with only 19% saying they expected spending to drop. I think my own spending at Saulte was on par with last year but I have spent more online and at other events in the past year. So I expect my spending will go up, credit crunch or not.Even that much maligned behemoth of the industry, Games Workshop, seemed to have no shortage of visitors to its display tables and trade stand. Incidentally I saw a LOT more children at this years show, and not all of them were clustered round the GW stand. This is a trend I have seen develop over many years and it is a strong indicator of a mature and healthy hobby.Overall I was reassured by Salute that our hobby is not about to collapse. No doubt there will be casualties but (and i'll stick my neck out with a prediction here) no more than in a normal year. And when you consider the cost of playing a tabletop game compared to say boozing it up down the pub on a weekend, then our hobby is positively cheep. And maybe (trying to find a positive spin in the midst of economic Armageddon) the credit crunch will actually benefit our hobby.. forcing people to find cheaper pursuits at home rather than down the pub or at a nightclub? Maybe, maybe not...but it whatever happens its going to be an interesting year in tabletop games.