BigLee's Top Tip - Nuts 'n' Bolts

Traditionally I have held models I am working on using an improvised handle and some blue tack. However some models - particularly those made of resin or heavier miniatures - just won't stay put with blue tack alone. I therefore decided to experiment with a different way of holding miniatures.

Here you see stage one. I fix a Nut to the underside of the miniature I'm working on using superglue. I have to emphasise here not to use too much glue. I put 5 tiny dots of superglue on the bolt then placed it in position. This is enough to hold the bolt to the miniature but provides a weak enough bond that the nut can be snapped off when finished without damaging the model.

With the nut affixed to the model, and the glue dry, I then screw in the bolt. Don't over tighten as this could snap the nut off the model or even damaged the miniature itself. I have found that this arrangement is more than strong enough to provide a stable 'handle' on the model without being too intrusive (unlike blue tack which needs a large surface area of contact to provide a similar strength bond). As has already been mentioned, when finished the nut & bolt 'handle' should snap off easily without damaging the model - provided you glued it into place sparingly. I have a wooden 'drying rack' consisting a series of holes drilled into a piece of wood. When I need to stop painting to allow paint to dry I put the bolt into the hole and it holds the model securely in the air and, crucially, untouched by any surface (which might blemish the drying paint).

Mind your head

Reuters recently reported that the Pentagon is speeding up development of its next generation Bunker Busting bomb, the MOP - Massive Ordinance Penetrator. This photo shows the MOP's smaller cousin the GBU-24... now imagine a bomb ten times heavier with ten times the destructive power and an ability to penetrate 200 ft before exploding.

Ouch! Thanks to Vultures Wargaming Blog for the heads up on this story. I'm quite interested in developments of new battlefield technology because it seems that a lot of what is being developed right now is straight from the pages of science fiction. The MOP may be a little less Star Wars than say Lasers and Combat Robots but you can't beat it for subtlety.

Alternatives to 15mm Buildings

Now that I'm getting into 15mm with Flames of War I'm constantly on the lookout for scenery and buildings in this scale. Having never played this scale before I'm effectively starting from scratch and it's proving a costly business. One suggestion put to me was that railroad HO scale buildings could be used as an alternative to true 15mm buildings. I've often seen these buildings sold cheaply at boot sales so they could prove to be a fugal alternative to regular 15mm scenery.

Here are the various scales that border onto 15mm and a discussion of their suitability as 'alternative' scales for buildings and scenery.

1/144 (11.2mm) - Roughly equivalent of N-Scale railroad models. This is a popular scale for die-cast metal Aircraft and some action figures. However vehicles in this scale look very undersized next to 15mm models. Buildings also look far too small, particularly domestic buildings. In FoW aircraft are represented in this scale.

15mm (1/107) - The FoW website describes the game as being "15mm (1:100) Scale". My understanding of scale is that 15mm and 1/100th are different sizes (see below) but I suspect the models are 1/100th to the top of the head with eye level at 15mm, hence the dual scale description. There are plenty of buildings for 15mm wargaming from a wide range of manufacturers.

1/100 (16.1mm) - The true scale of FoW miniatures. Some plastic kits are available in this scale. Modern military vehicles also come in this scale, in both metal and plastic. Alternatives to Battlefront minis in this scale include Peter Pig which are also 1/100th. Buildings at this scale are usually described as 15mm although architectural models are also available.

1/87 (18.5mm) - Otherwise known as HO scale, this is a popular model railroad scale. Buildings can vary a little in proportion so some manufacturers 'under size' their buildings. Consequently HO can be used as an alternative to 15mm. I've been told that this works best with 'industrial' buildings but that houses etc. look a little too big next to 15mm figures. I touched on the issue of scale in this blog some time ago and found that this is one subject guaranteed to put fire in the blood of any gamer/modeler. The above descriptions and suggestions are based on feedback I got from The Miniatures Page message boards (Here and Here) and various other forums online, as well as my own experience of size comparisons.

To webcam or not to webcam...

My gaming group is caught in the jaws of a dilemma at the moment. Our gaming schedule has been going to pot for some time now. Real life is getting in the way of regular games and its starting to get tiresome. That's no reflection on the group, everyone has good legitimate reasons for not being able to make games and I'm no exception. Illness, dependent dependents, work... they have all infringed upon our gaming time. Part of the problem is that we are scattered across half the country with members travelling from as far afield as Lincon and Ipswich. We rarely get the whole group together but so long as more than half of us can make it we press on with the game.

But the last few months have seen more and more cancelled games as 'real life' squeezes our spare time. I should add that this is no reflection on the current campaign, which is highly original, very engaging and seems to be enjoyed by everyone involved. It's not even a reflection of our mixed feelings towards 4E (it'd take more than a game system to stop us playing). But the fact remains we have had more cancelled games than played games so far this year. In fact its been a growing problem for many years and has spawned a number of conversations about how to tackle the problem... now a new suggestion has reared its head and I'm not sure we know how to approach it. Web Cams could, in theory, enable players to participate even if they cannot physically make the game. Aside from the technical issues involved - complex but not insurmountable with some planning & forethought - my main concern is that this would undermine the very reason we gather together in the first place. For each others company. Half the group consist of 'new' members that have joined the original core of players from my school years. But it's not just the game that holds the group together its the fact that we like each others company and we're good friends. Using web cam technology may help us continue the game but it might forever break the atmosphere of our game sessions which often involve lots of laughter and a beer or three.

Of course there are other 'meta game' issues that would need to be resolved before we went down this route, but nothing I don't think we could sort out in time.

There are various threads on forums such as ENWorld and UKRoleplayers that discuss this issue but I don't feel any of them addresses my main concerns. Technically its possible, but just because we can do something doesn't mean its a good idea.