Big Weekend, Quick Update

Phew what a HUGE weekend that was, I'm worn out and almost glad to be back at work so I can get some rest! Saturday was Salute of course and yesterday the Rejects held an ACW game with a few guest players drawn from the ranks of fellow Bloggers. I've shot about 800 pictures over the last two days so it's taking a while to work through them to select the best for publishing. Hopefully I'll have a few pictures up this afternoon but in the meantime here's a group shot of yesterdays rejects game, the Battle of Salutesville!

Back Row: BigLee, The Angry Lurker, Tamsin, One-Lover Ray, Kurt
Front Row: Jack, Postie, Seb

I'll post my SALUTE pictures and the BatRep from yesterdays game over the next few days. Thanks to the Warlords for hosting such a great show, to Postie for hosting such a great game and thanks to Fran for the Pasta! Also a big thank you to Tamsin, Kurt and Seb for joining us and making yesterdays game such good fun.

Salute 2012 - Show Review - Video

SALUTE 2012 is over but IMHO it was a huge success. The South London Warlords did an excellent job on their 40th anniversary show and I have to say this years Salute Figure is stunning. As usual I shot hundreds of pictures, spent loads of money and met lots of new friends. My Photo Report of this years show will therefore be done in several parts over the next few days because I'd like to get as many pictures displayed here on BLMA as possible, not just my usual slideshow (although I will do that as well). In the meantime here's a compilation video I have put together including some of my video and pictures.



Sadly I missed last years event but that made this years show all the more enjoyable for me. I went with my usual 'wingman' - my brother-in-law Ray - plus my eldest daughter who is also a Salute veteran of many a year. Posties Rejects were also in attendance and we got together in the afternoon to say hello to fellow Bloggers, adoring fans and, in Fran's case, a few stalkers! Boy am I tired - my feet are killing me - but I was determined to get pictures and video up immediately. I hope you enjoy the video, pictures will follow in a day or two!

Labelling Infantry Bases

I've been struggling with the idea that I need to label my FOW infantry stands to identify separate platoons or team types. I'm rather partial to the idea of clearly labelled bases but other gamers prefer a less intrusive approach with labels on the base of the stand only. So I have been hunting round the Internet for ideas and views on this subject, eventually finding the excellent website The Bards Abode. The bard has devised a set of labels for his stands and has made the excel file available to download. I have used this as the basis of my labels but have adapted and redesigned them for my own purposes.

Here are some examples of how I have applied these labels to the bases of my newly finished US Parachute Rifle Company.

HQ Unit / Second in Command Carbine Team - HQ Unit

The label includes a coloured block with platoon number or abbreviation (such as 1 for first Platoon or MG for Machine Gun Platoon or AA for Anti Aircraft) then a team description. The final box identifies which section or squad the unit belongs to within the platoon.

Second Platoon / Commanding Officer Rifle-MG Team / HQ Unit

The labels are printed on regular printer paper and cut out using a scalpel and a very steady hand. I fixed these on the rear bevelled edge of the base with PVA glue and then applied a thin coat of Matt Varnish to protect them from rough handling.

1st Platoon / Rifle-MG Team / Squad 1

The finished labels are clear to read and the different coloured platoon markers makes identification easy without being too intrusive.

I'm sure I'll get howls of disapproval from some quarters but I rather like the way these look. Personally I have always liked to see unit names and identifiers on stands. I guess its just a personal aesthetic but somehow it feels 'old school' to me, and I like that.

What do you think? I'd love to know how you deal with the issue of identification when the models are on the battlefield.

Rejects on Tour - Salute 2012

As you may already have learned from Ray and Fran, The Rejects will be at Salute 2012 this Saturday. As well as being the premier event of the gaming calender its also a chance for us to meet up with fellow gamers and bloggers. The Rejects will be loitering around the seating area between 1pm and 2pm to swap war stories with anyone that wants to say hi.

Hope to see you there!