First Pictures of Salute 2013

I'm really glad I only live a fifteen minute drive from the Salute 2013 wargame's show because every fiber of my body hurts after what has been an amazing day. The South London Warlords have done themselves proud today, putting on yet another cracking convention. I've already started to sort through my pictures and my aim is to post them here on BLMA by Monday (tomorrow if I can manage it). In the meantime here's a couple of pictures as a little taster of the 420+ photo's I took at today's incredible show:

The Queue guards were of the Imperial kind. The queue was huge and most attendees didn't get inside until well after the 10am start time.

Inside the Show at last. It seemed much busier this year.

The 'Meet the Rejects' Blogger gathering went very well. Thanks to everyone that stopped by to say hello.

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UPDATE 22-4-13: Ray over at Don't throw a One has labled my picture and linked to many of the bloggers present. I've unashamedly copied his work here:

Add caption

Quoted from Rays blog....

"Pics from the blogger meet up, this one was unashamedly pinched from BigLee's blog. I'm not sure who the chap is behind Sydney, to the left of Mike Whittaker and behind James, other did turn up but didn't make the group pic, Tamsin, MiniMike, Seb, Andy, Mike - The Dark Templer, Phyilion and his brother, Legatus, Jerry & The Wild Goose.

In the pic are
Mike - Trouble At T'Mill
Carl - Hitting on a double 1
Whisperin' Al - The Wargaming Shed
James - Exiles Wargames Painter
Clint - Anything but a 1
Andy - The Lair of the Breviks
Fran - The Angry Lurker
Mathyoo - The Necroleadicon
Simon - BigRedBatCave
Dave - Round Dave's
Sydney - Roundwood's World
Markus - Sorry Markus I can't find your blog??
Ashley - Paint it Pink

Apologies if I've forgotten anyone, drop me a line or comment and I'll add you onto the list."

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Normandy 1944

Napoleon overlooks his Waterloo

I'll write up a full show report and post the rest of my pictures as soon as possible but right now I need to shove my feet in a tub of ice water and sit in a darkened room for half an hour.

Meet the Rejects at Salute 2013

Fellow Reject Ray (of Don't Throw a One) posted this the other day but I thought it was worth reposting here as well. Myself and other members of Posties Rejects will be attending Salute 2013 tomorrow and would love to meet up with fellow Blogger's at some point during the day. We will be in or around the large seating area next to the Bring and Buy stall about 13:00 (1pm to the rest of you) and will be easily identifiable by our black Rejects polo shirts which sport our group logo on the front and the name of our respective Blog's on the back.

The only problem with a meeting of this sort is that the Rejects are a 'heavy' bunch of fella's and having at least three of us big guys in such close proximity could result in critical mass being achieved, leading to gravitational collapse and the creation of a black hole. So if you hear screaming, that's probably coming from our direction. Or maybe that'll just be the sound of people laying eyes on Fran and Ray for the first time (I've grown accustomed to the sight, but I still have nightmares).

Meet the Rejects between 1-2pm in or around the seating area by the Bring & Buy Stall (indicated by the subtle red dot on the above plan).

I'm looking forward to the show (as you may have guessed from this weeks 'Salutefest' of posts and pictures) and I look forward to meeting a few - or a lot - of you there tomorrow. Safe journey if you have far to come, and happy shopping when you arrive! 

Saluting Salute 2012

I missed the 2011 show because it fell during the Easter holiday and I had already committed to a family holiday (the sacrifices I make!). So today's review of past Salute's is last years show in 2012. In really struggled to get round this event in the time available. Partly this was because of the size of the show but also because I spent so much time meeting friends and chin-wagging! Not that that's a bad thing, but I really must rein it in a little this year. I was still buying stuff at ten past five as traders were trying to pack up and the stewards were ushering us out the exit!

I thought the standard of the display games this year went from "Impossibly Good" to "Gobsmakingly Awesome!". The Demo game eye candy is always one of the things I most like about Salute. But I have to say the Corunna table by the Essex Gamesters was amazing and a very worthy winner of Salute Challenge Shield. 

Deal Wargames - Invasion of Denmark

GLC Games - Battle of Sagrajas

Oshiro Model Terrain - Assault on New Victoria

Oshiro Model Terrain - Battle of Komagane

Herne Bay and Whitstable - Crush the Kaiser

Phoenix Game Club - Jason and the Argonauts

Ilford Wargamers - HMS Aeronautica-REX

Greek Phalanx by Ancient & Modern

Donnington 'New Era' - Agincourt

Maidstone Wargames Society - Operation Deadstick

Wargames Illustrated - Siege of Sevastopol

Victrix - Battle for La Vajol

Loughton Strike Force - Aspern Essling 1809

Loughton Strike Force - Aspern Essling 1809

Chemins de Feu - Slowing the Tide - Baltic War

Bob Cordery's Portable Wargame -Seven Weeks War 1866

Continental Wars Society - Swiss Civil War – Battle of Gislikon

Newbury & Reading Wargames Society - Into the Hornet's Nest

South London Warlords - Scarlet Thunder

The 'Meet the Rejects' session went very well with lots of people coming to say hello. Here The Angry Lurker collects a prize from The Wargaming Girl, Tasmin. 

Uxbridge Gamers - Border Incursion

Newbury & Reading - The Battle for Homs 1620 BC

Skirmish Wargames - Falklands Skirmish

South East Essex Military Society - Kingdoms in the Dust

Les Marie Louise Des Flandres - La Der des Der

Taylor's Crew - Beyond the Tannhausser Gate

Essex Gamesters - Corunna 1809

Essex Gamesters - Corunna 1809

Essex Gamesters - Corunna 1809

Essex Gamesters - Corunna 1809

Essex Gamesters - Corunna 1809

Essex Gamesters - Corunna 1809

Saluting Salute 2010

Continuing the slideshow review of my pictures from previous Salute shows here are my photo's from the 2010 event. This was the first year when my note taking kept pace with my photo's but it was also the year when I realised what a struggle it was to get round everything in the sort of detail I like. I love the fact that Salute is a big show and attracts so many people but I really do think it is nearing the maximum size for a one day show. There is potential for growth in that the organisers could just hire an extra section and get more traders and displays in but its far from clear if it would be economically viable to spread the show over two days instead of one.

The queues were huge and moved into an adjacent empty section of Excel

Imperial Stormtroopers guarded the entrance as usual

Siege of Yokomi-jo by Oshiro Modelterrain

Dr Who Miniatures Game - Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Daleks

RC Kingtiger... I wan't one, but it won't fit in the back on my car. But I'd love to see the look on my wife's face if I rolled that into the living room on my return from the show..."Look what I bought dear!"

54mm Colonial Period - Sudanese vs Ethiopiana

Critical Mass Games

Red Hawk Down - Soviet era war in Afghanistan - Red Star Miniatures

Frothers Unite - Frotherheim

Frothers Unite - Christmas Truce - An imaginative take on the impromptu football game between German and British troops on no-mans-land - Christmas 1914

Armies of Arcana

Veni, Vidi, Vici - Aylesbury Wargames Club

Market Garden - A Flames of War game by Battlefront Miniatures

A North Africa Flames of War game also by Battlefront Miniatures

Raid on the Solent - Raiden Miniatures

Another Armies of Arcana game

A world turned upside down - Realtime Wargames - AWI

Battle of Blenheim 1704 by Matt Slade & Martin Holmes

Detail from the Battle of Blenheim game

Battle of Blenheim 1704 - Matt Slade & Martin Holmes

Battle of Busaco 1810 - Loughton Strike Force

Normandy Breakout - Braintree Wargames Group

Perry Miniatures - Battle of Tewkesbury 1471

Perry Miniatures - Battle of Tewkesbury 1471

Zama 202BC - Muswell Militia

Zama 202BC - Muswell Militia

1st Chaeronea 338BC - Society of Ancients

End of Empire - Spirit of the Game

Meuse of Bust - WW2 - South London Warlords

Meuse of Bust - WW2 - South London Warlords

Ride the Divine Wind - Whitstable & Hern Bay Wargamers

Ride the Divine Wind - Whitstable & Hern Bay Wargamers

To Boldly Go - Star Trek - South London Warlords

Millers Crossing 1778 - Uxbridge Wargamers

Viking Wars - Gripping Beast

My Feet Hurt Mum - WWI - South East Essex Military Society

Glider Assault - Pegasus Bridge 6 Jun 1944 - Honnington Wargame Group

Punic Wars - Newark Irregulars

Swashbuckler - Hornchurch Wargames Club

Projekt X - A Weird War Two game Scarab Miniatures & Kallistra

I hope you have enjoyed this collection of pictures from the 2010 event. Unfortunately I missed the 2011 show because it clashed with the Easter Holidays and I was away with the family (who say's I never make sacrifices) so tomorrow I'll be posting pictures from the 2012 show.