Wednesday 30 June 2021

Unboxing 3D Textured Old Town Pavement

Today's unboxing follows on from the video I did last week when I bought some self-adhesive cobbled road. I found this 3D textured card material from Model Railways Direct and decided I could make some pavement for my streets for mm wargaming. The textured sheets are suitable for N Gauge railways so are a good analogue for 15mm terrain setups.


Here are a few more pictures of the pavements I made and I will be making a load more now that I have tested the concept and am happy with the finished items. 







So a new product discovered and put into service, with more of this to come now that I have found a good supplier. 

As always, I hope you enjoyed the video and if you did please like, subscribe and share. 

Sunday 27 June 2021

Realism verses Playability

I have often had conversations about realism versus playability in wargames, especially when it comes to Historical wargaming. How much realism is too much will vary from player to player depending on if they are a rivet counter or a hobbyist. 

Wednesday 23 June 2021

Unboxing Cobbled Road

This self-adhesive foam road surface from Bush is another example of Railroad terrain products finding use on my wargaming table. I mounted it on a foam backing so it remains flexible and can be cut as desired for my terrain layouts.


This is a new product for me and has opened my eyes a bit to the diversity of Railway layout terrain products available, especially from European manufacturers. Now I need to find something to make pavements from so hopefully next week I can take this little project a step further. 

Gamers to the core: My job here is done.
On a side note....

I had hoped to be getting in a few more solo games before Posties Rejects finally get back in the Shed-O-War in early July (once we've all had our vaccinations of course) but I have been a little sidetracked by a slightly more important project. 

My daughter Sarah is getting married this weekend and we've all been just a little busy preparing. The final stage of lockdown easing was due to happen in England this week but has been delayed by four weeks. Weddings were the one exception, but with a caveat that has thrown us into last-minute frantic reorganization. The limit of 30 guests at weddings was lifted but with social distancing rules still in effect. This limits the capacity of the venue and means no dancing or buffet meal in the evening. We have therefore had to cancel the evening reception, move back the time of the wedding (otherwise we'd all be going home by 4pm!) and change the guestlist. Everything is ready (again!) and the only thing left to throw a spanner in the works is the great British weather. 

Sunday 20 June 2021

A question of Scale

When I started this blog (way back in the mists of time!) I put together a scale guide and eventually turned it into a static page. This has consistently remained the most viewed article on my blog so clearly, there is a need for some sort of scale comparison guide. Today's video on Miniature Adventures discusses the main wargaming scales and compatibility with products such as Model Railway porducts. 


As always I don't profess to be an expert so if you think I have something wrong please let me know in the comments below or over on my Channel. 

Wednesday 16 June 2021

Ruined 15mm MDF Ruined Buildings and a Box Girder Bridge

Following on from a video I did a few weeks ago I bought some more low cost 15mm MDF buildings from eBay. The latest set is a collection of basic ruins designed as freestanding walls. I decided to upgrade these by mounting the walls on bases and filling the interiors with a rubble mix that I made from railway tallus, sand and broken MDF and bits of sprue. While I was at it I also made some additional rubble bases to add to the outside of the buildings and block streets so that I can recreate a destroyed town in my games. 

Along with the Buildings I also bought an MDF Box Girder Bridge from the same seller on eBay. The bridge and all the buildings were given a simple paint scheme and the finished products are shown at the end of the video.


The ruined buildings are two sets which combined cost a modest £11 in total while the Box Girder Bridge was £3.50. As with the buildings I bought before (link here) they are basic models but are easy to 'upgrade' and when painted look pretty good on the games table. 

Simple buildings with a simple paint scheme

I filled the interior with a rubble mix that I made from different sized railway tallus and bits of sprue and offcuts of MDF

I also made some additional 'rubble bases' to scatter in the streets and around the buildings. And lastly, I bought a Box Girder Bridge. 

I hope you liked the video and I'm sure this won't be the last stuff I buy from eBay or from this seller. 

Sunday 13 June 2021

Adverts in Wargame Magazines

Over the last year and a bit, I have found myself spending longer reading the adverts in my wargaming magazines. I'm even doing the same for adverts in back issues from 20 years ago. I have come to realise this is a symptom of really missing game/trade shows here in the UK. Nothing can quite compare to the visceral experience of handling new products and looking them over with the Mark 1 Eyeball. Today's video on my YouTube Channel Miniature Adventures explores this strange phenomenon and looks forward to getting back to in-person shows.


As always I hope you found that interesting and if you did please leave a comment here or on my channel. Until next time, keep safe, get in as many games as you can and keep rolling high!

Tuesday 8 June 2021

Newark Air Museum

I recently had a chance to get away for a weekend (something we haven't done in a long while) and visited a few museums. Newark Air Museum has been on my hit list for some time and has a very interesting history and an even more interesting collection of Post War jet aircraft on display. I shot a little bit of video while I was there and it is available to view on my YouTube Channel Miniature Adventures


I also took a few pictures (you know what I'm like!) and thought I'd share these here as well.  

Avro Vulcan B.2 in excellent condition - The Vulcan was a jet-powered tailless delta wing high-altitude strategic bomber, which was operated by the Royal Air Force from 1956 until 1984. 

Blackburn Buccaneer S.1 outside Hanger 1 - It was a British carrier-capable attack aircraft designed in the 1950s for the Royal Navy.

Avro Shackleton MR.3/3 - Constructed in 1957 this aircraft was for a while stationed in Malta. It had a crew of 10, a top speed of 302mph and a range of about 3600 miles. 

A Model of a Halifax Mk 3 with 466 Sqdn. Halifaxes were one of a number of British Bombers based at this site during the war, primarily for training.




Another model of a Halifax, this time signed by aircrew veterans.

Memorial to Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC DSO DFC

Probably the prettiest Anderson Shelter I have ever seen!

Memorial to the personnel of Bomber Command who made the supreme sacrifice in WWII


It was nice to get out and back to visiting museums, something we haven't been able to do for such a long time. It was especially nice because the weather was fantastic for a change, so all in all a refreshing day out and another step back towards normality. 

Sunday 6 June 2021

D-Day Normandy MDF Buildings from eBay

If you are wargaming on a budget most MDF buildings will be too expensive to have more than a few. I recently bought a set of buildings from a small independent manufacturer selling on eBay which were excellent value for money. The details are basic but with a good paint job, they will enhance any wargames table at a fraction of the cost of other commercial products.


I don't often single out a manufacturer like this (and no, I'm not on commission!) but these were such good value I had to do a video to show them off. 


Friday 4 June 2021

Unboxing - Baccus 6mm Celts

|I have just posted an unboxing video on my YouTube Channel Miniature Adventures. This is a long awaiting and much-anticipated delivery of 6mm Celts from Baccus. These will turn some Celtic allies for my Carthaginians into an army in their own right and expand my options for gaming during and around the time of the 2nd Punic War.


I'm a big fan of the Baccus ranges and anyone that follows my blog will know they are my go-to 6mm manufacturer.