Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas to you all and I hope that you have a pleasant and peaceful time, wherever you may be.

May you all find something in Christmas stockings.

I hope to get back to this project in the New Year.

Lorcan.

The Cheshire Division Forms Up. The Peoples' Army Gathers and a pack of cards.

There is a bit of a rant to this but that is elsewhere.

I haven't had much time for our hobby recently but I did manage to tidy up a few projects.

Firstly

I finished off  B Company  Royal regiment of Chester (Cheshire Div). These are Airfix latest WW2 British Army. Not too bad a set for that company but a bit spindly.

Secondly

Some Caesar Partisans and WW2 Resistance fighters. 

I do like Causer figures. There moulding is superb and so detailed.

I'm generally pleased with how they turned out. However, I coated them in a mahogany varnish. This darkened the flesh colours a bit too much for my liking, it didn't do the same when I last did it. I suppose they could always campaign in summer with a healthy tan!

Finally, I designed a series of 'event cards'  and got them printed up at www.PrinterStudio.com. Easy, fairly reasonable and quick.

Take care out there and thanks for checking this out.

Lorcan

Some shameless pimping

Over at the below.

www.blma.com

The fine Big Lee is celebrating a million hits and has a rather splendid
range of prizes on offer. so get yourself over there and scan through some of his posts. He is a damn good modeller.

Now for some period appropriate pimping.

I just designed my own chance cards for my game.

I just designed my own cards: Dead easy and cheap.

Standard 300gsm (smooth) Poker Size Custom Cards (Blank Cards) Playing Cards 1, 13 or 54 photos, $7.99

A Lazy Morning on the Late Shift.

Awaiting to go to work and with not a great deal to do I played around with my painting programme and got these.

Meanwhile on the Welsh/Cheshire Border

Well over the last week I built a camp for whichever unit decides to occupy it.

The buildings are from a 'print and play' Stalg Luft kit that's available for free on the web somewhere, just can't find it again.

The result of my ministrations.

The gang have taken it in turns to get the lurgi and it was my turn yesterday. Spent 18 hours in the sack listening to the radio ( a past time I do enjoy) and I heard a very interesting play on 'The Two Ronnies'.  So now I'm just awaiting the compulsory 24 hrs without symptoms which has given me the opportunity to catch up some on some modelling.

I tool the advice from the previous blog. I washed the figures, dried them overnight and tried another undercoat of black. Left to dry.

Today, three days later, I returned to my company and saw that the undercoat had stayed on. RESULT! The sad thing was black seems to hide the detail on these figures, grey does not. Now I know plastic isn't as forgiving as metal but compared to the like of Caesar, Airfix do come up a wee bit wanting. After examining the figures I discovered that the undercoat had sloughed off, in parts.

So with all things considered I decided to try out a 'quick wargame block painting'  technique. Part 1: A Heavy wash of burnt umber: Part 2; Paint backpack, pouches, respirator cases, puttees in Rucksac tan: Part 3; Dry brush webbing in same colour: Part 4; Finish off flesh, rifles, hair and boots: Part 5; Base and varnish.

And There You Have It.

Problem with painting plastic.

This post originally appeared on my other blog. However, as it is VBCW and wargame orientated I feel it should more rightly be here.

With the Viscountessa crook I was up early. The previous day I had primed and washed in mild soapy water a box of Airfix WW2 British Infantry, mounted them on some painting boards and left them to dry overnight. Roger so far?

First thing the (0600) I undercoated them with Humbrol Black Primer and left them to dry in the conservatory, weather was warm. When I came to check them at lunchtime I found the undercoat had cracked and upon handling them the it flaked off!

This was a deviation from my usual routine as I was trying out a different painting technique. I undercoat in 'Wilco's' Grey Primer and this has never happened before.

Any ideas as to why this happened? And/or how, or if I can overcome it?

Cheers in anticipation.

Lorcan.

A World Aflame QRS

Well readers I've knocked up a series of Quick Reference Sheets for the above rules. They are on 'Microsoft' so I can't add it to the blog. They run to 15 pages, I hope I have captured everything but there may be some gaps. If you want a copy just email me. Address is in my profile.

Lorcan.

Some progress, but not a lot.

Well I've struggled with this blog. But Nils Desperandum, I'll plow on.

Finished off my Anglican League.

Command Team

I need to get to get to grips with with my close up photos.

Peoples Army

Peoples Army 2



Field Fences (WIP)

There are other bits kicking around.

Finished terrain and some BUF Troops in the Line

A fortnight ago I started on some 'credit card' scenery. Well its 'lates' week again and I've managed to finish them off.

Trench System and HQ dugout

From the Front
(forgot to paint the tank traps)

Some Terrain!

It was my week of lates so last weekend I prepped and undercoated a box of plastic WW1 'Doughboys' to paint up. However the Viscountess and the Lord had other things planned. Monday saw me spending the morning transporting trash to the tip; Tuesday and Wednesday was spent under medical attention sorting out my drug regimen and blood tests, they weren't able to stop my heart last week as my blood was too thick. So no painting. I did manage to grab a couple of hours a day for our hobby and to put together some bits of terrain.  All built on credit card size bits of plastic and off cuts. All require painting and finishing.

Ditto from the Front



A Trench with Tank Traps



Cards, sliced in half, ripped up sponge to hedging 

Add caption

A Terraced Housing Build (last Part)

Final day of lates and I want to finish this build.

The rear of the property is done like the front. Pins hold the build together whilst the glue sets.

Stirrers and matches add the step and window ledges.

A background of roof tiles photocopied and reenforced with wooden stirrers. Some chimneys scavenged from another card model.

Bamboo skewers for down pipes

The finished piece. I'm fairly happy with it but it is allot of work for something that WWG or Stol would do which could be done in a third of the time. Would it be any easier to make a pre-bought model? I can't be bothered to base it yet, even if I do. 

I think that will do for building at the moment and I'll get to painting up some figures next.

Thanks for all your comments guys, most appreciated.

It's looking remarkably like spring here. No rain and the sun's shinning!

Take care. Lorcan.

A Facinating Read!

Now I was brought up in England by Irish parents. I spent most of my holidays in a small seaside town just south of Dublin with my Grandparents. My Grandfather was an avid reader and this was passed on. Anyway I found a number of books in my Mum's attic, the above being one of them. There is another about Cork's story and there may be others.

The point I'm getting to is that the tales within these pages are a veritable mine of information for VBCW, and at a stretch zombie gaming. Living off the land, ambushing the enemy (whether they be bands of gangers or organised enemy). Limited food, ammunition and surviving on your wits.

It's not a great piece of literature but it is written by educated people who know how the English language works and it has a great deal of charm in that respect.

If you are interested in the inter-war period and the VCBW ethos it's well worth attempting to get hold of from your library. I would suggest an internet book stall but then I saw the price that was being asked!

Good luck out there. Note to self 'get a bloody zombie game done!!"

Lorcan

How it started.

Well I got bitten by the 'there's something better' bug and have been tempted by 'A Very British Civil War!'

Members of the Cheshire Division

As such my Zombie gaming has slid a bit and the 'Long Rifle' project has stalled completely.

Wirral Volunteers in Training

Now as I have no rules for this period I spent the week writing my own. 'Bolsheviks Do Not Play Cricket!' This was allot more difficult and time consuming then I thought when I embarked on it. Well I completed them today and they're an IGOUGO; HG Wells, Charles Grant, Donald Featherstone style d6 romp. I must admit I found the experience very rewarding and good escapism.

Army of Liverpool Unload a Shipment of AC's

In my defence, I do have a start as my current project is set in that time frame and I have a couple of boxes of unpainted figures, plus my civilians fit.

How long will this sideline last? I've got to, at least, play test my rules. The Six Nations starts this weekend! Will I get a zed  game in?

Tune in next week for more of Lorcan's Fickle World.

Thanks for reading. Try and keep dry.

LRQ.

First Post

 

Well I've finally bitten the bullet and started a second blog. This one devoted to VBCW. I found that blogging really helped drive my previous project and I hope this will do the same.

Inially I will be building up my forces and scenery and then blogging batreps when I get going with this.

This corner of the new civil war takes place on 'The Wirral' peninsula. Hence the odd picture above.

There have been various VCBW posts on my other blog 'Plastic Zombie' (www.lrqan.blogspot.com), which I want to transfer to here, any ideas how this can be done?

Anyway; I hope you enjoy my project and I look forward to hearing and getting to know you all better.

Yours,
Lorcan