The 1938 Peninsula Campaign Commences.

Cor blimey a month since I last posted! End of term led to far more marking then I was expecting.

I got my troops together, sorted them into units and prepped them for battle.

After the 'Raby Patrol'

 (http://lrqan2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/peninsula-campaign-raby-patrol-1-vbcw.html) 

'Valkyrie' platoon consolidated their position in Raby. The, reclassified,  XXth BUF Legion supported Valkyrie and Fort Raby (a forward operations/fire base) became established.

It was from this Fort that the peninsula campaign would develop.

Fort Raby's Compliment, 1938

(Went the Day Well Rules)

Valkyrie Platoon

Valkyrie Platoon HQ section

No. 1 Section

No. 2 Section

Artillery Support 

Cavalry Squadron

No.1 Section AT

C Troop BUFTC

Proper unit names and designations to follow.

However, these will be the core units for my up and coming campaign.

Take care out there and happy Armed Forces Day.

Rob.

Centuria/Cohort Support Elements

Right slow and easy. Man cave sorted. Troops reorganised and the support elements; found, prepped and ready for completion. This week? We'll see, what with the World Egg Chasing Championship on at the moment.

Armour Platoon

Dr. Holmes, his sisters, the Medical Section

Transport (ammo supply) Section

Courier/REECE platoon

Heavy Weapons Section,with FOO

There are more cyclists and heavy weapons, but they won't join the BUF. I see HaT do a WW1 British Heavy Weapons box containing mortars. Does anyone know where I could get a pack at a decent price?

I hope to get these completed by the end of the week, after which the heirs and I will be going to Wembley to watch Ireland vs Romania. Will I get my wish, I doubt it, but the sooner it's complete the sooner a game is on.

ERIN GO BRAH!

Thanks for popping by, keep safe.

Rob.

Callsign - PLAYTIME

Totally pissed off this month. My co-trainer has gone off sick leaving me with the course to finish off. The complete inability of the management team to understand what is going on, the failure to succession plan and the complete lack of resilience in the training dept. All means that I'm doing two jobs! I've put my cards in and should finish this week. However, as a result of the aforementioned my leave has been cancelled so I have to stay on for another three weeks. Hey but don't worry, the Inspector is coming back from his leave on Monday and the Sergeant goes off on leave Monday! Subsequently, my hobby time has ground to a halt. Rant over.

One thing I do like about the World Aflame rule set is the limited ammunition rule. This has added another dimension to my games. As troops need to be supplied I thought the XXth Legion needed a transport section. So I started one. (Excuse the quality, I'm having a bad time.)

A bag of assorted wheels, the remains of WW1 Airfix gun limber, some balsa and a couple of toothpicks. They need tarting up and painting. When I get time.

Callsign - PLAYTIME.

I fancy a dabble at the latest scenario http://panzerkaput.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/other-partizan-and-trouble-in-frisby-on.html . Note to self, find time!

Sorry about the rant I had to get it off my chest.

Enjoy your summer (or winter depending on where you are!)

Thanks for listening and popping by.

Rob

Shelldrake.

Needed some Arty support for the XXth Legion. So here's W battery. I hope that I have time for them to see action soon.

I'm going to convert something as a tractor for them, so it's off to the model shop for a sheet of plasticard.

I also have a design for the limber and crew, although a couple hae lost their heads to other conversions.

Anyway, onwards and upwards.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the sunshine.

Rob.

'B' Company; The Loyal Paneer Rifles

This week's post from the muster station is a pleasing one, for me. I have finally finished my Royalist company for the 38Fest2015 game.

 For your appraisal I present 'B' Company; 1st Battalion; The Loyal Paneer Rifles. Under command of Major Richard Beresford and his 2 i/c Matthew Rosewood. Havildar Major Amarjot Singh with '1' , '2' and '3' platoons commanded by Havildars: Dal Singh, Ranveer Singh and Baljit Kaal. (if anyone out there knows Sikh naming conventions and could correct any mistakes please do tell me.) I have given each platoon a Havildar commander as opposed to any higher rank, well, 'cause I can.

 

 
All that's needed is to add their banners and they're ready for the off. So I'll be fighting the battle of Fosse Way, as requested, in May.

A very kind offer from Wayne (aka Shintokamikazie) at http://republictheirishwarofindependence.blogspot.co.uk is winging it's way across the Irish Sea which should speed up the fight. (NB his site and you tube video on building card models is well worth a visit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVZlumhNycSDOJJkj3-RFjw )

Hope it is as sunny where you are as it is here, enjoy your weekend. Rugby semi-finals for me if I'm lucky.

Thanks for stopping by.

Rob.

Catch up.

Real life took over last week, well that and one of the best days of rugby I've ever witnessed! So I didn't get time to blog.

The last couple of weeks have been utilised tidying up my BUF cavalry squadron and finishing off some terrain pieces, which took a lot longer them I imagined.

Cavalry Squadron

I've not yet named them, although I do have a pennant, which needs to be printed and added. 

Terrain

Where I work requires a thirty-five mile trip through the Cheshire countryside. Since the last thirty years I've spent in an urban environment this has been a pleasant change.What it has done, as well as being able to marvel at beauty of the English countryside, has allowed me to study it in a bit more detail. This is good as a VCBW campaign is fought over it. What struck me most is the vast amount of hedge/field boundaries. Therefore I chose to construct some more. So here they are. 

There are many others and the means of making them can be found on my now silent blog, here: http://lrqan.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/building-fences-1-and-weird-year.html and here; http://lrqan.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/fences-2-end.html

The only difference is that I used polystyrene 'pizza' bases for these ones.

Now I'm fully prepped my campaign may start. At last!  (38fest15, prep is still ongoing).

Thanks for reading. Have a good time until next time and enjoy the spring.

Rob.

Meet the Platoon.

HQ Platoon

 This is Apple Manipolo (platoon), I Centuria Company), Xth Cohort Battalion, BUF Northern Division.

The Cohort took a bit of a hammering during the battle of the Cheshire Plain and is at two thirds strength.

Rather then work on two full sections OIC 'A' Platoon chose to have three under strength squads and hope for reinforcements at a later date.

                        ORBAT 

A Typical Section (actually I Squadra)

HQ Section
Capomanipolo/Lt.  Buru 'Paddy' Adair (5/1)
Caposquadara/Sgt. Graham Edwards (4/2)
Vicecaposqadara
/Cpl. (Act)(LMG)  Gerard Hall (3/2)
Camicia Nera
Scelta/L.Cpl(No.2)  Bishop White (3/2)
Camicia Nera/Pvt.
Buglar/Runner         639 Henry Taylor (2)
CN  (Runner)           Eric Parker (2)

I Squadra

The Full Manipolo

VS    Matthew Walker (4/2)
CNS  532 Barnabas Thomas (4/2)
CN     Roger Wood (3)
          Oscar Anderson (3)
          652 Garfield Taylor (3)
          Hugh Baker (3)
          Nathaniel Joiner (2)

II Squadra

VS       Terrance Mitchell (3/2)
CNS     Hayward Parker (3)
CN       941 Stephen Thomas (3)
            Harper Allen (3)
            Francis Lee (3)
           494 John Hall (2)
                                                                                          Leonard Davies (2)

III Squadra

VS            753 Jude Thomas (3/2)
A.CNS      Jake Plumber (3/1)
CN            Jason Stockton
                 Michael Page (2)
                 Shaun Mackenzie (2)
                 Malcolm Kennedy (2)


The numbers in the brackets are leadership/movement scores. I'm going to use two sets of rules Corner of a Foreign Field (altered for d6) and World Aflame. I hope background/backstory gets built up during the project.

More to follow. Thanks for popping by.

Rob.

NB. Note to self take an online course in closeup model photographing.





























                          

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

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.

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)

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