1st Lothians and Borders Yeomanry

So I've made some more progress on my 6mm WW2 project. As I have run out of infantry figures (due to pick up some more after Christmas) I decided to model one of the Divisional support elements.

This is the 1st Lothian and Borders Yeomanry. They are currently missing a regimental HQ stand, but that will follow after Christmas when Santa will be bringing me more bases.

The 1st LBY were of course part of the 51st Highland Division and were lightly armed in 1939/40 with Carriers and Vickers Light Mk VIB  Tanks. They were broken down into A, B, C and HQ Squadrons with each Squadron sub divided into 6 troops. Troops 1 and 2 of each Squadron were equipped with Vickers Light Tanks whilst Troops 3, 4, 5 and 6 were all Carrier equipped.

The HQ Squadron was equipped with both light tanks and carriers in addition to lorries and motorcycles (the usual supply/maintenance kit which would follow a tank regiment around). I have not had much luck finding sufficient information about precisely what the HQ Squadron was equipped with so I have decided to model it with two Troops of Vickers, two Troops of Carriers and an HQ stand of Carrier and Staff car.

As I mentioned above I will also be creating the Regimental HQ stand after Christmas.

 HQ Squadron (as I have decided to model it)

A, B and C Squadrons, I will have to do something to mark out the Squadron command stand in the future but it will do for now.


This group also represents the last of my "old" basing method and size. After Christmas I will be using slightly larger bases as I am finding the 20x20 bases a bit to fiddly handling wise. So once I have new bases and ordered some more infantry I should be able to press on and finish the final Infantry Battalion of one of the Divisions 3 Brigades. Before then pressing on and creating the other 6 Battalions which will make up the remaining 2 Brigades.

After that merry lot of Infantry stands is completed I will be able to get on with the fun stuff, Artillery, Machine Gun Battalions and other support elements. Of course as Santa will be bringing me 6mm Naps I might get distracted from my WW2 project.

4th Battalion, The Seaforth Highlanders

Continuing with my 51st Highland Division project this is another Infantry Battalion. I still need to paint up some more trucks for the Battalion motor pool but mostly done.

Going to work on 1st Lothians and Border Yeomanry next which is basically a light tank Battalion equipped with Vickers and Bren Gun Carriers. I thought they would make for a nice break from painting up Infantry Battalions. I only need to paint one more Infantry Battalion to have the 152nd Infantry Brigade completed.

Still tons of stuff to do for the division though, another two Infantry Brigades and a shed load of support units. Should keep me quiet, I'm going to be trying my hand at some 6mm Napoleonic's in the New Year which should be fun.

It's been some time

Well its been something like 6 months since I posted anything at all, so there's something ironic about my first post resurrecting the blog being of some zombies. I can't even say I painted these recently as I painted them six months ago and just lost all interest in modelling/painting etc shortly afterwards so they never made it on to the blog.

The figures are the studio miniatures plastics, with some modifications by me. The first one I have punked up by adding a bit of hair and a hood to the jacket nothing fancy but it works for me.

This guy goes with another studio miniatures plastic zombie I turned into a cop awhile a go. I wanted my zombie cop to have a partner so sculpted some shirt onto this one along with a belt, holster and some equipment pouches. I like it, again nothing fancy but it works.

This guy has had nothing really done to him except that I stuck a rifle in his hand as though he is a hunter, or national guardsman that's been turned and is still dragging his weapon along with him.

I might have got my modelling and painting mojo back, I'm really not sure. I'm going to have a go at some painting this week and see how I feel.

Cheers

Kickstarter - Precinct by Jim Walls

Well I finally joined the masses of Kickstarting!

I was browsing around on PCGamer last night and noticed an article about how Jim Walls (of the old and outstanding Police Quest games) was going to come out of retirement and with an old colleague from Sierra Online and create Precinct a successor to the old Police Quest games.

Now I loved the police quest games as a kid and oddly just played through them again, despite the appalling graphics and fiddly controls of the originals what still shines through is the top notch gameplay which was enhanced no end by Jim Walls background as a former cop.

The game gave you different paths and was hard, it also pulled no punches in making you think and I really hope that style is kept, as making it difficult was what made it half the fun.

I have always wanted someone to remake these games with modern graphics but the same decision based difficult gameplay.

Well this is up on Kickstarter at the moment and I'm excited just from the very limited concept art/video they have up. I think this looks amazing and would really encourage everyone to jump in and fund this. I am an old school PC Gamer and would love for this to be made.

Check out the old games, look past the graphics and you will notice how deep and emerging the gameplay is.

The Kickstarter is here

In modelling news I'm fiddling with some zombie figures at the moment and who knows I might actually paint them!

Why 28mm and I are going through a trial seperation

Just finished painting up this figure from Hasslefree, I wanted a manga kind of look for his top and hair, and of course his golden gun. I'm reasonably happy with how it turned out although I think on reflection the purple is a bit flat and needed more highlights/shading.

As the name of the post suggests I'm having a trial separation from painting 28mm (mostly). Over the last 3 years or so I have painted a lot of WW1/WW2 type stuff in 28mm which required me to finish squads and platoons etc. As a result I'm actually quite tired/bored with painting units of beige/khaki 28mm figures, equally I just don't seem to have the stamina to paint the same colour scheme over any groups of 28mm figures at the moment.

So I'm going to have a break. Instead I will be working on my 6mm projects, and "single" 28mm figures so Zombies, post apoc or fantasy figures that are not part of units but would be on their own so I can just work on that one figure without feeling I have another 9 to do before its finished.

I'm sure I'll end up going back to collecting 28mm army's but at the moment I'm a bit fed up painting tons of 28mm and I have enough troops for the games I actually game (VBCW) to not need more troops.

SALE - THE LEAD PILE

So I've come to a realisation, I will probably never get round to painting a lot of what is sitting in the "lead pile". So Rather than sit on the pile having it take up space for no reason I have decided to have a clear out. This is by no means all of my lead pile but is a lot of stuff which I doubt I will ever paint, or wont paint anytime soon.

So I am looking to shift the lot as, for convenience sake, a single lot. As such I am offering a big discount on retail for this lot.

The pile consists of

40 Warlord Plastic Scottish Covenanters (with metal command) still on the sprues except for about 5 figures worth of bits which are in a jiffy bag. Nothing painted

8 US Vietnam era troops from The Assault Group Undercoated only

1 Hasslefree Grymm LMG Team unpainted fresh lead

Empress British Javelin Team

Black Scorpion Resin Pirate

3 Polish Para's from Warlord (Bolt Action)

30 WW2 British Infantry figures (20mm) from Stonewall figures 26 unpainted rest fresh lead

20 Warlord WW2 Belgian army figures

1 Warlord WW2 Belgian Boyes AT Team

1 LAF Figure (one of the medieval lady cook ones)

10 Artizan Designs Figures from "A Very Private Army Range" (the dads army looking infantry)

21 x Random figures mostly Artizan with some Musketeer Miniatures mostly WW1/WW2 with some other stuff.

Now sold. Expect new projects in the future!

Lady In Red

Just finished painting up this figure from Hasslefree Miniatures. I've had her for a while but only just got around to slapping some paint on. I went with a light coloured trench coat (rather than the more traditional black) and red for the cat suit. I'm pretty pleased with the results, the red in particular turned out just how I wanted it to.