Salute: The Loot

So another year's Salute finished - what was my haul? Quite an odd one, all in all. 

The big buy was Star Wars Armada, which I've had my eye on and already racked up a few fun games using my brother' core set. It's not cheap and the core box isn't really enough for a game, but with two of us collecting, we should be able to split the new waves of releases between us and keep the cost more palatable. The Troll Trader had it at £55, an excellent price considering the rrp is £80. Even at that price, I'm glad I know what I getting myself in for. 

Three 15mm 4Ground buildings - Wyvern chaps split a preorder which made the max 25% discount, so I supplemented the farm I've already got with the beginnings of a town. I also grabbed more Landmark walls as they are heavily discounted and may vanish off the market. 

Renedra terrain - desert accessories and sandbags. Also a TFL/Warbases chicken coop (I couldn't resist)

Stocking up on paint (replacing some dried up old GW paints with suitable vallejo), as well as bases and tufts. Also some black primer that avoided the photo. 

Some markers for status effects and vehicle damage (the latter in the Troll Trader bargain bin for £1). - always come in useful. 

Just a few miniatures: Artizan Designs 'tea time' colonial officer for the Sudan and Hasslefree 'not Last of Us' survivors. I was sorely tempted by Lucid Eye miniatures simians and cro-magnons, but I just don't have a use for them at 

All in all, mostly hobby supplies and terrain. No substantial impulse purchases. No new projects. Barely any miniatures. Oddly that feels like a good thing - I've enough to paint already!). 

Salute 2014: The Loot

Well I'm back from the annual wander around the cavernous Excel centre. While I no longer live in London I was fortunate enough to have somewhere to stay the weekend and someone to entertain the wife for the day, to avoid the godawful-o'clock start that the rest of the Wyvern Wargamers group endured. So, fresh faced, I turned up at 1020 to avoid the worst of the monstrous queue. 

So, what tempted my wallet? All in all, no 'big ticket' purchases, just some stock ups, a few minis that I've had my eye on and some odds and ends.



-From the Perry stand, a restrained visit with just three packs from the Sudan range to top up the painting queue and box of Afrikakorps. The latter all BobC's fault after he mentioned that had enough ANZACs for Chain of Command. Dual use for Indiana Jones pulpy nonsense too.
-My annual Flag Dude stockup, mostly Mahdist and colonial British.
-A supply package from Warbases - bases for Mahdists and some oddments from their new animals range
-Some custom Perspex rings from Oshiro Modelterrain make sabot trays for my Mahdists
-some Renedra bell tents and rustic fences
-a few 4Ground furniture packs, to fill buildings in pulpy games
-Various resin scenic bits, including reasonably priced ruined columns and gate posts, a couple of bits of wall and some timber stacks
-Impulse purchase of just one 10mm WWI German jaeger pack from Kallistra. The Wyvern Wargamers table by Kallistra looked ace with whole hordes of infantry on a big push for he battle of the Marne in 10mm. I thought l'd grab a little platoon to paint up and perhaps join in future games of TFL's Through the Mud and the Blood. Really liked the heft of the Kallistra minis too - just that nudge bigger than pendraken's 10mm.
-Stockup of tufts from Antenociti

All in all, a par haul by my standards.

I did make the blogger meetup, albeit delayed from too long lingering at 4Ground. So I missed many people and the photo but did get chance to congratulate Michael Awdry on his victory over me in the AHPC side challenge. I also to chance to catch up with Samulus during the day, which was nice.

Salute 2013: The Haul

Well, that was fun. A long day at Salute yesterday, followed by a tasty dinner with the family. Salute seemed pretty busy and while I barely took any photos, there were some impressive display and participation games.

This was my haul, from left to right then top to bottom:


-a dockside and trade goods from Ainsty (for Pulp/Sudan); another box of Mahdist Ansar from Perry miniatures, a free sprue of Romans from Warlord, two more well-priced small hills from S&A Scenics)

-a restock and new colour of Silfor tufts, a whole stack of Warbases movement trays (some for Saga and the rest for Sudan), shell craters from Warlord and the Salute miniature, a stack of Perry Sudan blisters, resin odds and sods: domes and generators (supplier forgotten), can of Dullcote and some palm trees that I got off Gharak (who bought them from Minibits last year but never did anything with them).

-a little more laser-cut wood: one more Sarissa building and one 4Ground tree base, two single miniatures from gringo40s, two 10mm jeeps from Pendraken (worlds smallest preorder to finish BKC command stands), Wesfalia 'Cantiniere' (good to have some ladies in stock for nex year's challenge...), Empress rocket team (meant for Zulu wars, but mine will used in the Sudan), 1st Corps motorcycle for Pulp, Warlord stowage pack, Flag Dude banners for Sudan two d12s and the Salute dice and, finally, a spare card deck from Gharak for Pulp Alley.

So quite a bit spent, but I came in under my absolute max budget and managed to pick up something for almost my projects! It is heavily weighted towards Sudan, my current enthusiasm (MichaelA and Greg, I blame you...). It started as a Pulp-esque narrative skirmish campaign, but it didn't quite work. The plan is now to bulk out to what I'm calling 'mini Black Powder': using Black powder rules with drastically smaller units (standard size of 8men) and reducing ranges by 1/3rd. this being both for a smaller board size and for cost reasons! I don't think the rules will need many fudges to work. With the purchases above, I should have enough to do that with a couple of units spare. I've already started assembling, so I can get them based and get Samulus round as guinea pig (ahem, play tester).

Some lessons this year:
-preordering, particularly for 'odds and sods' works: it saves time and decisions in the day and missing out on things that I just wouldn't order over the year.
-1030 is the 'sweet spot' to arrive, the enormous queue has vanished and advance ticket holders can walk straight in.
-I am pleased Gharak and I managed to resist any new projects, while we lingered at Pendraken army packs for 10 minutes (I do quite fancy another 'mass battle' game in 10mm), I think we both felt it would have been buying blind for the sake of buying. I had a long enough shopping list as it was!
-even 5 hours doesn't feel like doing Salute justice: we got no demos in again and other bloggers are posting photos of display games I don't think I saw.

Gharak and I did make the bloggers meet up this year, albeit late and briefly. But it was good to meet a few chaps as a break from the browsing and shopping.

That's that for another year, phew!

The Projects

It's time for a list. After considering my Salute purchases (as well as the pre-Salute purchases and post-Salute purchases), I thought it fitting to document my current hobby projects and predict where they're going this year.

I'll start with a Pie chart. Unfortunately it doesn't illustrate anything except that I'm balancing limited hobby time across a number of projects. But I do like pie charts (and it adds a splash of colour to what could have been a long rambling post).

1). 28mm Napoleonics
Definitely in a consolidation phase. After two years I've a fair amount painted up and while I do have plenty more minis and terrain to paint up I intend to take a break from the most of it. I will get the Colours sorted on all of my painted units before setting it aside completely. I think next year Gharak and I will come back to gaming Napoleonics and I'll be enthused to pick up the brushes again.

2). 28mm Vikings for Saga
Six point force painted, one point left to finish. In an ideal world I'd buy one more unit of Bondi as an eighth point for maximum flexibility. But I can always add that later, for now I'm content that it is mostly finished and is something I might actually get a game of every now and then with people who aren't Gharak.

3). 28mm Pulp
This will rumble on (especially as Gharak and I are mid-adventure). After my early 2012 drive we've plenty of encounters to play with perhaps just the odd extra miniature required. As a varied project means it is great to drop Pulp figures into a separate painting project to mix things up a little. It also doesn't need much buying for it at the moment. Happily it will get gamed again this year: we need at least one more session this summer to get our heroes out of their current pickle!

4). 10mm WWII British
Was finished (!) as a platoon plus support, then I picked up a few more bits at Salute but they should be quick to paint up. I'm in a bit of a quandary with rules, but those purchases should give me a small Blitzkrieg Commander-sized force. At some point I'll buy BKC and twist Gharak's arm into a game or two or grab a game in my local area.

5). New project 1: 28mm Greek Mythology
Gharak is in the driving seat for this one, creating a complete skirmish game with fluff, rules and sometime down the road it's own miniature range. Ambitious as always, my brother. The game will be a skirmish scale with suitably heroic combat, set in an alternate world taking its inspiration from Greek Mythology. And my role? A mix of advisor, rules collaborator, playtester, painter and who knows what else! We're working on test forces for each faction, so I've the start of a Minoan force on my paint table, Minotaur and all.

6). New project 2: 15mm SciFi
While I didn't really need a new scale (or a new project right now!), I've been tempted to dabble in 15mm SciFi by Samulus. I've an order in with Ground Zero Games for a platoon of infantry and I'll grab my pick of cool vehicles and air support to face his Autosentia. Ive set on a colour scheme and written some fluff for my faction, which was a fun way to spend an hour. Again, not set on any rules as yet, but 15mm seems popular for SciFi, so I've no doubt we'll find something fun.

7). Resurrected project: 28mm Wild West
One on the horizon, after backing Blackwater Gulch with 20 of my hard-earned pounds. Resurrected because a few years back Gharak and I bought a bunch of cowboys and Legends of the Old West. Gharak built some terrain and I got some erm...half-built. We played a few games and set it aside. Once BG is released in the autumn I'll paint some cowboys and finish my terrain.

In summary, seven projects, four of them current. Eep, plenty to be getting on with...

Salute 2012: The Haul

In the aftermath of Salute plenty people are blogging about their day and purchases. And here's my trifling haul. From the top:
-Two Battlefront plastic tanks (free with a demo at FoW, since passed to someone who plays 15mm WWII who can make use of them)
-A bumper set of Colours from Flag Dude. Enough for all my finished Napoleonic Brits and Spanish.
-Free samples from GZG. Fantastic 15mm SciFi sculpts, I was chuffed that one a great likeness to Mal Reynolds from Firefly.
-Movement trays for Saga from Warbases
-A part-box of Wargames Factory Greek Hoplites, for my Brother's next project (more on that later)
-A small preorder from Pendraken, giving me enough WWII British to play Blitzkrieg Commander
-Salute 2012 miniature, which looks fun to paint up
-Stock up on MiniNatur tufts
-Redoubt miniatures Helen of Troy and Trojan archers (Brother's project)
-A lonely pack of Perry Napoleonics
-Otherworld Miniatures Minotaur (can you guess the project?)

Not a completely successful day, not only did I return home with fully half my spends, I was desperate for new matt varnish and white undercoat but could only find Army Painter and GW sprays which I'm avoiding. I was interested in a new big battle, small-scale project and didn't pick anything up, though most tempting was some 15mm SciFi from GZG. I'll paint up my samples and look into buying online.

Salute was a great day, a massive show and busier than I've ever seen it. So big it took two hours to do our first circuit of the hall! I don't feel like I managed to do the show justice, as the clock ran down it became a spend-athon and I didn't pay enough attention to the frankly amazing demo tables. I did take my camera but spectacularly failed to take any photos. So I'm reliving the through other people's great snaps, like Samulus and BigLee.

I also failed to get to the bloggers meet-up, my fault entirely as I got my timings wrong. I didn't start well in this regard, being half an hour late on arrival which put me in a flustered mood. So apologies to those Bloggers I missed wandering around the hall, I hope you all had a good day and hope to catch you at another show soon!

Those who are about to buy... Salute you!

Shortly I'll be making my way across London to join many of you at Salute 2012. As the biggest UK show it is always great to get down there to spend some pennies! Looking forward to a day dedicated to the hobby and hope to catch some of my fellow bloggers there.

Illuminated manuscripts - surprisingly interesting

This weekend my Dad wanted to see an exhibition on illuminated manuscripts at the British Library. I was happy to indulge, but couldn't muster much enthusiasm in the subject. Turned out it was a nice surprise - a vast collection on both religious and non-religion texts, delightfully illustrated, from the Royal Collections held at the BL.

The works themselves were nothing without the context around them, which was succinctly presented and integrated into the displays. Plenty detail to the historical backdrop, mostly of the Was of the Roses and 100 Years War. Having studied Henry VIII at least twice in school history lessons, seeing the very Bible the King and Cardinal Wolsey pored over and annotated in their search for the justification for Henry to divorce his wife was pretty darned interesting, actually.

Most of the works were from between 1100-1500 and were real treasures. There were even a book of psalms from the Anglo-Saxon period, and the burned remnants of one work dating from around the year 500. I wonder if these artists realised their work would survive a thousand years later? Not bad for some cured hide, pigment and gold leaf.

Another fine example of just how much history the UK has to offer. Darn, I sound like a tourist-board advert. Highly recommended but I stress I have no affiliation with the BL!

I'd best bring this back to wargaming - the exhibition almost tempted me to grab some miniatures for Wars of the Roses/Medieval skirmish. Perry miniatures just happen to do a couple of boxes at a very reasonable price... Whilst I'd have fun painting them, I would never get a game with them, so I'll leave it as a project I could do as a diorama one day.

Further ideas

So, still mulling over some purchases. A front runner are the below Lancers de la Mancha from Eagle Figures It's the uniforms that are carrying these, they look awesome but that might be the paintjobs. I gather these were a Junta unit fighting with the French, so could lend them to my brother, or fight alongside my Spanish if I'm happy to tweak history a little. Drawbacks - cavalry take an age and I've already more than 25 on the workbench!

An alternative is the Victrix Marine heads pack. This gives a slight variation on the redcoats, but opens up possibilities of games around the Peninsular coast. Better still, I reckon those top hat heads would be ideal for a whole raft of Spanish units, so will undoubtedly come in useful. I fel this would be a luxury purchase though, £15 for some heads and 3 command seems a lot!

I need some brushes too, I'm tempted to stick with the Army Painter ones I tried out this year, but I could be swayed by other brands. Any recommendations?

Yours,
PhilH

Post-Christmas plotting and planning...

Happily stuffed with Christmas grub, I find the mediocre TV on offer is encouraging me to ponder hobby projects. Now, a few years back I started a new tradition - after Christmas I would spend a little money on myself, guilt free. This is by no means because I don't get good Christmas gifts, I fact, my family are all very kind and choose great presents. However, they will lean towards be household items, clothing and luxury goods - rarely hobby supplies!

So, I'm in the Market for a few bits and bobs. If the Challenge goes well, I should deplete my stocks of miniatures to paint. But what to get? Possibilities include:

>random Perry bits (British RHA, Light infantry, Wellington, other bits)

>Old Glory rocket troop (because rockets are fun!)

>A second unit of Spanish line infantry (torn between new Brigade Games or Capitan miniatures - anyone recommend either?)

>Spanish cavalry, probably made out of Perry plastic French Hussars

>more Peninsular terrain (won't score me Challenge points though)

>sidestep for variety into Brunswickers or Portuguese (metal-only, so pricey)

>something for Pulp gaming (needs my brother to choose a setting/theme, he's in charge)

>A new project for 2012?!

The alternative is to think about Napoleonic French. My brother and regular gaming partner is about to have his first child, so I expect his (already limited) hobby time will be minimal for a few years. Perhaps I could help, to ensure fully painted forces for years to come. Torn between making the offer and picking up some bare plastic when I visit in February, or perhaps picking some new stuff up on his behalf, painting it in secret and giving it for his birthday in April. But what to buy? I'm pretty spoilt for choice for French!

Or perhaps I don't want anything enough? Nah, who am I kidding, we all want more lead...

PhilH

Triples, belatedly

Thought I'd post my thoughts on a long Saturday spent at Triples. Firstly, love the new venue - easy to get to, with a nice, airy, well-lit hall which most traders and games fit into. I was fond of the old Triples venue, but mostly as I knew if from being a Sheffield Student. Really, Triples was a bit of a rabbit warren of rooms full of dimly lit stands and games. Endearing, but not ideal for a hobby which is becoming increasingly well-presented and professional. The new location is a great improvement.

There were some impressive demo games, as much from the number of figures on show as the themes. None really inspired us to dive into a new subject though. A great blog, Too Much Lead, has a good few pics of the highlights:


http://toomuchlead.blogspot.com/2011/05/sheffield-triples-2011.html


The purchases were a mixed success, as I had a long list of hopeful items. We're often tempted on the spur of the moment to undertake a new project, but not this year. The best contenders were Anglo-Dutch wars naval, or 10mm medieval/ancients. Neither got us excited enough to purchase. At the end of a good 4 hours browsing, the haul was:
-Two desert hills to texture up for Napoleonic Peninsular war
-pack of Redoubt defenses, again for Peninsular
-Renedra plastic fencing
-three packs of MiniNatur tufts to detail up a whole host of bases and terrain
-a few final (honest!) bits from Pendraken to bulk the Tommy platoon out
-an impulse purchase of some Gripping Beast/Woodbine British Countryside Hunt minis, probably to be used as Pulp characters

This came in at only half the budget,so spare money to splash out this month!