Rain, Rain Go Away!

When it rains it pours... Why should rain bother a run of the mill wargamer/painter? This weekend gave me an opportunity to start work on my Panther Company (my girl friend buggered off shopping with her friend, her words). However, like the Germans advancing through Russia in 1943 the weather has slowed down my progress to a grinding crawl. The rain has an effect on just about every aspect of painting and can ruin plans for getting things done. How so I hear you cry? Let me Explain:

• Spraying in damp conditions is a nightmare. The spray can clump, dry misty and ruin the look of the models. Luckily I have a spray shed but I can assure you that running between my house and my shed in the pouring rain is not fun. It was also a huge de-motivator.
• Secondly, drying times. I don't know if any of you have this issue but in the cold and damp paint, inks and sprays seem to take decades to dry. This meant I have been jumping from project to project. In the long term this will be great as it means that I have continued with a lot of different projects but it does feel like I haven't done anything.
• Finally, light. The clouds have shaded my house all weekend and the gloom has distorted the colours. (I really need a daylight lamp).

Even through these difficult times (hose pipe bans are very traumatic). I did manage to finish one platoon of Panthers and a small farm cottage. Other projects I have flitered to were... Blood Angel Tactical squad, British Para Mortar Platoon and a Fortified Manor 15mm Pics soon!

Before I leave to set sail to hopefully sunnier climates a product review. I have brought some of the new GW paints to test them out. They are great! The new bases and layers work well together and GW has produced some wonderful painting guides to show which paints layer well to create blends. The coverage is good and if you select the correct colours the highlights can be made to look very subtle. The texture paints for basing are good quality but to me are not going to be a replacement for good old sand and flock. The do come in a variety of colours but I think they would be better for using as mud on tank treads.

Right I'm off brolly in hand into the deluge of  painting seeya.

SALUTE 2012

This is the voice of the Mysterons

Ahoy there. Welcome to another post aboard the Folly of War. This week I set sail for SALUTE 2012 for the first time ever. All I can say is wargame heaven. There was an astounding amount of different companies, games and miniatures out there. Highlights of this year was the giant game of Captain Scarlet which, brought me back to the days of youth watching the program with my dad on a Friday evening. I couldn't believe the detail of the scenery!

  

Dystopian Wars was also present and again the tables that Spartan games has were really inspirational. One table used all three elements of the game (Land, sea and air). It displayed a battle involving a beach landing on a central island.

Here comes the clowns. (EDEN)

New games that caught my eye were EDEN and Dropzone. EDEN (a french game) is another post apocalyptic skirmish game. The reason I took this game was the miniatures in particular the gang of psychopathic clowns and circus freaks (watch this space I may be getting some soon). The other game of note was Dropzone (released later this year). Now, I came to SALUTE having just completed Mass Effect 3 then I saw the miniatures of the ships for one of the alien races and my jaw dropped. I am not saying that Hawk Miniatures have ripped of EA but make your decision here (naughty). However I will be ordering as many of those minis as I can.

Knees not included

Finally a product review. Many readers will know I am a HUGE fan of Flames of War and SALUTE gave me the chance of buying a new Axis army as I only have Allies. Blood, Guts, and Glory has just hit the shelves and I really wanted to paint some tanks. Scouring the trade stands I came across the Plastic Toy Soldier Company (check them out here). An issue that many wargamers have is budget and Flames can be a little pricey when it comes to buying tanks. The Plastic Toy Soldier Company solves this problem. Money in hand I purchased two boxes of plastic Panther Gs for the same price as one of battlefront's resin boxes. The quality of these models is very good to high but as they are plastic lack certain details, such as anti mine paste and stowage. The sprue gives you options to make three variants of panther and crew. I have started to work on them using liquid green stuff for the anti mine paste and adding twigs and sponge for added camouflage. Overall, I feel that this company have got it spot on with the cost to detail ratio. These are perfect for any Flames game and with a growing product list (the Panthers have only just come out), this company will be making more of an appearance in my Flames purchases.

My Panther G with added camo.

There were so many wonderful things at SALUTE this year and I could have spent all weekend at the EXCEL centre. I recommend anyone to go as I will definitely be going next year. I leave you with a picture of one other small purchase all fear the mighty knitted Cthulu!

Fear his mighty button eyes!!!



Arnhem September 17th-25th 1944



The John Frost Bridge Arnhem



Back in Blighty and time for another inspiration post. My time in the Netherlands was short but I learnt so much. The main point of this trip was to see Arnhem and tour the Airborne Museum around Oosterbeck. For those of who are not familiar with this part of Dutch history it was the stage for one of the greatest military disasters in British history. During 1944 the 1st British Airborne were dropped 8 miles from what is now the John Frost Bridge. A brave few managed to avoid the German lines and work their way towards the bridge. These men (John Frost included) held the bridge for 3 days and 9 hours, only surrendering due to lack of ammunition. Meanwhile, back in Oosterbeck the remainder of the 1st Battalion became pinned down in an ever decreasing pocket of resistance. Finally, the paras were given the order to pull out. Battered and bruised the British (with the help of the Polish) retreated back across the river Rhine. Many soldiers were captured and hundreds more were killed.

British 1st Airborne Paras



Now, some of you maybe thinking what has this got to do with painting. Well those of you who have read early posts will know that I am collecting the 1st British Airborne. This trip for me was a fantastic opportunity to research the history behind the force that I am collecting. The museum had a fascinating collection of weapons and uniforms which, has given me a better understanding of what the uniforms should look like when it comes to painting them. Seeing the equipment has made me want to expand my 1500 point Flames Army to 1750 points (possibly 2000). Its amazing how an experience, picture or place can motivate you to start or continue a project. I've just ordered some 17 pdr guns to give me a bit more anti-tank power and also some mortars to lay smoke screens for my infantry advances. I have also managed to make a full Royal Engineers Platoon from a couple of mispacked Vickers blisters (they contained 2 pioneer carts!?!) and some spare paras.



17 Pdr gun



Arnhem itself was also an eye opener as it allowed me to see the lay of the land from a 1st person perspective and not just a table top view. It really makes you think about how those bog down tests and lines of sight come into play in the game and how they compare to the real place. Unfortunately most of the old Arnhem was destroyed during the war including the bridge (it was rebuilt and renamed much later). Now Arnhem is very modern but I still recommend a visit.

For me, hearing the first hand experiences of the soldiers during my museum trip really hit home and made me realise why I love Flames so much. It's not the game, the social aspect or the miniatures I enjoy the most even tough they are a big part of it. What makes Flames so special is that it gives me a chance to remember those brave few who paid the ultimate price for the freedoms that we take for granted today. Lest we forget.