It's all ruined!

I bought the Tram Barricade set from the boys at Kerr&King at Salute 2007, and today I finally finished it. I have two more ruins from them still waiting to be painted, but let's not dwell on that. Instead, let's look at what's finished:

"My love for you is like a truck.."

Four new vehicles, all bought as a birthday present for myself and readied for the coming Winter War game just after Christmas. These are from Minimi Miniatures , a company I can most wholeheartedly recommend.
First two GAZ 60 half-tracked trucks:

The two GAZ AAA trucks.

Both the 60 and the AAA are absolutely  stunning models and I have in no way done them justice with my painting. I will get more of these, a lot more. I see a long life of service for them, from Raate Road via Summa to Taipale and Viborg, and then from Moscow to Berlin.

Yet another batch of Russians

Or, more correctly Soviets, since they will be making their first appearance on my table as the 44th Division at Raate Road and those lads were Ukranians. To be honest, I don't think the 44th had these kinds of jackets, but suitable Soviets are few and far between, so I'll live with a slight anachronism.

The three on the left are Pegasus, the three on the right are Italeri and the tree stump is from a shrubbery outside my office. I have mixed the types of paint used on their uniforms to get a feeling of mixed units for my great Taipale Assault, planned for perhaps next winter, like so:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUbV7VTiJ8s

Sum: +48(66)

Finnish AT rifle

A Finnish Lahti Anti Tank rifle. The gunner is Eureka, his observer is Reviresco.

This brings the total up to +42 (60), with one more update to do today.

Ruins

Time for two pieces of terrain. First up is a piece from the Italeri "Walls and Ruins" set. It has not been based, I intend to just plop it down among the wreckage in a urban battle.

Second is a scratch-built ruin, intended for the Finnish Winter War but probably usable for most of the East Front as well. It is timbered from matches and the fire-place is made from pieces of Linka Moulds Brick Walls. Everything is covered in white acrylic paste and dry-brushed white.

Finnish Officers and Sniper

Three guys from Warmodelling/Fantassin. The tree stump the sniper is hiding behind is a twig from a bush outside my office.

+40 (58)

Winter Soviets in foxholes

These are a Pegasus (with rifle) and a Revell (with SMG) Winter Soviets cut in half and glued into snowy bases to indicate a foxhole. The guy with the SMG is wearing a snow mask and snow suit, he will work fine as either Finn or Soviet.

Trees and sandbags

Some more terrain. First a couple of trees. Both WS Tree Armatures, on the left JG Miniatures Bush material, on the right the usual WS stuff.

Second item is a sandbag position. We will be doing an LRDG attack on an Italian airfield for our next big convention game and that will require sandbag positions for MGs and AA guns. Below is my first "proof of concept" build. Fimo clay rolled into a sausage and cut into suitable pieces with a sculpting tool, then stacked on an MDF base and cured in the oven. The oil drum is a greenstuff press-cast.

"I come from down in the valley..."

No I don't, but I do have a river! Timecast river, intended for 6-10mm gaming, been sitting in my desk drawer for three years or more. The water is Vallejo Emerald Green with a wash of Vallejo Azure thinned with Johnson Floor Polish, the banks my regular earthy craft colour with Devlan Mud wash, the grass GW flock. It looks a bit fuzzy now, but will blend nicely with my GW game mat I think.

Especially for Chris

Chris asked about the CDs mentioned in an earlier post. Here is how I use CDs.
Step one: Use the CD as a painting palette.

Step two:
When the palette becomes too full of paint, add a few Woodland Scenics tree bases and some gravel, sand, cat litter or similar.

Step three:
Paint the whole thing with a suitable base colour, I use light brown from a crafts store. Flock to taste and add clump foliage, rocks or whatever. Now add the Woodland Scenics trees, but don't glue them, just slot them into their bases during games and pull them out afterwards, that way the CDs can be stored stacked and the loose trees chucked in a box.
As for the question of priming: acrylic paint sticks to CDs. It can be scraped off, but once covered in a base colour and a layer of glue for the flocking, it will not come off by accident.

Heavy Flak!

A German Heavy Flak Grenadier and a US Death Dealer are the latest Dust Tactics lads.

Got wood?

Having finally paid off the Tax Man, I can look forward. First up on the hobby front is a new painting bench. This means clearing out the old one, and I thought I'd make a project out of finishing all the stuff stored in the various drawers of the old desk. Some of it has been there since we moved into the apartment ten years ago...
First out: two Woodland Scenics tree armatures with foliage made from Woodland Scenics FC 145 Light Green superglued on. The bases are mounted on large washers for balance. The are standing on a CD that has been painted, flocked and had various foliage added.

CP Models Russians

These guys were a gift from my friend Daniel. Two of them were missing their heads and were given new heads. Second from right the bare head is from Caesars Resistance Fighters, the helmeted one far right got his from an Italeri set. These boys, as well as the latest batch of Pegasus, finally got to fire rounds in anger at FlemCon last Saturday. Enough of the Barbarossa stuff for a while now, time to get back into Winter War.

Total for the year:+37 (55).

It's here! IABSM3 has arrived!

Not painting related as such, or rather, the root cause of about 90% of my painting: I Ain't Been Shot, Mum, v3

has finally arrived. This is very near and dear to me as I was one of the "will this make sense to a non-native"-proof-readers.

For them as don't know, IABSM is a card-activated game for playing WW2 games of about a company or so a side. My gang plays it in 6mm and in 20mm, we ran a Barbarossa game at Stockholms Spelkonvent in September using v2 and will be running another one using v3 at FlemCon in November.

Pvt Szarzewski and a German

This latest member of the Independent Parachute Brigade is named Szarzewski, in honour of the valiant battle fought today in NZ.(or maybe I should call him Morgan. Ok, I'll get my coat) 
This brings the total to +33(51)

He is joined by a squad leader for my Dust Tactics Sturmpioneiere.

Hate and War...

...the only things we've got today. (For those who did not get the title, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArL94OjZSAU)

One more Sturmpioniere, plus a US Death Dealer.

This is the most painting fun I've had in years. Absolutely brilliant minis and best of all, they did not cost me a penny!

The Bionic Marine?

Nope, not Clint Eastwood, but pretty close. A Heavy Assault Ranger is my second Dust Tactics figure to near completion. I still need to do something with the face, but I'm crap at painting faces, sadly.

Dust? Dust anyone?

For the benefit of my friend Laffe: My first Dust Tactics mini. Not quite finished, but I need to play around a bit and paint a few others first to find out how I want them to look.

Hmm, do I need to start a counter for 28mm figures as well? This guy is from the new Dust Tactics set bought with money from old Epic stuff I sold and as such, he falls outside the spending budget, but maybe when I start buying new sets, or start buying GBs Vikings for SAGA.

Essex Boys!

"Come and 'ave a go if you think you're 'ard enough!"

Well, not hooligans, but certainly bad boys, these Essex 15mm Vikings are the first members of my first upcoming war band for the SAGA rules from Gripping Beast.

Even more Pegasus Russians!

I really can't say enough good stuff about the Pegasus Summer Russians. Lovely figs, paint up nicely if you do a quick job like this and still reward a good, detailed job if you have the time for it.
These guys were still on the work bench during the Barbarossa game at Stockholms Spelkonvent earlier this month, but I hope they will see the elephant at FlemCon in just over a month.

This brings the total to +32(50)!

Here, piggie, piggie!

A pig sty I made for our recent Barbarossa game. The Germans are CP Models on the left and SHQ on the right. The fence is from Noch, the hut tooth-picks and the sheet metal on top from an old Airfix kit.

No minis painted, so no score advancement.

More Russkies

Latest batch of Russians. More from Pegasus. +25(42).

Pegasus summer Soviets

My updates are like the proverbial London buses:none for ages, then two at once. Three new summer Soviets, these are Pegasus.
+17(37)

Winter War Russians again

Or maybe that should be Winter War Soviets as a bunch of the troops were Ukranians. Well, here they are anyway. Four more from Sgts Mess. +14(34)

Penguins in the desert-Tobruk

The game board, looking from the Italian table edge. Hills, rough ground and a barbed wire crossing the the entire board.

And so it begins! The Autoblinda Recon troop find a mine-field the hard way! Right in the proposed advancement area of the armoured platoon, too!

The Italians leave the Line of Departure in good order! 

The waves of Italian armour flow forwards, intent on ruining the day for Bruce, Bruce, Bruce and Bruce that are waiting across the wire.

Pvt Petonelli earns an extra wine ration by hitting an Aussie 2lb AT-gun with his own 47mm ATG! Little does he know that the gun is just damaged (we improvised based on the rules for hitting vehicle) and might be repaired later in the turn.

Cpl Di Bosco, heroic Autoblinda driver, comes all the way up to the village and spots a bunch of Aussies, including an anti-tank rifle. Job's done, time to get the heck out of here!

Cpl Di Bosco is in a lot of trouble, having found a full platoon of Aussies AND a 2lb ATG. His car is immobilised and the main gun is knocked out. Things are about to get very nasty indeed.

The brave Aussies charge out to knock out the immobilised Autoblinda, but fail. Seconds later, they realise how silly it is to charge a recon vehicle right in front of a tank!

The Italian armour sweep towards the village, 1st platoon trying to flank the Aussie AT-position while 2nd platoon suppresses it.

On the Italian right flank, the Aussies open up on the poor infantry trying to negotiate the barbed wire. Not a good situation for the poor Italians...

While the armoured company continues to shoot up the Aussie right flank, the Italian right flank is getting cut to pieces in front of the dug-in Aussies on the hill. Major Linugine dies a a heros' death trying to lead his men through the barbed wire.

While the Italian tank hoses the Aussie position with MG fire from the flank, the Aussie FO sitting in a hole right next to him tries to make himself as small as possible.

The Italian tanks roll up behind the Aussie position, trying to force them out of their trenches.

And so it ends, in tears and desperation. Five minutes before I had to leave to catch my train home, the reinforcements arrived. Two Mathilda 2 and two A10s, plus infantry in carriers rolled up behind our valiant tanks. In the first round, tree tanks were knocked out, including the company commanders tank. Another posthumous hero for Italy to mourn.

We came so close, but in the end, we just traded Italian tanks and blood for Aussie blood.