Primed it and have given it two coats of Dark Green paint. Will put mast and rigging up last. Not really happy with the deck funnels, but they’ll hold place until I can find something better. Have to figure out some contrasting colors (black?!) to break up the monolithic look, and a way to exchange mast flags so it can be used by any and all sides.
Finished the “Rest Of The Story” aircraft. When I set it next to the plane featured in “The General Is Pleased”, I could only think of these TV Cartoon characters. Something about the two side-by-side. Related, but definitely different.
As generic and spurious as these planes are, what I like about them is that the are in-scale. Just received a Fokker D-7 (which was a staple for both sides in the RCW), and it is way too big.
Now that these two are painted, have started hammering away (literally) at the RE-8. Feel like a medieval orthopedic surgeon (Theodoric?). Engine mount all messed up. Didn’t notice it when purchased…..typical. Should work, despite the promiscuous use of pliers, files and screwdrivers. More on that later.
Any Back of Beyond game worth its salt needs a Gunboat. Started channeling Bob Cordery and the possibilities of scratch building one. So, off to my home(s)-way-from-home(s), Hobby Lobby and Home Depot, as well as a Wargamer’s-Site-Of-Choice, Google Images.
Picked up all types of raw materials and bits, and started working on it. Something generic, easy to build, but looks good on the table. The key to all of this was the picket fence post I chopped up while working with some cheap lumber on another home improvement project. In the midst of that sludge, see something mundane, and….jeez this might be something….because it had a bow, which can be damned hard to carve.
It’s a fun project…….
Update to follow…..
With apologies to Paul Harvey……Two similar aircraft, a modeling Body Double.
My last post featured the second aircraft I had purchased at Hobby Lobby. The first was featured earlier, but my clumsy attempts at removing the wheel spats and pilot head rest relegated it to garage purgatory. The problem was that I insisted on using what remained of the metal landing gear struts for the new – more period appropriate – gear.
Well, after I finished the “spatted version”, I saw the landing gear problem differently. Get rid of the metal struts and use the existing wheels (freed from the spats), and wood struts. What kind of wood….matchsticks worked perfectly. I drilled holes in the fuselage to anchor the gear, applied superglue to the cut-down matchsticks and..,…..
Back From Purgatory & Ready For Priming
Added a force multiplier that will please any would-be Warlord. Finally finished one of my Back of Beyond aircraft. It’s the Hobby Lobby ship….not historically correct, but no assembly required and, after priming, painting and dry-brushing, it looks OK. Should be nice on the table and add something extra to the scenario mix. Will keep it in neutral colors/markings so it can be all things to all armies whenever the scenario deems it so.
As mentioned earlier, finally getting back to playing my dormant Renaissance Scenario, It’s a replay of one reported earlier, but with a few tweaks. Will dispense with impaired photos.
Used percentage dice to dictate the Polish infantry entry through the village. They entered much earlier than last game.
Shifted the Polish Hussars to the left flank to engage the Russian Sipahis, rather than battering themselves silly against the Streltsy infantry.
Finally, allowed the Streltsy to advance against the two Polish infantry units in the center. Suck them in so they cannot effect the work of the Hussars and Pancerni on the flanks.
Along with the percentage dice, I started using some of the other dice I purchased back in February.
Now using the “Yes, No, Maybe” dice for command decisions and reaction. For example “Should I Commit My Reserve”, or, for the latter, “Do I See The Poles Flanking My Position?.
From a solitaire standpoint, things get easier….it’s not you…..it’s the bloody general that’s doing these things.
Not cutting edge, but it does liven things up.
finished up my 15mm Arab Village using JR Miniatures buildings. The following photos also include the palm trees I painted from my Weapons and Warriors Pirates set, as well as scratch-built camp (for DBA) and a small caravan using Essex figures.
Glad I finished it up, and hope to use it in my East Africa campaign.
Just returned from four days of fishing and cycling in SE Oregon. Nights were windy and rainy, so I spent a lot of time buttoned up reading back issues of Miniature Wargames on my IPad. Unfortunately all those great photos and articles didn’t get me all fired up to dive back into things when I returned.
I’m messing around with Thunderbolt/Apache Leader, pushing some DBR lead, painting a few 15mm Arab houses and a mosque, even reading the flight rules for Enemy Coast Ahead, and poking my nose into Carrier. Still, it’s just messing around.
Got to get to work…………ahhhhh, maybe that’s the trouble…..it seems like work. Need to think about that for awhile.
Not a great time for wargaming. Temperature in the 70’s, Baseball starting, yard work (with chainsaw) the order of the day. Plus, a new Surly ECR to ride. Just too many other things to do.
Still, have been hacking away at Thunderbolt/Apache Leader. Granted, I’m beating up on the hapless Iraqis, but it is fun zipping around in an A-10 using just cannon and rockeyes. Ground game mechanics are limited, but with a purpose. No sense getting bogged down in that, when the simple mechanics do put pressure on you to attrit as many enemy battalions as possible, stretching your assets to the maximum, or have your airbase overrun.
Received a book on the Dambusters today. Looking forward to getting into that and start building up knowledge for the preparation and flight phases of Enemy Coast Ahead.
Fishing and riding for the rest of the week.
Don’t answer that…….
Had to take both games down Monday morning. Reasons aren’t worth going into.
Put Thunderbolt/Apache Leader back up and made it through one turn. Limited myself to cannons & rockeyes in order to simply things concerning line of sight rules. Just grinding without any regard for results, just grasping the rules.
Speaking of rules, plowing through Dambuster’s flight rules. Will get that up on the table again.