Aiming for the stars!!

Perhaps fortunately for me, I did not produce a list of goals for the year just gone.  So I will not have to suffer the embarrassment of having to go back and see how little I delivered against the plans made.  So it is with some trepidation that I compile my first ever set of plans for the coming year.

Source http://gustavorios3d.blogspot.com.au/

But first a quick review of 2012 as seems to be the way with these types of posts.

My focus on painting was participation in The Guild challenge that went from January to end November.  Rather stupidly I nominated five projects and there were five tasks for each one.  I managed to hold the course for 4 of the 5 tasks with the fifth and last seeing me finish just three of the projects.  In any case, it still meant a reasonable amount of painting got done during the year as the following tally will show:

ACW (15mm) - 198 figs, 31 horses, 3 limbers, 3 guns, 3 wagons

ECW (28mm) - 48 infantry, 8 Cavalry

WWII (20mm) - 37 vehicles

Napoleonics (6mm) - 356 infantry, 88 cavalry, 8 guns

Terrain - 8 buildings

Modern 1/300th - 2 C-5A Galaxy transporters

My other great accomplishment during the year was to buy lead for a further two periods that have yet to be put onto the schedule - but that is probably because I can't find the schedule after 2020 :)

I haven't played a lot of games during the year, but those that I have played have been good - especially those with the boys from Goulburn.  Never having played an Ancients game before, I was introduced to the wonders of Impetus - great game.  I have so far managed to avoid the temptation to make that new period #3 - but there is still all of this year to achieve that.

The other major achievement was the conversion of a wet, flood prone, and rough basement space into our games room.  Still in the process of sorting out painted and unpainted stuff so more often than not the table is covered in goods but I did manage to christen the table with a game of RapidFire with my son.  Speaking of my son, we played a number of great games of Force on Force with his beautifully painted US, British and Afghan minis and his great homemade terrain.


So to the plans for 2013.  I have been stung into action by advice from a wise man that I should "Aim for the stars, because if you aim for the streetlight, you may just shoot yourself in the foot!”  With that in mind, what follows is the list of intentions.

ECW (28mm)

Want to get two more pike / muskets units painted as well as make a start on the wonderful resin buildings that are sitting in a box in the basement - so aim for 3 of those painted.

Napoleonics (6mm Adler)

Paint a Russian Division and possibly an Austrian one if I have time.  Also get some of the terrain painted for this.

WWII microamour

A few projects here:
- fill out and finish Guards Armoured Division
- fill out and finish 3rd Infantry Division
- organise and complete various German units for Europe
- finish the Soviets
- finish painting and basing the infantry, cavalry and support weapons to go with them
- make a start on terrain

ACW (15mm) 

Break the back of the project.  Will do this by painting and basing units for 2 scenarios from the wonderful Enduring Valour books on Gettysburg - The Wheatfield and Pickett's Charge.  This will also require dozens of feet of fencing of various types to be made.

WWII (20mm)

My main focus.  Firstly resist the temptation to buy any Russian stuff.

Having achieved that I will focus on finishing the US forces (approx 40 vehicles and 2 battalions of infantry plus supports).  Then move onto a German Recce Battalion.  If I get those done then a FJ battalion with supports.

Lastly, my second love (after family and toy soldiers) is books.  We have outgrown the bookshelves in the library and a logical solution was to re-model the room I use for modelling and painting into a "military history annexe" to the library.  The first phase is almost done as I have sorted out the multitude of boxes that were strewn everywhere and organised them into storage in the basement.  Next will be pulling out some horrid built-in wardrobes that were there when we moved in (anyone interested in some large mirrored doors please call).  Then rectification on skirtings, gyprock and (I hope not) carpet.  Finally installation of bookcases and the move of the volumes.

Along the way, I will be distracted by 100 different temptations.  Maybe the worst of which is this damn internet.

Merry Christmas

Despite the season in Australia, the following picture sums up how I think of a traditional christmas.

Then trying to match the season to the general gist of this blog I thought the following fellow should get a run.

For those of you hoping for hobby pressies - I hope the mail system has worked for you.  Otherwise lets hope the new year brings lots of new lead (or plastic depending on your preference), some painting and gaming as well. 

But especially more lead !!

Next up in the WWII US pile

Chose an eclectic mix of models over more Shermans or a bunch of halftracks.

There is a Tracks and Troops GMC truck with pontoon, a resin radio body to be attached to an Airfix GMC truck chasis, a Milicast GMC with office body, a Milicast trailer with smoke generator and a Retrokit Lefrance wrecker.  Should be fun to make and paint up over the Christmas break between family duties.

20mm US armour

A few plastic kits that have been sitting in the cupboard for a number of years

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Some Conferedates

Back to ACW.  A plan is forming to break the back of the ACW forces by painting for a specific battle.  The Wheatfield at Gettysburg has a strong pull for me.  Anyone who walks those fields late in the afternoon will feel there is something different about that place.  It was an amazingly heroic struggle.

So in that light, I have painted up these two units to represent the 2nd and 3rd South Carolina from Kershaw's Brigade in McLaws' Division.

 

 

And for anyone interested in reading about the battle, this is a great story.  Amazon has them - but I'm sure many other on-line booksellers also do.

 

Are you a wargamer?

Sorry no posts for a while.  Bit too much happening in real life to think much about painting - should be able to get back to it very soon I hope.

I have seen these questions on a few blogs recently - can't find where it originally come from though.


So here are my answers - what would your answers be?


- Spend at least $500 on figures / tanks - and you get extra kudos for every $500 you've spent.
Per year?? How many points can I earn for multiples of 500???

- Pricked your finger or thumb on a pike block - several times. 
Yep – especially when on the painting table, so much so that I now leave them off until painting is almost over.

- Tried at least 10 different rule sets and vowed never to play half of them ever again.
Not really – wish I had more time to try and play and then discard rulesets

- Bought an army off EBay
Never bought an army from eBay – bought lots of unpainted stuff though.

- Sold an army on EBay
No – why would I sell anything??

- Spent months painting an army - then used it in anger once.
Yep – most of micro armour

- Tried several different periods and genres.
I have all tried through the ages – even fantasy with my son (LOTR)

- Dropped a box of figures on the floor from a great height.
Luckily not

- Lost a battle on the last throw of the dice.
No – I have usually lost the battle long before that.

- Made at least one enemy for life.
No – hopefully not

- Had a proper, stand up argument over a wargamers table.
Usually let others do that.

- Thrown a dice across a room.
No – but at someone else ….

- Rebased an army for a different rule set
Tempted but not undertaken.

- Inflicted a whopping defeat on an opponent.
Many years ago won the “MasterBlaster” crown in the microarmour at Cancon – M1A1 against T55s will help you do that.

- Suffered an embarrassing defeat due to a stupid tactical decision.
I wouldn’t admit to it even if I had.

- Joined a wargamers club.
I occasionally play with a great bunch of guys at Goulburn

- Bought a ton of lead that remains unpainted
More than one tonne – also lucky that plastic and resin doesn’t weigh that much.  This was a consideration in placing the games room in the basement and not on the upper levels of the house :)

- Been to a wargamers show.
Yes – I’ve been blessed to attend shows in Australia, the UK and US.

- Have more dice than is logical or necessary to own - and have used most of them.
I can never find them – and dread going into my son’s room to look.

- Have taken boxes of troops down to a club just to show them off to your mates.
Not really – but I think blogs may the modern day equivalent.

- You have reference books on each period / army you play.
Many – books might be the second love of my life (after the family of course)

- Having played so many different games you confidently quote rules for a totally different period, scale or ruleset to the one you're playing at that moment.
No.

- You have lied to your partner / spouse about how much you've spent on the hobby.
No – I’m lucky that she does not ask.

- You get genuinely excited when a package arrives in the post - then hide it upstairs quickly before your partner sees it. If your partner finds it first, you lie about the contents.
Love getting home from work to find a package but do not hide them

- You have joined a re-enactment society (5 points for this one!)
Nope

- You have played in an unsuitable venue.
Years ago mum used to say that the kitchen table was unsuitable.

- You continue to search for the perfect Napoleonic / WW2 / Ancients / ACW etc. rule set (knowing that it doesn't actually exist).
Not so much a search but a regularly fed desire to see what different rule sets offer. 

- For that reason you have developed your own house rules for certain periods. And think them far superior to the original author's efforts.
No – too lazy

- You have returned from a wargames show and sneaked upstairs to hide the stash.
No

- You have an irrational aversion to some genres and vow never to play them regardless of how much fun they look.
The only things I buy from a certain games company are spray paints and LOTR for the son.

- You have made your own wargames scenery.
Not much – love resin buildings

- You have reached a painting 'wall'.
Yes – right now

- You have lost - and regained - your wargaming mojo.
No

- You have done armies in different scales for the same period.
WWII in 6mm and 20mm, Napoleonics in 6mm and 28mm and still have a few unpainted 15mm from a stupid foray.  Same nations / units as well!

- You have jealously coveted someone else's troops.
Regularly.

- You have laughed (secretly or otherwise) as someone else's paint job.
Only the ones that are on eBay described as ‘Professional” – you know the ones. 

- You have provided a piece of useless trivia relating to the troops on the table to show off your wargaming knowledge.
No.

- You have contradicted someone elses' trivia - demonstrating your superior knowledge and giving you a warm glow inside.
When the other bloke might be annoying me I may have made something up just to irritate him

- You have caused a major disaster on a wargames table.
No usually been saved by my allies before it is too late

- You have cheered when an opponent's dice lets them down at a critical point.
Yeah – who wouldn’t – although it is done with respect !!!

- You have lied to your partner about going gaming.
No.

- You have lied to an attractive woman (man) about your hobby.
No – have told people I work with that I collect little toy soldiers. 

- You have made an opponent cry. It doesn't count if they are under 8 years old though.
No.

- You have reference books on armies you haven't even got (I have books on ECW, ACW, SYW, 30YW yet not one solitary figure for any of these periods).
Absolutely – see above on love of books.  Next project at home is to extend the library (or create a wargamers annexe library - yippee)

- You have bought figures for a period you have never and will never play - because they were cheap.
Sort of  – see above for 15mm Napoleonics … 200+ AB Napolenics for $60 – too good a bargain to refuse

- You have inflicted grievous bodily harm on a dice that has let you down.
No

- You blog or have a web-page about your Wargaming activities.
Where you’re at at the moment.

- Your book collection is almost all war and wargames related
Mostly – also travel has a big slice

- You critique 'war' movies (especially Hollywood war movies) for historical accuracy.
Not too much – but I do notice when old Leopard 1 tanks have been poorly modified.

- You spend car / train journeys checking out the lie of the land - considering which way you would attack from and whether it would make good wargaming terrain.
I often do – work has been lucky enough for me that I get to wander many old battlefields on weekends tacked onto work trips. 

How would others answer?