New Old West 28mm Figs: Frontier Justice!

Forrest at Knuckleduster just dropped a fantastic new blister of figures depicting Frontier Justice! The set has a Sheriff, Undertaker, Prisoner, Judge, Doctor and Hangman! Goes great with the Tri-City Laser Cut Gallows he sells also. Check out his other great Old West Figures he makes!

We Remember: Memorial Day

To all that have served, I thank you for your service.

To all those that have died to protect our freedom, I thank you.

We as Americans are not perfect, but we try to uphold what is right.

We may not often get things right but that is an element of freedom...choice.

Be proud of those that served our country and give them the honor they deserve.

To fight takes courage, to fight with conviction takes character.



Additonal Scenery for Bolt Action

Nothing to wow about here, just some quickly painted up fencing from my Warhammer Fantasy collection. I used mose of the types that didn't scream Fantasy and would work IMO for a WW2 setting. Overall, I am happy with how they turned out.

Making scenery: Artillery Shell Holes (Part 1)

Today I set out ot make some extra scenery for the table and this time I opted to go with something simple with materials on hand: artillery shell holes.

Items I will use:
Sculpty Clay
Old CD bases
Making Tape
Sand
White glue
Glue gun and sticks
Apple Barrel Paints

I also bought a pack of the dead farm animals from Warlord Games and made a rubber cast using a kit I bought a few months back. Overall it worked ok except some of the legs didn't cast very well, but on the other hand as they was near where an artillery shell I would not be shocked if they didn't lose a limb or two from the blast of a shell going off near it. My wife thinks I am weird but hey it was what happened back then.

I took a CD base and figured out how to lay the animals around the edge and then I estimated how big the shell hole was to be. I made sure you could place one figure inside the shell hole as well. Once I had the circle done I repeated this until I was out of sculpty.

Example of a figure in the middle.

Dead animals around the edges.

Then, the clay was baked in the oven at 275 for about 25 minutes to get firm, the type of sculpty I bought was the type that stays soft until you bake it in the oven. It was cheaper and just what I needed to ensure I got everything right.

Bakers dozen scenery!

After they cooled down I will glue them to the CD base with a hot glue gun. Sty tuned for part 2!

Super System3: Monkey Minions!

My good associate on Lead Adventure Forums Obsidian3d hooked me up with a boxed set of the Ape Gang made by Moongoose Publishing for their Judge Dredd Game. At first I wasn't sure then it hit me that I could use some ape minions for my super villain team known as ALF: Ape Liberation Front!

ALF is also a joke as the apes are from another world and thier ship crashed on Earth during an excape from thier own homeworld. Appaled by how primates was treated on this world by the hairless apes they organized and used their scientific know how to create weapons and super apes to strike out against the injustices against primates. For the most part they are not "evil" but they don't have the best interest in humanity in mind!

Along with Ape-X that is in the Reaper  Bones deal this will be the basis for the team and I figure I will add a few of the super apes from the Superfigs line, I know there are a few floating in the Pulp City line but just too dang expensive for me to affford right now.

Bolt Action Scenery Update

Well the tournament is two weeks away and I am still hammering out some extra scenery as we may have to 16-18 players if everyone shows. So that works out to 8-9 tables. I'm excited and a bit nervous about this as I want it to be an A+ event that everyone will enjoy and want to start attending more local tournaments and make the larger gatherings as well.

So here are a few shots of what I just finished up the past few days....

This wall is from Army Group North. Vincent is working on a scenery line but nothing is offical yet on his website. This wall is resin, there was several air pockets but I can also tell this is an early prototype as they are not released yet. Still a little green stuff and  clever use of flock as moss worked out well. I just primered it a flat grey, a quick dry brush and ink wash then added flock!

Here again is the second wall. I tossed in a few SS that I am working on to give you an idea of scale.

Another item from Vincent from AGN. I really liked the fallen logs they was quick to paint and very eye catching.

The second log defense.

The last log defense.

I finished 8 road strips. These are just my first round prototypes and I wanted to get something quick done. I may go back and modify these later to something more workable at a later time. Namely to trim the edges flat so they join easier with tape on the back side. Each are roughly about 10 inches long give or take some.

These was made both simple and cheap. I bought a pack of 3 cutting mats from t he Dollar Tree cut them in half and then marred the edges so they was not straight cuts. I added white glue and sand for texture then a quick black primer. I bought Apple Barrel paints (a dark brown and a ivory color for highlight) and did a quick base coat with the brown and then a dry brush of the ivory with a large brush (I do mean large like a paint brush). Then added flock to the edges to give them more of a defined detail.

Here is my Warlord Puma on the road,

Here is the Panzer IV G by Die Waffenkammer on the road.

Again, I simply just plan to tape them together and lay them down on a table to make some quick roads. Not every table will have roads but I do want variety. I think at least two or three will have roads.

Bolt Action Scenery: Hedges done

Finished 14 of these guys! Between Chris and I we should have over 30 of these which should be enough there. I am moving forward now trying to get a few more roads done and I spent part of tonight looking at other scenery that I could use. In a few nights I plan to do some touch up work soon.

In any case I should be ready in June!

Crossover Miniatures Kickstarter - Back in Black!

Guys, gals and Super Heroes or Villains! Step up to the plate and grab some great miniatures that Rusti has thrown out for us to enjoy yet again!

If you don't know about Crossover Miniatures and you are  fan of miniatures and comics, then you need to check out this line of minis, amazing sculpts and the heads swap around so you can custom your heroes! I have all of the first set and now looking forward to the second wave!

That said, go by and check out the Kickstarter, it's not expensive....at least a hell of alot cheaper than other ones and you get some great minis and supports a great company/guy that is bringing us a next generation of miniatures from the pages of comics and our imagination!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/211492152/crossover-miniatures-super-hero-minions-in-miniatu

Please pledge and enjoy! 

Oh and if you are curious if there are stretch goals, yes there are a few but Rusti does not like goals that make you pay more! Whew! But once a magic $ has been hit he will release 4 rewards over the the term of the Kickstarter! The first is a bonus Thug! Sweet!

Wargames and Railroads Blog Giveaway!

It's like Christmas but in May! Check out this kick ass giveaway!

http://wargamesandrailroads.blogspot.com/

Well, the Robotech Kickstarter is over and now we wait for the pledge manager to roll out and the long 6+ wait till December (or later if delayed) for our large box of goodies to arrive. Overall, it went well I think they could have rolled over $2 Million if they had done some stuff right, I was worried at first they was screwing over the whole KS with some bad calls like adding a single fighter and reducing the fighter price to $15 was not huge and then they put some crap in there that who really cares about?

I hope to perhaps scrape some extra cash by the due date as I would love to slip in a Monster (MAC II), Armored VT and Zentradi Infantry into the mix.

Still here is what the Showdown is going to arrive with:

• 2 Art Prints (one I may frame for my office, the other I will sell)
• 2 Rule Books (so I have a loaner now)
• 2 Templates
• 40 counters (20 Zen and 20 RDF)
• 80 Color Cards for units lamented
• 24 UEDF Dice
• 24 Zentradi Dice
• 18 Veritechs (can be build as A, J, R or S)
• 48 Battle Pods
• 4 Officer Pods
• 8 Destroids (Tomahawk, Defender or mix)
• 4 Spartans and 4 Phlanx  Destroids
• Command Upgrade for Destroids
• 4 Recon Pods
• 2 Rick Hunters (KS exclusive)
• 2 Roy Fokkers (KS exclusive)
• 2 Kyrons (KS exclusive)
• 8 Artillery Pods
• 6 Gnerl Fighters
• 2 Miriya (KS exclusive)
• 6 Male Power Armor
• 6 Female Power Armor w bonus experimental gear.
• 4 Decal sheets (two each faction)
• 4 Super Veritechs
• 4 Lancer II’s
• 4 Recovery Pods
• 4 Ghost Fighters

I may end up selling the KS exclusives later hard to say if they will be so many out there they won’t be worth something or not until later.

Now the long wait begins! I know there are two other players near me in Tampa, I think there is one or two over towards Orlando I plan to link up with once the sets roll out.

Time to fly!

Rally the Troops - Bolt Action Sunday Gaming at Darkside

I try to get the Bolt Action community together about once  a month at a store that is both easy to get to and supports the community. Brian has been working hard to carry stock for Bolt Action gaming among the other fine selection of games and comics he has at Darkside Comics.

Several players could not attend due to other things going on but we still had a strong showing of 5 players in total including myself as well as 7 others including 2 possible players and 5 others in various stages of getting into the game from one gent that just bought his rules to many of them developing their armies up to play.

We setup and divided up into groups and started to play. We welcomed anyone that popped by and chatted them up about the game, explained what was going on and answered any questions they may have.

It was a pretty exciting outing with one player that could not play but did talk to me about wearing their WW2 reenactment uniforms at the event and having some table decor of crates and netting for the judge table. I think this will be very cool for a first outing...maybe in the fall we can do this for Hurricon!

Here are some shots of the game:

Some of the guys hanging out talking.

The new table at the store, shaped up to be a nice looking town!

The other table, we added a bit more later. Mike was making these roads out of cork and a small strip of wood that is modular.

Hey is that a PAK40 in the doorway?

4Ground houses in the background and Mike's V2 Rocket also, a sweet find! I am having him grab one for me from the shop for June.

The game has begun! The Soviets attempt to capture 3 objectives defended by two brave German Generals. Another new guy and I teamed up 1k of Germans each to match Mike's Soviet mass'o'men and armor!

The Foker Wulf makes a strafing run!

Shot of the other table in the action.

The Puma and STUG work as a team to take care of any problem targets.

Mike runs the Soviets forward into the German lines.

This was a great game in all. It let Mike really try out the Soviet book and gave lots of experience to the new guy seeing how the game plays. Plus I was able to play with some of my new toys and my just painted Heer.

Overall the 251/16 was a beast, when I finally could pass an orders test to get it on the table. It burned down a HQ Officer and bodyguard, a pair of Medium Mortars and added a pin marker to the KV-2.

What got the KV-2 I just got for Mike? Was it the 251/16 nope, it helped. Was it the PAK40? Nope! It was a Pioneer squad with a flamethrower that I said the hell with it, walked up and hosed it with flaming liquid. With 3 pin markers on it the tank crew ran like hell!

Great moments was the Kaytusha firing a shot that lands a hit on a 6 on my officer and kills him and his adjunt! Gah! I did get revenge with the Nerbelwerfer firing on his ATG that went BOOM!

In the end when we called it, Mike had a tank on one objective that just blew up my 222 annoying it. The other two was being held by the Germans and was keeping the Soviets at bay.

This was my first game against the Soviet book and wow, it was brutal. Mike's Engineers with body armor giving them a 6+! Ouch!

Robotech Kickstarter: 13 Hours to go!

Just a mere 13 hours left until the Kickstarter ends! It has been a great ride and full of surprises despite some meh pledge goals between that I felt took the wind out of the sails. It passed what I expected to earn which is cool, I still think they could have made $2 million with the right approach but that is another story.

If you have not pledged, do so and join a great game and great looking minis!
If you have pledged, now is the time to strike to get the best deals!

My wife is very annoyed at me right now spending this money and feels we should spend that money to other things like debt. Still, life is short and it isn't all about being a slave to debt but enjoying life. I enjoy this hobby and I feel like I don't ask for much (at least from looking at other pledges and blogs). I am glad a co-worker was also pledging and made her feel better hearing I wasn't a crazy loon!

I went back and forth between Showdown and Battle Cry in the end while Showdown gives you a ton of models I want to get some of the upgrades instead to add variety more than just a load of minis and doubling up. So, I have went back to Battle Cry (the best deal IMO) and I have space to get a few upgrades to enjoy as well my MAC is back among other things!

Another Great Giveaway: Reaper Bones

8 packs of Reaper Bones! Really? That is a plunder pile any adventurer would want!

Check it out!

http://wargaminggirl.blogspot.com/2013/05/100k-prize-draw-day-4.html

Robotech Kickstarter heading in for a Landing! 3 Days to go!

By the time most of you read this it will be just a mere 2 days instead of 3 left on this  Kickstarter. It has been a long road and one with surprises. Ninja Division managed to pull out some stops and put some stuff out that drove the fans to push past the goals I thought they would hit but instead blew by them. I can say I was wrong and very pleased as it just means more stuff for the game. Not as many bolsters to the pledges as I would have liked but hey, I like free stuff!

Still, it isn't too late to up your pledge or jump in at the last minute. The Battle Cry and Showdown deals are huge in savings as you will NEVER get that price retail no matter what. I have decided to throw in for a Showdown to get the gobs of models in the deal at the expense of the MAC II or aka Monster mecha. I will just have to buy it later if I can. Maybe if I can scrape some cash I can boost my pledge after the KS to get it or just wait for it to hit the shelf when it goes retail. It really sucks to give it up but I am getting so much more to bolster the ranks that it would cancel out the other things I would have to worry about buying. Plus the extra rules allows me to give a loaner to a friend to read and lean to get people playing.

In any case PLEDGE NOW! PLEDGE OFTEN! PLEDGE ROBOTECH TACTICS!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rrpgt/robotech-rpg-tacticstm

Think this is a bad deal? HELL NO! Tons of Minis and more on the way!

I enlisted into the Warlord SARGE Program this week.

Well, I have joined the Warlord Games Sarge Program here in the United States, not sure if they are doing this program outside of the US but it is new and building up members. I've been leading several charges here locally to get gaming going and recruiting new players to build the community. Much like the old GW Outrider program it works the same way, you do events, you report them and you get credit. They also send you a t-shirt and support materials to help you develop a demo game that you can take with you to events and stores to promote the game.

Florida is a real challenge here as as a large state we are spread out as a gamer community and not close to one another like some other states. Often players have to drive at least an hour to get to another spot where another group of players may be and this is at a minimum and that range only covers most of Tampa and Orlando outside of that the drive is longer to Miami, Tallahassee and other far corners of our weird shaped state.

In any case, I plan to make the south a kick ass spot for Bolt Action and I want to make people want to load up their armies to head down here to throw down with some of the greatest guys that play Bolt Action. Plus as an added bonus you can go to Disney Land, Bush Gardens or Universal Studios to name a few great spots! Hey gaming and a vacation, that is a double win!

Want to win some Bolt Action British? Read on!

Check out this cool drawing from the femme gamer at Wargaming Girl's website!

http://wargaminggirl.blogspot.com/2013/05/100k-prize-draw-day-1.html

now that is a prize I would want to win!

Salty Bay Con - Scenery Prep

Chris started off already building some great hedgegrows and fences with me now adding a few more to the pile. The goal here was to produce a great deal of quick and inexpensive scenery for tables to help add cover that was both soft and hard.

These are made form tounge depressor sticks, sand, scouring pads from the Dollar Tree, hot glue and a few other odd and end items. One the pads was cut to size I sprayed them with a green spray pain and drybrushed them.

My first round tests batch, I need to go back and touch them up but they turned out well!

More ready to spray tomorrow and paint up. Assembly is quick and easy for these guys and takes only a small bit of time to get some nice looking scenery on the cheap.

Bolt Action - Army Group North KV-2

I was able to purchase a KV-2 as Vincent was still working out the molds for final production since he opted to remaster them. I went online and I could see the changes he did and they are just A+!

The KV-2 will be used as a captured tank for my German forces. I did some research to ensure this was something reasonable before adding it to my forces as a captured tank. What I liked about this tank was the fact it was a a heavy howitzer in a heavy tank with a flamethrower option and a rear mounted MMG...sure expensive for 300 points base for a regular tank but well worth it IMO.

The KV-2 what a beast!

KV-2 next to a Die Waffenkammer Panzer IV G

KV-2 nex to a Warlord Puma

Some bonus scenery Vincent sent to help out at the tournament. I had to putty some of the air bubbles from the mold.

Woodland emplacements....very nice!

If you have never ordered from Army Group North, let me simply say give Vincent the buisness! His molds are of very good quality and I had no issues with the model itself or the assembly. The rungs on the tank was a bit of work as I drilled out the holes to make it easier to attach them but otherwise the kit was a snap to assemble and a must for any German player looking for a cool captured tank or a Soviet player wanting to blow up buildings and units in a single shot! 

Bolt Action - German Reinforcements!

Well, my missing parts arrived this weekend and I dug right in and finished assembly of my vehicles and got them ready to paint!

Nerbelwerfer

A side shot of the Nerbelwerfer

My two 251/16 flamethrower half-tracks!

close up of the detail..this one had a small problem around the curve where the machine gun is but I was able to fix with some green stuff.

My heavy half-track TOW SDFKZ 7

My free 222 Scout Car!

The 251/16's finished

(I will glue the crew in later when I finish painting them)

Another shot....

My 7 Half-Track Tow...

The 222 Armored Car ready to roll out!

Shots of all together...