2010 Projects

I am planning on completing the painting of my 20mm Vietnam 15mm WW1 and 15mm Colonials (mostly for VSF).  This is going to take the better part of the year.  I am also planning on building some more scratch built terrain and nefs.  Last night I completed the NVA command HQ for the platoon I am working on, two more steam golems, a regiment of ACW confederates, a 20mm matchbox technical conversion, my two Vrill saucers I got for Christmas and a scratch built building made out of corrugated cardboard.

I welcome you all to share with everyone what you are planning for 2010.

rhodesian crocodile - Final

After a lighter green drybrush I painted the windows true blue and then finished the hub caps on the Croc.  It is looking ready to take on some terrs.  I hope you enjoyed the painting from start to finish.  Later I might go back and give it some details but I really did not want to get to detailed on these nor did I want the paint to look 'outstanding' as Rhodesia and Africa in general are mostly not urban combat zones.  I wanted them to look dirty.

Merry Christmas!

To all of our readers (subscribed and unsubscribed) have a Merry Christmas!  I want to take a minute to acknowledge those men and women in the United Stated and Allied Countries armed forces a special thank you for your service, for putting yourselves in harms way, for fighting for freedom and the dream that every man is free to pursue happiness, work hard and become something more for their family and for society and for themselves.  Have a Merry Christmas and God Bless you all!  Semper Fidelis!

US Army Creed

I am an American Soldier.
I am a Warrior and a member of a team.
I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.


I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat. 
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.


I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.
I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.
I am an expert and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the 
United States of America in close combat.
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.


US Navy Creed

I am a United States Sailor. 
I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America and I will obey the orders of those appointed over me. 
I represent the fighting spirit of the Navy and those who have gone before me to defend freedom and democracy around the world. 
I proudly serve my country's Navy combat team with Honor, Courage and Commitment. 
I am committed to excellence and the fair treatment of all.



US Marine Rifleman's Creed

The Creed of a United States Marine 
by MGen William H. Rupertus, USMC Retired 
This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. 
My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. 
My rifle, without me, is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will... 


My rifle and myself know that what counts in this war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit... 


My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will ever guard it against the ravages of weather and damage as I will ever guard my legs, my arms, my eyes and my heart against damage. I will keep my rifle clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will... 


Before God, I swear this creed. My rifle and myself are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life. 
So be it, until there is no enemy, but peace!



US Airman's Creed
I am an American Airman.
I am a Warrior.
I have answered my Nation’s call.
I am an American Airman.

My mission is to Fly, Fight, and Win.
I am faithful to a Proud Heritage,
A Tradition of Honor,
And a Legacy of Valor.
I am an American Airman.

Guardian of Freedom and Justice,
My Nation’s Sword and Shield,
Its Sentry and Avenger.
I defend my Country with my Life.
I am an American Airman.

Wingman, Leader, Warrior.
I will never leave an Airman behind,
I will never falter,
And I will not fail.

Word Verification

Will over at green skeleton gaming and Eli of I see lead people have been doing WV for a while now. I liked Eli's story of his grandmother getting him a camera and my mother has been there lately for my kids. The following is a made up race which could fit in any post-apocapliptic world. Enjoy. I took the name Sker from Mik over at Mik's Minis.

Sker

Skers are a race of elderly females who resemble humans in all respects except that they are never cosmetically young and always have a twinkle in their eyes'. Skiers retain the memories of their parents and therefore are a living encyclopedia of knowledge.

Skers live in remote environments usually at a distance equal to the nearest gambling halls minus the travel time compounded by the amount of time it takes to tell a story about 'the good old days'.

Skers can be found flocking together in bingo halls and watching trivia game shows. A Skers diet consists of store-bought wines and home made dinners. A Sker will never be seen eating fast food or microwaveable meals. Skers usually adopt the guise of a grandmother early in life, choosing a family with which the need for acceptance is great. A Sker will automatically pass any checks against mind control which would result in attacking any member of the chosen family.

Skers can be seen in the company of humans or mutated humans and are often observed to fawn over the children of the adopted family. A Sker is considered a great gift by the Lanham people who revere the Sker by recording their stories.

When a Sker is old enough the Lanham people gather together to pay homage and worship before tossing the Sker over a cliff. It is said that the Sker then becomes an eagle and flies to safety in the here after.

Tunnel Complexes Pt 2

I finished painting and grassing the tunnel complex markers. Each of these is supposed to mark a trap door where a tunnel complex entrance is hidden.

Bunkers and Tunnel Complexes Build Pt I

So I came across this idea to make bunkers using twigs and rocks and pieces of lichen and a blister pack. First I went out into my yard and picked up a bunch of twigs. These were then glued to an ordinary blister pack. I left some places open on the pack where I expected to glue the lichen directly to the package. Once the sticks were dried I then put some stones and some of the lichen. After the stones and lichen was placed I put more of the sticks up front to make an opening for the bunkers where the machine gunners would go. I made three of these and really like the results.

In both FNG and Ambush Valley I use tunnel complexes. I used to use a marked up rock or piece of terrain but after seeing some people's really neat ideas over on the AA Forums and on Fields of Fire I decided to make some of my own. These are the Mage Knight bases which I had previously cut the steam golems off for my 15mm VSF and a standard ACW 1x1 inch litko base held up by a piece of model sprue. The other two I decided to leave closed but I wanted to give them the impression of depth so they were glued to a penny.

I will go back over these and score the bases to give them the strips of board look and paint them and put some lichen around them. In addition, I will be giving each a number as the hotspots in Ambush Valley are the tunnel spots used by the Vietcong and NVA.

What do you think?

NVA & Rhodesian

I just finished up an NVA squad. This is part of the massive 20mm collection that I have which about 1/2 way painted. I plan on getting these guys done before moving to my Pulp 28s and the 15mm modern, vietnam and colonials I have.

These guys are painted quickly using a tan coat of paint for the uniform, brown belt and boots and green webbing then given a light brown ink. This is the colorscheme for the NVA company I will be putting together. The guy waving and the guy ducking are both Kit Carson scouts.

Also here you can see the base green coat for the Rhodesian Crocodile.

Ambush Valley Pre-Release

Ambush Valley the long awaited FOF supplement that puts players in the thick of the Vietnam conflict has arrived at last! Being a playtester and a SOG member I cannot say enough about this game. For large scale games you just cant beat FOF/AV. I encourage everyone on my blog that is a fan of Vietnam wargaming to check this out! I just got my pdf. As an added bonus if you order the print version to be released later in January 2010 you will automatically get a free pdf download of the game as well! Go tell your friends Ambush Valley is out!

Dropship Horizion

Drop Ship Horizon is having a contest to describe the critical mass merc miniatures on their site. Here's my entry for Mr. Blue.

--------------------------------------------

Alias: Mr Blue

Real Name: Lenny Owitzch

Species: Octabrew

Mr. Blue is an Octabrew, a species of semi-aquatic bipedal Hebrew-speaking, beer swirling, octopi mutants who were created when the Hebrews tossed the Ark of the Covenant into the Warehouse after it was captured by Professor Jones from the Nazis. Due to an unfortunate typo created by Miss Lechewitz, secretary of the Warehouse 51 Director who entered that the Most Holy of Holies be placed next to the recently unearthed Mummy of Akenaten and Professor Mildred Tuna’s recent discovery of architetuthis. While overseeing the placement of the Ark, Rabbi Tavia Weinvenchiz ventured a little too close to the Ark and was immediately transformed by the power of the spirit into the first Octabrew. Being a religious fellow Rabbi Tavia immediately declared his new species a gift from the Gods. Since this time the Octibrew have served in all manner of maritime careers including Oil Worker and Teamster but it wasn’t until humanity began to explore the stars that the Octabrew really came into their own learning quickly to adapt their gills to breathe in the small contents of nitrogen in space and therefore being able to work and even thrive in environments that would otherwise be considered extremely uninhabitable.

Today Mr. Blue is waiting on a fellow Octabrew and enjoying himself in Mos Eisley downing Corellian Ale and playing rounds of Sabbac. Mr. Blue is an exceptionally able member of his race and is also known as one of the more unsavory sorts in the universe. Wanted for charges ranging from hurtling insults to the Emperor to illegal inking, Mr. Blue is an accomplished criminal. He now sits quietly, sipping his ale and enjoying himself until his associate arrives so he can terminate his contract…

Good Morning Vietnam!

After speaking with Peabody and looking over at my unpainted Vietnam lead in both 20mm and 15mm I have decided that the very next project I will tackle is putting together the rest of my 20s and then starting my 15s. Most of my 20s are either platoon 20 or Quality and are a mixture of VC and NVA with IIRC a single US platoon. Since most of my US are already completed I will probably hold off on painting the US. I also have several more model kits to complete including another bronco, dragonfly and a CH47 (which I intend to turn into guns-a-go-go). I will post the progress of the build from start to finish both here and on fields of fire (in a teaser format). I welcome comments and helpful suggestions as well as praise and constructive criticism. Thank you.

GamesDay121209

We had a games day yesterday. I ran a modern game a recreation of Shiloh using VSF and Ray ran Lord of the Rings and a Victory at Sea game using War at Sea miniatures. I will post more and the later but wanted to get these pics out there now. Enjoy!

Aeronef - British Skyship

While there are a good deal of dirigibles and balloons out there I noticed my VSF is lacking in airships. I have come to the conclusion that the only way I am going to get any scale models in 15 and 28mm of aeronefs is to build them myself. With that in mind I have taken to task to build up some very simple diagrams of what I'd like to accomplish. First on the plate is this British Skyship that I have modeled. I figure this is a medium sized nef that is used to patrol the straits between England and the mainland.

VSF Steambot Damage Tracking Sheet

After I completed the Land Ironclad damage tracking sheet yesterday I decided that I needed one for my Steam Bots as well. The Steam Bots are different enough to require a separate sheet and does not have as many advanced systems as the LandClads do. I will note that these machines are operated by individuals inside the bots and are not 'remote controlled' as that type of technology would not be available. Thus the steam bot are a very heavy version of armored trooper. The damage tracker for the Steam Bot is managed in the same was as the Land Ironclad box with the Engineer operating as both the Captain and Engineer.

Victorian Land IronClad Damage Tracking Sheet

I have been using the Iron Frontier critical hit location charts for my Victorian Science Fiction which I have adopted for use with both WarEngine and The Sword and the Flame. Since I will be running some Victorian Science Fiction this weekend at WarFlorCon and wanted to have something more than just a sheet with a bunch of names of locations on it I designed this template to use for hits. Quite simply each system has the ability to take two hits before being destroyed unless they are repaired before the second hit is acquired on the same system. I have modified the rules from Iron Frontiers to include a Captain, Officer (helmsman or 1st mate) and the Engineer. Basically the rule is you can repair one damaged system per turn but at the roll corresponding to the chart or 1-2 on a d6 if your engineer is killed.

So far I am very pleased with the look and feel of the damage tracking sheet as it is very Victorian Science Fiction/Jules Verney (is that even a word?) and should be easy to record damage with. What do you guys think?

rhodesian crocodile - part III

Here they are put together and primered black. Next I have to figure out what color/s to paint them. I am thinking a base of green but if anyone has suggestions or historical photos they can show me from the war that would be splendid!

Digger and Mk III Steam Tank Revealed!

These are the Disney Atlantis repaints that I did earlier this week and over the weekend. I really wanted them to look like the steam bots I painted and to give them a generic look so that I might use them for various VSF projects. I wanted them to look dirty and I wanted them to look like they belonged in the Victorian Period. The first thing was to get rid of the glossy paint that some poor kids in China probably got paid less than I pay my dog to be a dog. To do this I sprayed with a black primer. Next I wanted to get that metal bronzy look that is so fashionable on antiques. To do this I tried a new technique using a spray paint I used on my Steam punk props and then applied a little antique finish using a hammered paint. To give it texture I applied a brush when it was still drying. I then went back and lightly spraypainted the entire model black before giving it a liberal dry brushing of silver and then light bronze. As a final step I painted the gadgets and the rivets on the two machines. I was happy with the result. You can hardly tell plus turning around the turret for the bridge layer really made it look very authentic.