Thursday, April 10, 2014

Some more WWII stuff and my various projects

I just checked and realised that its been nearly 8 weeks since my last post.  Kinda got away from me I think!  Its been even longer since I had my last game.  The Carlist Wars game @ the Lanyon club was a hoot and Doug has since threatened to sell his Carlist armies off to keep the roof over his head so I think we should do another sooner than later. But I haven't been as idle as my lack of blog posts would suggest.  For starters with a few mates I put in a mega order of figures from Perry's and have only just got that through and sorted out what needs to be done (as if there wasn't plenty in the first place!)

Long and short of it is I'm re-doing all my Napoleonic collection, having sold off all my old Austrian, Russian and French figures (hence the outrageous purchases from Perry's!) At last count I had over 500 figures to paint up. Enough to see me well into retirement proper but that's only part of it.

Some of my current projects are:

Napoleonic

French:  Line Brigade of 6 x 24 figure battalions
             ( & finishing two 36 figure battalions of Legere & Young Guard).
             1 x regt. Carabinier (to finish my Heavy Cav. Bde) & 3 x mtd cmdrs
             Battery of Foot Artillery with caissons and limbers (2).

Russian: 6 x 24 figure battalions (4 x Line, 1 each of Jaeger & Grenadier).
            1 regt. Dragoons
            1 regt. Cossacks plus gun & crew (to finish my Cossack Bde)

Austrian: 3 x 36 figure battalions of Line (to finish my 'German' Bde)
              1 x 36 figure Hungarian line bttn.
              1 x 36 figure Grenz bttn (nearly done)
              1 x 36 figure 'German' Grenadiers bttn (to match my Hungarian one)
              1 x regt Hussars* (half done)
              1 x artillery caisson, 2 x limbers
               * I sold my old Uhlan regt so must get another - hopefully when one of the Perry lads decides to make 'em!
 ACW

- 2 x regiments Confederates (i.e. a box of late war Rebs!)
- Horse handlers etc, for my dismounted Virginian cavalry
- Supply wagons etc, for my Reb army.

WWI (Early War)

German: 1 x platoon Jaegers
              4 x platoons Line
              2 x hvy MGs
              1 x artillery piece & crew
              1 x regt Uhlans

Belgian:  1 x platoon Chasseurs
              3 x platoons Line
              2 x doggie-drawn MGs (one already painted!)
              1 x regt Chasseur a Cheval scouts
              2 x Minerva scout cars (one already done!)

WWII

Australians:   6 pdr AT gun
                    3 x sections of men in full battle dress incl Bren, mortar & HQ sections
                    (i.e. an under-strength platoon - to make up a full company of the 2/7th)
                    1 x Vickers Light Tank
                    1 x Gloster Gladiator*
                    1 x Bristol Blenheim *
                    (* my birthday present yet to be collected!)

Italians:        4 x sections Parachutists incl LMGs & HQ sect.
                   2 x Para Brixia mortars
                   2 x Para HMGs
                   2 x sections Rifles
                   1 x LMG section
                   2 x HMGs
                   2 x 80mm mortars
                   1 x HQ sect.
                   1 x M13/40 Tank

There are other bits and pieces for my N Africa/Greece including mortar, HMG for my German Gebirgsjaeger & a Bf 109 to complete the German air cover.  Will also collect a bomber and fighter for the Italian's air cover. Oh, and I need some Greeks - just a platoon or two!

Others include a complete Dragoon regiment (incl dismounted) for my Thirty Years War Imperialists army and some pikemen to complete my Italian Wars army for Impetus (actually a Doug initiative!) and finally, in storage awaiting the old paint brush is an entire 1866 Austrian army too!

OK - a trifle ambitious perhaps (read completely effing insane) but such is the life of a wargaming addict, nes par? ;-)

What I have done lately is the air cover for the Crete campaign - nearly finished the Germans and halfway through the Allies with my Hurricane done & Blenheim (hopefully) on the way. 




I've perfected my flight stand design too so it looks less clunky but is still robust enough to take any 1/72nd plastic model up to and including a JU52!

 





Well that's about it for now.  Working and now the footy season, house hunting on weekends and just life in general seems to all get in the way of my blogging but I will try to not leave it too long until the next post.

Oh, and a big thanks to my blogging buddy Fran (the Angry Lurker) for the birthday greetings. Really cheered me up at the time - cheers mate!