For a while, I have been considering how fashion and social groups have re-modelled the hobby over the years. Now, I really got involved in the hobby proper around 1980/81; at the start of a decade which was creatively unsurpassed in the 20th century.  The music (although at the time I ignored much of it) the fashions (ditto) and indeed the gaming hobby was more varied than at any other time. The Cold War was winding down, the drab colours of the 70s were fading to black, to be replaced by vibrant hues. Hair was big, the Baby Boomers had bred and their offspring embraced life, big time.We had Heavy Rockers, Prog' Rockers, Punks, Skinheads, Glams, Goths, Townies, Urban Vagabonds, New Romantics, Mods and probably a few more youth sub cultures that in the befuddled LateSummer Season of life have slipped my mind.  Whatever your taste in clothes, cause of adult deafness or outlook on life; there was something for you. Apropos of nothing, I was listen...

I have a somewhat well-deserved reputation for saying what I think, and quite often it's not too pleasant. However, I really must take the time to heap much praise upon Army Painter for superb customer care. Now, as many will know I am a full time '3-D man-child dream realisation technician' or as I am more commonly known; a miniature painter. I also pride myself on only using the best materials, rather than what is en vogue in the hobby. The undercoat I use is of great importance to me, and I've been a devotee of the Army Painter sprays for some time. I get through 50-75 matt black cans per year and I rely on the repeated high performance of the product. However, two cans which I purchased and which had the same batch number came out high gloss, no matter what my years of experience  could come up with to counter it, and thus I wrote to the manufacturer, explaining the issues. Well, not only did they rely within 24 hours, but they also kindly and without any ...

It's been a long week, work-wise. Alas, the week began with a hospital visit, which plays hell with my schedule for the week, every time. But, if I am going to keep the hands (and other soft tissues and organs) in good condition, I have to put up with this... But, despite some long and hard days, I have also had a few nice deliveries this week. First up was a set of Chaos Dwarf Mortar and Bazooka models from eBay, which at £16 for the lot wee pretty fair. I did win another bazooka, but after 3 weeks or more there was still no sign of it as of this morning. I really hate it when an eBayer with no feedback as such tries to stall me for a few pounds. Really; it's not worth it as I am always going to follow it up. Thanks to getting back in touch with Andy Needham, an acquaintance of yore, and playing some rather fun games of Command & Colours at my original wargames club in the last few months, I decided that I really want to get into the period in t...

What a splendid day we all had today. The weather was warm, spirits high, and we went to a wargames show in a tent! Yes, due to an error on the part of the Partizan venue, the show was held in a 10,000 square foot marquee. This must be a first for a major show. And it was bloody great, unlike another recent show. But that's old news now. Right from the moment of arrival the professionalism of the Newark Irregulars shone through, with clear and helpful directions to the parking zones, friendly smiles and warm welcome at the door. Catering was handled in the adjacent cricket pavilion with reasonably priced and (as always) excellent breakfast sandwiches and hot drinks. I confess that the cold drinks were a little on the pricey side, but with a ticket price of £4 it was a day when I could get in, eat and drink for around a tenner! What's not to like? At lunch there were freshly cooked burgers and hot dogs, which again, hit all the 'plus points' for us. The s...