It is with a very heavy heart that I must announce the passing today of Pete Armstrong known to many in the hobby and on the net as 'Greblord'. Pete had been seriously ill for several weeks and passed away today in hospital, leaving behind his wife Gilly and three young daughters. Pete was one of the first people I met when I got into fantasy gaming, when Games Workshop opened it's doors in Sheffield in the early 1980s. He was also the first GW figure painter and wrote the painting guide which appeared in the early Citadel and RAFM catalogues. He was an innovator back when the standard paint job was a simple block finish in enamels, and he was the inspiration for many of my generation. I emulated his style and made his life a living hell sometimes both in and out of Games Workshop. To get a grudging affirmative grunt from Pete when you showed him a figure, was high praise indeed. I lost contact with Pete in the late 80s and the next time I saw him, I was the owner...

Following the trip to Vapnartak the other week, and the proliferation of the unwashed and unlaundered therein, it was something of a relief to take a trip to the Festival of British Railway Modelling and not be assaulted by body odour or the remains of the previous week's dinners displayed on the shirts of those attending. Anyway, my experiences prompted me to reflect upon the days when the three piece suit was de riguer at the wargames show, and where good manners and polite language was the norm. As a youth I did not really appreciate those qualities, but as I have aged somewhat and stopped using words such as 'cunty' in general conversation (I do hold a 'fuck' or the odd 'bugger' are still OK, where warranted - but there again, don't we all?) I have come to see that there is nothing wrong with having standards. I have therefore decided to up my game somewhat and put together something of a sartorially elegant  wardrobe for wearing when I am not in...

Not even a whiff of controversy today I am afraid *chuckle*, but rather a few pics of some of the work I have done in the last few years as box art for companies such as Mantic and Spartan Games, of which I think I can be justifiably proud. I was really chuffed to see that another blogger had posted images of his own work, where he had faithfully copied the scheme used for the Ralgard fleet box art. I still need to get a copy of my appearance on the TV show 'Model Town' from the early 2000's where I was demonstrating the basics of figure painting for the massing throngs out there in Videoland. The Ralgard ships in particular were a real strain as at the time I my wife was seriously ill in hospital and so, I was working flat out to get stuff done and keep myself occupied. Spartan than apparently had a shake-up in their studio (or some other bollocks) and I was dropped, being paid off in models, which frankly sold for much less than I was owed, leaving me in se...

Today we attended Vapnartak,which was a little quieter I thought than last year, but was as usual a nice show for catching up with friends. But... Some of those attending need to take a reality check and think long and hard about setting foot in anywhere public. I have never, I repeat, NEVER seen so many grossly overweight, scruffy and frankly unhygienic individuals at a wargames convention. Seriously... At one point, I and my accomplice in all things gaming were nearly floored by the collective smell of one group. It really was offensive. Now, you may moan about not discriminating against folks, but show organisers, please - If you get someone at your doors who clearly and plainly just stinks, don't admit them. Perhaps instead of free figures or dice, wargames companies could supply complimentary mini bars of soap in the show carrier bags? Fair warning to show organisers - If I attend a show, and cannot quietly enjoy my day without damage to my olfactory senses I will ...

If you are going to the Vapnartak show in York and have any of the following armies, painted nicely in 25 or 28mm for sale, please get in touch. 30Years War 14th C 15th C Dark Age Italian Wars Early or Late Renaissance ECW Older Fantasy Also: Starships - The older the better. The only models I am not fussed about are the Warlord plastic ECW infantry as they offend my eyes... Cash or Paypal available on the spot. Prompt settlement over the weigh bridge. TTFN

We all know that Warhammer is 'The Game Of Fantasy Battles' but in the early 90s a tactically superior set of rules was published by Folio Works by the name of 'Fantasy Warlord' it was a seriously large rulebook, and in my opinion it was aimed at mature or experienced gamers which, could at the time be the reason it died on it's arse. It was a percentage based system, with simple but elegant army lists, a full 'classic' fantasy world background with a magic system that had some brilliant spells. It was detailed, and on first reading it looked complex, but probably only because WHFB was totally the opposite. It was not a bucket of dice system, and you had to think about the movement of regiments within a brigade. What's more it was crammed to the gunwhales with Gary Chalk artwork. Anyway, I dug out my copy last week and re-read it. And, I think I will be playing a few games in the near future. I also managed to get another two copies on Amazon for...

This is a show not to be missed. As the title suggests, the FBRM is all about British outline railways, but the standard of the exhibits and the sheer volume and variety of traders makes this a 'must go to' show. Even if you are not into model railways, go and look at the tools and scenics that are available. Forget that mundane rubbish we get served up by wargames companies, you can get top quality materials at reasonable prices, and have a great family day out, without shaven-headed 'Storage Ears Wannabes' pushing the memsahib and kids out of the way so that they can grab a bargain. Doncaster Exhibition Centre,  The Racecourse,  Doncaster,  DN2 6BB 11th - 12th FEBRUARY 2017

I've waxed lyrical before about the talents of Steve Hornsey  (hornseysteve to those of you in the eBay know), and as you know I respect his talents and ability to 'ride the vibe' of my ideas and ravings about this and that project. You recall I'd asked him to reproduce the Hook Basin layout which was so skilfully built by Richard Williams in 1:25  scale. You can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeikBvBxdTg I looked at it and thought it would be a nice plan to reimagine in the North East U.S in 009 scale, stretched out to 12 feet rather than the 8 feet of the original. Steve said 'Can do' and we had the plan on the drawing board. Then, as I am inclined to do to poor old Steve, I said 'Hey, what about upping the scale to On30, Steve?' (7mm to the foot or 1/43 scale) 'No problem' said Steve... 'Same price, as the track costs the same' So, I sat at my desk this morning and saw a mail from Steve, telling me that he c...

I have a particularly unhealthy love of fantasy and science fiction, every bit as much as I do historical gaming as is by now blatantly obvious. I also have a penchant for uniformly ranked troops, perhaps stemming from the days when I got into gaming and single poses in a pack of figures were the (just and proper) norm. I loathe slotta bases which sometimes means that I wont go near the modern, unclean, unrighteous, ungodly models on offer on principle. BUT... I was surfing the aetherweb a couple of weeks ago, when I came across two models on the Black Cat Bases website which made me a little moist in the crotch, I have to confess. Yup, undead Romans... This ticked just about all the boxes for me. Single pose, undead, hand weapons and thrusting/throwing weapons... Ok they have slotta bases, but let's not be churlish about it eh? £3 each... But wait... 5 for £12 But wait... 10 for £20 It's getting better, but wait... 50 for £75.00 This is a 50% sa...