What's Been Going Down At Fackham Hall This weekend...

- May 26, 2025

Well, it's beena relaxing Bank Holiday weekend. The Memsahib and I began with a very late night out, seeing Hawkwind play, on Friday. At 83 years old, founder and 'The Captain', Dave Brock is still putting out some bloody excellent music, with the set coming in at around 1hour and 50. Pretty impressive.

Saturday, we mooched around, feeling worn out having not gone to bed until 1AM, some 3 hours beyond our normal bedtime.

Sunday was spent having a rather excellent roast lunch and spot of garden centre therapy, the lunch being a little birthday treat for Kayte, whose birthday it is today.

Since 1988, she's been my greatest friend and critic, and is one of probably only 4 women regularly seen at shows for all that time, who actively wargame as opposed to being 'arm candy' to coin a phrase. She's a well known face in her own right on the hobby circuit and certainly makes my days out at shows a lot more fun than just mingling with the 'Need A Bath Brigade' :). As an aside, it makes me smile to see Jenny-Come-Lately's making claims about the presence of women in wargaming and being so off the mark. That said we need a lot more of the more sensible sex, in the hobby, but the true trailblazers have been there for a long time such as Glynnis McHugh, my better half, the late and sorely missed Anne Bishop and Lesley Bishop. Most of the cyrrent wunder-kinder won't have heard of them, but many more of us have, and know what they have done in the hobby.

Well done, ladies! Those of us who are about to spend way too much an yet another army, salute you! Unless of course you're trying to buy the same army on that bring and buy, and then it's gloves off ;)

Last night I agreed and closed the deal on a purchase of a lovely 15mm Mike's Models Early Crusades collection, coming in at 1749 pieces, painted in a lovely style which befits such venerable models:

All in all, a lovely addition.

Speaking of additions, I am really rediscovering 15mm again, primarily through the manufacturers such as Mike's Models who were one of my earliest 'crushes' in my early teenage years and beyond.

Now, I love 25mm/28mm, and my fantasy addiction could only ever be satisfied with 25mm old school models, and of course even my latest 'England Invaded' project has been done in 28mm, but I love the 'God's eye view' you get when you use a large table with lots of 15mm units on it and decent terrain. All of a sudden the battlefield essentially doubles in size and massed charges and routs look spectacular.

'Go big or go home' does not mean you have to use large figures, and in fact the effect in 28mm often looks a bit awkward, whereas there is arguably/admittedly a sense of balance when you use 15mm.

I'm currently planning large projects for both the ECW and Italian Wars in 15mm, again using the lovely little caricatures that are Mike's Models minis.

I also rediscovered the joy that is Hovels 15mm buildings. I always loved the 25mm range and as you will know if you have followed this rambling blog, that I have a few in the collection. But, I'd forgotten just how good the 15mm ranges are. And talk about being as cheap as chips... Over the weekend, I spent £200 including postage, and got 32 buildings, several feet of assorted wall, and various sundry bits such as wayside crosses, bridges and that kind of thing.

The increased gaming area means that you can have numerous settlements on a single table to add not only visual but also strategic spice to a game. Check out the Hovels range and be sure to look at the accessories range.

Finally, we've set up for a clash between Kayte's Northstar Elven Alliance and my own Chronicle Hobgoblins. It's far from my usual mega game, with sub-600 models on the table, but it's going to be fun, I think: