Hobby Update - Not Been To A Show Since Vapnartak Edition

 It's 05:32 and after being awoken by our eldest dog who is now diabetic and blind, I'm wide awake and partaking of a fruit tea (mixed berry, no sweetening) and listening to 'The Sleeping Forecast' from Radio 3 Unwind, which is rapidly becoming a 'go to' when I want to mentally unwind or simply allow my mind to drift in the aether.

The March 16th edition is particularly excellent - go and listen to it.

It's been a busy week, and made moreso by the fact that Nothern Powergrid are cutting power to our close for 6 hours today, meaning that I will be unable to work. This has meant I've had to put in extra hours to cover it, this week, but it also means I'm taking a long weekend, which means I can spend the day at Chatsworth House and see the latest exhibition followed by a nice lunch.

It's now late March and by design, I've not been to a wargames show since the rather abysmal Vapnartak in January. Hammerhead passed without notice and Partizan is set to do the same. Of course this means that I have saved around the cost of a 28mm metal unit simply based on the entrance costs and petrol, let alone the costs of - let's be homest - pretty dismal catering at these events, which would probably cover the cost of another half unit.

Speaking of units, this retirement from the show scene has not dulled my acquisitional habits and 2026 is shaping up very nicely.

The historical shopping is complete, as is the fantasy element. All 28mm of course.

The tally thus far:

Early Imperial Roman: 2 units of cavalry, 4 ballaistae, 12 generals 9 24 man cohorts of Leginaries, and the obligatory 48 figure 1st cohort, topped off with 4 x 24 man cohorts of Auxiliaries

British Celts: 7 x 48 figure warbands, 3 x 16 figure units of javelin armed skirmishers, 56 x slingers, 2 x 16 figure cavalry units, 1 x 24 Gaesetai and then 27 chariots

Later Imperial Roman: 6 x 36 man Legionary units, 2 x 24 man archer units, 64  x skirmishers, 1 x 12 cataphracts, 4 x 12 heavy cavalry, 3 x 12 light cavalry 

Pictish: 9 x 30 warriors,  30 crossbowmen, 36 archers, 24 Attecotti, 24 skirmishers, 4 heroic types, 8 mounted nobles and 24 mounted warriors

Tudor English (1540s): 480 foot, 55 cavalry and 6 artillery pieces

Renaissance Scots (1500s): 468 foot, 32 cavalry  and 5 artillery pieces 

Grenadier Miniatures 'Copplestone' Barbarians:  3 x War Mammoths, 236 infantry and 40 cavalry

All of the above of course are with my painter and are being worked through at quite a pace and I have turned my attention to something to I have always loved, since right back in 1981, and that's 15mm sci-fi.

I grew up in that wonderful age of Star Trek, Buck Rogers, Battlestar Galactica, Blake's 7 et al, and so I like my sci-fi to carry that 70s and 80s aesthetic. I rapidly fell out with Elves in space and Grimdark feels way too much like the world we live in - where's the fun in that? - and I hate it. I don't care one jot how popular it is, I hate it and if you disagree, that's fine. Knock yourself out - you probably can just by smelling your own armpits, because god knows the cost of GW stuff can't leave much money for soap and deodorant.

Anyway, as usual I digress...

Whilst I am a lifelong fan of the 15mm Traveller miniatures, the cost of the re-releases through Ral Partha are just ridiculously expensive at around 3 times the cost of most other manufacturers. Remember these are 45 year old models which weigh nothing. You get a lot for a kilo of metal, and let's be fair, they are not really geared towards 'mass combat' gaming.

So, I've gone with that 80s classic company, Ground Zero Games which has always for me been the arbiter of taste and style for sci-fi gaming.

I have no rules in mind - feel free to suggest some - but I have 'ideas' on the types of forces I want on the table. 

You may recall that I reminisced a while ago about playing Laserburn, staging games using simple terrain made from the foam inners from Citadel box sets, to simulate an assault on a spaceport somewhere on the edged of civilised space?

Well, this has been where I have returned to with 45 years of experience behind me, and a love of sci-fi which has never diminished.

However, this time I've decided that I want it to look like the 'proper job', and so, I've thought about the terrain, and I've been amazed at jow easy that's been, with lovely models from both GZG, Alternative Armies and Brigade.

Jon has supplied me with two of his Military Prefab sets and from Brigade I've ordered the superb control tower, research base models and a few bits to 'upcycle' some classic Hovels adobe buildings with aircon and other roof upgrades to give a low-tech colonial settlement vibe.

Ibn terms of figures, I've gone with three different human based forces.

First up, I used the GZG hardsuited UN troops, upgrading them all with jump packs. These are an entirely infantry force, dropping in the manner of 20th century airborne forces, with large numbers of man-packed support weapons, relying on superior armour and firepower to get the job done.

The second force, is based on small sections of troops in large numbers of fast hover vehicles. For the troops, I used the GZG South African forces with the lovely range of 'Adder' vehicles from Alternative Armies. Each section is split between three APCs with SAWs, ATGW and Snipers integral to the section. For each Section there is also a MICV for fire support and deployment of a 4 man recon team

2 Sections comprise a platoon, and at platoon level, there's a command vehicle and missile launcher variant of the Adder.

2 platoons are joined by 4 Adder tanks, a company command vehicle and Med-Evac carrier

Thus, the entire force can be divided into 4 'Assault Sections' of  command carrier, 6 APCs, 1 tank and 2 MICVS, with the missikle carriers remaining with the CHQ and Med-Evac carriers.

A support platoon of 24 Brigade Models power armour suits. 

The third force uses all GZG models and for the infantry, I've used the New Anglian forces. There are 4 Sections each comprising 2 Gauntlet APCs with a squad in each, including ATGW and snipers, but no SAWs. Instead, there;'s an ACAV vehicle with three SAW gunners on each.

There's a support platton with 4 flatbed hover trucks each carrying a 2 man mortar team

The force is backed up by 4 tanks and of course there are HQ and Med-Evac vehicles and again, a platoon of power armour.

Broadly the two 'conventional forces' are similarly designed but one relies on more numerous vehicles with smaller fireteams in each, whilst the other uses a smaller number of vehicles with concentrated firepower.

This is what I love about sci-fi, the ability to imagine your own forces. Already, I'm planning on how the forces will grow, imagining a larger organisational chart with air support and the like.

I am not one for having two many design aesthetics in a single force and I really don't like the over-angular designs of many modern ranges, so my choices have gone for what for me are 'classic' sci-fi stylings, and for ranges which have lots of variants on the same 'family' of vehicles. It just looks more feasible for well ordered and funded 'regular' forces.

And - are you ready for this? - I'm painting them all myself. I paint a lot of AFVs in my day job and I've been really enjoying it, thus I think it may be nice to put my skills to use on something for me. I'm actually really looking forward to it.

I've bought stowage and equipment and I'll add antennae and suchlike to really get some individuality in there.

Well, I better soign off now as the power cut off is looming...

 

TTFN