Looking Back On 2015: Hobby Highlights

2015 was a difficult year in some ways and a very happy way in others.  It was also a year of transition. From January through March I had my head down finishing a thesis.   In June I finished my MA program paid for by my employer, and Madame Padre and I moved several hours north and east from Kitchener to Barrie here in Ontario.  

I have to move again?  And pack all my toys again?  And unpack them?

About that time we learned that my wife had cancer. I started a new job in my new posting at the Chaplain School at CFB Borden.   In September Kay and I took a holiday to Europe, visiting Iceland and Germany.  I amused myself in Erfurt by visiting a mostly unknown battlefield of 1813-1815 and tracing the steps of Napoleon.  Kay spent the fall and winter in chemo and came through with flying colours.

Embarking figures for yet another move.  One benefit of this move was that I got almost all of my figures on magnetic bases for storage in metal tins.  

GAMING HIGHLIGHTS

1) Participating in the Battle of Raab, a Napoleonic play by email game hosted by Jonathan Freitag. I played the role of Prince Eugene and was fortunate enough to win the battle, though I admit, the French have a lot of troops and generally better ones than the Austrians.   Very good fun to make big strategic and tactical decisions and see how they go.

 2) Sam Mustafa rules.   I got to know two rules sets this year.  One was Sam’s ACW rules, Longstreet.  I blogged my first game of Longstreet and commented on it here. Looking over my blog entries for 2015, Longstreet was far and away the game I played most often in 2015.   I’ve played several sets of ACW rules, and haven’t enjoyed a set more than Longstreet.

Luigi the Kitten joined us in 2015.  He thought Longstreet was fun and that GMB flags taste yummy.

I also enjoyed Sam’s new Napoleonic rules, Blucher.  Both are terrifically playable rules, doubtless too abstract and “gamy” for some grognards.  However, Blucher for me was a great introduction to Napoleonic gaming and a great way to start playing with my new 6mm collection.

Finally putting the wee lads to the test.

3) Hot Lead was the highlight of my gaming year.  This is a modest event by European standards, but it’s a big deal in this part of Canada.   Next year I promise Rabbitman that I will run at least one game at Hot Lead this year.

4) Getting to play with my Lord of the Rings figures again, this time using an adaptation of Too Fat Lardies’ Dark Ages rules, Dux Brittanorum (I am never sure how to spell that).  First results have been encouraging.

Men of Gondor, stand ye ready!

5) Last, and most important, has been the community of bloggers of which I am so grateful to be a part.   From the exchange of gifts this Christmas through various secret Santa schemes to the one on one exchanges with people who become friends, what Conrad Kinch calls the Freemasonry of the Hobby has been a huge blessing to me this year.  Some of the unlooked for kindnesses that appeared in the post included orcs from the Duchy of Tragardland, a small legion of ne’er do well rascals from Ireland, a gift of 15mm tank model kits for my Soviets from Steve Whitesel of the Sound Officers’ Call Blog, and of course the indispensable Foy mug (OK, I admit, I had to beg for that one).

Every time I post a photo of some recent painting efforts or a battle report, the comments and encouragement help me want to go on with the hobby.  If it was just me in my basement, I don’t think I’d do this.   I want to particularly thank all those who expressed their concern and encouragement this year, when we learned that my wife, Madame Padre, was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer.   We know we will beat this thing, but your support, prayers and kindness have made such a difference.  Bless you all.

2015 PAINTING TOTALS

Because real life was so busy, 2015 was not my best painting year.  Thanks to Richard Avery of the Vis Lardica website, there is a gallery of my painting achievements here.

In 2014 I painted this much:

28mm Mounted: 13, 28mm Foot: 85, 28mm Artillery: 2; 28mm terrain pieces: 10 

20mm Foot: 33, 20mm Artillery: 2, 20mm Vehicles: 2, 20mm Terrain Pieces: 2

15mm Vehicles: 7, 15mm Foot: 119, 15mm Terrain Pieces: 3

6mm Foot:  120, 6mm vehicles: 4, 6mm Terrain Pieces: 2

In 2015 I painted this much:

 28mm:  Foot Figures: 85; Mounted Figures: 19, Artillery: 2, Vehicles: 2, Scenic Pieces: 2

 20mm:  Vehicles: 1; Artillery: 1, Foot Figures: 6

 15mm: Armour/Vehicles: 5; 15mm Scenic Pieces: 5

 6mm:  Scenic pieces:  7

So 2015 was definitely a less productive year, though I don’t think it was any the less enjoyable.

 2015 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES, MET AND UNMET

1) Finish rebasing all that 6mm Napoleonics and play some games with them.

This goal was successfully met.  Of the figures I purchased in 2013, I managed to get 90% of the Austrians and 70% of the French based.  I had enough figures painted to stage a few decent little battles like this one.  Most of those bases were handmade, but I took mercy on my poor hands and purchased a batch of bespoke bases from a Canadian company, 6 Squared Studios, to finish the job in the new year.   

2) Finish some Ottoman Spahis and some Russian SYW horse I bought off a chap late last year.

No progress in this regard.   Not a sausage.  Can’t say why.  

3) Paint some wonderful ACW Iron Brigade figures from FG MiniZ Forgotten and Glorious - I don’t know why I haven’t gotten these done already.

I did make progress here.  I’m now 30% doneand the rest underway.  I should have the 24th Michigan finished and shown off soon.

Forgotten and Glorious figures.  Why did it take me so long to start painting this gems?

4) Putter away at the Weird War Project.

Much puttering done this year, including hapless German sentries, thuggish psycho landser, leering officers, and bad young SS frauleins.   So I’m happy with how I’ve advanced that project.

5) Round out my 15mm WW2 Soviets and play Battlegroup Kursk with them.

The rounding out goal was 100% met and then some.  Besides some tanks I painted myself, in June I had the opportunity to purchase a friend’s 15mm collection en masse.  Sadly, I have yet to do anything with them.

One Soviet horde, gently used, ready for service.  

6) Play some more games, preferably with new friends I make in my next posting.

I’m happy with the amount of games I made.  Since moving to Barrie, I have connected with the local games club and made some new friends and connected with old ones.  The local gaming scene is more board game than miniature focused, but it’s better than the gaming desert I lived in a few years ago.

7) Remain healthy, fit and happily married to Madame Padre.

This goal was 99% met. Fitness took a bit of a hit.  You may have noticed I don’t brag about kilometres run during my painting totals any more.  My knees are not what they used to be.  More time in the pool and on the elliptical is in my future.

 

2016 GOALS 

I’m not going to be super ambitious here, since my lack of focus (I prefer to call it eclecticism) and undisciplined work habits will have their say, but here’s what I’d like to do.

1) Put more work into the Weird War project and actually play a game.  My first objective is to try the adaptation to TFL’s Chain of Command Undead Paranormal (CoCUP) just published in the TFL Christmas Special.

2) Actually run a game at Hot Lead this year.  Game to be determined.

3) Work on my Pulp Project, The Rockies Ablaze.

4) Paint to my own lights and my own satisfaction.   I will be participating again in the Vis Lardica painting challenge, which I find is best suited to my pace and style of painting.

5) Revisiting Middle Earth with the new Dragon Rampant rules.

6) More Napoleonics, painting and playing, starting with the Blucher campaign rules, Scharnhorst, and French vs Austrians in Italy.  There may be a play by email campaign in this.  Interested?

7) Run another PBEM game of Diplomacy, as I was thinking today about the fun I had running the last in 2014.

8) Play well with others, be grateful for friends, family and blessings while we have them, and enjoy what I love best about this hobby - other people.

9) More boardgames.

10) Remain healthy, fit and happily married to Madame Padre.

Blessings and joy to you all in the year to come!

Michael

Last Figures 0f 2015: Part Two of Two

On a somewhat more serious note, here are the last historical figures to come off the paint bench this year.  The American Civil War dominated much of my work this year.    These figures are from a batch I purchased in 2014.  It’s taken me a while to get around to them.  F&G are one of my new favourite companies.  Based in France, they do very nice work at the high-end of quality and price.  They wouldn’t be the mainstay of a miniatures army, but they do make for great accent pieces.   This is their pack depicting the command group of Brigadier General Solomon Meredith.  The flag is of the First Brigade of the First Division of the First Corps, which Meredith commanded at Fredericksburg and on the first day of Gettysburg, his last battle.

I attempted a dapple pattern for Meredith’s horse.  I’m not sure how successful I was, but it made an interesting change from brown, red brown, and black.

I decided to put the four figures on separate bases.  I tried grouping all four figures on one base, and it looked way too crowded.  With separate bases, I can either put them together to show a brigade or higher level headquarters depending on the scale of the game, 

“There, major.  That IHOP across the highway.  We’ll have breakfast there. The men fought well and they deserve pancakes.”  A lot of what aides do is look in the direction where the boss is pointing and try to look alert, while hoping that they aren’t going to have to ride through the night carrying a confusing dispatch to a grumpy general.

The group includes a corporal bugler and a sergeant guidon bearer.  The flag is from GMB.  Forgotten and Glorious has a deal with GMB allowing you to buy flags from them along with the figures.  Handy.

It’s interesting to me that the corporal and sergeant wear standard infantry accoutrements, including brogans or bootees rather than proper riding boots, and the frock coat and Hardee hat of the Iron Brigade.  I suppose this would be accurate, 

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Coming in 2016, soon I hope, will be an entire infantry regiment of F&G minis to round out my Iron Brigade collection.  

That’s it for this year’s painting totals.

These figures bring my 2015 totals to:

28mm:  Foot Figures: 85; Mounted Figures: 19, Artillery: 2, Vehicles: 2, Scenic Pieces: 2

20mm:  Vehicles: 1; Artillery: 1, Foot Figures: 6

15mm: Armour/Vehicles: 5; 15mm Scenic Pieces: 5

6mm:  Scenic pieces:  7

Last Painted Figures Of 2015, Part One of Two

2015 is almost in the bag and these are the last figures off my painting bench.  All the minis shown in this post are 28mm and are from the less serious side of my painting interests.

First up are two figures for my Weird War Two project.  On the left is Gefreiter Arnold Schwarsenjaeger.  He’s a Bob Murch Pulp Figures mini from the Stahl Mask Doom Squad pack.  On the right is the Artizan sculpt, Father Sweeney.

The Fr. Sweeney figure will represent one of the heroes of my Weird War project, Fr. Tristram Mercer, scholar and vampire hunter, before he entered the military.  I love his hair.  I think he also plays bass in a 1980s New Wave band.

 

Next up are two baddies for my Middle Earth project.  Both are Games Workshop figures.  On the left is Gothmog, Captain of Mordor who will make an excellent orc commander.  On the right is an Orc Taskmaster.   Leadership is a pretty simple science in Mordor.

The taskmaster is quite a corpulent fellow.  He must eat the runty orcs who fail basic training.

Gothmog is an orc of style and sports some natty yellow trousers.  He must be an hussar at heart.

Finally, a refurbished GW Rohirrim Horse Archer.  Not a great picture.  I gave him a red shield just to break the pattern of green shields done thus far.

Horse archer vs Gothmog.  Who will win?

 

These figures bring my 2015 totals to:

28mm:  Foot Figures: 85; Mounted Figures: 15, Artillery: 2, Vehicles: 2, Scenic Pieces: 2

20mm:  Vehicles: 1; Artillery: 1, Foot Figures: 6

15mm: Armour/Vehicles: 5; 15mm Scenic Pieces: 5

6mm:  Scenic pieces:  7

Coming In 2016: The Rockies Ablaze

 Madame Padre does not trust her instincts when it comes to Christmas presents for her (inexplicably) beloved. She can be quite eccentric in her selections, and sometimes quite pointed.  One Christmas, when I was laggard in painting a few rooms as I had promised, she left me paint rollers and brushes (not the fun, little soldier kind) under the tree.   Hilarious.  This year she was kinder. Get yourself something for me, dear, she said, as she sipped coffee and I sipped my mulled wine.  

After a third mulled wine, I mulled it over and remembered I had once written some fluff for two Bob Murch Pulp figures who would be part of my Weird War Two project.   They were a Canadian couple from the high Rockies who had experience in fighting werewolves.

In my mulled state, I decided that a fine Christmas present would be some more Bob Murch figures to flesh out this exciting backstory of werewolves and how Project Alice developed the expertise to fight them.   I settled on pretty much all of Bob’s Yukon Peril line, sadly with the exception of two fine packs featuring a Mountie and a trapper in canoes.

My figures arrived on Christmas Eve, in Bob’s trademark painstaking and deluxe packaging.  

Hey, it works!

One of the reasons I am a Bob Murch fan is for his tradition of doing a special sculpt for the Movember charity for prostate cancer.   These sculpts are set aside for those who make PC donations.   I have fortunately checked out in that department, the least favourite part of my medical exams, and really really wanted this year’s sculpt, whom Bob calls Captain Krustach.

I think that if I paint his riding trousers blue and his coat red, he will look like an especially swashbuckling Mountie whose hair is just too fantastic to hide beneath the customary Stetson over.  A cousin of Lord Flashheart, perhaps, who joined the RCMP.  He will of course have to be quite blonde in the finest Rick Mayall sense.

I think Krustach will fit in well with this lot, which combines the Sergeant Prestown of the Mounted pack (standing and mounted), his intrepid husky Prince, and the Scarlet Patrol pack.  These Mounties pack a serious amount of firepower, a satisfying combination of Lee Enfields, Winchesters, and Webleys.  I think this is the only horse sculpt Bob sells, BTW.

Various tough Canuck civilians who will be aiding the Mounties. And look, a potential love interest for Prince!  ARF!  Wag wag wag.

These aren’t part of the Yukon Peril Range, but since the Rockies means mountains, then I will need some (PHP 16) Courageous Mountaineers (from the Heroies and Personalities range) to aid Sgt. Prestown.

And of course, bad guys in the form of mad and bad trappers, who will, of course, be able to turn into werewolves. 

It’s just possible that the bad guys may need some auxiliaries in the form of the Zeppelin Troops that Bob also sculpts, but that is Phase 2 or 3 or even 4 of a long project.   I may need a Zeppelin as well, but that’s another story.

So a definitely Canadian theme to my pulp gaming in the year to come.   I wonder who makes 28mm log cabin models?  And do I have enough trees?

Blessings!

MP+

Thank You Santas!

I have several Santas to thank this year.

Before I do, it seems that my photo bug has returned.  So, I include two versions of each picture.  The first is of the photo as hosted on Imageshack.  The second is a thumbnail on Google Picasa Web Albums.  Pls met me know if you can see only one or both versions of the same image.

I took part in the Secret Santa project run by Ian and Cath of the Blog with No Name fame.  This was my first time participating in this event, and I was delighted to unwrap these fellows on Christmas morning.  My Secret Santa carefully read my shameless wish list and discerned that I wanted some Foundry Saxons to stand in as Rohirrim for my Middle Earth project.  These fellows are the Saxon mounted characters from the Casting Room Miniatures Saxon line. Both the armoured fellows have a definite Rohirrim look about them.  The one with sword will do nicely as a lord of the Riddermark or perhaps a captain in the Royal Guard, and the fellow in the middle looks like a hearth guard if I ever saw one.  Orcs beware.  The mounted monk will find a use with my medieval collection, to be sure.  You picked very well - thank you Secret Santa!

For the second year running I participated in the Santa Clause project ably run by Chris Stoesen.  I love this project because the gift is painted and the gifted has to read the giftee’s blog and choose an appropriate present.  In my case, some kind fellow in the UK noticed my Middle Earth interest and found two little fellows - on the left, the hobbit Meriadoc Brandybuck in the livery of Rohan.  On the right, his friend Peregrin Took as a soldier of Gondor.  Both figures are from Games Workshop and are difficult to find now, so I am delighted to  now have them in my collection.  My anonymous benefactor also included two stands for them, which I will gladly use.

Both still wear the cloaks gifted to the Fellowship of the Ring by the elves of Lorien.

I can see both of these fellows getting use on the tabletop.  If I am using my adaptation of Dux Britannorum, they might allow an extra die when with with a unit of Men in combat.   Lots of time to figure that out.

To both my secret Santas, thank you so much.  Your kindness helped make for an excellent Christmas.

There were some other wargaming goodies under the tree, but I’ll save them for another post.
Blessings,
MP+

A Christmas Eve Story: The Shepherd - Frederick Forsyth - read by Alan Maitland from CBC Radio

If you grew up as I did, listening to CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) Radio, chances were this reading of a Christmas Eve ghost story by the late Al Maitland was a tradition.   I have fond memories of driving through the snow covered Ontario countryside late one Christmas Eve, on my way to a family gathering, and listening to this on the car radio as the moon scudded along to one side



It takes about half an hour, so grab a rum and eggnog or your favourite drink, settle in by the glow of the Christmas tree, and enjoy.   Happy Christmas to you and yours from Madame Padre and myself.

Christmas Is Coming

Yesterday was stollen day, hat tip to Stokes for the inspiration.  One of these yummy chaps went to the office Christmas party this morning.   The rest should tide us over through the Christmas season.  Christmas leave began today, time to go lay down the rolling pin and pick up the paint brush.

Here’s some Christmas music for those looking for some inspiration.

Blessings,

MP+