Roundie, from my local gaming group (the Auckland Wargaming Club), has recently launched his own website & blog of his wargaming & modelling work – he’s one of our area’s most prolific modellers & painters and has built some amazing terrain boards and scratch-built buildings & terrain… He’s also running a local SDS (Song of Drums & Shakos) Napoleonic Skirmish Campaign at the AWC. Continue reading “Miniature Addiction!”
Category: News / Resources / Reviews
Win An Airbrush Compressor Competition
Air Supplies in the UK are running a competition for model makers on their site. In a nutshell they’re asking you to show them your favourite model from your collection. Trains, Warhammer, Wargaming, Airfix, Table Top Gaming, etc – it doesn’t matter what the model is it just has to be one that you’ve painted, built or even designed yourself. They want to see the one you’re most proud of to be in with a chance of winning a Bambi BB8 Compressor they are giving away as the 1st Prize.
Wargame Holidays 2014
Wargame Holidays have announced their 2014 Schedule. They include World War 2 (20mm Normandy 1944 and Crete 1941); Anglo-Zulu War (Isandlwana in 15mm and Rorke’s Drift in 28mm); Black Powder in 28mm (American Civil War, Indian Mutiny, and French & Indian Wars); Pirate ship to ship action (in 28mm); and new in 2014:
Stunning M42 Twin-Forty Night Shots
A friend recently sent me a link to these stunning Vietnam War photos of an M42 Twin-Forty “Duster” in action at night against a ground target in Vietnam in 1970 (The image is © James Speed Hensinger / Rex Feat).
“A Vietnam War veteran has released incredible night-time photographs he took of American troops opening fire on a Viet Cong sniper who had been firing on a U.S. Army camp.” Continue reading “Stunning M42 Twin-Forty Night Shots”
Gordon & Hague 15mm Plastic ACW Packs
Bulk Packs Of American Civil War Plastic 15mm Figures
Interesting new product line for the 15mm gamers out there – from Gordon & Hague in the USA – Packs of 100 plastic 15mm scale ACW figures, with an assortment of about 80 infantry 10 cavalry, and 2 guns & crew, plus movement trays per base (total of 125 parts per box). Available from today (a Union & a Confederate Pack), with additional expansion packs due in March 2013. Professionally sculptured by a quality UK Figure sculpture too apparently.
More Secrets Of Wargame Design
Following on from Wally Simon’s SECRETS OF WARGAME DESIGN: A Tabletop Toolkit of Ideas, Analysis, and Rule Mechanics (Volume 1), Russ Lockwood (of MagWeb fame and now the Center for Provocative Wargaming) has now published a second work in the series entitled: Wally Simon’s MORE SECRETS OF WARGAME DESIGN: A Tabletop Toolkit of Ideas, Analysis, and Rule Mechanics (Volume 2). Wally Simon was one of the founders of the Historical Miniatures Gaming Society (in the USA), and as a statistician he used his mathematical skills to analyse probabilities within wargame mechanics. With 25 years of work to draw on, this is the second in a series of ‘best of’ booklets that explore the nuts and bolts of wargame design as seen through his eyes, via the articles he wrote over the last 40 or so years.
Work Begins On Rorke’s Drift
Well its been much longer than planned and to get things along I have enlisted my mate Kieran (6mm Wargaming) to build my Rorke’s Drift Models and Base Board for me. I have been inspired by the SSWG’s (Southend & Shoeburyness Wargames Group) wonderful demo game from several years ago (you can see a full set of photos here, it was at Salute 2006 in the UK and I believe has been at shows prior to that), and they still reuse it regularly today (see this blog post from 2011). So Kieran has completed assembly of the buildings and we’ve done two mock-ups of the layout…
Computer Hackers Beware!
Upper Hutt Hosts NZ NatCon 2013
The New Zealand Wargaming National Convention (NatCon) is being hosted this year by the Hutt (Valley) Wargaming Club at St Patrick’s College in Silverstream, Upper Hutt. Veterans of previous Hutt Club conventions will be familiar with this hall. As usual the even runs over Easter, which this year is relatively early (29-31 March), and registrations are $50 up until the 25 January, after which they are $75 (all registrations and entries after this date are subject to the consent & discretion of the convention organiser and/or tournament umpire).
There will be a traditional convention dinner on the Sunday night (in Trentham, Upper Hutt), with a cost of $25. Currently there are 9 Tournaments available, and these are:
February Is BattleCry 2013 Time!
Come along and attend BattleCry, Auckland’s largest all-round weekend gaming convention. On hand will be all manner of roleplaying, wargaming, cardgaming, and live-action tournaments and events, as well as a collection of stalls and displays of gaming materials. We welcome all comers, from experienced gamers to those of you out there that are merely curious as to what it is all about.
Entry into the venue is free, and we will have a number of likewise free events and demonstration games to keep you entertained during your time at BattleCry. If you are however interested in taking part in one or more of the tournaments being held over the weekend, there is a cost and we encourage you to pre-register and pay as early as possible to ensure a place, with prizes on hand for all such tournaments. Tournaments include:
Normandy Buildings
I recently caught up with my gaming buddy Kieran (6mm Wargaming), and he brought round his completed 1/72 scale Italeri European Building kitsets he has done for his 1944 Normandy terrain. Kieran’s been taking a break from Crossfire and playing a lot of Kampfgruppe Normandy and has been steadily working on his terrain and new 20mm (German & U.S.) armies for that theatre. The Italeri buildings are the Country House, House With Porch, and the Stone House; and Kieran has gone to reasonable efforts to detail them with window shutters, walls & gates (some scratch built, some commercial), and other features – I think you’ll agree they’ve come out looking very good! I’ll be looking to achieve similar with my kits when I get around to them, and may have to talk Kieran into doing them for me since he’s done such a good job of his own! Continue reading “Normandy Buildings”
Combat Tanks Collection NZ Update
The full running order for the de Argostini Combat Tanks Collection in New Zealand (see Combat Tanks Collection 1-7) has now been available for sometime (i.e. since mid-2012) – I thought it might be useful to quickly post it up here along with updated links to the forum (which moved during 2012). The series is expected to conclude in April (or possibly May) 2014 with 110 issues. The full listing of the running order for the issues is below (note it still appears that the model for issue 110, the final issue, has not been confirmed):
Continue reading “Combat Tanks Collection NZ Update”