[Alan Hamilton]

I remember BATCO and SLIDEX what fun they were!  Despite them I passed my RSO course.

 

[Alan Hamilton]

All sorts of merchandise – stickers, clothing, bags, mobile phone covers etc https://www.redbubble.com/shop/conan+the+barbarian

 

[Alan Hamilton]

Never to a convention.  But I have taken scenarios for conventions to the club to test, then adjust, test again etc.  We all take untried scenarios to the club and this is encouraged to develop scenario writing in everyone who wants to participate.  It is a safe place with constructive criticism, suggestions and assistance.  Fun and laughter are included free of charge.

[Alan Hamilton]

Fairly recently I retyped our WW2 wargame rules from the early 1960s that had been done on a typewriter with carbon paper for copies.  Our club Napoleonic Naval (for converted Airfix HMS Victory models), Ancient, ACW and others were printed on a second hand Roneo or Gestetner with coloured pages (now long faded away) done on a Banda spirit based copier.  All of these are still in use.

In the “might be useful one day” boxes are all sorts of old rules – Thane Tostig, WRG etc.

[Alan Hamilton]

I had to look up “ragequit”.  I have been wargaming for over 55 years and at times my work, family, hobby, social balance altered with all being present but in variable proportions.  I gave up on competitions because they were not fun or socially engaging.  And wargaming for me is a social fun activity.

One virtually permanent feature from about 1970 is that I have wargamed almost every Monday evening with my long standing opponent and frequently a few others.  Thus wargaming has never gone away.

 

 

[Alan Hamilton]

I have:

Airfix WW2 Germans (first and second issue)

Airfix Romans

No Napoleonics

 

[Alan Hamilton]

Rhoderic wrote:

How do the zombie survivor weapons match up with those on the Spectre figures?

Sorry, cannot help.  None of my son’s figures have AK-47s or RPGs to compare.  They look close enough for me, but then I’m not that pickie and mix many different makes of figures in my games.

[Alan Hamilton]

Thanks for the kind words.  I am sad to say that mum passed away painlessly and peacefully holding my hand on Sunday.  The family were present.

The excellent Marie Curie nurses had been in, did her hair and made her comfortable.  She always perked up when they came and they got a smile.

 

[Alan Hamilton]

In 20mm you could make a small camp using the Imex Pilgrims as a starting point for some simple conversions.

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=805

Add a tent or two and bits from this accessory set http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=188

 

[Alan Hamilton]

He has almost feminine features in many illustrations so I may have a suitable head from the plastic Warlord female survivors.  Let me know if it is any use,

[Alan Hamilton]

For me a game lasts as long as it takes to achieve the objectives (or not!).

That said the objectives set depends on the opponents.  At our regular Monday games at a friend’s house where a few of us gather and he has a permanent 8×6 table games last from 60 minutes to several Mondays.

At home where I have a 6×4 table set up at Grandchildren height the game length lasts as long as we are having fun.  With the grandchildren these games last 40 minutes to about 2 hours depending upon the level of action and “small boy success”.

When you stop having fun stop…

[Alan Hamilton]

Many thanks for the kind words, Mike.  I may just take you up on the offer of a chat some day.

[Alan Hamilton]

I have not had much time for wargaming these past few months. My mother is very ill and cannot be left alone so I can only get some painting done every now and then. Anyway these figures are mainly from the stash. Some of them have entirely new paint jobs and a few are repaints of really old figures.

On his travels Jason encounters Queen Hypsipyle on the Isle of Lemnos so it was quite logical to include some female warriors in the collection. Searching the old boxes I came up with a chariot, a box of plastic amazons and quite a few Garrison and little Minot amazons that will become young girls as peltasts. A trade on a forum brought in some lightly dressed female hoplites. I have a lot more than intended!
The Chariot had a crew of two amazons so the Officer became the General of the Amazon army.

These lightly dressed amazons came from a trade on the internet. All are clothed in a sort of sideless tunic, helmet, shield and spear.

Some of the plastic Hoplites bought at Carronade flea market (I think) many years ago.

The figures could be made up armed with spears, swords, bows, slings or javelins. So these became peltast types.

These are really old Garrison figures. I am not too happy with the paint job but they will do just now.

And a few officers from Minifigs, Garrison and I think the priestess type is an old Citadel figure.

[Alan Hamilton]

I play games.

I eat game.

[Alan Hamilton]

Bought nothing (except an occasional paint) for decades directly from them.  Once in a while bought a second hand figure or two until about 3 years ago when I bought “The Hobbit – Escape from Goblin Town” set after my grandson and I played a couple of introductory games and enjoyed them.  We still play the game.

[Alan Hamilton]

I have only ever abandoned two projects.  The first was a 25mm French Napoleonic army built up in the 1970s and the second a foray into 15mm Colonials.  The first was sold off a few years ago to a contact on another forum who wanted those specific figures and the second was sold under similar circumstances.  These two were built up to play with two particular opponents and saw significant use for several years until the first opponent changed jobs and moved up north and the second was posted too far south.  So they became redundant and departed to good homes where they will be used.

My other projects have all suffered (long) delays, suspensions and resurgences, but none have been abandoned though some have been repurposed.  Now I find that our grandchildren have interests that, fortunately, coincide with many of the figures in the projects and also many in the lead/plastic mountain.  Some projects as much a collection (e.g. 20mm WW2) as wargame forces and others are just for wargames with the grandchildren (zombies).  Every so often I think of selling off a project only for it to come to the fore again as an interest.

 

[Alan Hamilton]

My father was in a VCP in Normandy and afterwards.  His VCP comprised a  “White Half-track”, a Jeep and a 3 tonner.  He usually operated with an army HQ and went forward to deal with targets.  Once the target was identified an arrow made of recognition panels was laid out to indicate direction and the Cabrank of Typhoons called in.  He decided how many aircraft were required.  As the Typhoons approached a smoke bomb was fired either right or left of the panel and the fighters informed of bearing given by the arrow and to target (the Observer Target Line) and that the smoke was right or left of the line.  The target was indicated verbally.  And the Typhoons came in.  They did not have to fly down the OT line as this brought them over friendly troops and often arrived from one flank or another.

As one mission of Typhoons was committed to the attack another group was ordered into the air to maintain the cabrank.

Ahead of the troops was the “Bomb Line” and any aircraft with weapons left that was stood down from the cabrank could seek permission to go beyond the bomb line to engage anything that he could see.  Trains, road transport, river/canal boats were priority followed by artillery and other heavy weapons.

So weather permitting there was a high probability of the RAF providing a flight or more of Typhoons.  As already said the objective was suppression of the target to allow ground troops to close in.  If destruction was required then that was a separate mission involving squadron or wing strength attacks by fighter bombers or bombers.

The very appearance of the “jabos” was enough to suppress the enemy.  Rockets could render an enemy tank useless by concussing or killing the crew by a direct hit, disrupt fuel lines, blow off aerials, shatter vision blocks, destroy or damage wheels, tracks or tyres and he saw many tanks and other AFVs looking as if they were undamaged but actually useless.  I’ve read of crewmen committing suicide or being driven insane by the threat of constant air attack.

 

 

[Alan Hamilton]

Glad the chaps gave the Hun a jolly good thrashing.

Excellent AAR and game.

I think I will have to dust off my 20mm Dad’s Army.

[Alan Hamilton]

Great game and write up.  Loved it.

[Alan Hamilton]

I use a mixture of ordinary and humorous names in my games.  I spend a bit of time selecting the names of main characters and plot points.  Depending upon the size of the party the rank and file get names that help me identify them – Erik Greenbreeks, Gurly Pinkpants etc.  For most I try to use “period” names or variations of same.  And I agree that some delicacy is needed in naming “Johnny Foreigner” when using faux French/German/Latin/Greek etc.

[Alan Hamilton]

Alex Bates wrote:

This is a great thread – such a cool collection! It was a nice surprise seeing my Snake Priestesses in the mix, too! Lots of great figures here. Where does the centaur with the horned helmet and the sword come from? I recognize that figure, but I can’t place where I know it from.

The snake priestesses just seemed so right to fit into the role of Priestesses of Hecate.  And they are very nice figures.

I cannot remember where the armoured Centaur came from it was bought about 25 years ago so possibly Asgard or Amazon Miniatures?

[Alan Hamilton]

I did these to celebrate the Centenary of the RAF and they posted elsewhere and included here for completeness.

The Pegasi – by Casting Room Miniatures

The Harpies from a variety of manufacturers.

Other creatures – various manufacturers and I have no idea what the three-headed creature is but it looks mythological.

Birdmen

Flying Skirmishers – Garrison

Flying Hoplites and a Peltast

[Alan Hamilton]

That’s the one – Golden Voyage of Sinbad – Tom Baker and Caroline Munro

[Alan Hamilton]

The Centaurs appear in many stories and these come from a wide variety of sources.

The unicorn (Reaper Bones)

The Brass or Bronze Bull (Reaper Bones)

Lamiae

The Gorgons

Petrified victims

Inspired by Harryhausen – a statue picked up on holiday in India and an animated version.

Another statue that I have had for years (right) and another bought on ebay as the animated version.

A couple of Greek animated statues – Artemis

Athena

This might be Sekhmet?

To add some extra excitement and perhaps to impede the players we have added some civilians and other folk to our collection.  The models come from a wide variety of manufacturers and some are repaints of old figures so that they fit in with the rest of the collection.

Ladies first – the servants, slaves and some warrior types (there are some very old figures in this lot).

Townsmen, servants and slaves.  Most of them are Black Tree figures.

The upper and middle class as well as a priestess or two.  Not sure where the priestess on the left came from.

A variety of adults and children some are relatively new though there are some vintage Minifigs, Garrison, Asgard, Citadel and Rose (probably others too).

Priests, Priestesses and Sooth Sayers

[Alan Hamilton]

As far as I am concerned it is your game.  If you have Tigers and Stukas then use them and also the Germans used what they had. If you want a historical setting against the British move the setting to Tunisia or Italy.   Even better if you can get your son into the game.

I play games for fun and I use what I have in my collection:

All my PzIVs are the 1/76 Airfix PzIVF2 regardless of when the game is played, my Sdkfz 251/17 are actually Roco Minitanks SWS with 3.7cm Flak in 1/87 and I have many other adaptions (old Matchbox radio trucks etc), conversions and scratchbuilds.

Have a look http://www.morvalearth.co.uk/Inch_High_Club/WW2_Rerb_Germ/WW2_Refurb_Germ_motorised_arty.htm

 

 

[Alan Hamilton]

KG Peiper started with 33 (+12 under repair) King Tigers which was about a third of the total number on the Western Front, 38 (+4 under repair) Panthers, 34 PzIV (=3 under repair) and he lost all that crossed the start line.  The remainder of the 100 or so (some sources give the total around 150 though this may include the broken down ones) were in 3 other heavy tank battalions.

Therefore mixing King Tigers and Panthers is not unreasonable.

[Alan Hamilton]

Late in the war the East and West Fronts near where you are thinking of setting your game were not all that far apart.  So. though it is unlikely that a Ju-87 would appear in the West, it not impossible.  However, whether the lumbering Stuka would survive long against RAF Spitfires and Tempests or USAAF P-51 or P-47s is a moot point.  At night on the other hand the NachtSlachtGruppen operated Ju-87D bombers might be viable at low altitudes.

1./NSGr2 and 2./NSGr2 were at Koln in late 1944

More likely, as has already been said, would be the FW-190.

Again Tigers were becoming rare in late 1944 as about 230-240 Tigers were deployed on the western front (France/Rhine defense) of these, about 150 Tiger 1 and King Tigers were sent to Normandy (June – Aug 1944).  Of these 60-80 were available at peak strength. However only half a dozen Tigers escaped from Normandy, and it appears that they were all destroyed/abandoned in the retreat. After that most of the 80-90 Tigers used on the western front were King Tigers, deployed during the Ardennes offensive and subsequent battles (Dec 1944 – May 1945).

So giving them 50% availability is probably OK (maybe a bit high though).  Mixing King Tigers and Panthers fits with several SS and other Battlegroups in the closing stages of the war.  Artillery and nebelwerfers might deployed on table and diced for each time they fire with a suitably low score and they run out of ammunition.  This might create more uncertainty for the German player.

 

 

 

[Alan Hamilton]

The control vehicles for the radio controlled Borgward BIV were indeed StuG III and Tiger 1E vehicles.  For example

301 was built up to 4 companies by the addition of 312 as the 1. Kompanie. When the Allies landed at Normandy 301 was attached to 2. Pz.Div. with an operational strength of two Pz.III, 32 StuG, and 146 B IVs. The organization had been updated by KStN 1171f dated 1/Jun/44 as follows:
Leichte Panzer Kompanie funk
Kompanie Trupp: 2 StuG (SdKfz 142/1)
1. Zug: 4 StuG (SdKfz 142/1) and 12 Sprengstofftrager (SdKfz 301), plus 1 mSPW (SdKfz 251/1)
2. Zug: (Same as above 1. Zug)
Sondergerat Reserve of 12 Sprengstofftrager (SdKfz 301)

Schwerer Panzer Kompanie funk
Kompanie Trupp: 2 x Tiger 1
1. Zug: Tiger 1 and 9 Sprengstofftrager (SdKfz 301), plus 1 mSPW (SdKfz 251/1)
2. Zug: (Same as above 1. Zug)
Sondergerat Reserve of 12 Sprengstofftrager (SdKfz 301)

Abteilung Stabs Companie: Ambulance SdKfz 251/8, Engineer & Recce Platoon 3 x SdKfz 251/7, AA Platoon 3 x SdKfz 7/1 (quad 2cm FlaK)

The Goliath vehicles were, as far as my reading goes, controlled by dismounted Pionier (engineer) teams (not Panzer force).  The Goliaths could be transported in vehicles (halftracks and trucks even on the rear deck of tanks) and then taken forward in handcarts to the initial launch point as they were quite noisy.  They were cable controlled (mostly).  They carts could be towed by HalbKettenKraftrad and probably other small vehicles.  An operating team was 3 men.

[Alan Hamilton]

My collections of model soldiers spans over 55 years of wargaming and so the standards of painting vary considerably!  The earliest are Airfix Infantry Combat Group ans WW2 Germans – the uniforms are the base colour of the plastic and the details are in gloss enamels.  My best were probably painted about 10 years ago.  Now most are painted to a nice standard without too much detail for rank and file – basic colours, wash and dry brush – and this works very well for the majority of figures.  Some that are particularly nice figures or special characters with the best standard of all those is on those that have been given to me as presents.

Large monsters tend to get quite a good paint job.  No particular reason.

My objective is to get adequately painted models into action as fast as possible.

[Alan Hamilton]

Mike wrote:

Nice, what make are they?

They are mostly from the Warlord Games “Project Z” boxes with odd bits from my spares box.  I hade to “flatten” some by bending and cutting.  Others had limbs repositioned, torsos separated and repositioned etc to create as much variety as possible.  A few needed to be sanded smooth on the side nearest the ground or had bags positioned to support or strengthen the figure pose.

[Alan Hamilton]

It was pointed out to me that the trails on my 10.5cm leFH18/40 were upside down so I fixed that. Now it needed a gun tractor. The scrap heap yielded an Airfix Bedford chassis from the RAF Recovery set and an Eidai Krupp Boxer bodywork. These were fitted together and became the gun tractor.

The Battle Group received some military light transport

And some commadeered civilian trucks. These were in a dreadful state and restoration really did not improve them very much.

[Alan Hamilton]

I prefer flat bases so that I can decide whether I want figures carting around a huge slab underfoot or a minimal base.  That way I can fit them into buildings onto boats AND most importantly store them in smaller boxes.

[Alan Hamilton]

I understand.  I do not play wargame in the operational theatres where I have been engaged.  The little figures quite often have real faces for me.

A good few years ago I was at a wargame show where a game was being played.  Seeing equipment similar to what we were using in my unit on the table I had a chat with the players.  I realised that they were playing a game of an action in which I had been involved.  As I was watching the little tin man that was me was shot and killed.  A rather odd feeling.

[Alan Hamilton]

A splendid write of what sounds like a very exciting game.  Incidentally, my father was present as an RAF fighter controller for the Typhoon cab rank in this and many other Normandy battles.

[Alan Hamilton]

That is really logical and now it is on the internet it must be true.

Thanks folks.

[Alan Hamilton]

So it may be that they petrify after a while?  In the image above the figure to the right of the circled one behind Perseus’ shield appears to have metal armour.  So perhaps the metal stays but cloth petrifies after a while otherwise Perseus shield would petrify.

I’m thinking that I will stick with Aiden on this one – as all he wanted were the weapons and gold! I’ll just fudge the cloth part as necessary.

[Alan Hamilton]

Gone Fishing wrote:

Another way to approach this, of course, is to ask “What would Harryhausen do?”

Why did I not think of that?  Slaps head.  Look at 45-52 seconds – Aiden was correct.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

[Alan Hamilton]

zippyfusenet wrote:

If you want your grand-children to play games with you, then let them do what they want, within reason, and by all means arrange the game so that they win.

That is the general concurrence and how we play our games.

Thanks a lot.

[Alan Hamilton]

The boys are 10, 8 and 6 and I did as you say – only the living parts turned to stone.

The myths are varied and unclear as to what happens to the accoutrements – “a face so terrible to behold that the mere sight of it would turn onlookers to stone”.  This implies that it is only the onlooker that turns to stone not his equipment and clothes – so a bit of repainting I think!

[Alan Hamilton]

We will be putting on apublic participation game at Carronade http://www.falkirkwargamesclub.org.uk/Carronade2018home.html
at the Graeme High School in Falkirk on Saturday 12 May with this http://www.morvalearth.co.uk/Claymore%202018/Claymore%202018%20Intro.htm

[Author]

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