Barking Irons from Alternative Armies

As promised, here is a review of the new magazine from Alternative Armies, which was launched earlier this month and features a terrain making article by me.

Barking Irons The Dapper Miniature Gaming Magazine, Number 01 2010

The magazine is an unusual format which AA call Quarto. The best description I can use is that it is similar in size and paper quality to an old style comic book (think Spiderman or Batman comics) being 21.5cms wide by 27.5cms tall. For all of this, the quality of the paper and illustrations is top notch and I feel the layout and size works well.

There are 32 pages, with the front and back sheets being colour and the remainder black and white. Being the first issue, I also feel that the group at AA have done a very good job in content and layout, with four separate sections. Features, Adventures, Game Articles and the Lead Shotte Column, which features questions and news.

The Features section has three special articles, Death in the Snow, a review of the latest Flintloque 3rd Edition rule set. I already have this rulebook and can thoroughly recommend it. The second article is called Tilting at Windmills and was written by me some time ago. It details the building and painting of a Spanish-style windmill in 28mm scale, there is also an article on the AA Flintloque booklet The Rarest Tin, A book that has already been reviewed on this Blog.

Section two, - Adventures has three scenario based stories, two for Flintloque and one for Firefight 2.0. The two Flintloque scenarios, one by B. Dyer and the second by G. Syme are very well written and illustrated. I can see the second one which features solo rules being one worth trying.

Section three - Game Articles has a mix of articles targeted at specific games, offering new information and hits as to how best to play the game. The one by M. White, Seven Principles of Flintloque is the only one I have read so far and the advice is well thought out and helpful.

Finally - Lead Shotte, which has questions and news from AA.

The whole magazine is very well illustrated with photographs and drawings and I wish all who are associated with the venture - the very best of luck. At just £3.00 per issue I would recommend it to all who follow Flintloque/Deadloque/Slaughterloo. I believe it will become a very useful resource, one that will work alongside The Yahoo Group The Notables. For more information, check out;

http://www.alternative-armies.com/BI01_Barking_Irons.htm

I look forward to issue two.

Tony

Flintloque Dwarf Uhlans - part eight

Again - more of an update rather than a fully blown post! You can see how the flag has developed and as stated earlier the design is inspired by a Prussian flag I saw on Google. The wording is; ACH MEIN GOTT XIII. No reason why - I just made it up on the spot but I do think the Plum Red stands out from the otherwise drab greys and black.

Photo One - Two Dwarves, the main detail painting is on the flag, but you can also see how the stein on the second figure has been painted.

Photo Two - Shows the reverse of the flag, a workbench photo taken under artificial 'daylight' bulbs. I still have some work to do on the full group of eight Dwarves, but am pleased with the progress and I do so enjoy these On-Line builds!

Over the weekend I received my copy of Barking Irons, number 01. I am almost embarrassed to comment on it, with my four page spread - Tilting at Windmills, a step by step article on how I built a 28mm Flintloque Windmill takes up so much of the magazine, then there is a photo of my snowmen on page 22 and a link to these very blog pages on page 4! (There is also one further reference, but this will have to wait for now?)

I will try to write an (impartial) article/review over the next couple of days.

Tony

West Midlands Military Show 2010

Earlier this morning I made my annual visit up to Wolverhampton and the West Midlands Military Show, at the Alumwell Leisure Village. I thought I was running ahead of time, arriving at 10.15, but meeting up with others I realise that I was well late! Please note that the show did not officially open until 10.00am.

With a pocketful of birthday money I had a mixed show, picking up some secondhand miniatures, a couple of packs of scatter material, this selection of books and a whole load of secondhand magazines which I look forward to reading at my leisure. I still came back with more than half of my spending money intact.

The WMMS is one of my closest shows, about 30 miles out and 30 miles back. Arriving early did mean that I was able to park easily and with an entry cost of just £3.00 I was soon browsing the trade stands. The show hall follows the tried and tested plan of traders around the outside and demonstration games to the centre. Once again the show was well attended by both traders and games.

The bring and buy was very well supported and it was here that two of the three books featured above were purchased at bargain prices. The miniatures were two secondhand packs of Flintloque figures, one of Ogres and the other Dwarves. I also picked up a Ratman Piper I already have one, but had been looking out for another to base and paint as a display miniature - no doubt, an On-Line Build will follow.

The other purchases were bits and pieces, scalpel blades, basing material/scatter and a couple of D&D miniatures. Then when checking-out the display games I picked up what I thought were great bargains, a batch of old Military Modelling Magazines, and a couple of old Windsock (WW1) magazines.

I believe that the quality of display games was very mixed, It is always a 'bugbear' of mine that gamers still insist on placing Games Workshop plastic hills on green felt tablecloths with odd sections of walls and hedges, and expect member of the public to be impressed! One exception was the Shrewsbury Show (a Viking Raid in 28mm) and a very novel game of 'Catch that Pigeon' ( Dick Dastardly and Mutley in WW1 aircraft which was very well supported throughout the time I was at the show. Very well done).

I had packed my camera, and although I have taken a number of shots, I found that there was very little worth up-loading now that I am back at the computer, one exception is this scratch-built Sci-Fi truck (approx. 28mm), obviously based on a Hummer. I thought that this was worth including for inspiration and I hope that you agree.

I was back home for 2.00pm and a Sunday lunch of Lamb and mint sauce. The first show of the year now 'put to bed.' I suspect that I will be visiting more, but I plan for less than I did in 2009.

Tony

For more details see;

http://www.alumwellwargames.co.uk/

Flintloque Dwarf Uhlans - part seven

More of an update than a full Blog entry, with just four miniatures shown, - the four that have had the most done to them!

The most noticeable feature is that I have started painting the flag and once again the inspiration came from an Internet search, the design is based on, but not slavishly copied from a Prussian flag. The stein on figure 1 has been started (but not yet finished) and the bedroll and sack on figures 3 and 4 have been completed.

The flag has added much needed 'colour' to the small group and I now look forward to finishing the main painting and 'slapping on' the ground colour.

Part eight to follow soon.

Tony

Aeronef's at Poundland

POUNDLAND (a UK based clearance store) are selling these windup toys for (you guested it) a pound. The Hydro Machines come in three varieties, a hovercraft, a submarine and this cute little floatplane. I intend using the two yellow floats as model Aeronefs, or more exactly Nef's/Dig's by adding a suspended control gondola below the balloon.

For inspiration check out the Hydrogen Balloon Ether Flier at Matteen Greenway's site;

http://mateengreenway.com/steampunk/Space1889UK.htm

Each float/balloon is 85mm long and 28mm wide. I am not expecting this project to be completed anytime soon, but wanted to give other VSF modellers a 'heads-up'.

Tony

Dampf's Modelling Page featured on Miniature Wargaming

We have had my son and daughter over for lunch (Mothering Sunday) and my son has (once again) been showing me how I should be monitoring and up-dating my Blog! While folowing some of his hints and tips, I came across a link to this blog on Miniature Wargaming, for Saturday, March 13, 2010. Making a Napoleonic Building Set, see;

http://www.miniaturewargaming.com/

The link features the Flintloque Building Set, see below. The completed set is still with Grand Manner, being molded and cast, but I am confident that I will have news very soon on a firm release date.

I am always amazed at how 'blogging' works, how links and followers spread the contents of this and other blogs across the Internet. I have been trying to come up with a comparison of how blogging spreads this news - the best I can think of is like raindrops falling into a lake and the ripples and further raindrops causing new reactions. Maybe Chinese whispers! - Quite amazing!

I was also surprised to see just how many times Dampf's Modelling Page is mentioned on the Internet, via other blogs or news pages.

To the best of my knowledge this is the first time I have been featured on Miniature Wargaming, thank you for including it and as usual, I hope that re-directed readers enjoy the blog.

Tony

Flintloque Dwarf Ulhans - part six

Since the last up-date, I've re-painted the beard on the figure with the eye-patch (see, second photo and second figure from the left). I have also painted all of the metallic colours on the blunderbusses and sword armed figure. I just need to finish the detail painting, stein, sack and blanket roll and I can get on to the bases.

For the guns and sword I used all GW metallics, Silver areas were Tinbitz base, Chainmail and Mithril Silver highlights. For the Gold areas, it was Dwarf Bronze with Shining Gold and Burnished Gold highlights. I have not yet washed these areas.

In this photo, the second figure from the left has had his beard re-painted since the last set of photos. I found the white beard too stark and have first painted the area Black, then used Vallejo Charred Brown and GW Black as a base, highlighting up through GW Snakebite Leather.

I enjoy producing On-Line builds, or in this case, On-Line paints, they force me to be tidier than I would normally be and I am sure I take more time over the painting than I would if I wasn't photographing each step! In addition I welcome the comments I get and usually take the advice.

I am currently searching the Net for images of Prussian/German flags. I want something with a little colour rather than a plain Black/White banner.

Tony