Just 5 signed - More Wargame Terrain books left

Following the most recent order (one book to America), there is just the 1 signed and numbered Dampfpanzerwagon Guide No. 2 - More Wargame Terrain books left. Should you be interested in buying this copy please go to this link.

Remember, the books are reduced to just £16.00 for the whole month of January. They will revert back to their normal price on Monday.

"Who is going to get issue 100?"

It has surprised me that Dampfpanzerwagon Guide No.2 More Wargame Terrain has sold less copies that Dampfpanzerwagon Guide No.1 Building Wargame Terrain, when I believe that the content and tutorials in book two are so much more detailed, more in-depth! Never-the-less I am very glad that I had the reprint of Building Wargame Terrain.

Once again thank you to all that have supported this pet project.

Tony

Saturday 31st January update;
Just one day to go in the January Sale - if you are thinking of purchasing either one or both books, now is the time to buy.

Terrain Books are awarded The Battlegames Award for Excellence

In the latest issue of Miniature Wargames with Battlegames, Building Wargames Terrain and More Wargames Terrain were reviewed and awarded The Battlegames Award for Excellence. For full details see this link or pages 56 and 57 of issue 382 of Miniature Wargames.

Thank you

Tony

The January Sale Continues

The January Sale Continues. You have less than one week to purchase either or both Wargame Terrain books for the reduced price of £16.00 each. At the end of the month they will revert back to their normal price of £18.00 (plus Postage and Packing). For full details of how to order please see this link.

I cannot allow today's landmark to go unmentioned. Earlier today Dampf's Modelling Page had it's 500,000 page view - that's half a million page views!

Thank you.

Tony

Miniature Wargames with Battlegames 382 - A very special review

Earlier today I picked up the latest edition of Miniature Wargames with Battlegames - issue 382 (February 2015). On page 56 and 57 Henry has reviewed both Building Wargame Terrain and More Wargame Terrain books.

It is rare for me to be so embarrassed, but the review actually made me blush - Thank you for the very kind words and the awarding of The Battlegames Award for Excellence.

For full details of how you can order a copy or copies, please go to this link where you will find that both books are available for the discounted price of just £16.00 (plus P&P) each. This special offer will run until the end of the month, when both books will revert back to their normal list price.

Should you wish to read other reviews please go to this link or this link. Be aware that signed and numbered copies of Dampfpanzerwagon Guide No 2 - More Wargame Terrain are selling out fast.

Once again thank you to Henry for the review.

Tony

Painting Stonework - a simple tutorial

How I paint stonework.

In this Blog and in my modelling books (see links to top right of this page), I regularly comment on the importance of painting natural looking stonework. I am currently working on a project that should be featured in print sometime later this year and features both natural stonework and white-washed walls.

Here is a short post detailing how I painted the stonework.

Image One - The stonework is given an all-over basecoat of Dark Brown which is mixed from Charred Brown from Vallejo and Negro Black from Vallejo. I tend to mix both colours on the model to give a variety of different tones.

Image Two - I have picked out a couple of individual stones in both grey and Snakebite Leather and when dry, drybrushed the whole wall with grey (remember to add some brown or cream to your grey as this gives a 'warm' grey colour which is much more natural).

This is done three or four times, picking out the odd stone and then drybrushing with lighter and lighter colours until you have this effect.

Image Three - I have washed the stonework with a very dilute dirty brown to highlight the courses.

Image Four - More drybrushing and defining the white-washed walls. I have also washed the stonework and white-washed walls with some more dilute dirty brown.

Image Five - Stonework finished, walls finished, woodwork finished and groundwork finished.

I hope that you agree that this 'natural' stonework colour is better than a simple Black/White or Grey drybrush. You should also be able to see how I tend to paint the base of the walls on my models slightly darker on the lower portions and lighter the further up the wall I go.

Image Six - The important shot. These are the paints used during this tutorial.

I hope that this helps.

Tony

The Sale Continues

For the whole Month of January both Building Wargame Terrain and More Wargame Terrain books have been reduced to just £16.00 each. Postage and packaging remains unchanged.

For full details go to this link.

Tony

T- Force by Sean Longden

This is what I'm reading at the moment; T - Force The forgotten Heroes of 1945 by Sean Longden. I am about 1/3rd through, just after the British reach the Baltic coast and days before the Germans surrender.

I first saw the book for sale in a book store in Solihull and after browsing the cover, thought that it sounded like a good read. However I didn't buy it and continued window shopping. When Sue said that she needed to pop into the post office, I returned to the shop and had another look at both the cover and notes. But still I didn't buy it!

Back home I couldn't get the book out of my mind and after a quick internet search, I ordered a copy from E-bay. The book arrived a couple of days later and within minutes, I had started reading it and was fully engrossed in the story.

The book follows the formation of a special force of strategic looters, who during the closing days of WW2 search out strategic targets in France, Germany and the Baltic's to secure intelligence and new technology. I have found the various adventures quite enthralling and with just one criticism have enjoyed the book immensely. My criticism is the style of writing which tends to follow a tedious format of "we moved, we captured, this is what someone said and then we moved we captured and this is what we found etc etc". I'm not sure that there is a better way of writing the history of this particular chapter of WW2, but just 1/3rd through and the repetition is grating. I will add that not so grating that I haven't been able to put the book down!

Maybe I should have waited until I had finished the book before writing this review. It would have made more sense. But for what it is worth, this is a great book, that details the unenviable achievements of a group of thoroughly dedicated soldiers who risked everything to secure both the Nazi secrets and a future for Post-War Germany.

A fuller review can be found here.

T - Force (The Forgotten Heroes of 1945) by Sean longden
Published by Constable in 2010
ISBN; 978 1 84901 297 3
List price £8.99

Tony

The French Aeronef La Fee Verte

The Aeronef La Fee Verte. A scratch built 1/300th scale model of the Aeronef Balaclava, which was later re-named Le Fee Verte (The Green Fairy).

This model featured in issue 04 of The Ancible magazine, which can still be purchased as a PDF from Wargame Vault.

Image 2 - My first rough sketch.

Image 3 - The hull.

Image 4 - The front ram and the superstructure.

Image 5 - The construction finished.

Image 6 - In the process of painting.

Image 7 - The painted and based Le Fee Verte.

Image 8 - The Aeronef in flight, accompanied by some Martian Sand Rays.

The model was one of two scratch-built Aeronef's featured in The Ancible. I plan on uploading images and details of the second later this month.

I hope that you like the model, full details of which can be found here and here.

Tony

NB.
I have since been informed that it should be La Fee Verte. Thanks to Barbarian on LAF.

Why?

Why? Yes Why? Why do I call myself a Wargamer?

In the past year, actually 18 months I have not taken part in a wargame. I have played many games, board games, card games even a couple of computer games, so why do I call myself a Wargamer?

I have bought figures, sold figures, painted figures and even sculpted a few. I have built models and terrain, even had the odd article published, and there's the two books, so why do I call myself a Wargamer?

I have stated on many occasions that I am a model-maker first, a figure painter second and a gamer third. So why do I call myself a Wargamer?

Since Christmas I have purchased two wargaming magazines and three (second hand) model making magazines. So why do I call myself a Wargamer?

My collection of figures runs into the hundreds (I don't think it is yet at the thousands). My terrain collection is huge and I have dozens of different rule sets (some never used) but all enjoyed. My dice box is full of different coloured and shaped dice, with markers and chips for almost every eventuality. But still, why do I call myself a Wargamer?

I was prompted to write this post after reading an article in Miniature Wargame with Battlegames - issue 381 - The Unwinnable War (why writing rules requires resilience) by Barry Hilton. In which the author suggests that wargamers game for a variety of different reasons - therefore different rules offer different styles of games. He goes on to list different types of gamers (players) and how they get satisfaction from these games. So why do I call myself a Wargamer?

I came to the very simple conclusion that I call myself a Wargamer because I enjoy the whole hobby, not because I enjoy gaming. Wargaming is more that just setting up a table with scenery and figures and re-fighting an epic encounter - wargaming is about the whole experience, the reading about the background, the studying of uniform colours and styles, the understanding of the mechanics of gaming and the interaction between gamers - even if they never actually play a game, I enjoy the reading of books and magazines on gaming - Fantasy and Historical. I know that the whole hobby of Wargaming is what I enjoy. This is why I call myself a Wargamer.

Tony

Miniature Wargames 381

Sue bought this magazine for me while we were out shopping yesterday as my 40mm Flash Gordon display was mentioned in an article about Blast-Tastic written by Ashley Pollard. For full details of the event and display see this link.

Thank you Ashley.

My favourite article was Send three and fourpence - a report on the joys of Oldhammer.

The January Sale continues, with both Wargame books being discounted for the whole month. Should you be interested in purchasing a copy, please go to this link.

Tony
Je suis Charlie

The January Sale Continues

For the whole month of January, both Building Wargame Terrain and More Wargame Terrain are available for the reduced price of £16.00 instead of the normal price of £18.00. Postage & Packaging remain the same.

For full details go to this link.

or this link.

Thank you.

Tony

More Dwarves - The Von Rotte Command Set has arrived!

Image taken from the Alternative Armies Blog

As if I haven't got enough Flintloque Dwarves already - those sneaky blighter's at Alternative Armies have once again tempted me to part with my hard-earned money and fork-out for these little beauties. The Von Rotte Command Set.

I have no idea when (or even if) they will get painted - my workbench is currently full with a number of commissions that are taking up most of my time. Expect updates soon.

For full details go to this link.

Tony

Scale Modelling F-4 Phantom

I spotted this magazine/guide in W H Smiths, Cheltenham earlier today and thought it was worth sharing. I didn't pick it up, but now that I am home I wish I had.

A brief 'flick-through' proving what a good publication it is. The F-4 Phantom possibly one of my all time favourite aircraft. Definitely in my Top Five.

Tony

USS Tigerfish (SSN-509) from Ice Station Zebra

Wargames Soldiers & Strategy issue 76 features this scratch built model of USS Tigerfish (SSN-509) from the film Ice Station Zebra which was built by me to illustrate a planned game.

The magazine was released on 1st January and is another themed issue - the theme being Steampunk.

The two page article describes how I built this iconic piece of cinemascope from plastic card wrapped balsawood. And just to prove the point I have included this single work-in-progress shot.

The project was an unusual model for me, but one that I thoroughly enjoyed building - 2015 starts with yet another terrain building post! I hope that you can get hold of a copy of the magazine and read how I built it.

In addition to this model; pages 26 - 28 have an article called The Road to Ucles by Guy Bowers which features a range of mud-brick built Adobe houses that were built by me and available from Grand Manner - see this link.

Finally, the January Sale continues - with both Wargame Terrain Books available at the reduced price of just £16.00 each (P&P remains the same). For details of how to order see this post. There are now only 10 signed and numbered copies of More Wargame Terrain left.

Tony

Wargame Terrain Books reduced in January sale

For the whole month of January - both Building Wargame Terrain and More Wargame Terrain books with be reduced.

You can now buy either book for £16.00 instead of the list price of £18.00. Post and packaging remains the same see this this link

and this link for full details of how to order.

Get them while you can, the numbered and signed More Wargame Terrain book is selling out fast.

Happy New Year.

Tony