March 2019 - a very busy month

With March 2019 now over and looking forward to the rest of the year, I have been amazed at how busy the month has been. Wargames Terrain & Buildings is now available and although I have only seen a pre-publication or pre-release copy, I can see on the Pen & Sword web site that the book is available to order - for details of how you can get your own copy please see this link.

I should also point out that I still have limited copies of Dampfpanzerwagon Guide No. 3 - Models For Wargamers available - details of how to order a copy can be found here.

Following the West Midlands Military Show, Alumwell I have just one spare copy of Dampfpanzerwagon Guide No. 2 - More Wargame Terrain and this will be available to the first customer to contact me via this link.

Then there were the two magazine articles - W. S & S issue 101 with The Christmas Store Hut and then Miniature Wargames issue 432 and the in-depth Mos Espa Star Wars inspired article.

I know that there are many more articles planned for publication in wargaming themed magazines, plus a second book from Pen & Sword - Wargame Terrain & Buildings North Africa due in 2020. So for now a time to relax a little.

Tony

Flintloque Undead - part six

There has been some additional painting, but not much.....

I think this particular project will have to be continued into April.

Tony

Foldable Vice Jam Clamp Workbench

Prior to Christmas, I saw an advert in a model boat magazine for a Dremel Project Table (basically a workbench without legs) and thought it would be a great addition to my own toobox. However the Dremel branded clamp was a little to expensive for me and so I started looking around for a replacement.

I found a suitable alternative from B&Q and purchased this simplified workbench or Foldabe Vice Jam Clamp Workbench and once it was assembled I was able to use it for both modelling and home DIY projects, particularly the preparation of some display or gaming boards that I was commissioned to build and paint.

I can confirm that although the table has a fold down option, it has in fact been left in its upright mode as I find it so useful. I now wonder how I managed without one for so long!

Well worth the investment. I am aware that there are cheaper versions on the Internet.

Tony

MOS ESPA - Scratch Built Terrain for Star Wars Article in Miniature Wargames issue 432

The Mos Espa article in Miniature Wargames issue 432 (April 2019) is a bit of a landmark for me as it sees modelling articles written by me in both Wargames Soldiers & Strategy (see this post) and Miniature Wargames at the same time. This is not the first time that this has happened, but is unusual enough to be special.

The Star Wars themed domed house is based on the Tunisian film set which has recently been renovated by Star Wars fans and was built from spare foam with a DAS and filler rendering.

The original project was modelled and written for the forthcoming Wargames Terrain and Building - North Africa book from Pen & Sword (my second book from P&S due in 2020) but was cut at the last moment as the commissioning editor wanted historical themed models rather than Sci-Fi or fantasy terrain. John Treadaway (editor of Miniature Wargames) has reproduced the article as fully as possible with lots of work-in-progress images in a format which I believe shows off the step-by-step construction and painting more fully.

For details of how to order your own copy of Miniature Wargames, please see this link.

Tony

Flintloque Undead - part five

Another quick update on this slow project. I've started the uniform painting, mainly dark green and some brown but as mentioned in the earlier post I know that this is going to be a tough ask to get all nine figures finished before the end of the month.

Hopefully I'll find some time soon.

Tony

Now that's what I call a birthday cake!

This morning I woke to this fantastic birthday cake - a Flash Gordon crashed rocketship cake. Thank you Jen.

Tony

Flintloque Undead - part four

This particular project is moving forward a little slower than I would like (other work related issues are taking priority) but I have undercoated all nine models ready for the first layers of real paint.

The undercoat is a mixture of Charred Brown from Vallejo and Chaos Black from Games Workshop - I find that a pure Chaos Black is a little too stark.

Hopefully, I can find time to proceed with the painting in the next couple of days.

Tony

TERRAIN ESSENTIALS from The Terrain Tutor

Mel Bose The Terrain Tutor has a Kickstarter.

Terrain Essentials is a planned book detailing how to build terrain and a book that I have no hesitation in recommending. I have watched most (there are quite a few) of Mel's videos and look forward to seeing his first book.

For full details of how you can support this Kickstarter (which was fully funded in less than seven hours) see this link.

Good luck and thank you for all the inspirational videos.

Tony

For Sale on ebay

I have the following three EBAY auctions running. For full details see this link.

Tony

Wargames Terrain & Buildings - The Napoleonic Wars

Following on from my earlier posts detailing that this Pen & Sword book is now available to order, I have been asked for further information, particularly the contents of the book.

I have taken an image of the CONTENTS page and have reproduced it here.

Should you wish to order a copy of Wargames Terrain & Buildings - The Napoleonic Wars - please use this link.

Tony

A Christmas Store Hut - my latest article for W, S & S issue 101

Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy issue 101 included a two page article written by me. A Christmas Store Hut shows how I re-purposed a cheap 50p Christmas tree ornament that I picked up at the Bewdley railway station on the Severn Valley Railway into this characterful store hut for use in my Flintloque games.

Full details of the magazine can be found here.

Tony

Flintloque Undead - part three

The latest update shows work on the bases. Firstly; the 2p coins have been built-up with Milliput two part epoxy putty covering the integral metal bases

and then I have added some sieved stones and sand over PVA glue to add even more texture.

I prefer detailing my bases before undercoating and painting, rather than adding this after painting the miniature. I am aware that this is not the normal practice but something I have done for some years now.

Tony

West Midlands Military Show 2019

After an early start, Sue and I arrived at The West Midlands Military Show around 8.45 and I proceeded to carry in all the bits for the display. Unlike last year when the snow had such an impact on the attendance, this year there were lots of customers waiting for the 10.00 entry.

We had a great time at what I believe is one of the friendliest shows on the circuit and I was able to display both the new Pen & Sword book Wargames Terrain and Buildings The Napoleonic Wars which arrived with me yesterday and show off all of the models that feature in the book.

For details of how you can order a copy at the introductory price of just £11.99 see this link. Please note that I am not selling this book via my Blog. If you want a copy please go to the Pen & Sword Web page.

Sue took this photo of me with the very first copy.

And here you can see Sue 'manning' the stand while I took time to browse the other exhibits and spend my pocket money.

Here you can see the length of the table, showing models for sale, models from my three earlier self-published books, a display of the P&S models and finally some models that have featured in various modelling and wargaming magazines.

Below you can see some of the photos I took at this years show.

We had a great time at the show.

Tony