I'm Sick of Being Sick

Like many people out there, I have had a running battle with respiratory illnesses since back in December. Currently, its been on and off sinus infections. I had planned on taking and posting pictures of all the medieval and fantasy figures I have been frantically painting, but instead I am laid up in bed, or too miserable to function.

I have to say, the one advantage to waking up at 4 am and feeling like you are going to choke to death on all this junk you've built up is that I just go into my work home and paint until the sun comes up. I'm being sarcastic here. Yesterday, I probably got about 2 hours of sleep. As a result I barely made it through the day.

Here are three pictures of stuff.

It might be a stretch, but what is that on his shield? Hint:
it was used to kill the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog.

Cool LEGO minifigs series this year. My kids are big fans. You can't get any Orc-ier than this guy.

Pinewood Derby Car

The completed car:

Dragon Knight

I painted this guy up during an effort to reduce my pile of 15 mm fantasy lead. He's a Demonworld miniature now sold at Ral Partha Europe. I think he's supposed to be a bad guy, but I'm not sure. I experimented with making his armor metallic green by mixing green ink with silver paint, but it looks more blue. My shield painting skills are not what they used to be, it isn't awful.

My son wanted me to post this character here. Fully armed Spider-Spawn. You would think a superhero wouldn't need all the fire power, but I guess better safe than sorry.

LEGO Kirk

I got this kit as a Christmas gift. I just got around to putting it together:

A Month of Spending Foolishly

I could not resist spending this month. Most of my spending was on rules or game related books.

First off, I ordered the Kindle version of The Wargaming Compendium by Henry Hyde. It think it is about $40 hard cover. I didn't really feel like paying that much, so I got the Kindle version. It is well worth the money. It is an excellent book, particularly if you are starting out. I really enjoyed his style of writing. It was relaxed, almost conversational. If I were starting out, I would seriously invest in the paper version. Only two criticisms. His history of wargames is good, but based on other other history of wargames articles, I think there were some things he left out. Second, the book just ends abruptly. I might have missed it, but I would have liked a conclusion.

Second set of purchases were some modern air rules. The first one is Bandits! 2 by David Redpath.

Bandits! 2 by David Redpath

My interest in them came out of several interesting AARs that he wrote in SOTCW's journal, The Journal. I am always on the lookout for air combat rules that are not too complex and these sounded like they were. Ordering them was sort of a pain in the you-know-where. They are only sold on Ebay, which not my favorite place to shop. They are published by Vandering Publications, the same company that put out Shipwreck! I had to do several emailings in order to finally get them; the issues had more to do with the publisher than the author. This is definitely a don't judge a book by its cover sort of rule set. It comes bound in one of those plastic binder things that students use for book report covers. I have yet to use them (big shocker there!) but they have some interesting ideas, particularly what the author calls "situational awareness." Its what allows each side to perform various actions. The author has a blog, but has yet to post on it.

The other rule set is Flames Above the Falklands, which is part of the Wings At War series produced by Tumbling Dice miniatures.

Flames Above the Falklands.

 I thought I had ordered the Vietnam rules, but I got these. They come with a bunch of Tumbling Dice's Vapor Trails 1/600 scale aircraft, which is a nice touch. Again, I have not tried them. There are some aspects of the rules that are not clear to me, but I will refrain from any more judgement until I give them a try. There is a website for the rule series, but it lacks a FAQ section.

Are you still with me? I'm not done yet!

Next, I ordered two pdf rules. First, Modern Naval Conflicts by Naval Warfare Simulations.

I had never heard of this company/organization, but they were having a sale on these rules, so I couldn't pass it up. I got the main rules along with the 1980s expansion, which covers the Falklands War. I have not had a chance to read them in detail, but they seem on the order of Harpoon in complexity.

Next, is 5150: Star Navy by 2 Hour Games.

I have not time to even read them, but the reviews of them sound good. I wanted something to go with my 15mm sci-fi stuff.

The last book I got was The Solo Wargaming Guide by William Silvester.

Its a small book, but it has a lot of good ideas. I especially liked his ideas on how to transfer your campaign map onto the gaming table.

Last, but not least, some fire power for LEGO minifigures:

 

An assortment of weaponry as well as some stands from BrickArms. I'm thinking of having a free for all battle royale sometime in the future, provided my daughter lets me use her minifigures.

Machines of War

Other than working on some Shipbucket drawings ( 5 minutes here, 5 minutes there), I have done NOTHING related to wargaming! Recently, my daughter went into the arms manufacturing business. Here is the results of her LEGO brick building. From the Marine Division:

The Eleven Ship

I have no idea why its called the "Elven Ship." There weren't 10 previous ships. Here is the various features labeled:

A) surveillance system. At the end of each pole is an eye. The eyes can look around in all directions for the enemy. B) the anchor (just go with it). C) treasure chest, with actual LEGO gold pieces in it! D) storage for marshmallows. E) the big sword. I guess its a sort of ram. F) the steering wheel. The boys in R&D might have to go back to the drawing board on that one. If you notice, the helmsman must be in the water to operate it. G) the ship's water supply in form of stacked water bottles. H) the bubble-spinner-cannon. This shoots out deadly bubbles in all directions. Maybe a form of anti-aircraft defense?

Next up, from the Land Division:

The 15th Monster

I thought this was some sort of battle-wheelbarrow, but I was told it is a monster truck. I am not exactly how it works. Maybe its a prototype.