Dusty donations

 At Triples I was given a box of not entirely random things by Tim Cockitt, who continues to help the family of the late Paddy Griffith with the disposal of wargaming related stuff.  Having now brushed off the worst of the dust I offer this preview of it's contents.

 This M-56 Scorpion SPAT gun is the Revell kit - making it around 1/40 scale.  It was designed to be dropped by parachute or lifted by helicopter and was armed with a similar 90mm gun to that found in M-26, M-47 and M-48 tanks.

 An M-115 203mm howitzer.  Most of it is there but a fair bit of repair work is required.

 An ever-useful Jeep, again in 1/40-something scale.

 This is the Renwall kit of the M-8 tractor in something getting on for 1/35 scale.  One of the main purposes of the M-8 was to tow the...

 ...M-51 Skysweeper 75mm AA gun.  Another Renwall kit in need of TLC.

And finally...figures in at least three scale, along with more broken bits.

Expect to see more of this lot as repair work progresses.

Shopping at Triples - part 3 - books

I picked up a few books at Triples too.  Either two or four depending on how you count them!
First up is this little gem.  While I freely admit it's not at the cutting edge of aviation research, you must bear in mind that here at Megablitz Towers it is forever 1979...  But mostly I picked it up as I have a couple from the same series and rather like 'em.

This was a most unexpected find.  An unopened 3-volume set of large format books on a conflict rather under-represented on my book shelves.

The expression 'lavishly illustrated' springs to mind.  There are lots of pleasing maps...

...photos of actual kit...

...and paintings of uniforms.  

The cost of this lot?  A tidy £20.

Cheering crowds commend Comrade Carrick's cracking Commie cannon

There is rejoicing in the streets of that most democratic of the peoples' democracies the Democratic Republic of Forbodia following the arrival of the latest in anti-capitalist-aircraft technology*.
Delivered in a large packing crate, the device was placed in the hands of representatives of the Forbodian State in a pub car park in Twickenham by a shadowy figure known only by his code-name of Brian Carrick.

 The immense packing case.  What could it possibly contain?

It is indeed a ZSU-57-2.  Designed in the early 1950s to sweep NATO nasties from Soviet skies.  The complex design basically mated a pair of de-tuned 57mm AA guns with a lightened T-54 chassis.

 Such is the technology that only older comrades may operate it.

 The crate bore evidence of having been sourced in the workers' paradise.

 Behold - in all it's 1/43-ish scale scratchy plastic glory!

 Those metal gun barrels are hardly even rusty.

And yes - that is a push-along friction motor.  Forward to the West!



* in 1957.

Shopping at Triples - part 2 - bits

 I usually manage to pick up some odds and ends at shows, but seldom odder then this lot.  The Britains plastic elephant and gorilla owe me less then £1.

 The gorilla doesn't look too happy about his new home...

 ...while the elephant looks pretty laid back about things.

 I also bought some brass rod and aluminium tube - always in demand for flags and conversions.

 Tim Cockitt presented me with this very splendid 54mm 1670 mounted musketeer which was originally the property of the late Paddy Griffith.

An unlikely trio, but they all seem to get along!

Shopping at Triples - part 1 - kits

Actually I didn't buy much - I rarely do at any show these days - but I will somehow string out my paltry purchases over three posts.  

First up is this useful pair of 1/72 kits - both destined for a hard but glorious career in the armed forces of the peoples' democracies.  To encourage their crews' commitment to the cause I will leave on the sprue any bits which look like the sort of navigation equipment which might encourage defections....  In one of the great ironies of the Cold War, the vendor of these Warpact classics was collecting funds for the British Legion.  A handsome buy at £5 each.

I like these Heller figures, especially the 'Contemporary' - that is early 1970s - sets.  These are all incomplete with just a couple of figures in each but that was reflected in the prices.

Again incomplete, who knows what nationality these chaps will end up as?

Triples - possible traffic disruption

I know - traffic disruption in Sheffield.  Difficult to believe.

I have been advised that some roads near the Triples venue will be closed from 0800-1100 on Sunday because of the Race For Life.  These are mostly to the immediate north of the Meadowhall shopping complex.

Having spoken to South Yorkshire Police and Sheffield Urban Traffic Control we have been advised that the main route from J34 of the M1 down Attercliffe Common (A6178) is not affected by closures.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/English+Institute+Of+Sport/@53.404944,-1.407457,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x487977f0df9038e9:0x8802a136286ad509?hl=en

Radio killed the video star

Joining my lineup of hastily painted dodgy diecasts is this duo.  On the left is a hardtop version of the (t)rusty GAZ-69 and on the right a car-derived Moskvich van.

 The GAZ arrived with a snow plough attachment adorned in a garish shade of orange.  I felt that it could better serve the forces of progressive international socialism as a radio truck.

 According to it's original paintwork, the Moskvich was the ride of choice for the Soviet-era television repair man.  Like the GAZ it has cast aside such bourgeois tendencies in favour of serving the military communications network.  Now does the title make sense?*

* Not heard it for a while?  Here you go: https://youtu.be/W8r-tXRLazs?t=6s

Another hard day at the Tank Repair Workshop

A recent arrival at the tank repair workshop is this Solido AMX-30.  Sourced - as you might have guessed - from eBay, this model is the later 'B2' variant.

Like most of the Solido stuff I've accumulated picked up it was in decent shape, but the left side track was jammed.

I traced  the problem to a bent fender (ooh - nasty) and set to work.

The working tools of the veteran Solido mechanic - pliers and a cross-head screwdriver.

Having unscrewed the base plate I was able to use the pliers to gently un-bend the fender.

And the tracks now rotate freely!  Not that I've tested it by pushing it along making 'vroom vroom' noises of course.  The very thought!

And for those of you who want to see the difference between the 'B2' and earlier AMX-30, this trio  - seen on the outskirts of Kakstadt last year - contains one of the former and two of the latter.  All clear now?  Good.

Salad(in) Dressing*

As part of the seriously out of control arms race that is accompanying the development of Little Cold Wars I have acquired several Saladin armoured cars.

These models are the rather splendid Crescent die casts - complete with matchstick firing gun!  Such is the robustness of the models that in most cases the gun still functions.  According to my measurements they scale out at about 1/38.

So far I have painted this quartet - a base coat of green and an over spray of black for that full-on 1970s BAOR look.

More when I have finished them off.



* I know, I know.  But it was the best I could come up with on a Monday.

Triples 2015 - the layout

UPDATED 9 May 2015 at 1600

A degree of 'embiggening' will clearly be required here!
Please note that the layout on the day may be subject to change.  The lists of traders and games may as yet be incomplete.

TRADERS	2015 Location
Adler & Darkstar Miniatures	23	23
Ainsty Castings	60	61
Ancient&Modern & Donnington	20	22
Baccus 6mm	125	127
Baggage Train Scotia Grendel	26	27
Beasts of Bolsover	82	83
Bills Books and Games	28	29
Black Pyramid	54	56
Black Scorpion	103	103
Caliver Books	98	101
Christopher Morris	136	137
Citadel Six Custom Design	138	139
Colonel Bills	131	133
Colour Party	102	102
Coritani / Magnetic Displays	84	85
Crooked Dice	88	89
Cuirassier/Books and More	19	19
Curteys & 1st Corps	118	120
Dark Realm Miniatures	145	145
Dave Thomas	148	151
David Lanchester books	62	64
Dice Bag Lady	37	37
Dice Shop	152	155
Eagle Figures	134	135
Emperor Toads Emporium	80	80
Empress Miniatures	90	91
Figures in Comfort	106	109
Games of War	130	130
Great Escape Games	110	111
Ground Zero Games	13	15
Grubby Tanks	140	142
Guild Ball	143	144
Ironclad Miniatures	104	105
Irregular Miniatures	51	53
Kallistra	78	79
Lancashire Games	38	40
Last Valley	49	50
Lesley's Bits Box	1	3
Magister Militum	41	46
Miniature Men	146	147
Model Display Products	32	34
Newline Design	86	87
Northumbrian Tin Soldier	114	115
Old Glory	4	6
Pendraken/Minibits	73	77
PE2 Collectables	11	12
Plastic Soldier Company	156	159
Products for Wargamers	97	97a
Red Eagle Miniatures	147a
Roger Bigg	31	31
Sergeants mess	9	10
SHQ	24	25
Stafford Games	65	68
Stonewall Figures	47	48
Tiger Models	35	36
Timecast	16	18
Timeline	128	129
Tree Fellas	116	117
Tumbling Dice ft Langton Minis	30	30
Under Fire	81	81
Valiant / Rapid Fire	7	8
Wargames Emporium	121	124
Wargames Foundry	92	96
Warlord Games	160	163

Rapier Miniatures - location to be confirmed

Dixon Miniatures - location to be confirmed

Cranntara Miniatures - location to be confirmed
Tor Gaming - location to be confirmed
Macrochosm - location to be confirmed
Sally 4th - location to be confirmed
Twisted Pinnacle - location to be confirmed
Dark Realm Miniatures - location to be confirmed

GAMES

1	Dave Parsons	Zombietown
2	Sheffield & Rotherham	sailors vs zombies
3	John Grant	Romano brits V saxons
4	Alex Handley	Derwent camapign modern
5	Alex Handley	sci fi Zhargud
6	michael slack	dalek invasion
7	Wargame Developments	Coastal command
8	British legion	Rorkes drift
9	L'ordre mixte	Hougoumont
10	company of veterans	waterloo
11	Penarth	AWI
12	wings of glory	wings of glory ww1
13	Grimsby	4 days battle - naval (sail)
14	Cy Harrison	Beach landing
15	Beast of Bolsover	??
16	Doncaster	Trouble in IBIS
17	Mad Max	Mad Max
18	Gunsmoke	magnificent 7
19	Ilkley old school	Plancenoit
20	Barely legal	Scheldt offensive 44
21	Mosborough  (Mick Rothenburg)
22	Mark Jarret	WRG 6th competition
23	Paul Mugatroyd	DBA northern cup

Operation Dragoon

Not what you thought, eh?  You'll perhaps recall the appearance of these 1/32 scale chaps in a previous post.  This box of Armies in Plastic 18th Century cavalry was, I freely confess, an impulse purchase as I wanted to see if I could actually paint figures for this period.  As to whether I can - I'll let you be the judge.

The colour scheme was inspired by the early C18 Swedish Dragoon in the Funcken 'Lace Wars' books.  As usual they were topped off with a coat of gloss outdoor varnish.

So will there be more of this sort of thing?  Well anything is possible.