Games Played in 2012

This list began life on the sidebar of the blog but with the end of the year it seems reasonable to give it a post of it's own.  I started the list in January 2012 to serve as a reminder that I'd actally played quite a few games!  I'll do the same for 2013...

Date, Game, Scale, Rules, Players

28 December, Aces High, 4(card game- played four times!)
28 December, Doodlebuggers, 1/72 (three games)
28 December, Ten Rounds Rapid, 15mm, 2 (twice)
28 December, the Guns of Toblerone, 10
19 December, Lightning North Africa (card game), 2
12 December, Doodlebuggers, 1/72, 3
6 December, WW1 Naval Game, 1/3000, 8
28 November, Gaza 1917, Op14, 6mm, 3
18 November, One Hell of a Gamble (Cuban Missile Crisis), 21
14 November, Tigranocerta 69BC, CCA, 25mm, 3
7 November, Ponyri 1943, Memoir'44, 15mm, 2
31 October, Harbour Raid, Fletcher Pratt, 1/1200, 8
10 October, Belbeck Valley, NBC, 6mm, 2
3 October, Border bother, Little Wars, 54mm, 6
26 September, Trouble in Ph'tang, PBOM, 15mm, 5
12 September, Crocus Plains, CCA, 25mm, 3
6 September, Tibbermore 1644, C&C, 1
5 September, Bussaco 1810, CCN, 15mm, 3
30 August, Tigranocerta 69BC, CCA, 25mm, 1
29 August, Shut It!, 4
28 August, Tigranocerta 69BC, CCA, 25mm, 1
27 August, Gumbinnen 1914, Op14, 6mm, 3
26 August, Crocus Plains, CCA, 25mm, 1
15 August, Square Bashing, 15mm, 3
8 August, Gibraltar Straits, Fletcher Pratt, 1/1200, 8
25 July, Operation Cold Feet, 11
18 July, Goodwood, Memoir44, 15mm, 3
6-8 July, 10+ sessions at COW 2012
4 July, Solferino, 6mm, 3
30 June, Assal Uttar, NBC, 6mm, 2
27 June, Bagradas, CCA, 25mm, 3
25 June, First Bull Run, Battle Cry, 2mm, 1
23 June, Bagradas, CCA, 25mm, 2
9 June, Krisis at Kharkov, Megablitz, 20mm, 18
6 June, Funny Little Wars, 54mm, 8
4 June, Carrhae (twice), CCA, 4
4 June, Rollbahn Ost, 3
30 May, Carrhae, CCA, 25mm, 3
23 May, Memoir 44, 15mm, 3
19 & 20 May, Rollbahn Ost (about 20 games, 3 players each)
16 May, Agrigentum 261BC, 25mm, CCA, 3
9 May, Rollbahn Ost, 15&20mm, 4
2 May, Le Cateau, 15mm, Op14, 2
25 April, Khafji 1991, 6mm, NBC, 4
23 April, Call it Qids (SoA game about Kadesh), 2 & Send Not to Know,15mm SCW, 5
18 April, Ten Rounds Rapid & Airfix Fighter Command, 3
4 April, Airfix Air Traffic Control, 3
28 March, North Cape, Fletcher Pratt, 9
23 March, Battling the beastly Boers, Funny Little Wars, 2
21 March, An Inconclusive Scrap, Funny Little Wars, 6
14 March, Fire & Movement, 2
7 March, Guise 1914, Op14, 3
29 Feb, Far East troop convoy, Fletcher Pratt, 1/1200, 16
25 Feb, Memphis Mangler IV, Vietnam btl/rgt level game, 20
13-16 Feb, Guise 1914, 6mm, Op14, solo
15 February, Jarama (SCW), 15mm, Memoir of Modern Battle, 2
8 February, Quatre Bras, 15mm, Command & Colours, 3
1 February, Border Clash, 54mm, Wars of Empire, 2
25 January, Convoy PQ-19, Fletcher Pratt, 1/1200, 12
19 January, Portable Wargame (twice!), 15mm, 2
11 January, Mons 1914, 15mm, Op14, 3
4 January, Ligny 1815, 15mm, Brown Bess, 3

Mossie flies again!

My previously mentioned Winter Aircraft Project has produced it's first result!  This old Airfix 1/72 Mosquito which was unpainted and rather sorry looking is now painted and ready for action.  But still a bit sorry looking...

Sadly the Mossie wasn't complete in time for it's proposed walk-on part in The Guns Of Toblerone but while only a few of the best films have sequels, nearly all of the bad ones do....

 After effecting some basic repair work and cutting off the few remaining prop blades it was treated to a basic paint job.  The green tuned out a bit darker than I expected but I think it looks OK.  The canopy was a sea of glue so painting over it easy the only real option.  I found a set of original decals (possibly even the set supplied with this very kit) and slapped them on.  The ensemble was then finished with a coat of Vallejo matt varnish.  This gave a slight sheen which I rather like on this size of model.

Awaiting varnish.  The difference is quite astonishing.

Knowing I was painting the canopy certainly made the camo painting easier!

 

Don't forget to vote for the next 1/72 'plane to be rescued from oblivion!

Jap Motorised Infantry

Realising I needed some Japanese motorised infantry for a scenario I'm pondering I dug out these chaps and set about them with a paintbrush.  The figures are the older GHQ 'block' style infantry - cast in section sized lumps which I'm not really a big fan of.  However, as they would be based with their lorries I hit upon the idea of standing them in 'parade order' in front of their transport. I think it works.
The staff car is a Heroics & Ros model - probably from their Polish range.

A History of Airfix HO/OO AFV kits - part 9 - 1967

A further two kits appeared in 1967.  First up was the splendidly useful Sdkfz7 halftrack and 88mm gun.  This series two kit was quite an ambitious undertaking when I first attempted it in the late 1970s - all these bloody overlapping wheels!  Wrongly-built Sd7s are still a common sight on the world's wargame tables!
The 88mm gun was equally fiddly - but what a welcome thing it is. 

A pretty bog-standard halftrack and gun - currently on the strength of 164 'Afrika' Division.

19 Panzer Division's artillery regiment benefits from the services of this elderly Sd7 originally built and painted by my old friend JR.  The additional spare wheels are from a Roco 15cm gun.

Another well-travelled '7' from 10 PD.

The full kit (with crew figures from another manufacturer).

Over the years I have picked up some splendid metal crew figures, like these DAK chaps.

The halftrack has always been great conversion fodder.  Here is one of the easiest - 20mm flak gun by Fujimi, trailer from the Airfix US halftrack kit.

JR's splendid (and forgivably overscale) Sdkfz250, complete with contemporary German infantry.

The second release in 1967 was the WW1 'Tank Mk1'.  No doubt it would be possible to find fault with this models but it should be remembered that for a long time this was the only Great War vehicle available in this scale at any price!

I suspect that most were finished like these examples without the rather fiddly wheeled steering gear.

The easiest and most obvious 'conversion' was to ditch the 6-pounder guns of the 'Male' tank and add machine guns to create a 'Female'.

1968's single release coming soon!