Letting Go

Two sayings spring to mind:

• Too much is not enough.
• SABLE - Stuff Accumulated Beyond Life Expectancy.

After religiously following the first bit of advice I am now trying to deal with the second bit.

It is hard to do, but by doing so I earn all important Brownie points with my partner: I've got to learn to let things go, well, a few things.

My Napoleonic focus is clearly 15mm (although I do have some 6mm).  The 6mm came from James and so it was excellent to be able to pass on to him this accumulation of 1/72nd Napoleonic figures, some of which I've had for decades, others only a few years.  Of course I can't just let things go, I had to photograph them and post them here.

But most importantly I had to find them a good home, and in a bit of serendipity I was sitting next to James Fisher in the movie theatre (The Three Musketeers - Milady) and was chatting beforehand.  He had been to Tactics and bought some 1/72nd figures and in the belief that more is better, I offered him some surplus figures I had.  Better still I was able to find them when I got home and drop them to him at the club that evening.  My partner even provided the bag to put them all in, thereby earning me an extra Brownie point (as it was a lovely Koko Black carry bag, not needed, but too nice to just throw out - plus the boxes fitted perfectly!)

C'est magnifique!

But they weren't ever going to be painted and based, 

never mind see the top of a table.

A dream.

Had ideas for some skirmish action,

as well as just much needed support units 

for those Napoleonic campaigns I was going to do in this scale.

This pack is really old.  

I found it in a toy shop and was amazed as it was just what I needed...

But obviously not.

Beautiful for the box art alone.

These were for the Quatre Bras scenario that I thought I would reproduce

 in 1/72nd having already done it already in 15mm (with plans underway for 6mm as well).

Again, for Quatre Bras.

I think I had two packs as they came as a mix of hussars and dragoons,

and I did complete one 12 figure unit.

Better still here is a blog post on them.

Officers were always in short supply, so this pack was a God send.

Excess.

But at least I had plenty of fun with them as can be seen 

here, here and here.

A mixed bag.

And a surprise.

1/76th ish Inventory - WW2 German - sans infantry

After seeing this post by Archduke Piccolo I felt inspired/compelled to get out my WW2 German kit in the same scale.  These models go back to the 1970s (possibly even late 60s) and have been collected in bursts and drivels ever since whenever I have seen something I haven't been able to resist.  I was hoping to use Megablitz to actually make something out of them for wargaming. 

Some of these models might have been used for Command Decision, but I am pretty sure most have never been used on the table top (or in the garden for that matter).

 All sorts of brands in there,

including some scratchbuilt and diecast.

 Two of the Panthers are suffering badly from rot.

They were like that when I go them (cheaply so no complain).

 All sorts of kit and brands here as well.

Some deserve posts of their own.

Some I didn't even know I had.

Supplementary purchases (I think they were bargains).

Now, where have I stored the infantry?

Revell’s Deutsche Artillerie WWII – finished

Well, the gun is now finished; still have the limber to go. This gun was one of my identified 2013 projects so it is good to get some further closure on completing the various things I have underway, but never seem to get done.

It can be the divisional artillery regiment if I play MegaBlitz, a battery if I play BlitzKrieg Commander or a single gun for Crossfire.

Given I first posted about this model in January 2011, it has taken well over two years to get it to a playable state.  I had fun researching it and deciding on the basing, going more for the diorama than functional as the 9cm square base will take up a good amount of space on the table top.

Revell US Infantry – Infantry Company

I got these after reading Stephen Ambrose’s book Citizen Soldiers.  I never got around to finishing their basing as I couldn’t decide how snowy I wanted to make them, or if I should just go with mud.  They are based for Crossfire and represent Company L, 394th Infantry, 99th Division which was commanded by Captain Neil Brown in December 1944..

To give the figures their full name from the manufacturer, Revell: 1/72 US Infantry Ardennes WWII Plastic Model Kit

Another unit looking for a home.

Revell’s Deutsche Artillerie WWII – one year on

Most of my time with these guys has gone on agonising over what base size to use.  I’ve settled on a permanent fixture to a 90mm square.  So far I've done little more than undercoat them, but I have also started using Vallejo paints (on these figures the flesh and grey - base is Tamiya Flat Black).

USS Forrestal and Golden Hind

Black and white photos taken in the back garden sometime around 1970.  The oil tanker and the aircraft carrier are long gone, but I still have the row boat from the Golden Hind plus I bought the kit again to have another go at doing it.  I remember I had just about finished and had it sitting on a tall chest of drawers.  The dog went made barking at something and crashed into the furniture and the sailing ship launched itself into the air.  Devastating.  It is a Revell model.

These pictures (and there are a few more golden oldies to come) were lost in a bulky photo album, so getting them out here tells their story and also allows me to get them onto my iPad so they can be seen.  I can then dispose of the photo album and get back some much needed space.

Revell's Deutsche Artillerie WW II - just what I've always wanted

On my first vist to Tactics I stumbled upon these.  I don't really need more plastic figures for WW2, but I just couldn't resist - I've always wanted this set and never seen it before.  I was very pleased with what was in the box.  Now how long before I have it assembled and painted?

No need for a descripton, a picture says a thousand words.

I paid $A22 for them at Tactics here in Perth.