NachtJaeger and SchreckWulfen - Konflict '47.

Managed to finish off my NachtJaeger and SchreckWulfen for Konflict 47 today.

Nazi Scientists desperate to gain an edge over the allies, resort to splicing canine and human DNA and create the Schreckwulfen or 'werewolves' ... emboldened by the success of this experiment they go on to add bat, alligator and reptile DNA creating the terrifying NachtJaeger... a pseudo-vampiric horror... Gothic horror has come to the battlefields of Europe...

Based on DIY 30mm Dia bases which I think better suited both models, made from 1mm sytene sheet.
I enjoyed modeling and painting these creatures up as they were quite different to things I've painted before.
Great to have a chance to use the blood effects paint from GW 'blood for the blood god'... which I rarely get a chance to legitimately use...
And some nice base decoration tufts from Gamersgrass: 2mm dark moss and 6mm dry tuft.
I decided to stick with regular issue Whermacht field grey for their pants ... I thought about doing SS camouflage pants but figured these being largely nocturnal hunters they probably wouldn't need the camouflage...
Looking forward to trying these beasties out in a game now they're painted😀

KONFLICT 47 - A super cool extension to the events of WWII...

Spinne Light PanzerMech

Finished my first bit of new kit for Konflict '47... the German Spinne (Spider) Light PanzerMech.

A light recce walker with Light AT gun and Co-ax Light Autocannon.

There are options within the rules to upgrade to have an enclosed turret top, and be fitted with a  flamethrower!
Hmmm... a recce flamethrower... I think I'll need to buy another one to make that conversion! :)

Tiger I E - Bolt Action

Just finished my Tiger I E, for Bolt Action, and now Konflict 47 too!

No Kraut forces feels complete without a Tiger, and with all these new fangled walkers appearing on the horizon it seemed a good choice.

28mm or 1/56th scale plastic kit from Warlord Games. Decals also by Warlord Games.

Looking forward to trying out this big kitty!

Beyond the Gates of Antares

Another exciting game hoves into view!

One of the upsides of being a hobby stockist is I get to look at and try out games that probably would not necessarily have immediately been on my agenda.

But having really annoyed the game mechanic of Bolt Action I was intrigued to find it was also at the core of BtGoA. Having got my hands on the core set and started reading through the rules it's clear this game takes the BA rules to the next level!

Really looking forward to giving this a whirl , though it may be a little while as I am still putting finishing touches to my BA Krauts, then yanks to finish off...

I am back to square one ... Too many games ... And not enough time! Sheesh! ;-)

... And just around the corner... Konflict 47 and Project Z!!! Who's going to be a busy boy then!?

Warhammer - Age of Sigmar - an opinion.

As is all too well known now, GW in their wisdom decided to take a whole new view to their popular fantasy battle game; Warhammer... and wholesale replaced it with an entirely new concept for the fantasy game, with Warhammer - Age of Sigmar!

This caused chaos quite literally in the hordes of fantasy players the world over... which caused varied reactions, and to the extremes of one player publicly burning his entire fantasy collection on Youtube! (Totally bonkers if you asked me - should have sold them!)

As for myself I looked on in a state of bemusement as the change didn't affect me in the slightest... I had drifted away from playing Warhammer and 40K many many years ago... being content to continue to play their Lord of the Rings/Hobbit SBG game, being a big Tolkien fan, and other non-GW games... recently seeing me take to Bolt Action with great enthusiasm...

And then things take a radical turn... I bought a pharmacy, and after our first year decided to add a Hobby Corner Department, initially supporting and stocking Warlord Games products including Bolt Action and Army Painter and sourcing Vallejo from another local distributor... a successful first months trading sees me decide to widen the Hobby selection, including Star Wars X-Wing and Armada, and becoming a GW stockist.

This later part resulted in a 1m display stand arriving and being packed with 40K and AoS product! Now I haven't actively played 40K in several years but I think I probably have a rough idea how it still plays... it wouldn't take me too long to get  up to speed with it again... but AoS???

I haven't actively played WFB in about 20 years... and last played WAB (based on WFB 5th?) about 10 years ago...

So I decided I had better see what all the fuss was about and try and learn the game so I can explain it to potential customers in store...

A local mate; Nic Jebson organised a demo game for me down at the local club; Kapiti Wargames Club... and I dug out a bunch of 20 year old  dwarf figures from my dusty collection and backed them up with a unit of Elven archers... to face Nic's Dark Elf Army.

We played a 'take anything you like' version of the game, just for me to see how it played...

There were two objective markers on the board which would give points per turn for having possession of it. There would also be points for killing the enemy Army General....

We arrayed our battlelines and set to.

On my left flank my elves made a dash into the woods to get near the left flank objective, but they were headed off by Nics executioners... My dwarven line advanced across the centre and dwarf missile troops held an area of ruins on my right flank, near the right flank objective.

Nic advanced his battle line towards mine, with a dragon mounted sorceress in the centre alongside a another draconic beastie and dark elf foot soldiers. On my right Nic started an outflanking move engaging my missile troops in the ruins...

The long and short of the battle was, the executioners did just that to my elves and remained holding that objective... my dwarven line largely held in the centre... the cavalry charge was broken against the ruins and once they had been dealt with it allowed me to start rolling the flank...  which I duly did.

This move also saw a General to General duel, with my stalwart dwarf lord emerging the victor... this put me ahead on points in the game and caused Nic to throw his last units into the fray, but to no avail... the game ending with Nic reduced to the Executioners holding their objective, the rest of the army destroyed...

Now I have to say, after all the negative press AoS got, I actually wanted to dislike the game... but that was not to be... I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I think because I haven't played WFB in may years I had an unbiased view going into the game, and no axe to grind... I also liked the removal of the blocky movement tray mounted units... having played LOTR SBG for several years I am used to and enjoy the skirmish look and play of it... it reminded me in some ways of a cross between LOTR SBG and Bolt Action, You still had units, but they were in 'skirmish order'. This allowed freedom of movement, and allowed the battle lines to blur and merge into a huge melee, which to my mind is probably a better representation of such warfare... it also allowed friendly adjacent units to support each other... something I always found difficulty with in WFB as adjacent units often had issues aiding their friends due to restrictive charges arcs , turning circles and other units getting in the way of the turning unit...

The game also involved rolling the proverbial buckets of dice, something I have always had fun with in gaming, no matter the game.

So I have to say, for me AoS gets a thumbs up, and there's no need to go burning your armies... I managed to play it with 20 year old dwarf figures!

The one thing I will agree on is the fact that the lack of points system and some of the 'humorous' rules were bad moves on GWs side. But it seems they are redressing this with the introduction of a points system... time will tell on the silly rules though! ;-) Still it adds to the 'fun' perhaps.

Age of Sigmar - give it a try!

GAMES WORKSHOP in stock! The Hobby Corner Continues to Expand!

Just a quick post to share how well our Hobby Corner has been going! We've had a superb first month with a great level of support by the local gamers and modellers and even from those further afield!

Big thanks to Bob and the guys up Palmy way, and to Simon and the rest of the crew from the Hutt Club - who are choosing to support a store that's not in their immediate locale - much appreciated guys!!!

On the back of this initial success, we have decided to expand the section and range of products, and have just last week become a GW stockist, through their stockist program. We've now got a 1m wide module in store with AoS and 40K stocked, and anything else that's wanted that we don't have , we can order in each week for delivery the following week! Just let us know by Thursday for delivery next week...

We've also expanded the Warlord Games selection, by stocking Black Powder, Hail Caesar, and Pike and Shotte to cater for the Historical Gamers, with starter sets and boxed figure sets available...

More from Warlord Games to come in the coming months ... August sees the release of Konflict '47... a 'what-if' expansion on the classic Bolt Action game that will see large robot like walkers and Nazi zombies entering the fray! Cant wait for that one!

Also with the current zombie craze, we'll be stocking their Project Z game, once its available again - it sold out and is just awaiting the next print run to complete for shipment.

Bolt Action sees a revamp in the rules in September and we'll be getting those new rules in with the new starter sets too.

And having see how good a game Bolt Action is with its order dice mechanism, I have decided to also get in Warlords' Beyond the Gates of Antares - Sci-Fi battle game... which uses the same order and pinning mechanisms - looking forward to giving that one a whirl!

As you can see from the pictures above we're also stocking Star Wars X-Wing and Star Wars Armada - both very popular games - playable straight out of the box with no painting required... and definitely in gaming vogue at the mo' with the new movies coming out for Star Wars!

We'll also be stocking a range of board and card gamer like Munckkin , Fluxx, Carcasonne, Settlers, Talisman etc etc ...

So if you're in the area and in need of a gaming or modelling fix, come on down and check us out!

The Hobby Corner
Paraparaumu Beach Pharmacy
17 Seaview Road
Paraparaumu Beach
Kapiti, NZ.
04 2988882

Family trees and military relatives

Being a long time military history nut, I have often wondered if I had any relations  who had taken part in either of the world wars...

Sadly due to a somewhat scattered family due to earlier sepatations, relocations and remarryings, I had only ever had easy access to my fathers side of the family. 

This had revealed a largely humble honest folk, indentured to the land, during these conflicts, working as farmers on the land, or miners under it. Nothing terribly exciting there though clearly important roles keeping the home country functioning.

I had heard that my maternal grandfather was a mechanic in RAF, but knew little more than that. 

Having moved my own little family to the other side of the world, from UK to NZ, I had further lengthened the tenuous links to my past...

Then just today I received a letter from my mums half-sister; Elaine, who was able to provide some fascinating information.

It turns out, her father, my grandfather, Leonard George Ingram was indeed a mechanic in the RAF, having joined the RAF in 1942 aged 18. As part of one posting he was linked to glider borne troops including those that landed around Arnhem, during Operation Market Garden.

Later, after the war in Europe ends, he is then posted to Okinawa, and thence on to Singapore, being involved in the rounding up of remaining Japanese troops in both locations. 

After his posting to Sinapore he is demobbed. 

And then, the next generation back to Leonards father: George Henry Ingram. 

A very young George joins the Royal Navy in 1916, aged about 18 years old. From that time on he serves on several ships and bases including Impregnable, Collingwood, Vivid, Defiance, Centurion and The Hood, famously sunk engaging the Bismark in the Battle of the Denmark straight. Thankfully he had been posted to another ship before that engagement!

He leaves the Navy in 1922 invalided out due to hearing problems caused by gunfire during the war. 

So there we go. I now feel I have a definite bloodline link to services personnel who served in both WWI and WWII, and I must admit it makes these conflicts in history just seem that little bit closer, a little bit more real, more tangible...

German reinforcements ... Bolt Action... Medium mortar & Light Howitzer

Some recently completed work for my German whermacht forces...

First up an 81mm mortar ... 

And next up a light howitzer; LEiG 75mm infantry gun...

More work in progress to follow...

The Hobby Corner - a new supplier in town!

Well there's nothing like blowing your own trumpet, except when someone blows it for you!

And mate Herman over at Wargames Obsession beat me to the punch, thanks for that mate, much appreciated!

Just to re-iterate here for my own blog audience...

Having been a gamer myself for more years than I care to remember, and having seen the demise of our two local hobby supply stores, (The Kapiti Model Shop and Toyworld), for varied reasons... I decided to try and do something about it.

I was a little frustrated at not being able to acquire simple things, like pots of paint or glue, locally when I run out, either having a lengthy drive to the big smoke to get some, or having to wait for online suppliers to get stock to me in the mail...

Having bought our pharmacy business almost a year ago now, I am pleased to say the business is performing well and largely taking care of itself now, and seeing a spare area of space in the store, made me put two and two together. So after a few inquiries, I've jumped in with both feet!

I have decided to use WARLORD GAMES as my core supplier, and will shortly be stocking their BOLT ACTION game system, which seems very popular at the moment, and seems to be enjoying  a take up from Flames of War players, who have become a little frustrated with the companies supply issues with that game...

Warlord also stock the popular ARMY PAINTER ranges of paints and shades washes, brushes etc and range of Hobby Tools, which we will be stocking too.

And to make your bases look great we'll also be stocking Warlords new range of scenic basing materials to really make your troops pop!

Warlord also stock a number of other games like Hail Caesar, Black Powder, Judge Dredd, Gates of Antares, Terminator and a new Zombie game too. Plus they stock the range of plastic figures from PERRY MINIATURES.

So whilst I wont be able to physically stock all these items, its going to be a hobby 'corner' not a hobby 'shop' after all!... I will be able to order in any of these items, usually within a couple of weeks.

I have also recently found a local distributor in NZ for Vallejo Paints and Woodland Scenics.

Vallejo offer some excellent paints for those WWII uniforms and vehicles and the scenic supplies from Woodland, will keep hobbyist , both gaming and model railroad, happy indeed.

So with initial orders placed now, I am hoping to receive stock in a couple of weeks time.

I knocked up a little picture of yours truly for a little Meme... to give the locals who were helping me with initial opening orders a laugh...

Must admit I grabbed the closest white coat quickly for the pic... turned out it was my wifes... to paraphrase Gimli, it was a "little tight across the chest"... ;-)

I may even be able to have some humorous memes on our store facebook page? Give us a Like if you pop over for a look :)

So its going to be quite an interesting change in the store, and after 20+ years of having to divert questions about cosmetics to my female colleagues, I'll finally have something in store I know about, medicines aside! Its going to be rather amusing teaching my female staff the difference between an M4 Sherman and a Panzer IV H ;-)

So if you're a local modeler, gamer or model railroad enthusiast come on down and give us your support.

The Hobby Corner
Paraparaumu Beach Pharmacy
17 Seaview Road
Paraparaumu Beach
Kapiti
5032
New Zealand
Ph 04 2988882, Fax 04 2988724 email : paraparaumubeachpcy AT xtra DOT co DOT nz (sorry - trying to beat the spambots)

Bolt Action - German MG42 Team

Another little addition to my German army...

The much feared MG42, or as it was nicknamed - "Hitlers Buzzsaw" !

As with many of Warlords sets the figures come with a set of optional heads so you can choose which to use... The one I used for the Gunner caught my eye...

Take a closer look...

It can now be revealed what the fiendish past of Dr Nefario was! ;-)

For those of you left puzzled, check out the animated movie "Despicable Me"... one of those great kids movies that adults get a laugh out of watching too...

I now must find a way of equipping my Grenadiers with "Fart guns"... ;-)

Bolt Action Germans

Continuing my Bolt Action fun, I am starting to work through painting my infantry. I have been assembling and base painting both German and American forces for some time and enjoying gaming with them in between times.

This has gone against my normal practice of fully painting stuff before use. But I really wanted to get into and start enjoying this game system. 

However I have managed to these completed... 

German command...

German Field observers ...

German Panzerschrek team...

German Flamethrower...

I must admit I am trying to do these promptly so haven't been worrying about top highlights, nor eyes. I still think they look OK for table top use.

More to come.

Farmhouse completed.

A few pics of the completed farmhouse I showed earlier...

I decided to just go with a predominantly grey stone colour scheme, with a few areas of yellow or red bricks...

I did crop down the length of the chimney to protect against breaks. I just got it painted and Chris dropped it and snapped the chimney off! Thankfully it was a clean break and glued back together ok.

The internals again just whitewashed and a stained balsa wood floor. An opening front door too.

And some Krauts to show possible occupancy.

Well that's my second building done. I have something a little bigger planned next ... Watch this space. 

Bolt action armoured medley

I have been assembling two Bolt Action forces now for a few months, both US and German, and have greatly enjoyed assembling and painting their plastic vehicle kits. 

This first one is the German StuH 42, assault howitzer. A birthday present from my family 😀. 

Fitted with a casement mounted medium howitzer, it can really hurt enemy infantry. 

But it's not terribly good against enemy armour as the HE round doesn't have the greatest penetration, but can at least pin down the armour.

Next up is the Hetzer. A tank hunter fitted with a heavy AT gun. 

It does however have weak side armour so you really need to watch it's flanks.

It also has remotely operated MG with 360• field of fire. 

Next up is the Hanomag. I've done this one before but this time have toned down the decals with a brown wash as Millsy suggested.

An armoured personnel carrier, good for getting your troops into the table with a degree of protection from small arms fire. 

Capable of carrying 12 men and fitted with an MG for supporting fire. But you need some in it as passengers to fire. 

Next up is Panzer IV H. Again shown before, and again decals toned down. 

Fitted with a heavy antitank gun and two machine guns, it can hurt enemy armour, and infantry. 

Schurzen side armour gives some protection against bazookas to its flanks. 

The Puma is up next. An armoured reconnaissance vehicle, fitted with a medium AT Gun and MG. 

Equipped with dual steering positions it can reverse as quickly as it advances making it get out of trouble fast.

But that big gun tempts you to be bold with it so you have to remember it's not armoured like a tank! 

All the German armoured arrayed below.

Next up, the yanks...

First up the M10 tank destroyer. Fitted with a heavy AT gun, it can deal to enemy panzers very well. 

It also has a pintel mounted HMG, so can hurt infantry too. 

But it is lghtly armoured for a tank and is open topped so small arms fire can pin it.

Next one of my faves, the M3 half track. 

Bristling with MGs it can spit out fire from its passengers.

An armoured personnel carrier capable of carrying 12 guys. 

I can't help thinking of Kelly's Heroes when I see it. 😀

An HMG covers the front fire arc.

Next, the classic M4 Sherman tank. 

A medium AT gun with a nifty HE rule, and two MGs and an HMG. It can really bring the hurt to enemy infantry.

But it's prone to catching fire if hit... Leading to the nickname ' Ronson' after the lighter... It always lights first time...

For some yank armoured recce  we have the M8 armoured car.

A fast wheeled reconnaissance vehicle fitted with a light AT gun, MG and pintel HMG ... They stick 50cals on everything!

And finally all the tank armour arrayed.

I have been steadily working on the infantry side of these forces and will detail these in future posts. 

In the meantime, I'm really enjoying the game.