Armed Services Day

Today is armed services day in the UK. We don't give as much thought as we might to our men and women especially those who are currently serving in the  Stan or the Graveyard of Empires as it was formally known.

Just give it a little thought and if you are so inclined, remember to give a little bit of cash to the right charity next time you have a chance.

A bit of Kipling to keep you going.

When you’ve shouted “Rule Britannia,” when you’ve sung “God save the Queen,”
   When you’ve finished killing Kruger with your mouth,
Will you kindly drop a shilling in my little tambourine
   For a gentleman in khaki going South?
He’s an absent-minded beggar, and his weaknesses are great –
   But we and Paul must take him as we find him –
He is out on active service, wiping something of a slate –
   And he’s left a lot of little things behind him!
Duke’s son – cook’s son – son of a hundred kings –
   (Fifty thousand horse and foot going to Table Bay!)
Each of ‘em doing his country’s work
   (and who’s to look after his things?)
Pass the hat for your credit’s sake, 
                             and pay – pay – pay!

There are girls he married secret, asking no permission to,
   For he knew he wouldn’t get it if he did.
There is gas and coals and vittles, and the house-rent falling due,
   And it’s more than rather likely there’s a kid.
There are girls he walked with casual. They’ll be sorry now he’s gone,
   For and absent-minded beggar they will find him,
But it ain’t the time for sermons with the winter coming on.
   We must help the girl that Tommy’s left behind him!
Cook’s son – Duke’s son – son of a belted Earl –
   Son of Lambeth publican – it’s all the same today!
Each of them doing the country’s work
   (and who’s to look after the girl?)
Pass the hat for your credit’s sake,
                             and pay – pay – pay!

They are families by thousands, far too proud to beg or speak,
   And they’ll put their sticks and bedding up the spout,
And they’ll live on half o’ nothing, paid ‘em punctual once a week,
   ‘Cause the man that earns the wage is ordered out.
He’s an absent-minded beggar, but he heard his country call,
   And his reg’ment didn’t need to send to find him!
He chucked his job and joint it – so the job before us all
   Is to help the home that Tommy’s left behind him!
Duke’s job – cook’s job – gardener, baronet, groom,
   Mew’s or palace or paper-shop, there’s someone gone away!
Each of ‘em doing his country’s work
   (and who’s to look after the room?)
Pass the hat and for your credit’s sake,
                             and pay – pay – pay!

Let us manage so as later, we can look him in the face,
   And tell him – what he’d very much prefer –
That, while he saved the Empire, his employer saved his place,
   And his mates (that’s you and me) looked out for her.
He’s and absent-minded beggar and he may forget it all,
   But we do not want his kiddies to remind him
That we sent ‘em to the workhouse while their daddy hammered Paul,
   So we’ll help the homes that Tommy left behind him!
Cook’s home  - Duke’s home – home of millionaire,
   (Fifty thousand horse and foot going to Table Bay!)
Each of ‘em doing his country’s work
   (and what have you got to spare?)
Pass the hat for your credit’s sake 
                            and pay – pay – pay!

I  think it says a lot about the UK that the top of the search list for the word Kipling is a site trying to sell handbags.

Where am I going next?

I am looking at what to do next as I now have a lot of time on my hands. 

Most of my terrain is done. I still have some (some ish?) 15mm figures to do and there is still some terrain to sort out. Then there is the matter of basing. I have a traveller scout ship to finish but that strikes me as the kind of project that stops and starts as I have the iniative and the parts to do it.

I am tempted to move on to a new theatre of operations. When I was looking an Flames of War the Western and Eastern European battlefields were being considered. I already have much that I need but I think I am waiting for a little bit more and can't really afford any new stuff at the moment. This may well be my year of frugal gaming.

15mm zombies is the obvious answer is some more terrain, the craven need for flesh is not at the top of my agenda (although I really could go for an ostrich burger on an Unlucky Fried Kitten around now). I have some terrain to finish but need something to act as a roof.
X-Com is tickling me again. I wandered off in the middle of writing this post to play .......... back again. I've just knocked over an alien base and a harvester ship.

The Napoleonic thing is on my mind. I have spent a lot of time looking at Baccus but don't feel the urge to buy anything. Well that is a lie, but in my defence ........ . Where was I?

I also have an urge to do a post apocalyptic gladiators. This has been in the back of my mind for some time. I have worked out the bones of a rule set but don't have much in the way of figures. the plan calls for a lot of conversion of minis but little terrain. I would love to do this in 15mm but think it will have to be 28mm because the figures are out there and I don't want to do big conversions in 15mm.

Mmmm. What to do?

6mm The Napoleonic Wars

It's a little off topic today. I had was 6mm. It was 6mm WW2 US and it was back in the early 1990s and now it's Napoleonics. I don't want to start another blog about it just yet so I might change the blogs raison d'etre again.


The trouble with Napoleonics is that there is just too much of it to take in easily. There are enough Osprey books to take up a long shelf. More to the point, I am finishing of a unit of cavalry that is going to have pink lapels. Pink? On a mini? Where am I really? Mars? Ash's blog?

Martin, Spike, if you read this we need to talk about the rules and organisations.

When I was playing the Napoleonic Wars we discussed using the game as a scenario generator. As the game covers the period 1805 to 1815 so this could be a lot of scenarios. I suggested that it would end up finishing some time shortly after I retire. I don't expect to be retiring early either. I kind of like this.

This is the way thing seem to work with my mates. Me Spike and Martin come up with an idea. We buy some figures. Then Spike and Martin go tangental and (and poop on) everything ends up on hold (with the odd exception). Then a few years later we pick things up again and put them down again. The only thing we seem to consistently play is D&D (or dad as I call it) and Idon't much care for that.
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So I have been painting some more French cavalry.

I get to play the French because of my superior tactical skill and my ability to put up with getting picked on by my mates. They do not have my broad shoulders and will learn to love the taste of defeat (he said laying the ground for an EPIC FAIL). After last weekend I know Martin knows how to roll over and play dead. :-)

I wouldn't have pegged myself as a Napoleonic gamer a few years ago but I am having a change of heart.

I'll post some pics when the figures bare painted.

Even more (different fencing)

This is the stuff I got at Phalanx recently. I am glad to say that the burnt rotten mackeral smell caused by the laser cutting process has dwindled away since they were removed from the zip lock bag. Until it's gone they will have to live in the garage.

Although I have painted the bases I have left the fences they way the were when I got them. They have a nice treated wood look.

The shorter sections are not so hot. As they don't have as many points of contact as the larger sections they are a little loose. They are fine with a bit of glue.

For £8 I would say that it was a pretty good deal.

Walls

I have been a little busy on the barrier front just of late and I am now really just wrapping the terrain building surge up. There are now plenty of walls for the table top. The high and low walls are just foamcore sections on fairly thick card. These are covered with pva and sand and then painted. All the terrain is pretty much painted with a sandy coloured household emulsion paint and then toned through a variety of means. I guess these are still not finished but then very little is ever finished.

These a just a few of the fifty odd sections that I have done. I still think I could use some more but I got bored in the end.

I want to move on to doing some hedging and a few more bits and pieces. I'll see what happens after that.

4000th view

I think I am quite proud.

I may need to stop harping on about it tho.

Hey I Have Time on my Hands so it's More Terrain

This is just some odds and sods I am working on. I have just been toying around with stuff recently. most are still not complete but are pretty close.

I wanted some larger satellite dishes. the one on the left is Critical Mass and the one on the right is GZG.

I have been after some street lights for a long time. as to get model railway ones costs stupid money I have also thought about it and not done anything about it. Critical Mass have done me proud with these.

These are some toys from tesco. They are just a little too big for 15mm but I think I can live with that.

This statue is one of two I have in mind, the other being  Droyne for a campaign idea. The base is just foam core with pva and sand painted to the same colour as the rest of the terrain I have been doing. The figure is an old Brigadier Leightbridge Stewart Figure I have had primed for nearly 20 years. It seems like a good use for a miniature that seems to have passed it's sell by date.