Bolt Action

Trying out a small Bolt Action infantry only game to learn  the rules:

Americans (Inexperienced)
1st Lt
3 Squads of 10 men including an NCO and a BAR
2 MMGs

Germans (Veterans)
1st Lt
2 squads of 9 men including an NCO with an SMG and an LMG

Some National Characteristics
Inexperienced troops are easier to neutralize when hit, Veterans are harder to kill.
Americans with the M1 Garand SLR can advance and fire without penalty. German LMGs and MMGs get an extra dice for their rate of fire.

By the end of 3 moves the Americans had lost a squad and taken heavy casualties on a second. The only assets left with any punch are an infantry squad working its way round the German left flank  and the 2 MMGs which are currently too far back to assist. 

The red counters are pin markers and these can have a greater negative effect than casualties is some cases.

What do I think of it so far - Impressed!

Quick and easy to play. Attacks have to be coordinated properly and inexperienced troops need to be motivated (Officers removing pin markers). Veteran troops can hold a great many inexperienced types.

Essex 15mm Prices

When the hell did Essex 15mm go up to £3.30 a pack?

GO CANADA!

"A crazy brawl erupted in the 9th inning of the World Baseball Classic game between Canada and Mexico. Game was held in Phoenix, Arizona.
Run differential is a tie-breaker in the WBC, so teams try to pile on the runs. After Canada bunted for a base hit in the 9th inning, Mexico pitcher Arnold Leon threw two consecutive pitches at Canada's Rene Tosoni. All hell broke loose after that."

Link: "Maple Leaf Forever"

RFA Battery

RFA Battery finished for the Vimeiro scenario. The figures were bought second hand off EBay and I did a bit of work on them and rebased the lot. They had the later scarlet turnbacks on the coat and the pouch was black instead of white so OCD dictated that I repainted those bits:

This just leaves the following bits and bobs to be completed (the two packets contain French Limber Teams)

But at my rate of painting...................

TSS Fields Part Two

I finished the second field while waiting for some Napoleonic Infantry bases to dry. I painted the who thing with Miniature Paints Earth, drybrushed with "Bubonic Brown" and "Bleached Bone", then applied the Tajima crop rows:

That Tajima link again

Total System Scenic / QRF Rubber Fields

I bought two rubber/latex fields from QRF a couple of months ago and I'm not all that impressed with the "raw product" This first pic shows a field as it came, the yellow "crops" are not good and I'm going to give the whole thing a paint and and some crops from :

http://www.tajima1.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=282517

I've just bought some of their coloured tufts and some crop rows and they are a great product that sticks without glue to most bases.

Anyway, here's the untreated field:

The next field is a ploughed field that I've painted with Miniature Paints Earth, dry brushed with the Evil Empire's old "Bubonic Brown" and added some Woodland Scenics Clump Foliage for hedges. I've also used some W&N's ink in the "valleys" of the ploughing, but it has dried a bit shiny. Hopefully it will matt itself over time otherwise I'll stick some matt varnish on it.

These products take acrylic paint really well, and I'll certainly get more of them as they conform to slopes  and aren't that much bother to do up.

I also have some TSS rubber river sections which aren't great either, but I'll give them the same treatment.