Airfix WW1 French Infantry In Khaki

Airfix / HaT Industrie WW1 French Infantry painted in khaki to represent WW2 troops.

The set itself (not these actual figures though) was one of the first sets of 20mm figures I had as a kid at primary school - and that was a long time ago now.

I always thought that the guy with the carrier pigeon looked like he was holding a half-eaten sandwich that he'd just taken out of his hamper.

The figures have a lot of useful poses, it's a pity about the rifles as they are very flimsy and thin without any real detail, but they still have a place for me on the wargame table.

Dragon Rampant Game in 1/72 scale

Got together with some wargaming buddies a short time ago, Alex, Carlos and Rob, and we got in a game of Osprey's "Dragon Rampant".

It's the first time I've played these rules, but I had the guidance of the other guys who'd gamed the system before, so with their help it was fairly easy to get to grips with the core basics of the rules once we got going.

A game needs a certain amount of planning to get the balance of opposing units right and to prepare the army sheets. On this occasion the "baddies" got hammered fairly quickly so it looked like we needed to fine tune the lists and/or the scenario.

But it was a good first experience and it's always enjoyable getting together for a game and getting some minis on the table regardless.

Some pictures from the game below

Marauding bands of green/skinned orcs and goblins advance on the village



Light infantry move out to meet the enemy 

Meanwhile, trolls enter the village

Light cavalry, accompanied by a sorceress rush out to meet the invaders

And finally, our "Hero" on his shining white stallion rides into the fray

And proceeds to decimate the green-skinned devils

Lockheed AC-130 Hercules Gunship - Toys for wargaming

My imaginary near-future "Seven Star Nation" has just received a valuable asset in the form of a Lockheed Hercules AC-130 Gunship



Ok, so it's a toy, ..... but it's a huge, strong, and very sturdy toy, AND it scales out really well with my 1-72 scale forces.







I saw it advertised on "Wallapop" a couple of weeks ago and the guy who was selling it lived near me so I sent him a message and when I got this off him I was really really pleased to find that it wasn't some cheapo flimsy toy.

I didn't know who the manufacturer was at the time, and according to the guy who sold it to me, it's about 15 years old, maybe even a little more. At first I though it might be from the Micro-Machines range, but I couldn't find any pictures of it online but I was later told that it's a Galoob "C-130 Warbird" from their Battle Squads sets.

It comes with two 1/72 scale pre-painted crew figures, who look very similar in style to micro-machines figures.

It has a cargo bay door that opens and closes too, and the 20mm figures and vehicles here just how well it scales out.



All in all a great addition to the Seven Star Nation's forces.

Doug Iovinelli - Pz.Sfl. II in 1/72 scale.

I was sent this article by Doug Iovinelli, a friend and smallscale enthusiast who's recently been experimenting with 1/72 scale 3D printing.

Doug's contribution below :

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I recently bought some 3D printed pieces of unusual subjects from Shapeways.

The first item is the Pz.Sfl. II in 1/72 scale.



The subject is a rare conversion used by the Afrika Korps. (From Wikipedia): Two prototypes were completed in 1941 and they were organized into a platoon for troop trials with Panzerjäger-Abteilung ("Anti-Tank Battalion") 605 of the Afrika Korps. Sent for trials to North Afrika, neither survived the experience.






The subject is interesting and the photographs provide an opportunity to add a lesser known vehicle to our wargames.







Next update, to paint the item and share the detail. It will need to be washed and dried with water as there is a little bit of residual powder from the printing process that will “cake” up the paint if it is not removed.

The link to the designer and the item: https://www.shapeways.com/product/K3TC6NQ6B/