A 'Risky' Business

I guess this could also fall under the heading of being a credit crunch wargaming idea as it has thus far cost the princely sum of £2. I am referring to my boot sale acquisition of a complete and unused copy of the Parker game Risk. As readers of the blog may know, Risk is an abstract game of world domination. Recent versions of this have been themed around, for example, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Transformers and others. The reason I was so pleased to get this particular version is because it contains nigh on 372 hard plastic 12/13mm generic 18th century figures. There is an infantryman advancing, a charging cavalryman and a cannon with a flag wielding gunner attached to the gun carriage. All are wearing a tricorn and the kit (knapsack etc) places the models as firmly in the third quarter of the 18th century - they look very much like British Infantry of the American Revolution. There are no command figures of any description.

There are six coloured armies in the game so in total there are over 240 infantry, 72 cavalry and 48 guns although I have based that on multiplying the contents of one army by six! An earlier version of the game had Napoleonic style figures although the infantryman was kneeling at the ready and so less useful than the advancing version.

What then does this mean? Well, to begin with, it is a very cheap source of figures and they are suitably generic enough to cover a variety of historical and 'imagi-nations'. The size is a little on the problematic side but I would probably look to Pendraken for their 10mm stuff for command groups and gunners etc as their newer models are slightly larger than 10mm and so would fit in with these without too much problem. The plastic models are also fairly crude in terms of detail so a simple paint job would be very much the order of the day. It is certainly something I would not rush into at the present but as a long term project it has a certain charm - a pair of mythical 18th century armies could be on the cards - perhaps even the Grand Duchy of Artois and the Electorate of Kronenbourg could see the light of day.

It was with this in mind I acquired (some time ago) a copy of the Lord of the Rings version of Risk - solely for the figures. This version cost me, IIRC, about a pound and there is some 400 figures in this variant. Again, not something I will be doing anything with anytime soon but it is nice to have them as a backstop.

An Example of a Mini Project

Readers of the blog will no doubt be aware of my fondness for the GW game Space Hulk and how pleased I was to be reacquainted with my 20 year old collection. After a couple of fun games at the club it did not take much to persuade me that this set up needed to be brought up to date and given a makeover. With this in mind (and bearing in mind that I also have an untouched copy of Tyranid Attack) I decided to see what I could pick up cheaply off of ebay to modernise the collection. I should also point out that I recently discovered a really good set of grid based sci fi rules called Space Hive on the www.freewargamesrules.co.uk website. These are, for want of a better expression, a more normal set of sci fi rules and less like the usual GW fare. In fact, they could just as easily be used for modern skirmishes in any kind of close, urban style terrain. In fact, the use of these rules has really been a major driver in my revamp plans for this set up.

My search on ebay gave me quite a shock as original first edition sets of Space Hulk are going for quite a price (averaging around the £40 to £50 level), not doubt influenced by the recent launch of the third edition, so I was very pleased to acquire a set for £25. Aside from the third set of floor tiles and doors etc in the game I now have another 20 genestealers and 10 marines. My plan is to make another marine force, identical in composition to my original set up, but in another paint scheme. Fourteen extra marines and a marine librarian would not be the same size (the original force is 23 models strong) so I had to have a minor reorganisation and took some of the original figures (two assault cannons and a flamer) and added them to the as yet unpainted force. I really had no choice about this as the assault cannons would not be easily replicated hence the repaint decision. The first phase of this was to remove them from their bases as these had been sanded and varnished. This was accomplished without too many dramas and so I now have a force of 17 marines awaiting undercoating and the brushwork.

I am classing this as a mini project simply because painting these models will be neither difficult or time consuming and the practical advantages of having an extra force at my disposal will yield many benefits - not the least of which will be the ability to have marine versus marine actions.

Colour scheme wise I expect these will be in a mid blue shade with some transfers on the shoulder pads for effect. Simple but effective.

An Academic Diversion

Time has finally caught up with me and at last the start of my college course looms large on the horizon. It is only one night a week for eleven weeks but there will be the inevitable assignments etc to be completed so my gaming time will be reduced over the next quarter. I still intend visiting the club and a number of small projects may be wheeled out over the period but nothing on a large scale. I have also received the first half of my history course which will provide some welcome distraction - the first part covers Tsarist Russia from 1850 until 1917 and the second is Britain and Appeasement 1919 to 1940. Both of these will be interesting as I have covered some of the military side of these periods of history so it will be good to get the social and political background to round out my knowledge.



I will continue to post to the blog so service will be as normal in that regard - the boot sale season will be coming to a close in about 6 weeks or so - and I will probably start to report a little more on the games at my club. Rest assured though, the content will continue to be varied but will certainly never be dull!

I almost forgot.........Boot Sale Bargains (Again!)

I had a double whammy this weekend as we went not only the Sadlers Farm Saturday boot sale but also the Lazy Bones version on Sunday. The pickings were pretty good to say the least! First up, I have acquired copies of the old Airfix Magazine Guide No.21 - Modelling Armoured Cars by Gerald Scarborough. I am sure that many readers of this blog are familiar with these from way back when. The famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) Napoleonic Wargaming title by Bruce Quarrie was a major influence on my wargaming career so any of these titles are always good to see - rather like catching up with an old friend - and this was no exception. Included are plans for scratchbuilding a selection of Armoured cars from WW1 to WW2 including my own favourite - the Rolls Royce Armoured car. Great for the modeller or occasional scratchbuilder.

The second title is a biography of the Red Baron - Manfred von Richthofen by Peter Kilduff. This is a particularly valuable title as the author produced the first modern translation of the Barons memoirs and has researched extensively amongst the aviation records and accounts of the enigmatic Red Baron. The title also includes - in its entirety - the Barons 'fighting instructions' completed shortly after his death. the dust jacket on this is a little grubby but as the covers are a copy of this it is of little consequence.

The final title I was very pleased to acquire. Arnhem 1944 by Martin Middlebrook is an account of the Airborne battle and concentrates on the British and Polish part of the operation. This is a superb book; written as only Martin Middlebrook knows how - and is a wealth of information about the fighting at the sharp end. I have long been fascinated by Operation Market Garden (and indeed, airborne operations in general) and this is a very welcome addition to the library.

The price? Well, the Airfix title was 20p and the other two came in at 50p each!

The next three titles were purchased with the sole intention of offloading via ebay or some such. That is not to say I am not interested in the subject matter - far from it - but I really do not need another distraction and have only recently disposed of that portion of the library. The books are Folio Society editions of John Prebble's Culloden, Glencoe and The Highland Clearances. All in hardback and in the slip cases. One of the index pages in the Culloden title is a little creased but other than that they are in pristine condition. I must confess to liking the idea of a Jacobite Rebellion set up but am no more likely to paint up the kit for it than to fly to the moon so it is a non starter. The three titles cost me £1 in total and I am reckoning on easily getting that back - probably sufficiently to finance the Balkan Wars set up I am hankering after.

The final book I picked up is not really a military book although I suspect most readers will see why I did so. The book is an omnibus version of Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations by R.C.Bell. This book describes a whole raft of boardgames from around the world with their history and the variants thereof. I often think that perhaps our long distant forefathers had the right idea with games - simple mechanics and usually played on some form of grid. I am feeling a little deja vu at this point........................;-)

This little gem came in at 50p so my expenditure for the both days was the outrageous sum of £2.70 - now thats a bargain!

Serbs in the Balkan Wars

I note from the Irregular Miniatures website that the Serbian range for the Balkan Wars is now complete. This is becoming way too tempting......;-)

The thing is though, I still really need to get a copy of Defeat in Detail - The Ottoman Army in the Balkan Wars as this is going to be pretty much the definitive work on the subject (at least until the next such title comes out!) and as such will be essential reading. I can only hope that my subtle plan of hint dropping for my upcoming birthday does not go unnoticed.....;-)

The picture is of the Irregular 15mm Turkish Infantry - no doubt getting ready to repel yet another Bulgarian assault!

Terminator Marines - dont you just love em!!

As promised, above is a picture of the venerable terminator marine models from the first edition of Space Hulk restored to my ownership after a nigh on 20 year absence. There were two conversions of note - the captain and the assault cannon marines (4 of them). The captain was very simple - I merely drilled out the hand to take a power sword and added a shaped piece of sprue to use as the scabbard. A purity seal was added to the shoulder for effect. The Assault Cannons started life as a flamer (this was a clip on weapon that fitted over the stormbolter - simple bit effective) but with the addition of some parts from the old (and much missed) GW game Adeptus Titanicus. The weapon sprues from this game were really good for all manner of things - I remember mounting some n flying bases for space ships - and so I cut down the gatling type gun and stuck it straight on the front of the flamer after having removed the twin nozzles. Simple but effective - although the weapons themselves are huge!

The revamp will be very limited in scope - probably just a quick touch up of the bases and some new transfers will suffice but all in all, they will stay pretty much as they are.

Space Hulk 1st Edition - The Original and Best

I know, I know, I was wittering on about the merits of the 2nd edition over the third (mainly because of the figures being a whole lot better) but here I am posting about the 1st. The fact is I have managed to negotiate a deal with Mr Fox for all of my old 1st edition kit for my recently acquired 2nd edition, plus a box of metal terminators, an extra assault cannon armed variant figure (you can never have enough assault cannons) and a copy of Send a Gunboat by Anthony Preston. I have to say that everything was in as good a condition as the day I sold it to him back in 1991............

I will post a picture of the marines (23 of them) a little later but it was like being reunited with a long lost relative.

Mr Fox is now the proud owner of the Death Star featured in the earlier post - he was seen to wincing visibly at the prospect of calculating the damage points and firepower of the said imperial construction..................gazillion hit points anyone?!