Pull the Udder One

A short post with some poor photos of the Warlord Games dead livestock which I enjoyed painting as the Ayrshire breed, spurred on by them re-releasing them while I still had an unopened blister packet from the original release.

When I first saw these I thought they were a must have. The first dead cattle I recall seeing in a war film were those in Saving Private Ryan during the radar station scene. I’m not certain that was a cinematic first, but it’s what they reminded me of, well that and how many animals get slaughtered during war without much notice.

Bob’s your Uncle

Actually he’s my father-in-law and he’s got a taste for painting a few of our wargaming bits which started after he saw the quality of the casting of an Imprint Models Warrior AFV and then bought himself a T-72. This time he’s done a couple of Warlord Games pieces and I think he’s done a good job. He’s already a scale modeller so it’s interesting to see him bring both his skill and his encyclopedic knowedge of military history to such models. Enough said – the photos can speak for themselves.

Kraut Rock

This handsome bunch of burgers are the old BEF miniatures early WW2 Germans. Since the range was taken over by Warlord they’ve been changed slightly making these beauties out of production – as if they weren’t brilliant enough already.

Now before you start telling me just how marvelous I am for this tremendous paintjob I have to hold up my hand and stop you. These lovely little pjs are those of the boy Slug, I think they’re brilliant and I’m a hard hobby taskmaster. I wish I’d managed such a level of painting by the tender age of fifteen and one third.

Actually I’m not sure I could match these, lucky for me I don’t really do old Germans otherwise I’d have to find another excuse.

The epaulettes, rank markings and other emblems are all paint, not a transfer in sight.

Of course having seen what he’s managed with these I’m inclined towards buying the new lot.

I Bike It

If you’ve been living under a motorway flyover you may have missed Warlord Games purchase of Uncle Crouchie’s BEF Miniatures. Aside from the pause in availability of the bulk of the BEF range while those cunning Northerners refiggle moulds and get it all ready for a massive relaunch, one thing has slipped out of near release. Namely it’s Crouchies long awaited motorcyle and side car for his early WW2 Belgians. With Antwerp’s Crisis show looming these would very likely have been launched there by the man himself as a follow up to last year’s wildly successful, if totally unexpected by the Belgi brussel sprout munchers, release of the Belgian miniatures.

Generous as Uncle Crouchie naturally is, just ask the boy Slug, he very kindly gave me a set of the prototypes which rather sadly have languished unpainted and only remembered when someone mentioned it in passing over at GWP.  Well here the bugger is, and rather delightful a model, although folk hoping to set it loose on British roads might notice the side car is set up for the continental way of driving. If you like it enormously why not email those top chaps at Warlord and beg them to get a move on.

Oh my G.O.D.

If you go down to the woods today you’re in for a big surprise, you’ll find some Anglican League hiding in a shed with some bizarre weapons. These little beauties are Warlord/Bolt Action Brits, but the plastic ones combined with various bits – some hacked off those free Daleks everyone’s got tons of. When I first heard about these Bolt Action plastics over at the Gentleman’s Wargaming Parlour I must plead guilty to allowing an innate white metal snobbery to take over my thoughts. Then one of the wiser denizens pointed out how neat they’d be for conversions and hacks – and he was right.

The last conversion I did was a BUF standard bearer, which being metal was more of a chore than great hobby fun. These are much more like it and very quick to get to a finished object, which can be half the battle with any small project. I started on these Friday night and now on Sunday I have something which only needs varnishing and base detailing – simple finishing flourishes.

“But what the bleeding hell are they?” I hear you think. These are Gas Ordnance Detachments, they consist of a gas lancer and a pump man. Basically pumping the lance produces an ejaculation of odious substances to drive the enemy from the field – what could possibly go wrong? If two detachments are combined you have a god squad.

The only minor niggle in this otherwise delight packed project was after putting the metal gas masked heads on the figures became uselessly top heavy, but that’s really generating a whinge for the sake of it. This weekend proved incredibly productive including another more recognisable Daleky modification, a building and some fields – when finished they’ll all feature on here.

At last my Anglican League Forces can truly claim G.O.D is on their side, and even aetheists can’t doubt it. Tally Ho!