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1:600 reinforcements

My latest Tumbling Dice planes have arrived from the UK:

I now have some MiG-29s, F/A-18s, F-16s and a E2 Hawkeye.

 The E2 Hawkeye is for use in scenarios. Interestingly the C21 rules list the E2 as an AWACS in the notes, but I can't find any reference to what AWACS does in the game. I will see if there is any reference in the Yahoo group. If not, I will as the group what AWACS does.

Like previously I will paint the minis in a neutral way so that I can use them for various nations, plus I will use the F-16s as F-16s and as the Japanese F-2. The F-2 is based on the F-16, but is slightly larger with subtle differences. Until some one makes a 1:600 F-2 I will use the F-16s.

 The F/A-18s will allow me to field USN and Australian forces in games.

I will post photos once I have painted the figures. But first I have to glue the magnets to the planes and hope they actually stay glued. I have a lot of problems having the magnets stay on no matter what type of glue I use.

Projects for 2012

This post could be my undoing, but it will be good to look back a year from now and see if I talked the talk or walked the walk.

So, what do I want to accomplish in 2012 for the hobby?

1/600 Modern Jets
I have my modern 1/600 modern jet campaign. I have the C21 rules, and some planes hopefully in the mail. I need to write up my campaign back ground and then it will be systems go.

 The great thing about a plane combat game is I don't really need scenery, so I am ahead of the game already.

18mm Napoleonics
I want to finish my 18mm Napoleonic army for Black Powder. I just need to purchase some additional figures and then get off my butt and paint them. As painting is what I am slowest at, this might not be as easy to do.

 I just need to get back into a routine of painting, and it should be ok. I should clean up my painting 'desk' as this will help a lot.

28mm Vietnam war
I have my 28mm Vietnam war solo project.  I have the LRRPs, but not at all skillful at painting cammo uniforms. I will have to do some research on to which colour to use as the base uniform and I will have a crack at it.

 Somewhere in my collection is a handful of Eureka Miniatures VC, so I intend to paint these up as it will drive my motivation a bit.

28mm Modern Africa
 This is a project my wargaming buddy requested at the end of this year. He would like to play a skirmish campaign fielding a platoon of infantry.
 After doing a bit of research we decided on an Africa imagi-nation with British troops. As I had the background of such a nation already typed up, it was easy to decide on the setting.
 We intend to use TAG Modern British and Africans, with extra figures from other companies thrown in.

 I have some corrugated card to make a shanty town with, and I have ideas for a petroleum pipeline for scenery.

 28mm Wild West
 During 2010 I painted up a number of wild west figures and scratch build a handful of buildings. Using "The rules with no name" we played a short campaign that was a lot of fun.
 I need to finish off a number of buildings I started to make, build some new ones and paint a few more figures.
 This might be a slow but ongoing project, and I might even make it a solo campaign if the African imagi-nation takes the limelight.

7TV
 I purchased the 7TV rules for Christmas, and I have a few Kiss Kiss Bang Bang figures already, so I want to get something up and running for this. I will test drive the rules and then decide on what I want to do for this game.

EDIT - 28mm WW2
 I forgot to add that I want to finish my 28mm WW2 armies - one British and one Soviet so I can get a game of "Victory Decision" in. But this depends on if Warlord Games release their Soviets in individual packs. I would use BTD, but I have been burnt by them in the past and am loath to risk them again.

Other bits and pieces

Of course there is my zombie project - this was probably the highlight of the hobby for me in 2011, but more of that on my zombie wargame blog.

 I also have the new Mongoose Publishing Star Trek rules on the way in the mail. If they are any good I would like to play a bit of this. More on this after I get the rules.

I should get some games of Strange Aeons in as well, as I have painted up a lot of figures for this game, and I do like the whole Cthulhu horror thing.

I have always wanted to do a Super Hero game. I might try 7TV to see if it works for the genre. I like the Four Colour figures, but the postage from Old Glory sucks big time, so I most likely will go with Reaper figures for some super heroes. I know nothing about the Clix figures (?) but might look at some of them too.

Summery 
 Of the above list at least one of the projects will get legs. This will be the 1/600 campaing, as it is the easiest.

 As the African imagi-nation is the focus for the year, I will work on this quite a bit.

Of course there will be other games played and worked on as the 'ooh shiny!' factor kicks in, or my simple mind wanders around like a gold fish.

It will be interesting to see what does and does not happen with the hobby in 2012.

What will you be planning for 2012?

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all the readers and followers of my blog.

 I hope you and your families have a great one.

Copplestone Miniatures Santa and his helper

Hopefully in the new year I will get some projects up and running and post a lot more on my blog... but no promises as life has a habit of getting in the way.

Vietnam crater - part 2

As I mentioned in a previous post I wanted to make a crater to represent a B52 strike.

 Thanks to a fellow blogger, I think I have a very simple answer to how best to make it:

making craters

Now I just need a decent piece of board to make the crater on.