Tanks (model)...

... garden...aircraft models...

I've loved gardens since I was at least six years old, and used to have a small corner of my father's garden, behind a slowly collapsing shed, where my favourite plants were London Pride and forget-me-not. I've enjoyed kit bashing aircraft since I was seven or eight, when my father took me to the local Woolworth's and bought me the old Airfix Hurricane IV. The model tanks followed a bit later, with a Tiger tank from a school mate (which still exists, somewhere). So, plus ca change...

 

The Vickers Light is coming along. Is it just me, or did Humbrol matt enamel dry more quickly in the past? It definitely needs 24hrs to dry now, yet matt used to be ok in six hours - or am I imagining that?

The above photo was taken on Saturday morning, when I was sitting outside in my back garden, having one of my 'do this in remembrance of me' moments, but not for Christ (although the quotation makes one think of Him), but for my father and grandfather. I've returned to my pipe occasionally in recent weeks, so I was puffing away in the sunshine, sitting in one of my late father's garden chairs, remembering, and watching a bee carefully ascending then descending the hosta flowers. Both hostas and geraniums remind me of my grandfather, born 135 years ago.

And model aeroplanes. The next one could well be the much applauded:

 

Or, one that I've had in the stash for over a decade....

Nut shells...

... small things...and nuts...of different types.

I'm currently in a nautical mood - a result of reading an obituary in The Daily Telegraph.It is of one of those lives that stand out because of its sheer exuberant decency. As you'll see if you follow the link, it was of a woman called Rozelle Raynes, whose abiding passion was small boats and the sea. So, having read the obit, I ordered a copy of her account of a three month coastal journey from Dover to Bergen (some 1,500 miles) in her 25' sailing boat, Martha McGilda, in the early 1960s.  It's entitled North in a Nutshell, and it's a marvellous tale, charming, funny, pleasant, and full of daring. I don't own a boat myself, although I once owned a home-made canoe, but I sometimes dream of a small, gentleman's cabin cruiser that I might pilot around estuaries and coastal waters. Until then, the Hobbit Bunker is flying this old style (pre-1704) naval ensign:

My own adventures are firmly land bound. I live as far from the sea as you can in England (the waves are around 75 miles away), and summer is really focused on growing food, rather than catching it from the sea. Here's my allotment plot at 8.30pm yesterday:

 

Broad beans, sweet corn, parsnips, carrots, potatoes (of two varieties), dwarf French beans, climbing French beans, turnips, swedes, and brambles are all in this photograph, mostly small, but growing.

 

For Father's Day, my son and grandson bought me this:

 

I think it was originally the work of another company, but is now boxed by Airfix. It is a very sharp, easy to build little kit, and apart from a bit of filler in sink marks around the coupla, went together easily:

But it is small! As my grandson said on seeing it built, 'It's so tiny! Did it come out of that box?'

It is tiny in 1/76, just look at it here next to an Indian Pattern carrier:

 



 

Like the carrier, the Vickers Light is headed for wargame North Africa, as I am a long time devotee of John Sanders' classic Airfix Magazine series from the 1970s. Who can forget his 1/32 (?) Light tank made of cardboard with shirt buttons for wheels!

Here in the UK, yesterday was the tenth anniversary of the 7th July bombings, when four "British" rag head jihadi suicide murderers with links to the now superseded al-Qaeda, slaughtered 52 people in London. As we are coming to expect in these times, there was a national minute's silence, the value of which I'm not sure about. However, the tenth anniversary brought back the then Labour Prime Minister (and war monger in chief) Tony Blair's insistence that the killings had 'nothing to do with UK foreign policy'. Oddly, in their farewell videos, the raghead nuts made it quite clear that, as far as they were concernd, it had a lot to do with UK foreign policy. These days, our Prime Minister and his followers keep on insisting that such terrorism (most recently the ISIL-linked, racist and religious killings in Tunisia) have 'nothing to do with Islam'. Blair was wrong ten years ago, Cameron is wrong now.

Long time...

... no blog. Bad.

What goes on ? What do I do with all my time (the little that's left, furthermore)? I go to work, I do family stuff (being a much reduced paterfamilias), tend my allotment plot, do bits in the little garden, read books, stare into space, drink coffee, beat myself up because I don't write stuff, or go walking in the mountains, or... fail to write this blog.  But, I have done a few wargamey/kit basher/toy soldierly things since I last posted.

First off, the rotten Yankee invaders of 1812. Now I have a unit of militia finished:

 

Here they come, creeping through the forest..

 

arguing amongst themselves about the precise constitutional position their officer is in when it comes to orders...

 

The good thing is that I now have US Regulars, militia, and artillery, all ready for the invasion. On the British-Canadian side, I've only the Royal Artillery to finish.

 

On the aero-kit-bashing front, I managed, with much blood, sweat and tears, to get this kit of the Vickers Valiant finished:

It's from 'Micro-Mir' in 1/144, and it was a bit of a swine to make. A short-run kit, it fitted where it touched, and my experience with the brass photo-etch has finally decided me against photo-etch. It's just too 'flat', too finicky, too bl**dy difficult to glue. There were, for example, 18 tiny (around 1.5mm in length) bits of etch for the vortex generators on the wings. After one long session, I got all 18 fixed, but they were only barely in place, and, of course, the slightest handling led to breakage. So I cut them all off, and was later pleased to find a photo of a Valiant in Australia without the wing vortex generators!

 

Nonetheless, it's a pretty impressive kit in 1/144, and now sits nicely next to my 1/144 Badgers on the shelf.

 

Meanwhile, in garden-land, all is beauty and peace:

 

While my 'study' is all unfinished projects....

More Yankees...

... part the third.

Whitsun roses are coming out (Arthur Ward, climbers, absolute perfection), and I've been digging and planting on the allotment plot. It's difficult to convey the satisfaction of digging out my runner bean trench, adding horse manure, and rebuilding the trench, but, I can assure one and all, that it is satisfying.

That was a long-winded way of saying that the 1812 in 20mm plastics project is progressing even more slowly. Nonetheless, the US artillery contingent is now ready:

 

A rather interesting blog, Les Uniformes de la Guerre de 1812, informed me that the Yankee invaders painted their guns in pale blue, so that's how I painted them. There are another two guns and crew who will become the Royal Artillery, with guns in grey.

 

Rather nice figures these. I especially like the chap lugging the bucket, lots of movement in just 20mm.

At the moment, the Americans are being stored in a tin box I brought back from a recent, brief, trip to Amsterdam:

 



 

I am partial to illustrated tin boxes (sadly, I realise that I probably have a sort-of collection of these too!). Traditionally, in man-caves (aka sheds and garages) up and down the lengthy of Blighty, tin boxes were used to store old nails, nuts, bolts, and screws. My father had plenty in his day, and could often be found straightening out bent nails from his tins, usually old cocoa tins. But as to my tin, well, I was very pleasantly surprised by Amsterdam, which is an elegant city, and I will, I hope, return.

 

 

Continuing on a Napoleonic theme, the newspapers here are picking up on the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. The French, well, the French government, aren't really taking it in the right spirit, having complained to the Belgians about one of their Euro coins which is to depict the lion mound (or whatever it is called) on the obverse, and have refused to send a suitable official to the commemorations, citing 'busyness' as an excuse. However, there are plenty of sporting Frenchies who will be there, with re-enactors from across Europe. Yesterday's Daily Telegraph had a rather good photo essay showing some of the re-enactors who will be there:

 

If you can get a copy (perhaps it's on the Telegraph's web page), it's worth having. The photographs are by a fellow called Sam Faulkner, and jolly good they are too.

I did a bit of re-enacting myself a few years ago. Actually, it was more 'living history' as the little group I was in didn't do 'battles', we were far, far too small for that, and, anyway, it would have required an opposition, which, in the group's case would have been Carlists, Falangists, Spanish Army regulars, Moors, or Legionaires from the Spanish Civil War - all of which would have been way beyond the pale for most of the group. Funnily enough, my 're-enacting' of a Commissar wasn't. Odd. But it was fun, puffing my pipe, tapping away on an old typewriter, and putting names of Trotsky-fascists in my little book. The Telegraph article made me, briefly, think about trying it all again, perhaps as a Loyalist in the American Revolution, or a middle-aged volunteer for some auxiliary unit in the IIWW. But, then again, there is the satisfaction of digging out my runner bean trench and adding manure.

The Yanks are coming...

.... x 2; Part the Second...

I haven't forgotten about the slow, oh, so slow, rejuvenation of my War of 1812 in 20mm plastics project. With enough British and Canadians for a small clash or two, I've turned my attention to the invader:

Poor photographs, but you can get the general idea - a decent US firing line.

Plenty of the little fellows, regulars to a man, probably enough for two regiments, depending on rules.

 

There are more to come for the firing line, but, next up will be:

What looks like a very useful set from those kind Ukranian types, Strelets. Of course, they could also be used for Canadian militia, for which I have already painted up useful poses (with 'round hats') from the Spanish irregulars range.

Actually, thinking about it, the US militia aren't x 2, but x 3, as I've artillery already on the go.

More soon, I hope. And then to the table top!!

One-Hour Wargame...

...on St. George's Day.

Many readers will be familiar with Neil Thomas' book, One-Hour Wargames; Practical Tabletop Battles for Those With Limited Time and Space. Mr Thomas has addressed the issue of time and space, and come up with a solution based on a 3 foot by 3 foot playing area and fast play rules for 18 historical periods. His book also provides 30 different scenarios, applicable to all periods. All-in-all a useful book addressing a clear need. So, on this year's St. George's Day (23rd April), Dr. Alf R. Ont and his long-term adversary, Master Ont, sought to play test the rules and, as they say, see how they stacked up.

We chose scenario 'Pitched Battle 2', and our force-creation dice roles gave us matching forces of 4 line infantry regiments, 1 cavalry regiment, and 1 battery of guns each. Our chosen period was Horse and Musket, for which period elements of my sort-of-Seven Years War stood duty.

The set-up:

Above, three of Army Red's line regiments poised for battle, along with:

the horse, and in the far distance, on the hilltop, another of foot and the guns. While, below,

the bearded Master Ont sets out his Army Blue. The whole affair looking like this:

 

The game was for 15 turns, the victory conditions were to be in control of both the hill and the crossroads at the end of the game.

 

Below, first blood to Army Blue's horse, as they manage a flank attack on the left of Red's line, which was in the process of attempting to enfilade a Blue regiment of foot:

 

Brigadier A.R.Ont had hoped that the presence of his own horse would have prevented such an event (and the large number of hits sustained - each unit can take only 15 hits before it is removed from the field). Fortunately, Brig. Ont was able to fortify himself:

 

Then unleashed his own horse on those of Blue, catching them as they withdrew from contact with Brig. Ont's foot.

 

Two rounds of horse melee and Blue's horse left the field. This allowed Red's three regiments of foot, plus Red's hilltop guns and fourth regiment, to pound the three regiments that Blue had pushed towards the hill. The overpowering weight of fire quickly saw first one, then another Blue regiment removed. Below:

 

the situation shortly before the surviving Blue regiment was defeated. Which, in turn, left Blue's crossroads forces - guns, and a regiment of foot - outnumbered. However, they managed to see off Red's horse. So, by the end of turn 7:

 

The crossroads were held by the brave fellows above. At this point we called the game a draw, as further fighting would undoubtedly have left only one, perhaps two, regiments in the field, which just seemed too unlikely.

 

Verdict? Well, it was quick - the game last 35minutes from set-up to draw. Had we taken it to the bitter end, it might have lasted another 5-10 minutes.  It was bloody (in a tin and enamel sort of way), as concentrating fire on single units quickly led to 15 hits being sustained. With 12 units (each with a 5 inch frontage) on the 3 foot by 3 foot table, there was little room to manoeuvre, but, then, it was the 'Pitched Battle' scenario.  Overall, worth trying again a good few times, using different periods, and getting a much better feel for the approach.  And, a pleasant way to spend a St. George's Day evening at home.

 

 

 

Postscript on the PR Spitfire. In my last post, I was prevaricating about how much wear and tear I should add to the excellent Airfix PR Spitfire in Swedish service. It was suggested that I should go for the light touch, which I did:



 

A sound bit of advice!

Pristine...

...PR XIX.

Or, as the Spitfire PR XIX was known in Swedish service, the S 31.

As aircraft kit bashers (and modellers - are the two the same?) know, the last few years has seen a real renaissance in Airfix's output. New tools of old favourites and old timers, and new models altogether, all to a very good standard. Although I try to resist stash-building, I do have a small stash (stashette?) of the new output: Vampires, Gladiators, and, happily, one of the three new Defiant offerings. Last month's Aeroplane magazine carried a very good article on the Spitfire PR XIX in Swedish service, 1948-1955. Accompanied by some excellent photographs, the piece, by Jan Forsgren, looked at the politicking behind selling the Swedes the machines in the first place, which centred on the UK/USA's need to cement Sweden into the western alliance, even if Sweden was neutral. Forsgren also reviewed the Swedish air force's use of the S 31 to mount clandestine recces of Soviet installations, which involved flying in at 40,000 ft, which, in pre missile defence days made the S 31 pretty much invunerable, or, alternatively going in under Soviet radar at 15 feet ! Anyway, all this sent me to the not-quite-a-model-shop to buy an Airfix offering:

 

This is the finished product. Well, sort of finished. The thing looks so graceful, so perfect, that I am in two minds about whether I want to subject it to paint chips, panel lines, washes, exhaust etc.  The panel lines are clear and fairly deep as it is, and, in most lights, they shade themselves. I'm also beginning to wonder if all the pre-shading, shading, post-shading that one can find in the model magazines isn't getting a bit out of hand, especially in 1/72. So, perhaps, I'll add a bit of exhaust, and represent it as newly delivered - it has the earlier Swedish markings, rather than the later toned down versions.

Ever willing to try something new (on the kit bashing front, at least), I had a go at using PVA glue as filler. This technique has surfaced recently in the model press, and is lauded because the glue can be smoothed with a damp cotton bud. One of the weaknesses of this kit is that there is quite a big gap at the wing roots, so, instead of filling and sanding, which would have really mucked up the panel lines, I tried the PVA method. Result? Say 7/10, and I need more practice.

Finally, I have been absent from the blogosphere for a month. But I can assure you that I have ben painting much of that time, only, sadly, it has been with 2 and 4 inch brushes and very large tins of paint. Yes, it's that time again.:

Worse, I'm very behind with the allotment plot. Most of these should be headed groundward:

 

But aren't! Ye gads! The guilt and shame of life.