Baker Company Kickstarter Arrives

My kickstrater figures arrived Monday but I was kind of busy so failed to blog about them but at least I have had the time to have a good look at them since. I was really pleased to finally get them and whilst later than originally expected consider that I am still waiting for the Arena Rex kickstarter to arrive which won't be any time soon and is a year late with no new date given. I think it is better to leave the date blank if they have no idea but at least they are now making updates more regular and I can see that progress is being made. 

Reports from Baker Company were far more regular and informative and I know I would have had my figures sooner if not for the loss of the casting machine. But that as they say is another story. What you want to know is what do I make of them?

I will start and end with the most positive, the tanks. Being at the end of the first round I am one of the ones rewarded with getting bits from phase two with phase one and one of these items is the T-26 which is a small tank compared with the mediums that were to follow but it's still a reasonable size. The detail and casting of the model is great and comes in five parts as the Turret Hatch can be left open or closed. It would be great if Gavin can be convinced to do a few flag waving dudes as these machines were radioless.

A later photo shows the track detail and another close up shows the rivet heads that must have made these an absolute joy to be inside, or not!!! I am no total tread head but I rate this kit very highly and look forward to getting it painted up and on the table. I have decided to keep most of my vehicles and just sell on the Finn stuff that Lee and I agree are extra to our needs. Between us we will have a great Russian swarm in tanks and other such vehicles.

Lead wise I have had a little over 100 or so figures though it does not look as much from the box they came in or the photo above. First imprecision was a little negative and it's easy to see the issues that have been raised. Sure these are no Black Tree or Artizan and the lack of defined detail that comes with greatcoated or snow smocked infantry adds to the overall look of being a little less than one hoped

How ever it is just as easy to miss the details that give these character, no not all of them as some are certainly on the weak side but others have things going for them. I will need to get some of these painted up just to see what I make of them. First thoughts was that they looked small for 28mm, and that was a surprise given that the main reason of their introduction was to replace Baker Company 25mm figures.

Well fear not as on pulling two random figures out of respective piles shows the BC (on the left) is actually slightly larger than the Russian on the right. Proportionally the BC figure looks out of sync with his right hand the size of a bucket!

Another Finn from another pack and as you can see he is a good size as well. A fair few of the figures are on small bases but that's OK as I will be mounting them on 2p pieces. They are also malleable allowing the poses to be changed a little in a few cases which will be nice.

Overall I am less happy than I had hoped on deciding to fund but not so that I wish I had not bothered. On the contrary I am happier than I expected to be and I think they will serve us well and I will probably back the following Balkan and Norwegian kickstarters as well.

Thrown in with the ordered items was this T-26 twin turreted tank which was really cool present from Gavin I assume for the delays and speaks volumes about his commitment. My main concern has been that this kickstarter has ended up costing him money rather than generated any and certainly his new kickstarter is not anywhere as generous even if it's still a good deal but more on this further on.

The T-26 twin MG comes with the two turrets mounted on a deck panel that will need some work to make it look correct but it looks well worth making the effort to do this well.

It's not just a straight swap out either as the two bodies of the tanks have a number of differences and as such are a great addition to the range. I really like what Gavin has managed to do with these and it makes the decision on backing another of his kickstarters easier.

Given that he has just launched one that's probably no bad thing, but this one is more or less just a vehicle one and as such it comes will steeper price points. The NEW KICKSTARTER has already raised £4,000 in it's first day and has just thirteen left to go. It has a nice array of vehicles, mostly trucks and works out for the most as £20 per vehicle. This is no bad price and in some cases the vehicles will come with crews. Time will tell if Gavin brings in more incentives beyond choice of vehicle though I do think he should also offer a larger pledge allowing you to buy more than six vehicles which is the largest commitment you can do at the moment. This would be particularly useful for groups of players but given that nine vehicles look to be available by the end you can't get one each of the vehicles without adding the extra's as add on's (though that is still £20 per vehicle.

Gavin is offering early bird incentives allowing you at the moment to get six vehicles for £105 not a bad opportunity at all.

Post Birthday Recap

OK the Painting Challenge has now come to an end and we can all take a break if we wish and I guess think and blog about other things. I'm not painting anything tonight, simply because I am off out to celebrate a couple of mates Birthdays, oh and mine too  ;-)

I always get either a lot of hobby related stuff or money, well this year it's been a bumper crop. I just thought I should brag blog about it and say a big thank you to all my family who have plied me with goodies.

Three ASL scenario packs, one with a map board. Also on the way is an Action Pack that has a bunch of scenarios and several of the new shaped boards which are always fun to get.

A rather thick tomb I picked up at Heroes with the birthday money I took along given before the event  ;-)

Proper brush cleaning soap which I believe is really good and much better than the liquid one I have which I suspect is doing more harm than good. Why bother you ask? A clue at the top of the image.

The luxury gift that Cath got with the soap was four Series 7 Winsor & Newton brushes ranging between 1 and 000, have yet to paint with them but I have had one out of the tube and it's got a great balance. Really looking forward to trying them in anger. I just need to make a few changes to my paint rack for position then I will get at them. I still have a few new Rosemary & Co brushes and will continue to use them as they are great brushes but I really wanted to try these as well. I think they won't make up the bulk of my painting time but will be used for all the fine work and finishing.

I also have some cold hard cash which in part needs spending on some new paints as I am running down on a few and want to look for some more different colours. I also will be splashing on more Baccus when the infantry come out and need more bases and.....

Lets just hope I have some left in time for Trilpes.

Dave D's Gift

Some of you will already have seen these lovely painted figures that Dave D gave me and the kids a few weeks ago. I did not want to show them on my blog until they had been submitted to the Painting Challenge or shown up on Dave's own blog.

Dave on hearing that my son was pushing for a shotgun guy to be painted up by dad, was very kind and painted up not one but two guys with the most formidable weapon. Dave of course did not stop there as he also provided the guy in the middle. 

I really like this guy, that goaty is just brilliant. The colours and stance really go well together and I hope I can learn something from Dave's style.

This guy though, well he is sure to be part of my posse for sure. He is so striking and looks as hard as nails. Not that I have actually had a chance to play yet as the kids get all the action.

This guy is just plain mean, don't let the wavy hair fool you, he has gunned down defenceless opponents in each game he has been used!!

All three setting off for some mischief I suspect, I still have the figures I bought off Dave to paint up but they are at least on the table ready to go. So again a big thanks to Dave, I owe you a beer at Spring Con

Stocking Up on Black Tree Miniatures

Just before jetting off to one of the hotspots in the UK for last weekend I took delivery of a small order from Black Tree as they had a 35% off German WWII and I knew I would be selling down on a lot of my snipers and had orders for more of the Russians in snow smocks so it was a good excuse to buy. Service was quicker than ever with them arriving within two days of order, another tale of good service to add to the previous good experiences.

I have painted all of these Russians before except possibly bottom row second on the left and bottom right. Good looking figures all that will paint up rather nice and not a bad pose between them. Though I plan to have a short break on painting these up as I have missed the 6mm I know these figures will draw me back to them.

By comparison the German's in greatcoats have never graced my desk and I am less impressed with the figures. Once they are cleaned up and undercoated I have a feeling I will like them more but a few of them have shortened rifles where the metal has failed to get to the ends of the mould which takes a little off them but at least they should be fairly fast to paint up.

I also ordered something else that I can not show on the blog until it has been reviled in one of the roleplaying sessions as I would hate to spoil the surprise.

On the subject of surprises I have been coming home from work expecting a nice sized package from Baker Company as the last figures were quoted as going out on Monday as Gavin now has a working casting machine. Well if your still waiting then it may well be that Gavin is yet to send out as the date has ended up being a little early. I had an e-mail tonight in reply to one I had just sent asking about my figures letting me know they will be sent out tomorrow so I hope to see them Monday if the wind is in the right direction. Of course I will show them off here.

Heroes 2014 Aftermath

I guess the fact that I have been back home for four days and not posted gives you an idea of what it was like. I actually did better than I thought, though it has left me really tired and struggling to get up in the morning. Hopefully by the weekend I will be recovered. Was it worth it? you bet! I plan on doing a full report on my ASL blog sometime soon as more than fluff here would be wasted I think.

Well I did not need anything I did not take and it's fair to say I also did not need most of the things I did take but it's great to have it on hand just in case.

I used plenty of different national counters including the Japanese and Chinese but not the Italian's or French, I even got the black SS counters on the map. Map boards of course was used with a wide selection but none of the map sheets got on the table though as mostly I played the smaller scenario. Next year could be the year of the map.

I learnt I was doing a couple of things wrong whilst showing another very experienced player he had been getting another rule wrong. I also played a good player who had only played a few others in the past and was getting a number of rules mixed up which really highlights the need to play as many opponents as possible.

The best part of the weekend was connecting with old mates not seen for three years and making new friends along the way. Too many good guys not at the event but hopefully they will be there next time. In fact attendance was down on last time I was there which is possibly a blessing from a space point of view but again hope the figure goes back up a little at least.

I got in nine games which is a fairy respectable number given that I made eleven the last time but James managed to get thirteen games in over what was effectually three full days as we arrived Thursday lunch and left about the same time Sunday. Anyone who has played ASL will know what a massive achievement that is and is in fact the record for games played at a UK tourney and whilst he played two scenario's that were quick short games he also played a couple of five hour games and did not have a lot of time off the clock. Next year he plans on playing a game or two with plenty of meat on them.

Twelve Hours Till Heroes

Well in just twelve hours I will be packing the last items into the car ready to get off to Blackpool for Heroes, a Advanced Squad Leader Tournament that pulls around sixty players of the old Avalon Hill boardgame. Not everyone though joins in the tournament, they either play monster scenarios that will take four days to play or lots of smaller friendly games. Not that the tournament tends to be played in a less than friendly manor most ASL'ers are an amiable group with laughter coming from all sides.

I will look like this on Sunday!!

I am one of those none tournament types and plan on playing smaller catch games all weekend and given that my nephew is also doing the same as well as Martin or swearbox as he is known in our house I won't be short of opponents.

So as I packed the car earlier I considered the amount of kit I was loading and thought it might be worth listing here.

Over 100 boards, the playing area is made up of these 8x22" boards can be as little as half a board or upto and beyond five of them

Eight paper historical map sheets that cover such places as Stalingrad to Normandy, I have a lot more but only taking what I need.

Thirteen boxes of counters, or shall we say THOUSANDS of counters, all punched and none clipped.

About Fifty scenarios selected from over three thousand which made picking the scenarios fun in itself

Sixteen precision dice, these are Backgammon Professional dice costing about £5+ each but are almost perfectly square and balanced, ASL'ers are precious about such things.

Three sheets of plexi glass to put over the boards so the maps are fully flat (each sheet for different numbers of boards)

Devils Sperm to hold boards, plexi and overlays in place. Actually it's Museum Gel, specially made for holding exhibits in place and not leaving marks but my name is cooler

Custom made dice tower to add to the random effect of expensive dice

Every official overlay to change the board layouts (that's a lot)

Four Binders of Rules and lots of charts, boy does the game need rules!

Cotton thread for LOS checks (two spools as you never know)

Tweezers for getting counters out (Guns and Vehicles) again two pair

Pack of cards for off board artillery chits, yep that would be two packs (miniature)

Sniper Reminders as they are fun (and I hope to sell some as well as supply some for the winners)

Then I have to drive over to pick up James and he has to add the same again (well most items)

So are we crazy or what?

Baccus 6mm Generals The New Castings

I have had these for some time now, so I must apologise to Peter for taking so long to get them painted. As anyone who follows this blog will know I have been painting up a lot of 28mm WWII of late, a trend that will run on for a little while though I plan lots of other diversions along the way.

Also worth pointing out the Elite Light Cavalry and Lancers have just been released, I will of course be buying these in the next few weeks or month as I am waiting till the new Infantry in 1812 uniform and infantry in greatcoats become available.

Back to the subject in hand, these are the new Baccus Generals and Marshals from their new pack NFR11 which costs £3 for a pack of 15 figures. These are certainly a major upgrade on the original figures. Whilst this pack does NOT include Napoleon himself (the original had 3 or 4 I think) it does have a much wider range of figures with little repeats. The originals frustrated me with the lack of choice so now I am much happier with the choice.

All the figures are mounted and most stationary, though I have made one horse stand on just it's back legs. I would have liked more in motion but I do accept that generals over all just stand about watching ;-)

The figures are quite detailed with a number clearly holding telescopes though the two I like the most is the one wearing a cloak nice and wrapped up and the one holding his hat at his side. 

Typical of a Baccus figure they are sturdy and will take a hard pounding, paint up quickly and have all the detail you need. However they don't have all the detail I want. Adler take full advantage of that extra 1mm (or 2!) and their command make use of this huge advantage. True they are far more delicate and take much more time to clean up and paint so at the end of the day it's very much a personal choice which to go for.

Taking all this into account I still give these figures a huge thumbs up and if you already have a complete Baccus French army it may well still be worth buying the new command to replace your old and what ever French Army you own it's worth adding these new commanders to it.