Full Thrust: Painting issues (or how I came to love battleship grey)

Hi folks,

With the 6MMRPC starting tomorrow one of the things on my list to try and make a dent in is my huge collection of Full Thrust ships.

Full thrust was one of the first tabletop games I ever encountered, alongside Dirtside 2. As a kid I spent many many hours playing with lego - effectively using various sized single bricks as 6 mm tanks, guns, etc. I also played the the large, poor quality, plastic toy soldiers a lot, before moving on to 1:72 scale Airfix soldiers and kits.

While at High School I encountered someone with a copy of White Dwarf and I suddenly discovered that there were games out there with actual rules and dice, rather than just the stuff I was doing on my own in my head.

Shortly afterwards someone at School was selling some books. I picked up a copy of Full Thrust and spent hours and hours pouring over the images of the ships, the fluff and rules. I talked friends into playing and alongside W40K it was one of the first games we played (although FT was always played using paper counters). Dirtside 2 was a book I had a chance to look at but didn't get a chance to own till years later - and I have a copy now but have never played a game (and don't own any figures).

Later in life I had some health issues and had sold off all my BFG, Epic, Warhammer and 40K models. I used the proceeds to buy some Full Thrust ships, starting an obsession that has grown to see me owning a huge box worth of mini's from a whole selection of factions.

My favourites were always the New Anglian Confederation. This faction consists of the UK, Canada and US (post US Civil war in the 2020's). I've a lot of ships for these guys, both the older style ships and the newer ones.

So! The main - pretty huge - issue I have is with painting models which there is no fixed colour scheme I can just copy is that I am crap with picking colour schemes. I can copy things no problems, but asking me to pick random colours to form into a cohesive scheme... Nope.

Anyway, after 6 attempts (2 models having been painted, stripped, painted then repainted) I've ended up with the following:

left hand ship closeup

left hand ship closeup

right hand ship closeup

right hand side closeup

The right hand model is a lot darker, and features dark green as well as tan. The left hand model is just shades of grey, with all the raised points split over a light and dark shade. The standard colour schemes seen online seem to be blues, so I wanted to avoid that. I tried green and tan, but is didn't suit the models - perhaps more fitting for my ESU ships.

There's no washes on the models, as they are pretty small. At the same time, no highlights. Also, I need to find a solution for how to handle the models while I paint them, as they were really easy to wear down to metal with finger tips.

Which do you prefer? Any thoughts on what else I could do - any other colours I could try, techniques I could use? Feedback is appreciated as I'm struggling to see what else I can do. I prefer the left hand model, I think - it looks more 'Royal Navy'. It should also be easier to paint on a larger scale.

Also, bear in mind these were quickly painted to get an idea of colours, so they are not the neatest!

Thanks!

Battlefront's Berlin - more Russian list info

This months issue of Wargames Illustrated is out, and with it a few more details on the Russian lists coming in the Berlin book.

Image linked from Flames of War Website - used without permission

It's an interesting issue of WI - although my Ipad version seems very buggy this month. The main theme is Post Apocalypse - lots of Mad Max based articles. My review of the Berlin article here is not going to go into the same detail as the magazine (hint, buy the magazine!).

So, to follow up on some of the info covered in last months issue (and mentioned in my blog post here) this article focuses on the Russian and digital lists.

Guards Heavy Tanks:-

Hero Gvardeyskiy Tyazhelyy Tankovy Polk. IS-2 obr 1943 and IS-2 obr 1944 are both mentioned (one plastic kit that will allow both to be made). The 1943 model has a FA of 10 while the 1944 model is 11. Breakthrough Gun, AT15, FP 2+. Hero crew means they pass skills tests on 3+ rather than 4+ and don't suffer from Hen and Chicks. They are also Fearless (but trained, given that the skills test would be normally 4+ - just my guess).

Heavy Assault Guns:-

Hero Tyazhelyy Samokhodno-Artillyeriyskiy. ISU-122 and ISU-152. The ISU-152 is AT13. FP 1+, Bunker Buster. No mention or rating (I suspect same as the tank list).

Both lists have 'similar support options, including companies of each other'. They can also take T-34 and OT-34 support 'as well as AT Guns, infantry, engineers, artillery, rockets, anti aircraft and air'.

Rifle Regiment:-

Hero Strelkovy Polk. Comes with Guards (Fearless Trained) and Red Army options (Confident Trained). 'included as a company support option is the customisable specialist street fighting Shturmovye Group'.

It states that these infantry Battalions are different from other Russian lists as they are 'smaller, more compact'. They have Hero rules (3+ skills tests rather than 4+). Rifle/MG but upgradeable to SMG and Panzerfaust SMG.

The streetfighting company mentions SMG, Pioneer, SMG Panzerfaust, MG and HMG teams, Mortars, A/T guns and rifles and artillery - including the 203mm obr 1931 (Building destroyer rule...)

The Guards Hero Shturmovye group is Fearless Vet + hero.

Scout platoon is mentioned, which allows you to infiltrate a combat company. Flamethrowers and heavy mortars get a special mention. Corps support mentions a Hero Sapper company (FV), IS-2's, T-34's, Hero tank destroyer company (FV).

New plastic models will include Infantry and 2 x artillery (4 plastic 57mm ZIS 2 or 76mm ZIS 3 guns in one, and 4 plastic 122mm obr 1938 or 152mm obr 1943 guns).

Digital Content:-

German

502. and 503. Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung schwere SS-Panzerkompanie

11. SS-Panzergrenadierdivision Nordland (SS-Panzerkompanie, SS-Panzergrenadierkompanie, SS-Panzerpionierkompanie, SS-Aufklarungsschwdron)

Panzerdivision Muncheberg (Panzerkompanie (with infra-red), Panzergrenadierkompanie)

Grenadierkompanie (Type 45 infantry divisions)

Russian

Hero Cavalry Regiment

Hero Lend Lease Tank Brigade - Sherman Tanks in 1945


So that's a quick summary of the main points in the article.  Interestingly there is a Russian 1945 Sherman list... I suggested to Wayne in an email the other week that it would be nice to see a 1945 British Sherman list (along with a 1945 Recce Corps list), and he said he would look into it. But it looks like a Russian one was already on the cards.

Can I also use this opportunity to say that the 6 Month Mountain Reduction and Painting Challenge starts on 1st June. Well worth checking out if you are thinking of starting a blog and have a big backlog of models to paint!

Dowding Memorial + random garden Spitfire IX

Today myself and A were off work due to the bank holiday. The soon to be in-laws had came up on Sunday for the night and we took them part way home via Moffat then Gretna in the Scottish Borders.

Moffat is one of those Scottish Border towns with a lot of local history. One thing I was aware of from visits as a kid was that one of the public parks has a memorial to Air Chief Marshal Hugh 'Stuffy' Dowding - the architect of Fighter Commands success during the Battle of Britain. Dowding was commander of Fighter Command from July 1936 until November 1940.

As it turns out, Dowding was born in Moffat and lived there for his first 15 years, before moving away.

The memorial is smart, and in decent condition. There are park benches around it and when we visited there were families playing around the area. 

While walking from the car on the way into the town my Wife-to-be pointed out what she thought was a 'plane in someones garden. As it turns out...

It was! This was within maybe 100 yards of the Dowding memorial. There was a small collection box for an RAF charity and a notice giving some info on the aircraft:

This is a replica of a Spitfire IX that had been stored at the (relatively) nearby Dumfries RAF base in 1944 and had later been flown by the Italian and Israeli air forces.

In Moffat I also spotted a book shop with some decent Military History books, including a period history of the 15th Scottish Division during WW2. It was £35, so a little more than I could get away with spending (with A in tow, anyway! - we have a wedding or something to pay for, apparently..).

So, an interesting day out - although Gretna was boring as hell!

15mm 15cwt Supply Truck Progress

With the start of the 6MMRPC coming up on the 1st of June I've been beavering away with prep work, getting many of the models I have been cleaning and prepping assembled and ready to start the challenge.

This has included drilling holes for aerials, attaching hatches and thinking about stowage.

However, I have also managed to spend a little time working on the supply truck I mentioned a few days ago.Just to mention, this was a second hand 'spare' vehicle I picked up at a flea market, so the paint job is not mine and will be replaced when the cargo is painted.

This has entailed searching about for the bits and bobs I wanted to try and include the the rear of the truck. This has included dipping into my collection of crates and jerry cans. I had tried to find a jerry can rack - which I am sure I had in my bits box. I'm not sure where I got them from but I was sure I had 2 and used one on my Sherman ARV mk1 conversion.

I ended up having a couple of shots at getting the cargo 'right'. One of them while working on the first draft of this post! I am aware that it was not normal for ammo and fuel to be carried in the same vehicle, but I am using artistic license...

This vehicle will primarily be for Battlegroup Overlord and as a little diorama piece for my army in general.

Anyway, here is the progress so far (please ignore the sausage fingers!:

 Not too much to do with this now conversion wise. The bars still have to be glued in place and there are a few areas where there is damage what I will need to try and green stuff. The wheels I am not too worried about as the basing should cover the damage there.

Next thing will be to try and decide whether when it goes on it's base it has some infantry figures around it. I do have some spare artillery figures holding small and large shells and perhaps one or two figures that could be places to they are shifting boxes - but that is a story for another post!

For Sale! 15mm FoW Honey Stuarts x 3 (New in Blister)

Hi folks, as per my previous post about my 6mm stuff for sale, I also have 3 packs of Battlefront  BR006 Honey Stuart light tanks for sale.

These tanks are unopened (still in their blisters).

These were purchased in error as I needed Stuart III's for my Late war Sherman Squadron but asked for Honey Stuarts instead.

I've no interest in early/mid war, so I am open to reasonable offers.

If your interested, leave a comment with your e-mail address (I will see the comment but not publish it). Payment will be via paypal and buyer pays postage. I am UK based and am willing to post outside the UK if the buyer is willing to pay the postage.

Thanks!

For Sale! 6mm Modern/Cold War Chinese

Pending a decision whether or not to put this stuff on Ebay I thought I would list it here.

I picked up a lot of 6mm modern models a few years back, but sold on all my British, German, Soviet and US stuff. I still have a big bag full of semi modern (70's/80's) Chinese AFV's.

These could probably be used for either Chinese or North Korean armies during this period (or potentially more 'modern' North Korean armies).

The models are all more or less unpainted and are, I think, probably Scotia Grendal models. There are a small number of what look like GHQ BMP's. The models are in an alright condition (lots of bent gun barrels). I've no pictures handy just now, but they can be provided if someone is interested.

The list below is my best guess at what these vehicles are. By and large I think the list is accurate, but there may be some errors.  I believe that using something like Modern Spearhead there is more than a Division worth of armour here - possibly a Armoured Division and a Mech division worth!

The infantry is in a particularly shoddy condition.

Tanks

45 x Type 69/79 MBT's (Chinese upgraded T55's)

30 x Type 59 MBT's (Chinese T55's)

30 x Type 62 Light Tanks

15 x Type 63 Amphibious Tanks (Chinese PT76)

Artillery

12 x Type 83 Self Propelled Artillery

6 x Type 54 Self Propelled Artillery

10 x Type 63 Self Propelled Anti Aircraft Artillery

6 x Type 70 Self Propelled Rocket Artillery

1 x UM72 Self Propelled Rocket Artillery

APC's + Misc

65 x Type 63 APC's

10 x BMP1's (GHQ Models?)

6 x Jeeps (with Recoilless Rifle)

15 x BTR-152 (6 wheeled APC)

1 x Large bag of 6mm infantry (not in great condition)

Aircraft

4 x MiG-21 (Chinese J-7)

4 x MiG-19 (Chinese J-6)

….....

Total 251 Vehicles + Large number of infantry bases

8 Aircraft 

If you might be interested, leave a comment with your email address (I will see it to authorise for publishing, but won't publish it) and I will get back to you. I am open to reasonable offers - payment via paypal and buyer pays postage (which may be significant due to the weight of all the metal). I am UK based but will consider postage elsewhere if the buyer wants to pay the cost. 

Colours of War review

A few other blogs have recently done a review of this book but since I picked it up the other week I figured I would say a few words on it.

I'm sure regular readers of this blog know that painting for me isn't something that comes naturally. Unlike some of the bloggers I follow (who's work stuns me on a regular basis - check out the 'who I follow' tab on the right), painting is more of a chore. If I am happy with something I have done it's only through practise and repetition rather than any innate skill. Which is why products like Colours of War are useful.

I've focused my review on the British sections of the book - sticking with my normal theme!

The book itself I purchased through the FOW Digital app. A nice quick way of purchasing products, even if it means I don't have a hard copy. The download was, I think, £13.49. I thought this was a little bit steep for an electronic copy - but I suppose at 96 pages (11 of which are front and rear cover, intro to flames of war and advertising for products and new paints) that's not too bad. I do think a price point of around £10 would have been better value for money.

Production values are very high on the .pdf version. As an odd personal issue the fact it scrolls up and down on the Ipad and not left to right like Wargames Illustrated does is a little odd and takes a bit of getting used to. There were a few moments of 'wtf!' the first time I tried to flick through it.

I'm not planning on posting too many images, as I (obviously) make no claims on the copyright and am only posting the images for the purposes of the review.

First up, an idea of the contents. The book it split into various sections that starts with the very basics of cleaning flash and mounting models for painting. It talks about tools required, getting models out of plastic sprues, putting together resin and metal models, undercoating, light and shade, painting techniques, using washes, etc.

Each section has lots of step by step pictures showing each stage in the process. One issue I do have with the digital version is that the pictures are not particularly zoomable. I have an older style Ipad, but the screen resolution is still better than the zoomed in image quality. The ability to see bigger versions of the pictures would have been nice. Obviously this wouldn't apply to the paper copy. 

One of the articles I will give more attention to personally is the painting faces and 'advanced' painting faces section. Again, step by step with reference to the new FoW paint colours, it looks like a pretty good guide.

When it comes to the various national sections, each of the main 4 nations are represented. There is a separate section on 'The Desert War' focusing on desert painting.

These sections include time lines showing paint schemes throughout the war.

As you can see from the picture above there are also sections for each component of the vehicles, which are split down to make them easy to find. The British section also included info on tactical signs and some of the more common Divisional markings and AoS markings - although I quickly spotted that the AoS listed for the infantry divisions have some errors, specifically things like the machine gun Battalion being listed as white 57 on a red background (every other source shows it as a white 64 on a black background).

Infantry painting is also covered in some depth. Again, colours are listed and step by step pictures provided. Sections like painting weapons and webbing are treated separately, so it just becomes step by step guides for the individual parts of the model. I like this approach as it keeps things nice and simple, as well as letting you home in on areas that you personally might need more help with (like me and my faces issue!).

I should note that the British painting guide gives info on painting airborne camo uniforms, and the German section has a large amount of info on painting German camo on infantry and vehicles.

One section I was pleasantly surprised to see was a little bit of focus on my favourite tank (although it was in the American section). Specifically info on painting Sherman tracks - nice to see these being treated differently from the Russian and German track guide earlier in the book.

The book includes a table of all the new colours and their main uses. One of the things I was a bit annoyed to see missing in the book was a direct comparison chart with the Vallejo colours. Thankfully this has been included on the FoW website (and linked in the Breakthrough Assault guys blog post, which I will borrow as much as for my own reference).

Comparison chart (Vallejo)

All in all I was quite please with my purchase and hope that my painting skills will benefit. Definitely something more for those with more basic skills than anyone who already knows how to paint. The purchase price was a little higher than I would have liked and the Vallejo comparison/number chart should have been included in the book in my opinion. I also was a little annoyed at the number of pages given over to purely advertising, I felt that most people buying the book are going to be FoW players anyway and devoting so much space was a bit of a waste. In the digital version it would have been nice to have seen some of the functionality that Wargames Illustrated has, where images can be enlarges or even spun.

But a good effort by Battlefront, I'm glad I bought it and look forward to using it over the next 6 months with the start of the 6 Months Mountain Reduction Painting Challenge on the 1st of June.

Side Project - 15mm 15cwt Supply Truck

I had planned to post a review of Colours of War - the Flames of War painting guide that came out recently. I'd even started a draft last night, but decided to go with my BFG post.

Alas, the guys over at Breakthrough Assault have posted a good review today so it seems silly put mine out at the same time! Oddly, the Breakthrough Assault post hasn't appeared on my blog roll though, I only spotted the article via a Facebook group.

Anyway, in preparation for the 2nd 6MMRPC I have been trying to build a few models every night from the pile I cleaned up recently. Last night I put together my M10C's and last Stuart III. I also began working on something I have been pottering about with for months.

This model was a 'spare' I acquired and had cut the base and the rear of the truck off. Which in itself was a lot of work. I then cut a few spare barrels I had in half - I've an idea for some jerry cans and some crates to fill up the space. Last night I grabbed some paperclips and with a bit of work managed to get them all into a similar shape.

I drilled some holes in the rear of the truck to hold the frame, and plan to glue these things in once the rest of the truck is detailed. I think it looked pretty smart (thought A thinks I am mad!).

The plan is to base it up on a bigger base than it came on (which should cover some of the damage on the wheels) and perhaps try to re-purpose some of the infantry figures I have to go with it. That's the plan, anyway!

Battlefleet Calixis/Battlefleet Koronus (6MMRPC planning)

Tonight I took the time to dig out all my Battlefleet Gothic Imperial ships from the various boxes and stashes around the house.

Battlefleet Gothic (and Epic 40,000) were two of the Games Workshop games I was really (really, really) into as a teenager. I had a decent sized Imperial and Ork fleet for BFG and a massive Imperial Guard and Ultramarine army, as well as inherited Eldar and Ork armies, for Epic 40,000. All of these models I sold around 8 years ago.

A little while later Fantasy Flight Games brought out the Rogue Trader RPG which made me regret selling off my BFG models, so I started trying to buy bits and bobs back. Unfortunately I didn't get round to buying what I wanted from Specialist Games before GW discontinued the whole range. This has meant I've had to either rely on the very very seldom good buy from Ebay, or other sources such as donations from friends (in particular a true gentleman called Alex who gave me a large number of Cruisers as well as the two Battleships) and people being reasonable on various groups I am a member of.

Tonight was the first time I have gathered it all together. While there are still a few things missing I am pleased with what I have built up.

Some close up pics:

So the total is:

2 Battleships
15 Cruisers/Battlecruisers
1 Strike Cruiser
1 Rogue Trader Cruiser
4 converted Light Cruisers
7 Dauntless Light Cruisers
4 Firestorm Frigates
13 Sword Frigates
14 Cobra Destoyers
4 Hunter Destroyers
4 Nova Frigates
6 System defence ships

This is more or less all I could ever need in a fleet for playing the game. However part of the idea behind the collection is to represent ships in games of Rogue Trader. This means there are some ships I would still like. The Rogue Trader escorts, Transport ships, a Grand Cruiser... etc. I also might try and convert some of the Sword class ships into some of the other escorts mentioned in the Rogue Trader books. Maybe.

As far as the 6MMRPC goes, I will try and dip into this lot once or twice. A lot of these models need a bit of work, not to mention painting. No painting chart for these!

2nd (!!) Annual (!!) 6 Month Mountain Reduction Painting Challenge

So, only a few short months after the end of the last challenge the second one is starting.

The time period for the challenge has changed, with the challenge starting on 1st June and running till 30th November. This means it avoids the Christmas period and for me means that I have better weather to work in - Scottish winters are not particularly great for varnishing or spraying.

This time around the rules have changed slightly - which will help keep things interesting and allow slightly more leeway with purchases. The rules, taken from The Spider Web of History blog:

Rules changes, and some exciting additions IN BOLD.

1. No purchasing of new miniatures, EXCEPT if you use a joker.  You get three jokers to use on a figure purchase.  Could be a blister pack, an ebay bundle, or a single figure... you can't splurge. The only exception to this rule is if you need bitz or A FIGURE (Singular) to complete a unit/warband etc.

1.1 - There is an opportunity to "earn" additional jokers.  If you complete an entire project (whole unit/army/warband etc.) with pictures of starting, WIP, and completion, you earn yourself a Joker. - In order to allow myself the purchases to finish my painting chart I will be aiming to do this when a platoon have been completed. As I did last year, my painting chart has some 'aspirational' units on it, not just the ones I already own.

2.  Gifts do not count against you. Holidays, birthdays etc. Also, if you're given gift cards by your hobby illiterate family or friends, you can without penalty use them on anything you want miniatures wise.

3.  Paints, terrain (or materials), and other hobby supplies do not apply to the no purchasing rule.

4.  At least one hobby related blog post and/or Instagram update a week.  If you instagram, be sure to hashtag your pic with #6MMRPC

5.  Zombtober will be part of the 6 month challenge so, Zombie related stuff during October is ENCOURAGED. Other theme suggestions are welcomed. - Again, as last year I will be having Tanktober rather than Zombtober. At least assuming I have tanks to paint by then!

6.  Anyone that wants to submit a before and after picture of a miniature that they are proud of completing during the course of the challenge to dmcffd@gmail.com will be entered into the running for a gift certificate to a online wargaming store of their choice.  Judging will be by an un-biased person.  Amount on the gift certificate will be dictated by winners nationality but should work out to about $30 U.S. I (Spiderweb of History) will not be eligible to win. 

My plan is to have a couple of different painting lists this time - my usual 15mm WW2 painting list, a Full Thrust list and a Battlefleet Gothic list. I do not expect to complete all of these! But I figure that giving myself options will help keep things fresh and stop me getting to the point I did last time round, where I wanted to paint space ships but felt I couldn't as I had a painting chart to work to!

I would encourage anyone that's interested to think about giving the challenge a shot. The Facebook group (although Facebook is not a must have!) and fellow bloggers really help with motivation, as well as giving you a reason to think hard about your purchases - while encouraging you to focus a bit on your painting.

Joining is easy, just post up a blog entry with the rules, join the Facebook group if you are that way inclined and start posting and painting using the 6MMRPC title in your posts.

As a first step, here is my 'New, Updated' Drax(tm) style painting chart for my 15mm mini's.

Carronade Pics and Swag

Today myself, Davey, YD, Paul and Cameron took the trip up to Falkirk for the Carronade Show. As usual it was a big show and seemed very busy.

There were a lot of really cracking displays and games - I took pictures of some but not all of them. There were a lot of very nice games in progress. I stopped to talk to a few people about their games who were both very knowledgeable and very engaging.

Glasgow District Wargames - Spanish Civil war in 28mm using Bolt Action rules. Great looking game.

Glasgow District Wargames - Spanish Civil war in 28mm using Bolt Action rules. Great looking game.

Charlie don't surf - not sure who the group were but I had seen this display at the Stockton show I was at in October and it really is a great display. I'm not sure if there was a game in progress.

More 'Charlie don't surf' - 28mm Vietnam.

Love the surfers....

A very nice ACW game, also in 28mm. I'm not sure the group, but I think it was a Dumfries based club. Using the Fire and Fury rules (I think) it looked pretty fast paced and the guys were very friendly and knowledgeable - even putting up with questions from a non expert like myself.

A great looking table - as I understand it was also historically accurate. The Battle of New Market perhaps?

LRDG attacking a airfield somewhere in the desert - 20mm I think. Not sure of the rule set.

A HUGE table - Waterloo? in 15mm?

Close up of some of the Naps on the Waterloo table

Hougoumont?

There were a lot of really great tables that I didn't take a picture of - apologies to those groups running them, no slight was intended - I just kept forgetting to get my phone out to take pics!

So, onto swag. this year I didn't feel I had come away with as much as I did last year. I did manage to find one single stall that had a very very slim selection of FoW miniatures. The first pack I looked at was a Sherman I and I immediately found another.

So these two Sherman I's help fill in some of the missing spaces on my Armoured Squadron list. Technically, they mean I will be able to field a whole FoW list. However this shows that 144RAC (and armoured brigade units in general) had a Squadron HQ consisting of an ARV and 3 Sherman I's (SHQ, 2IC and a spare). I assume in FoW the 3rd Sherman would be a nuisance (it would muck up the 1IC and 2IC independent rules). So whether I get this final tank or not really comes down more to completeness than having the list for FoW.

Of course you, gentle reader, know that being the fool that I am the final tank being missing will bug the hell out of me... and I will end up buying it.

Next up came a purchase I am really pleased with. At one stall I spotted some Epic 40k and had a look but wasn't going down that particular rabbit hole. I got chatting to the chap and mentioned my interested in Battlefleet Gothic. 'Aha!' says he, and he hands me a load of boxed BFG ships - all very reasonably priced (including some cruisers, SM Strikecruisers, a Battleship and a couple of escorts). Then a chap further along the flea market stall starts shouting that those mini's were reserved, that he was in 'negotiations' for them and that the chap who I was talking to's brother - who was away from the stall. I offered to pay the prices on the boxes there and then, with no negotiation required. The annoying loudmouth continued to loudly protest and in the end the mini's got put back awaiting the brothers return. I checked back later, but no luck.

Anyway, that was a prelude. Thoroughly disappointed and annoyed I was standing near another flea market trader who was putting some nicely painted 28mm WW2 and 15mm Naps out on his table. I asked if he had any WW2 15mm Brits for sale. We got chatting and it looked like I was out of luck again. The I spotted in his bag (still to be put out for display) a box with 'BFG Imperial Fleet' on it! I asked if I could have a look, and while passing it to me the chap said he had another box as well. £40 later and I had both in my possession.

Now, that seems like a lot of money, but:

Specialist Games 'Rogue Trader' Cruiser - not a very common ship with a Ebay retail price of (I think) around £40

4 Cobra Destroyers (Ebay value £25 ish for 4), 2 imperial Cruisers (£20 for 2 on Ebay?), 3 Sword Frigates (£20 ish for 3?) and a Dauntless Light Cruiser (£20 ish on it's own?)

Very nice paint jobs, minimal damage. One cruiser unpainted and needing some lance turrets, and a couple of minor bits of chipped paint and broken aerials.

The fleet assembles!

So my £40 purchase was actually a really good value buy - and provided me with a mini I wanted (the Rogue Trader Cruiser) without having to pay Ebay prices for just one ship.

I've actually now amassed quite a large Imperial fleet for BFG/the Rogue Trader RPG. I'm missing a few ships I would like - mainly the RT Escorts, some transport ships, a Grand Cruiser or two, various uncommon Navy escorts... etc. Basically the dream would be to have models to make a coherent fleet but also allow me to represent most ships on the gaming table if I ever get the players to run a Rogue Trader RPG game. This also explains my recent purchases of Chaos, Ork, Eldar and Space Marine ships...

Other than these ships, I got a book on the 8th Airforce for £1 and literally as I was walking out somehow accidentally bartered someone down from £7 to £2.50 on a complete AD&D 2nd Edition Monsters compendium folder. And I mean complete - and accidentally! Cameron had been looking at it and the lady had asked for first £7 then £5 for it. He declined and we all turned to leave, I apologised and said I only had £2.50 left (I genuinely only had that amount left in my pocket), and the lady said I could have it for that then. What her husband thought about that when he returned, I don't know! Anyway, I paid and had a quick look. Got home and called my GM who I remember had mentioned years ago that his copy was incomplete. I took it round and he seemed very pleased, especially as it had Volume 1, 2 and 3 + the Faerun monsters appendix. All in great condition and in alphabetical order!

So a good show, although quantity wise my swag haul was rather less quantity wise, the quality is superb.

Thanks to Davey and YD for the lift and the company.