MMM May Challenge - Done!

Hi Folks,

I had no update this weekend and I was hard at work getting my challenge finished for this month. It was a bit of a slog - I won't deny that. I knew I was pushing myself with the amount of models for this month... and I am glad I can take the foot off the pedal for a bit.

As ever, massive thanks go out to the MMM chat guys n gals.

So, here we go:

PaK40 platoon + spare gun for my Nebelwerfer battery. Plus command team.

I might add some of the same foliage to these guys as I used on my M10's - but for now these guys are finished.

Mortar Platoon with 2 spare mortars (Battlefront teams) for my HQ platoon. I do have the Peter Pig models donated by Lee, but had spares so decided to do them. Also 3 spotter teams and command.

Then we have a 9 squad pioneer platoon with command. Each squad of these guys is 3 stands, making it a massive unit. Only riflemen though. Command has a Panzerfaust.

And lastly we have three standard sniper teams and one sniper character.

I also ended up with 2 spares and a painted vehicle driver. So 114 infantry, 5 guns and 8 mortars.

Which means over 3 months I have painted:

Command HQ + A/T Team + 4 Mortar Squads + 3 sniper teams
3 x Infantry platoons
1 x Pioneer platoon
1 x HMG platoon
1 x Mortar Platoon
1 x PaK40 platoon (with 5 guns)

Leaving me with:

1 x Fusilier platoon (small unit, only 2 squads)
1 x Nebelwerfer battery (3 rocket launchers + command)
1 x 8.8cm A/T gun platoon (2 guns)
3 x StuGs
Minefields
2 x Tigers (just to patch up/repair)
 
Not much to do!!!

MMM May Challenge, Week 2 Update

Hi folks,

Slightly later with this weeks update, mainly due to lack of having anything interesting to show!

Last night I got the 1st matt varnish coat on my 2nd batch of German infantry, leaving me with just one more lot to do... and the basing, guns, mortars, etc.

Painted and varnished, awaiting basing - the M10's are not part of the challenge, being finished last month.

So with these now off the painting table, I'm left with:

Only this lot to do - the mortars themselves also need built and painted, but I will do them once I have started the basing. The guns are at an early stage here as well.

In other news, our community (Miniature Modelling Mayhem) got a nice mention in the Miniature Wargames with Battlegames magazine this month (June edition). Really nice to get some recognition for what we're doing and for our use of technology as part of our hobby activities. If you don't use Facebook, you can also join our Google+ community group here. While I'd encourage people to join in on our hangouts, we have lots of nice stuff posted to our Facebook group from community members - as well as it being a great place to ask questions and get tips.

Grenadier Platoon #2 and HMG Platoon - Finished - And future plans...

Hey folks,

Two updates in a couple of days, but I just wanted to quickly show off these finished platoons.

These guys are 15mm Peter Pig WW2 Germans. For me they will be representing 1055. Grenadier Regiment, 89. Infantrie Division.

The figures were very kindly donated to me by Lee, and due to my clumsyness in getting them off the MDF bases (to have them match the basing style of the rest of my army) I wore a lot of the paint off the figures. I decided I may as well repaint them as I would be repairing them anyway (sorry Lee!).

First up we have some HMG42 teams:

And some Grenadier squads:

And then some 81mm Mortar teams, which will form part of the HQ unit:

I've got another Grenadier platoon to base along with the Company HQ and A/T squad. I'm hoping I will make a good dent in those this weekend!

After that I aim to start prepping some more German units - possibly the Pak40's, Snipers and Mortar Platoon. I think those units will be bigger jobs, so we will see what progress I make.

Outside of painting the Germans, I have also been taking steps towards making the whole project bigger. I spent a bit of time thinking and talking about where I am going with this Totalize obsession of mine. The logical conclusion for me is to be able to fight, with my own forces and terrain, the Operation Totalize battles. The question of which part was answered by me thinking a little bigger. Where do I want to go with my collections, and what is the final aim.

I've decided that given the ease that my German Infantry force came together (when only building to a set points level, rather than my Brits which are a never ending project), it might be interesting to do other Operation Totalize themed forces. A chance encounter has lead me to own almost an army's worth of M4A4 Shermans. With a few small purchases these will go on to be a Polish 1st Armoured Division force, along with (hopefully) a similar sized Cromwell force.

Other ideas currently in my head are to look at doing a German Armoured (12. SS) list, a German AA gun list (to represent III Flakcorps - the list is from Bridge by Bridge, but I don't mind), possibly Canadian lists (although I am focusing initially on the Highland Divisions part of the attack) and a few other things that seem to me to be 'key' interesting points of the battle. Along side these forces, I'll be focusing my terrain acquisitions on the terrain suitable for the theater of operations and which fit with the battlefields of the Operation. Such as a raised bed railway line, sunken roads, hedgerows, etc.

I'm not a big fan of the SS on the table top, but as I am aiming to represent a whole series of battles over several days, there is no point denying or ignoring their involvement.

I am also planning on working on creating a series of scenarios and Operation Totalize specific army lists - with a view to hopefully undertaking a collaboration with Mark over at House of Hengist and having some sort of Mega Game in the future. So a little bit of a change in scope and scale of what I am working on, and a slight re-orientation of the direction my collection will be taking. I am still expecting to continue to expand my Jocks, however!

MMM April Challege - Update!

Hi Folks,

The end of week 2 of the April Challenge and I'm making some good progress. Batch #1 and #2 are painted and just needing based. I had a bit of an issue with varnish, having decided to try out some of the new Vallejo Polyurethane Matt Varnish. I tried to apply this in the usual way, giving it a good shake, etc. It ended up all bubbly on the model which left marks when it dried.

A lot of messing about and the models didn't look very matt. I tried the Vallejo Matt Varnish and still no matt, so I tried a spray. I'm still not happy that they are as matt as they should be but they are better than they were.

With the second batch I tried the Polyurethane varnish again, this time opening the bottle and stirring it (as per the Vallejo website instructions). Still shiny and no matt effect. Small bubbles started appearing while painting on the varnish, possibly caused by the brush? I switched to the standard matt varnish while the other was still wet and it seems to have saved them a bit. It's still not as matt as I would like.

Next batch I will just use the normal matt varnish. I think there is something with the Polyurethane varnish I am missing or doing wrong.

Anyway, 7 strips of Peter Pig infantry to go and that will be everything painted for this month that I had planned. The bases are all covered in the resin, so just need trimming, painting, flocking, etc.

If I have time spare (Ha!) I might start either the Mortars of Pak40's.

Miniature Modelling Mayhem (MMM) FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1103247999727724/

Miniature Modelling Mayhem (MMM) Google+ group: https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/117286506810128694710

The painted models (from the paint brush on the left)

Work In Progress - Peter Pig Germans

Some of the 2nd batch, all done.

The first batch, finished.

TtC MMM April Painting Challenge

It's Begun!

On Friday the first ever TtC MMM April Challenge started. However, there is still time for you to join!

The challenge is aimed at encouraging participation in, viewing live or watching the recordings of the Tabletop Commanders Paint and Chats, or participation in the informal non recorded Miniature Modelling Mayhem Hangouts.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1103247999727724/

To take part in the challenge all you have to do is pick a couple of 'units' that you want to get painted. The number of units you pick is up to you, but should push you. The units can be any size, and scale, any period - or even just terrain or other such gaming linked projects.

Once you have picked your target, join us in either the TtC Paint and Chats or the MMM Hangouts. You can participate just by painting while you listen in if your not comfortable talking or being on camera. You can also view the TtC Paint and Chats while they are being recorded or afterwards on Youtube.

If you join us on the various chats, or here on the group, let us know what your working on, how your getting on, give us some details about the units your painting, their history, the rules you are using... anything that starts a discussion and helps you get those units painted!

We're a friendly bunch and aim to be as inclusive as possible. And if you have not tried painting while on a hangout, its amazing how much you get done while talking toy soldiers and military history.

So far in the Challenge we have people doing Naps, ECW, WW2, Sci Fi, AWI/French Indian Wars... and no doubt a host of other periods and scales as well. Join us and get those units that you've been putting off done!

I'm working on getting a good start on my Flames of War German Grenadier army, with my Goal for April to be finishing 2 infantry platoons, a HMG platoon and my HQ platoon (with A/T, Snipers and Mortars). I will be continuing into May with the aim of bulking out the support units. Hopefully by June I'll have a good portion of my German infantry figures painted and out of the lead pile!

So far this week I've made good progress on one platoon of Grenadiers (which I started at the tale end of last week, slightly early!). The other units are blocked in with the main colors and hopefully will get completed over the next couple of weeks. Bigger lolipop sticks than normal!

WiP for this week!

Still to do!

The paint and chats on Google Hangouts (advertised on the Facebook group above, or via our Google+ communities Tabletop Commanders and MMM) are a really great way to focus on your painting. Chatting about the hobby and history (and on the MMM groups everything else under the sun) really helps you lose track of your painting - and paint more than you would normally. It's a very peculiar thing, but being distracted by easy going conversation makes you stop thinking about how many rifles, boots or faces you have to paint or have painted, and just crack on!

So thing about joining in, taking part and stopping by a paint and chat and saying hello!

German Normandy Grenadiers - #1 Platoon Finished!

Hi guys,

A a better update on these chaps than last time. With them now all on the bases and just a last few finishing touches before they get put away and I start the prep for the Tabletop Commanders Miniature Modelling Mayhem (TtC MMM) Challenge starting on the 1st of April.

So, just to jump straight in, these were the first German troops I've painted - other than a few surrendering Peter Pig models. I found that they were a little tricky because of all the colours on them. There were a lot more colours than the British uniforms of the period. This also made highlighting interesting - especially the camo!

Speaking of camo, I'm quite please with how these look, although the pictures do them very little justice!

This is my attempt at Heer splinter camo. More effective at a distance, but these pics give an idea.

And a few pics of the unit laid out on the painting table:

So that's number 1 platoon done. I've another 2 Infantry platoons to do, one of which will be Peter Pig mini's from Lee. Unfortunately after soaking the bases to try and get the minis off, and then handling the minis while trying to get them off the bases, a lot of paint has come off from them. I'm going to try and repair them and highlight them up the same as I have with these guys!