A Quick trip to HAVOC and a small side project

Well I have been a bit quiet, taking a break after the challenge and planning stuff for my Fiance's Birthday.  We did a little get away over the weekend but before we left I was able to get to HAVOC a gaming convention run by Battle Group Boston.  Ariana had plans to see a movie with some girlfriends Friday night so I went down to do some convention bargain hunting. Here are a few choice shots or you can check out the album on Facebook

 An 1812 frontier fort made of tooth picks, must have taken a long time and it looks great.

 Dave Susco of Warmonger Miniatures you may remember I got some nice 10mm pike men from him.

 Jerry Lane running some cool raiding action using flames of war.

Allied troops prepare to storm the Turks position on the heights above the Hellas. in a game run by Dave Soucy.

 Finally I did get some bargains a whole fleet for the Grand Duchy of D'Argent 4 ships of the line, 3 Frigates, and large merchant.  The are 1/2400 scale figure head ships and I got them for $2.00 each not bad.

The side project done as a bit of a break from painting after the challenge.  I did some pods a while back and they didn't go over well with every one.  I tried a difference approach this time, I may have done to much flock, but if so well it will work as a swamp too I suppose.   Let me know what you think.

The Last Challenge Entry: One last anti-hero?

First of all thank you again to Curt for running the challenge and thank you to all of you who commented on my posts for your praise, critiques and suggestions I feel I have grown some as a painter over the last 100+ days as a results. My final subject is Robert E. Lee.

The moment I am portraying actually happened two to three times with variations in 1864-65. Robert E Lee ceased a regiments colors to rally troops who were falling back and on the verge of routing. The reaction of the troops was more or less the same on all three occasions. They rallied, angrily told Lee that they would hold (or counter attack) but only if he got to the rear.

On at least one of these occasions brigade or division officers also took part in persuading Lee to get out of harms way. On all three occasions Lee's intervention "saved the day" and the Army of Norther Virginia managed to hang on just a little longer. So that is my vignette Lee is reaching for the retreating soldiers flag while an officer tries to persuade him that this is not were an army commander should be.

Is Lee and Anti-hero? I myself am some what torn. Its hard to find much in his person that is not the model of 19th century masculinity. His resignation for the US army was just that and predated Virginia's succession. I for one can't really blame a man for thinking it his duty to defend his family and neighbours. He fought skilfully, honourably and never spared himself any hardship in the field. In the end he didn't try to prolong a war with needless guerrilla fighting that would have done nothing but add to the body count. Indeed after the Civil War he did nothing but encourage reconciliation. Yet there is the cause he defended which was slavery, it may not have been his personal motive but if Virginia had not had slaves his home state would never have seceded and would never have needed his defense. Ultimately I think Lee is an anti-hero a good man defending a wicked cause.

The figures are all Blue Moon 18mm figures. There are two mounted and one on foot. The Flag is a generic flag from War Flag.com.

Challenge Entry Bergepanther Recovery Vehicle

This is the tough and Ugly Berbpanther a German tow truck for tanks. I picked it up for use with my German armor in Flames of War

Mine didn't have crew included but I has lots left over so I added two I also added the tow cable though I am not 100% sure that is were it should hook up.

In addition to helping you armor get out of sticky situations in ditches, hedgerows and swamps this fellow actually has better armor than the StuGs and Panzer IVs I usually use so it might bounce a hit saving a tank that way form time to time.

Its a 15mm model with two passengers so another 8 points.

Challenge Entry: an IJN Surprise

This entry is a surprise to me. I used part of my tax refund to order a squadron of Imperial Japanese Navy ships for task for US ships to scrimmage. Naval games are fun and at 1/2400 scale very portable making them a great set to have in reserve for those nights when another game falls through. I was stunned when these arrived yesterday as I had only ordered them on Friday from Panzerschiffe. Needless to say they are fast to paint up needing only a little scrapping.


First up two Kongo class ships some call them Battle Cruisers others Battleships they were a British design but were rebuilt in the 1927.

The First is the Kirishima which went up against the USS Washington
(part of my US fleet) and lost of Savo Island

Her Sister ship Hiei was sailing with Kirishima on that fateful night.

I did my best to research IJN color but found only a few pictures so these colors are highly speculative. Above is the Hiei the dark gray on the lower deck is to distinguish her from her sister ship.

Note the Lighter gray on the Kirishima' main deck.

The preferred view of a Japaneses battle ship from the USN perspective (moving away)

Cruisers carried the bulk of surface combat in the South Pacific I have 2 Light Cruisers (on the flanks) and 4 Heavy Cruisers in the center. The IJN frequently had cruiser Squadrons made of different classes so each of my six cruisers is of a different class

Agano was a class that was launched after the start of the war and was one of the most modern designs. 8 Torpedoes in centre line tubes give these guys a dangerous punch. The 9 152mm main battery guns are smaller than their US counterparts but still dangerous.

Nagara an older class from the 1920s by the second World War she is almost an large destroyer with 7 140mm (5.5 inches) guns along the center line. Again 8 Torpedoes provide the main punch.

Takao here we have a true heavy weight with 10 Eight inch guns (in 5 twin turrets) and 16 Long Lance Torpedoes. This is the most heavily armed cruiser in the IJN the ship was perhaps a bit to top heavy for its size.

Aoba and older and lighter design with 6 eight inch guns (in 3 twin Turrets) and again 8 torpedoes.

Furutaka similar to Aoba (a few years older) with the same armament.

Mogami The Mogami Class takes the prize for most egregious and blatant violation of the Washington Naval Treaty. This monster was said to be under 10000 tuns but was actually 13000 and while designed with 6 inch guns they were replaced with 8 inch guns. They also had 12 Long Lance Torpedoes. Like the Takao it suffered form a top heavy design. Ships of these classes were active in the water off Guadalcanal which is the era I find most interesting for gaming.

4 Matsu Class Destroyers Once again I have painted the different sections of the super structure or deck a darker gray for identification. These are a War time class built to counter Sub but Destroyers are small enough at this scale you can use them for other classes... just squint and they look right trust me.

Challenge Entry: Confederate Command Stands

This week I am posting my final entries for the Painting Challenge.

These are some extra command stands for my Confederate Army for Longstreet.

Regiments come and go in Longstreet but you always get troops back but I like to have new regiments so I don't recycle the same regiments.


This is a Flag of the 21st Mississippi and a Mississippi state flag I the commander sort of reminds me on an illustration (probably highly imaginative) of Barksdale who commanded a Mississippi Brigade.

Here we have the 37th Alabama I like having higher numbered regiments as the campaign progresses give the sense that they are newly raised.

I thought the flag was quite sharp looking and I like having Confederate flags that are not the traditional St. Andrews cross most people imagine.

A South Carolina regiment the flag struck my fancy but I have not information regarding the regiment.

The Flags are all from an Issue 31 of Charge! its available at the War Gamer's vault.

Finally the 16th Tennessee Regiment. Tennessee contributed some 50 regiments to the Confederacy probably because it lay right in the path of invasion.

Since I didn't have any Tennessee regiments I figured I should add one to my mix.

Battle of the "Cwaluwuduholt"

Saxon and Briton  forces met battled in what has become know as the"Cwaluwuduholt" (very roughly/inaccurately murder woods I came up with this mane using http://www.oldenglishtranslator.co.uk/ the no doute shameful old English is my own fault however.)

 John has set up a very wooded forest that lead to a very savage and bloody fight.  Prebattle John passed the ale horn and rolled a 1 good news/bad news John gets + 2 moral(10) but he lost a card in his hand.   I did my prebattle speech and rolled a 6 no change to moral but I did get an extra card in my hand and a + 1 to Cuthwulf's status (to 4).  Our Champions then met and Wulfric kills Uther! giving me a bonus to moral!

 As you can see the woods have some opening but we are getting seriously channeled between them.

 The woods I hope will limit John's options for forming shield wall.

 My forces advance using the trees to cover our flanks

 but John has formed a shield wall not a fully united one but its still formidable.

 John sent his Elites forward to take out my archers but fell short, I was quick to sen men in..

 and drove them off (John used a card to eveade.

 I'm not in a great position...

 John engaged one of my units of warriors and drove them back then his elites look my other unit and broke them..

 Then He got my archers! I now had a big whole in the middle of my formation two units of warriors to the left two units of Elites to the right... making a virtue of necessity I moves my elites to the right flank of Johns shieldwall.  Then to my amazement John advanced his men into the open area!

 Using the Crape Diem card I charged his flank killing 7 men and wounding the attached Noble!

 Needless to say the extra sized Briton unit broke and ran!

 John's elite broke my other unit of elites in the center and Burgred barly escaped with his life.

 Osbert and his men caught the Elite troops in the flank and drove them off... but the were attacked by levies and warriors and overwhelmed Osbert was then killed or captured (we said captured during the game but this may not be possible in a battle). John's Elites joined the warriors on the right facing my one unit of elites(and Cuthwulf). That fight was long, bloody and consumed both of our focus so much we didn't take pictures..

 Then I was able to bring up my second unit of Elites and broke John's elites and warriors Cadog (one of John's nobles) was wounded and overwhelmed in the fighting.

John decided to withdraw.. I attested to pursue and was able to overwhelm another noble and kill the fleeing elite infantry but other wise John got away without additional losses.   Pursuit added nothing to the victory so I have a 2 point victory(with some possibility this will go up a bit) both sides have heavy casualties.  The battle lasted more the 4 hours and I have to say was the most interesting an bloody of the campaign, thus far.