2012 Wrap Up

A good year for the hobby on the painting side, but no enough games played. It has been over 4 years since I started and many projects are mature...but there always seems to be something to add.


Some of the key accomplishments in 2012 include:
1) Liebster blog award

2) Rebased skirmish figures and Flames of War figures (to IABSM)

3) Attended Historicon for the weekend with my son

4) Sci-fi project is now mature

5) Krasnovia project is now mature

6) Renewed interest in WW2 with I Ain't Been Shot Mum (including my custom card decks) inspired by the family trip to Normandy...almost have all the figures/vehicles painted to return this to mature status

7) Bough a batch of Hexon terrain

8) Painting
J: 122
F: 123
M: 0
A: 210
M: 0
J: 31
J: 95
A: 152
S: 150
O: 5
N: 128
D: 103

2012 Total:1119

2011: 1013
2010: 1389
2009: 441

All in all a good year. Now to think about 2013...

December 2012

December focus was on finishing up a few figures to get ready to start my imagi-nation ancients in 2013.


The new Hexon terrain arrived and it is very nice.

PAINTING

34 x modern figures (Insurgents and survivors): 34 Points

4 x Song of the Splintered Lands Bears: 4 Points

25 x British Infantry (engineers, mortars, and machineguns): 25 points

20 x US and British vehicles: 40 points

TOTAL: 103

Insurgents and survivors

I am 75% done rebasing the Flames of War figures to individual bases for IABSM (more bases on order).

Stated on the Germans (Panzer Grenadiers, MGs, pioneers). Need to get primer for the German vehicles, but I did put them all together.

Two pics of a battle my son set up. I like the hilltop helo base.

IABSM - First outing for the British infantry

Christmas vacantion has allowed me to get in a game of I Ain't Been Shot Mum using my new British infantry company on the new Hexon terrain boards.

The scenario calls for a British advance on a German defensive line centered on two farm houses covering a second line behind the river. The Brits are supported by a US weapons platoon (since my British MGs and mortars are waiting on bases).

Still learning the rules, but things flowed well. Have to re-read the use of mortars and smoke. Loved using my custom cards with the picture of my dog on the other side.

Germans lost 25 casualties and both primary objectives but never used the troops in the 2nd defense line...dropping this to a marginal British victory.

British casualties: 21 total (7 dead, 5 heavy wounded, 9 light wounded)
1st Platoon: 6 dead, 4 heavy wounded, 2 light wounded
2nd Platoon: 1 dead, 5 light wounded
3rd Platoon: 1 heavy wounded, 2 light wounded

1st Platoon makes it across the field to the hedge line before drawing MG fire from the house on the hill.

The house on the hill is a key position but the objective is the house by the road.

1st Platoon is ready but the support platoon is not yet in position.

They start taking casualties from the MG in the stone farmhouse on the hill.

When a German squad starts firing from the left flank.

Return fire drops one of the Germans (most ofmy figures are now single based).

1st Platoon jumps the gun and starts to attack before effective smoke obscures the MG in the house. Casualties are heavy.

Only one squad makes it to the cover of the hill by the time the smoke covers the front.

A German squad tries to hit the isolated squad in close combat but are defeated with heavy losses. The attack does make 1st Platoon combat ineffective.

Meanwhile, 2nd Platoon has advanced on the left flank and entered the woods after flushing the lone German squad.

3rd Platoon makes a rapid march under cover of the smoke to continue the attack through the shot-up 1st Platoon.

There were a few tense turns as 3rd Platoon raced to cross the open ground before the smoke dissapated.

They would get lucky and only lose one man in the crossing.

2nd Platoon ran into heavy fire by the second objective but overcame the enemy with a combination of fire and maneuver.

One squad was forced back after charging in, but it was enough to put pressure on the German flank.

3rd Platoon took the house on the hill after the MG and mortar fire from the support platoon finished off the defending MG-42 team.

Then they captured the objective by the road to force the Germans to retreat.

As Regiment sent in some air support to suppress the enemy across the river.

Christmas loot

Santa has been nice to me.

I am clear coating the US and British WW2 vehicles today and prepping the German infantry company for this week.

Liebster Award

I have been given the Liebster Award that has been making the rounds on many wargaming blogs. 

My thanks to Archduke Piccolo for recommending me. Getting recognized (or even just a blog comment) makes the blog worth while.

 

Http://archdukepiccolo.blogspot.com

Now to follow the directions:

 

"- Copy and paste the award on your blog linking it to the blogger who has given it to you.

- Pass the award to your top 5 favourite blogs with less than 200 followers by leaving a comment on one of their posts to notify them that they have won the award and listing them on your own blog.- Sit back and bask in that warm fuzzy feeling that comes with knowing that you have just made someone's day!- There is no obligation to pass this on to anyone else but it is nice if you do."

 

MC Monkey-Dew's Miniatures Games

http://mcmdgames.blogspot.com

I like this blog that covers the Slaughterloo fantasy/Napoleonics from Alternative Armies. Keeps tempting me to add a Slaughterloo project back to my list.

Dartfrog's Adventures in 6mm

http://dartfrog06mm.blogspot.com

A great blog the piques my interest in 6mm and using the Command and Colors system of games for quick miniatures games.

Fire base Ares 15mm

http://firebaseares15.blogspot.com

One of my go to blogs for 15mm sci-fi.

Wooden Warriors

http://wooden-warriors.blogspot.com

A great blog with a different way to wargame...a great way to get kids involved in gaming.

Splintered light Miniatures

http://splinteredlightminis.blogspot.com

These guys make some of my favorite miniatures, the 20mm armed animals.

Kallistra Hexon terrain

Just got my very large order of Kallistra Hexon II terrain tiles...enought to cover my 8'x6' board, plus extra water tiles, desert tiles, and loads of hills and features.

My son and I will try them out with a game of IABSM using my British Company.

More Song of the Splintered Lands

I finished up 4 bears from Splintered Light Miniatures to complete this collection. I now have one of each animal pose. I had missed when the bears were released and just found them a few weeks ago.

The SLM figures are my favorites in my collection. My paint job can't do them justice. For anyone with kids, these would be a great way to introduce the hobby.

 

 

My son also set up a diorama using the Hares and Otters.

Hare warband advances.

Otters defending the custom Otter Fort.

Movement to contact.