Alternatives to 15mm Buildings

Now that I'm getting into 15mm with Flames of War I'm constantly on the lookout for scenery and buildings in this scale. Having never played this scale before I'm effectively starting from scratch and it's proving a costly business. One suggestion put to me was that railroad HO scale buildings could be used as an alternative to true 15mm buildings. I've often seen these buildings sold cheaply at boot sales so they could prove to be a fugal alternative to regular 15mm scenery.

Here are the various scales that border onto 15mm and a discussion of their suitability as 'alternative' scales for buildings and scenery.

1/144 (11.2mm) - Roughly equivalent of N-Scale railroad models. This is a popular scale for die-cast metal Aircraft and some action figures. However vehicles in this scale look very undersized next to 15mm models. Buildings also look far too small, particularly domestic buildings. In FoW aircraft are represented in this scale.

15mm (1/107) - The FoW website describes the game as being "15mm (1:100) Scale". My understanding of scale is that 15mm and 1/100th are different sizes (see below) but I suspect the models are 1/100th to the top of the head with eye level at 15mm, hence the dual scale description. There are plenty of buildings for 15mm wargaming from a wide range of manufacturers.

1/100 (16.1mm) - The true scale of FoW miniatures. Some plastic kits are available in this scale. Modern military vehicles also come in this scale, in both metal and plastic. Alternatives to Battlefront minis in this scale include Peter Pig which are also 1/100th. Buildings at this scale are usually described as 15mm although architectural models are also available.

1/87 (18.5mm) - Otherwise known as HO scale, this is a popular model railroad scale. Buildings can vary a little in proportion so some manufacturers 'under size' their buildings. Consequently HO can be used as an alternative to 15mm. I've been told that this works best with 'industrial' buildings but that houses etc. look a little too big next to 15mm figures. I touched on the issue of scale in this blog some time ago and found that this is one subject guaranteed to put fire in the blood of any gamer/modeler. The above descriptions and suggestions are based on feedback I got from The Miniatures Page message boards (Here and Here) and various other forums online, as well as my own experience of size comparisons.

To webcam or not to webcam...

My gaming group is caught in the jaws of a dilemma at the moment. Our gaming schedule has been going to pot for some time now. Real life is getting in the way of regular games and its starting to get tiresome. That's no reflection on the group, everyone has good legitimate reasons for not being able to make games and I'm no exception. Illness, dependent dependents, work... they have all infringed upon our gaming time. Part of the problem is that we are scattered across half the country with members travelling from as far afield as Lincon and Ipswich. We rarely get the whole group together but so long as more than half of us can make it we press on with the game.

But the last few months have seen more and more cancelled games as 'real life' squeezes our spare time. I should add that this is no reflection on the current campaign, which is highly original, very engaging and seems to be enjoyed by everyone involved. It's not even a reflection of our mixed feelings towards 4E (it'd take more than a game system to stop us playing). But the fact remains we have had more cancelled games than played games so far this year. In fact its been a growing problem for many years and has spawned a number of conversations about how to tackle the problem... now a new suggestion has reared its head and I'm not sure we know how to approach it. Web Cams could, in theory, enable players to participate even if they cannot physically make the game. Aside from the technical issues involved - complex but not insurmountable with some planning & forethought - my main concern is that this would undermine the very reason we gather together in the first place. For each others company. Half the group consist of 'new' members that have joined the original core of players from my school years. But it's not just the game that holds the group together its the fact that we like each others company and we're good friends. Using web cam technology may help us continue the game but it might forever break the atmosphere of our game sessions which often involve lots of laughter and a beer or three.

Of course there are other 'meta game' issues that would need to be resolved before we went down this route, but nothing I don't think we could sort out in time.

There are various threads on forums such as ENWorld and UKRoleplayers that discuss this issue but I don't feel any of them addresses my main concerns. Technically its possible, but just because we can do something doesn't mean its a good idea.

I hate holidays

Don't be alarmed, I've not lost my marbles. Let me explain. It's not the holiday itself I hate (I love relaxing with my family and exploring new places) its the 'fall-out' that comes with having time off work that bugs me. I work in a busy office as part of a Petrochemicals Laboratory. Work is pretty hectic most of the time but I'm in a position that has no backup. When I'm off work there is no cover and none of my work gets done. The In-tray just gets deeper and deeper. So for example, when I was off work for a month earlier in the year due to illness I came back to a months worth of work on my desk. And when I took a week off for a holiday recently, the weeks worth of work was waiting for me when I returned.


I've tried to address this issue a few time but various factors - from the complexity of my work through to under-staffing across the company - work against me. So, here I sit, with a pile of work still to do and a newly acquired box of unpainted models singing their siren song to me. "Come home & paint us" they pur.

This is my long winded way of saying sorry for the sporadic nature of my posting lately. The daily schedule is taking a hit at the hands of "real life". Having said that, I did get a little bit of painting done at the weekend, if only undercoating. As always I'll post pictures of my (painfully slow) progress.

Moan over.

Pickled Dragon

I recently read a spoof article about a pickled Dragon foetus found in a 30inch jar in a Garage in Oxfordshire. I think the original article on this was featured in the Daily Telegraph - that bastion of truth and hard nosed reporting - and dates from 2004.

Here's the story....

"A metal tin found with the dragon contained paperwork in old-fashioned German of the 1890s. Mr Mitchell speculates that German scientists may have attempted to use the dragon to hoax their English counterparts in the 1890s, when rivalry between the countries was intense. At the time, scientists were the equivalent of today's pop stars. It would have been a great propaganda coup for the Germans if it had come off. The documents suggest that the Natural History Museum turned the dragon away, possibly because they suspected it was a trick, and sent it to be destroyed. But it appears a porter intercepted the jar and took it home."

The author of the article suggested that the failure of the Natural History Museum to carry out an X-Ray of the 'Dragon' was a clear sign of a 'cover up'. Personally I think the NHM has better things to spend its limited budget on. Obviously this is a Hoax or scam but you've got to admire the craftsmanship that has gone into it.

And how cool would it look sitting on your desk next to your gaming books and models!!