My Paint Station

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Hobby Round up Week 15

The Easter holidays are over, time for the kids to go back to school, and for those that were off, time to go back to work!

Therefore, due to the nice weather, a smaller update than usual this week.

First up this week; after watching them battling against the Vampire Counts this past Wednesday, Frazer has decided to put some paint on these Chaos Ogres. Trying a bit of pre shading, they are currently looking very good.

Simon continues his production line of painting with some more Crimson Fist Terminators, there are more almost done and we will hope to see a full squad next week.

After a slight colour change, Chris has been cracking on with some Drop Zone Commander figures for Dave. Two tanks and two walkers virtually done, and two more ready for their highlights.

Battlegroup Overlord Battle Report - Flank Attack 500 points

 

This week we played the Flank Attack mission from the BGO book.  This was a series of encounters between the British Armoured Regiment Commanded by Si and Neil and the elements from the 21^st Panzer Division commanded by Frazer and Next Door Matt.  We played 500 points which we have found to be our realistic maximum for a club night game.

British Order of Battle
FHQ in Sherman
Comms Unit
Sherman Tank Squadron inc Firefly
Infantry Platoon inc 6 Pounder HMG, 3" Mortar
Sniper
25 Pounder Battery - on table
25 Pounder Battery - off table
4+ Additional artillery support

 

German Order of Battle
FHQ in Halftrack 251
Armoured Panzergrenadier Infantry Platoon in 251's
Stug Battery - 3 plus Ace
Sniper
Recon Command
120mm off table Mortar Battery
Famo Recovery
Supply Trucks x2
Pre-registered Target Point
4+ Additional artillery support

Frazer & Simon Dark Elf and Space Wolf Work in Progress

Si has been working on his Space Wolves over the last weeks and his painting is really coming along, unlike his photography.  The underwhelming picture disguises an other wise talented painter!

 

 



 

I have been giving some love to the less than lovely Dark Elf Witches.  I returned to them after nearly a year of being nearly finished.  When I examined them they were far from finished and not as good as I remembered.  So I have repainted some parts of them and have tried to get a good table standard for these dirty ladies.  With my New Year's resolution of only playing with fully painted figures they won't be making it to the table this week.

Frazer's Hobby Update

Here is what I have been working on over the last week

I have started some Dropzone figures for Dave, the initial requirement for infantry is done and the first drop ship is in the process of getting magnets attached.  I am planning an urban camouflage scheme for all the vehicles.

 

I have also knocked out some sheep and chickens to add a bit of character to the various 28mm games we play.  Ideal for any period from the Dark Ages to WW2 and beyond.

 
Also I have to transform the metal looking Panzer III into the two tone camouflage scheme; again for Dave in preparation for him attending the ETC Tournament in Prague as part of the New Zealand team for Flames of War

Battlegroup Overlord - Battle Report

Elliot and I decided to play 500 point meeting engagement with Battlegroup Overlord. 

 

I chose Panzergrenadiers and Elliot took British Airborne.  The army lists are below.  In order to give the game a more Normandy feel we pushed the table size down to 4ft by 4ft.  Combining this with as many hedgerows as we had – must make some bocage- we hoped that it would give us a game which wasn’t dominated by armour in the early turns of the game.

 

We placed four objectives.  One is the church the other is a black truck on the German side of the table and the British have a Jeep and a fuel dump.  The game begins with the Germans advancing their recce elements into the town and bumping into a British Recce jeep.

 

 

Panzer Division (Overlord)

(Officers: 4) Army Size: Platoon

507 / 35br

 

Forward Headquarters

28/3BR

3 men & SdKfz 251/3

Infantry Units

Panzer Grenadier Squad

26/3BR

Bipod MG34

Armoured Pzr Gren Squad

42/3BR

SdKfz 251/1, Bipod MG34

Panzer Grenadier Platoon

100/11BR

Regular

Anti-tank Gun

30/2BR

50mm PaK38, Medium truck

Tank Units

StuG III Battery

120/9BR

3 Stug III Gs

Artillery Units

Off-Table Mortar Fire

72/0BR

2 120mm mortars

Reconnaissance Support Units

Recon Platoon Command

36/2BR

SdKfz 250/10

Armoured Car

20/1BR

SdKfz 222

Logistics Support Units

Supply Column

8/1BR

1 medium truck

Additional Fire Support

Off-Table Artillery Request

10/0BR

2nd (4+)

Pre-Registered Target Point

15/0BR

 

6th Airborne Division

(Officers: 4) Army Size: Platoon

499 / 31br

Forward Headquarters Units

Forward Headquarters

24/3BR

Jeep

Comms Relay Team

14/0BR

Infantry Units

Airborne Infantry Platoon

147/15BR

Veteran

Light Mortar Team

0/0BR

PIAT Team

0/0BR

Anti-tank Gun

39/2BR

6 pdr, Jeep

Tank Units

Sherman Troop

130/9BR

3 M4A4

Artillery Units

Off-Table Mortar Fire

81/0BR

3 3" mortars

Reconnaissance Support Units

Recon Platoon Command

29/2BR

4 men and a Jeep

Additional Fire Support

Pre-Registered Target Point

15/0BR

Timed Typhoon Air Strike

 

Having more recce units the Germans follow up their recce elements with a Stug supported by a squad of infantry.  The 222 move straight down through the cross roads and opens fire at the Para Recce Jeep – missing. (just visible by the two house with red roofs).  The Recce Command in the 250 turns right but is hit by a mine which destroys it.  (chit draw for capture of objective at turn end) 

A half squad moves along the hedgerow towards the objective.

The British player only manages to bring on a Sherman which opens fire at the 222 missing it despite the short range and clear target.

The British player has selected the church as a preregistered target point and the 3” mortars land with a direct hit on the Stug which destroys it
Meanwhile the Germans start to advance using the fields as cover.  The Forward HQ in half track forces it way through the hedgerow whilst the platoon command element follow up on 1^st squad.  Another Stug takes a shot at the Sherman as the infantry advance.  The Panzergrenadiers in the 251 make it into cover of the building and the squad dismounts and moves into the building overlooking the British positions

British Sections arrives and opens fire on the Germans in the right hand house.  This firefight would continue throughout the battle but whilst taking casualties the MG34 team hold out pinning and delaying the British infantry

The Paras direct the Sherman to fire on the house that is holding up their advance.

The Typhoon strike arrives and destroys the Forward HQ completely and also pins all of the infantry.  This is may give the British the opportunity they need to take the village

Finally the Stug gunner hits the Sherman, combined with a mortar barrage that pins the replacement British para section – the previous section had been pinned and routed by the Panzergrenadier squad in the house.  The British BR is reached

 

It was a very good game, finished in two hours.  Elliot was unlucky to lose, he had caused me much more trouble than I had him but when his hand went into the pot for a chit it was harsh.  The first three chits were all 5s.  He was also unlucky with his morale rolls which saw a section route with only a single casualty having been pinned and then take a casualty with aimed fire.  In contrast the German squads (MG and Rifle) were whittled down to just 2 men an passed their morale each time.

 

Great game.  Now off to build some proper bocage J

Hobby round up 2015 week 2

Welcome to week two of our hobby round up.

First up, originally completed last week, but just too late to post, we have some Shermans, a Cromwell and a Churchill painted by Frazer.

Next up is a work in progress shot of some Dark Eldar Scourges painted by Chris. Since this photo was taken, these five have been finished off, with only their bases to do, which will be done once the next five are finished.

 

 

The final work in progress picture for this week is from Big Papa Jon. Jon who is currently residing north of the border will be returning to Bristol in the summer and has dug out some of his Mordheim Goblins. He is preparing them for our campaign which we intend to start later this year.

 

An last but not least, Wednesday saw games night return. Matt and Frazer played a game of Chain of Command, which they got half way through, and Elliot and Neil played 40k. Below are a few pictures of the 40k game.

The Blood Angels deploy

Orks deployed

The end of the Baal Predator

 

 

Hobby Round Up 2015 Week 1

Welcome to the first Hobby Round Up of 2015. After a quiet last few weeks of 2014, some of us have been busy over the holiday period.

Frazer has been busy finishing off Matt's Modern British Paratroopers to be used in Skirmish Sangin.

 

 

 

 

Frazer has also been working on some 15mm tanks, hopefully we'll see them finished and on the table soon.

 

 



 

Chris got some new Dark Eldar models for his birthday in October, and the first one, a Voidraven Bomber, is finally finished.

 

 

 

Chris has also done a test figure in preparation to adding 1000pts of Nurgle Warriors of Chaos to his Nurgle Daemons. This is a Nurgle Ogre and was mainly an experiment in using the Games Workshop technical paints, namely Typhus Corrosion, Ryza Rust and Blood for the Blood God.

 

 

 

Wednesday War - Chain of Command Op Spa

This game sees the first of 'game four' in our Chain of Command campaign as the Germans attempt to capture Spa in Belgium

 

In the first three games the SS commanded by Matt made short work of the American platoon commanded by Elliot.  In the Centre the Soviets ably commanded by Neil repulsed the initial attack by Chris's German Heer platoon and continued to push them back towards the start line.  In the south a bitter series of actions took place on the outskirts of Meiz  with the British finally pushing back Frazer's Panzergrenadiers

 

Prior to this weeks (game four), campaign game was played.  There were two requests for redeployment, the first by the Americans was held up at HQ and the second was accepted by the German commander and pulled the battered Heer platoon to a quieter sector.  The unstoppable advance of the SS was to meet a delaying action by the Soviets under the command of Neil.

 

 



 

The soviets were holding a tree line in the west and the SS were advancing down the road from the farm in the east.

 

The battlefield

 The Germans start deploying along the road

The soviets try to push the Germans back hard and fast with armour but a long range shot from the panzershrek team knock out the KV-1

 A few points of shock start to build on the lead German squad.

The HE fire from the T34 forces the lead squad to fall back - unfortunately they run through the 'shrek team and dump 5 points of shock  causing them to fall back as well

As SS reserves arrive the German commander calls up his Flammpanzer to shift the Soviets that are arriving to support the T34

The Germans lob smoke grenades to cover their position as a second squad arrives to move up the left flank

A hasty barrage lands amid the soviet position, fortunately for the Russians most of the their units are unaffected but the reduced LOS prevents the T34 from causing much trouble

 The soviets are wisely holding the line waiting for the SS to cover the open killing ground

The SS move into the wheat field  trying to get a base of fire going

Fanatical the SS are, suicidal they are not and they hold position  waiting for the Forward Observer to shift the barrage onto the soviet infantry

Morale in the Soviet postion is still remarkably high

 The Flammpanzer gets into range and prepares to fire

 Unconcerned the reds swig vodka and shout rude words at the SS

 Whoosh!  The first time a flame tank has been in action a timely use of a CoC dice for the SS

 The results are horrific and the morale takes a big knock dropping to 5

 With the KV-1 burning it is up to the T34 commander to take action

 Having slowly edge to the flank the commander is now in a position to take a shot

Lucky for the Soviets it's a good shot and the Flammpanzer is knocked out. 

The German moral was on 10 with the soviets on 5 and it looked like trouble for the Russians.  Neil was fortunate to get 3 turns in a row and remove most of the shock from the burning squad before they fled the table and the moral affected the command dice.  With reluctance the SS withdraw.  Whilst their morale is still high the casualties are mounting and another battle is just over the horizon

The seemingly unstoppable advance by the SS towards Spa has been stopped for the time being.

Will the soviets dig in or counter attack?  The British have the same choice to make before they fight battle 4 and the Americans are on the attack for the first time since the campaign started.  Casualties are starting to have an impact on the other German and American platoons.