HAWKs Kick off Their 2019 "Armies for Kids" Project.

       This past Saturday a group of HAWKs got a jump on next year’s Armies for Kids project by getting together to start painting the hundreds of 25mm figures donated for next year’s Medieval armies. Th session centered mainly on dry brushing the armor and getting the flesh and hair blocked in.

     For the past 10 years or so, the HAWKs have prepared dozens of painted armies and given them away to kids who take part in specially designated games each year at Historicon.  This year each child who takes part will be getting a pair of fully painted Medieval armies, along with assorted terrain and gaming aids.

Historicon 2018 HAWks Room Photos

   I was only able to get up to the Historicon miniatures gaming convention for a short while on Friday to visit the HAWKs room and get some shots, and was selling in the Historicon Flea Market all day Saturday.  I was able to squeeze in running a game in the HAWKs room on Saturday night, so got some photos then as well.  Even though I was only there for a short while, I had a great time at the con.
  For photos of my game, see: The Dwarven Loot Train
     

The HAWKs room was already hopping when I got there Friday morning.

First stop for me was the Dealer Hall.  The facelift on the tennis barn is really starting to look nice.

One of several Sea Lion games run by Buck Surdu and Greg Priebe, using "Combat Patrol" rules.

Dave Wood's "Bear Yourselves Valiantly" Fantasy game, using his collection of beautiful old school 25mm figures 

Don Hogge's "Congo" game

James "Tank" Nickle's popular train heist game. 

Duncan Adams' Peninsular Napoleonics game using "Combat Patrol: Napoleonics"

Another of Buck and Greg's Sea Lion games.

Pz38ts storm the beaches of  Little Basely by the Sea during Sea Lion.

Harry Kogelshatz brought back his ever popular large scale "Aliens" game

Using action figures for "Aliens"

Geoff Graff's Plastic Pirates Lego game, is a perennial favorite with the kids

David Schlegel's Fantasy game using "Bear Yourselves Valiantly" rules.

Dave Wood's Zulu game using Combat Patrol: Colonials

Duncan Adams' helmed this year's Armies for Kids game.

Some of the armies the kids got to take home with them in this year's Armies for Kids game.

HAWKs Hold Second "Armies for Kids" Painting Session

  This past Saturday a group of the HAWKs got together to have a second painting bee for this year's Franco-Prussian War themed "Armies for Kids" project.   The group met last February to begin the project, painting almost 500 15mm French figures; and this time the plan was to paint the Prussians.  Since many of the Prussians that had been donated were already painted, we only had 250 Prussians to complete.

     With all the infantry done, the plan now is to schedule a third session to work on the cavalry for both armies.  
    Once completed, the armies will be presented to six lucky kids who take part in a specially designated game at this year's Historicon.  Each kid who participates in the game will get a set of opposing armies, terrain, rules, and game aids.

HAWKs Kick Off 2017 Armies for Kids Project

   This past Saturday the HAWKs got together to begin work of painting this year's Armies for Kids project.  For the past several years, the HAWKs have undertaken a project of creating a dozen or so armies with the goal of giving them away during a special kids game at Historicon.  We also usually present the kids with a bag or box full of terrain and gaming aids. At past Historicons we have given away Revolutionary War armies, Napoleonic armies, WWII, Seven Years War, and American Civil War.   And we wouldn't have been able to if it were for generous donations of old armies,  new unpainted forces, and monetary contributions from wargamers from all over.  So many thanks go out to all those who have helped make this project a possibility!

This year we are doing a Franco-Prussian War project;  and so 10 of us got together on Saturday at Duncan's house to put our brushes to almost 500 15mm French.  Duncan had taken the time to prime them in red beforehand so their pants, hats, and epaulettes were already taken care of.  There was also several sticks of Turco Zouaves that Duncan pre-primered  in their medium blue uniform color .

     We set to work, with some good old war movies on the TV, and plenty of good hobby talk among friends, to entertain us.  At the end of 7 long hours, with cramped hands and stiff backs, we were able to claim victory: 500 French complete!   Up next we will be gathering to tackle their Prussian opponents.

HAWKs Complete Barrage Armies For Kids Project

   This past Saturday, several of the HAWKs got together to do the final basing and organizing for the BARRAGE Armies For Kids Project.   Six lucky kids who take part in a special game that will be run at BARRAGE on October 10th will walk away with both an Allied and a German army, complete with tanks, infantry and machine guns as well as a bag of goodies such as terrain and playing aids.

    This project was made possible by Ed Mohrmann who donated a large box of 20mm WWII figures, and John Acar who donated four  20mm tank models.  A couple of the HAWKs also chipped in items from their own collections to fill out the units.

      The HAWKs also finalized their plans for next year's Historicon Armies for Kids project, which will be 20mm ACW; based on the personal collections of HAWKs members Buck Surdu and myself.  If anyone has painted 20mm ACW to donateto the project, please contact me at CNJPalmer at aol dot com.

HAWKs Hold "Armies For Kids: BARRAGE Edition" Painting Bee

  This past Saturday members of the HAWKs got together to paint over 400 20mm plastic WWII German soldiers for an "Armies For Kids" giveaway game they will be running at their upcoming one-day miniatures gaming con, BARRAGE .

      Six lucky kids who take part in the game at BARRAGE will walk away with both an Allied and a German army, complete with tanks, infantry and machine guns.

    The HAWKs had already painted the Allied troops at an earlier painting day.
    This project was made possible by Ed Mohrmann who donated a large box of 20mm WWII figures, and John Acar who donated four  20mm tank models.  A couple of the HAWKs also chipped in items from their own collections to fill out the units.

Another Armies-For-Kids Painting Day and G.A.M.E.R Sci-Fi Game

     This past weekend, the HAWKs once again got together to work on painting figures for this year's 40mm ACW Armies-For-Kids project.   We are closing in on having all the figures necessary finished up.  And just in time, with Historicon only a couple months away.

    This year the figures were donated by Maynard Creel,  Ed Mohrman, Keven Pinder, and Phil Kearnan.  Phil, also painted a large number of the ones donated by Ed Mohrmann.

   After we had spent the morning painting, we set up a game for the afternoon.  We decided to try using Buck Surdu's under-development G.A.M.E.R. skirmish rules with Buck's and my Sci-Fi figure collections; including ones from the Reaper Bones I Kickstarter, that we had both recently painted.

My command: Reaper NOVA Corp figures and Void 1.1 Viridians, with a Viridian machine gun team for support.  

  It was a real mish-mash of figures with our Reaper Bones (NOVA Corp and IMEF Force0, Buck's Colonial Marines, and my Void 1.1 stuff.   I was teamed up with Eric, and Buck was teamed with Dave.  While we had a tank for support, Dave and Buck's side had some anti-tank weapons.  We threw some terrain on the table, creating a sort of small industrial compound for us to fight over, and got to it.

The enemy approaches the compound: Buck's Reaper figures

   At first our tank dominated the battlefield doing serious damage to Buck's forces, but he was eventually able to manuver his anti-tank soldier into a position where she could get a bead on Eric's vehicle.  After a couple misses, she finally scored a hit and destroyed the vehicle.

My first fireteam makes the fence as my second moves up to support.  At the bottom of the shot, my machine gun  team can be seen moving to flank through the woods.  One of Eric's fireteams can be seen in their position in the rubble at the left-hand side of the compound.

   With the tank gone, Eric and I began to take heavy fire, and our squads were becoming badly worn down.  Fierce fighting broke out in the compound.  It looked bad for us, just as Duncan arrived with a reinforcing unit, and I was able to maneuver a small group onto Dave's flank. These two factors turned the tide back in our favor.

Fierce fighting in the compound. My sergeant, having charged into hand-to-hand combat, loses the fight and can be seen face down in a pool of toxic sludge near the center bottom of the shot.

   In the end, Eric, Duncan, and I held the compound, and Dave and Buck did not have the remaining strength to dislodge us.  It was a fun little battle, with some fiercely tense firefights.

A view from my position in the compound as Eric and I attempt to clear the last remaining enemy soldiers from inside the fence.

Armies For Kids 2015 Project Update

This past Saturday Buck Surdu hosted a painting day to work on this year's Armies For Kids project.   Members of the HAWKs got together at his house to paint about a hundred 40mm ACW Union figures that were part of a lot donated by Maynard Creel.  Another approximately 100 painted figures donated by Keven Pinder,were mounted on bases.   There are also a large number of painted figures donated to this year's project by Ed Mohrmanm, and some by Phil Kearnan.

Photo courtesy of Buck Surdu.

       After a morning of painting, the guys took a brake and played the new Star Wars Imperial Assault game.  Buck has posted a write up of that session to his blog

Photo courtesy of Buck Surdu.

     These armies will be presented to 6 lucky kids who take part in a specially designated game at Historicon this summer.

HAWKs Launch Second 2015 Armies For Kids Project.

This past Saturday, members of the HAWKs (Harford Area Weekly Kreigspielers) got together to work on painting a second Armies for Kids project for next year's Historicon.  The club had already decided to do a 40mm American Civil War project for Historicon 2015 based on generous donations from Maynard Creel, Ed Mohrmann, and Phil Kearnan.  And, since the ACW project was so far along, the club decided to start another quick and easy project based on a large box of assorted WWII plastic 1/72 infantry that had also been donated by Ed Mohrmann.

     Hawks members Buck Surdu and Duncan Adams had spray primed the over 1500 plastic WWII figures with either khaki for Allies, or grey for Germans, and mounted them on sticks in preparation for Saturday's painting bee.   And for a few hours that morning we sat around and gave basic paint jobs to about 750, mainly American, Allied infantry.   After a late midday lunch break, with sore backs and cramped hands, the painters broke out the Red Dragon Inn game and played that to unwind.

The plan now is to get together another time after the holidays to paint the German half of the project.  There were some support weapons included in the lot of figures, but what we'd really like is if someone could donated some 1/72 tanks, so each kid could get a tank with each army.  So, if anyone has some old tanks they no longer want, please let  us know.

Even Edward the cat wanted to help.

But , alas, was defeated by his lack of opposable thumbs.

HAWKs 2014 Historicon Armies-For-Kids Project a Big Success!

This year's Armies-For-Kids project was successfully concluded at last weekend's Historicon convention with the awarding of pairs of opposing, painted,  28mm Napoleonic Amries, terrain and other gaming aids to 6 lucky kids after completion of a specially designated kids' game on Saturday at the con, GM'd be HAWKs member Eric Schlegel.  We also handed out two complete pairs of 15mm Seven Years War Armies and terrain, left over from our 2012 Armies for Kids effort,  to two lucky kids who took part in another kids' game we ran during the con.

Eric helps one of the kids during Saturday's game (Photo courtesy of Buck Surdu)

This year's armies were provided through generous donations from Jay Hadley, Ed Mohrmann, and the Nashcon staff.   The terrain we gave the kids was provided, and constructed, by Chris Johnson.

The kids checking out their new armies.

Next year we are planning to be putting together 40mm ACW skirmish forces for our Armies-For-Kids project, based on a generous donation of figures from Maynard Creel.  So, if anyone has any 40mm ACW figures, or suitable terrain they'd like to donate, please contact me at cnjpalmer(at)aol(dot)com.

Group shot of Gamemaster Eric Schlegel and the kids with their pile of "loot"!

HAWKs Complete Their 2014 Armies-For-Kids Project

Last Sunday, a group of HAWKs (Harford Area Weekly Kriegspielers) got together to complete this year's Armies-for-Kids Project.  This year the HAWKs will be giving away 6 painted and based sets of opposing 28mm Napoleonic Armies (One French and one Allied) to six lucky youngsters who take part in a specially designated "kids" game at this summer's Historicon.  This is the fourth year that the club has done an Armies for Kids project.

The armies this year were generously donated by Jay Hadley, Ed Mohrmann, and the staff of Nashcon.   Also, Chris Johnson is constructing a set of paper terrain to give each child along with their armies.  The HAWKs will also be giving the kids a ground cloth, dice, rulers, and rules to go with their armies.

Next year the HAWKs will be working on a 40mm ACW project for the Armies for Kids 2015 based on a core donation of troops from Maynard Creel. If any of you have 40mm ACW you'd like to donate to help fill out this project so more kids can participate, please contact me at 

cnjpalmer@aol.com  We are also always looking for donations of any armies for future projects. 

HAWKs' Historicon 2013 "Armies For Kids" Project is a Big Success.

The HAWKs ran their third annual "Armies for Kids" project game at Historicon on Saturday afternoon.  The game was held as part of the HAWKs' Kids Table program in which the club runs a series of games designed especially for kids on two specially designated tables all day Friday and Saturday at the con.  Eric Schlegel volunteered to run the "Armies for Kids" game this year, and he had a full house of five eager players.

GM Eric Schlegel, (in baseball cap), asked a player an ACW trivia question.

  This year's project was Civil War themed and each kid was awarded complete 54mm Union and Confederate Armies as well as a box of terrain, after the game. During the game, Eric asked players ACW trivia, and those that got the right answer got special bonuses in the game.

A young commander moves his troops.

The kids played using the exact same armies, and some of the terrain, that they were going to be presented with. The young generals had a great time, as did the onlooking parents. And it was great to see the future of the hobby involved in the game.

After the game the kids were delighted to get their armies, several not realizing that they were going to get free armies in this game. 

Gamemaser Eric Schlegel (in center) and his happy generals show off some of their armies.

An example of what each child received.

The club is already making plans for next year.  We hope to have two games, one of which will be 28mm/30mm Napoleonics, and the other 20mm ACW.  If you have any figures, terrain, or game aids you'd like to donate, please let me know.  cnjpalmer@aol.com