Battlefield Accessories, All At Sea (and up the river)

Hi Team

Battlefield Accessories (BA) has been a favourite producer of Wargames terrain and models of mine for some time.

The team there have produced some outstanding models in the past and recently have been going from strength to strength.

No so long ago I approached Michael at BA to produce a ACW ironclad of the CSS Virginia type to use in some ACW scenarios I've been planning.

After all the River Fleets played a big part in that conflict.

BA has produced not 1 but 2 models for that conflict, namely an Ironclad, (City Class) and a steamer.

Now they have produced a ship for the Ancient period,...

I recently obtained a fantastic new kit from Battlefield Accessories!

Their very swish Roman Quiqureme galley!

The model can be purchased as a small or large kit.

The smaller model consists of a fore and aft section and hull section. 

The larger kit has two hull sections and a corvus (a device used by the Romans to grapple and board enemy ships).

Both models have removable banks of oars.

This is significant as it was a major tactic of the day to shear off your enemies oars to disable them.

The kits are all made from quality materials (3mm MDF), and the parts fit together very snugly and securely.

As with all BA kits, construction is intuitive however there are videos that are available for download via YouTube. I've included the link that will lead you step by step through construction of the kit.

This is a very superior option to written or printed instructions unless you live in a cave without access to the Internet. The fact the kits are only available via the Internet seems to negate that possibility,...

I've not included any photos here of the kit I've constructed as I'm in the process of 'pimping' my model, (painting and 'adding' some extra bits like ropes and shields).

However the video bellow shows you what a magnificent kit this really is:

https://youtu.be/mPS0XkuvbWs

Whilst there I'd recommend you look at the other kits that BA have, in particular the fantastic ACW vessels!

https://youtu.be/QFXNr5J_LS0

And

https://youtu.be/rIdPqLjvFJI

You can always subscribe to the BA YouTube channel and get the oil on all their fantastic kits.

Here's the link to the Battlefields Accessories online Shop:

https://battlefield-accessories.myshopify.com

Whilst there check out this beauty,....

LITTLE WARS 2016 round up

ABOVE AND BELOW: "Let's ago Viking"! A SAGA game at LITTLE WARS

Last Sunday 29 May 2016 I made my almost 'religious pilgrimage' to my favourite event on the Australian Wargames Calendar, 'LITTLE WARS'. A one day 'Showcase' event of Wargaming.
As usual there was a swag of participation and demo games on.
The guys from League Of Ancients put on an impressive PLATAEA battle with scores of Persians and City State Greeks battling it out.
There was a least two SAGA / Cross and Crescent games being played.
Also there was at least two 'Miniature variants' of the excellent Command and Colors' games being played.
Traders were present flogging their wares and the bring and buy stall as usual was up and running though I didn't see much this year in the 'second hand' stall too get excited about.
 

I thought some of the games on display this year were a bit below par. I really dislike games that have notes, QRS and food liberally splattered around tables, or miniatures that aren't well painted at 'Showcase' events and unfortunately there were a couple like that.

Fortunately however they were the exception to the rule. Most games presented lovely miniatures on nice terrain. 

Maybe next year I'll put on a participation game, (and then someone can criticise my efforts)

BELOW: HOPLITES!!! Who doesnt love seeing massed Hoplites?

BELOW: The Battle of Plataea 479BC. An impressive game put on by the Chaps from The League Of Ancients. One of the better demo games!

 BELOW: The games and trade stalls.

 BELOW: A very nice 6mm Samurai game "To The Strongest" I believe it was called. Nice terrain, Nice miniatures. An uncluttered table. As demo games should be.

 BELOW: A '300' version of Thermopylae?

ABOVE AND BELOW: TRIBAL!An exciting new Skirmish game between ancient tribes and clans. In this case Maori Warriors have at each other! It's all about honour,... 

 For Me the highlight of the day was discovering TRIBAL. A very interesting set of Skirmish rules for pretty much any period up to the advent of firearms, (though I think they could be adapted for them).
I'll post a review of these exciting new rules soon.

 ABOVE: A very nice canoe produced by BATTLEFIELD ACCESSORIES. 
Warriors (BELOW) are 28mm EUREKA Miniatures.

Reasonably Priced Realestate

Hi Guys
Well let's face it, we all want great terrain, but none of us want to spend too much because, well;
we all want great miniatures!
Terrain however really can make the difference between a game that looks good or looks FANTASTIC.
Part of the appeal of Miniature games is the eye candy, otherwise we'd simply play boardgames, right?

As some might be aware I did a comparison of two 'La Haye Sainte' models recently and BATTLEFIELD ACCESSORIES' offering was one of the farm sets I looked at.

Well the good news is Mike Parker has gone into a partnership with another chap and they have finally got around to creating a true ONLINE presence.

BELOW: The BA Church and below that the 'Destroyed' version


You can now purchase BATTLEFIELD ACCESSORIES (BA) terrain ONLINE!

  http://battlefield-accessories.myshopify.com/

The terrain is of excellent quality and very competitively priced .
I refer you back to my LA HAYE SAINTE review to get an impression of what I'm talking about.

The range is extensive:
Bridges
Factories
Workshops
Futuristic Buildings, Bunkers and Fortifications
Houses (both intact and destroyed)
Churches
MASSIVE 17th Century Star Forts
Inca / Aztec Temples
Japanese Castles
Crates
and on and on we go,...
with more to come I'm sure.


Nothing flimsy, and easy to construct BA Terrain is both easy on the eye AND affordable.
I highly recommend BATTLEFIELD ACCESSORIES.
For me, they are my ONE STOP TERRAIN SHOP!

 

BELOW: What can be done,.. just some of the 'Pimping' I'm doing at the moment to my BA Factory. Painting still to be done.

A Tale of Two Farms. Part Three

ABOVE: The Duke inspects the BA farm house (left) and the WLG farm house on the right

Hi Guys

Well we're finally here. Part 3 of my review of the WARLORD GAMES (WLG) and BATTLEFIELD ACCESSORIES (BA) La Haye Sainte Waterloo (LHS) farm set.

A reminder I'm just reviewing the actual MODEL that comes in the Box Set, which also includes plastic and metal miniatures (see PART ONE).

The first thing I noticed when I commenced construction of the WLG kit was the poorer quality of the material compared to (BA) kit (see PART TWO).

This kit from WLG is made from a much thinner and flimsier material. It's more like really thick cardboard rather than the thicker MDF(?) type material in the BA kit.  

BELOW: Compare the pair. BA material on the left and the thinner WLG material on the right

The instructions however are a different story. They are very professionally produced and assembly is simply as long as you follow the instructions. You could probably get the job done without the instructions but hey, they are provided, they are clear and easy to follow. 

BELOW: BA farm house on the left and WLG on the right. 

The level of interior details on the WLG version is very light on in comparison to the BA version.

Actually, apart from some interior walls within the Stable there is no interior details at all.

No second floor in the Farm House. No loft in the barn.

All of the various buildings are set upon 'bases' that interlock with the other bases upon which the other buildings are built.

This makes for a sturdy base however it does limit the versatility of the set. I want to be able to use the various buildings as stand alone buildings for other games like CHAIN OF COMMAND, FORCE ON FORCE or BOLT ACTION for example.

 ABOVE and BELOW: The WLG Farm House. No steps leading into the house, no interior details / walls and no second story. Just a big empty shell.

 ABOVE and BELOW: The Main Gate / Gate house. 
Best bit? The gates are hinged and freely swing open and shut. Cool!
Worst bit? Its affixed to this big arse base!

Construction was knocked over pretty quickly and took about two thirds of the time it took to assemble the BA version.

The roof construction was particularly easy.

If I could have the same system of roofing for the BA model I'd be beside myself. WLG version is much simpler and more robust I think.

BELOW: The WLG Barn and the BA Barn. Notice the loft in the BA version on the right.

 All in all however the BA Model is much more impressive and more robust due to the higher quality of the materials used in construction. Only the roofing is superior in the WLG version.
Furthermore the level of detail is superior in the BA kit.
Also the 'Online' support from Mike Parker is great, what with the Video Tutorials on YouTube and his own Facebook Page (search 'Battlefield Accessories').
You do however get an additional wall and small building (cook house maybe?) with the WLG version.
I'd be very keen to see which is the more historically correct kit.
The WLG LHS does come with a few extra pieces worth mentioning.
Two wagons, a small plough, three tables and six chairs, (for barricades or dinner), and some branches for barricades.
Also, you get some cardboard 'detailing' items for creating open shutters near windows and framing for windows and gates etc. (See Below)

 ABOVE and BELOW: Details of the WLG LHS farm yard and 'extra' bits.

 IN CONCLUSION

I think that the BA set is of better quality, more versatile, more detailed and excellent value for money.
The WLG offering is slightly easier to assemble (particularly the roofs) but isn't as flexible due to the individual buildings being affixed to some rather large bases.
Furthermore the BA set is the Farm Set and the Farm Set alone.
The WLG set comes with a swag of miniatures that you may not need or like.
The wagons and furniture are nice, but I can always purchase those things if I want them.
For me it's the QUALITY of the buildings / models that clinches the deal and why I give a nod in the direction of the BA version.
If however you do like the Warlord Games Miniatures and you're not too fussed on the detail of the actual farm itself the the WLG set is certainly worth considering.
As they say,...
"Ya pays ya money and ya makes ya choice".

 ABOVE and BELOW: The complete WLG LHS Farm set with roofs ON (above) and OFF (below). Notice the extra length of wall and small building in the bottom right corner

BELOW: The complete BA LHS set. Roofing removed. Noticed the second story in the farm house, and loft in the barn and small room in the stables.

 BELOW: Both the WLG (left) and BA (right) complete LHS Farm sets

I hope you find this review useful.

If so feel free to make comment.

UBIQUE!