Even More Conversion Work

Artizan Partisan

 The Top figure is from the same Artizan pack as the BAR gunner. The other two are from North Star's SCW figure pack. The North Star figures are ok apart from the rifles which are a bit rubbish.

North Star's SCW figures. The rifle on the left has been changed.

 The Artizan figure was easy, I just cut off the old rifle at the left hand and drilled down through the hand as far as I could. I then cut out the rest of the rifle from between the hands and drilled a little way in to the right hand.

With a TAG rifle.

 I cut the left hand at the top to separate the fingers and make 1 thumb. The rifle had most of the butt cut off, just leaving a small peg. This peg was shaved down to fit in to the hole I'd drilled in to the right hand.

 The fingers where opened out to fit the rifle. The rifle was glued in to place using the peg and on the left hand.

The North Star figure was even easier. The rifle and right hand had to be cut away, I then drilled up in to the arm and used a Musketeer rifle and hand from a Black and Tan figure to replace them.

More Figure Conversions

 So I've wanted to do another BAR figure conversion for ages, but haven't found the right figure. Then I came across a pack of Artizan Partisans, one of which had a separate right arm. I spent 2 or 3 weeks with the figure on my desk, looking at the best way of doing it.

 I cut out some of the jacket (not enough) to fit the BAR and some from underneath the arm. I also filed down the BAR.

 The new right hand is from Old Glory and started out with a sword in it. I cut off the old right hand and rifle, then drilled in to the arm at an angle. I cut a V in to the new hand and tried to line it all up. This failed so I got out my gel super glue and went for it.

 Firstly I stuck the BAR to the body at an angle that looked about right. Then I stuck the arm over this and lastly stuck on the hand. The hand took 3 or 4 goes to get right.

 I needed to fill in a small gap under the arm pit with some Green Stuff, then sit back and draw a breath.

The figure has worked out very well and adds some more fire power to the SFF.
 I need to see how many converted figures I have and I'm now aiming at a full platoon.
I'll post some pictures of the other work I've just done later.

Twinwood 2013

Yes me, off to a point to point race meeting.

 Twinwood is a 30s, 40s, 50s festival at the airfield once used by Glen Miller in WW2. It's a great weekend for music, dancing and dressing up.

 These photo's where taken by my wife Clare, I hope they help you with painting ideas.

Yes me again.

This Ford just needs a Lewis gun to be part of VBCW.

Note rucksack and fuel can.

The lady on the right made the dresses and the hats.

Five Go Mad in Dunton Pt2

The hamlet of Dunton

 The five players were: Alan as Colonel Allen Faulkner, Dennis as Bulldog Drummond, Matt commanding his Leighton Buzzard Defence Forces, Dik playing BUF and Neil with the Anglican League.
Looking at the table Dennis was in the walled farm in the centre. The BUF came in on the road at the top, Anglican League the right, Alan at the bottom, Matt on the left.

Bulldog's vehicles in the farm courtyard

 Dik found himself facing a unit in BUF uniforms (Alan) but as these deployed in to a skirmish line, Dik was forced to move forward with his armoured car to block the road. Neil arrived on the table, de-bused and attacked Alan's forces around the church.
As Dennis held back, hiding Mr Johnson in the white barn and didn't reveal himself. Matt split his platoon one section heading for the terrace house as the other two moved to cut the roads.

 Dik forced his way in to the farm and started a fire fight with Dennis in the court yard. Tommy guns and BARs at point blank range. Meanwhile Alan lost a section to the Anglican League.
Alan failed to use the letter to get the Dik and his BUF on his side, which started to lose him the game.

Leighton Boys after a Lorry 

In the court yard it was an even battle between the BUF and Dennis's Black Gang. It quickly became a hand to hand fight with Bulldog himself killing three BUF.
Alan finally got in to the farm house and sore off a section of Anglican League.
Matt had decided to stay out of the fighting and search the terrace and then try and steal one of Alan's trucks!
Dennis lost Mr Johnson to the BUF and then made a run for it as He was now out gunned, Bulldog and the rest of the Black Gang fading in to the early morning mist.
Alan finally used the letter and got help from the BUF so seeing off the Anglican League and getting hold of Mr Johnson, just as the Leighton Boys drove off in his lorry.
A great game well played by all.
The winners: Alan and Matt
Loser: Dennis

Five Go Mad in Dunton

This is the background fluff for last weeks game. Each of the 5 players had between 25 and 35 figures on a 6x6 table.

The villages between Aylesbury and Leighton Buzzard are quickly becoming a battle ground for the Leighton Buzzard Defence Force and the BUF, But other forces are also in the area. Dunton is one of these small and one time sleepy villages.

Hugh ‘Bulldog’ Drummond

You bought the ‘Black Gang’ back in to action at the start of the civil war. Your aim is to help friends, stop the spread of communism and have some adventure.

You have been asked to rescue a Mr Johnson from his house on the Beds/ Bucks border.

You arrived at Mr Johnson’s home late last night to find him ill in bed. It’s now the morning and Mr Johnson is well enough to move, but now a BUF patrol is moving in to the village.

Your objective is to get Mr Johnson off table. You will need motor transport as he cannot walk far or very fast.

Troops

Platoon Commander with pistol

Platoon Sergeant with SMG

Medic

2x 10 man sections each with an SMG and LMG the rest armed with rifles.

3x vans, Lorries

Each section is commanded by an ex-officer so their nerve is 4. The men in the sections are all veteran. Some of your men are disguised as policemen.

Mr Johnson can only move at 4in per turn unaided or 6in if aided by someone. You, your sergeant and each section commander has a grenade.

Colonel Allen Faulkner

You have been sent to the village of Dunton on the Beds/Bucks border to ‘rescue’ a man name Johnson. You have arrived in the village at dawn, as you drive slowly in to the village you see a BUF armoured car in the road.

Troops

Platoon Commander with pistol

Platoon Sergeant with SMG

Medic

HMG with 3 crew

2x 10 man sections each with an SMG and LMG the rest armed with rifles.

3x vans/ Lorries

Your orders are to find Mr Johnson and get him off table. You also have a letter.

The Letter

 Leighton Buzzard Defence Force

You are in command of a new Leighton Buzzard Defence Force platoon. Your platoon is large at over 30 men, but is under armed with only 2 automatic weapons. You do have a large number of pipe bombs to make up for this.

Troops

Platoon Commander with pistol+2 pipe bombs

Platoon Sergeant with SMG+2 pipe bombs

Medic

3x 10 man sections 1 with an LMG the rest armed with rifles. Also 2 pipe bombs per section.

Your orders are to patrol through the hamlet of Dunton and search the buildings for counter-band.

5 points for a barrel

10 points a create

20 points for a vehicle

25 points for an LMG/HMG (taken from the enemy)

BUF

You have been sent to the hamlet of Dunton to search the buildings for counter-band. You have left part of your platoon to search a large farm while you go on in to the hamlet. Driving in you see a line of lorries.

Counter-band

5 points for a barrel

10 points a create

20 points for a vehicle

25 points for an LMG/HMG (taken from the enemy)

Troops

Platoon Commander with pistol

Platoon Sergeant with SMG

Medic

2x runners

2x 10 man sections each with an SMG and LMG the rest armed with rifles.

Armoured car

3x vans/ Lorries

Anglican League

Your intelligence section has found out that Lord Cirencester is interested in someone or something in the village of Dunton between Aylesbury and Leighton Buzzard. You’ve been sent to see who or what it is and try and get hold of it.

Troops

Platoon Commander with pistol

Platoon Sergeant with SMG

Medic

3x 10 man sections each with an SMG and LMG the rest armed with rifles.

3x vans/ Lorries

Full report tomorrow. 

Battle of Wing and Tilsworth Pt3

Another BUF Commander with a leggy female friend.

 The battle for Tilsworth started with the Duke of Bedford and the BUF facing off down the A5. Both commanders advanced with armoured cars first and these where soon trading fire. Both commanders also bought on all their trainsport and this soon clogged up the road.

Armoured  car on the A5 with Tilsworth behind.

BUF attacking the Tilsworth road block.

 The battle centred on the road for 5 or 6 moves giving time for the defenders of Tilsworth to muster at the pub and man their trenches. With no space to get his vehicles off the road the BUF commander finished up with a bus leading the charge in to Tilsworth.

Tilsworth defence line.

 Under fire from both the village defenders and the Duke's 18lb'er the BUF where forced to withdraw. The Duke was in no poistion to follow up or attack Tilsworth as he had lost his armoured car and some infantry.
This left the village in the hands of its defenders the Leighton Buzzard Defence Force.

Battle of Wing and Tilsworth, Pt2

The village.

 The attack on Wing started badly for the BUF. A chance card meant that their only vehicle broke down and didn't move for the rest of the game.
The BUF then had to get past the trench line on the edge of the village. Covered by an HMG the BUF pushed up the left side of the trenches and then up the road.

The BUF's only vehicle which broke down on the first move.

 The BUF cavalry advanced up their right flank towards the garage. The defenders where slow to form up and could only deploy an HMG to try and stop the cavalry.

BUF cavalry

 The cavalry bypassed the HMG and dismounted to attack a section in the white house in the middle of the village.

 In the centre, fighting was around the red brick terrace after the BUF over ran the trenches.

The Leighton Boys tried to counter-attack in the centre but this failed and they where forced back to edge of the village. The section in the white house lacked an LMG so couldn't get the dismounted cavalry to take an nerve test and started to lose  the fire fight. At this point I pulled the Leighton Boys off the table. And that was the end of the battle on this table.

Battles at Wing and Tilsworth, part 1

The second one day battle I've put on at the Leighton Buzzard club was about starting a campaign around Leighton itself. The story starts at the beginning of 1938, as follows.

The village of Tilsworth, with the A5 in the foreground.

 After their encounter with the Leighton Boys both the BUF and the Duke of Bedford see them as a threat. The BUF are planning to send two flying columns into Leighton, 1 from Dunstable and the other from Aylesbury.

The Duke of Bedford is also planning a large fighting patrol, with orders to cross the A5 and ‘show the flag’ to these upstarts.  

The village of Wing looking towards Aylesbury.

The Dunstable column ran in to the Duke of Bedford on the A5 and a fight started. Both sides where slow to move towards the village, giving the villages a chance to form up and man their defences. 

Tilsworth church.

 In Wing the BUF had a hard fight to get past a line of trenches guarding the edge of the village. This was not helped when their armoured van broke down on the first move and would not restart.

BUF attacking the defences of Wing.

This belongs to the Duke of Bedford.

 The Duke had some home made armour, but this was slow to get into the fight.

Finished Section And A New Gate

 Here are some photo's of the finished Anglican League section and a new gate.

 The gate is from Warbases, the fence is plastic and the tree is from a railway shop.

New Church

I bought the warbases church at Partizan and have just put all walls together. I decided to do the windows with clear cell and try and do some stained glass windows.

 My drawing skills are not the best, but I'm very happy with the result.

 I used 'Sharpie' permanent markers.

I'm just waiting for the roof to arrive from Antenocitis so I can finish the church off. 

I'm also going to repaint some of the brick work as well.