Workbench - SNOOPY!

 As promised, here are some of the build up photos of the snoopy display that was ready just in time for Halloween.

final display as Snoopy resting with
Woodstock on his tummy

So the tale begins some 10 years ago with a vague idea of doing a Snoopy display, at least for one Halloween.

Snoopy on Halloween night out for a flight as the WWI Ace

Many of us were aware of the fun Snoopy tale of him being the WWI Ace on Halloween night.

I wanted to make the doghouse something that could stay up year long, then attack various Snoopy's to it along the way during the year and change them every so often.  At one point I almost did the whole display in waxy cardboard.

Like many other such plans it was shelved.  Then in October this year it was decided that much of the scrap wood that was at our 'to be sold house' needed to be cleaned up.  This was done, and in that progress I found that there was a section of packing crates - lids - that would be the perfect set up for the dog house.

Upon getting this all back to the new home, my son informed me that he wanted these scrap bits either used or he would take action to burn them.  Wasting no time, I used a bunch of the extra bits (as the dump was very busy that last run and we were pressed for time - which turned out to be good as I got all the extra plywood that would be used here!) to ensure the dog house would stand up in most of the weather.

photo taken just after building the raw dog house

I got on with the designs that I wanted on this first run:

the paper designs

seen as I was laying them out for the plywood
cutting

all would be done, just in time for the 31st

I was a bit of a race as there were other things I needed to do over the few days left in the month ... so I was often out doing bits, then painting so that they could be left overnight for the next stage.

just a quick gray base on this one

fast white base here, there was going to need to be
a modeling paste used on this one to fill in some of the
plywood holes

the fighter pilot was painted with the same as the dog house
so he was done fastest!

meanwhile the paint was also getting applied
to the dog house

and I painted on a set of lines
bit of a challenge in the light rain
using water based paints that did
not quite dry fast enough

on the 31st afternoon I was ready to put out
the fighter Snoopy

took the pictures too soon and needed
those 'bullet holes'

now he looked ready

fresh and ready for the night

cropped for the clip2comic photo

rocking the toon effect

At the same time I did up the other two Snoopy's that would adorn the dog house.

starting on November 1, it was Pilot Snoopy

Now here on the 12th of November, it is resting Snoopy with Woodstock

might be the one I leave out most often

They are all designed so that I only need about 2 minutes to switch from one to any other, just with a screwdriver.

I have plans for at least three others, Joe Cool, Snoopy at his typewriter (maybe with a section for easy 'words' to appear on a page above him) and likely a Snoopy looking up at his doghouse, as though standing to the right or left of the house.  I also noted that there's no dog dish ... yet.

okay I think I have accomplished something now

Campaign Continuing Diplomacy - game 1 scenario 11 "CROSSROADS"

 In an effort to continue to put Jeff Hudelson's Blood Axe miniatures into action, this time we have chosen his Alpian Wars set, in the pike & shotte era, and using the Victory Without Quarter rules set.

 

Stagonian Commander in Chief
captured in a sunset moment

We, Peter and I, have the total advantage now of being able to set up a games table and leave it up for as long as we desire.

So this time around it was nearly a month we took to leisurely run this first campaign match.

a decent overhead photo of the table
set up for the match

 

a scan of the paper map doodle
used to set up the table

the Alpian Commander in Chief likewise
got a beauty shot in the sunset that reached
across the tabletop

All the troops were designated with either Raw (x3), Trained (all the others) or Veteran (x2) status.

Then we diced off for the troops we were to have for the tabletop matchup.

Then diced for the map, which you see here.  In the video (further down in this post) you will see the set up of troops and the map doodling happening before the map gets set up.

We have decided to change the cards action for this campaign it would appear, for the first turn, only the brigade commands and CiC are in the deck, then as they are drawn the whole of that command's 'formation' moves.  Only two of the four possible cards are drawn, then the turn ends.  On 'Deck' number two the 'turn end' card is removed and all other cards are included, so that on the first full turn of movement, there is at least a chance for more troops to get their move in (some traffic jams are inevitable).

Stagonian horse on the far right flank

Alpian Knights, rated Raw

Stagonian 'Le Vert' Pike and Shotte
regiment plunge into the woods
on the far end of the battlefield

Alpian force seen from above,
the horse are still in column ...

Alpian artillery,
this game for the first four decks,
nearly all the the artillery actions
cards are drawn

Stagonian Knights, rated Veteran
lined up in the opening between
the two woods lines

Stagonian Commander in Chief

Alpian Commander in Chief

the new table set-up
camera is on its own little mount at the center
of the certain rod, almost covers the whole table

the Alpian Raw Knights didn't move much

Stagonian ordinance managed to get
set-up on the far left flank and
even get in a shot 

likewise the Alpian ordinance also moved
many times over the first four decks

Stagonian right wing in the foreground
Alpian Horse, rated Veteran, just starting
to break through the woods line ...

Alpian gunners run over by Stagonian Knights!

Alpian gun left in ruins

Stagonian Knights and the Purple Brigadier

Alpian horse sent to flight in a clash
along the woods line ...

an event card came up 6-1
and Stagonia won the roll-off
meaning two Pike and Shotte units were
going to arrive

'Le Noir' (the black flag) were Veterans
'Le Rouge' (the red flag) were Raw

 Now Stagonia had gone from a one unit deficit to a two unit advantage and only Stagonia had any artillery remaining.

deck 7 saw the horse losses pile up

 

the Stagonian Purple Brigadier was also captured!

We decided that captured/eliminated commanders could only be brought back into the campaign using the 'Maddening Subordinates' rules.

deck eight was a non-event
as the first card drawn was the
"Turn Over" card

 

more losses, as the Alpian Knights are
eliminated
some more Stagonian Horse also flee

the center hill became something of a
no-man's land
as both sides took time to dress the lines

Deck ten was another non-event

Alpian losses really started to bite
this Pike and Shotte units was eliminated
by sustained artillery fire at medium range

Alpian commands struggle to
maintain a line

the near end of game situation
Alpian commands are positioned to cover
the retereat

Alpian CiC concedes the crossroads to Stagonia

Stagonian CiC struggled at first, then managed to press
on into the crossroads objective

Stagonian foot and artillery really
did win this battle

panorama at end of game, behind Alpian lines

panorama at end of game, behind Stagonian lines

Game Video

coming soon to the MarauderS tabletop
a new 'scoreboard'