Sunday, July 26, 2026

Another Confederate Division for Gettysburg in 15mm

 12 days again!

Only 12 days from start to finish for this Confederate Division of Rodes, in 15mm.

The process, now having been committed to memory, is going faster than in the past.  This month I will have managed to crank out two divisions, one Union and one Confederate.  Not likely in the coming month, as more time will be set aside for other actions already planned.  Not to mention the time needed to form the new location game table ...

bare metal

brushed on base coat 
(still shiny and wet)

'damp brush' the pale tan

base colors

ink!

detail layer

matte coated (still damp & shiny)

onto base stands

flocking done

in a battlefield formation
with three of the new 'earthworks'
on the top of a new hill
(cloth is old, the foam hill underneath is new)

isolation photos of 4 of the 5 brigades

neat shot showing off the guns and troops
with the earthworks

So that looks like all the coming game action for July 2026.

August is shaping up to be more about the games table, even though it may not be done until later in the year - depending on more factors that I care to focus on.

This may mean I'll need to do a game on the old "back-of-the-chalkbord" tabletop system; though barring any major mishaps I may be able to game this Autumn on the new tabletop.


Friday, July 17, 2026

Free Wargames Library

 The good gamers at Little Wars TV have put together a free wargames library, that they have curated.

They announced it today with this video:

I'm certainly pleased with this action and plan to try out a few of the games.

WARGAMES LIBRARY

Sunday, July 12, 2026

Gettysburg Division in 15mm

 Back at the painting table at least, while the game table remains a plan, the troops to put on it have been continuing to assemble.


given two white horses to denote the
"Elite" status, this Corps command stand
is table ready now

bare metal

base coated
I decided the brush that I had used
for the past 300 or so minis had served
its life and have discarded it

white 'damp-brush' layer


color layer

inks

base colors done

mid tones

metallic and details

freshly matte coat sprayed

mounted to base stands

in a formation

flagging completed
I had done the other photo when I realized
the flags were not yet done

I have enough now, I think, to start a day one Gettysburg, though I may not have all the right sized Confederate formations.

The project will continue, this Division was done in one week from July 4 to July 14, 2026.

Hope your summer has some time to pursue your hobby.

Saturday, July 04, 2026

Titan in action

 My middle son has been busy using his 3D printer, to create a Titan.

today it got an exercise on the tabletop:


seen in the distance here from the Chaos attacking lines

A local game store hosted an "APOCALYPSE" game and he was most pleased to be able to take part.


set up in progress

continuing setup

I had him pose with it next to a 4 story ruins
the upper deck was above the top of the
terrain piece

setup mostly finished, you can see how many models
were on the board
(there was no 9" spaces available)

a detail shot, showing the access in the back

one more of the ruined building next to the Titan

Game ended after 2 turns, my son's Titan, and another, were still in action on the tabletop, having taken out many of the chaos stuff during their actions.

Rumor has it that another "APOCALYPSE" may happen during the summer.

Sunday, June 28, 2026

Slow and steady

 Completion of a couple of commissions from my middle son.

First the 'car' - one that he has 3D printed for an employer to  help visualize something he has been chasing for some time.


the finished product

It came as wheels separate, with no axles, so I had to build some from green stuff and grind out a bit from the 'angled' rear (non) suspension, which also needed green stuff to set up.

Green stuff was then also needed to secure the wheels to the axles that I rigged up from old model sprues, that I normally hold back for making my casting molds.

after a base coat, came masking and the main red
body coat

following some unmasking, then painting,
came more masking for the chrome parts

During the preparation phase, the bumpers also became separated from the model.

They were painted separately, then using some of the new metal discs I have, I was able to re-enforce the areas where the bumpers would be attached.

Final bits of real reflectors in the lights and some chrome painting, giving the final look.

 

My second son has also been at work printing other things, like this SD card box, based on a video game object.


in the end a quick painting job
got to test out the new 'neon' paints

With all the green stuff being used on the car in various parts, I was again able to finish off another gabion.

I have been slowly assembling them from various bits of green stuff when and as I have it available, this one has been at least 6 years in the making.

Finally, for this posting, I have a little sneak peek at the monster mecha that the 3D printing boy has been up to:



Continued maintenance here at the new home and frequent trips to the old one for yard works and security checks.  Still working on the table process, lighting and camera plans for the games space.  More to come this autumn.

Tuesday, June 16, 2026

15mm Battlefield tools :: entrenchments and burned ruins

 The recent Leipzig game brought to light some missing elements in my 15mm tool kit, certainly some that will be needed in 15mm American Civil War games in the future.

new 15mm entrenchments



central spot for artillery operations
partly decorated by 'ruined' wagons
(castings that failed)

Also, the need for burned villages became abundantly clear during the game, and again I thought some might be put to use in ACW actions as well.



the 'finished' village in the front right of the image
was one of the many that were torched
in the Leipzig game

the collection seen here with some of my
15mm Napoleonic troops


quickly done with scraps cut off
from my 15mm ACW bases

I'll be doing some more larger ones
for the other ACW buildings in the future