Monday 31 October 2016

Shopping and Vampires

It seems appropriate today to show my completed Alnwick Vampires. I've had a busy weekend with friends visiting from the South. A 2 day tour of Newcastle is hard on the legs and the liver.

View of the Tyne from the top of the Baltic Art Gallery

Halloween obviously and I've been done by loads of witches - down to last lollipop

I've bought a lot of things recently


Tynemouth Market - a great source of history books

Diplomatist Books - Edwin has such interesting stuff

Static Grass - Tynemouth Market - £1.75 per bag (should have bought them all)

The Angel Gang - my favourites and only £12.50 (still dear but 1/2 price)


And now back to the Northumbrian Special Constabulary - The Alnwick Vampires. Sorted out the photography







Officers and Miss Mina Harker

All the figures are Empress via Col Bill except Mina Harker who is either Warlord or Copplestone- anyway bought from Dice Bag Lady at Partizan (I think). Not a terribly precise sentence for an engineering scientist.
Been a while since we had some decent music and I heard this today. Love song from my youth



Thursday 27 October 2016

Secret Santa, Hills and the Alnwick Vampires

The Willey's are running their Secret Santa thing again this year and it was great fun last year trawling a new blog to find presents and I got a really great garden set for VBCW. So I signed up again. For my Santa my Christmas list is anything 28mm VBCW or Colonial African (or oddly enough some 28mm Mega City Judges - see below)
My experiences in Matt Crump's dungeon have made me want to improve my terrain so I've made a couple of papier mache hills, using shop bought hills as templates


As usual the photography is shocking

Finally I've been working on 3 VBCW units. The Alnwick Vampires.
The strange tale of the hunchback vampire that stalked the ground of the castle
bringing terror to the peasants, was the most famously recorded by a medieval
chronicler named William de Newburgh. Lord Percy has unleashed his secret police on Northumberland and the locals quickly called them the Alnwick Vampires and warned their children to be careful in case the Vampires get them






These 3 groups are the command groups for the 3 squads of Vampires and are Empress Spanish Civil War Republican Assault squad command figures. I bought them from Col Bill and were £32 for 28 figures. The figures are great but the grey uniforms were a bugger to paint with lots of subtle shading need - obviously you can't see this in the photos
Finally I've been buying lots of bits and pieces, flock etc. and at the tail end of the Warlord Judge Dredd sale the Angel Gang for £12.50 and free postage. I got the rules as well but they were free.

Sunday 16 October 2016

The Martyrdom of Archbishop Braddock - By Jimmy Olsen our embedded reporter


It was a bright sunny Sunday morning in October when Archbishop Braddock preached war to the congregation in St Andrew's Church in Hexham. He warned of the sedition of the miners in Alston and how they threatened the peace of Hexhamshire. He called the population to arms and marched them in a great crusade to Alston. I was embedded into the Army and stood by Archbishop Braddock's side throughout the great battle
As they crossed Alston Moor a motorbike scout rode up to the column and saluted the Archbishop. "Your Grace the miners are holding a parade in the town, displaying their arms. We snuck in and stole their bunting though. It will be a meagre parade. There are supplies of lead all over the town that we can use." 

View of Alston from Alston Moor

Miners parade

The approaches to Alston

Braddock asked "Is there anything else I should know?". "Your grace they have a 60lb howitzer, but I bet it doesn't work. Also they have a lot of pigeons, which is a little weird."

Miners Pigeon team

Braddock ordered the advance and the Army headed for the hills that overlook Alston.

The Army advances. The WI have received a letter from home. It is a scandalous piece of gossip stating that Mr Ponsonby is having an affair with the chambermaid. All the women rally round to comfort Mrs Ponsonby and even put the kettle on. This delays their entry into the fray.

The motorbike scout section leads the way, with the Belford Cricket team 1st XI and the Coldstream Old Guard on the right.

The miners send forth their armour and cavalry to delay the advance

The 60lber is in the centre of the town but it is slow loading

The 60lber fires and lands a massive shell into the centre of the motorbike scouts. They disappear in a cloud of red earth. Braddock drops to his knees and offers a prayer for their souls and then orders the Army forward.

The shocked Army continues it's cautious advance

The miners cavalry advances to the guard the allotments and their left flank

However the army advances in force with monks, cricketers and the Old Guard and quickly send the cavalry running

Braddock and your intrepid reporter advance under cover of machine guns. The machine guns are keeping the enemy pinned down allowing the army to advance

On the left the Army is advancing slowly. The light AT gun on the back of a truck has taken out the miners tank (top right). This valiant unit would also destroy the 2 remaining miners vehicles and deserve to be mentioned in despatches.

The miners have advanced to form a solid line of defence

In a reckless charge the congregation attack the house on the left but are pinned down by fire from the right and from the house. 



On the right the infantry are massed and the cricketers charge the occupied house and a vicious melee ensues. They are victorious but at great cost and the miners counterattack wiping out the cricketers. 

The monks attack and capture and hold the house.

On the left smoke has obscured the miners in the field and although they are pinned by the Rolls Royce AC they are going to be tough to move. Through the smoke the WI advances unleashing a devastating volley on the miners, rendering them ineffective

Seeing the WI attack the Cavalry decide to charge. The WI fire at the chargers and wipe them out. Even Mrs Ponsonby smiles.

The middle Guard advance on the house and clears out the behind it and most of the militia within it, saving the congregation

At the point of victory Braddock looks up to see a pigeon fly overhead and drop something. The bomb, for it was such, lands at his feet and kills him instantly, right in front of this reporter.

In the confusion one of the armoured cars brews up

But it is too late for the miners and they have lost too many men. Whilst they technically still hold the ground it is now a mopping up operation.
It has been this reporters greatest honour to report on the valiant action at Alston and whilst the day was marred by the sad funeral procession of Archbishop Braddock one must not forget the brave actions of the Army, especially the terrifying charge of the WI, the true shooting of the AT gun and the sacrifice of the Belford 1st XI. The pitches of Northumberland will be poorer this summer .

I had a great day at Matt's and you can read the biased and barely literate report of the miners here. We are planning the 3rd battle shortly.





Thursday 13 October 2016

Mojo Rising

After a hectic start to the University year and being turned into a snot monster for 2 weeks, I'm back into the groove. I've not really been in the mood for painting, and I have posted lots of terrain lately to compensate. The Hexhamshire WI being an exception but i wasn't that happy with them
I having been buying a few figs though, including a massive bargain from Col. Bills which is on it's way to me as I type. I did buy some Hasslefree figures though, like everyone I love their figs and needed some painting insipration. I'm really chuffed with these figures, some of my best work ever. Hope you like them, even with the washed out photography


I already had this figure but they sent it to me as a freebie


Cracking barbarian chick (what is the correct term here, it can't be maiden)


The obligatory mainly naked chick




My favourite figure - a really dynamic pose

I also went shopping on ebay and bought this cute little bomb shelter



Off to Matt's on Saturday for some VBCW action - Anglican League vs miners.
I also submitted my first turn for Clint's Klintanistan campaign "May my enemies tremble when they gaze on my countenance".
Finally Bob Dylan wonthe noble prize for literature. Effing amazing, love a bit of Bob. This is one of my favourites but the recording is very dodgy.