Countdown to Blast(-tastic) Off!

Saturday sees the inaugral Blast-tastic SF wargames show in Bristol. I'm down to host an Aeronef/Aquanef game (with the able assistance of David Manley, hope he hasn't forgot!). It may end up being one or other as I'm not sure I'll have enough empty beer glasses for the show but it should be fun. Just need to dig the models and scenery out of the games room and set the alarm on Saturday morning! :-)

Aquanef: The Nautilus

As I have promised to run a cross-over Aeronef/Aquanef game at Blast-tastic I have been getting back into the "VSF zone" so to speak and whilst the dip was drying on Rogue and his friends I decided to do some paint work on this model of The Nautilus.

The model is actually a Christmas Tree decoration from Hallmark (eBay is your friend here) based on the 1954 film version rather  the Verne's description. It is an excellent model, some 13cm in length, and could be used just by removing the hanging hook, but I decided I want my underwater models to be slightly muted compared to the sea level (and above) craft so I repainted it in a grey-brown concoction I mixed up.

2014 Painting Target: 104/1000

Blast-Tastic! (and Bark At Ee)

Hopefully you will have seen that Michael at Angel Barracks is organising an SF wargames show in Bristol called Blast-Tastic!, to be held on October 4th next year. As it is in my home town it would be churlish not to get involved so I have offered to put a game on at the event.

After some pondering, given the selection of Wessex Games SF rules I had to chose from, I have decided to be ambitious and put on a combined Aeronef/Aquanef game with aeronef engaged in anti-aquanef warfare and battles occurring on, in and over the ocean. This should look pretty funky and the rules were written with this kind of thing in mind.

With 14 1/2 months to go I should have enough time to get everything organised...

Gromit of the Day:

Bark At Ee

French Aquanef

Just finished the final three French aquanef. Like the British these were dropcast so aren't as sharp as they should be and don't have the stabiliser fins (I was going to add some plastic card ones and forgot - and the mast, doh!).

The design is quite modern looking but is based on the Peral and Gymnote, both C19th vessels.

The paint scheme differs from the smaller French models, I did try that pattern on these and they looked horrible so after looking at some pages of WW1 dazzle camo on the web I went with this disruptive pattern, similar to that used on some ships in the Great War.

I'm now ready to go (just awaiting delivery of the SFSFW leaflets - please join), grab a bite to eat and raid an ATM and we'll be off to London and hopefully will reach the hotel around 10pm.

If you are at Salute tomorrow, see you there, if you aren't I promise lots of photos...

Escadrille de Aquanef

The first French are now done, a squadron of six small class 5 aquanef of two differing types. The models are loosely based on (IIRC) a German-built Turkish Nordernfelt but have been enrolled in the French navy for the purposes of the game as the Peral inspired model didn't mould.

Both have suffered a bit in the moulding process and the one with the round conning tower has a slight twist along the bow to stern axis which is very irritating but just passable.

Three class fours left to finish off, final touches and magnets to do now...

Aquanef Sighted!

Roll of drums... Here's a couple of photos of the first aquanef models! Managed to finish the British Squadron off over lunch so decided to post a quick couple of pics to the blog for you all to see.

The design was inspired by the early British Holland boats that entered service at the start of the 1900's and after feeling the overall grey scheme was very boring decided that because of the use of the underwater Tyrell Ray in aquanef combat that camouflage would not be inappropriate so took a degree of inspiration from the First World War naval dazzle camo.

The Royal Navy was not a great proponent of early submarines and viewed them with distrust so my view is their crews and commanders are kind of mavericks and paint their craft in weird and wonderful ways...

The models themselves are only drop cast so not as sharp as the final production models will be once I've had the opportunity to re-make the master mould, but they give you some idea of one of the British designs (there is a larger master of the same basic look as well for a heavier class machine).

On with the French now...

Countdown to Salute...

Things are becoming increasingly hectic at Bleaseworld as I try and get things ready for Salute, this thing called 'Real Life' doesn't help! :-)

A few things have gone pear shaped, notably the mould for the aquanef which was a bit of a disaster and in the end was cut up and with a pair of barbeque tongs was used to drop cast six aquanef to go with the six I'd managed to spin (although they didn't cast perfectly they will do for the game).

Anyway onto more interesting things and the problem of how to play a submarine game on a table and have surface vessels to sink. Trying to come up with something that was both practical and aesthetic wasn't easy. The idea of a two layer table was impractical to say the least and mounting ships on taller flying bases aesthetically unpleasing (they look like flying ships and we already do that game!). The solution, I think, is quite pleasing and effective. I've mounted a CD on a clear plastic beaker and covered it in the same sea effect as the ships bases. This gives a nice sea look for the ship and still allows for models under the surface to be moved with ease (apologies that the model under the surface is an aeronef but it shows what I mean and the aquanef are only at an undercoat stage). The effect without the CD is not as good and although you could just plonk the ship on top of an inverted beaker the amount of effort to texture and paint the CD is minimal and in my opinion worth it.

The CD/beaker solution is also useful for introducing aeronef who are either bombing ships of depth charging aquanef and allows for them to fly convincingly above the surface...

Rounding off here's a photo of some of the undersea flora that will be part of the game. Made from tropical fish tank grass mat and plants, hot glue gunned to CD's they will add a bit of visual relief to the game. I've also got a selection of underwater fish tank rocks and coral so it should look pretty eye-catching. If you are at Salute come and say hello and have a go...

Victorian Ironclads

In between eating lots of chocolate today I've got my Royal Navy ironclads to a 99% finished stage (they just need basing and flags), so here's some photos...

The models are mainly from Houston's Ships 1/1000th range and despite being a little rough, make and paint up into some lovely models. The main purpose of the models is to serve as targets for the French in the game I hope to run at Salute later this month. The idea is that it will be the first public run out of Aquanef, but Plan B (if this doesn't come off) is that the French will attack the British ships with aeronef.

Anyway onto the models. First off is my favourite, HMS Inflexible, a turret ship with a rather strange and unique design of only being armoured in the middle! I love the way that the two side mounted turrets revolve through the centre to face the opposite arc, with a bridge joining the two parts of the superstructure. My major quibble with the model is that this is not straight and cannot be corrected without rebuilding the piece from scratch. That said, it is far less noticeable once you've slapped paint on the model.

Next is HMS Collingwood, a barbette ironclad (ie. open turreted) of the Admiral class, a nice model, not sure whether to get another to do as HMS Anson or go with the HMS Benbow variant.

Simpler models are the Torpedo Boat Destroyers HMS Havock...

...and her sister ship HMS Hornet, differentiated by the funnel mountings, which come two to a pack.

Finally is Brigade Models, HMVS Cerberus in 1/1200th. Whilst the Cerberus served "down under" as part of the Royal Victorian Navy I have yet to decide whether this model is a (fictional) sister ship that remained in Home waters. Whatever, it is noticeable that this is a much finer model than the Houston designs (which I do like) and one can only hope Brigade decide one day to add to it with a few British and French battleships of the 1880-1900 period as apart from Houston there is nothing in this scale for wargamers for the end of the 19th century.

If this has whetted your appetite, Angus Konstam's wargames pages has some excellent photos of British and French ironclads from this period going hammer and tongs at each other. Every time I look at the photos though, I must confess I keep mentally transposing a few aeronef into the pictures! :-)