In with the old, out with the new.

 After my last post I've been selling a lot of kits and spending more time with the kids, which included the Xmas holidays with lot's of Lego...and I realised I really liked that, and that my hands can manage that a bit easier (as long as I don't have to remove blocks from each other).

So, bougth some used Star Wars stuff for myself, (re)built that and quickly realised most of it is a bit useless for something like Stargrave. So I put some stuff aside to be sold again and bought some parts to make my own stuff, and boy was that a rabbithole if I ever saw one.

And I love it. 

Of course, me would not be me if I would not be tinkering with it.

I bought a railyard crane and bits to make it twice as long. I bought a Yakku Quadjumper and I'm almost finished (missing 2 blocks to make it perfect) changing one engine into a blue white one for that abused workhorse look. I made a lot of cargo (cover) and watched every bit of Stargrave Lego there is online to get more ideas. Now I'm looking for ideas for machinery, steam vents, data consoles and other things.

I did limit myself spending wise, max 50 a month, and I need to keep selling all of my unbuilt plastic kits.

Of course, when I got a super deal on a rebel cargoship I could not pass up that one, so yeah....it's my crews ship and I'm sticking to that :P

The Tie-Fighter, Y-Wing etc all are very, very nice but not much of a point so those can go. The Quad jumper is perfect, and ....and....

I'm not sure how this will go. I might get surgery again to see if my hands can be fixed, but till then painting is out of the window, it just hurts too much. And with Lego....you build it, it is done. No paint, nothing. Cost wise...not all that different tbh. Both are luxury hobbies. Used kits still demand quite a penny. But again, I'm creative and found stuff that is more than suitable for sci-fi even if it is not sold as such.

So hey, follow me into the rabbithole and see where this all will go :) I'm having fun again and for me, right now, that is all that matters :)

 Things were going well, stuff was collected, plans were made

Then I got Covid, again, and spent the full 10 days in Quarantine and now, a month later, I still feel like shit. No energy, I'm focussing fully on losing weight, helped by the fact my benefits have been cut by 20% cause I've been sick for a year already.

There is just no room for the hobby. Not financially, and not in my head. Actually thinking about just liquidating it all, I can use the cash and the space. 

Looking forward to 2023, hopefully that will be a better year.

Iran-Iraq in 15mm. I've been gathering supplies so to speak.

 

(Yes, I know, it's a shitty pic)

When the dinosuars roamed the earth I made a 20mm Iraqi army to fight Piers Iranians. I fought him once, the army was never used again and eventually sold. 

But it still attracts. I have a few books about it, seen more wavy VHS recordings of the war than what is good for me. I'm still hunting for info and every while I keep finding photo's etc I've never seen before.

But why 15mm?

Basically the main reason.....I'm not happy buying in the UK anymore. It takes forever to arrive, customs charges are rather painful.

I've looked at 6mm, but metal comes from the UK and printing wise I don't have a lot of faith in gunbarrels in resin. Infantry....I really suck at infantry in 6mm.
10mm same problem really. 12mm is way too expensive for what you get. 20mm, as much as I love Elheim, well, UK.

So...15mm. The big push was being able to buy up almost 600 euros of shop stock at half price, giving me all the infantry I need for both sides and then some. Plus a nice start in vehicles as I still prefer plastic. I find resin to be ok for stuff you can't easily get or is too damn niche. Wasn't too much fun when I realised Battlefront isn't doing a lot of metal anymore and they stopped producing all the fun bits in favor of flavourless bland crap, but I guess they focus on competition, not on historical accuracy. So I scrounged all around Europe and found various mortar teams, 37mm AA guns, M48 tanks and what not.

Rules wise it will be Northag. So basing in Fireteams and preferably round bases.

When will I start? God knows. I've been here for 6 months now, trying hard to find a proper home for me and the girls and the hobby has taken a backseat. Well, not really, I have to sell loads of stuff as I have plenty I'm no longer interested in or need.

I did cram everything in Excel so I can actually plan what I do instead of diving in headlong like a Viking Lemming (which is what I do usually, in case you hadn't noticed!)

Not much of an update this, but it's a start :)

How to kill a project in 4 weeks...

 Well.....

 I had picked up some stuff to do Winter of 44 in 15mm, and decided I liked cobbling with it so I tried to pick up some more stuff.

Metal seems hard to find and is expensive, and their flexible plastic troops are horrible.

4 botched deals in 4 weeks time with me bidding and winning stuff, having it reserved in my name and waiting for their payment app....and getting a weak ass sorry and they've sold it to another chap who wanted that specific item as well. I know, it can happen with anything, but the Flames of War sellers make me sick with this behaviour.

So, what little I've bought is going right back out again. Not wasting any time with this lot and saving me a ton of aggro. And what I make with is going towards another Tumbling Dice order.

Teeny Tiny Technical printed!

 Isn't it adorable?

Now to actually paint them.....

New stuff

 As I won't (well, can't) go on holiday but did have a nice jar of pennies for it, I set a part aside in the kids jar and invested the rest in myself. Most of it will be going to payments for a gyropractor to get my spine bent back into shape. Had 2 treatments already and I can actually move my neck around again without it sounbding like you are walking on twigs and gravel. Bloody expensive though....but worth it. Should have done this years ago, but was always dissuaded not to do that by the hospital. Well, they have not done jack shit in years, so hey. My call.

The rest I invested in new tools.

A Sparmax GP-35. I've read great reviews from other folks who have arthritis (like symptoms) and I want to start using the airbrush again, and I hope this will hurt a lot less than my Evolutions, that I haven't used in ages. Well, I can't even find them atm. Added a nice clear line to replace my old braided one, and a big bottle of Clean Slate 3.0 paint remover, as I have some old stuff to clean up.

Also made a order with Greenstuff World (boo hiss, yeah, I know....) as I have run out of greenstuff while working on a project (and it's damn good excercise for my hands). Bought a new tube cutter as my old one broke ages ago, and got some throw away brushes for weathering work. Also some Ork bits as, well, Orks.

Raising the 20mm German Army

No, not like a Necromancer

 

Facebook reminded me I got back from Ireland 10 years ago and I think it is time I bring the German army back to life. I made it for Normandy, but there is no reason why it can't work for Russia 44 onwards, so...

Grabbed some old bits and ran it through primer.

I made these aeons ago from Britannia figures for foxholes (in Battlegroup moving out of them removes them) and I like the visual aspect of proper things on the table. I can't remember if I made more, but these are a nice start. I still have my old notebook so I know what paints to use, always handy. 

Also picked up some boxes of PSC 20mm GAZ trucks (been promising myself those sinced April 2021) and will copy this prime bit of Beute AA. The keying on the bed to the frame could be better (well, there is basically none) but otherwise I'm not having any real issues and I like it. As soon as my new greenstuff arrives (I'm out) I'll rebuild the tarp as in the  photograph. I need to find my AA mounted DHsK that is in my stash ....somewhere. The open part of the bed isn't correct, but this looks better visually as the inside has no detail. I'll grab my scribing tool and do the next ones proper, easily done when when on the sprue. Now, not so much, but hey, challenges!

Also, nothing is stopping me from making a German and a Russian gunner of course on a drop in base. Well, maybe.