The Lions of Nezele

Time for some fluff  :D

The Lions of Nezele

Mysterious pilots flying the regime’s Cavalier II’s. Some say they are CIA, some say one is a Uzbek mercenary, others claim there’s a illegitimate son of General-for-Life Emmanuel Nwude trying to find a place in the dynasty, some even claim former Third Reich Luftwaffe pilots are amongst them.  Who knows?

They are the 7th Attack Wing (Glorious Lions) and they fly Golf Alfa to Foxtrot (Fxotrot sporting Garfield nose art). They are camouflaged in the standard Nelengele fashion of 3 tone camouflage, with sharks teeth. Compared to other aircraft in the Nelengele inventory they look a bit rough, but the mechanics make sure that underneath the peeling paint and oil stains beats a strong mechanical heart.

The 7th operates from Nzele AFB which is a old single hardend  4200 feet runway dating back from before WW2 (formerly known as RAF Bloodieot), housing the small fleet of 6 Cavaliers as well as a few transports (possibly expanded with a helicopter group in the near future if rebel activity increases). The close location to the disputed border area and rebel camps makes this base vital for the government, and it is well fortified.  The Red Cross has requested use of a section of the airbase to fly in food and medical aid for the war stricken local community, but sofar this request has been denied, meaning most food is trucked in with occasional airdrops.

The rebels refer to the close support aircraft as Akapi’s (“ scorpion” in the native tongue) and rumour has it there is a bounty for capturing any pilot (dead or alive). Sofar no Cavaliers have been shot down, though 1 suffered a landing mishap recently, involving a very unlucky flock of flamingos and copious amounts of pink feathers.

The German Heer - what will I look for paint wise

I want to keep my 28mm Germans as generic as my 20mm ones. So I've been looking for tutorials how to paint these models in generic German Grey. I'm looking at this:

FOW painting Guide

I used the 1940 example when painting my 20mm's and I think it is good enough to paint my 28mm with. Fortunately, Christy Beall made this excellent tutorial with just what I need (that and I've added Crusader Miniatures to the list of mini's to buy as I like their 5cm mortars and AT rifle teams):

2nd Joker spent, or That spiralled out of control quickly!

Ok, a second hand lot of 20 riflemen from Portugal for 20 euros, a BTD order of SMG's, officers and a HMG for 35 euros and another second hand lot from the UK of 38 troops including 2 mortars for 40 euros today. Almost 90 troops in under a week, all BTD, all Early War, for just over a 100 euros. God I love the LAF.

With the new additions this is now fully complete troop wise.

• Command Squad - 6 men
• Infantry Squad - 7 men
• Infantry squad - 7 men
• Infantry squad - 7 men
• MG team - 3 men
• MG team - 3 men
• MG team - 3 men

I can now choose to spread the SMG's one per squad (as per the real TOE) and save some for the HQ options. Also, I've now filled the third MG team slot. With the new additions I can also field 2 80mm mortars,  a always handy weapon in Battlegroup (and real life). JP has mentioned he can supply me with a Russian greatcoated AT rifleman that should be converted to a German one for free.  So that is another slot filled in.

The 40 euro, and the Joker, came from my Crisis budget (the show, not my real life Crisis budget!) so that has now dropped to 260 euros. Yes, Crisis is in November, but I have already started planning what I need. Additions to my 20mm Kursk forces will be mostly PSC vehicles as they are so damn good, but those are something I will fill out on the day. Sofar, the only bit planned is another 100 slot paintstand for my budding Vallejo AIR and AK paint collection for the airbrush, meaning I will have 3 of them and that should fill up my desk nicely (splitting the desks into a PC only and painting only was the best decision I ever made, even if the actual event hasn't happend yet :P ) A painstand that size is another 50 euros. The 2 that I have are from Miniaturicum, and they won't be at Crisis, but several other companies do so I will have a gander at them when the time is there (and see if they offer up discounts for pre orders). If this 28mm has progressed as much as I hope it will, I might be tempted to grab a few more extra support options like a PaK and a IG, or a small car suitable for the Luftwaffe officer (for which I have a very nice Foundry model in my collection). I don't think I will go for any of the tanks, for me a 28mm game feels like it should be a infantry game, tanks feel too overpowering for me. Having said that, I don't mind fighting one in Early War, when even a ATR had a chance of putting one out of action.

Anyway, some PSC tanks, a painstand, maybe some 28mm guns. That is the plan sofar, and any money left over from the Crisis fund will be allocated to the buying of a Xbox One for when Fallout 4 comes out. I'm a huge fan of the series, and with the demise of my PC not so long ago this office desktop that I have as a replacement won't cut it.

Sprue Exchange

For a while now I've been on the list of the Lead Adventure Sprue Exchange, and the box has passed me by once, and should arrive again soon. The box is filled with what other wargamers put into it, you take out something you like and you replace it with something else (or more) what you think other people will like. And then send it on to the next one. Due to the fact it travels internationally, it can weigh 2 kilos max.

Last time I picked up some Skaven sprues and a 3D printed set of 28mm sized oildrums and a Az\tec idol. I put in  a stack of GW sprues and sent it on it's way again.

With the other box due to arrive, I started to wonder, why not do one locally? It is not rocket science, I fill a box with sprues, bits and whatever I can find that is useful to wargamers and send it on to the next one, and when everyone has had their fill and input I get it back again. And if everyone uses Kiala the shipping cost is max 3,95 euro per person and we can ship a max amount of 15 kilos.

So, I made a post on GW  Hobby (our local forum) to see if there would be any interest, and well, soon enough I had 8 interested, and that's a good start. The box is now 3/4 full, with anything from 28mm ACW to Skaven to a unused block or airdrying clay, Dystopian Wars miniatures and lots of other stuff. I've even added a stack of ziplock bags for people wanting to put in bits instead of half empty spures, les waste of space. This box is going out next week.

I've just started the same on the FB Dutch Miniature Wargaming page to see if I can attract some people there as well, for a seperate box.

I know it is a risk and all, I'm putting up several kilos of miniatures for no possible return, but I like the idea and spreading a bit of love through the community never harmed anyone :) And not everything in the world needs to revolve around profit!

Change of heart: Doomwheel

While discussing the Doomwheel and its potential (and weaknesses) with my Inquisitor group, I kinda had a change of heart. You see, my idea of Nurgle is subtle decay added here and there, not the boil ridden and infested dregs of humanity you usually see. Rust, lack of maintenance, that is more my kind of thing.

So....what if the Doomwheels I'm making didn't start out as Chaos? In Epic it is a huge warmachine with voidshields and heavy weapons, but what if the beginnings were much more humble?


The way I see them now, mine are a creation of a Techpriest on a long forgotten Forgeworld before 30K, made in limited numbers, experimenting with the process of creating a more mobile combat servitor, explaining the subtle differences between the 4 wheels. When this Techpriest went rogue (which is not the same as crossing over to Chaos!) he took his servitors and staff with him. Some of his staff split off to Chaos, taking some of the Doomwheels with them, and creating, eventually, the large War engines we know today. Now, this Rogue Techpriest could very well end up in the retinue of a ambitious Inquisitor, or be a force by himself, forever tinkering on his children to improve them. This gives me yet another reason to purchase a set of Kastelan robots and their handler...if I had the money. It also motivates me to get cracking on the Techpriest himself using the bits and pieces that I already have. I just need to find a proper name for the Imperial Doomwheel or code them properly.

While trading bits I managed to find somebody with a set of double weapons from the Sentinel, so these will be added to my stash and processed to fit on the 4 Doomwheels with a pin and magnet combo. Even if it means purchasing new magnets, these will make life so much easier for such a machine. Plenty of weapons combos I can give them :)

The painting scheme for them hasn't changed though. Dirty white with rust. Now to find proper decals for them (that don't cost an arm and a leg).


And in other news....

• Kim may be released in the weekend. From what I heard sofar, and to combat her depression, they have plans to send her to therapy 3-4 days a week, and support to help us put the kids in daycare as this is unaffordable on a single salary (2 kids 4 days a week is 2250 euros in daycare costs a month,,,,way more then I make) with help from our parents for 1-2 days a week. I'm still thinking about taking parental leave once a fortnight, but I would lose a days wages that way. Then again daycare for 1 day for both my girls costs more then what I make on a day! Oh well, a lot is going to change, that is for sure, fortunately Kim is cautiously optimistic atm.
• I managed to trade half a moving box of kits for a Star Trek Kazon Fighter/Cruiser for my starport, and some other kits for my WW2 and Modern Russians. I've listed a dozen more kits plus some GW lots for sale on various podia.
• Mark, a very talented local painter whom I always offer a ride when leaving the club, has offered me a Space Wolf Stormwolf for my trouble. It is already built, but I'm pretty certain I can remove all of the SW symbology and turn it into a standard assault boat, with magnetized weapons and a generic paintscheme, and a swappable cockpit so it works in 28mm and 20mm, and also doing Starport duty. And work for my Inquisitor warband(s)
• I'm eyeing the Space Marine Stormtalon for conversion to Starship for the Space Port. Simply repainting the cockpitglass makes it look suitably 20mm, plus a few changes to the weapon pods and other cosmetic changes will make it look the part. Sofar no luck in finding one secondhand that isn't badly put together, my aim is to find one still in the box so it will be easier to convert for my nefarious plans. And as cheaply as possible.
• GZG informed me my stuff has been processed and will be shipped asap.
• I'm spending a bit of time each night cleaning out the hobby room, putting more stuff up for sale, trying to get extra income and save up more for the future (and future purchases), as well as looking for parts on various for a to complete what plans I have. No buying!!

And I'll leave you with a inspirational video of Doctor Fausts Painting Clinic; the Kastelan

Ground Zero Games 30th Birthday and Burning a Joker

Ah, GZG. Been a fan ever since starting my on and off 15mm sci-fi love affair and painting my first not-Wall-E. Remember him? >> Wall-E!

Well, turns out they turn 30 this year. And they decided to give gifts :)

 GZG: 30th BIRTHDAY OFFER!
As some of you may have realised (I know that a few of you have been with us since the start!), GZG is officially 30 YEARS OLD this year!
The very first products I made and sold under the GZG name were produced in 1985, when people had to find out about my products from small ads in the back of White Dwarf (still an independant gaming mag in those days!) and Military Modelling, and then had to send orders by post with cheques or postal orders - yes, kids, there really WAS gaming around before the Internet….

I can't recall exactly what date in 1985 I actually began selling stuff - so July, being the middle of the year, seems as good a time as any - plus my own birthday is also in July, making it a good month to celebrate this milestone (sadly my own is considerably more than GZG's 30 years….).

I was planning to run an offer just for the month of July - but as the Armed Forces Day falls just at the end of June, I decided that I may as well start the Birthday Offer today, a few days early, so that those of you who wish to order this weekend can take advantage of the offer as well as contributing towards my AFD charity donation as detailed above.

So, even though it is GZG's and my birthday, I'm giving YOU the gifts! As it's GZG's 30th, every order totalling £30 or more* which I receive between now and midnight on Friday 31st July will have a generous GZG 30th BIRTHDAY GIFT PACKET of free extras included with the ordered goods! This will be along the same lines as my regular pre-Christmas special promotion - a "goodie bag" of free minis picked by me, that are relevant to the sort of items you have actually ordered - so if you order FT ships, you'll get extra free ship minis, if you order 15mm then you'll get 15mm freebies, and of course mixed orders will get mixed freebie bags! Just like the Christmas offer of course, the bigger your order the more freebies you'll get.....  ;-)
Please don't be cheeky and ask for specific items - it's a gift, after all - but those of you who have received our Christmas goodie bags will know that I do my best to supply interesting things that are actually useful in your games - those of you who have had the Christmas offers will also know that you will get much more value in your freebies bag than you would if I simply offered a % discount - plus you'll have the fun of the surprise!
* I'm keeping the qualifying value extra-simple for this time - if the final total of your order, the amount you actually pay INCLUDING postage and VAT where applicable, is £30 or over - then it qualifies for the 30th Birthday Freebies offer!  :-)
There you go - help to celebrate 30 YEARS of GZG products, and get some great FREE stuff - what could be better?

Thanks for reading,
Jon (GZG), 26/6/15.

On top of that, for this weekend only, they donate 20% off the order value to charity

ARMED FORCES DAY CHARITY DONATION:
This weekend (27th/28th June) GZG are once again supporting the UK ARMED FORCES DAY (www.armedforcesday.org.uk) - as I have done for the last two years, I will be donating 20% of the value of all orders received through the webstore during this weekend (from midnight on Friday 26th to midnight on Sunday 28th) to be divided between a selection of UK military charities - last year I split the donation between Help For Heroes (www.helpforheroes.org.uk), the Combat Stress Appeal (http://www.combatstress.org.uk/) and a much smaller charity but a particular favourite of mine, Hounds For Heroes (https://houndsforheroes.com/) which trains and provides assistance dogs for injured personnel in both the Armed Forces and the Emergency Services.
So, if you've been thinking about ordering something - do it THIS WEEKEND and help to contribute to some really worthwhile charities!

Though not our Armed Forces, we are allies in NATO and I commend anyone who donates to charity supporting soldiers as I feel they are not appreciated enough by most for the difficult task they do.

So....I burned a Joker. Decided this was a good a time as any to get more droids for my 20mm table while doing the right thing, and having spent nothing for the last 2 months (and being proud of that might I add) but with all of the stress lately i kinda feel like I deserve something. Maybe not the right attitude, but I did it anyway.

What I ordered:

GMM-CYB4 x2 (Germy's 2mm range - the land train front. This will be turned into a large single tracked droid with hoses coming out the back....though it depends a bit on how big (or small!) it actually is! Like a portable AC system, on tracks.

GMM-34 x1 (Another from Germy, Quad Transport Walkers, which I turned into walking power generators before here .... which I will do again but now with hoses attached)

RB-01 x1 (25mm robots - ordered them blind, knowing old style 25mm blends in with 20mm usually without any problems....really curious what these look like!)

MEC-02B x1 (15mm large cargo lifter, as a companion for my smaller lifter from Kurhasan)

 SG15-V13 x3 (GZG's 3 robot pack with a not-Walle-E, a not-R2-D2 and another robot containing doubles of each.....meaning I just expanded my collection with 6 more of each...I'm looking forward to making a few derelict Wall-E's :) )

Getting my mind off things - so why not plan a bit?

With Kim back in the hospital :( and the kids with various family members I'm trying to get my mind off things, and what better way for me then to plan my hobby out.


As things are progressing on my village/city, I think it is time to look ahead for a moment, what I have and want and plan a purchase/trade of miniatures to populate it.


Somalia/AK-47
Since the chopper hunt is in full swing, I'll cast my gaze on troops. Delta's, Rangers and Somali's. aka small (20-25 troops), medium (30-40 troops) and large (50+ troops). For Delta's it will most likely be Liberation, Rangers could be Elhiem and/or Liberation and the Somali's can be from various companies. I'd like to do the D's this year, Rangers and Somalis can come in next year. That is if I find any that is. Vehicle wise I'll focus on Technicals and a crashed Black Hawk. Little Birds would be nice for air support but they are pricey. Kits for the helos and Hobby Den for the vehicles. Since my AK-47 nation will be based on Somalia and Nigeria this gives me another reason to work on it.


Afghanistan
I've got a bag of Liberation Taliban ready, I'm just lacking in civillians (but SandS does great ones). I will not be doing any coalition troops, I'll focus completely on the Taliban/Northern Alliance for the Soviet occupation and up to the current day. Since I have so much ready on hand for this, it should be my nr. 1 priority really. But somehow it isn't. It is not like Taliban are hard to paint or something.


Lebanon
I've collected plenty of books with tons of pictures, and I'm stoked to do this. I'm finding the Hobby Den to be a perfect supplier of suitable vehicles for this one. Will be mostly ones and two's as I don't have any collection of miniatures yet, but love to convert Technicals :)


Iraq
1990's up to now (I will not get back again into the Iran-Iraq war other then air war gaming) and purely aimed at scenery. atm I have no interest in painting miniatures for it.


Sci-Fi
Anything goes. Plenty of bits to make add on parts with, and quite a few near modern troops are suitable for it. No rush though, more a in between bits project due to the lack of real 20mm sci-fi Infantry and armour other then conversions.


Pulp
Fortunately, for Pulp, you don't need many figs, so I'll be picking stuff from the sparesbin mostly. More for fun then anything else, though playing Pulp Alley would be nice with them. And I think I need a few mummies :)


WW2
No plans yet. That might change when the Battlegroup book is released though. Scenic wise can be combined with Pulp. Edging towards the Germans again but I might just do 2 300 point forces once I get back in the painting saddle. Long term.


Most of these projects will be because I'd like to have them, finding opponents for them is unlikely for most other then Afghanistan.