Winter of '79 Haul at Cavalier

Had a most enjoyable visit to the Cavalier show in Tonbridge and picked up a few tasty items for the Winter of '79.

Bring on the revolution comrades.

Winter of '79

Having lived through the 70s including the Winter of Discontent, I am attracted to the Winter of 79 British insurrection game.

Just what I need, a new project.

Picked up a few suitable kits in 20mm, taps nose........

Kent Medieval Wealden Hall House in 28mm

Timeline Miniatures make a very nice lasercut kit of a traditional Kent Medieval Wealden Building. A number of these are still around, albeit altered and rebuilt to a greater of lesser extent.In fact, Kent has the highest number of original timber-framed buildings in Europe.

The kit is dead easy to put together but I recommend you use a branded wood cement rather than simple 'white glue' as the former sets more quickly. All I did was slap on some textured Tamiya paint on the infills, which would originally have been whitewashed wattle and daub, and a thin brick wash on the tiles - the original roof would have been thatched. The jutting top bays are typical.

Inside, showing the central two-story hall with central hearth. By the 16th C., this would have been replaced by a fireplace and chimney. In its original form the high ceiling allowed smoke to accumulate at the top and leak slowly out through the thatch.

The two top floors off the kit come off if you want to use the rooms underneath.

This version does have the latest in sanitation, the drop-it-outside privy.

Ah the luxury.

A real one.


Great model: Recommended.

Blake 7

'Villa, teleport, NOW!'

"Where'd they go?"

Figures by Crooked Dice

Review - Sarissa Seelöwe Barge

I bought a couple of the new models by Sarissa of the Seelöwe invasion barges.

The first thing that struck me was that this was a much bigger kit than I had anticipated. I have put a 28mm Warlord figure on the back to give an idea of scale.

The kit has quite a lot of precut card to get the rounded contours and cover up the joints. I constructed it pretty much out of the box just adding a lick of paint and a Nazi flag to identify the barge as friendly to the Luftwaffe.

I really can't believe, that the German army intended to brave the channel and the Royal Navy on something like this. Given that they intended to cross at night I wonder how many of these would be scattered all over the Bay of Biscay by daylight.

The kit went together easily. You have to be a little careful assembling the bow mechanism as it all has to unfold so the Nazis can disembark.

You can use the barge as either an infantry or vehicle carrier.

A photo of some of the original barges.

Highly recommended.

Hell in the Pacific

The brave lad's of the US Marine Corps under the bold leadership of Simon E advance across the Pacific Island of Upper Gummtree under cover of a light tank.

A  Japanese light tank emerges from cover but is dispatched by a single shot that turns it into a blazing hulk.

More defenders are spotted lurking in the undergrowth.

Japanese defenders mass for a Banzai counterattack led by a tankette and some nutters with mines on the end of poles, which is what passes for anti-tank tactics in the Imperial Army.

Undaunted, the marines press onwards.

A seaplane from an offshore American cruiser skims the treetops and discovers the Japanese platoon.

It releases a hail of bombs and napalm. This poxy little float plane is carrying the bomb load of a B29 and the pilot is a dead shot.

Flamethrowers mounted on the tank and carried by the marines complete the  destruction of the Japanese counterattack.

The last remnants of the flank guard retreat back onto a hill for the last stand.

Which unfortunately doesn't take long in coming as the tank burns out the last survivors.

All except that chap on the hill. He ran off into the jungle until he was discovered in 1969 waiting for orders.

Simon E celebrates his victory with a handful of trophy dice from my army.

I celebrate my trophies: the positioning of my fingers is entirely accidental.

Hacks for Hire

Look what just popped up on Amazon.