Monday 24 October 2016

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn

Mwah, ha, ha ha.

"In his house at R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming." Only he ain't dreaming now.



 Dive, dive, dive

I think the Nautilus may have bitten off more than it can masticate on this occasion, when it investigates a new island that has just arisen out of the Pacific.




Captain Nemo puts the pedal to the metal -so to speak.




The Nautilus gets away.

This is a big reaper Bones mini in 28 mm, retailing for the very reasonable price of £30. The casting is excellent and everything went together smoothly with just a little milliput to fill in the joints.


Although I did have to boil him a bit to straighten one of his legs so it fitted the socket in the base.


I decided on Humbrol spray slime green as an appropriate base paint and added dark green wash and lemon yellow highlights.






Friday 21 October 2016

This Writers'Life


I always like to preserve the most amusing Amazon reviews of my work so here's a couple on my last two books.

Tabletop Wargames

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Written from the most narrow of perspectives, this is a great book if you love anything produced by GW, Osprey or Warlord which if wargaming were pop music would be the Spice Girls or Justin Bieber end of the spectrum of design, i.e. light and fluffy and with little worthwhile content. However, the book totally ignores whole swathes of innovative wargame design which is happening elsewhere in the hobby to much acclaim. A look beyond the Nottingham inner-circle could have been illuminating and provided contrasting opinions. Like so many rule sets of the populist genre this book promised much but ultimately lacked content.







Or how about this one for Poseidon's Warriors

By MR R W HEDGES on 20 Aug. 2016
Format: Paperback
I didn't enjoy these at all . I would say on a positive note that the artwork is amazing and will keep it just for that . However , the rules are not anything new or groundbreaking and quite child like . It would have a made a good boardgame in the old MB games style with some nice toy plastic ships . And as the above reviewer has stated the author doesn't appear to know his subject that well . Its a shame that David Manley wasn't approached to write a set for this period .


Is it any wonder writers turn to drink?

:-) 


Thursday 20 October 2016

Giant Mutated Armoured Nipples?

According to rumours doing the rounds on the Web of False Gossip, the above photo is supposed to be a reasonably accurate facsimile of a new plastic Magnus the Red mini.

It has giant mutated armoured nipples.

I mean how can an evil genius have giant mutated armoured nipples? Did Attila the Hun terrorise Rome wearing a massive steel bra? Did Hitler strike fear into Europe while boasting about the size of his nipples? Did Stalin sign endless death warrants sideways to avoid getting ink on his nipple shields?

Someone at GW has seriously lost the plot of this is true.

Friday 14 October 2016

SS-Ahnenerbe Air Defence Base

 Germany, 1945.

An SS-Ahnenerbe Enhanced Gorilla guards a Bachem Ba 349 Natter rocket point defence interceptor. Note that the weapon in the nose of the plane is an experimental Vril-Ray that attacks the minds of a bomber crew rather than the plane itself.


The model gorilla is a Reaper Bones miniature; the Natter was constructed from a 1:48 plastic model kit.




Thursday 13 October 2016

Review Reaper Bones Fantasy Models





Reaper Bones are 28mm Reaper miniatures manufactured in China from a soft resin. The resin is not at all like polyethylene 'soft' plastic in that it is not oily. After a wash to remove any remaining 'release' layer, it paints up really well and the paint stays on.

Best of all, they cost about £2-4 and are sold from UK suppliers.

The range is enormous and growing in both fantasy and SF.








Reaper stuff has always been imaginative and well sculpted but it became impossibly expensive to import metal models through the international mail.

Highly recommended.

Tuesday 11 October 2016

If It's Autumn, It Must Be SELWG

A view over the main floor at Crystal Palace.


There were more displays and trade stands up on the mezzanine floor, but my overall subjective impression was that there were fewer stands and customers this year. Admittedly, two of the clubs had to cry off at the last moment due to illness and a van expiring on the magic roundabout but even so...


Very British Civil War continues to be popular.


If you look carefully, you can just see Mosley's Blackshirts charging across the town square to liberate the Town Hall on this superb battleboard.


John Treadaway, the new editor of Miniature Wargames.

John was running a  very nice large scale 'Tomb of the Cybermen' participation game.


Morpheus Games in a prime spot under the concrete.

Morpheus were showing their Thunderbirds game. I managed to blag a Captain Kirk model from their upcoming project!


Infinity Engines stand.

This is a new company - to me - with wonderful steam punk/ Cthulhu models. The thing on six red legs is a Zero-Point Power Generator so beloved of Nazi conspiracy theorists.


Close Up.

I couldn't resist buying the steampunk UXB.


May the Force be with you.

Fantasy Flight Star Wars games continue to be popular.


Hysterical Games trade stand.

A great display of British Commandos attacking a German controlled port.


Secret Weapon.

A battleboard is improved considerably by a nice central piece like this V2. Isn't that so much better as an objective than a coin?


Dr Who.


And finally, the Warlord Games site were advertising their upcoming Dr Who game. The first miniatures were on sale and had sold out by lunchtime. This will be big chaps.

[Blatant advert warning: I wrote the rules.]

And that wraps up the stuff that caught my eye - well everything but my spoils.


Da Loot


This year I was strictly disciplined and left after my cash ran out. The rumour that my wife confiscated my credit cards is quite untrue: I gave them up voluntarily.


See y'all at Salute.











Saturday 1 October 2016

Poseidon's Warriors - Errata

I have just had the  figures for the first month's sales of Poseidon's Warriors and I am delighted to say it has sold pretty well, especially in the United States.

Thanks to everyone who has put their hand in their pocket.

An ambiguity has cropped up which needs elucidating:

Where on the ship data summary a vessel has a save of '0' it does not mean 0+, it means 'no save'.

It's pretty obvious from the context but ....

Entirely my fault, not Osprey's. I had one of those senior moments.

Happy ramming,

John Lambshead