Another Day, Another Legal Wrangle

It seems the final act on the Games Workshop-Chapterhouse court case has not yet settled.

The case seems to have been less than completely satisfactory for GW, confirming that outsiders can make bits to add to GW models and advertise them as same. The car industry tried blocking alternative manufacturers of items like exhaust pipe replacements some time ago in Europe and failed so I am not especially surprised. However, this one has more long term implications than the Space Marine PR debacle as it is a legal judgement.

The latest news is that GW's head of legal, Gil Stevenson, has apparently left the company in August to pursue other opportunities. You may make of that what you will or, indeed, make nothing of it at all. People do leave companies for all sorts of personal and private reasons and with the British economy picking up this is probably a good time as potential employers will be expanding.

Whether this signals a change of policy at GW that will halt the heavy artillery barrage of cease and desists remains to be seen.

Bolt Action: Type 95 Ha Go Light Tank

Finished my Type 95 Ha Go Imperial Japaese light tank. This vehicle was the core of the Japanese armoured regiments and fought in all theatres. The commander is from the Bolt Action plastic infantry box (more about them later).

Very pleased with this model. I dirted it with Citadel dark brown wash and orange-brown textured paint.

Corgi 1:50 Diecast Tiger

Picked up this little beauty second hand at Rochester Models sans box for twenty sovs.

Perfect for my Bolt Action gaming.

Damn Snails

Yesterday after dinner, as is my wont, I despatched the Wabbit Daemon out to mow the back lawn. As it was a gorious Autumn evening I stayed out myself to do some gluing in the fresh hour.


Unfortunately I dropped the sprue instructions on the ground - and a bleedin' snail shot out of its hiding place in a concrete crack and blasted well started to eat them.

I tell you, it's hell here in the rural badlands of, ah, Kent.

Review: Bolt Action, Imperial Japanese Type 95 Ha Go Tank

The Type 95 Ha Go light tank was a prewar design that was the only Japanese tank produced in any numbers. It was a decent tank in 1935 and performed credibly at Khalkhin Gol against the Red Army but was already outclassed by Soviet armour in tank to tank combat. They also performed well in the early colonial war stage of WWII but came badly unstuck when they were pitted against European Warfare armour like the Matilda II, Lee-Grant or Sherman.

The Bolt Action model is a nice kit with, thank God, resin wheels and tracks. The detail is crisp and only a little light flash has to be cleaned off.  It assembles in about ten minutes and looks good. I put one of Warlord's plastic infantry in the turret with a pistol and binoculars.

Generic Tankettes: 28 mm

I came across these little beauties on Ebay.co.uk being sold by a guy who trades under the name aylafred.

He makes resin models that he sells to support his animal charity work including VBCW 28 mm armour that is loosely based on real vehicles of the 1930s.

These tankettes are clearly based on the French Renault UE Chenillette tankettes.

The models are simplified but well manufactured. The price is amazingly competitive. These are £2.50 each. Vickers 6 ton variants like the Soviet T26 are around a fiver.

There are also landships like the Char C and so on and trucks based on Ledo models.

A great source of inexpensive generic AFVs for 1930s and WWII gamers.

No One Likes Us, We Don't Care!

The title of this piece comes from Millwall Football Club in the 70s. It was a famous chant of defiance from the fans to other teams' supporters.

Increasingly it seems to be the watchword for The Evil Empire.

I came across this note from Wayland Games on their Facebook Page.

And followed the thread to the Beasts of War announcement.

I cannot comment on the various legal arguments but as a wargaming customer who spends, I suppose, around £2,000 a year on wargaming products I would like to make the point that GW is seriously pissing me off by their constant attacks and threats.

And yes, this is affecting my purchasing decisions.