The good news is that I have been pretty active on the gaming front. I've played a lot of different games, including playing in the Shifting Sands Flames of War event in January, and the Gathering in the Desert Bolt Action Operation Torch campaign event in February. I enjoyed both thoroughly...played some excellent opponents and had a fun time. I actually managed to be the top Axis commander with my Italian Paras in the Bolt Action event with a 1 win, 1 loss, and 3 tie record...just goes to show how poorly the Axis did! Next year Shifting Sands is supposed to be Team Yankee, so I'll be passing on it...not that I have anything against Team Yankee, it's just that I have plenty else to do and I need to draw some lines. Gathering in the Desert next year is supposed to be Normandy, so I am more likely to build a force for that than I am getting into a new period.
I haven't completed much painting this year, though I have been working a a few different things. I prepped a couple of 15mm WWI armies for Great War to be painted by Saguaro Painting Service, painted some 28mm WWII, based some figures for SAGA, and have been rebasing a 10mm army as I shift to that scale for my big battle ancients and medieval gaming.
Here are 3 Perry Brother WWII German Fallschirmjager MG teams. I am going to use these as additions to my Italian Para force when I want to play Chain of Command as the unit structure is different than that in Bolt Action. They are nice figures, but a little smaller than the Warlord Games Italian Paras as you can see in the comparison shot:
Comparison - Perry on the left and Warlord on the right
I also contracted some 28mm Varangian Guard for my SAGA Byzantines. The painter, Andrew K., had posted some stuff for sale on a forum and I liked his work. He was great to deal with and said he liked painting these up. The figures are from Crusader Miniatures with the exception of Harald Hardrada which is a Gripping Beast figures. All have LMBS shield transfers.
Harald Hardrada
Command
Spearmen - Front
Spearmen - Rear
Well, that's it for now. The next post will definitely be sometime in April as I show off the 10mm figures I've been working on. I am not sure what I'm going to work on after that...it will be something as I think I'm starting to get back into a groove.
