The first two articles of Series Three for
Henry are finished, just need proofing before sending and the painting is
coming along as well. The last 17 Mongols are finished and the lot are based
and packed away with their fellows but...while I was basing I found that I had
a standard bearer over. So you know what this means? Correct, another order to
Irregular for 10 Mongol LC –I already have an officer figure lying about- and
that will be a sixth mingghan for the
second tümen. Also, I have painted
another Chinese unit, this time of infantry spearmen and the bases are drying
as I write. But again, I have found that I have 23 remaining spearmen. So, when
the order for the Mongols goes in I will have to add another 7 spearmen to the
list. Checking the numbers (including the new figures) I will have a the
following totals to paint; 90 Chinese infantry, 12 cavalry and two rockets all
of which are from Irregular plus 67 Polish infantry,15 cavalry plus 30 Mongol
peasants and 45 Mongol cavalry from Pendraken. Couple of weeks work should see
them off. Hah!
So while I am painting stuff for the Mongol project my mind is
wandering. I have realised that the tinterweb is a double edged sword in that
it’s great for basic research but the stuff is at your fingertips...literally.
I’ve been looking at WWI in the east, Zulu Colonial (I blame the current repeat
of the excellent Shaka series for that one) and also a solo WWII Campaign.
Now bear with
me because there is a logical train of thought for the last. Several weeks ago,
we went camping in Sussex. On the way back we went a different way and drove
through Tenterden and that area. This got me thinking. Some of the buildings
were old when Charles I was a runtling so they won’t have changed much. Loads of
variety even for home made 6mm buildings, with the bonus that I can make it look
like the real thing –even down to the terrain. This gave me the idea of a What
If? campaign set in late 1944 or early 1945 after D-Day failed and the Germans
invaded England via Kent. Not long after I was perusing through the local Works
shop in town and found a modern reprint of the 1920’s equivalent OS Landranger
map in 1:50,000 scale of the area around Maidstone and Royal Tunbridge Wells.
Excellent! I have a German SS Division at 1:5 which works out at 15 Panthers
and 30 Mk IV’s plus Recce, AA, SP Art etc now all I need is an Allied army
because I have a few Shermans from my far eastern Americans (unfinished), some
lorries and ½ tracks but that’s it. More Shermans, Fireflys et al will be
required to see this project get off the drawing board. Keeping my eyes open at
any show Bring & Buys.
Another option
for a campaign is based on the old WRG Game-in-a-Bag, The Empire of the
Steppes, well, using the map anyway. So I got it copied (for my own use so I
don’t ruin the real one) and marked it up with the right states and
countries...and that’s as far as that one has got as well.
This is the
problem of a solo wargamer. Focus. To my mind it’s just a word that I use but don’t
necessarily follow. This is why the Butterfly Effect is prevalent as I flit from one idea
to another. Most of them will probably never happen but...
Keep painting,
MickS.
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