Working on 28mm 1870 Franco-Prussian forces

My current painting project is 28mm Franco-Prussian forces.  I've got an entire 28mm 1870 Bavarian infantry brigade base coated.  I'm now working on a 28mm dismounted regiment of Chasseurs d'Afrique, a 28mm 1870 Bavarian artillery battery, and a 28mm 1870 Prussian Krupp mortar battery.

Once I get the base coats done, I'll go back and finish up the 28mm 1870 Bavarian infantry brigade and the other figures.  I started this project back in December 2013.  I've been working on it off and on for six months.  I'd like to get completed by August.

I still have another 28mm 1870 French Turco regiment to paint along with French command and a 28mm 4 pdr French battery.  Then I'll be done with my 28mm Franco-Prussian War project!  That should put me into the fall of 2014...

WIP, 21MAY14

Here are photos of works in progress as of Wednesday, May 21, 2014:

                                          28mm 1870 Bavarian infantry brigade, WIP.

                                          WH40K DA Deathwing Terminator Squad, WIP.

                                          30mm High Elf Cavalry, WIP.

                                         30mm Menoth Bastion Infantry, Completed 21MAY14.
                                       

                                          WH40K Stormraven Gunship Kit, WIP.

Photos of a 40K game

Photos from a friend's WH40K game this afternoon:

                                          Scott and Ahmo playing WH40K at Game Nite in St. Louis, MO.

                                         Ahmo got on the losing end of vanilla marines.

Review of Space Viking

Author:  Henry Beam Piper.
Title:  Space Viking.
Publisher:  Bibliotech Press.
Copyright:  2013 (1922).
Pages:  164.
Price:  $13.00.

Overview:  This retro sci-fi novel is set in Henry Beam Piper's Terro-Human future history.  The Terran Federation has collapsed into barbarism.  Some worlds are more civilized than others.  Refugees from the Terran Federation settle on the Sword Worlds and found a feudal space faring civilization. 

The main protagonist is a Space Viking.  His wife is murdered on their wedding day.  Everything he does is to hunt down the man responsible. 

This premise of revenge drives the entire story.  The background is interesting.  Seeing how different civilizations respond to political crisises from the constant raiding and piracy that accompany the Space Viking way of life.  Outside of chain smoking on recycled air, the story is believable.  I enjoyed it (then again it was written in the 1920s).

Recommended.

28mm Darkest Africa WWI, 10MAY14 AAR

I played Don Cox in a 28mm Darkest Africa WWI on Saturday, May 10, 2014 at Wargamers Cave in Granite City, IL.  I ran the Belgian Force Publique.  Don had the colonial German regulars and askaris.  Things didn't go well for me.  Here are the photos I took of the game:

                                          Initial German positions.

                                          My Belgian askaris and artillery initial positions

                                          Don gets the the second movement cards.

             After losing my allied Tribal Muskets and Belgian artillery, I advance the rest of the army.

             Over half of my army is routed or destroyed.  I call the game and congratulate Don.

Review of Osprey MAA 191: Henry VIII's Army

Author:  Paul Cornish.
Illustrator:  Angus McBride.
Title:  Osprey Men-at-Arms No. 191:  Henry VIII's Army.
Publisher:  Osprey Publishing.
Copyright:  1987 (2005).
Price:  $15.95.

Overview:
This Osprey Men-at-Arms has illustrations of Henry VIII's army by Angus McBride.  Alas, this Osprey is now out of print.  I purchased mine on the secondary market.  I thought I was getting a good deal.  By the time taxes and shipping were included, I paid more than retail for it.

Paul Cornish, the author, does a good job of presenting the different armies Henry VIII fielded during his reign.  The major enemy was always France.  But Scotland figured in the fighting, too.

I bought this book as a painting guide for a future 28mm English Tudor army I want to buy.  I also wanted a 16th century Spanish army as its opponent.  I have all the gendarmes and their followers I need right now.  The rest I'll purchase later.

MAA 191:  Henry VIII"s Army is recommended alone for the illustrations and drawings of the Tudor army and its allies.

Review of Death of Integrity

Author:  Guy Haley.
Title:  Death of Integrity.
Publisher:  The Black Library.
Copyright:  2013.
Pages:  414.
Price:  $16.00 (US).

Overview:

Death of Integrity is a story about Terminators and genestealers.  It involves two different Space Marine Chapters:  the Nova Marines and the Flesh Tearers.  I enjoyed the whole space hulk premise.  But they didn't have enough marines to kill the hundreds of genestealers they had in the novel.  My suspension of disbelief isn't really big enough to believe that several companies of Space Marines in Terminator armor could kill that many genestealers.

Maybe I've played Space Hulk too long.  The size of the vessels they talked about were kilometers long.  It would take thousands of Space Marines in their terminator plate to secure a hulk like Death of Integrity.

Aside from that, I enjoyed the novel.  Recommended for the casual WH40K fan.