MINI WARGAMING: “Barbary Pirates Are Back!” (23 June 2008)

June 23rd, 2008 MaksimSmelchak Posted in 28mm, 28mm Fantasy, Blogs, Drunken Samurai, Flagship Games, Mini Wargaming, Miniatures, Pirates Comments Off

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TOP: The workbench is cluttered as usual!
Hi All,

Well, any weekend I get to work on the hobby is a good one and I was able to spend a good amount of this past weekend working on miniatures projects.

The above photo is of a 1'x1' project board loaded up with models. On the far right is a Flagship Games resin ship loaded up with some of my 28mm undead pirate crew. To the upper left of the photo are some armored orcs that I picked up cheaply awhile back. And most of the rest of that project board is covered with orcs that I am converting to become a 28mm fantasy pirate crew.

As a side note, I picked up the "project board" practice from an old gamer buddy of mine named Kris. He would buy a cheap sheet of chipboard and have it cut up into rough 1'x1' sheets. The typical 2' x4' sheet yields eight "project boards" They're sort of like building puzzles on a flat piece of card board. By working on the "project boards" I save my tabletops and they make it easy to move projects around. At any rate, I found it a good idea years ago and am still using them to the present day. Thanks, Kris!

I've also been saving spare plastic 20mmx20mm mini bases for my fellow blogger and gamer, Drunken Samurai. If you've never checked out his blog, I highly recommend you do so. He does some pretty neat work.

Drunken Samurai
URL located here:
http://dspaintingblog.blogspot.com/

Please excuse the low quality of the photos. I was having some difficulty with my digital camera and decided to go with low-quality shots rather than have none to share.

TOP: 25mm Barbary Pirate crew - mostly RAFM Ottomans and pirates.

Well, I'm up to almost 30 Barbary pirate figures at this point divided into two crews of fifteen men each. The above unit is mostly equipped with firearms. I got a deal on some old RAFM Turk and Ottoman figures so the latest acquisition really plumped out my tiraleurs (riflemen). The last batch proved difficult to work with, but this batch was a breeze. I'll update this post later with product numbers.

I haven't found a good ship for these fellows yet, but I have an extra galley or two that might do the trick.

TOP: 28mm Barbary pirate crew: mostly old RAFM.

The above lot is mostly a close-combat crew armed with cutlasses and various small arms. The two gorilla-like corsairs had their weapon swaps repositioned to stick straight up so that they'll rank better. The RAFM figures are definitely older 25mm ones and they are puny compared to "heroic sculpts" of 28mmm or larger scale.

TOP: 28mm armored orcs ... in need of headgear!

And the last batch if figures that I worked on have been orcs for my nephew Vincent's upcoming 28mm fantasy orc army. I picked up this batch of armored orcs used somewhere... I think that they are Harlequin / Black Tree although they might also be RAFM. I have a bunch of GW Bretonnian heads with nice medieval helms in my bitz box so I'm planning to add headgear to these fellows in the near future.

Have a great Monday!
And good gaming to you!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.
6mm-Minis is Maksim-Smelchak's blog to discuss gaming, miniatures, books, movies, Israel, Judaism and life in general. My favorite scale of miniatures is 6mm, which is also often called 1/285 or even 1/300 scale. I enjoy many different kinds of games including ancients, Napoleonics, WWI, WWII, the Arab-Israeli conflict, Car Wars AKA Autoduel (a sort of crash'n'derby automobile combat game), 6mm Godzilla AKA Kaiju games, and science fiction games. I'm open to everything though!
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MINI WARGAMING: “28mm Undead Pirate Crew Work” (23 March 2008)

March 23rd, 2008 MaksimSmelchak Posted in 28mm, 28mm Fantasy, Black Cat Bases, MWS, Pirates, Undead, Work bench Comments Off

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Top: Two Black Cat Minis skeleton captains.
One is customized with a GW militia pistol.
Hi All,

It's been awhile since I last posted... I've had alot going on. Prime among those obligations has been a job search. I feel like I've been to a thousand interviews, when in reality it's only been a few more than a dozen. With any luck, I'll hear back from one of the better options later this week and may be moving to a new position soon. My references have been checked and I've submitted work portfolios so here's hoping. Please wish me luck.

Top: Two Reaper Razig characters.
One is customized with a GW militia cutlass.

On the gaming front, I've been keeping busy with the local MWS gaming club... But the majority of my effort has gone into 28mm pirates. I volunteered to host a 28mm pirate game this month at MWS and DID! I wanted to give LOTHS a whirl, but I didn't have enough time to learn the system so we went with a very simplified fast version of Pirates! from Flagship Games. The game went really well and there were six players plus myself game-mastering. I ran it as a very simple beer & pretzels historical pirate bash. And true to form for Pirates!, the fellows on the smaller ships all ganged up to try and work Greg M, in the hulk. Greg was a great sport about it and I want to give my thanks to Don, Greg, Mike O., Harry, Joe and Mike W. I also owe a hearty thanks to Nils who lent me his Asian pirate ship.

Top: Another shot of the Black Cat Minis skellie captains.

Mike O. wrote this about the game:

Maksim ran his Pirates! game using a very simplified version to try out the game at theclub. Several of us had a rousing good time shooting up Greg M.'s ship!
This weekend I've been working on my 28mm fantasy undead pirates since my game finally passed. During the weeks leading up to the Pirates! game I hosted, I exclusively worked on my historical pirate crews and let the fantasy ones sit neglected. So, this weekend I pulled out the 28mm undead pirates and went to town. About a year or two ago, I first became interested in doing a 28mm undead fantasy army and at the time, one of our local gaming shops had a huge clear out sale on Reaper's 28mm Razig undead pirate faction so I bought out the lot. While I got a great deal, I also got alot of doubles and even triples of the rank & file and character minis. That's not such a problem for rank & file, but having three of the same character running about the board always looks odd so I planned to build one stock version of each character and customize any extras. I primarily used some odd metal bitz from my collection and alot of GW plastic sprue bitz from the Vampire Counts skeleton, zombie and Empire militia sprues. A last note is that all of the undead pirates are based on resin deck basing from Black Cat Miniatures.

Top: Two Reaper Razig characters.
Top: Two more Reaper Razig characters.
Top: A back view of two Reaper Razig characters.

I also bought at least two packs of Razig's Chain Gang, which I didn't care much for, but I figured would mod up well. And they did.

Top: Two originally identical mod'ed Razig Chain Gangers.
Top: A view with a watch lantern in full view.
Top: Another two Razig Chain Gangers.
Top: The last two Razig Chain Gangers.

Good gaming to you, reader!

Have a great Sunday!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures / videos: These are not all my images and videos. I am using various images and videos from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images and videos under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (...if it is indeed an infringement).
6mm-Minis is Maksim-Smelchak's blog to discuss gaming, miniatures, books, movies, Israel, Judaism and life in general. My favorite scale of miniatures is 6mm, which is also often called 1/285 or even 1/300 scale. I enjoy many different kinds of games including ancients, Napoleonics, WWI, WWII, the Arab-Israeli conflict, Car Wars AKA Autoduel (a sort of crash'n'derby automobile combat game), 6mm Godzilla AKA Kaiju games, and science fiction games. I'm open to everything though!
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MINI WARGAMING: “Added Lanterns & Doors to The 28mm Ship” (22 January 2008)

January 22nd, 2008 MaksimSmelchak Posted in 28mm, 28mm Fantasy, Naval Wargaming, Pirates Comments Off

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TOP: The Fore Castle & Front Mast Socket of my 28mm pirate ship.
Hi All,

I've still been toiling away on my 28mm pirate ship project... and have finished the following:

- Added three pairs of conventional lanterns custom-made from card and beads.
- Finished two of the three sockets with railings for the eventual masts.
- Added two "skull lanterns" to the aft castle.
- Added three pairs of doors to the fore and aft castle cabins:
(A pair to rear aft castle cabin wall, and a pair each to the front and back of the fore castle cabin bulkhead)
- Almost finished drilling out the ship's grates.
- Added balsa wood trim across various parts of the ship.

TOP: The Aft Castle Deck with new "skull lanterns"...
...placed to the sides of the central lantern.
TOP: The Fore Castle cabin with new doors...
...and conventional lanterns added.

The project is coming along, but there's still plenty to do.

Among those chores are:

- Adding ladders between the central deck and the raised fore and aft decks.
- Adding the railing to the central deck mast socket.
- Building the three masts along with crow's nests.
- Creating three sails.
- Building the rigging.
- Adding balsa trim to much of the rest of the ship.
- Adding magnetic stripping to the aft and fore castle cabins.
- Adding steel paper to the bottoms of the aft and fore castle decks.
- Detailing.
- Basing the entire waterline ship on a piece of plasticard.
- Priming.
- Painting.

And being that real sailing ships required far more labor and skilled construction hands than my simple resin miniature, I can only imagine how much labor went into their construction. The rigging alone is tough to imagine putting together. I'm gaining new respect for the sailors of yesteryear.

A link to all of the photos I took here:
http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f23/Maksim-Smelchak/28mm_Pirates/28mm-Pirate-Ship_1-12-2008/

Good gaming to all and...
Have a great Tuesday!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures / videos: These are not all my images and videos. I am using various images and videos from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images and videos under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (...if it is indeed an infringement).
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MINI WARGAMING: “Thinking About Your 2008 Hobby Plans?” (18 December 1007)

December 18th, 2007 MaksimSmelchak Posted in 28mm, 28mm Fantasy, ASQL, Mini Wargaming, Miniatures, Miniatures terrain, New Years, WAB, WHFB Comments Off

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TOP: The Heroes of Beni Hana Pass make a stand...
...from a game of 28mm Oriental Adventures earlier this year...
Hi All,

Lately I've been thinking about what sort of hobby resolution I'm going to make for 2008...

- 28mm WAB Saracen / Moor / Arab Army
- 28mm WAB Celt / Gaul / Arthurian Army
- Planning to learn WAB in 2008 and play in the local leagues...

- 28mm WHFB Undead army for me...

- Split part of undead army from Gothic Vampire Counts theme to Tomb Kings Egyptian theme...
- 28mm WHFB Empire army for my nephew Quinn
- 28mm WHFB Orc / Gobbo army for my other nephew Vincent
- Planning to play more WHFB this year and possibly participate in the local leagues...

TOP: 28mm Orc Shamans work a power totem...

- 28mm Pirate Ship
- 28mm Historical pirate crew
- 28mm Undead pirate crew

- 28mm Orc pirate crew

- 28mm fantasy scenery
- 28mm graveyard
- 28mm village buildings

- 10mm sci-fi armies
- Want to play ASQL in 2008.

- 10mm modern missile boats
- This project is nearing fruition... must get to it!

- 6mm sci-fi armies
- Command Horizon?
- Epic-Armageddon?
- Dirtside III?


- 6mm town for Kaiju Stomp'in

- I want to build a new mat for the city and lay out city zoning blocks.

TOP: Orc & Goblin Wolfriders were torn apart...
By katana and exotic magic...

And every year, I only make one hobby resolution and finish off that project. Sometimes I get more done, but I only hold myself to completing one project... After all, life is busy and we all have families, jobs, etc. that take us away from the fun stuff.

This year in 2007, I resolved to work on my 6mm kaiju set, but I switched streams early in the year and built my 28mm Vampire Counts army for Warhammer Fantasy Battles (WHFB) instead.

*** What are your 2008 hobby plans? ***

Ah, decisions!

Have a great Tuesday!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures / videos: These are not all my images and videos. I am using various images and videos from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images and videos under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).
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MINI WARGAMING: “New 28mm Vampire Counts Minis!” (13 December 2007)

December 13th, 2007 MaksimSmelchak Posted in 28mm, 28mm Fantasy, GW, Undead, WHFB Comments Off

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TOP: Awesome new Corpse Cart!

Hi All,

Quick post today: The other day ago or so some new teasrer shots of possibly new 28mm WHFB Vampire Counts figures. I'm impressed, for the most part, the sculpts are outstanding. All of the photos are reported to be from US White Dwarf 336.

TOP: Vlad has a new look...
TOP: So does Isabella!
TOP: A new skeletal standardbearer.
TOP: A new skeletal musician.
TOP: A new skeletal hero?
TOP: The whole shebang:
A new skeletal regiment.

I really like these skeleton sculpts. The skull sculpts are outstanding.

Have a great Thursday!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures / videos: These are not all my images and videos. I am using various images and videos from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images and videos under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).
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