Gisby's Gaming Blog

August 22, 2022

VBCW: Burford-Kegresse Half Track

Filed under: 3D Printing, Paint and Glue Miniatures, VBCW, Wargames Atlantic, Woodbine Design — gisby @ 21:52

When I saw the Burford-Kegresse in a photo of manouevers in the 1920’s it was the first I had ever heard of it. It looked ungainly and awful, so I knew I needed it for my VBCW armies. I bought an STL file, and obtained permission to have it printed by a third party. (Paint and Glue Miniatures)

In real life, there was only a small batch made, and found wanting, they were scrapped in 1929. (They worked well enough, but the tracks, being a rubber/canvas composite, were prone to failing) I had thought they would just be a colourful piece of transport – imagine my surprise when I found they each had two (perhaps overscale) HMGs on a 360 degree mount. Suddenly they are a real threat.

They were also apparently difficult to print. Garry at Paint & Glue eventually printed the guns and mount separately in resin (I had ordered the cheaper plastic) to overcome the difficulties, and even threw in one of the ‘incomplete’ prints in case I wanted to use it as a wreck. It was complete enough that I was able to make a third half track.

But Garry went above and beyond on this commission.

The drivers and passengers are homemade, using blue stuff to cast putty bodies. The heads are Woodbine Designs WW1 heads, because all you really see of the drivers is their heads.

The gunners are Wargames Atlantic WW1 German officers, also with Woodbine heads. I had to narrow their shoulders to fit in the mounts, and fix the guns in place so I could remove the swivels (to widen the space for the gunners) The gunners are standing loose, held in place by the gun ring. The guns can rotate, and so can the gunners.

Space 1889: Skrill Rider

Filed under: Pulp Gaming, RAFM Miniatures, SPACE 1889, Victorian Adventure Gaming — gisby @ 21:45

I was looking for flying dinosaurs to use as skrill, and I came across a picture of the Rafm Um-Cijo Cliff Flyer. It looked interesting, and I put it on my list, while thinking ‘That is one miniature I never would have expected I would buy.’

Days later, I was searching through a box for some other figures…. and there it was, RAF3035, ‘Um-Cijo Cliff Flyer,‘ still in its package. The price tag was for a shop I had never heard of, and I certainly had no memory of the kit.

Sculpted by Bob Murch, it is superbly engineered – the wings slot into the body, and the outer wings fit in such a way that they almost don’t need glue. There was no need to pin the wings or any other parts.

The lower half of the rider is moulded as part of the flyer. I replaced the upper half with a Grenadier elf as a surrogate Martian.

I used the base supplied, glued onto a CD, with a length of coat-hanger wire to support the creature. Here he flies with a few lesser skrill.

August 21, 2022

VBCW: Matilda I

Filed under: 3D Printing, Paint and Glue Miniatures, VBCW — gisby @ 03:16

Tanks, in general, look squat and powerful: The wide fenders and skirts disguise what is essentially an armoured box with tracks attached to the sides, carrying a deadly gun to the foe.

The Matilda I (Infantry Tank A11) is not such a tank. It is very obviously a narrow armoured box, suspended between rather frail-looking track assemblies, carrying a single machine gun into battle.

It was however, well-armoured, allowing it to slowly get close enough to the enemy to be not very effective.

But it is a perfect vehicle for VBCW, where it is not facing 88mm guns, and a mobile armoured machine-gun is a lovely thing to have.

This model is a two-piece 3D print from Paint and Glue Miniatures. They provide good service, and I recommend them.

For more information on the Matilda I look HERE.

Space 1889: More Skrill

Filed under: Antediluvian Miniatures, Pulp Gaming, SPACE 1889, Victorian Adventure Gaming — gisby @ 02:59

Recently I have been looking for skrill. Like many others, I have been substituting flying dinosaurs for actual skrill. I have also used small-scale Nazgul mounts and dragons as small, niusance skrill. (They are cheap, which is nice)

Larger flying dinosaurs are usually quite expensive, fine if you want to use them as if they are a dragon, less useful if you want to use them like lions or wolves.

Antediluvian Miniatures has, in their Lost World range, a lovely Rhamphorhynchus, and not only is it well priced, but you can order a set of five for the price of four. This gives you a nice-sized pack of flying predators, and they are large enough to be threats even as individuals.

They are supplied with plastic flight bases, but I used bases of my own design. 40mm washers with sintra ‘rocks’ anchoring a wire support. The bottom end of the wire is bent and glued/puttied in place in the washer’s hole so it won’t twist loose.

The Rhamphorhynchus’s are far better painted on the Antediluvian site, but I wanted the pale blue look of the Space 1889 skrill. They are painted a pale sky blue with a lightly-pigmented brown wash.

Of course they are still useful for VSF, Pulp, and Lost World games!

Here they are with a skrill rider, allowing you to compare them to a Martian for scale.

August 19, 2022

VBCW/Great War: Renault FT

Filed under: 3D Printing, Back of Beyond, Butler's Printed Models, Pulp Gaming, VBCW, WW1 — gisby @ 00:42

I bought this tank for several reasons: To go with the Wargames Atlantic WW1/2 French infantry, to bolster my VBCW forces, and because I really wanted one.

The FT (commonly called the FT-17) is one of the earliest ‘modern’ tanks, with a rotating turret atop a tracked hull. It was used by (and copied by) many nations in both WW1 and WW2.

This model is a 3D print from Butler’s Printed Models. He offers a number of different variants, and also sells the turrets separately so you can switch turrets if you need a different version. It was a clean print, and takes paint and glue well – Of course I broke the main gun and replaced it with wire.

I chose a rather colourful scheme for the tank because it reminded me of a lithographed tin tank I had as a child. I keep wanting to wind this one up!

There are no markings on it, so I can use it for VBCW, WW1, Pulp, Back of Beyond, or even WW2. I could use it dam’ near anywhere.

For more information on the Renault FT, look here.

VBCW: Vickers Independent

Filed under: 3D Printing, Pulp Gaming, VBCW — gisby @ 00:26

The Vickers A1E1 only ever reached the prototype stage and only a single example was built, but it is so beautiful I needed one for my VBCW forces. (I have a weakness for multi-turret tanks)

In theory it should be a terror on the battlefield – A 47mm main gun, plus four independently-firing machine guns, it was designed to dominate the cover of ‘Boy’s Adventure’ magazines.

This model was 3D printed in six pieces, but is a bit of a franken-tank.

A good friend printed it for me, and it was a flawless print – But he didn’t cure the resin sufficiently, and on it’s way to me, the fenders warped like a flooded basketball court. The turrets were great, but he had printed all the small turrets the same, although there are two types.

The second print was commercially done. Plastic rather than resin, the dome turret had lines like a phonograph record, and he only printed two small turrets – Even more of the one I already had! But the hull was useable.

My friend tried again, just the small turrets, and printed two of each, so I finally had a complete tank. The original turret, commercial hull, and a mixture of machine-gun turrets. I had an extra of the anti-aircraft turret, which I sent to a friend in the UK who had similar problems.

In the process, I dropped the main turret and snapped the gun off. Luckily I had wire of the correct size to make a new gun.

For more information on the Vickers A1E1 Independent look HERE.

August 13, 2022

VBCW: Carden-Loyd SP Gun

Filed under: 3D Printing, Paint and Glue Miniatures, Reiver Miniatures, VBCW, Woodbine Design — gisby @ 00:27

In 1930, Belgium purchased six Carden-Loyd carriers for use as artillery tractors. By 1933 they decided the carriers were not up to the job, so instead mounted the 47mm anti-tank guns directly onto the carriers.

Needless to say, they still were not up to the task, losing stability, mobility, and overwhelming the crew. But Belgium had a mobile anti-tank gun, of sorts.

In my VBCW, nobody has learned anything, but they remember the Belgian ingenuity, and copy it for British use. They have plenty of carriers, and small anti-tank guns to mount on them.

The carrier is a three-piece 3D print from Paint and Glue Miniatures. It was a lovely print, crisp and clean.

Because the model is so light, when I added the crew, it sat back on it’s heels, and required a weight be added under the front hull so it would sit flat.

The crew are from Reiver Castings, with new heads from Woodbine Designs. (There was nothing wrong with their heads, they were just wearing the wrong hats)

Read more about the Carden-Loyd Anti-Tank gun carrier HERE.

August 9, 2022

VBCW: More Mounties

Filed under: 3D Printing, Paint and Glue Miniatures, Pulp Gaming, VBCW, Woodbine Design — gisby @ 16:02

In past years I have recruited a band of RCMP to serve in my VBCW, and a Musical Ride to serve as Cavalry. They have always been my favourites, but somewhat under gunned.

I found a solution on a VBCW Facebook page – Someone had taken the Woodbine Designs Vickers gun & crew, and given them the ‘lemon squeezer’ hats to make RCMP. (This is not my original idea, and full credit goes to the OP.) So that’s what I did.

There was also a photo found online – Not really RCMP, but they look like them, and that’s good enough for me. A motorcycle combo, with a Lewis gun on the bike, and a passenger with a Bergmann SMG (or similar.) I have NO idea why the APP thought they needed this, but I fell in love with it. For YEARS I had hoped someone would make it, but no luck.

Paint & Glue Miniatures has a lovely Polish motorcycle combo, and the passenger already has a small drum-fed SMG. A bit of carving, a pair of woodbine heads, and a Lewis gun, and I finally have my RCMP bike.

The bike is delicate in places, so you really have to be careful with it until it is based. (It’s a 1-piece print!) I avoided the problem by just breaking the two pieces apart (for ease when cutting, drilling, carving) and pinning them back together with wire. But it is a beautiful piece, and the print was perfect.

August 8, 2022

VBCW/Great War British lancers

Filed under: RENEGADE Miniatures, VBCW, WW1 — gisby @ 23:48

In the Great War, they soon learned that Cavalry could no longer be readily used in its traditional roles. In my VBCW, they completely forgot.

I had a spare unit’s worth of Renegade Miniatures British cavalry, and I figured they’d be more useful defending Dorking than sitting unpainted in a box.

The lances are made from floral wire, with pennons printed on my computer (In outline, with the colours painted in)

The only thing that makes these VBCW rather than BEF is… well… The shelf I keep them on? Yes, they are just Early War British cavalry.

But all in all, they are a good-looking unit, and will no doubt deal harshly with the foe.

VBCW/Great War: Woodbine heads

Filed under: RENEGADE Miniatures, VBCW, Woodbine Design, WW1 — gisby @ 23:21

I have recently been using Woodbine Designs separate heads to convert and/or improve other companies’ miniatures. These are all intended for VBCW, but they are all WW1 miniatures, so just as useful there.

This is a unit of Renegade Miniatures Highlanders, with Woodbine Tam O’Shanters. The original heads were large, crude, and ugly.

The figure on the left has the original head – The new head is quite an improvement.

I avoided painting the Highlanders for years, because I hated their heads. I also had Highlander HMG crews and a gas hooded crew that I really had no use for. But it was simple and easy to replace the heads with the Woodbine heads.

I snapped off the old heads and drilled a hole in the centre of the collar. I then twirled an Xacto blade in the hole to widen it, and the neck stub on the new heads fitted perfectly.

The Highlander HMG also benefitted from the head swap.

This is the same crew, but with a Balmoral Cap.

This crew was wearing gas hoods – I did a second crew with Balmoral caps.

I have also used their heads to make vehicle and artillery crew, they are all over my VBCW battlefields. They also allow me to feel clever for all my brilliant conversions, without my needing any talent!

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