Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Toe in the water... Part 1

I have mixed feeling about the holidays. They're great for catching up on things because of the relative free time that's available. On the other hand I get lethargic as well for a variety of reasons. As this year closes, I wanted a new project to get my teeth into. 

Gingerly getting my toe in the water again.
I craved some inspiration so I can start blogging about my latest creative push. I also needed a muse to get my juices flowing again. Eye candy is what gets me going. So I either watch some movies from my collection... 

*PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL THESE PIX ARE CLICKABLE FOR ENLARGED VIEWING.*
Opening sequence from 'Enemy at the Gates".
The ill fated Strelkovy charge also from  'Enemy at the Gates" 

or go on the web where it'll link me to awesome imagery.  



The ubiquitous SU-76.


The ubiquitous SdKfz 251 HT with 37mm gun.
Getting inspired yet? I surely did. 

And if you'd read my earlier posts you'll note that I'm quite a fan of Stalingrad and the Eastern Theater. My later projects involved lots of 28mm. Bigger scale and better detail for these aging eyes...  

A Stalingrad table we set up at Justo's house while he was still in Houston for a game day.
NKVD Maxim mg crew from BTD.

Assorted Strelkovy from BTD.
Fallshcirmjagers from BTD staging for a mission.

Stealthy Fallshcirmjagers on their way avoiding the T34 beyond.
"Take out those Stalin's Organs!!"

However, I did start out in 15mm when I was consumed with FoW. This smaller scale has its advantages. 

The infamous 88 from Battlefront for FoW.
A pair of Sd Kfz 7/2 with the 37mm AA gun.
My all time favorite German tank: the Panther!!


Looking through my collection I realized the wealth of material that I already have in hand. But like most gamers I'm a pack rat/collector/accumulator and I always want more!

Then recently, Chris Trevino from our group (who's NOT my muse) ran a few Crossfire games. That got me intrigued because I've been itching to use my already completed Flames of War (FoW) Eastern Front Germans and Russians for something else. Since I was burnt out of playing FoW I sadly put them in mothballs. 

Kubelwagens and Sd Kfz 7/1 (Quad 20mm AA)
Assorted Sd Kfz 251 HT and Opel Blitz
KV8 (flame tanks)
Panthers and Maultiers 
BA10M Armored Cars, Stuarts and Honeys
Mid War T34-76 
All of a sudden I got excited thinking about using them again with another rules set. I had to get them out of storage and back on the table! And what better way to do so than to start another terrain table.

'So why not another Stalingrad-ish, urban ruins with a rail yard to boot in 15mm?" I thought to myself. And this time, I'll do it better than my previous half-hearted attempts.

My recently sold generic and unweathered box cars on equally uninspired flocked Kato tracks.  
This was taken in February of this year where I staged them with some
of my FoW Soviet Scouts with a KV1 in support. 
After a little ruminating and eye candy research to get me primed I immediately set out for my local train store and Eureka! I found all kinds of cool stuff. Here's my latest acquisitions. 


Compare these beautifully weathered boxcars from the ones above.
Just a small part of my Stalingrad and rail yard table. The Kato tracks will
definitely be weathered and flocked just in case you're wondering.
  
Scav Alert! Make sure that you do check out the consignment shelves of these stores b/c they're chock full of pre-assembled HO scale buildings, water tanks, towers, gantries, weathered boxcars, etc. that's perfect for 15mm.

Stay tuned...

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Seasons Greetings!

Happy Holidays from the entire gang (collection)! 
Alas, my camera doesn't have a wide enough lens to fit everybody!

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