It was my birthday yesterday and I was lucky enough to get the starter set The Barons' War, which now gives me a bit of a conundrum. The models and rules look really good and it's a favourite period of mine, being a post-graduate medieval history and archaeology student back in the day, so I am enthusiastic about doing this as a solo project. It does mean some of my other plans would have to go by the wayside, however, which is a bit of a bugger but probably worth it in the end.
I used to have a tatty hard back copy of this book but it literally fell apart after the loft leaked and it got soaked. I've now found a new copy in much better condition and I'm hoping that it will give me some really good material for a set of scenarios, as well as a better grip on the course of the war in the air. The research for scenario projects is something I really enjoy and I'm looking forward to getting started in a couple of weeks when I have done holiday reading time.
I printed and cut out the cards and aircraft record sheets for a play test game of the scenario I wrote for Algernon Pulls It Off! last week. This is designed as a two player plus game but I'll be playing testing it solo at some point this week, which isn't difficult once you get going, even with a large card deck and lots of aircraft. I haven't played a game of Algy, or anything else for that matter yet this year, so I'm looking forward to it. Tally Ho!
After a bit of a delay due to work and family stuff, I wrapped up the 1/600th scale Albatros D.II of Ltn.Manfred Von Richthofen today, applying the decals and then a wash over of diluted Warpaints Pure Red. The upper wing crosses should really have white squares underneath but my I-94 decals were badly off register, so I just used the later ones instead. I will use this model for the McCudden's Cut and Run scenario, which I'm hoping to play over the next couple of days. Tally Ho!
I've been looking for a focus for a Bag the Hun Lard Magazine article for 2026 for a while. Although I do have an existing theme under research, the Arctic Eagles project, its not really ready for development into a full article. As a result, I've been trying to pin down a more manageable alternative. I've decided that this is going to be the Spanish Civil War, a conflict that hasn't been covered in any depth before fir Bag the Hun, apart from some aircraft data tables in one of the old Specials.
A key factor in this is that I already have the 1/600th scale Tumbling Dice models that I need and some decals from Flightdeck, so any expense will be minimal. I also really love the interwar aircraft involved, especially the Soviet fighters like the Rata and Chato, for example. I'm going to do some preliminary reading and research then plan to get painting as soon as I know what's needed. Tally Ho!
Two new titles from Helion Publishing for my birthday at the weekend, both focussed on the Spanish Civil War, a long time interest of mine but something I haven't yet tried to do. The initial interest is in the potential for a Bag the Hun scenario project, once again focussed on the interwar / early war era. I do like the idea of some linked scenarios focussing on the Republican Air Force, both before and after it was re-equipped with Soviet fighters and bombers. Excellente!
This sounds like a good way to shift things on my painting backlog and log jams this year. I've asked to be added to the list and will, hopefully, be submitting some entries on a reasonably regular basis over the next few months. The first will be the Albatros D.III of Von Brumovski that I painted up a week or so ago, as it would be a good way to kick off the challenge. After that I will aim to focus on stuff for Toofatlardies rules... sounds like a plan?!
A while back I bought some really nice custom laser cut platoon rosters for Through the Mud and Blood from Alex Sotheran, the Storm of Steel YouTube authority on the rules. I put them away for future use, as I was up to my neck in Algernon Pulls It Off! projects, with the intention of starting a TTMAB project in 2026.
So, here we are. I'm going to do some reading up on the rules and watch some of the game reports on the Storm of Steel YouTube channel, then work out if it's a feasible job to take on. If it is, I will aim to paint a couple of platoons in 15mm. Fortunately, Alex has set out exactly what's required in a previous online post, so I'm going to go with this:
"It depends on the year, but let's say you are playing in 1917, for arguments sake. For the British, a full paper strength platoon would be:
HQ: Leiutenant (1st or 2nd), armed with a rifle, or less likely a pistol, Sergeant armed with a rifle, two scouts/runners armed with rifles.
Rifle section: 1 Corporal armed with rifle, eight riflemen.
Bomber Section: 1 Corporal armed with rifle, six riflemen, two bombers.
Rifle Grenadier section: 1 Corporal armed with rifle, four 2 man rifle grenadier teams.
LMG section: 1 Corporal armed with rifle, 2 man Lewis gun team, six riflemen.
For a typical German platoon:
HQ, Leutnant (or similar junior officer) armed with pistol or rifle.
Zug 1 & 3: Gefrieter armed with rifle, eight riflemen, two bombers.
Zug 2 & 4: Gefrieter armed with rifle, eight riflemen, 2 man LMG team (either captured Lewis or MG 08/15).
The Big Men are the Leiutenant, Sargent, Leutnent, Corporals and Gefrieters, given appropriate command initiative levels."
I have a good stash of Peter Pig figures already set aside for this, but it's a big project to take on, so I may have to rethink it if it turns out to be too much of a hill to climb.
The next issue of Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy is available for order now and it includes my article and scenarios for Algernon Pulls It Off! Don't worry, as there's lots of other stuff as well if you are a First World War wargaming enthusiast! It's good to see some air wargaming in the magazine and, if I get the chance, I'm definitely up for another fifteen seconds of wargaming fame
It's the last couple of days of a painting challenge on the Algernon Pulls It Off! Facebook group, in which you have to paint a single Albatros scout in any scale or scheme, as long as it is historically accurate. I thought I'd have a go at Manfred Von Richthofen's red Albatros D.II from December 1916, which I can use for the McCudden scenario. I've only got one 1/600th scale model left in the box, so I have no room for error and not a lot of time either. I've started with a base coat of Army Painter Pure Red...what could possibly go wrong?!