Old Dog learning new Tricks

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Omaka 2013

With my Melbourne trip fast approaching I've been up-skilling myself on using Lightroom to organize and sort file all my images. Having watched a few videos on Lighroom and learnt alot in a short time. I now have a streamlined work flow to a point where I've cut my processing time in half. A few new plug-ins into Lightroom means uploading photos is faster and easier, but best of all, the minor things I normally adjust in Photoshop I can actually do in Lightroom which is saving me an obscene amount of time. Adjusting the above flat and dull photo took all of 30 seconds.

Roll on The Centenary of Military Aviation Air Show 2014 - Point Cook - Melbourne

Steel Guard, Ninja’s and Ticket to Ride

Like the title, it’s a bit crazy, the week at work, seems like I haven't had a day off in months. Thankfully work wont take to much of my weekend. But I cant complain as I’ve only got a 2 day work week coming up then off to Melbourne for the air show. Can’t wait.

Anyway, at the end of the Battlecry tournament last week, the prizes were given out and next years tournament was discussed, with the plan is to go for another 600 point tournament but restrict it to a biblical theme. My Vikings or Egyptians don't make it into that period. (So .. oh bugger I need another army … twist that rubber army of mine.) As it would happen both the winners, Richard and Steven put up there vouchers they received as they didn't want them. As did Will with his best sports award. So I ended up getting them. (Thanks Guy’s, I definitely owe you lunch or something). So what army to go for, decisions , decisions. In the mean time I’ve started on my Samurai army for FOGR, and just finished up cleaning a bunch of Ninjas. Yes I know they don't belong in a Samurai army, but I just have to pop a few in the ranks for fun.

On the Dust side of things the boys dropped a large bit of coin on Dust models, thanks to Mighty Ape having a stall there and loads of stuff. Which means all my SSU Dust models I have will see some more action. Which is kinda nice, since I now own almost every model in the SSU. So this evening I busted out the airbrush and the Russian green paint and attacked the Steal Guard along with the Flames of War tanks I undercoated last week. So they are now well underway. I also throw together an army list of all my models and ended up having a game legal list, with only one model “Red Lighting” not in the list. Now this is a Russian force

Dust Warfare - Force Builder
Faction: SSU ( 974 / 1000 )

---  Heroes
Koshka Rudinova with Grand'ma (53)
Nikolaï (20)
Yakov (21)
Red Yana (22)

---  Red Platoon (273)
Command Section: "Red Command" Red Guards Command Squad (25)
1st Section: "Red Thunder" Red Guards Antitank Squad (20)
2nd Section: "Red Storm" Red Guards Assault Squad (26)
3rd Section: IS-48 B "Lavrentiy Beria" (85)
4th Section: IS-5 A "Mao Zedong" (85)
Support: "Nadbludatyel" SSU Observer Team (8)
Support: "Hailstorm" SSU Heavy Mortar Team (24)

---  Political Platoon (180)
Command Section: "The Drakoni" Commissar Squad (25)
1st Section: "Chinese Volunteers" SSU Auxiliary Attack Squad (15)
2nd Section: "Ohotniki" SSU Rifle Squad (20)
3rd Section: "Ohotniki" SSU Rifle Squad (20)
Support: KV47-B "Natasha" (40)
Support: BR 47-100 "Red Fury" (20)
Support: MIL MI-45 Airborne Transport (40)

---  Defense Platoon (80)
Command Section: "The Medvedi" SSU Command Squad (25)
1st Section: "Frontoviki" SSU Battle Squad (20)
2nd Section: "Fakyeli" SSU Close Combat Squad (21)
Support: "Jnetzi" SSU Sniper Team (14)

---  Steel Guards Platoon (325)
Command Section: "Heavy Red Command" Steel Guards Command Squad (45)
1st Section: "Red Tornado" Steel Guards Assault Squad (35)
2nd Section: "Silent Death" Steel Guards Sniper Squad (30)
3rd Section: KV47-E Aero "Nikita" (45)
4th Section: KV-3 M "Babushka" (50)
Support: MIL MI-47B "Burner" (50)
Support: MIL MI-45 Airborne Transport (40)
Support: KV47-G "Mikhail" (30)

Over kill …maybe … :-) … looking forward to testing these guys out

 

Also last weekend at Battlecry I purchased the expansion map for Ticket to Ride Africa. Tonight I got it out and played it for the first time with my wife. Surprise Surprise, she kicked my butt, almost doubled my score. The board is high quality like the rest of the Ticket to Ride boards, and it brings a new twist to the game with terrain cards that double your scoring points. The place names do a bit of a number on your brain the first time, but I think after a few more games that wont be an issue.

A nice expansion for a great game, and a good game to unwind with that doesn't need alot of brain power to play.

Battlecry 2014 – Day 2

Another cracking summer day saw us in for a hot afternoon at day 2 of Battlecry 2014. After my whippings of yesterday I was matched up with Arthur in my first game. The game started well and it was tit for tat for quite awhile, and then things went south. Arthur breaking my army in the end, but I did get kill half his army so got some points.

Second game of the day was a rematch of Phil’s Spartans, who I beat up a few weeks back. Phil deployed well and had lined up my softer Freeman for a pasting by his Spartans. So in fear of receiving that pasting, I tried a manoeuvre that was a little risky. I ran my heavy hitting Huscarls forward and slide them across partly in front of the Freeman so they would all overlap. Managing to find enough turns I got the line reformed enough to survive the first impacts. The turning point of the game was when I sneaked around the end of Phil’s battle line and hit them in the side, thing turned really good for me as a result and I won the game losing only one battle group.

Last game of Battlecry I landed with facing Will and his Romans. So for fun I went a little nuts and chose mountain terrain with as much as I could get on the table. The dice decided to laugh at me soon after as Will rolled me completely.

So I ended up coming 6th (I think) on the points table…. out of 8. Not bad for so many pasting's. The weekend was alot of fun and the 600 points games were great fast fun. I definatelly be going along again next year.Thanks to Battleline Miniatures for the sponsorship.  http://www.battleline-miniatures.co.nz/

I took a few other shots of things going on.

Battlecry 2014

Drop the “Battle” and just Cry 2014 is more like it. One win and two utter wippings.

My first game was up against Chris with his Cathy’s. Having played his army several times before I knew what to expect. With a good start on the terrain deployment and some bad rolls on Chris’s side, I walked up and rolled through him wining well and truly. The game was won on my overlaps, and share numbers in each of the smaller battles over the game.

The second game was a completed turn around as I faced of against Richard with his Later Mycenaean. The outcome was the same as last year when I played him. I got completely wiped out. Probably the worst every terrain deployment for my Vikings. No I’m not making excuses, Richard is a superb player and won on skill, but the terrain didn't help me at all. I spent half of my forces chasing Chariots off that I was never going to catch while the other half got slaughtered. A few bad rolls and some mistakes by me. Getting my support to close causing a chain reaction of failures and Richard destroyers me.

Game three I faced off Steven, who I had never played before, running a force similar to my New Kingdom Egyptians. Terrain this time was much better. I knew straight up that I was in for a long fight, and spent the game running across the battlefield chasing his five battle groups of Chariots. I hadn't learnt from my previous game and got myself into pretty much the same situation as in the previous game with getting my support group in to close. This time I saw it coming, but not quite soon enough to stop it happening.  Crash, Bang, Wallop… I lose completely again. Still it was a fun game and the guys are all really good spots.

We had plenty of time to walk around and see what else was happening and I shot a bunch of other photos.
Some good old Epic looking awesome.

 6mm Gaming .... crazy small scale to paint.

28mm Napoleonic 

Star Wars Lego display.

Three games of Field of Glory Ancients done and dusted….all great fun, but I’m definitely ready for a better day tomorrow, better on the wining side that is.

Chinese New Year Lantern Festival

Last night I headed out to the opening night of the Chinese New Year Lantern Festival. Taking my camera of course on the least busiest night , I played around with the crowd and exposures.

Also played around with a few photoshop filters to bring out the images a bit.

Then there is always a favorite of mine, the zoom photos.