A “Box of Hope”

~ anthony ~ 1 Comment

I’ve mentioned in the last two posts that my job has seen me take a contracted position in India, or more specifically Mumbai, and as part of my shipping allowance I collated a single box of bits, that I now refer to as my “box of hope”. Thrown into this box were half finished projects, project expansions, terrain, figures, paints, and all the accompanying “bits and bobs” that a modeller needs to call himself a “War-Gamer”.

And while I was not successful in remembering to pack everything I would need, I have had to only buy small pieces (think skewers, glue, etc…) while here and the only large purchases have been spray paint which by their very nature are difficult to include in shipping.

The idea was, and remains, that by creating a “box of hope” from a “pile of shame” I might actually get a few things done and feel that I had made some progress in my collections given that opportunities to game in this part of the world are basically zero.

My “hope”…

  • ACW – 15mm – Mainly CSA, but also some USA infantry (paint & base)
  • ACW – 15mm – Seven Pines, Twin Houses (paint)
  • ACW – 15mm – Wilderness Tavern (paint)
  • ACW – 15mm – Generic wooden house (paint)
  • WW2 (Europe) – 20mm – Ruined buildings for Normandy. (build, wreck & paint)
  • WW2 (All) – 20mm – Wooden telegraph/power poles
  • WW2 (Far East) – 20mm – Japanese and Australians (rebase)
  • WW2 (Far East) – 20mm – Jungle scatter terrain. (build)
  • WW2 (Far East) – 20mm – Lanchester Armoured Car x3, (build & paint)
  • Dark Ages – 28mm – Woven fences

…if I can get through all this I will be quite happy, and depending on my progress I might have to swap the finished works into my collection in Singapore for something else to keep me busy.

Isolated Dabbling

~ anthony ~ 2 Comments

The adventure of the last few years has been slightly disrupting when it comes to anything gaming related, coupled with the ease with which I can find both distraction and procrastination. I can’t, really, say I have done much when it comes to the hobby.

So, I don’t know what took me down the rabbit hole of nostalgia but into that maze I ventured. First wondering when my old friend Thomo had first mentioned our games (27th August 2011), and then seeing that he was inspirational for much of the lead-pile and the accompanying “confusion of scales” that still haunts my hobby desk today. This post, early in our friendship, led me back to a moment when, with Thomo gloating, I had contemplated divesting everything 20mm WW2 in favour of the convenience of 15mm and the conformity that would give me across my collection.

Luckily this never happened. 

Lanchester Mk2 6×4 Armoured Car (Milicast Models)

The foray into WW2 15mm spluttered out as soon as it began, and while I did later flirt with 28mm and Bolt Action, I have remained a committed 20mm player when it comes to WW2.

And since I am “stuck” in Mumbai for the foreseeable future, and while the family is enjoying life in Singapore, I have been very (very) slowly using my time to dabble in rounding off a few projects I have had on the radar, mainly terrain, a few rebasing “bits and bobs” and maybe some small painting efforts. There is a certain irony, that I recognise, in realising that it has taken me leaving Singapore to finally begin my WW2 Far East project.

I think Thomo would appreciate (or so I hope) the beginnings of my efforts for future campaigns in Malaya: a Lanchester Mk2. 6×4 armoured car.

Fall of Singapore

~ anthony ~ 2 Comments
from National Heritage Board of Singapore.

Today is the 80th anniversary of the “Fall of Singapore”.

On the 15 February 1942 at 17:15 General Percival signed the surrender documents at the Ford Motor Factory along Upper Bukit Timah Rd. Hostilities were to cease at 20:30 where along with the unconditional surrender of all defending forces the Fall of Singapore to the Japanese was complete..

So it’s probably appropriate that the official magazine of the National Heritage Board of Singapore devoted its current issue to this historic occasion. (see Vol 15, Issue 1 #44, The Fall of Singapore) I will confess to not being a reader of said magazine, it was really just a fortuitous Facebook suggestion that led me too it. Also it’s a free PDF for anyone who wants to add the read to their device for perusal at their own leisure. (or for reading on the throne, if that’s your thing)

The War in the Far East is a period that has sat on my back-burner for a while, as I gathered ideas, reference texts, and even the odd rule set compendium (or two) so this was a welcome kick in the pants and a good reminder that I am not really good at staying on focus with a single project…so this might just be the distraction that I need for the next month or so while I continue with my 3D model a month project.

As for the magazine…a lot of it reads like an advertorial for the reopened and revamped Changi Prison Museum and the Reflections at Bukit Chandu Museum. In itself this not a bad thing, just an observation, though I will say the article about the Sembawang Naval Yard was a good trip through the Yard and surrounding areas many post war phases, probably made more interesting by my familiarity with the area.