Well. here we are. Another month has passed, and so we have another hobby update. So, lets get started
Books
Finished up a few books the first one was this
This is a collection of stories of the list survivors. The author does a good job of avoiding repetitiveness while keeping the stories intact. Most of the stories in this book are people who are not depicted in the movie or the original book, with the exception of the other Helen, not Hirsch, that was a maid for Amon, and the Rosner family. Outside of that it's all different people. It gives a whole new dynamic on how the list was made, and why people were on it. It also gives a bit of a different perspective on Schindler's legacy from those he saved. To some a beloved hero, to others a flawed hero, to a few just another Nazi, and some opinions in the middle. Definitely worth a read.
Then there was this masterpiece
The story of the fighting east of the Barrikady in Stalingrad. A very detailed, but highly readable, day by day account from the start of the German offensive, to the end of the Stalingrad pocket. Daily manpower and casualty reports, as available for both side, good details on the fighting, with great maps, some imposed over recon photos of the battlefield. A must read for anyone interested in Stalingrad.
And lastly we have another Ostfront book somewhat combining the two themes above
A nice little read to fill in the blanks on the Bielski brothers. Got me motivated to do some partisan raids using 02 Hundred.
Purchases
I did happen to buy quite a few figures this month. Sorry, no pics but here is a detailed account.
Picked up 12 Fireforge mounted sergeants for use in SAGA, probably get double duty as Crusaders and sergeants in Chivalry.
Picked up 41 Perry Koreans. I have been wanting to put together a skirmish game surrounding the strife of the princes in early Joseon Korea between Yi Bang Gan, and Yi Bang Won for succession. So I caught some on FB and nabbed them right away. They will be a great start.
I had bought into a KS that featured the Monkey King and those figures arrived last month. They were doing physical prints through a third party, and they did not come out to well. Lack of proper curing, bent weapons etc. They are working on replacements so we will see how it turns out. I am a big fan of the Sun Wukong character in the Journey to the West Saga. The characters in the KS were really cool, but they had left out Wuneng and Sha Monk unfortunately. Wuneng with his muck rake would have been super cool. You can see the figures here
I picked up 12 Perry archers for SAGA Chivalry. Sometimes its easier to just get a couple sprues.
I also has placed an order with Alternative Armies for more Renaissance 15mm figures. I found I was short some Swiss, and some Italians, and I added in some Italian pike for good measure, hey, they were on sale. 82 figures total.
Then I picked up some ACW figs from Stone Mountain. I am wanting to run a New Market battle, so of course I needed some VMI cadets. Now if someone just made a flag for them. And I was short some cavalry dismounts. Another 87 figures.
Gaming
Nothing much to report here. April should be the start of some gaming. Got the SAGA AOC league starting at the end of the month, and planning some MESBG in a couple weeks also. So, stuff to look forward to.
Painting
This month I got a decent amount done. I average about 200 a month, but I fell a bit short at 177. This included the following;
16 28mm Samurai
66 15mm Confederate
85 15mm Italian Wars
10 Silver Bayonet (British Unit)
Like I said, a decent amount but short of expectations. I did get a lot of basing done on my Italian wars project, here are the Imperialists first
The cavalry and general are all Alternative Armies/TTG figures, depending on when I bought them. The pike is all Mike Models. Most of these figures were painted 30 years ago, and originally based for Gush. Now rebased for Impetus. The small pike unit was recently painted using Army painter Speed paints, as were the back ranks of the other two pike blocks. Georg von Frundsberg was a recent addition as well.
I also have some Spanish
The top picture are Spanish lancers/gendarmes from TTG, the next pic we have Spanish Rodoleros from Roundway, and the last four pics are all Mikes Models. The pike, and the black and red painted shot were dome years ago, everything else, including a handful of pike were recently painted.
Here are a few Swiss/French/Italian
Top pic the front and back units are Roundway figures, the middle TTG/Alternative Armies with TTG command figures for all. The rest of the figures are TTG/Alternative Armies, my packs were all TTG but Alternative Armies makes most of these not, but not all. The shot in the first pic, and the French Archers in the second are all newly painted. The rest were done with the others and rebased for Impetus. I should have the rest of the Swiss, and most of the French done for next month.
As a side note, most of the flags above, with the exception of about 1/3 of the Landsknecht flas, are from Pete's Flags. You can find him on FB or eBay.
That is it this time 'round see you next month!
