Hobby Update July 2025

 Wow another month has flown by! I did manage to get in some decent hobby related stuff, even though it was a busy month. So, lets take a look!

Books

I finished up three this month rather productive for me anyway. The first was this gem

While I was not completely on board with the first book, by the time I got here I was invested. Great series! I only wish the TV series had lived up to it. 

I also finished this old timer

As a teen I was a MacLean fanboy. I read everything I could get my hands on, but, somehow this one got by me. Picked it up off eBay for cheap. A really good read, but definitely a sad tale.

Then I wrapped this one up as well.

This ended up being more a scholarly volume than one for the casual reader. Not really what I was looking for but it was interesting none the less. 

Purchases 

I have to admit, I got carried away this month. It does happen at times. July was one of those times. 

It is a mix of finishing projects, additional ones for existing projects, and a couple new ones.

I was going through my AWI stuff to get it organized. I have a bunch painted and I really needed to mark units and see what I needed when changing them to Fire & Fury. I have started with the British first, I had a bunch of figures already for the line troops, but found I was short a few for my Highlanders and the Queens Rangers. Just so happened,  someone on eBay had just what I needed for both in the same auction. It was fortuitous! 

One other thing I found while organizing was a bag of Essex ECW pike. not a little pack but a freezer bag full. These along with the painted cavalry I found stashed with my Italian Wars stuff made it where I needed to place an order with Essex to finish the units off. So, I got a bunch of shot and command to go with the pike, as well as cavalry command for the painted cavalry. 

Mix in a box of Almughavers, 28mm Russians for Shakos and Bayonets, some 20mm tanks, and a few Perry Joseon Koreans. Then there was the big purchase of almost 400 10mm minis for 1866. Yeah, I know, I had to do it. They were cheap.

Games

I only got in one game of SAGA last month. I was thinking it was two, but I think only one. Not too bad considering how busy I was. That brought our league to a conclusion so I'll need to find something else to play. Here I am (front left) are with many of the MOKAN SAGA guys last weekend.

Painting

I have been painting like a mad man this moth, I was able to finish up a couple ACW units, wrap up my Mexican American war project, and some other 28mm figures. A total of 215. I also completed my Hovel Spanish village, and a Mexican church, all in 15mm. I have tried to get terrain in the mix lately, and I will keep it in there. I have a bunch sitting around needing paint and i feel its time to get it done. Basing and finishing has been an issue with the humidity up so not too much to show this time. But I have a little

Found a couple units of Prussian Line so I got them painted up as a start to my 4th Corps in my 100 days project.

The VMI Cadets. Found some images online to make the flag

Last several pics are the last of my Italian Wars Project

And some Spanish Civil War stuff to round it out. 

Well,  that is all  I have for this month hopefully I will have a full slate for the next!

Hobby Update June 2025

Wow! Half this year has gone by already. Seems like it just started. Its been a busy one on all fronts, probably why it seems to have moved along so quickly.  Also, preparations for TaKtiCon have really started in earnest. TaKtiCon is a local con here in KC Nov 7-9 this year, take a look here .

Books

Finished a couple this month. First off

Not what I thought it was when I bought it, but an interesting book of Viking tales none the less. This translation was difficult to read. Hopefully there is a better one out there.

I also finished this

I have to say, this was a vast improvement over the first book. Though, in retrospect, I think he really needed to set the scene, so to speak, in the first one. The second was excellent, and I was looking forward to the third.

Purchases

June was not a big month for purchases. I picked up a few figures though. First up were some ACW Bucktails in 15mm. When I had gotten the command pack for the VMI cadets it was a mixed pack with 2 sets of Bucktail command as well. So I decided to order some bucktails . I got enough for a couple regts.

I also picked up another sprue of Perry men at arms for my SAGA French. I felt that the 4 figure hearthguard units were just too brittle  so ill bump them up to 6. They should hang around better that way.

Lastly I bought a pack of Victrix early Saxons. I blame Midgard and the Warlord Chronicles for this purchase. Though I had been toying with the idea of an early Saxon SAGA army as well.

Games

Unlike most months I have been able to get some gaming going in June. The first weekend was a Bolt Action Demo game put on by Underfire Bolt Action club down in Peculiar MO. I had been waiting for them to run demos again after a long run of tournaments. Had a good time and learned a lot about game play. I also got in two games of SAGA with my French. Which is always fun. Unfortunately our SAGA Ironman for the 29th fell through, but we still did our league games anyway. All in all, a decent month of gaming.

Painting

This was a decent month overall. I did stay on the plus side v purchases, July won't be as kind.  I managed to get 180 figures done as opposed to 112 purchased. Among those painted were some 28mm Alpini, 28mm Spanish for the WW2 Blue Division, a Few Waffen SS supports, some French knights in 28mm, and a bunch of 15mm Mexican American War stuff, odds and end mostly as I come to a conclusion to the project most likely this week. Here are some pic of some finished products!

Perry French Knights for Saga

More Perry Knights as a Warlord

Perry English bowmen 

A mix of Warlord and Black Tree Roman Command

Pt 1 of Warlords Chobei's Renegades

Pt 2 Chobei and the rest of the renegades

Zenit Miniature samurai

More Zenit bowmen this time

These are Zenit, I think they were stretch goals for the Kickstarter

More Italian Wars

An Italian pike block from Alternative Armies

And that's about it for June See you all next month!

Hobby Update May 2025

 Well, another month has gone by. The year seems to be flying by. Gaming stuff was hit and miss. got a decent amount of painting done though gaming itself was sparse. Had a fairly busy month around the house outside of gaming with repairs and plantings but, its all good. So lets see how the month went.

Books

Finished a couple of books this month. First was this one.

It is an older book on Luther's early life through the Diet of Worms. While it is an older book, published in 1957, I found it, in parts, a very compelling read. 

Then there was this one.

The Midgard rules have really got my mind going in a different direction for some of the periods that I have figures for. Namely El Cid. But, also my interest in Arthur was piqued. I thought I would pick this series up since I like his Saxon Chronicles, and the Sharpe books so much. I have to say, I am not sold on this series after the first book. We will see how it goes over the other two.

Purchases

I have been keeping purchases lower this year. While tempted as usual, my self control has been greater. I did find a decent lot of FIW figs on Goodwill for a decent price. A box of French line, and 2 packs of Rangers all from Warlord, and a box of Perry AWI Brits, which are out of period, but I think they will do.

I also picked up the latest edition of Muskets and Tomahawks. I liked the first edition and decided to pick up the 2nd ed.  Figured they would be good for smaller scale skirmishes, outside the scale of Sharp Practice.

I bought the latest book  in Rick Atkinson's AWI trilogy. I rarely buy new books but I have been waiting for this one to show up, and did not want to wait.

Games

I was pretty busy this month so time for only one SAGA game in our league. Didn't go so well. I am thinking I really need to take the next step and track my opponents abilities better. Could have saved me a bit of trouble if I had. Live and learn! No pics as my army is still a work in progress. 

Painting

Got a decent amount done this month painted 225 figures. Mostly 15mm and quite a mix of stuff. I am wrapping up my Mexican American War project, so that is a bunch of odds and ends, though I do have some infantry coming up this month, mostly US. I finished mostly artillery, limbers and supply wagons in May. Also some ACW. I am wanting to do New Market, so of course I need some VMI cadets, and I found that I needed more cavalry dismounts. Outside of that, a couple units for my French SAGA army, some Alpini weapons teams in 28mm, and some 15mm Achaemenid Persians. I did finish up the basing on most of my Italian wars stuff, though I have some units to rebase still, which I need to get done this month. Here are the ones I finished this month.

This is almost the end of the project. I'll have the rest done in June. This is a mix of stuff, French, Swiss, Spanish, German, and a few Italians. The figures are as varied, being Essex, Roundway, Rank and File, Old Glory 15s, and Alternative Armies. Just about have this project done, just need to finish up basing on some stuff and it is done.

Well that wraps up this months fun. I'll see you all next time!