Random Updates: Curses! Foiled Again... Plus a Cyber Samurai!

Well, it looks like I might have to run Stewie and his green companions.  I was called out on a post for the event so it's time to take another look at the US list I was considering.  All in all, it is a very basic list.  An inexperienced 2nd LT with a minder, three inexperienced infantry units, and Stewie... plus a medium machine team and an engineer squad with two BARs and a flamethrower.

Yep, very basic.

To be fair, it wasn't this bad before.  I originally had just inexperienced squads with a bazooka, plus Stewie.  Then I saw that the engineers can take a flamethrower, and things quickly escalated.  Add another couple of BARs just to make them really ridiculous.  Drop the bazooka like a bad habit and slap in a cheap MMG...  It's so ridiculous that I really feel like I need to run it. LOL

And as for the Cyber Samurai... he would be another mini from BrushFu Studios.

The front view of the mostly finished cyber samurai... still need to finish up the base, plus add some other color to his right hand.

Very clean print that needed almost no clean up.  The only negative thing I can say about this mini is the sword was bent when I received it.  What's that?  Which sword?  Oh... the one that broke of when he did a kamikaze leap out of my fat fingers at the floor.

And the back view of the same.

Unfortunately the material was extremely thin and the floor won the day, but I still like how he looks.  I'd thought about clipping off the rest of the hilt, but it has a nice, ornate feel to it so I decided to leave it on instead.  What's it supposed to be?  Who knows, but it works for me!  Overall, another figure that I really recommend from BrushFu for the printing, and I'm looking forward to working my way through the rest of my order.  Until next time...

Bolt Action: The Return of Stewie... Or Is It?

I just found out that we are having another Bolt Action Combat Patrol tournament!  The one and only other time that we have played this format was waaaaaaay back in July 2019.  There was supposed to be another one last year but, well... COVID.

You know how it is.

Thankfully that is now somewhat in the rearview mirror (fingers crossed!!!) and we are getting together for another combat patrol!  I jokingly mentioned bringing Stewie and was told that people would be disappointed if he wasn't there so there you have it.  I started list building right away, working around Stewie as the center of the formation with a good sized number of supporting infantry.  This would let Stewie draw the heat while the infantry did their job.

This sounds great on paper and in thought, but I was having one problem with it; it felt really bland.

I like playing the US in Bolt Action, but they do have some limitations that I wish there was an easy way around.  The lack of an LMG in their formations has always seemed like a pretty serious handicap IMO, and the fact that the only anti-tank the US uses consistently is the bazooka.  Now this is historically accurate, I'm not questioning that, it's just from a playing prospective it doesn't feel like a lot of spice there to make things more interesting.

Days went by and people started asking if a tank of some kind would be common in such a small list, and one of the organizers immediately piped up that most people would most likely be fielding one.  Which got me to thinking, maybe I won't field any.

And thus the Die Panzerjager was born.

With grinding gears and screeching tires, I have decided to field a small force of German Grenadiers instead of dear old Stewie.  This force consists of one leutnaut with a minder, four six-man Heer grenadier squads, one chaplain, and one flamethrower team.  In addition, two of the grenadier squads are equipped with LMGs and all of the squads are carrying two single shot panzerfausts.

This is the concept sketch for my flammenwerfer 41.  I don't think I'll be able to order one and have it arrive in time so I'm just going to take a chance and sculpt my own!

This gives me two squads that can lay down nine shooting dice out to 24", another two that can lay down six shooting dice, plus the whole force has a total of eight single shot attacks against any vehicles I might encounter.  On top of that is the flamethrower team which I think will throw in a psychological effect beyond the damage it might be able to do, and the fact that no one would expect me to be fielding a completely different army.

How will it fare in the tourney?  No idea!  Heck, I don't even know if I'll be able to field the list since I won't get the minis until the 23rd and the tourney is on the 10th.  That gives me some time, but given how little hobby I've been able to squeeze in lately, it does leave me a little nervous.  Just to be on the safe side, I'm going to have the Green Machine available as well in case I need to do a last minute switch.  Fingers crossed I won't have to!  Until next time...

Random Update: Brush Fu In Color!

For the first time in literally weeks, I picked up the brushes and did some painting.  I've wanted to do something with the minis that I bought from BrushFu Studios on Etsy but time just hasn't been on my side until this weekend.

I'm really happy with house these minis turned out and I'm looking forward to tackling the other ones.  The details on them are very good and the prints are clean as well.  There were a couple of spots where there was the odd bump where the resin had been attached but it was easy peasy to clean them up.

From the left, we have a mini that I picked up to be an apprentice for a Frostgrave warband.  She has a fun vibe to her and I really want to build on that with the wizard (who I already picked up) and the rest of the warband.  They will probably be over the top but that's what makes it painting fun!

Next there is a hardened member of either my Core Space crew or my Five Parsecs from Home crew... or maybe both!  I was thinking that he would be the captain but I'm a little on the fence with it.  I mean he looks like he should be the captain, which makes me want to make him another crew member instead.  I've got more to go with him so I'll have to see who jumps out once the rest are done.

Finally there is a female civilian I picked up for Core Space.  I can see her as some kind of informant the crew needs to get information from, or possibly rescue before the Purge overrun the location.  Either way, I'm happy with how she turned out and I can't wait to paint up some more of the minis!  Until next time...