Oooh .. Spanish American Naval War 1898 .. "Shiny thing"

On my internet travels I discovered this little shiny gem:

Part 1 (Models): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI565sn0OaY
Part 2 (Painting): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J19rw1sOCg
Part 3 (History Lesson): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFjoeBPQSI8&t=111s
Part 4 (Wargame Rules): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uwJ2P2c-zc
Part 5 (Wargame I): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQoEDyj-a0E
Part 6 (Wargame II): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpY0ZHR1Zgk
Part 7 (Wargame III): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGE7fwnDk-A

I must confess I have not watched them all, but rather skipped through.
A brilliant project that I sense I seem fated to follow at some point!
Plenty of other things to paint first!

Phil Sabin: Educational use of "Lost Battles/Simulating War" Academic (but nevertheless interesting) Talk in Edinburgh

A very interesting presentation by Professor Phil Sabin (KCL)
https://media.ed.ac.uk/media/1_zxih99nr

Fletcher Pratt Wargame Video Links to YouTube

Fascinating series of YouTube videos on the subject of the "history of" The Flestcher Pratt wargame:

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K_TMVO3OIM
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkZJsz259t4
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SOBV7BtiPg
Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOLU57A0zYU
Part 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsDN0Rjirh4

CoW Convoy Battle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8IsQTm6vh4

Thanks to the good elves of The History of Wargame Project, the Conference of Wargamers (CoW) and the Wargames Development Group.

My expanding Wargaming Library ... Fletcher Pratt Naval Rules

Courtesy of the History of Wargaming Project ran by the indomitable John Curry, but just as importantly coming highly recommended by both "Tim" and "Bob", I have (finally) purchased the infamous Fletcher Pratt Naval Wargame Rules of WWI and WWII (see below):

Purchase number two was the prerequisite "golf tees" to be used inverted as "splash markers" in teh game (see below):

The shape of things to come "a straddle" (see below):

Time to depart to the loft to dig out the 1:200 Airfix "Sink the Bismarck" and Revell "Battleship series" waterline models!

Spitfire Summer .. Make it BIG!

It has been a while since I last played about with building a model Spitfire (see: Previous Spitfire Blog Posts). I usually model with (it has to be said quite impractical for use on the wargame table) in 1/72 scale. I think it's a childhood thing. However I do have some 'bigger ones' (as wel as smaller ones) like the 1/48 Airfix Spitfire Vb (courtesy of the kind in-laws) that has been wanting some TLC since my youngest son (then four) threw it across the room and "bits went everywhere" (he had a strong arm a strong arm for such a small lad!). My wife consoled me (I was in some state of shock) when I came back from work to review the carnage. So finally (this weekend, after three years of procrastinating) I got to work and started reshaping all the missing bits [the rear landing wheel, 20mm cannon barrel, radio mast and the cute 'six o'clock' mirror] out of the "aircraft spare box". I also worked on the perspex canopy defining in black lines for the struts to paint over green for a more cool cockpit look (see below, note in the background my youngest sons "quick build" Lego-style Airfix Spitfire, it has stopped his catapult arm going into action again):  

However while in the loft I found this 'bad boy' (see below):

This can  be my ultra silly "Spitfire Summer Project". If I thought a 1/72 scale plane was impractical for the wargame table, then 1/24 must be impossible unless you design games for The Conference of Wargamers (CoW, Tim/Bob?).

First one off the Slipway

It may be just wood, paper, putty, cocktail sticks and a little bit of brown paint but she is a little beauty in my eyes (see below):

It also is cheap and designed to be built in bulk. I just need about another forty of these. Watch this space!

;)

Wargame Rules: Blood and Guts

Following along the Amazon trend of "go on you always wanted to get this wargaming book at some point, so why not get it now" while shopping on Amzon to make it past the £10 free delivery level, and originally known courtesy of the informative The History of Wargaming Project by John Curry, I decided to get "Blood and Guts". Why? Well yes another set of home grown (over twenty years) wargaming rules making it to the publishable level (hell knows I have so many already, particularly WWII) but this one is coming from a former army officer (US Marines) who had always wargamed. Thus there is a meld between hobby and profession that enthused my interest (see below):

I am still in the process of reading it but I can definitely say am glad I made the purchase because it has already "made me think" long and hard. He wants a playable game, that is not chess or checkers but feels right. His rules are not definitive (he encourages discussion) and pitched at the squad element, platoon organisation and company or sub-company game scale. Lots familiar but with some twists, consider the familiar concepts of: 

• Rate of Fire 
• Platoon Strength

A simple mechanism reduces the former as the latter declines. Interesting enough for me to see others (as in respected rule sets) don't show that relationship. I would say Chain of Command does, but there are lots of dice! (Note: Not necessarily a bad thing in itself, but not in the place of tactics.) I stand to be corrected but Spearhead, Crossfire and Command Decision didn't observe this (albeit not necessarily aimed at the same battle scale) relationship. I am not saying that I agreed with some of his national squad ratings but his mechanism provides interesting effects.

Early days, much more reading to do,