Trireme III ... WIP ... Base "Highlighting" (Plague Brown) Complete

Now the fleet is looking a little bit more uniform (see below):

Next Step: Needs a "brown wash" to calm things (aka the wood) down.

Forward Progress II .. Ancient Triremes Continued

Carrying on with the good work, just twenty minutes before bedtime and I got another five triremes done on the "Plague Brown" wet-brush (see below):

Next: Six wee triremes sitting on the wall ;)

Forward progress with the Ancient Triremes

I am going to push forward this project "a little bit a day" until it is finished. Finished ships to the left hand side, ships through the next phase to the top and those to be "processed" on the bottom (see below):

Note to self: My Trireme Recipe:

• Clean up the metal
• Glue (UHU) ship to "washer"
• Undercoat Airfix Acrylic primer (01)
• Smear DIY filler (the cheaper the better) as "sea" on base
• Let dry
• Paint rest of base Airfix Grey Primer (01)
• Let dry (dries really quick)
• Vallejo Umber wash the whole thing to pick out the detail
• Vallejo Game Colour Charred/Burnt Brown shade layer (covers all the "wash" from the above previous step but we are sealing the model)
• Vallejo Game Colour Bestial Brown as the mid-tome colour, leaving recesses Charred brown
• Vallejo Game Colour Imperial Blue as shade sea area
• Vallejo Game Colour Plague Brown as deck colour (as per bottom triremes in the above picture)
• Vallejo Game colour Plague Brown "wet brush" highlights of the 'oars" (as per the penultimate top triremes of the above picture)
• Paint "ram" and "raised stern" Vallejo Gun Metal
• Paint "ram" and  "raised stern" Anita's Acrylic Bronze  
• Another Vallejo Burnt Umber Wash for "God luck"
• Mix in some Vallejo Game Colour Off White into Plague Brown for "wet-brush" highlight of deck and oars (see above top left two triremes) 
• Paint "eye" (white/black) [to do]
• Paint "coloration" to bow/stern decoration [to do] base and highlight
• Paint "sea" a "base colour" over shade [to do]
• Paint "wake and oar splash" white [to do]
• Apply Vallejo "blue wash" [to do]
• Highlight white "wave-tops" [to do]  

Every little step helps work towards the finished product ;)

An evocative little title for a book .. "War with Russia" (2017)

Certainly an evocative title which I read over the Xmas break. Written by a recent (now retired) high ranking UK NATO general to boot. 'Chops off at the knees' all those civil servants and politicians who for decades have crucified (or have stood by and simply watched as) the armed forces were "bugetised" (no such word) and then "castrated-by-accountants" (as painful as it sounds). So true operational capability shrinks leaving only a paper shadow of what was supposed to be still there. An aircraft carrier without planes? Really, surely fiction? Oh bugger! No more Nimrods? That leaves a whole somewhere! Half working tanks lacking spares? Phantom reservists on an Order of Battle still doing their days jobs out of theatre? It certainly is a page turner, jumps around a bit .. no spoilers, worth a read and pass on to a friend with a look of horror (see below the cover, the nuclear missile is more scary than the tank IMHO):

In summary: "War with Russia (2017)" I realy hope not as I don't think [spoiler alert] there is any hope of a "Boy's Own" ending in real life ... I think it what really would pan out is far more dire consequences, aka .. possibly no more "First World" and a nuclear winter (a more radical form of climate change nobody would be in a position to try and deny).

PS: It should all kick off in May apparently in the Crimea! Here's hoping not :(

Ancient Naval Rules circa Salamis .. "Bring out your triremes"

Drawn by a long, long term interest in replaying the Battle of Salamis and a fifteen year unfinished project of wargaming "The Greeks in Peril" DBA 15mm campaign (including the naval side of things) I gathered my things "old and new" to hand regarding ancient naval (see below, something old, something new, something borrowed something blue):

Listed out:

• Naval Wargames Rules Fleet Actions by Richard Nelson (War Games Research Group 1973)
• Poseidon's Warriors Classical Naval Warfare 480BC-31BC by John Lambshead (Osprey Wargames 2015)
• Naval Wargaming From Ancient Galleys to Modern U-Boats by Paul Hague (Patrick Stephens Limited PSL 1992)
• Trireme Tactical Game of Ancient Naval Warfare 494BC-370AD bt Ed Smith (Avalon Hill 1970)
• Salamis 480BC The naval campaign that saved Greece by Willian Shepherd (Osprey 2010) for background reference [yes there is ton's of other stuff too]
• And somewhere is a dusty draw there is a copy of David Manly's "Greek Fire and Roman Fury" to tinker about with
• Addendum to when the above photograph was taken: Also of interest see: http://www.rodlangton.com/ancient/ancframe.htm, Ancient Naval Wargame Rules by Martin Johncock and Rob Langton (published by Langton Miniatures 1998)

Or rather for me, something very old and borrowed, something new, something old, something very old again and something relatively new'ish. Having said this it does not appear to be a "in vogue" period, more something people try once or twice, but perhaps I am currently wearing "Greek coloured glasses". The little models are "something old and bestowed from a friend" too, Navwar 1:1200 triremes (see below, they were lurking unpainted in a friend's "lead mountain"):

They do look cute if I do say so myself and then being happy I started to "border on madness" when I decided to 'dot the whites of their eyes' and give them a traditional "Greek Eye" (see below, you may have to 'click on the picture for a close-up look to even see it .. albeit rather blurred):

Cannot see it it? Neither can I, let's try another go (see below, er perfectly visible from six foot away .. why am I bothering, I guess because "It is there!"):

The "painting tray" is currently filled up with my "first fleet" (see below, note I have moved onto "circular disks" as they are (a) more practical .. they fit onto small hexagon battle sheets better and (b) less "sea-scaping" required .. something that always drives me bonkers .. aka I never think I am doing it right):

At least "these" (see above) should provide a means of testing out the rules mentioned above ('when finished' so don't lose that momentum). I know there are alternatives larger (1/300 and 1/3600), smaller [representing squadrons better] and some rather more expensive (see below, Outpost Wargames Services, http://www.outpostwargameservices.co.uk/ from their 1/3600 range, which I like but I seemed to be doing more "sea" than boat and these may suit David Manley's rules better):

Watch this space in 2017 lovers of Greek rowers and trireme rams ;)

Extra bit: Inspiration found on the web http://wabcorner.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Galleys%2FLongships%2FWatercraft

Meme for 2017: Blue Sky "Anything is Possible"

Anything is possible but not necessarily probable (see below, Edinburgh skies on the 2nd of January):

Will try things out (probably those long forgotten projects in the loft) "just to see what happens". If they are any good keep, otherwise get rid :)

Happy New Year 2017

Have a great one ;)