Matilda 10: RTR HQ Vehicle

The three fighting squadrons have been filled, so time to appoint a RHQ Troop (one vehicle representing 3-5 tanks on CD III rules). Again the classic Airfix model kit is used, however the command tank is given two figures (see below, note the "Monty" figure from an old Matchbox M3 Honey kit and the helmeted observer with binoculars from the Airfix Bofors kit):

All I need now is the specialist CS Troop (aka one tank in Command Decision  II/III terms) to be under the direct control of the RHQ for the "opposition" to be considered.

New Blog found courtesy of ParadeGround 2016 connection

Battle Ground 2016 (North East of England Stockton:Middlesbrough):
http://www.battlegroundshow.co.uk/

Excellent Demonstration Game (Jutland 1916):
https://iactaaleaest.wordpress.com/

Long time since I managed to get out and "go to a show" but it was a really pleasant experience, despite "things having moved on" since my last outing. Hot things seemed to be Sci-Fi, Zombie Horror and 28mm plastics (replacing 15mm all things of 15mm) or 15/10/6mm WWII kits. My old school 15mm ancients and 20mm WWII were hard to find. Still it was great rummaging through stuff "bargain hunting". A comment from a trader seemed to be "most  people were looking and buying tit-bits rather than huge armies".

Impressively "shiny" new items found were:

• Russo-Jap ships in 1/2400 (Note: I have this period covered in 1/3000 from Navwar) from Tumbling Dice
• Sci-Fi Dropship Horizon

As it was I stuck to my old projects with a modest purchase of:

• Millennium Falcon for X-Wings, the Rebels need Han and Chewy
• 28mm Warlord Games Scots Lancers (ECW/Scottish Montrose Campaign
• 8 x 15mm Carthaginian Citizen Spearmen going cheap in a "bargain bucket"
• 20mm Britannia Miniatures Sherman ARV  
• 20mm Britannia Miniatures Matilda II CS
• 20mm Britannia Miniatures British Paratroopers PIAT Team, 2" Mortar Team

Plastic Airfix Sherman ... "Pimped Up" (Honour the Airfix!)

Looking at my "1944 RTR post D-Day" project box (A4 Flat Box with pop-up lid, we all have them), brimming full of Airfix Shermans and Matchbox (Revell) Fireflys, I came to the conclusion that it was time to break up their uniformity of build (aka the tanks "look"). After all heading across France and onto the Rhine the RTR was a formation on the move, not a parade ground inspection line-up. Hence there should be all manner of things "hanging off them". Time to break open all those "tins of extra spare part" (things that I have been acquiring for twenty five years) and festoon them Xmas cake fashion over the beloved (see below, a troop commander's Sherman):

As part of my Plastic Soldier Company assembly frenzy I had some M3 Half-Track stowage packs left over, so onto the the side they went (see below, "Messy Alice"):

Project wise, I still need to acquire a specialist Crusader AA (I nominally made up the Airfix Bofors kit as a stand in, but I have "gone off" that idea) and a Sherman ARV (again the stand in Airfix Scamell Tank Transporter is infeasible) as Xmas ["Dear Santa"] presents (I don't fancy the effort of a botched conversion [two kits making one]) from Britannia Miniatures, SHQ or Skytrex.

Respect for this painting work on the 1/76 Airfix British WWII Infantry

Notes to self:

https://jacksarge.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/painted-review-of-recent-airfix-ww2.html?showComment=1479240160173#c3639635602451491032

Really nice work

Painting Tutorial:
http://jacksarge.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/figure-painting-tutorial-part-one.html

Don't Panic ... but Arrrgh .. Airfix, Hormby and Scaletrix ... Not Again!!!

How did I miss all this going on? Brexit and the American Election perhaps!

James May in February:
 https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/feb/10/hornby-warns-it-will-lose-6m-pounds-this-year

Then in June:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/11683028/Troubled-model-trainmaker-Hornby-delists-to-raise-15m-on-AIM.html

Note: Around that time (June/July) I saw the Hornby ranges disappear out of all places my local Garden Centre (one of those many national/regional chains). When I asked an shop attendant she said they were going bust but I  paid that no attention as I doubted the significance of this. I guessed they were not moving these products and were going to use the space to sell, well er, garden stuff.

BBC news:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36594067

Now tonight I stop into a small toy store to pick up some modelling glue only to be told that they do not stock Airfix anymore and Hornby are in trouble? Or are they just centralising their stockists?

The Airfix website still seems to be trading though on "reduced stock" IMHO. Does anybody know better what is going on? Am I best to keep my "Airfix attic" for future Antique Roadshows?

Would appreciate anyone else's thoughts!

Remember ...

Very moving today at work, many nationalities, many religions, all respected the two minutes silence. Thank you. I live in a good nation with good people. 

Note to self: Nice link to painting US Paratroopers (20mm - 1/72 - 1/76)

http://joyandforgetfulness.blogspot.co.uk/

Like what I see here!