Salon de Guerre part IV

Today I started to add the Moloton (wall fabric underlay) and the 18th century reproduced fabric for the walls. Nessa commenced the restoration of the chandelier which was completed this afternoon.

Really happy with the 18th century reproduction fabric and how it looks with the gold and grey/white walls. Tomorrow I will erect the chandelier and complete the fabric on the 5x2 m wall.

Cheers
Matt

Salon de Guerre-Wargames room part two

Salon de Guerre

My “salon de Guerre“ Wargames room, will be the second one in France that I am aware of, the first of course is in Versailles palace, the other of course in in “l’hotel de Hercé” in sunny Mayenne!

I finally returned to work on the Wargames room restoration on the first floor this month after spending two months on the second floor renovations. We finally selected the colour combination after charging it from a darker scheme to a lighter putty colour and gold trim on the decorative wood work. The ceiling repair was a bit of work to get it 100%, I moved the communication cables and added the cat six cable in behind the skirting boards. The Exterior door repairs With some new glass and exterior waterproofing has to be done also. We opened up the fireplace again and it requires a little work before I fire can be lit in it again.

Overall very happy, still need to finish off the doors and some detail work, remove the heaters and paint behind them and put them back again (tomorrow’s job)  add the fabric to the large panel and the curtains (which Vanessa has made). The goal is to finish by next Wednesday.

A few photos of the progress

Cheers
Matt

New Beginnings

New Beginnings

I have been silent for some time as I have been busy changing my life for the last three years.
For many years I have been thinking and planning to start a business that relates to my wargaming, military modelling and military history hobby. I have tried painting miniatures, manufacturing miniatures and building armies and terrain to sell to fund my hobby. My normal job in construction of course really just funded my lifestyle, my hobby and interests. It was not until 24 months ago after returning to Australia from a holiday in Europe that a plan started to hatch. My wife and I were a little jaded about working 7 till 6pm in the corporate world of Sydney and looking forward we could not see much change in the next ten to fifteen years for us. 

So together we hatched a plan to move to Europe, looking for a different lifestyle and way to earn a living. We looked at what skills we had, and the finances available to start a business in our selected country. We looked at the UK, Germany and France. We settled on France as it offered the best options for us. We started our search for suitable locations throughout Normandy, Mayenne and Brittany.  

We had quite a list of requirements, a city or town that would meet our needs;  it needed to be within 1.5 hours of the Normandy beaches, with ancient, medieval and Renaissance chateaus close by. Good quality restaurants and local produce. Close to a  TGV line to Paris, motorways North, South, East, West and a international airport nearby, and not be too touristy. Amazingly we found such a place, finally we settled on Ville Mayenne, Pays de Loire as it offered the most potential for us, met all of our requirements as is very central.    

The house was the next challenge, we required a house that had at least 6 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms and all the conveniences within walking distance (i.e boulangerie, supermarket, cafes, shops and banks). We then selected a buying agent who gave us four options in Mayenne. I than flew to France to inspect the properties on our list,  two we eliminated early, one a little creepy, the other received an offer before we inspected. This left two properties. We then met with the Mayor to gauge his support for our venture, thankfully he was enthusiastic about our plans and gave us his full support for our enterprise. 

To qualify for a four year entrepreneurial visa, we were required to develop a solid business plan, prove we had invested quite a bit of money in France and had savings to live on while the business  grew to support us. 

We then found our ideal property thankfully our offer was excepted. We become the proud owners of L'Hotel de Herce in March 2018. The house is a "Maison Particular" built circa 1715 with a side carriage way, and a "cour de Honneur" entrance courtyard and private gardens, a 21 room three storey home, with three Grand Salons still with parquetry floors and panelled walls. 

We open as a Chambre de Hote (B & B) in August 2018, with three guest rooms.

The Grand salon on the second floor will become the "Salon de Guerre" (war room), where grand war gaming will be conducted in a gentlemanly manner. We will conduct military history tours of the various battlefields with a 1.5 hours, then return to game them on my table with my miniatures. We have our first event in October 2018, bookings will open very soon.

Book Here

L'Hotel de Herce Mayenne, France

cheers
Matt

2016 a year of renewal- 2017 back with vigour!

Looking back to 2016, a huge year for me personally, a new job, moved house, renovated, engaged  and then married, a new BMW, then a month in Bavaria Germany for our honeymoon, so wargaming has taken a back seat really, maybe 20 games for the year and very low production off the table.

So far this year, I headed off to Cancon for a bit of a spending spree, first time in three years, planning on attending the Company of dice club on the first Sunday of the month and Cumberland on the second, then possibly Goulburn on the fourth when I can.

However lots planned this year on the painting desk, a simpler list and possibly more realistic, returning to my first passion Napoleonics as my main focus.

1. Dutch 20mm army (started blogging on my ww2 blog for this already)
2. Lewes knights and seargeants 100 of the buggers and more infantry
3. 28mm French Napoleonics several batns of infantry and regiments of cavalry 150 figures
4. Russian Napoleonics brand new army infantry to start with, planned two regiments plus oddments 240 odd figures.
5. 20mm modern, mix of west Germans, Iraqis and Russians.
6. 28mm 5th BC Greeks
7. 20mm waffen SS and Fallschirmjager
8. Saxon Napoleonics using Calpe miniatures
9. Napoleonic Naval 1/1200th
10. 1/1200th Spanish American war fleets ( no idea why, I just like them)
11 28mm Renaissance Italio-French
12. 28mm WOTR

Some commissions being done also
1. Spartans
2. Byzantine
3. Romans
4. Moderns

But try not to do much more than that

Plus other bits and bobs as I travel along.happy gaming and modelling

Cheers
Matt

New painting station

I have recently moved from a four bedroom home on the outskirts of Sydney into the inner west into a two bedroom flat with my lovely lady. I am closer to the new job, saving almost 2.5 hours of travel each day. The only downside is that I do not have a dedicated painting room, so I purchased a roll top desk (credenza) to be my painting station in the lounge room. So far very happy how it is working.

Knocking stuff around and fixing things!

Back in Janurary I made a list with things to do this year very happy to say two of the tasks are now complete.

Three weeks ago I finally picked up my cabinet that I built from Gregs in Canberra and put it in the shed for repair, having white ant damage to some time ago of the backing boards, it was only a small job but did take a little organising to get done. On the first,  I needed to remove the boards from the rear of the cabinet and checked the shelves for damage, it seems that the white ants  were caught early enough, so only a small amount of damage was done. I then went down to my local hardware and purchased enough boards to do the job, and had them cut to correct length along with the stain I thought match my sample. I then returned home and stained the timber with three coats ( waiting a day between coats) the assembled the cabinet. I let it dry out for a week before moving it into the house and placing figures into it, beside my other cabinet, so now all of my 28mm painted armies are on display.

 Job two was last Saturday, my sons and I cleaned the garden shed and the two car garage, moved the work benches around and set up the timber working, tool shelves and leather work table, added brackets to walls and the ceiling for the fishing rods, and finally curtains on the Windows along with security mesh. I was very happy with the end result nothing like a clean organised workshop to work in!

This weekend I have continued to compete my Pontics and Romans, lots pics to follow tomorrow.

Cheers

Shooting for the Stars!

Well a happy New year to all of my fellow gamers and bloggers' out there, I have been thinking about what I would like to achieve this year with my gaming and modelling today, so I have decided to commit something to paper.

My primarily goal this year is that I would like to improve my airbrushing skills and use it a lot more, buy some video tutorials and even going for a lesson or two are high on my list. I currently have a Aztek 430 with a number of nozzles, I am sort of happy with it, but may fork out some more cash and move to a Iwata after using one on a friends model car, I found the control and clean up much easier.

Post more posts on my blogs, it helps with motivation I think!

I will not be competing in any major two day tournaments or competitions throughout the year and I am only committing to weekend friendly matches and club games with mates, the odd game at my place or theirs, rather than the hustle and bustle of a tournament at a convention. I do plan on travelling to the USA to visit Historicon this year for a look though.

I am planning on not buying to much of the latest ooohhh shiny offering and offloading a few armies this year, most are complete, some I am just bored with or are just part complete and I have lost interest. This will free up space and reduce my collection size plus adding some cash to the pocket. On the hit list, 28mm BC Persians, Celts, Middle republicans,  Imperial Romans, ECW and 30YW,  French WSS, ACW, Clan War and some 40k, along with some 20mm ww2 and moderns excess to my needs, 20mm Vietnam, and finally 28mm moderns.

On my list of things to do this year in some sort of order :-

1. Pick up my display cabinet from Gregs and repair it. 
2. 28mm Mediaevals finish the 60 odd cavalry and 40 odd infantry for Lewes. (plus take photos of completed units and post it!)
3. French 1809 Napoleonics adding a few more batns and sqns, high on the list this year.
4. 28mm Renaissance  Polish complete the 20 odd cav and 20 odd infantry, then possibly sell....
5. 28mm Early Republican Romans and Celts complete the re-basing.
6. 54mm to 100mm Large scale figures and busts plan to do a number, around 6 at least.
7. Napoleonic naval 1/ 1200th ships, lots to do
8. WW1 1/72nd aircraft ( some currently on the desk) finish off some Jasta's and some Brits to fight them!
9. 28mm Mithradatic Pontics/successors complete the heavy infantry and Thracian light infantry.
10. 28mm AWI finish purchasing a few bits and I really need to start this project, perhaps this could be the year!
11. 28mm 7YW intend to do more Russians, French and British.
12. 28mm Samurai complete the ashigaru and samurai cavalry. (not that high on the list)

My 20mm WW2 and modern collection resides on my other blog  but I have made a list for them too

1. 20mm Complete German battle groups for Arnhem 9th and 10th SS finish these guys will be my main focus.
2. Fallschirmjager and Luftwaffe field division next main focus.
3. 20mm British Para refit and build my gliders for Arnhem. 
4. 20mm WW2 French vehicles and infantry  some part painted already.
5. 20mm Belgian WW2 guns, trucks and an Hurricane (currently on the painting table)
6. 20mm Modern Russians vehicles, build and paint, a lot were part painted while on my holidays.
7. 20mm Modern Americans Cold war, lots of vehicles and some aircraft to do.
8. 20mm Polish WW2 infantry and vehicles, refit mostly.
9. 20mm Dutch WW2 infantry and vehicles, a new army!
10. Fix up the workshop so I can make another display cabinet and do some terrain work in the shed.
11. 20mm Buildings.....lots of buildings....did I mention lots and lots of buildings....
12. 20mm terrain revamp of hedges, roads, buildings and possibly a rebuild of a certain large table..........with sculpted terrain and teddy bear fur!

All the best with your endeavours this year

cheers

Matt

Seasons Greetings and Cunning Plans

Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and I am hoping you are planning a big New Year of gaming!




What a year of gaming it has been, the Goulburn Valiant Stormer's Club has grown and regularly has two or three game tables going at any one time, Highlights of the year included;

Rhino rejoined the club after a 8 year Hiatus with a bang, building multiple armies and having a blast gaming with us again, it has been a real pleasure.
Tarty and Ralph for reintroducing ancients to the club with the most excellent Ancient rules "Impteus" and my first taste of it in our Argentoratum refight.
The Late Roman Campaign.....finally someone has some armies so I had an excuse to paint my Late Romans, Germanics and Sassanids.
a few fun Pulp games always a laugh and a great way to get the creative juices flowing, I must say that "Carry on up the waazoo" was the funniest thing I have played in wargaming for a very long time........accents were compulsory......
And Finally the loss of a fellow Club Member and gamer Ross Skimmer, came as a great shock to us all, we played several memorial Rapid Fire Games in his memory. He will be greatly missed by all.

A big thanks to the boys for a most enjoyable year of gaming, laughs, cunning plans and coffee at the GVS!

I went back and looked at my goals and aspirations at the beginning of 2012, I didn't even come close to achieving what I set out to do, mainly sidetracked by the clubs Fall of the West Project and campaign and other shiny new releases by figure manufacturers!!!!

2012 Goals and Aspirations

1. AWI 8 batns British and Germans based for British Grenadier (Perry and foundry)(24 fig batn) (NIL)

2. 7YW buildings ready for casting in resin (Done two of five planned)

3. FIW British 5 batns to complete (front rank)(32 fig btn) (Part done one)

4. French 7YW 8 btns to complete, French 7YW 5 regts of cavalry, French Guns (Front Rank, crusader)(32 fig btns, 24 cavalry, guns) Part done 3 btns, two cav regts and guns

5. finish Pontic Army, imitation legionary's, two pike blocks some light Infantry (foundry and gripping beast) Completed, but not all photographed, must do this after I rebase in Feb....

6. Sassanid heavy cavalry and horse archers (A and A minis) (30 cav) Part done, horse harnes are completed just ding the individual jammies, horse archers basing now and should be up by Friday, next week as i have run out of tufts.......

7 French 1805 Napoleonic (continue the refit and rebasing, finish the heavy cavalry division and another Infantry Division Elite minis)(72 cav, 270 inf) NIL done, on the backburner till at least July 2013

8. 1809 Austrian napoleonic (a divison perhaps maybe plastic)(240 inf) Nil done

9 1812 Russian napoleonic (plastic perhaps!)(240 inf) Sold unpainted to Rhino at the club.

10 Russian 7YW (Sash and sabre) inf brigade, Gren brigade, arty and light cavalry (32 fig btns, cav 24) Completed 2 batns of 42, part done the light cavalry and arty.

11. 20mm modern germans (60 inf, six buildings) Completed, and done 10 veh also for them.

12. 28mm Baron Wars (60 odd cav and 180 infantry) started the first units

13 Hanoverain 7YW (Wartime)(140 inf) Part completed two btns, this needs attention!

14 20mm ww2 Germans (continue my refit) still going, did build 21 plastic kits though and resorted them a few times, completed some artillery and pak guns, completed 3 vehicles also.

15 continue refit Napoleonics and 7yw still happening, re-basing and touch ups as the need arises.


But I did go through my three period blogs and ended up with a reasonable effort, and I know I don't photograph everything so I will only list what I counted that was blogged at least......


So final numbers that were blogged

218 ...........28mm Infantry figures painted
45 .............28mm Cavalry
162............20mm Infantry
15 ww2 vehicles
1 aircraft

So this year I have many plans.........

2013 plans not necessarily in order

1. Sassanids finish the beggars, been putting them off as the jammies are tough to do and I want to do a top notch job.
2. Late Romans only a few more units to go, two units of cav and three units of Inf, this army has ended up twice as large as I intended, but that is what happens when you have club campaigns.....and finally someone has a army to play against!
3. Large scale 54mm and 75mm medieval, Greek and Roman figures (just for the cabinet....and maybe a painting comp.....) been dying to get to these for some time and this year I plan to finish a bunch of them.
4. Lewes Royalists, Greg (unlucky general) and I are building towards the goal of doing this at 1 to 15 in 28mm.....as a participation game in 2014 .........crazy but true. Been going overboard on the research which will be posted on Project Lewes next year as I progress.
5. Rebase my Republicans, Imperials, Pontics, and Celts to Impetus, a large job, a possible easter project.
6. Paint the rest of my WOTR army, more cav and billmen, and possibly rebase to impetus!
7. AWI British, close to my heart, I know I promised to do these last year on my 18th century blog "Fine and Dandy" but as no opponents have popped up yet ( I suspect they are awaiting the Perry plastics......) they have taken a back seat.....
8. Continue my 7YW French, British, Russians and Hanoverian's, lots of painting and lead in the cuboard for these too.
9. Continue the refit of my 20mm Germans, lots of vehicles to paint 30 plus, my 9th SS (for Arnhem) Lufwaffe fld div, and fallshirmjager need lots of work to bring them up to speed.
10. Start my Greek wars army. I have a large unpainted Immortal army to do, and I want to really go to town on the conversions, based for impetus also.
11. Napoleonic French refit and paint more for the Australian Napoleonic Congress!
12. Continue making masters for my 7YW building range, have a thing for Dovecotes at the moment......
13. Napoleonic and Dutch wars ship completion. I have a bunch of these to complete, damn rigging is painful for me.
14. WW1 1/72nd aircraft, I still have a number of these to complete.
15. French 20mm ww2, I have a number of figures and some tanks to paint and refit, trucks and guns to paint to complete this 1940 army.
16. Spanish and American Dreadnoughts, something I have had laying around for some time.
17. ECW complete the final three units and two guns... A project that has been on the go for 4 years, I doubt 10% of it has been officially photographed and blogged(some has been in battle reports) ....the display cabinet shelf is full so no new purchases required...unless someone brings out something that takes my fancy.....a great spectacle army for my Birthday parade in March I think!

So all I can suggest to myself is to ...............get cracking!!!!

cheers
Matt

Liebster Blog Award

Like a lot of other gaming bloggers I've been nominated for this award and would like to thank to gaming buddies of mine Mike of Satrap Miniatures and Greg of Unlucky General via his Blog Project Lewes (of which I am the yet to be built Royalist side) for the nominations. A nice little pick me up before Christmas. There are a bunch of Wargame blogs out there that need some recognition, with less than 200 followers.

The rules are:

- Copy and paste the award on your blog, linking it to the blogger who has given it to you.
- Pass the award to your top five favourite blogs with fewer than 200 followers by leaving a comment on one of their blog posts to notify them that they have won the award and list them on your own blog.
- Sit back and bask in that warm fuzzy feeling that comes with knowing that you have just made someone's day.
- There is no obligation to pass this onto anyone else but it is nice if you do.

The blogs I'd like to nominate are all members of our club, and as Australians I have decided to stay local:


Richard's M lovely 20mm ww2 blog, just sensational pieces of work, Richard and I get together to roll out our ww2 figures not often enough

Working on the Lead Mountain


Richard T also from Sydney, a very fine painter, a Napoleonic and a ancient gamer of renown......and someone who introduced me to Impetus rules.

Tartys Tin


and finally Greywolf, a supurb artist who has a healthy interest in wolves and naked females, Guy is more of a individual figure painter but does have a few armies floating around


Greywolf's Last Valley



Keep up the great work guys!


cheers
Matt

They Followed the Plume!

Welcome this blog will be dedicated to my Ancients, Medievals, and Renaissance, horse and musket colonial, Pulp, ww1, ww2, Cold War and modern projects that take up my painting time.

Why "Storm and conquest" as a title, well storming castles and conquesting nations of course! !


All of my armies are in 20mm (WW1, WW2, Cold War and moderns) or 28mm and come from a wide variety of maufacturers. This year I intend finnishing my Roman Republicans hastati and some cavalry along with a few allies , my WOTR army cavalry and more infantry, My Sassanids and my 3rd cent Romans, and some Rennaissance figures all for Wab, along with WW1 and WW2 stuff and a little Pulp.

On the planning and purchasing front more Renaissance for the Italian wars and more Sassanids.

This year looking forward to attending a few conventions the WAB 2.0 rules, playtesting a few sets of rules for mates and my Slingshot subscription, and possibly releasing my new miniature ranges.

Cheers
matt