A Pilgrimage to Games Workshop HQ

 I have fond memories of my armies I built for GW games in the late 80s, 90s early 2000s. At one time or another I had Judge Dredd/ Rouge Trooper, Bloodbowl, Spacehulk, spacefleet gothic and Necromunda boxed sets. I played first Edition 40K up to 4th edition with penal legions, Ultra marines, Orks, and biker Sqauts. I still have a collection of Eldar, Ultramaines and Necrons, and my son has my Orks. 

Then in the late 90s I built Warhammer Empire/Kislev followed by undead, wood elves and  orcs for the tournament scene in Sydney where I met some great mates I still game with today, my son now has my orcs. Then LOTR came in the early 2000s I purchased a bunch just as display miniatures painted some for GW Australia, my boys learnt to paint on the legions of bits I received along the way.

 I painted shop armies for GW Castle hill, Sydney store  (Lotr Goblins & Orcs, Warhammer Lizardmen, Bretonians and LOTR character sets) and had two armies in White Dwarf, and figs in an army book over the years, winning a few GW painting trophies in the early 90s winning a golden Gobbo.  

I still purchase the odd figure to paint and add to the my display collection so I was a joy to revisit the museum of figs particularly looking at figures I owned and painted at one time or another over the years. 

I enjoyed my afternoon at GW and will return and have a beer at big and one day. 

Equestrian ornaments for horse harnesses

 The chateau at Angers has a very nice display of horse harness pendants currently until the end of October, I thought I would take photos and post them. 

1&2 Blazon Clermont-en-Beauvasis 1250-1400

3. Family de Harcourt, Normandy 1250-1410
4. Family de Lusignan 1250-1400

5. king Richard 1198 
6a prince John 1170-1198

7. Abbaye Peterborough 1450
8. Fleur de Lys Rene d’Anjou

9. English cross 1250
10. French 1250

11. French cross
12. English 

13. English 1250-1400
14 French 1250-1400

15. Family de Bochum 1450
16 Spanish 

17. English 1300-1400
18. France 1200-1400

19. Family de Dreux
20. Family de Harcourt 

21. French 
22. French 

23. Family de Tibetot, 1300 England
24. French 

Cheers

Matt

French Horse Artillery

 Completed a battery of Elite Miniatures Horse artillery, I will pick up some guns at Partizan. 

Cheers

Matt

Mustang P51D

  Completed another Mustang P-51D, built out of the box. Added Airfix pilot. I used AK real colour aluminum and steel  mix, panel lined, hand painted invasion stripes, then decals. I nice simple Revell kit. 

Syrian MIG -17

  Another Syrian aircraft off the desk. The MIG 17 is marked with pre 1962 Roundels, painted with AK interactive Real Colour aluminum and gun metal. 

Cheers

Matt

Terrain Tuesday - signage and bits

 A bit of ww2 terrain fillers this week, signage from the italeri box sets 

Cheers

Matt

Terrain Tuesday - Napoleonic Casualty markers

 Napoleonic Casualty markers 

Touched up some old metal casualty markers sculpted by my old mate Mike Broadbent, 20 odd years ago. Sadly Mike passed away last year in August after sculpting for a number of miniature companies, Eureka Miniaturs, Lead Boiler Suit company and a few others. Three French and two Anhalt german states 

Cheers

Matt

Katanga Airforce Fouga Magister FM 92

 Katanga Airforce Fouga Magister FM 92

Completed the Heller 1/72 kit, painted with AK real colours and added aftermarket MAV decals for the Katangan markings. Quite happy with the results 

KATANGAN  92 Fouga Magister 

Without a doubt, the most infamous of the Katangan Fouga Magisters, KAT 92 seen the most service and caused the most controversy. Kat 92 operated from September 14 to 19, 1961, against UN forces. Damaged by ground fire on the 18th but grounded while peace talks commenced and then came into effect on the 20th. 

On the 3rd December 1961 it was damaged during an air attack, Indian UN Canberra bombers permanently grounded it at Kolwezi. Damaged, it was evacuated by rail on December 5, 1961, to Kisenge where it awaited replacement parts.

Thanks to this single training aircraft, based in Kolwezi, the Katangese "hunt" caused panic among the United Nations. The KAT 92 carried out rapid overflights of UN positions, dropping a few 50kg improvised bombs here and there. These interventions boosted the morale of the Katangese Gendarmerie and mercenary troops and sowed consternation among the ranks of the ONUC troops. The Fouga were an excellent means of psychological warfare against the ONUC soldiers and forced them to deploy air support. This Fouga also played a vital role in the attack on UN Kamina Airbase on the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th of September destroying one DC4 on the ground and killing two UN pilots. Then the strafing and bombing of the Irish at Jadotville between the 13th and 17th. During at ground attack on the Kamina Airbase on the 18th it received damage. 

José Magain “the lone Prowler”

The pilot of the Fouga 92 was the Belgian José Magain who had flown with the Belgian Air Force. Joseph Delin the commander of Kolwezi airbase accompanied him as co-pilot on several missions including the staffing of Jadotville But when the journalists and photographers showed up in Kolwezi, José Magain disappeared… because no one could know that he had piloted the Fouga Magister. In reality he should no longer have been in Katanga and should have returned to Belgium on August 28, 1961, just like the other members of Avikat expelled by the UN (Operation “Rumpunch 27th August - October 1961”).
 

Armament for KAT 92, originally armed with 7.50 mm guns and ammunition, it was re-chambered for 7.62 caliber as ammunition was readily available. for bombing ground attack missions required manufacture of 50 kg bombs from mortar rounds and a primitive dropping and aiming system organized with the means at hand. The Fouga KAT 92 flew about 50 missions, claiming a UN DC-6, a DC-4, a DC-3, a dozen trucks, strafing the positions Jadotville, and a UN radio installations was destroyed at Kamina. The end of each of these missions was punctuated by a message to the control tower manned by the UN: "See you soon, gentlemen; I will be happy to come and see you again!"