30 Day Kit build challenge, week one

 #30daykitbuildchallenge

Ok off to a crackings start but that is easy with PSC kits, although sometimes not the most accurate 1/72 kits on the market with actual scale off sometimes (a lot) and parts that are not correct (shermans) they do make kits that are really simple to put together, I purchased a lot of them last year on sale and they have been sitting in my kit cupboard ever since. I have elected to try to concentrate on Allied kit in this build, first up some british kit , stuarts, bren gun carriers, some trucks and a battery of 25lb guns, plus limbers, tractors. Then some shermans for my Free French, then onto some other bits I think, I have a bunch of Panzer IV to assemble Fijimi......purchased a long time ago.

Week 1 total 6 kits

Bren carriers, an easy simple build

Stuarts, love these, really like them

Total 6 kits 

cheers 

Matt

30 day Kit build challenge -2022

   

April 30 day Kit challenge!

So what is the 30 day kit challenge? Well, something I shamelessly copied from Gunbird and his blog "20mm and then some" back in 2017 when we chatted about doing something about our piles of shame.

When I moved to France I found I had a lot of unbuilt kits, particularly modern and ww2, plus some ww1 aircraft make up the majority. I also suffer from half built kit syndrome, as I like to paint the interiors, the pilots or drivers then assemble the kit. So with that in mind I'm starting the 30 day kit build, if you like join me and blog about it, steal the picture below if you like

Join me if you wish on Facebook, Blog and Instagram using the tag 

#30daykitchallenge 

Or join the fun on the 

The Wargamers Forum

RULES

Goals are simple, you will build your part built and new kits during the 30 day challenge:

• Any material (plastic, resin, metal, wood).
• New in the box or partially built, it matters not.
• Gun, tank, truck, aircraft, ship, figure animal? Your call.
• Kit must be basically finished, based if you prefer that, to qualify as a build.
• The completed kit must be ready for primer.
• Resin and metal upgradesets can be applied after the build.....the goal is to get kits built and ready for primer, not to finish them with paint and varnish etc.
• You decide how many kits/models you want to build in the 30 day period.
• You set the penalty for not meeting your goal (and after that it is the honor system)

Anything beyond that is up to you

My goal is the period from 1/4/2022 up to 30/4/22, each day I plan to work on a kit until I have completed my goal.  My goal is grand total of 30 kits, If I can build more kits in the month, then bonus.

My penalty is that if I don't make my target, is not to buy another kit for the rest of the year :(.

So, starting with Day #1 (1st April 2022), I'm starting with some Allied /72 PST kits first then onto some more tanks and aircraft.

Cheers
Matt

King of Kings, Shapur II

 King Of Kings 

I have been on holiday for three months in Australia, the weather was fabulous and it was great to catch up with friends. I had great intentions of painting some figures whilst I was there, however I really did not devote any time really in between family commitments. This is one of the few I actually had time to complete.

King Shapur II, possibly the greatest and longest serving king of the Sassanid empire and a pain in the side to Rome and her allies in the east. The miniature is from the aventine range along with the two retainers and standard, the horse however id from the A&A range and fits in nicely. This vignette almost completes my Sassanid army for Impetus, I would like to buy some more foot, heavy infantry and archers and I will be done. 

King of Kings Shapur II

Cheers

Matt

Grand Duchy of Baden Army 1809 Part 1

 The Grand Duchy of Baden

As I have decided to add more Napoleonics to my collection this year, one of the armies you may of noticed last year was my Grand Duchy of Baden. The miniatures I will be using for the army are from the Murawski miniatures range. 

A ideal army for wargaming at 1/20, as it is a nice small Division sized army with supporting cavalry, artillery and light infantry. As with most of my armies I like to research and pick a year or battle to focus on. As 1809 is a great campaign period for Baden I will build the army for this period so they can fight against my Austrians.  

I will also plan to add a train, Gendarmes and possibly some militia types too which will require some green stuff to complete! 

My plan is to build this year

• General staff (mostly completed in 2021)

• Baden garde du corps 4 figs

• Guard Infantry 

• 3 Line Infantry regiments 

• 1 Jager battalion

• Garde du Corps

• Dragoon Regiment (completed 2021)

• Hussar Regiment (using plastic Perry hussars)

• 1 foot Artillery battery (completed 2021)

• 1 horse artillery battery

• Train

• Gendarmes (completed in 2021)

• Militia Infantry and artillery. (possible Jager company, artillery company and veteran battalion inclusion)

Historical Organisation 1809-10
Baden elevated to an electorate in 1803, then a Grand Duchy in 1806, with the population with the additional lands acquired reaching one million people by 1810. The extra territory allowed the state to raise 10,000 men for the army of Baden. It served in the Grande Armee in the 1805, 1806, 1807 1809, 1812 and 1813 campaigns. 

Ministers of War
7 March 1808 to 17 September 1808 Karl von Geusau
1808–1814 Karl Friedrich von Fischer
16 August 1814 to 4 Dezember 1833 Konrad von Schäffer

Music 

Some regimental music I have found

Parademarsch der königlich Bayrischen Grenadier Garde

March of the Swabian County Regiment, Durlach-Baden (c. 1700, oíd version)

Pas de redouble

hope you enjoy that

cheers

Matt  

 

Medieval Myth Busting Agincourt

 Agincourt, Medieval myth busting

Tobias Capwell bust some more myths about Agincourt, interesting discussion about stakes also! Set aside 30 odd minutes of good stuff!

cheers

Matt

13th century Mangonel

 Manganeau-Mangonel 

Thought to be designed by the chinese and moved west by the 6th century the Mangonel was used widely as a siege engine across europe and asia. The engine was simple to build leverage system and used pulleys and ropes to launch the rocks or rock at the enemy walls, some drawings exist of a torsion type rope system with a pin which would create more energy to release stones further. The Mangonel was replaced by the trebuchet by the middle of the 13th century when stone tower and wall fortifications became the norm for fortifications in the middle east and europe.

I am not certain where the Mangonel comes from but the crew are Mirliton 13th century figures with with new arms. I am intending adding twisted wire or cord at some stage when I get back into 13th century medieval later in the year.

cheers

Matt