Painting Tally, July-August 2026 + A Very Important PSA

July has mostly been about finishing the home renovation project, as attested by the previous post about our kitchen.

This was important because I had a deadline to meet, as on the 15th of August my daughter was born. Both mother and daughter are safe and healthy. In a few years I'll have an assistant for my hobby projects!

INWarD 2026 after action report

We managed to play - with two years of delay, due to me not finishing the models - my Denmark Strait scenario, and the results are in. My wife commanded the RN and I the dastardly Germans.

Above, Prince of Wales starting the day with a fire on board, which was quickly put out (still better than four of ten guns not working properly).

A Different Kind of Modelling

 

Before anybody thinks that the title means I show my beach body on the pages of this blog, I must disappoint. I finished the process of remodelling our kitchen instead.

This is the smallest room in our flat but it required the most of the renovation work. I dropped the bomb and disembowelled the whole thing, removing all furniture, wall and floor tiles.

INWarD2026 Preview: Battle of the Denmark Strait

All participants for my planned International Naval Wargaming Day game are ready for combat. I have also written a short set of rules, where players declare their intentions before moving (which hopefully would result in a more interesting gameplay than just the plain move-shoot routine). Also PoW has to roll for random critical damage at the beginning of the game. 

I'll write up the AAR next week, stay tuned until then!

Carp to Gold Ep.6.: Washed and Weathered

First, PSA: I made a separate label just for this project for easier searching.

Second, lately it has become a trait of local politicians to voice that 'we are responsible politicians, we believe in transparency, admit our mistakes and stand up to correct them.' As if that's something to be praised and not just plain normal.

So it is with a heavy heart that I must announce that when I removed the masking tape from the upper hull, it tore off a bit of paint at the waterline. But as a responsible modeller, I believe in transparency and while documenting this project, I admit my mistakes. (Here's where the audience should clap.)

Anyway, nothing a quick primer and a lick of paint don't fix.

Allies and Enemies of Zinqagur

Finished a few more 1/2000 scale scratchbuilt ships - most of these are ReReRe, which means repaired, repainted and rebased older ones.

First, the remainder of the Asansmati sea-going force, the ships which survived the defeat by the Klagimir fleet at the Battle of Tunova Atoll. Three USN pre-dreadnought battleships, one armored cruiser and a large-ish TBD force. These are all old models.

Asansmat is going the way of least resistance and would try to overcome the Zinqaguri squadron on the eastern seaboard of the Cape.

Aoshima 1/700 IJN Nagato 1927, a.k.a. Ole Grimey

I got this model kit for last Christmas from my wife. As usual, I built it with some gaps in between certain tasks. First I assembled the hull and turrrets, and then continued with other projects. Some time later I did the rest of the subassemblies, then it again took a while to paint them. 

The Nagato-class is perhaps the most powerful of all pre-treaty battleships, and their heptapodal main mast is a trademark feature - also more ergonomical in design than the restructured Fuso-class for example. In the far future I plan to build a Tosa using pieces from a Nagato and a Kaga kit, but that prospect is yet very distant.

The weird slanted funnel was also a focus point when choosing this version instead of the WW2 era rig.

All in all, the build was enjoyable, apart from the casual matter of things getting lost or broken off. I lost an AA gun on the aft platform, and all of the boat davits forward. I replicated these from scratch or turned to my spares box for solutions. 

Carp to Gold Ep. 5. - Young and Boatiful

The Aurora has four pairs of boats according to my plans, including two steam launches. These are the boats that came with my kit. As you can see there's only seven of them. I washed them and scraped off the sticky glue residue, also trimming away some of the injection mould marks.

Painting Tally, June 2026

June has been more productive than May (when I didn't do a thing, go the naysayers).

Here's the exact list:

28mm

Primed

26x Bloody Miniatures ECW/TYW figs

24x Warlord Games Clubmen

6x Warlord Games Generals

1/72

Completed

16x GNW Russian infantry

Primed

32x GNW Saxon infantry

1/700

Painted

Aoshima IJN Nagato 1927

1/2000

Painted

RHN Averof

Repainted about 10 of my earlier models and made bases for them (which require a layer of varnish)

Rurik II

Primed

SMS Blücher

This means a total PU of 722.

Purchases: Mostly concerning the Aurora build, some additional third party building material, a display cabinet etc.

June is birthday month, so I got both a model kit (a Trumpeters USS West Virginia 1941) and the aforementioned Warlord metal figures, a splendid haul if I say so myself.