Toy Boat Conversions

I was in a mind to run age of sail era naval games, perhaps a mini-campaign involving pirates. One way or another (either on the Naval Wargaming or Super Cheap Wargaming FB group, I forgot which) I found this big load of Risk replacement toy ships just suitable for the task.

The package arrived from Amazon US in a good time and I started sorting the contents out. The ships have two tiers of gunports, so are suitable for third and fourth rates, but what I needed for specific scenarios were first/second rates, frigates, indiamen, and ships laid up in ordinary. 

Thus I took out my rotary tool, some glue and plasticard and started on some conversions. 

For the 1st rate ship, I put a 2mm plasticard spacer at the bottom and smoothed the gaps out with some epoxy resin. At this scale I did not care much about the lowest tier of gunports, I just painted on a third bright brown stripe.

The frigate had the bottom of the hull sanded up to the top of the second tier of gunports. I also added a spritsail to the mizzen.

For the indiaman I filled the bottom gunports and sanded the hull to shape.

The vessel in ordinary retained the original hull, but the masts were chopped off and replaced with a toothpick.

Each ship besides the last one received a plastic hairbrush bristle to place ensigns on.

Further down the line I'm thinking of adding clear plasticard bases, but for now they are good 'as is'. I'll paint some third rates in brighter colours next.

Frickland's new colors

Two cavalry standard bearers, one with the flag of the Fricklandes Heer and the other with the 1st Cavalry Brigade's. Both are hand-painted on thick paper.

The army standard has the Fricklander Cross and 'Periculum in mora' written on it.

Crontaineville's new flags

This is the whole Crontaineviller division made up of Risk figures. Every unit is supplied with a flag for distinction and two standards were given too.

Quite an impressive sight but still undermatches the Fricklander force, time to get more!

New units for Frickland

Completed during last week. First, four field artillery units and the Präsidenter Garde du Corps. 

I thought the guns would be hard to paint but they weren't at all, a quick drybrush with dark earth on black basecoat, gold/bronze on the barrels and then I could move on to the figs.

1st Grenadier Brigade of Frickland

Six stands of line grenadiers (black turnbacks, white breeches, gaiters, mitres) done during the weekend plus the command figs. The mitres are done with chunks of green stuff, they may be a little big but in this scale who cares? 

Just trying to take on my tricorne painting mood and had time to mess with the greenstuff. No further explanation needed.

The foot commander is converted using an infantry fig and a rider's arm with the sword. Both commanders wear the traditional light turquoise vest and some golden pieces to make them stand out. 

Playing with the new brigades

Testing the new brigades I painted in the weekend. I played the Fricklander vs. my brothers, the Crontaineviller generals,

One brigade a day, keeps the foes away

Yep, I've painted two Risk brigades in two days. It's not such an achievment if you look at the size and detail of the figs (about 110 painted this turn), but still, it sounds great. Above, a Crontaineviller contingent to match Frickland's might.

Two cavalry and two infantry regiments with light infantry and artillery support. All of them are basecoated white and finished with water-based varnish which dries faster but does not have a strong shading effect when mixed with black paint.

Risk Zwetschkbad Küirassieren and Fricklander foot + New blog!

I've tried the 'dipping' method on these and IMO it is more effective than using a black wash. Two bases (one regiment) of Zwetschkbad Küirassieren above.

A macro of these, not quality casts but they aren't intended for that anyway.

A tiny bit of help required, I want to add a picture to the blog header but it says I'm on the image limit, yet I can still upload pics to the posts... What the hell?

And, after removing the poll (no efficiency whatsoever), I've set up a new blog about my Cossacks Imagi-Nations which I'll start filling up with information first, then get into playing.  If you are interested, have a look here.

...And another project

This one project, at the moment, being short-term, compared to the others. What I am working on:

• JCW/JWI Imagi-Nation armies
• 30YW Imagi-Europe
• Medievals for Inter Arma and A World in Chaos
• Strictly speaking: added to the medievals and no efficient work until now on the plastic fort
• 28mm Landsknechts (still a plan)
• Ordering & painting Risk armies

You can see that long-term for me means it's never going to be finished. Keeps me busy all the time and that's good. From my posts the good people who read them could have already guessed that I paint rather randomly (as is said in the blog title), so no wonder there are so many things running simultaneously.

The new project is a spin-off of the last one mentioned: Risk. Nobody in the household needs the figs provided for the set and replacements can be bought for cheap.

The roughly sketched background for the new project is already here: I'm building a tricorne Fricklander force with some conversions shown earlier. I will make a more detailed map later, people liked my last one.

Here's a complete unit listing for a Fricklander army in Pastebin. This tool is a tad simple but it is easy to store information.

One more question before going on (and check the poll in the sidebar): as during term I spend most of my weekdays in the student hostel where painting for obvious reasons is a no go, I'm thinking of starting a Cossacks Imagi-Nations campaign on a hex grid map, and on a new blog. The question is: do you have any interest in that? Share in the comments or answer the poll please.

Click on 'Read more' to see the color templates for the beginnings of the army and more infos.

Risk conversions

These two are experimental pieces, one cuirassier and one grenadier in mitre.

The cuirassier simply has its chest left black after the basecoat while the grenadier's tricorne was cut at its points, carefully filed and then a piece of paper was added with superglue. As soon as I'll get a Vallejo black wash (which is due next week when I'll finally get some cash, till then I'll try my usual method of shading and see the results) these will be produced en masse, will upload a post with details tomorrow. I hope I can find a used box of Risk (not a modern or Napoleonic one, although the cavalry figs in the Napoleonic box are quite good) as that would mean a few more dozens of these to paint.

Risk figs painted

The painting stack is at the bottom, less than two boxes remaining and this weekend had mostly been a basecoating business (will post a 'Painting diary' entry later); on the other hand the budget must be cut, the need to resupply paints grows.
There's still something to do so I started painting these Risk figs I basecoated earlier. Well the black wash is terrible as usual (should buy pro washes of the Citadel/Vallejo range as my dipping method wouldn't work on such small surfaces).

These are just randomly based, in my game using Risk figures there are 6x2cm bases with different numbers of figures on each.

Buying extra amounts of these and painting them up (1-200 figs a day aren't really a challenge considering how much they lack detail on their uniforms) would result in a pretty cheap army of numerous units. The cavalrymen can be either painted up as cuirassiers, just some black or metal color on their chests.

Additions for the Risk game

A few minor scratchbuilds for the Nations of Riskopia game. The campaign's going on and there was a siege already but the gameplay requires some modifications on the rules. 

Above, fortifications out of matches. Been collecting the few the household uses and honestly, they never seem to be out of stock so why not have some fun with them? The river, by the way, is a very old build from last October.

Houses, there's 11 of them, the material is styrofoam and cardboard. Not so detailed but these are for gaming purposes and who would look at them that closely anyway?

Some plastic caps camouflaged as trees/wood markers, not very effective but useful for sure.

And another new project

...Called The Nations of Riskopia(?)

Put together a campaign map with this fun prog called Hexographer. There are three neighboring countries (Ulpianea, Auroventia and Aronia), each has armies of Risk figs I've based and set up very simple rules for them. 

Campaign rules:

• Starting with rolling 1d6 for armies, 1-3 armies on first turn
• Roll 1d4 for reinforcements each 2 turns, 1-2 armies until reaching a maximum of 6
• Armies may move 5 hexes per turn modified by 1d6: 1-2 = -1 hex, 5-6 = +1 hex

May work on arrival of supply trains and available supplies based on rolls later.

And here you can inspect a battle (only one has been fought so far), a border conflict for a bridge. The figs are based on a 6x2cm cardboard piece: 8 infantry figs make a regular infantry unit, 4-5 a Jäger/irregular unit, 4 cavalry figs a cavalry squadron and 3 cannons a battery. 

Rules for combat (again, very, very simple): 

• Infantry moves approx. 5cm, cavalry moves 10; guns move 4. I'll figure out some sort of sticks to make measurements easier.
• When fired/charged at, a unit takes a test, if rolls 1 on 1d6 it routs 1 unit of movement (guns don't rout, two hits mean the battery is destroyed). Volleys happen simultaneously except when fired at from the sides/back. 
• Roll a test again on routed units at the beginning of turn, if 1 again said unit is destroyed.
• Command fig (2 per army, one foot and one mounted) can save 1 or 2 units from routing/destruction in its proximity.

This is just some relaxing stuff to keep me entertained while I'm slowly running out of paint but it looks like I'll have a permanent job at an office from August and on, good news, good news!

Also, damn the Blogger editor for making the text's background white.