Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Current Projects Update!

Lots going on at Sound Officers Call!  We're not resting on our laurels after 100k visitors!  So here are a few project updates to whet your appetite and give everyone an idea of our current endeavors.

CROSSFIRE PROJECT REDUX!
That's right, one of my all-time favorite games is getting a facelift.  In honor of "World Crossfire Day 2014" we're revamping and re-doing the Crossfire forces.  In what used to be a 15mm game, I've taken all of my 20mm troops based individually for "Disposable Heroes" and based them 3 to a stand on 1 1/4" Crossfire bases.
2 Crossfire platoons each, along with their respective Platoon Leaders, the Company Commanders are in the background.
Not only is this a great use of my 1/72 plastic toy soldiers, it's also a great excuse to finally start building, painting up and detailing those awesome Armourfast models I have on the shelf!!

unfinished Stug-III.  I have a TC figure for the commander as well as some stowage to laden this with.  Once the decals get on there, it'll really pop!  

painted in army-painter desert yellow and tamiya red-brown
THE SUMMER OF HORSE & MUSKET!
As summer draws to a close, a report on "The Summer of Horse and Musket" is way overdue.  After some conversations with Ken, I decided on rebasing my Horse and Musket guys again.  Truth be told, there's no reason I can't put 6 troops on a stand.  So even though it will open up more work for me, I think the results will look much better in the long run
"I feel naked without my flock" French commander eagerly awaits a generous sprinkling of green flock on his base.  The horse still needs some highlights added.

Der Anhalt underwent some changes as well, going from 6 bases to 4.  I think it gives a more "densely packed" troop look to it, and is probably more conducive to fighting battles on my modest 6 x 4 table.

To be perfectly honest here, I'm quite happy with 3 stand French Battalions instead of 6.  With this configuration I can field a Napoleonic force for Black Powder, Shako, Warmaster Napoleonics, Volley & Bayonet, etc.  The only force that will stay 6 stands are my AWI and ACW troops as I like the look of a little more space between troops on an AWI battlefield.

An unruly British battalion.  Note the wide variety of poses...
They don't look like it now, but they'll be an Austrian Battalion when I'm finished with them!



15mm WORLD WAR II
Is there an end in sight for my WW2 project?  Absolutely not!  After a huge wave of "birthday reinforcements" this summer we have a fresh batch of new troops and vehicles to paint and base including German Infantry Heavy Weapons, Soviet AT Guns, Soviet Heavy Weapons, German Recce, German "Big Cats" and artillery.  Charles Grant's "Battle" has proven an excellent system to handle large battles on the tabletop, producing realistic results.  That and the Battlegroup series has reinvigorated my desire to get more and more units completed for larger games.

Paint more, comrade.  And this is only half of it...
Keep on truckin!  Soviet trucks rolling off the assembly line.  They will head to the "People's Dry-Brushing Department" before heading off to detailing, and then straight into combat.

German recce.  Game after game of having my 222's blown up without doing their jobs, I decided to reach into my DAK units and get a Panzer II based up for reconnaissance duty.  Hopefully these last a little longer up against T-70s than their wheeled cousins.  

Strength in numbers.  Another 222!?!?!

Mountains of lead.  Here you see a Soviet SMG Battalion, a German SS Company, and the makings of a new Eastern Front Crossfire unit as well...It never ends!!
There are also a few terrain projects in the works as well although not huge priorities for now.  First thing's first need to clean up the hobby area and prep for finishing up some of these outstanding projects from what has proven to be a very busy summer in terms of everything BUT gaming and modeling.

For gaming, I'm very much wanting to try "SabreSquadron" as well as find a rules set and basing convention for my 20mm 1/72 fantasy troops.  Flames of War Moderns has been calling my name as well!  Using some of the home-grown and BF-produced supplements, I would sure like to play some "Fate of a Nation" Arab-Israeli wars, as well as Cold War Hot games with all that 15mm lead and plastic I bought last year.

Thanks for tuning in!

6 comments:

  1. You are a busy man Steven.

    Looking good.

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    1. Thanks, Paul. Now let's see if I can get any of this stuff done!!

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  2. Congrats on the 100K views! A lot going on. I'm enjoying the Battle! AAR's. I also went out and bought some cork ribbon to try my hand at roads and rivers.

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    1. Thanks, Sean! I plan on keeping them coming. I am rebasing my American GIs now and will start my Brits soon. Stay tuned!!

      Looking forward to seeing how the roads go.

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  3. A great collection of projects indeed!

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    1. Paul - it's pure madness! Hopefully I can get one of these projects knocked out!

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