Dispatches from the front XXX - New Projects & the real world of gaming.

Not done a dispatch for a while and this one seems to have a touch of the real life about it.

I've recently had a clear out of older wargaming projects. You know the sort of thing: Units that never made it to the table top, spares or projects that have not seen a battle in few years, its always good to release extra funds for new projects.

Thanks HMRC. 

Selling more than 30 items on platforms such as eBay can trigger reporting requirements to HMRC under the new digital platform rules. That doesn't automatically mean tax is due, but it does mean your activity may be reported. What sticks in the throat slightly is that many of these miniatures, rulebooks and hobby supplies were bought new years ago, complete with VAT. In many cases they're being sold at a substantial loss rather than a profit. It feels a little cheeky that after paying VAT on purchase, a hobbyist having a clear out can find themselves caught up in tax reporting thresholds designed to identify trading activity. 

I get it, of course there's a difference between running a business and simply reclaiming some shelf space and while HMRC generally distinguishes between genuine trading and selling personal possessions, I thought I only had to worry about the wife finding out about my spending habits.😉

On to real life distractions.

Spotted these on Kickstarter from Brigade Games in the US and yes you can rest assured tax will be due on the import, a great collection of Chinese civilians to add to the Sino-Japanese project to populate the new buildings and clutter up the roads.

Sad news with the death of Patrick Stewart last week, he played King Leondegrance in Excalibur and a great battle scene. On the thread on the Northstar FB Nick mentioned some very exciting news.

Coming in January - A whole new range to compliment the movie.... Well that scuppered my original plans for 2027 and Operation Torch.

It looks like 2027 could be back to the 80's & 90's.... Over 12 years ago I kicked off a project for Starship Troopers we had some great campaign games, but scale was always an issue, when you want to re-fight the battle for Ft Joe Smith but you only have managed to amass 50 bugs it felt a little below par.

So why not do it in 6mm I thought?

Crow Industries have produced some great individual prints including a whole cluster or swarm of bugs.

A few odds and ends to clear this month but December will be bug central if the Excalibur range lands in January and the tax man does not snaffle all my funds. Being mostly black they should not take that long - But so many legs....

Finally one for the Blogger community, it will be interesting to see what others are seeing. Every now and again you get random comments pop up on posts, normally an advert for some off shore something or other. But lately AI posts appear to be creeping with far more content. Apologies to Omar & Michael if you are real but not many humans write 3 paragraphs about how insightful and great each post is. :-)

Japanese Support - Sino Japanese War

 As October draws to a close the last of the regular forces.

This is a nice piece of kit from Mardav Miniatures, the crew are a little thinner than a few of the others on the market, but some good poses for a crew in action.

Next up and the final Japanese mini - A flamethrower from Eureka.

I need to work out some stats - but this should be a fun getting him to help clear out the Chinese defenders.

Next up a month of odds and sods..... before a new project in December.

Chinese Support - Sino-Japanese War

Another week and an hour a night eats into the Chinese backlog.

The Chinese crew are from Eureka Miniatures with gun salvaged from some WW1 British, the great thing is the Chinese had a mish mash of equipment so the old gun felt like a nice fit.

Next up a Chinese knee mortar, from what limited information is available they were not used in collective platoons as with the Japanese formations so one team it is for the nationalist forces.

Finally a one time only Anti-Tank team - The original suicide squad. 

I need to think about how to represent these in Xenos Rampant, perhaps some kind of wild charge when an enemy AFV is in sight?

Well lets see how these units can slow the Japanese advance.

A day on the brushes tomorrow and the last of the Japanese forces.

Chinese 88th Division Command.

It's Sino - Japanese month (again), this month the plan is to get all final pieces finished before a new project in November.

The 3D prints from Kyoushuneko Miniatures are very good, but are missing certain elements such as high level command and the like, so I have dropped in a couple of items from Eureka's range to fill in the gaps.

The Officers with machine pistols and a big sword are just the ticket to take the fight to the Japanese.

I saw a youtube video on converting Warlord Japanese Infantry into Chinese, so had a crack at a head swap on the standard bearer dropping on Kyoushuneko head - he's come out OK.

I did the same for the knee mortar. A useful addition to the defenders.

 Next up a more Chinese in blue.

I hate painting buildings.....

Buildings.... I hate painting buildings.....

They always seem a waste of time given how many figures are in the painting queue.

Two Sheds Fred to the rescue, Fred and Emily are great to work with, great communication and a wonderful paint job.

I had a pre-painted buildings from Hadrian's Walls (sadly OOP) but wanted to match some 3D prints which I had to the same style.

What a great job - A perfect match.

Superb detail on the buildings and the guys have done a fantastic job both inside and out.

The buildings whilst designed for Japan will be perfect for anywhere in the far east and will compliment my existing terrain for anything from the Sino-Japanese project through to the Water Margin.

Add in a Well from 4 Ground which had been hanging around for several years - I am never painting 28mm buildings again.

Two Sheds Fred highly recommended.

If you had not guessed this month it's back to the Sino-Japanese War and the last of the Chinese troops plus a couple of funnies.

The Ford at Willow Crossing - 2nd Sino-Japanese War

Aiming to keep the painting to playing ratio going for August - An excuse to get the new Japanese on the table.

September 1937. Across northern China, the Imperial Japanese Army advances relentlessly inland following the outbreak of full-scale war after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. Towns and villages along the frontier have fallen in rapid succession as better trained and better equipped Japanese forces push deeper into Chinese territory.

Along a secondary route running through rolling farmland and wooded valleys lies a shallow river known locally as the Willow River. Though narrow, recent rains have swollen its banks, making crossings difficult except at a handful of established fords.

One such crossing, known as Willow Ford, sits astride a grass land track leading toward the market town of Xingyuan. If the Japanese secure the ford, mechanised elements and artillery can continue their advance unimpeded. If the crossing can be denied, even briefly, precious hours may be bought for Chinese forces withdrawing further south.

A small platoon from the Chinese National Revolutionary Army has been ordered to hold the crossing at all costs.

The Situation

Lieutenant Zhang Wei, a young officer with little combat experience, commands a platoon of barely thirty men. Many are exhausted from days of retreat and skirmishing. Ammunition is limited, communications are poor, and reinforcement is unlikely.

The platoon has spent the night preparing crude defensive positions around the northern bank of the ford. Shallow trenches overlook the crossing while sandbags and felled trees provide makeshift cover. A single light machine gun covers the main approach.

At dawn, lookouts report movement on the opposite side of the valley.

The Japanese are coming.

Chinese Objectives

The defenders know they cannot win a prolonged battle. Their mission is simple:

• Prevent Japanese forces from crossing the ford.
• Delay the advance long enough for engineers several miles south to prepare demolitions on a larger bridge.
• Preserve enough of the platoon to conduct an orderly withdrawal when ordered.

For Lieutenant Zhang, success is measured not in territory held, but in time bought.

Japanese Objectives

Elements of an advancing Japanese infantry company have reached the Willow River ahead of schedule.

Their orders are:

• Seize the ford intact.
• Clear all resistance north of the river.
• Continue the advance before nightfall.

Japanese commanders believe the crossing is defended only by scattered retreating troops and expect resistance to collapse quickly.

The mist clings to the water as dawn breaks over Willow Ford.

Private Chen grips his rifle so tightly his knuckles ache. Shapes move among the shrubs. At first they seem like shadows. Then sunlight catches steel helmets. A whistle echoes across the valley and the Japanese come on in droves.

Lieutenant Zhang rises from the undergrowth - "Hold your fire."

The soldiers wait the Japanese advance guard cross the ridge line, rifles crack. The battle for Willow Ford has begun.

Using Xenos Rampant I made the Japanese subject to wild charge and it was not long before the main force rushed the Chinese positions. Morale was key to battle as the Japanese pressed on and the Chinese with poorer morale were beaten back.

If that was not enough the Japanese commander found his target and called in artillery support to pepper the Chinese lines driving the defenders back across the ford.

The Chinese force outnumbered and outgunned falls back and despite determined resistance and local knowledge is unable to hold the line. Another will for the Japanese.

Scenario borrowed from this little gem, designed for Chain of Command and the Japanese - Russo conflict of 1939 it transfers well to the Sino-Japanese Front, the maps could be clearer but great orbits for both sides including Mongolian units.

Back to the brushes and a whole load of Japanese to get through before the bank holiday is out...

Japanese Infantry - Sino Japanese War 1937

It's Sino-Japanese month - who knew :-)

Finally a drop in temperature and a chance to crack on with reinforcements for the Japanese, I was fortunate to do a swap with a buddy for a whole bunch of unpainted Japs, more than I needed really but that did not stop me then ordering extra's from Eureka, more on that in the coming weeks.

First up a couple of Grenade Launcher Sections.

The Warlord minis blend in well with the existing Westwind collection, where I seem to be heavy on NCO's.

Finally left overs off the free sprue and a spider hole to keep the allies heads down, now just to work out some rules in Xenos Rampant for these piece.