New Sand Pebbles arrives and other stuff

Tiger's new SP003 Shore Patrol has arrived, I matched these against my painted Cannon Fodder's Sand Pebbles.  Tiger's are between one and three mm taller and slightly thicker.  But I think these will fit right in together.

Each of the figures carry a billy club and the officer is attempting to draw his pistol.  I don't know what the fig second from right is doing, maybe I shouldn't ask and he won't tell. (It was almost funny).

We're still waiting for other Tiger figures ordered a month or more before these to arrive.  This came DHL not bad timing since I think it was sent on 2-17.

I have been working on a Plasticville Diner and I'm just about finished with the interior, photos when done.  It will be part of our town for Pulp gaming.  Next up is a Plasticville hospital, they come two storey.  I plan to cut the top off the second storey of one and the entire second storey of another to make a three storey hospital with removeable roof and two floors.  Photos from the beginning.  Following that in no particular order will be a gas station, church, police station, and fire station.



New Figures Arrive

Finally, our first shipment of six packs each of Tiger's new US Navy Sand Pebbles has arrived and we expect more of them during the next week.  Weapons include in SP002, 2 BAR, 7 Springfields, and a pump shotgun.  The four officers SP001 carry 45s and the NCO a Springfield. Coming next week is SP003 a real shore patrol armed with billy clubs.
These should go quite well with my Cannon Fodder US Navy Sand Pebble figures, although I think these new figs might be slightly taller at 30 to 31mm to the eyes.  But then no everyone is six foot tall as long and the heads are the same size it should be fine.
Ben has posted some photos of our new civilian figures on his blog http://www.leadbones.blogspot.com/
Lots more stuff coming in the next couple of weeks stay tuned.

Ion Cannnon for Star Wars gaming

Painting is just about completed on this 'Ion Cannon', the computer screens need some space ships pictured.  It is constructed from the motor and shaft from a blender while the top from the blue ceramic up is from a gas oven igniter, I don't remember where the radar dish is from but the computer controls come from the Playmobil ship fittings.  I think the motor gives the cannon a nice realistic feel to it.  I didn't paint very much of the model as I chose the electric pieces precisely because they looked real.  The gas oven igniter is very nice especially since the igniter is from our oven when I had to replace it.  Unfortunately the cannon cannot depress any further than pictured, OK so it is for planetary defence only.  To power the cannon I have a massive generator I bought from Rudy Nelson's Time Portal Hobbies years ago.

New figures coming soon

We received a package of masters today for a set of 8 modern civilians that can either be armed or unarmed, a pack of 4 African or whatever fetishes, and another of 4 Tikis.  These will go into production asap so we should have them in stock by Cold Wars.  Ben will be putting them up probably on his blog in the next couple of days http://www.leadbones.blogspot.com/

Info came from Tiger today that loads of new packs will be in the mail soon.  They include: US Navy Shore Patrol (see below) (interwar period), Bolshaviks for the Winter War (at least 6 packs), and Balkan Wars Early Turkish infantry.

Converting a Playmobil ship

As I mentioned last time I am working on my first convertion of a Playmobil ship. This photo shows the full ship from aft, it is approximately 30 inches long.  The top deck has a ships wheel and you can just makeout an officer next to it.  On the bridge deck you can see a sailor with a  heavy machinegun in a permanent mount.  There is one on the other side as well as between the two bollards on the rear deck. The top deck is removeable with the bridge, radioroom, chartroom and stairs to the next deck down open to gaming.  Still left to finish from the obvious include painting the deck and drybrushing rust.
Click to enlarge



Here you can see the bridge deck interior, on the right is the radioroom the center white space is the stairs down, well suposedly, as the piece to hold the upperdeck in place goes here. 

You can see in the photo below the hatch covers are on with the single deck gun in place.  The balsa wood pieces surrounding the gun are part of a quick drop packing crate that hides the gun.  The gun is a 1:72 88mm gun which is approximately a three inch gun in 1:64 scale.  The gun is mounted on a magnet with a large washer glued to the hatch.  The next ship will be more of a large construction project as I want to make it closer to a commerce raider than an armed resupply ship.  So that I will be cutting into the hull for two or three 4 inch guns, and a different bridge complex.  I am starting on my drawings this weekend so maybe a pic of that next week.

In the background you can see my workbench, Ben's is a mirror image in the other corner.  Under the heatpump is my collection of MWANs, rule books, Ospreys, and magazines.  The ship is sitting on our 4 X 10 gametable, with what I thought would be loads of storage underneath.  But my son has more stuff than me and I have been collecting stuff for 50+ years.  Behind the back wall is a storage are that is 4 by 20 but has a sloping ceiling so we could really make the gameroom bigger than the 16 by 20, including the stairs up from the garage, the storage area has been very helpful as my wife doesn't want much of our gaming toys in the house.  I have some stuff in my third floor/attic library.

Tales of the Gold Monkey

I started watching Tales of the Gold Monkey and must say it is wonderful for ideas in Pulp Gaming.  I've even started making a list of figures to begin purchasing:
Bluemoon: Japanese Agents
Copplestone Honest Citizens and Sleuths
Perry: Samurai 7, 24, and 43 for the Princesses personal guard
Pulp Figs: each of the Japanese packs making two units of 20 figs each for the secret island base, several of the weird war Germans, and the Island warriors
Artizen: too many to list for civilians, island bureaucrats, Germans high command, and civilian contractors
Valiant: has some really nice Geishas and head Personal guard for Princess Koji
I might still need some Japanese pilots for the Zeros at the secret Japanese airfield on island x.
I have two Playmobile ships, see below, that I am converting into German commerce raiders.

 

 

Major renovations need to be made to these ships particularly the superstructure, as it is made for 2 1/2inch figures and is too modern looking.  The ship is approximately 30inches long and 8 wide.  There was a long series on LAF about converting this ship.  It is a great read and an even better job than mine will be.  Soon as I finish the first ship I will post photos, probably next week.

 

 

1930s in the South Pacific

On Saturday Mike S. a new customer from, almost, nearby Paducah, KY. came by.  While talking about what he was going to use the Cannon Fodder US Navy figures we have for sale it turns out he is working on a campaign scenario for the South Pacific during the 1930s.  Think South Pacific, Sadie Thompson, Tales of the Gold Monkey and you get the basic idea.  Well shiver me timbers says I, so am I. SO, we swapped stories about what we were considering doing.

I would really like comments, questions, figure ideas, however you can help me.

I was considering 20mm figures, but am having trouble locating the civilians I want to use for the opening moves. I have the Japanese and Marines in 20mm as well as bunkers and trench system for the Japanese as the Marine try to take the island back.  Well, I think that may stay that way.  I am currently thinking of using Pulp Figures  Japanese as well as some other figure officer types, I don't really want WWII uniforms until much later in the campaign I am contemplating.  My early ideas still work after taking with Mike, now I need a gruman Goose and  perhaps turn a Catalina into a Pan Pacific passenger plane.

Here are my thought so far from my notes:

The island is located between the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, it is a midway point for flights from Oz to Hawaii. It also was a coaling station. A small copra plantation on the south end of the island with ca. 200 islanders and an Aussie planter.  The island is shaped like an atoll, I think.
The island has a protected sea plane harbor that can also accommodate a small freighter at the docks - hence the coaling station. The airline is constructing an airstrip secretly for the US Navy. A navy LT CMR and a PO oversee the construction.
In the area of the harbor is the airline hotel, company store, 3 to 4 houses, warehouse near the dock, coal bunkers next to the dock, partial hanger for sea planes, radio tower and shack, plantation house and a couple of dozen native huts on the south end.
The native village consists of the huts, fishing boats/canoe, drying sheds and storage for copra. The natives have a fresh water stream. The planter grows his own food and sells the surplus to the airline, wild pigs and goats inhabit the island.
The airstrip consists of a cleared area big enough for the runway but not fully cleared of stumps, the beginnings of a tower, barracks for the construction workers, partial hanger for planes, construction equipment, fuel bunkers. Power is supplied by generators in each area.
The harbor area has a desalinization plant that supplies a water tank of x,000 gallons. There is an established road between the harbor and the airstrip and the planter. NThere are numerous other trails.
An old volcano is on the north end of the island. The island is nearly surrounded by sandy beaches except for cliffs at the north end from ancient volcanic activity. There are small passes through the coral reef surrounding the island. The passes are only bit enough for a small freighter.
Vehicles on the island:
The planter has a flatbed or pickup truck. The airline has a pickup, 2 cars, gas truck, and small bus.
The construction crew has a pickup, flatbed, bulldozer, steamroller, steam shovel, grader, and dump truck.
The navy has a car.
There is also a water truck and gas truck.
The barracks, tower and hanger are at the south end of the runway to take advantage of the fresh water stream.

Guns on the island:
The planter has several rifles and a pistol.
Navy personnel each have a .45.
Civilians at the harbor have a rifle, shotgun and a couple of pistols.
Construction crew have 3-4 pistols and 2 rifles, up to 3 crew can be WWI or later vets.
　
Pan Am first flew Sikorsky S-40 in 1931 (American Clipper), then S-42 in 34 (Hong Kong Clipper) and Martin M-130s in 35 (Philippine Clipper, China Clipper)
ON Guam the Pan Am had a hotel on a quad with band stand in middle, and small pool. Water tower, small buildings, some palms, small bushes forming hedge along walkways.
The dock was 2 to 3 feet high, with buildings at one end, planes do not have to fit in to the hanger on/at the dock.

Wake and Midway each had:
12 prefab buildings
2 diesel engines for elec.
2 windmills for water pumps
1 CAT blade and crane
2-4K gal tankers for AV gas and water
1 38 foot power launch
8 antenna masts 35’ above ground in special pattern for radio control, direction finding and transmission
400’ dock with barge as floating dock for planes

New Figures

I ordered the Great Escape (Stalag Luft III) figure sets from EBOB, as well as two sets of horses and skeletons with a commercial license for some figure to come out later this year. 
The figures are really quite nice and they cleaned up very quickly, maybe every third figure had a mold line to scrape off.  Most standing up straight figures are 27mm from sole to eyes, the not "Steve McQueen" figure is 29mm as is one other.  Buying a set gets you a couple of extra stoogies or the Kommandant in the case of the Germans.  I can't wait to paint these up, don't know what to use them for yet.  Hmmm! use the British and American prisoners as captured during a secret operation in a lost German colony in the Pacific during the 1930s?  Sounds weird so maybe that will work. Yeah I can see it now.