I've been at work this morning on the first of the kits I received on Saturday from Japan. I've started with one of the smallest and by contrast, the largest to give you an idea of the scope for my fleet project. Here you see one of two escort carriers and then the behemoth which will be both my fleet carrier and flagship, with a dozen squadrons of fighters and devastating defensive batteries. Both kits are Bandai 'Space Battleship Yamato 2199' models, although I am a lover of generic 70s and 80s starships as depicted by Chris Foss in his artwork. These will do just nicely. More pics, soon. TTFN

In a weekend which I thought was pretty good already -  having been in the front row of the 'Fish' gig last night and shook hands with an artist who was a great influence during my youth as front man of prog rockers 'Marillion' (and who also heckled me from the stage) - I was pleasantly surprised to be able to purchase more 80s Chaos Dwarves for a reasonable 3-figure sum an hour ago... Admittedly I already have 5 of the bazooka teams but two more won't hurt will they? Anyway, here's pics of my purchases: TTFN

A knock is heard... At the door stands a postman with a box from Japan. 'Great!' I think... 'Darren has found a cheap way to come home.'  But in point of fact it is a package of very nice models from Darren Ashmore who, is a Professor over in the Land Of The Rising Sun and whom I should be seeing for the first time in a few years. I have known Darren for over 3 decades now and  as youths we gamed and gamed and gamed as often as we could along with a raucous and motley band of similarly fanatical youths. I met Darren in what could have been dodgy circumstances had I not just been released from 3 weeks of house arrest after I split with a schoolyard girlfriend. She had given me an ultimatum of 'It's me or Runequest...' I had done the maths and reckoned that I could get another girlfriend - being a handsome if quirky youth - but that I had invested some serious money in my Runequest stuff. A no-brainer, frankly. She spoke to my Mum, and what did for

WHEW... After a head down couple of weeks, I have finally finished for the year, 5 days earlier than expected. Better still, I have managed to get a full crew for Malifaux finished, thanks to the kindness of one of my clients. I'm really pleased with the results as I have worked on a white base coat which is so rare for me to be worth mention. Here's a quick pic of Ophelia's Gremlin Crew. I will try to take more pics over the Xmas holidays, but I confess that having taken delivery of 5 x Chaos Dwarf Bazookas, 1 x Swivel Gun and a Mortar this week, I may be head down on those over the festive season. TTFN

I was discussing my choice of Chaos Dwarves for a retro army recently and it was (correctly) pointed out that there are no Chaos Dwarf army lists in the earlier Warhammer rule sets. Now, this would mean that I could have a problem as I play 1st, 2nd and 3rd edition rules, all of which are quite different. 3rd ed sees the introduction of the Chaos Dwarves proper, with the weird and wonderful bazookas, swivel guns and mortars, so there is no problem there. The later editions give the CD army a neo-Babylonian makeover which I really, really do not like, and thus the later additions of even more weirdness just don't need to given a second thought. So, back to the earlier editions and the fact that no specific lists exist. When one, actually reads the flavour text for the Dwarven army list in the Forces Of Fantasy expansion  to the 1st ed, it notes that whilst Dwarves are generally considered to be of a neutral alignment, there are in the more out of the way mountainous areas of

I think that I finally have my mojo back... As you'll have read previously, I had, thanks to my dreadful year involving Sheffield Wargames Society and the opinion of one member that I was the most destructive thing to happen to them in 40 years (quite an achievement when compared to other things I could think of). Metaphorically, my WRG rules have been torn asunder and my average dice ground to dust. Champagne corks have popped across the city and cheers raised as the Great Satan of the gaming table has been cast down. Oh the feel of power as they calculated  the die modifiers for that one... Not surprisingly, I lost my drive for the historical guff and in fact for most of the hobby as a whole. So I am very surprised that I have re-found my love of the older fantasy games again and a new passion for the modern board games. The other week I picked up a job lot of old Dwarves from the 80s and as the price was £1.07 per piece I reckoned that I could cherry pick a few bits that w

It's been a really good week for vintage RPGs this week. My total haul comprised: Mint Star Frontiers first ed  £15 Mint books, damaged boxes Star Frontiers 2nd Ed and Knight Hawks Very good Zebulon's Guide for Star Frontiers £14 (a real bargain) Ringworld RPG in excellent condition £40 (foolishly cheap) Mint Warhammer 1st edition Mint Forces Of Fantasy Quite an eclectic haul for under £200 and it's very difficult to choose a favourite from them all. It's almost like 1984 again both in terms of the games and the prices paid.

Now, whilst I have been gaming for a little over 35 years, and in that time having played a LOT of RPGs, I confess that I was never part of an 'Empire Of The Petal Throne'  game. EPT as it is known by it's fanatical followers was the second RPG system but the first complete game world, being set in the world of Tekumel, the creation of on Professor M.A.R Barker. To me it always seemed to be something of an urban legend, and I had never actually known anyone in my city who played it. So, I dutifully went through the various games; D&D, AD&D, Runequest etc, gaining my 'gaming cred' and having a lot of fun along the way. Fast forward to 1995 when I am head hunted to manage the Sheffield branch of Dungeons & Starships, the details of which I will not bore you with here, but rather would direct you to my gaming memoir 'Real Life's A Bu**er!'   (ISBN10:1471643875). Around that time Theatre Of The Mind Enterprises released a Tekumel based

A busy Monday with plenty to do in the studio. However, just as I was starting to wane a little, Pete at Standing Stone Studios sent me the 'approval shots' of the mask I commissioned for my Death Eater costume. It just needs the leather ties and then it will be on it's way to me. The rust effect is so stunningly done that you'd think it was metal and not fibreglass resin. It may have cost me £175, but the craftsmanship makes it worth every penny.

The sweaty palms, heart beating in your chest and trying to climb your throat.  The giddy, light-headed feeling as your eyes bulge and you bite down on your lip, anxious that your Mum doesn't come upstairs and ruin that most important moment in a young man's life - that initiation into a wider sense of existence, filled with it's previously unknown pleasures. You hum 'Feels Like The First Time' by Foreigner and gently take the wrapper off and then y ou're in. It's the ultimate high and it will never be quite as good ever again, no matter what you do. Yes, opening that TSR box and seeing the crayon and dice is something you never forget!'

Under the ownership of Andy Kirk, Heroics & Ros is going from strength to strength with all the classic ranges and an ever increasing number of new ranges and models which give GHQ a run for their money. You may recall that earlier this year I gave you all a sneak peak of the amazing Taliban models? Well, now I can show pictures of the first painted examples of the very latest H&R WW2 release of Germans in Winter clothing. These are superb, with tons of detail and variety which would even make skirmish gaming possible in 6mm - Really!  As you may have also hear H&R purchased the old Davco 1/300 and Skytrex 1/600 Coastal Warfare ranges. If the rumours I hear are true, there's some really great stuff in the pipeline. (Pics courtesy of Conflict In Colour and H&R)

Well, after doing some number crunching and reading up, as well as speaking to the very helpful Howard Fielding at 'The Tekumel Project', 2015 will see me taking forward my planned 28mm project to pitch two large forces from M.A.R Barker's sci-fantasy world of Tekumel. I just need to get Xmas out of the way  and then I'll be ordering the first 500 models. Watch this space...

A few pics from the latest uploads at  www.conflictinclour.com Conflict In Colour is a singe artist, U.K based studio offering a consistently high work in all scales. With many magazine and product packaging 'appearances' as well as taking part in a Discovery Channel programme on wargaming; coupled with over 20 placings in major competitions, Conflict In Colour offers a full spectrum, ready to play service for the discerning gamer. Those of you with large collection may like to note that they can book regular monthly 'slots' with an agreed budget and output rather than having to wait in a queue. Anyway, here are some pics including I believe the forthcoming H&R Winter German infantry in 6mm.

I am seriously considering a long term personal project as I've given up on other 'large army' projects. After all, I paint professionally for 40-50 hours per week so I get little time to paint my own stuff. Add to the mix, the fact that I am working on my second book, and you'll see why I have to really think the logistics of this project over. I am simply not interested in any more historical stuff for personal use and traditional 'European' fantasy has been done to death. But, to play Devil's advocate, I need something to get really involved in (folk dancing is out) so immersing myself on a Tekumel trip using the wonderful 'Tekumel Project' miniatures. 'Tekumel? What's that?' you say... Professor M.A.R Barker has been called 'The Forgotten Tolkein' and justly so. His fantasy world of Tekumel is much richer than Middle Earth in terms of background; A world with unique races, tons of background and a non-european mytho

Hi ho! Two weeks away from my studio has left me pretty refreshed mentally and physically and ready for that mad dash up to Xmas Eve and another 2 weeks without having to pick up a brush to earn a crust. Over the last fortnight I've had the company of my wonderful wife and have also seen some of my oldest friends again at Fiasco. Fiasco was as mundane and moribund as ever, much like the majority of shows these days. They offer no scintillatingly fresh content, bring and buys are on the decline and the wares on offer are just plain drab for the most part. At Fiasco, my total bill for the day was a measly £48.50 with my purchases being the 'In Her Majesty's Name' rules, a section of 11 British Infantry in Home Service Dress for said rules and a copy of 'Stalagmites' from Midlam Games. This is a wonderful little 'home grown' board game with a distinctly retro feel. For me, the day was 'made' by the attendance of some really great friends f

Oh my word, it's been a long time... But now, after some punishing work schedules, I have 2 weeks to myself with not one minute to be spent at my desk in my studio. No sir, I want me some rest and space to think. The problem is that even when I am at my desk painting, I do a lot of mulling, soul searching and mental raging about things which confound and anger me in my hobbies. Over the last couple of years, I've been taking in a few conventions which share a general thematic link with gaming, albeit once removed. One thing which has struck me repeatedly (some may wish it were a piano from an upper storey) is just how welcoming and inclusive were all those presenting and attending, collectively drawing from the whole experience far more then the sum of the parts as it were. I know of very few historical gaming conventions where this is the case. Oh my but don't historical gamers (and I generalise here as there are exceptions) think that they are a cut above the rest?