3D printing has finished for now!

So I have worked though my current wishlist for the printer and produced the following for my own use, all 20mm unless identified otherwise.

From the top left tray going clockwise and similarly within each tray
Tray 1

• Four Horsa gliders bath-tubbed in a similar way to my Wacos - there were some glitches in printing all of them but nothing that some simple modelling cannot fix.

Tray 2

• Two Renault TN6 buses for my extemporised French infantry transport
• A pair of Crusader gun tractors to provide alternative tow for my 17pdrs
• A Daimler armoured car hull to replace one that exploded and one that failed to print properly
• A failed Opel Blitz bus where I have printed replacement wheels but will pass onto a friend to enjoy repairing
• A collection of French WW2 drivers I've created for those vehicles missing one
• 28mm ECW gun crew scaled up from 15mm
• Three copies of Russian cameraman Yevgeny Khaldei and some US tank crew
• Russian heavy gun crews for a pair of 152mm Ml-20 guns that are already being painted
• A couple of Richard Winters

Tray 3

• On the left 64 French Napoleonic Command figures ready for their upgrade
• Top right - Von Lettow Vorbeck and an askari
• A 15mm Opel Blitz bus and a H39 for friends at the club

Tray4

• A pair of Dodge Tanake for my French Foreign Legion
• Four M8 Scott HMC to replace my old heavy metal versions
• A Staghound hull to replace one that exploded
• Parts for the SWS and LRCs
• Five Humber Light Reconnaissance Cars (LRC) - three of these need repaired
• Four WC62 (6x4) Beeps for US 57mm tows, one need the side screens and windscreen replace as they were too fragile
• A couple of Armoured Schwerewehrmachtschleppers (SWS) to replace some diecasts - shame I can't find an unarmoured version
• Two Opel Blitz buses for myself, one early war and one late

Mediterranean Fallschirmjager rebased

Basically a rebasing effort of my existing Fallschirmjager, which originally had plaster/tetrion basing. It did cause some damge to the lower legs so there was an amount of repainting.

I also added a couple each of anti tank rifle teams and 5cm mortars plus a few extra figures to make up numbers

French Dragoons in Egypt 1800

Although the French Dragoons fighting in Egypt in 1800 could have the same uniform as back in Europe I decided to represent their summer cotton uniform instead.

I choose to represent the 14th (dark pink facings) and the 20th (pale yellow facings)

On the Workbench - July 2024

Well, the year is half over and I'm well ahead on my objectives, but the decision is which Napoleonic army to start rebasing next? I've decided to tackle the biggest, but the most useful, the French and allied forces, over 1,500 figures. The other main task will be to sort out the 3D printing now (hopefully) I have two. During the summer I will concentrate on printing the figures and vehicles I need, while in the winter on the terrain. Specifically for July I will be working on:

• Rebasing my German Mediterranean Fallschirmjager and adding a few extra heavy weapons - underway
• French Dragoons for Egypt 1800 - currently being based
• Continue working on my 3D printed oddments as I add more
• Continue 3D printer production to produce more Horsa gliders plus some other new STL files I have bought
• Try and get my FDM printer working
• If time permits start working on the French rebasing

Finally I will be down in Wiltshire for part of the month visiting family and also attending the Attack show Devizes on 20th July.

Progress against plan 2Q24

An excellent start to the year with 1846 items completed, however about two thirds of those were reworking/rebasing.

Compared to my much looser plan than usual I have done the following:

1. Rework/Rebase as many figures as possible - underway
2. Enhance/Add some new forces to the collection - underway, but I've still not seen anything to tempt me into a new period.
3. Maintain or ideally reduce the stash - ongoing
4. Exploit the 3D Printer - Now in the middle of my second print run, with a higher success rate than earlier in the year when it was colder. I have also bought an FDM printer for terrain, although it is not working yet due to a disc drive malfunction
5. Enjoy Games & Shows - underway with trips to Vapnartak, Hammerhead,the Easter big game and Phalanx.

Amplifying the above:

1. Rework/Rebase as many figures as possible.

• Start on the Napoleonics (this may take a couple of years to do) - I made a start on the British last year - I've completed the British, Portuguese, Brunswick and Spanish plus my figures for skirmish games
• WW2 Winter Russians - Completed
• Early War German Fallschirmjager - Removed the bases, but not quite started on the basing

2. Enhance/Add some new forces to the collection in no particular order

• 15mm DBA Italian wars army (for the forthcoming inter-club tournament) - bought a Hungarian army but it didn't have all the necessary options, so I sucessfully used some borrowed "Florentines" for the games - This project is now shelved and the Hungarians sold off
• 28mm Female Gunfighters - not started yet
• Add a unit of WW2 Japanese SNLF - completed
• Extra units for the Crusades - completed
• French Dragoons for Egypt 1800 - underway
• Modify the SYW Austrian Grenz to use for Prussian Frei Korps - not started yet
• Some extra Aztecs for skirmish games - not started yet, but I have trialed a couple of 3D printed figures
• Various figures and terrain need for Montgisard 1177 - completed and sucessfully ran the game at both Vapnartak and Phalanx
• WW2 BEF infantry (I plan to 3D print the extra needed figures, etc.) - I decided that the pint files were not good enough so the project has been shelved.

3. Continue to clear out all unwanted items, including painted figures

• Re-assess each existing period, army, and units to consider if I am really going to use them - not started yet
• Reduce the stash (figure and plastic bits box) from 4 crates to 3 - underway
• review my 1/300 collection and decide its fate - not started yet

4. 3D Printing - the bulk of my immediate needs have been printed so I will work on

• gradually replace existing diecast and other poor quality AFVs in my collection - not started yet
• components for houses and other terrain - not started yet - I am planning to use the FDM printer for this
• work on how to make/modify files to meet my specific needs - underway, I've enhanced my 1/80 Waco and I've created a similar bath-tubbed Horsa glider that has printed OK

5. Gaming

• Continue supporting the Beacon Club and attending as many weekend events as possible - underway only one weekend missed so far due to other commitments
• Attend at least as many shows as last year - The list of shows are Vapnartak, Hammerhead, an Easter big game and Phalanx.

More progress with the 3D printer

I've been investing in quite a few new STL files and working on a number of others and now it's time for the printer. The most major effort was a bathtubbed Horsa glider, which pleasingly printed perfectly.

Others were a bit mixed as expected for a first run. The Opel Blitz bus failed to print its left wheels, ditto the Light Reconnaissance Car and the Daimler hull losing one wheel. The M8 Scott, SWS, ML20 and Crusader Gun Tractor were all fine, together with the French drivers I created.

Renault TN-6 Bus

I bought an STL of a Renault TN-6 the claasic Parisian bus of the 30s and 40s that was also used by the military. it was cheap, but I discovered in was for an FDM printer and needed to be printed in pieces and then assembled. Luckily I have learned enough to be able to build it virtually and this is the final version straight off the printer.

Just a little fettling to do like increasing the diameter of the support poles in the cabin.

Poles & Muscovites v's Ottomans big game

As is traditional on the day after Phalanx he Gentlemen pensioners mustered at Steve's in Salford for a big game. This year we were reduced in numbers with only five of us, but we had a great days gaming.

Poles/Muscovites to the left Ottomans to the right.

I took command of the Muscovite right wing up against hordes of Ottoman cavalry

At the height of the action

Phalanx 2024

Not to early a start for the show as it was just over the Mersey at St Helens, thanks to the Spartans for being such great hosts. We (Lance and Longbow ran through Montgisard 1177 twice with both the Franks winning both, but in one it looked like the Ayyubids might just mange a non-historical win. Thanks to all those who participated.

Just to keep Martin happy, here's a Macro shot

First game in full flow

Our club game of DAK Attack in 28mm generated a lot of interest in the game and also our club

Other games of interest

Omaha beach

MAWS western desert WW2

North West Frontier - tempted to make the Chitral style fort

Big boys toys 54mm Napoleonics in bulk

Yet more Napoleonic "French" skirmishers rebased

These are the last of my Napoleonic skirmish games figures to be rebased.

Strelets Foot Dragoons and HaT Young Guard

Strelets Poles from a couple of their early sets providing enough for two normal units and one small unit of Grenadiers

Off to Phalanx tomorrow where I will be rerunning my Montgisard 1177 game for the Lance & Longbow Society and also helping out on our own Beacon Wargames Club game of DAK Attack.

Continuing the Napoleonic Peninsula rebasing

Another four units rebased, these were very much the left-overs from my main Napoleonic collection as the poses did not fit and I had enough skirmishers already. Now rebased as 3-2-1 for Rebels and Patriots

The British - Revell Infantry and HaT Light Infantry.

The French - HaT Light Infantry and HaT Fusiliers

Napoleonic Spanish Guerrillas rebased

My Spanish Guerrillas were a collection of various figures accumulated over time and various styles had been applied to each era. So they were an obvious candidate for rebasing to the 3-2-1 standard I am using for Napoleonic skirmish games.

Figures are a mix on Hinton Hunt, Newline and HaT.

A bit late for D-Day - Paratroops

I didn't manage to complete these before visiting my older daughter, so they are only now completed since my return. So here are the new Mars US and British Paratroops plus a few extras as noted.

The British, these include some rebased personality figures from SHS and my 3D printed Para with carrier pigeon.

The US, this includes a couple of command bases that have the Wargames Illustrated Captain Winters figure added, scaled and printed in 20mm

On the Workbench - June 2024

I've managed to finish most of what I planned to in May, so I have an almost empty painting table to start the month, I will work on

• some WW2 British and American Paratroops for a D-Day painting competition - these are underway
• Rebasing my Napoleonic skirmish game figures based on my old plaster based basing
• Similarly rebasing my German Mediterranean Fallschirmjager and adding a few extra heavy weapons
• French Dragoons for Egypt 1800
• Continue working on my 3D printed oddments
• Start up the 3D printer, hopefully to produce some Horsa gliders plus some other new STL files I have bought

Finally I will be at the Phalanx show in St Helens on 22nd June, I will be supporting both the Lance & Longbow Society and my local Beacon Wargames Club.

WW2 Russian winter troops reworked & rebased

My WW2 Winter Russians like some other figures painted around the same time were based with plaster filler, gradually over time it discoloured and recently it started to crumble. So time to upgrade them with new bases using decorators caulk and snow powder.

The three original units were organised for Rapid Fire and didn't give enough gaming flexibility so I added extra figures to make them up to three platoons with supports

Ski troops

1st Platoon.

2nd Platoon

Frontiersmen rebased

Here's the reason for my distraction. I decided on a game of Rebels and Patriots covering the Northwest Indian Wars 1785-1795. It needed some mounted skirmishers (Frontiersmen) and I remembered that I had some suitable figures from the Imex Lewis and Clark set. So they have been based and a unit each of foot and mounted skirmishers created.

Eastern Friendly Indians rebased

Another distraction was rebasing these Imex Eastern Friendly Indians, very much some background props for games. There also a few extra Indians from the Lewis and Clark set.

Napoleonic Spanish rebased

These almost got missed as they are shown as a different nationality unlike the Portuguese. Luckily spotted in time these are the late Spanish uniforms. Figures are Springwood and some HaT British light infantry for the skirmishers

Wagons roll

A slight distraction - I sorted out some figures that hadn't been used for a while for a game, looking though the contents of the box there were a number of items needing rebased of which this is the first. These are a selection of the different Pegasus wagon sets used for the American Civil War.

Napoleonic British staff upgraded and rebased

I finished these a few days ago but I haven't had chance to take any pictures since. They are a mixture of my old staff figures, the HaT British Infantry Command set and the Waterloo line officer set

Two British and one Portuguese brigadiers under Picton

Three brigadiers under a generic commander Hill perhaps.

Wellington himself, a Newline? metal figure

The Brunswick staff

WW2 Soviet extras

Having earlier 3D printed some Soviet universal limbers I decided a couple more would give me more flexibility, at the same time I also needed some drivers and supply wagons. The drivers were created by extracting a crewman from a STL for a motorcycle combination. The panje wagons are the old Atlantic wagons with 3D printed horses and drivers, I just need to add some suitable loads.

Napoleonic Brunswick infantry rebased

So the last of my British and allied infantry has been rebased with the completion of seven battalions of the Brunswick army in 1815, the Lieb; 1st-3rd Line (with flags) and the 1st to 3rd Light battalions.

The one significant fault with the Springwood figures was that they depicted the 1809 full length coat instead of the later short coatee.

Almoravid Skirmishers

The final batch of Saracens left over from my Crusades project have been completed as Almoravid skirmishers.

Napoleonic Portuguese Infantry rebased

My Protuguese infantry brigade have now been rebased, it comprises the 5th Cacadores and the 11th and 14th line infantry regiments each of 2 battalions.