Butterfly’s and rabbit holes

Still plodding on with the HYW lads as you’ll see below but the butterfly predictably flapped its wings and I fell straight down what might prove to be an expensive AVBCW rabbit hole.

If they can put health warnings on cigarette packets then why not this sort of thing on websites selling miniatures?

The plan now is to spend the remainder of the year completing the units for the HYW but to also work on factions for AVBCW and a metric ton of 28mm urban terrain. Running games with my Indian Mutiny and VSF collection is sadly going to have to play second fiddle for a while so I can get this done. It should be noted that I’m slowly transitioning to 28mm since I now have room to play with this scale and they are the smallest usable (read distinguishable) figures if I ever make the leap into hosting my own zoom games.

The HYW will be on open terrain with the Never Mind The Billhooks rules, while the AVBCW stuff will be played out on distinct 4x4 boards using the 5 men at Kursk rule set. I’d originally chosen Lambshead’s dice less rules for AVBCW but they are quite lacking in section / platoon tactics and I’ve been impressed by some of the mechanisms in the Kursk rules. Oddly five men at Kursk caters for a lot more than 5 men and has bugger all to do with Kursk. 

Here are a few more pictures of the progress made since the last post. 

The French spearmen with pavises got a back row to fill them out to the required 12 figures.

Front view of another unit of French spears / town militia which has just rolled off the painting desk

The rear view as they run for the hills.

First six of the French men at arms. Easy to distinguish between the French and the English since the French do like a nice blouse. These guys need some mat varnish and flock on the bases. Note the banners carried here are intended to be « stiff » and they were made of buckram and such like to that very end. 

First three B.U.F. cabs off the rank. I think the sergeant is holding a Bergman SMG? I added a plaque below the lightning bolt sigil, upon which I intend to add « Britain Awake » or « Smethwick » since these lads are from the Smethwick Alarm Company. (Smethwick is in the West Midlands and is famous for its brewery and the fact the Oswald Moseley was elected as an MP there). 

And a back view…so I can pad the post out and make it look more substantial than it really is. I’ve gone for a gravel / tarmac base look since most of the gaming will be done in an urban environment. 

I digress. 

A major part of any rabbit hole I fall down is researching a new genre or period and it has to be said that 1930’s Britain was awash with fringe political groups - particularly on the right. Just as a taster this bunch is called the Kibo Kift. Google ’em up if you get a mo. 

They started as an arts and crafts / survivalist / nature spirit group and ended up being militant proponents of the Social Credit Movement, wearing paramilitary green uniforms and berets. Think angry scouts. They had the odd competitive tussle with Mosely and his bunch in the early days. 

Passionately held yet conflicting ideologies created a powder keg that could’ve created chaos both during the 1926 General Strike and the later AVBCW abdication crisis. The period is sufficiently interesting that I feel no need to pander to the more cartoony elements of AVBCW and I hope to keep it in a SCW sort of vein as far as possible.

It should be noted that some of the figures will probably do double duty in a future Sealion campaign too. Double bubble as Londoners used to say in the 80´s. Maybe. 

Oh I almost forgot, there’s loads of crappy, chock full of character, interwar vehicles I can plausibly field too. 

Like I need an excuse. 

Toodleooh mes amis.