Bonne Année

Just a quickie post to wish you all a happy new year. Lovely and sunny here at the mo but ruddy cold. Fortunately my hobby room is the warmest in the house so that’s all the excuse I need to sit in there all day and furrtle around with my toys. 

I’d give you a run down of what I’ve achieved in 2025 but I’m buggered if I can remember to be honest. There was a lot of 28 mm stuff as I recall and not enough mini campaigns fully documented to completion…partly cos I ran out of puff and partly cos I often played them out and forgot to fully record them at the time. I’ll try and do better in 26…promise. 

I’ve some new 100YW figures to get on with and some Empress Sikhs (for no good reason other than they look lovely sculpts)… and that ladies and gentlemen (apart from the SCW Hotchkiss team) is the sum of my remaining lead pile. Nice.

I suspect that first part of 26 will be mostly VBCW, because I’m still pretty jazzed about it and work on the property through Feb / March (repainting the shutters on the barn and the gîte) will take the place of painting miniatures. Doh. 

Enough. Here’s a few more piccies of VBCW progress.

Welcome to Brompton, gateway to the west. I managed to get CHAT GPT to sketch out a map of the fictional midlands town in which my VBCW games will take place. For some reason the third iteration saw the Brompton Rovers FC stadium replaced with a cricket ground, the loss of the buildings in the railway station and the word Weca instead of area. (Me neither). Apparently god loves a tryer so I’ll keep on  with the AI bothering. Most of my current terrain is centred on the industrial “Weca” but I’ve plans for some terraced back to back housing too, if the money holds out. 

Another couple of factories have been produced. This is Farrington’s (another family member I’m afraid) famous in my alt 1937 for the production of Bile Beans. Bile Beans by the way were an actual thing. Google ‘em if you’ve a mind to. 

The new twin turreted Austin Armored car known as “unlucky for some” due its number 13 (third vehicle of the 1st troop).

And another shot from the other side because it’s crapiness is sort of sexy.

I’ve settled on the three main factions making up the Brompton Local Defence Volunteers and have created some roster sheets as an aide mémoire. They’ll be laminated and allow me to add character traits if any are generated between games.

This bunch are supporters of the King, (Edward VIII) but reject the legitimacy of the Mosley government. 

These lads are mostly workers from the Brompton Carpet Factory and they see the current troubles as an opportunity to set up a socialist utopia. They are against the monarchy and Mosley. Note Comrade Stranski doesn’t actually work at the factory, he just turned up one day with a Russian / English dictionary and a lorry load of weapons. Unusual for Russians to be fomenting strife, eh. 

The third faction are made up of those appalled by the kings marriage to an American divorcee, and his decision to empower the upstart Mosley. They demand new elections the abdication of Edward and his replacement with the stuttering Prince Albert (no, not the piercing) currently hiding out in Canada with the rest of the royals. 

Haven’t quite finished this roster yet, though the figures are painted. I’ll probably add a few International Fascist League Spanish Volunteers to the bottom somewhere.

I’m not entirely sure why I bothered dividing the Brompton defenders into three separate armed factions other than I’ve a vague notion that they could at some point end up fighting amongst themselves. We’ll see.

Right it’s time to start blanching the sprouts for next Christmas (only 350 something shopping days to go) so I’m going to sling my hook.

Play nice.

Toodleooh.