Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all visitors to my Blog.  I hope you have a prosperous and happy 2015.

X-Mas Presents - Zombicide

Gaming wise the present of note this year was Zombicide.  Seen quite a few pictures of the game in action and several people I know highly recommend it, so can't wait to have my first full game :)
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Tower Bridge, The Dubstep Movement

Not connected with wargaming or military stuff, but still worth a watch anyway :)
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Tower Bridge, The Dubstep Movement from Chadchud Timelapse on Vimeo.
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Merry Christmas

A slightly belated Merry X-Mas to all the readers of my occasional ramblings. I hope you had an enjoyable and stress-free X-Mas.

Recon Wargames Show 2014

Went along to the Recon Wargames Show today.  This is a small local show put on by the Wakefield and District Wargamers Club in the Pudsey Civic Centre.  It it must be over 15 years ago since I last went so I couldn't clearly remember anything about the venue or the show.  Found myself pleasantly surprised all in all.  There was a good mix of traders and selection of games to watch/participate, plus  the food and drink was very reasonably priced.  My only criticism is reserved for the Bring and Buy which was rubbish.  The space available to show the bits for sale was inadequate as was the frontage to view the items, plus there was insufficient depth because it shared the room with several traders.
Found myself tempted by all sorts of goodies, but in the end settled on a purchase of the 'Firefly' board game, a jar of green Basetex and a Flames of War blister pack for £5 containing two CCKWs. Looking forward to getting to grips with the game, as I've read lots of good things about it. Link
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Festive Lights For The The Truck

Mrs Vulture has been and bought some festive lights for the front of the CCKW truck. Seemed like a good excuse to go for a drive into York last night, coinciding as it did with my birthday.  :)
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Here we are parked up in front of York Minster.
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Fury: The Exhibition

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On the 20th October 2014 Murray Walker OBE, a former Sherman tank Commander with the Scots Greys during World War II, well-known as a motor racing commentator, opened The Tank Museum’s latest exhibition, ‘Fury’. 
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Picture Of The Week - No 36 - Tank Her Up !

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Comment:
Not something you often see...  A WW2 German Panther tank taking on some fuel in a petrol station.
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FUBAR 40K Game At The Harrogate Wargames Club

At the moment I'm re-reading one of my favourite sci-fi series of all time, the Gaunts Ghosts omnibus edition by Dan Abnett.  Of course reading about the Warhammer 40K universe prompts an itch to dig out my 40K figures and have a game.  The problem though is the Gameswork Shop 40k rule set which is not at all liked by myself or my gaming group at the Harrogate Wargames Club.  As a comprise I suggested we use the expanded version of the FUBAR rules I've blogged about before and a 40K supplement I found on the web.  Accordingly we had a game a couple of weeks back with myself acting as the Umpire.

Playing on our usual 8' x 8' table an Imperial force comprising 2 x squads of 5 Space Marines and a squad of Imperial Guard (10 strong) entered in one corner and the forces of Chaos in the shape of 2 Ork squads (12 each) and 2 squads of Grots Snotlings (10 each) at the opposite.  Both sides moved forward and got set into each other and it quickly became apparent that the Space Marines had a significant qualitative advantage in-spite of their small numbers.  Both sides fed reinforcements in in the form of heavier units including a 3 man unit of Imperial Terminators which teleported down but using a random dice not into a great spot! LOL.  Undaunted however they climbed onto a building and opened up with their Heavy Bolters.  This was an interesting moment for they almost wasted an entire Orc squad in one round of firing.  This generated lots of banter round the table and a last ditch effort by the underpowered Orc team to try and kill some more Marines.  At this point we ran out of time, but notwithstanding this the game was judged to have been a great success.  Easy to pick up rules that gave a reasonable result without too much stress made a for a good evenings wargaming entertainment :)
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Here's a selection of photos from the game.

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CCKW 352 Truck Home For The Week

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After weeks of rubbish weather, the sun has been out here in York. Got the truck home today. Plan to bleed the brakes later this week as they feel quite spongy.  
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The day the entire German fleet surrendered

Armistice Day is remembered as the day World War One ended, but for naval historians Britain's greatest victory came 10 days later.  Operation ZZ was the code name for the surrender of Germany's mighty navy.  This article on the BBC web site is worth a read: Link

Star Wars: The Force Awakens International Teaser Trailer

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Comment:  Looking good !  :)   May the force be with you, always...
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Picture Of The Week - No 35 - Tigers On The Prowl

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Comment: Just when I think I've seen all the photos there are to be seen of Tiger Is, a new one surfaces :)
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Andre Davis Sci-fi

This little site dedicated to short sci-fi films is well worth checking out:  Link
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Bolt Action - Optional Vehicle Observation Rules

To spice our 20mm Bolt Action games up, I have come up with some Vehicle Observation Rules.
They can be downloaded here.

The way to use them is quite straightforward.
1.  In secret work our your army list.
2.  Select a substitute vehicle (and make a note against the army list).
3.  When first placing the vehicle(s) down on the table-top, use the substitute(s) rather then the one you have paid for on the army list.  Only swap the modes over when the enemy correctly identify them.
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Here is a picture from a game I played last night at the Harrogate Wargames Club.   It's early on as my vehicles enter the table.  Substituting vehicles, the King Tiger and Jadgtigers are representing Sd kfz 251/22 with Pak 40s, The PIV is actually a Hummel and the Brummbar is playing as itself, after it has just been identified by the enemy (after a lucky combination of die rolls forced a Churchill crew to abandon their tank :) )
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CH-47 water landing - Sonicbomb.com

A simply amazing piece of footage that is worth watching.

CH-47 water landing - Sonicbomb.com

Humour - Good Quotes

Sometimes, when I look at my children, I say to myself, 'Lillian, you should have remained a virgin..'

- Lillian Carter (mother of Jimmy Carter)

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I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: - 'No good in a bed, but fine against a wall.'

- Eleanor Roosevelt

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Last week, I stated this woman was the ugliest woman I had ever seen. I have since been visited by her sister and now wish to withdraw that statement..

- Mark Twain

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The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible

- George Burns

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Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year.

- Victor Borge

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Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.

- Mark Twain

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By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.

- Socrates

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I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.

- Groucho Marx

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My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and then she stops to breathe.

- Jimmy Durante

Fury Film

Went to see the 'Fury' film on Wednesday for a late night showing at our local 'VUE' cinema here in York.  Took along my brother-in-law Mike and my old friend Chris Jenkins.  We decided to make the most of the experience and booked the luxury seats and chose the high definition screen to watch it on.  First time I've seen a film on that screen, and was impressed with the 4 x higher resolution, everything was a lot sharper. 

As for the film itself, for the military/wargaming enthusiast this film is quite simply a MUST see.  It's not perfect by any means as the ending is bit too Hollywood for my taste, but it gets a good 8.5 out of 10 from me.  Tiger 131 makes a appearance, my only slight criticism on that front is that we didn't see more  of it.  Attention to detail in terms of the kit used is almost second to none, and from that point of view it must rate as one of the best WW2 films made.

Here's a short vid showing some bits with the Tiger in.

15mm Sci-Fi - Ground Zero Games 8 Wheeler

Recently finished painting up a GZG V15-54A 8 wheeled support vehicle. I already have a few of this family of vehicles, so I continued with the same 'aggressor' camouflage pattern. I've used a rare earth magnet to secure the missile launcher. As well as allowing the launcher to rotate, depending on the mission it allows me to swap it for a Heavy Auto Cannon (a spare weapon from Critical Mass walker). A small counter-measures jamming pod (ball) has been added for good measure.
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FUBAR - 15mm Sci-Fi Rules

For those interested in my expanded version of the FUBAR rules for 15mm Sci-Fi (adapted from a set originally written by Craig Cartmell) they can be downloaded here from Dropbox.

Current version:  3-8-1   Link      (Originally uploaded on 6 Nov 2016, link refreshed on 8 Feb 2020)

In addition there is an Excel file with vehicle details:

Current version: Version 14     Link    (Originally uploaded on 6 Nov 2016, link refreshed on 28 Sep 2017)
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Picture Of The Week - No 34 - 6pdr Anti-tank Gun Sight

A month back I was at an event on Ginkel Heath remembering Operation Market Garden and the British para drop.  Whilst there I saw this 6pdr AT gun, and got an opportunity to look through the sight. Found myself amazed at the simplicity and lack of any appreciable magnification !

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ENVOY - SHORT FILM

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Comment:  Worth a watch if your a sci-fi fan :)
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Pak-40 & Flak 37 Firing

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Comment:  Impressive !
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BBC Battlefields 4of4 Arnhem

Friday Humour

A teacher asks her class, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Little Johnny says "I wanna be a billionaire, going to the most expensive clubs, take the best bitch with me, give her a Ferrari worth over a million bucks, an apartment in Hawaii, a mansion in Paris, a jet to travel through Europe, an Infinite Visa Card and to make love to her three times a day".

The teacher, shocked, and not knowing what to do with the bad behaviour of the child, decides not to give importance to what he said and then continues the lesson.
"And you, Susie? " the teacher asks.
Susie says "I wanna be Johnny's bitch."

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Star Wars: I.M.P.S The Relentless Season 1

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Comment: For Star Wars fans, this is a must see :)
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Picture Of The Week - No 33 - US 105mm Howitzers In Action

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Comment: This weeks picture is of United States M2A1 105mm light field howitzers in action during WW2.
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Humour - Epic Fail

DIY Lightbox

I'm posting a link here to a great article on how to make your own Light Box for photographing miniatures which I read today on the Dropship Horizon Blog - Link.  Well worth a read.
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The Wargames Website

There is a new discussion and news Blog/Forum web site out there called 'The Wargames Website'.  Worth a check out.  Link
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Humour

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Here we have it guys !   Irrefutable proof that the right woman can bring Balance and Stability to a man's life..  :)
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Humour - Being Married

The officer says, 'I clocked you at 120 km/h, sir.'

The driver says, 'Christ, officer I had it on cruise control at 100, perhaps your radar gun needs calibrating.'

Not looking up from her knitting the wife says: 'Now don't be silly dear, you know that this car doesn't have cruise control.'

As the officer writes out the ticket, the driver looks over at his wife and growls, 'Can't you please keep your mouth shut for once?'

The wife smiles demurely and says, 'You should be thankful your radar detector went off when it did.'

As the officer makes out the second ticket for the illegal radar detector unit, the man glowers at his wife and says through clenched teeth, 'F..k it, woman, can't you keep your mouth shut?'

The officer frowns and says, 'And I notice that you're not wearing your seat belt, sir. That's an automatic $75 fine.'

The driver says, 'Yeah, well, you see officer, I had it on, but took it off when you pulled me over so that I could get my license out of my back pocket'

The wife says, 'Now, dear, you know very well that you didn't have your seat belt on. You never wear your seat belt when you're driving.'

And as the police officer is writing out the third ticket the driver turns to his wife and barks, 'WHY DON'T You shut the f..k up?'

The officer looks over at the woman and asks, 'Does your husband always talk to you this way, Ma'am?'


    I love this part ... :




   
   
   

   

   


 'Only when he's pissed.'

Mad Max: Fury Road - Film Trailer

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Comment:  Oh yes.....  This looks good :)
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The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - Teaser Trailer - Official Warner Bros. UK

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Comment: Looking good :)
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Picture Of The Week - No 32 - Tiger I On Its Side

Some the pictures that continue to surface on Facebook never cease to surprise me.  Give the size of the Tiger that must be one big shell/bomb hole it's in fallen in/been blown into...
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Lack Of Motivation

Loads of stuff to paint, but can't work up the enthusiasm...  :(    Not good.

Restored Panther In Action

Restored Panther in action:

Space Hulk - Deathwing

This looks like it might have promise :)
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Humour

Jake was dying. His wife sat at the bedside. He looked up and said weakly: "I have something I must confess."

"There's no need to," his wife replied.

"No," he insisted, "I want to die in peace. I slept with your sister, your best friend, her best friend, and your mother!"

"I know," she replied. "Now just rest and let the poison work."
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Picture Of The Week - No 31 - Sherman

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Was sent this great colourised picture of a Sherman done by a gentleman called Royston Leonard.  The description is: M4 Sherman tanks of the Sherbrooke Fusiliers advancing into Caen, Normandy 10 Jul 1944.
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Film - 'Edge Of Tomorrow'

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Comment:  Went to see this with my son yesterday.  Brilliant sci-fi entertainment, best seen IMHO on the big screen if you can !  Out of 10, we give it a 10 ! :)
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Top 10 Mortar Fails

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Comment: These are worth watching !  Must confess I never realised Mortars were so dangerous to use.
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Spitfire 944

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Comment: This is a brilliant little film, well worth a watch.
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DDay-Overlord - Reconstruction

Post by DDay-Overlord.

Outings In The Truck

These last four weeks have seen quite a bit of activity with the CCKW truck.  The first outing was to attend the Yorkshire Military Vehicle Trust 'Crank-Up' event at Cliffords Tower here in York.  A very respectable turn-out this year of over 60 vehicles made for an impressive display in front of the Museum.

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The next outings have seen the truck help to pay some of its way.  We've been redesigning the front and back gardens and ended up with about 3 ton of top-soil and turf to dispose of.  Rather than hire a skip, I bagged it up and did three trips to the recycling centre.

Wife and child were press-ganged into assisting :)
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The last outing which was yesterday saw us attend the 'Battlegroup North' event at the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington.  Approximately 200 vehicles made for a fine display, but the weather was decidedly mixed.  Snapped a coulple of interesting photos which I share here.  First up we have an incredibly tasteful Dodge Command Car. I really really like these.
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My old school friend Chris Jenkins and his two sons Graham and Gareth helped crew a 25pdr field gun that was putting on a fine display (in the rain).
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After the shooting was over the gun owner kindly lent me it for a photo shoot with the truck.  An enjoyable day all in all.
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Picture Of The Week - No 30 - Sturmtiger

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Comment:  This weeks pic of a WW2 German 'Sturmtiger' at the Deutsches Panzermuseum at Munster in Germany.  I like this picture because it shows off the impressive size of the 380mm rocket projectile it fired.
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AK47 - First Game

As a change from the recent fare of 10mm scale Flames of War, at my local club we have decided to start planning for an AK47 campaign in 15mm.  Up until last week I had never played the game but had heard extensively about it from friends who had placed it lots some years back.  For those not familiar with the AK47 Republic rules (published by Peter Pig) Boardgame Geek has a good review of it Link.  Here's a couple of pics from my first game, I was on John Savage's side with his professional force against a rag-tag militia unit from an African dictator (who we gave a good beating).  Must confess to being quite impressed.  The rules were simple and easy to get into, and for a low stress club game seem to be just the ticket.
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Johns heavy armoured cars (counting as a standard tank).
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Dictator militia and Toyota pickups with heavy weapons.
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Figures and tanks owned by John Savage and Mick.
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Humour - Lost Wife

Subject: Missing Wife

A husband went to the police station to file a "missing person" report for his missing wife:

Husband :-I lost my wife, she went shopping and; hasn't come back yet. 

Inspector :-What is her height?

Husband :-I never checked.

Inspector :-Slim or healthy?.

Husband :-Not slim, can be healthy.

Inspector :-Colour of eyes?

Husband :-Never noticed.

Inspector :-Colour of hair?

Husband :-Changes according to season.

Inspector :-What was she wearing?

Husband :-Not sure whether it was a dress or a suit.

Inspector :-Was she driving? 

Husband :-yes. Inspector :-colour of the car? . . . . .

Husband :-black Audi A8 with supercharged 3.0 litre V6 engine generating 333 horse power teamed with an eight-speed tiptronic automatic transmission with manual mode. And it has full LED headlights, which use light emitting diodes for all light functions and has a very thin scratch on the front left door....................….and then the husband started crying...

Inspector:-Don't worry sir,.....we will find your car.

Picture Of The Week - No 29 - Target Practice

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Comment:  Looks like someone has been using the side of this WW2 German Stug III for target practice !
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New Series on British TV - Combat Dealers

The wheeler-dealer who 'taught tanks' to Tom Hanks and Brad Pitt: Wartime memorabilia fanatic is star of new series dubbed 'Antiques Roadshow plus guns' Bruce Crompton has always been fascinated by wartime memorabillia He now makes a living from his passion, supplying tanks to film sets Films that have featured his tanks include Saving Private Ryan and Fury Read more: Link
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Comment:  Annoyingly I missed the first episode, but I intend to watch the rest.
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