Back to School

So, I'm back in Aber preparing for a new year. Exciting stuff. Still, before I came back I got some more stuff done- I finished off the RC car scratch build, built a 1/76 Panzer III and acquired the SF3D board game (rare & precious treasure!).
Right, the RC scratch. The build process following my last post was essentially more spoons and more milliput, then add stowage. I got quite a few little bits off of eBay for it- figures (Tamiya M577 crew) & stowage (an academy set)- seeing as I wanted to properly base it. And so I did. The paint job & my chipping technique could definitely use improvement. Still, it's now sitting completed on my window ledge back in Tring, so I'm happy.

I built a 1/76 Panzer III too- an old Nitto one. Damn, that kit was kinda bad- the detailing seemed alright, but assembly was a pig. Didn't help that I decided to chop up and pose some 1/76 figures which came with the kit. Biggest faff of my life that was... However, I really do love painting 1/76 armour. They're small enough that you can paint them in a day, but you can still have fun with all the weathering you can do on them. I did a vaguely historically based camo pattern, with a network of Dark Flesh lines over the top of Castellan Green. I'd really like to try that pattern on a Ma.K suit- I'm going to be getting an AFS Polar Bear soon I hope, so I can try it out on that.

Lastly, the SF3D board game! I'd been keeping an eye on this on the Ma.K forum for a while and when money came in from my summer job (a paper round. Yay...) I saw my chance, along with a loan from a friend, to get this rare item. I believe just over 2000 were made, and I'd assume the majority of those are in Japan. It's a hex-based wargame, and I've had a couple of games with friends and I really enjoy it- it's not just a collectors piece. Although the shooting dice rolls seem a bit archaic at first, you quickly pick them up. Nicely made all round and fun. If you do get a chance to buy a copy (unlikely) then I recommend you do!

 Lovely lovely box art.

 The 4 maps you get.

 All the scenario cards, air commitment cards, summary sheet and the manual. All in Japanese unfortunately. Some copies were sold in America by a company called Twentieth Century Imports and had an English rulebook and summary sheet. However, there's quite a few copies of the English rules and a translated copy of the Japanese rules on the internet (the most comprehensive version is here). The English & Japanese rulesets do differ significantly; I prefer the English rules myself.

All the little tokens you get.

An action shot- the IMA (green) attacking SDR (blue) forces after crossing a river.

So much armament disabled...

As an epilogue, the SF3D board game's really got me into hex-based wargames. Check out Memoir 44 Online (it's free to download) and, if you have an iWhatever or an Android device, Neuroshima Hex. I'm loving both of them.

That's all for now, so until next time, goodbye.