First game of Bolt Action

These past few weeks I have been busy painting British 14th Army and some Japanese to fight against them. I also had a session this past weekend making jungle terrain from aquarium plants and cake decoration palm trees and some rather spiffing buildings from cork tiles and an old towel taking inspiration from Matakishi's Tea House.

Close-up of the new buildings

I had not got all my Japanese painted in time so there are only sixteen of those done plus eight base-coated and another twenty or so just in grey primer so please excuse these - I really don't like using unpainted figures but I was keen to get my first game of Bolt Action underway.

I roughed up two forces of approximately 700 points each:

British:

• 1st Lieutenant plus Platoon Sergeant
• Artillery Forward Observer
• Rifle Squad: NCO with Thompson, Bren gunner & loader, 7 Riflemen with Lee Enfield
• Rifle Squad: NCO with Thompson, Bren gunner & loader, 7 Riflemen with Lee Enfield
• Rifle Squad: NCO with Sten, Bren gunner & loader, 7 Riflemen with Lee Enfield
• Rifle Squad: NCO with Sten, Bren gunner & loader, 7 Riflemen with Lee Enfield
• Vickers MMG with three crew
• Flame Thrower with two crew

Japanese:

• Rikugun Choi
• Rifle Squad: NCO with Type 100, M99 gunner & loader, 8 Riflemen with Arisaka
• Rifle Squad: NCO with Arisaka, M99 gunner & loader, 8 Riflemen with Arisaka
• Rifle Squad: NCO with Arisaka, M99 gunner & loader, 8 Riflemen with Arisaka
• Type 89 light mortar with two crew
• Type 89 light mortar with two crew
• Type 92 MMG with three crew
• Sniper with Type 97 and observer

Adie and I would play the British while Quinton and James took the part of the Japanese.

We randomised the Point Defence scenario and then randomised that the Japanese would be the attacker.

Today's battlefield

The preliminary bombardment was quite effective with two rifle sections taking two and three pins respectively while the Vickers took a casualty and three pins.

British squad holds some light jungle

The Japanese advance got underway with the light mortars covering the advance with smoke rounds. The British artillery observer played a blinder. Plotting his bombardment in front of the Japanese advance he then subsequently rolled a one allowing the Japanese player to place it amidst two Rifle squads and the observer himself. One of the Rifle squads rolled a six and then lost seven men and took six pin markers.

The Japanese sniper earned his keep, taking out the ineffective Vickers and then polishing off the Flamethrower team.

A Banzai charge by three remaining Japanese from a Rifle section cleared the British Rifle squad off of one objective, while another by two remaining Japanese killed off my Platoon HQ and carried another objective.

Vickers MMG deploys on a rocky outcrop

Eventually the Japanese were on all three objectives and things were looking good for them, but some judicious shooting meant that they were shot off of two objectives. In the end the game was a draw, but the Japanese had lost two Rifle sections and the British had lost their HQ, Vickers, two Rifle squads and the Flame thrower, so a small win in the end to the Japs.

All in all an enjoyable game with a rematch scheduled for Thursday.

Another shot of the buildings

More shots of the village

Rifle squad advances through the village

A few Japanese, sorry about the 'ghosts'

Rifle section clears the village

Re-photographing the 14th Army

I have been fiddling around with the new camera and studio set that I got for Christmas and Birthday presents respectively and this evening think I made a bit of a break-through.

I have taken more images of the figures that I posted earlier this week and have re-posted them. The only manipulation I did was to use Irfanview to crop and re-size the images.

For a bunch of figures painted in two basic colours, I am really happy how these turned out.

These fellows will be having their first outing on Tuesday evening when I have my first game of Bolt Action.

First of all, some close-up individual shots and then images of the entire reinforced Platoon.

Finishing off the 14th Army

I have just finished off the last few 14th Army figures that I have, they are mainly Bolt Action Chindits with just a single Assault Group Officer.

Comparing the two ranges I must admit that I far prepare the Assault Group models over those from the Bolt Action range although I do really like their Boyes anti-tank rifle

I have also been playing around with the camera and lighting so think that I'm now getting some better pictures.

Two Bolt Action Vickers MMG

Two Bolt Action Vickers MMG

Two Bolt Action Vickers MMG

Bolt Action Boyes anti-tank rifle

Bolt Action Boyes anti-tank rifle

Bolt Action Boyes anti-tank rifle

Bolt Action Boyes anti-tank rifle

Bolt Action spotter, TAG officer, Bolt Action flame-thrower

Bolt Action spotter, TAG officer, Bolt Action flame-thrower

Bolt Action spotter, TAG officer, Bolt Action flame-thrower

Bolt Action spotter, TAG officer, Bolt Action flame-thrower

The last eight figures

Two more units of AWI Continentals

It's not been all 28mm WWII of late, I've also had the chance to finish of two more units of 6mm Adler Miniatures AWI Continental Infantry.

We are planning our first game of Black Powder using these at Wild Geese on Thursday 7th February so expect a report soon after.

I've also been messing around with the camera and lighting settings and am a lot happier with the results.