I had my first game of Bolt Action a few weeks ago. It was good. It was really good. I strongly recommend the game, and think the mechanics could even cross over to 40k. The random activation mechanic, and the reduced dice rolling from 40k, makes for a fast reactive game where tactics appear to matter. In one afternoon we managed to play three games of BA. Kudos to Steve for organizing our Bolt Action outing.
One of the benefits of Bolt Action, is that it is very inexpensive to get into, and there are a lot of alternatives to the heroic scale BA miniatures. This low barrier to entry meant that I have started three armies. I've painted more than one tank at this point, which is overkill for most games, but I think having some equipment variety will be fun for scenario building.
BA was designed for infantry tactics, so more than one tank is overkill. On the other hand, the tank expansion was just released, which allows for players to field platoons of tanks. A tank destroyer is on the painting table as I write this.
In the far back right of the second photos, a shot of the 30 German Heer infantry can be seen. Those are Wargames Factory models that I picked up for 20 dollars. A single box produced 5 squads, a sniper team, and an HQ section. There are downsides, the models have very shallow details which makes washes hard to apply, and the parts are labeled, but there are no instructions. I think the models will look nice enough on the field, and I like that they are more realistically proportioned.
In the wings is a D.A.K army which is undergoing paint scheme testing. I love the look of sand worn vehicles with Germany grey showing through, however I have yet to manage to make the look work.
So all things considered, I am loving this foray into historic gaming. I makes me want to build more interesting gaming tables.....and on that note, a giant box from Secret Weapon Miniatures arrived...whoa... so good.
John,
ReplyDeletePanther looks fantastic. But it's no tiger :). Your color modulation technique works really well at this scale level. Adding a lot of interest to those flat panels on the side.
I'm extremely impressed with the linear etches? I don't know what to call them (all the upper armor lines). They are sooo well executed. I assume that is a modeled etch...if you free hand painted those lines, I will throw my paint brushes out my window.
I know it's a work in progress, but something I think you might benefit from, is getting some of that grime on the decals and numbers! It's the only nit pick suggestion I can come up with, as I gush too much over all your models.
duly noted about the decal grime! I actually tried to get grim on the decals, but it kept washing off. That brings up nice thing about the kit. The decals are super soft, and conform to the plaster-like appliqué on the turret and hull.
DeleteI cheated a bit on the panther's color modulation, using the exact modulation I used on the FoW panthers from NOVA. I think it might be time to paint up a 40k vehicle in dark yellow now as well.
You'll be happy to know that my early war Tiger 1 is here. Your favorite tank will be getting DAK treatment as soon as I paint the jagerpanther.
Yay for tiger! I haven't ever successfully used a decal, so I have almost no idea on how you would weather one. Maybe some powders? What does fixer do to a decal?
DeleteI use two solutions with decals. The first is a setting solution that is a bit like decal glue. ThT goes directly in the surface prior to the decal. The second is a solvent which goes on after the decal has been positioned. The solvent makes the decal conform to irregular shapes. Conveniently they are named micro-set and micro-sol. I wouldn't even attempt decals without them!
DeleteGreat John, are you using the Perry Bros Afrika Germans? As far as Tank Wars, don't bother with the book, its just fluff and basically says to use the points values from the army book and just take more tanks ignoring the infantry mandatory selections.
ReplyDeleteI've got two boxes of the Perry miniatures. I think the scale looks better than the war store miniatures, but they do cost 1.5 times as much.
DeleteOnce again, I wish I had gotten your advice before I acted. I purchased tank war first thinking it was more of a supplement than it really was. We are all new to Bolt Action, so this has been a learning experience for all of us.
So what about playing the game using 1/72 scale miniatures? That has been on all of our minds. We could have loads of manufactures to choose from, as well as be able to fit large games on 4x4 tables. It would make building custom tables easier as well.