Category Archives: Back of Beyond

Back Home

Aircraft & Vehicles, Back of Beyond, Boardgames, World War II,

It’s Summer!

Not the best time to wargame.  Too much fun to be had outdoors.  But,  you can’t spend all of your time outside.  So, a couple of lightweight endeavours for the next couple of months.

The Irregular Wars campaign is on hold, and the “Small Table” is now set up for Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit (ASLSK) scenarios.  My philosophy with ASLSK is that one has to keep playing it or lose all rules chops.  There is enough rulebook referencing when conversant, so a prolonged absence can make things painfull.  I’m going to take it easy and cherry-pick one-mappers, and maybe maintain momentum into the Fall.

While  figure purchases are on  indefinite hold,  but  I have the itch to build something, I dug up an aircraft model to use in my Red Actions game.  To do it right I need to learn how to “rig up” a biplane.  Things could get frustrating, but what the hell…….

Poor Misbegotten Thing

Aircraft & Vehicles, Back of Beyond

Well, it’s over.  The lengthy, frustrating, and unfulfilling process of building the BoB Gunboat has ended.  So many iterations, so many days lingering on the workbench.

Almost all wargame projects start out full of promise, the completed object so thoroughly pictured in the mind’s eye.  Ahh, then the harsh reality of actually building the damn thing.  In many instances the process is so painful that the object is put out of sight and relegated to a box.  Sometimes, it’s just a matter of stepping away, getting a break, and coming back with renewed energy and ability to see what needs to be done for a quality project.  Other times……it just doesn’t happen.

The Gunboat is about as close as I have come to an adult version of my Pinewood Derby car.  My Dad let me build it myself.  The finished project was bad even by 9-year old standards.  Dad tried to salvage things, but it was too little, too late.  The other Cubbies had cool looking cars.  Mine was not.  In a Disney movie, I would win and my ugly piece of child work would be admired.  Didn’t happen.

So it is with the Gunboat, a child-like effort unfortunately completed by an adult.  Oh Well….My, My.

Here’s a picture along with a link to GIF of its Captain.

Ughhhhhhh!

Aircraft & Vehicles, Back of Beyond, Miniatures

Here’s the latest (and probably last) addition to my BoB air force. It’s an Avia BH-11. But, notice something missing? Windscreens.

Yes, it was trash day and in my frenzy to get out both garbage and recycling, as well as tidy up the war gaming room, I grabbed the box of the (I thought) now assembled aircraft and tossed it, with some other stray boxes, into the recycling.

This morning at 0530 I was thinking about the day, and finishing the model. Ooops…..the windscreens were in the ^&Y&^%*$ box which is now down at the Knott Road Landfill. I’ve dumpster dived, but never land fill dived. Ughhhhhh.

Oh Well, My My. Another stupid war gaming trick. I’ll wait and see how much this omission bothers me until I try to fabricate the screens (they were different and neat looking) or just eat it, and (this is insane) buy a new kit.

Here’s a link to footage of a  BH-11 in flight.

DSC01531DSC01532

More Progress

Aircraft & Vehicles, Back of Beyond, Miniatures

OK, now fishing is in the way of the Renaissance Skirmish, but I did finish up my Ford Flivver.  Check out the photo of how small it is.  Here’s the story on it.

220px-Ford_Flivver_in_air

Saw it when scanning through E-Bay for planes.  So adorable I had to take it home.  Figure it will make a great personal aircraft for the Mercenary Commander.  Maybe use it to scare the locals, buzzing them and throwing hand grenades.  Again, hopefully adding some pulp elements to the Back of Beyond campaign (whenever that starts??!?).

DSC01519DSC01520

Gunboat Pt – 2

Back of Beyond, Miniatures

Primed it and have given it two coats of Dark Green paint.  Will put mast and rigging up last.  Not really happy with the deck funnels, but they’ll hold place until I can find something better.  Have to figure out some contrasting colors (black?!) to break up the monolithic look, and a way to exchange mast flags so it can be used by any and all sides.

DSC01467DSC01469

DSC01468

 

 

 

Biggie Rat and Itchy Brother – Final Installment For “The Rest Of The Story”

Aircraft & Vehicles, Back of Beyond, Miniatures

Finished the “Rest Of The Story” aircraft.  When I set it next to the plane featured in “The General Is Pleased”, I could only think of these  TV Cartoon characters.  Something about the two side-by-side.  Related, but definitely different.

DSC01464DSC01465

DSC01466

As generic and spurious as these planes are, what I like about them is that the are in-scale.  Just received a Fokker D-7 (which was a staple for both sides in the RCW), and it is way too big.

Now that these two are painted, have started hammering away (literally) at the RE-8.  Feel like a medieval orthopedic surgeon (Theodoric?).  Engine mount all messed up.  Didn’t notice it when purchased…..typical.  Should work,  despite the promiscuous use of pliers, files and screwdrivers.  More on that later.

 

Gunboat – Pt. 1

Back of Beyond, Miniatures

Any Back of Beyond game worth its salt needs a Gunboat.  Started channeling Bob Cordery and the possibilities of scratch building one.  So, off to my home(s)-way-from-home(s), Hobby Lobby and Home Depot, as well as a Wargamer’s-Site-Of-Choice, Google Images.

Picked up all types of raw materials and bits, and started working on it.  Something generic, easy to build, but looks good on the table.  The key to all of this was the picket fence post I chopped up while working with some cheap lumber on another home improvement project.  In the midst of that sludge, see something mundane, and….jeez this might be something….because it had a bow, which can be damned hard to carve.

It’s a fun project…….

Raw Materials
Raw Materials
Basic Configuration
Basic Configuration

Update to follow…..

 

 

The Rest Of The Story

Aircraft & Vehicles, Back of Beyond, Miniatures

With apologies to Paul Harvey……Two similar aircraft, a modeling Body Double.

My last post featured the second aircraft I had purchased at Hobby Lobby.  The first was featured earlier, but my clumsy attempts at removing the wheel spats and pilot head rest relegated it to garage purgatory.  The problem was that I insisted on using what remained of the metal landing gear struts for the new – more period appropriate – gear.

Well, after I finished the “spatted version”, I saw the landing gear problem differently.  Get rid of the metal struts and use the existing wheels (freed from the spats), and wood struts.  What kind of wood….matchsticks worked perfectly.  I drilled holes in the fuselage to anchor the gear, applied superglue to the cut-down matchsticks and..,…..

Back From Purgatory & Ready For Priming

Back From Purgatory & Ready For Priming

Keys To The Makeover - Superglue, Matchsticks & Exacto Knife
Keys To The Makeover – Superglue, Matchsticks & Xacto Knife