Category: news

It’s come back….

Those of us who have been playing Warhammer 40K since it was first released will recognise this new model from Forge World.

It is of course a resin version of the original original Land Raider that was released back in 1987 following the release of the 1st edition of Warhammer 40,000, Rogue Trader.

The Land Raider is perhaps the most iconic of all Imperial armoured vehicles. Its distinctive silhouette is recognisable to foe and ally alike, announcing the indomitable presence of the Adeptus Astartes, the heroic and super-human Space Marines. Many patterns and designs of this honoured and ancient war machine exist across the myriad worlds of the Imperium, and among the oldest of such designs is the Land Raider Proteus.

Mechanicus tech-savants believe that the Land Raider Proteus is a precursor to the Phobos pattern vehicle now found amongst the armouriums of the Adeptus Astartes. Bulkier and faster than the Phobos, ancient and forgotten data-looms describe the Proteus as a forward assault vehicle, commonly fielded in Explorator missions during the dawning days of Mankind’s fledgling galactic empire.

This full resin kit, designed by Phil Stutcinskas, is packed with some amazing details and two different hull-mounted weapon options to supplement its twin-linked sponson-mounted lascannons. Available for the first time in limited numbers at Games Day UK, the Land Raider Proteus is priced at £80.

Obviously as a complete resin Forge World model it is much more expensive than the current plastic kit and way more than the plastic model did when it came out in 1987!

I never actually ever bought that first Land Raider back then, well I was playing Orks, why would I buy a model for the “beakies”. I’ve always had a nostalgic fondness for the older models, well I did buy the Mark IIb as it reminded me of playing Epic. I have a fair few Epic versions of the original Land Raider as you can see from this picture.

So what about the new Proteus? Well I am quite tempted by the model and if I ever get the Mark IIB finished I might buy one.

Red Tails

This film from Lucasfilms is looking excellent. Some great special effects as well as authentic looking planes and tanks (we can thank CGI for that).

1944. As the war in Europe continues to take its toll on Allied forces, the Pentagon brass has no recourse but to consider unorthodox options — including the untried and untested African-American pilots of the experimental Tuskegee training program. Just as the young Tuskegee men are on the brink of being shut down and shipped back home, they are given the ultimate chance to show their courage. Against all the odds, with something to prove and everything to lose, these intrepid young airmen take to the skies to fight for their country — and the fate of the free world.

Want to go and see this.

World War Z

They are currently filming World War Z up in Glasgow. They are using Glasgow to stand in for Philadelphia and as a result they have dressed the place up with props to make it look the part. Very strange to see Glasgow with American police cars, fire engines, taxis, cars and trucks.

The signage looks very effective as do the extras dressed in SWAT gear or army camouflage.

There are some more great photographs of the filming in this Flickr group.
With this story in the news it did make me think about checking out the book on which the film is based.

It began with rumours from China about another pandemic. Then the cases started to multiply and what had looked like the stirrings of a criminal underclass, even the beginnings of a revolution, soon revealed itself to be much, much worse. Faced with a future of mindless, man-eating horror, humanity was forced to accept the logic of world government and face events that tested our sanity and our sense of reality. Based on extensive interviews with survivors and key players in the 10-year fight-back against the horde, “World War Z” brings the very finest traditions of American journalism to bear on what is surely the most incredible story in the history of civilisation.

I have to admit I am not a great fan of horror movies, but will occasionally watch the odd zombie film and quite enjoyed The Walking Dead.

Zombies have, as I am sure you know, great potential for gaming. Hordes of the undead swarming across the battlefield, whilst a small group of humans try and survive. At quite a few shows I have been to, there have been zombie participation games which I think demonstrate the interest in the genre.

So while I wait for the movie to be finished and released I am probably going to get a copy of World War Z and have a read.

The Making of Harry Potter

I am quite tempted to go and visit this when it opens next year.

Set to open in Spring 2012, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London is a behind-the-scenes walking tour which immerses guests into the world of film-making. The tour features authentic sets, costumes and props that showcase the British artistry, technology and talent that goes into producing world famous and successful movies, created at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden. The Studio Tour will initially focus on the Harry Potter film series which has made the Studios its home for over 10 years.

Airfix Magazine on the iPad

You may have noticed that Airfix have a new magazine out for nearly a year now with the first issue published in November 2010. Those of you who are old enough will remember that there was an Airfix magazine that ran from 1960 until 1993.

The current magazine, Airfix Model World does cover all types of plastic modelling, but does have a focus on aviation, as that is the biggest share of the plastic kit market. So less useful for those of us interested in using plastic kits for gaming, as we’re more likely to be using tanks and AFVs. However it does have articles on tanks and armoured vehicles, it also takes the time to review a range of kits and publish news, and does cover military vehicles in these areas too.

You can either subscribe, though I did notice it was also available as an e-magazine on the iPad. The advantage of the iPad version is that you don’t need to get every issue and can get the issue which is useful to you. Though unlike going to WHSmiths you can’t flick through the issue to check! One advantage of the electronic version is that it us much easier to store than the paper copy and you can get hold of back issues much more easily. You can find out what was in which back issues from this web page.
So for example in the March 2011 issue is the following article

Military Build – Tiger Ausf.E
Ian Grainger, inspired from watching an old war movie, decided to spend one afternoon over a weekend building Germany’s fearsome main battle tank.

Whilst the August 2011 issue has this article on the Cromwell tank.

Battle and Build – World Exclusive! Cromwell Mk.IV
Daniel Taylor outlines the history of the Cromwell tank, and its notorious battle at Villers-Bocage against the German Tiger. Armour fans will be inspired to build Airfix’s newly tooled Cromwell. Brian O’Donoghue reports.

Hobbycraft stop the Flames of War

Okay this is based on what I saw, but it would appear that Hobbycraft (in Bristol anyhow) have decided to stop selling Flames of War in their store.

They have moved it all downstairs and are selling it off with most boxed sets and books at 20% off, the blisters appear to be between 10-20% off. There is a little sign that says “last chance to buy” too.
In case you are wondering, it is in the main Late War American, Russian and some German and British. They also have the main rulebook, North Africa and Blitzkrieg. Though I think these may be cheaper on Amazon.
No idea if this applies to other Hobbycraft stores that sell Flames of War, if it does, please leave a comment to that effect.

I am disappointed to see that Hobbycraft are stopping selling Flames of War, it was my only local supplier and it was better than nothing. The problem I found though was that the range was seriously limited, rarely updated and replaced and it never sold any of the new stuff, especially the Blitzkreig range. I did buy my first Flames of War models from the store and I doubt I would have bought them if I couldn’t actually see them and just take them to the till. Of course once the new Early War stuff was announced I was very disappointed to see that they didn’t stock any of the new stuff except the book!

Hobbycraft never seemed to take it seriously and I suspect that is what stopped it selling more than anything else. Any retailer can not rely on casual purchases and by getting the regular customers in on a regular basis they can then push more stock and make more sales. However to Hobbycraft it just seemed like another range of stuff that they sold, no one cared about it, so no one thought to promote it, check that it was what people wanted and in the end they pulled the entire range, which is a pity.
Of course from my perspective I can order from Wayland Games or similar, get a 10% discount and free shipping, but I do like the fact with a local retailer that I can see things I maybe wouldn’t have bought online or via mail-order. Let’s buy a single blister or boxed set and see where that takes us…

So for now I am reliant on online stores for my Flames of War purchases…

Did I buy anything I hear you ask?

Well I did get a Jagdpanther, the one in the boxed set with the building.

Only bought the one though…. Nice model.

Colditz

Recently on the Yesterday channel here in the UK, they have been showing the 1970s BBC Series, Colditz.

This classic series deals with Allied prisoners of war imprisoned at the supposedly escape-proof Colditz Castle during World War II, and their many attempts to escape captivity, as well as the relationships formed between the various nationalities and their German captors.

I do remember watching it back then and usually I avoid watching things I recall from the 1970s and 1980s as my nostalgic memories are often dashed when I view them now. The Channel Island drama, Enemy At The Door was also on recently and to be honest though I remember enjoying it back when it was first on, it seemed somewhat more soap opera than world war two drama.

So when I found that Yesterday were showing Colditz, I thought I would remember it from my nostalgic memories rather than ruin them by watching it again.

However looking through the listings describing the episodes, I was intrigued by the episode Tweedledum.

One memorable episode portrays the attempts of a prisoner, Wing Commander Marsh (Michael Bryant), to get out of Colditz by feigning insanity. He succeeds, but is pushed to the limits of his sanity in the process…

I did watch it, and was impressed, it certainly was worth the awards it won. As a result I watched more episodes. Slightly disappointed that I had missed so many, but at least it is available on DVD.

If you like 1970/80s world war two dramas, then you will enjoy Colditz. With an excellent cast, great writing and some poignant stories, it is a series well worth watching.

Airfix Cromwell Tank

Currently most picture of the new Airfix 1:76th scale Cromwell tank is of the 3D rendering. I was lucky enough today to get to see the actual pre-production model kit and sprues. The model can either be made with the wading gear (that was used on D-Day) or as it was used later on in the Normandy campaign without.

The sprues show a fair few parts, and unlike some of the new wargaming models that have come out recently, this is a model kit first with lots of parts.

Another view (this time from the top) of the Cromwell pre-production models.

Looks like a very nice plastic kit and for those who play 20mm, a welcome addition that has long been missing from the range.

Who’s back? He’s back…

Well I enjoyed the first episode of Doctor Who. Very epic and ambitious and setting it in American appeared to work. The result was really what they should have done when they tried to re-make Doctor Who in 1996 and Paul McGann took on the role. I am sure that if the American version was like last night’s opening episode then it may have been a success.

However back to the new episode, as I said, the American setting worked well and though I was expecting it to be a little cheesy, I didn’t think it was in the end. Reminded me slightly of an episode of the X-Files, but with a little more humour.

Nixon and the Oval Office was done well and seeing Confidential showed how much work was done in creating that infamous room in the White House. I did like the fact that it wasn’t modern America, but was 1960s America. This is why I think it worked over the modern setting of the 1996 American remake.

I was touched and enjoyed the tribute to Elizabeth Sladen that followed the opening episode. Wonderful tributes and clips about her life in Doctor Who.

I am looking forward to the next episode of Doctor Who and the series as a whole, slightly disappointed we have a split season, as I hate gaps, but I can see how it spreads the Doctor more over the year.