Man is it cold around here. Colder than a brass toilet seat on the shady side of the iceberg. There was like one week of Fall, where the weather was nice. Now wet and cold. Cold like the heart of a tax collector.
I was gonna work on some terrain in the garage, but I wimped out as it was too cold in there. Instead, a little voice sounded in me head and said "You know, you only like need like 3 more miniatures painted up to complete that third squad." Another voice chimed in "throw in a Sharpshooter and an itsy-bitsy AT gun?"
"Deal!" They both said at once. And what I was doing was decided without me. Just like most of my activities.
Quar Stuff
Of course it's Quar stuff. Why would it not be Quar stuff? It's all I do these days. I CANNOT be distracted.
Coftyr Rhyflers |
These 3 cuties complete another standard squad. But what squad of humanoid Anteater-ish things would be complete without a specialist? "It wouldn't be complete" is what you would say. So we'll add a Sharpshooter.
Coftyr Sharpshooter |
All of my Sharpshooters have a snazzy hat and gauze wrapped around the scope for some reason. This gives me 3 Coftyr forces of around 300 pts all painted. Which nicely matches the 3 Crusader squads of around 300 points that are also all painted. Funny coincidence that.
Say Hello to My Little...
With the Playtest rules for Tractors (tanks) being released for This Quar's War: Clash of Rhyfles, it seemed time to upgrade. The Coftyrans have the only Anti-tank / anti-infantry gun so far in the form of a small thing officially called "RCO m60" which is short for "Royal Coftyran Ordnance Field Howitzer Model 60."
Basically, it's a mini howitzer, on some sort of track system, with a comically small shield.
I played around with the basing, adding in a LOT of brush, like these guys had set up in a thicket and tried to do some camouflage.
"I am in a thicket, Trying to trick it, cus I'm gonna stick it, right up his..." |
Fence Fail
In Quar battlefields I have been using my ACW/AWI worm / split rail fences, because it's either those or some Dark Ages wattle type fences. I wanna get away from those to dispel the "this Quar's American Civil War" appearance. Who knew that yet another type of fence would be needed? sheesh. It's starting to seem like one NEVER has enough of the right terrain.
I had all this balsa wood from a previous stupid purchase just lying around, so I thought I would give it try and construct my own. I know what kind a fence I wanted. I didn't want a typical fence that has vertical posts and horizontal beams which seem easy to make and that probably why everyone does that. I wanted all the fence boards to all be vertical, so it matches the trench boards and that's how my fences look at home. How hard can it be?
I made these:
I also messed up the paint job some. |
And I hate them. I just couldn't get the amount of detail I wanted into the balsa wood, and it was becoming obvious that to get the look I wanted I would have to cut out all the individual planks and them glue them down. Which seemed like a LOT of tedious work, which is probably why no one does it this way. So I scrapped the idea.
Time to rely on the tried, tested, and true problem-solving technique for any problem. Used by governments, husbands, dictators, and churches. Throw money at it.
I bought these from the internet, and fit the bill nicely.
The right height |
They're about 5" long and I bought 13 of them (5x13 = 65" or about 5 feet). I'm happy with them.
Distraction
I hardly ever get distracted. But there are two things that I can never resist: strawberries dipped in chocolate and new dark ages mass combat rules.
I picked these up through a pre-order because they were all over the internet and looked really good. Having a read through and trying to not think too hard about all those dark ages troops that I have, just waiting to be played with....
These aren't written for the dark ages specifically but one of these tool kit rules that let you re-create battles where units engaged in hand-to-hand lead by heroic leaders.
Time to Eat
Here in America, it's the week of Thanksgiving. When we all try to be appreciative.
Nice painting, clever intro. Or did it really happen that way?
ReplyDeleteThanks Pan. They told me not to tell you if it really happened that way or not. 😁
DeleteMore Quar? It's becoming the "Best Civil Quar".....they are even dressed in blue! ☺
ReplyDeleteI would have thought "worm fences" would suit Quar?
Fences needing work......yeah buying is easy.....
Midgard....maybe not distracted but definitely on trend? ☺
Neil
Thanks Neil. nah, the worm fences always scream out to me "ACW" so just a small change to the scenery. Buying was much easier. I'm just gonna buy everything from now on. 😁
DeleteGreat new stuff sir!
ReplyDeleteBest regards
Thanks Michal! 😁
DeleteNicely done and I'm waiting for payday to pick up Midgard
ReplyDeletethanks Neil. It's looking to be a smart buy. 😁
DeleteAbout time the Quar get some appropriate fences to hide behind instead of that alternate universe fencing you'd previously dropped on your tables. Your games will now look infinitely better for this change.
ReplyDeletethanks Dai. That's the plan. and then I can finally silence those critics! 😆😜
DeleteLovely additions Stew. I always think of your Quar as being WWI types and any similarity to the ACW had never really struck me before. A friend called me earlier this week letting me know he had just purchased the Midgard rules so we will no doubt be having a game or two of it next year.
ReplyDeletethanks Lawrence. They're supposed to be WWI-ish so I'm glad that worked out. It's just the fences scram ACW to me, so the small change will stop my mind doing backflips.
DeleteYou might get in a game of Midgard before I do. 😁
More good-looking additions to your Quar project. Your MkI fences look serviceable to me. I am interested in reading your First Impressions of Midgard.
ReplyDeleteThanks JF. I couldn’t get the fences to match the image in my head enough. And I wanted a lot of them quickly so making them became not the way.
DeleteMaybe I’ll give it another crack for a small yard. 😀
I really liked the "sawtooth" fences you made. They looked suitably different but still quite obviously a fence. The new fences are nice and will be able to be used elsewhere as well which is a bonus.
ReplyDeleteThe sharpshooter's hat make him look a bit Hollywood mafia like, appropriate for a hired killer I think. Is his name Vinney? 😁
Thanks Ben. The overall shape of the fence was fine, but couldn’t get the rest of it to match my vision and I wanted a lot of fences. So. Buying became easier and more efficient. Maybe I’ll give it another hi for a small house yard or something. 😀
DeleteIt's a shame that you didn't like your fences, 'cause I did! Why that is a shame, I am not sure. I have a huge bias towards scratch built. That's of no interest to anyone except me...
ReplyDeleteIn the end you got what you wanted, for a few quar-coins and less effort. That's the main thing.
I like the Quar cannon, especially the tracks, what a beaut addition!
Interesting and witty post as always, thanks Stew. I have sad-face when I visit your blog and there is no new post, like this fellow, ☹️, but it quickly changes to joyful face when there is a new post, like this bloke 😊.
While an excellent and enjoyable read, this one did not eclipse your previous post which is still 'best of blog'.
That's another thing that only matters to me! 🙃
Warm regards, James
Thanks very much James. I’m glad you enjoy reading this silly blog. I always hoped that Someone would. . 😀
DeleteI’ll probably take another pass at the fence again. Scratch building is a new thing to me and I probably just got impatient. 😀
Excellent figures there Stew and love the ATG, which just looks sooo cool:)! I love scratch building, which can be a challenge for 10mm terrain, so at times it is easier just to buy stuff, especially buildings, as the time to make them really isn't worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteThanks Steve. Scratch building is a new endeavor for me and in this case the fences, because i wanted a lot of them and quickly became not worth the time or effort. Maybe I’ll try again later in life. 😀
DeleteHi Stew, happy thanksgiving. I also thought the scratch built fences looked cool - but it is a LOT of work and sort of unnecessary if you’ve got the cash to get an instant solution. Quar AT gun looks lovely, too. You’re definitely in the groove now. So… Now you’ve an AT gun you’re going to need a tank / tractor too! The fun ( and the spending ) never ends :-).
ReplyDeleteThanks Mark. I’ll have to give it another try with scratch fences or whatever as folks are being so damn encouraging. Though with something smaller or individual.
DeleteOh, and I am definitely in the groove.
I don’t love tractors / tanks at this scale of game. But yeah I have some. 😀
You must be getting quite a large Quar force now, and I too liked the scratch built fences.
ReplyDeleteThanks Peter. Large enough for most things for sure. 😀
DeleteWell, like Thanksgiving, you've given us a full menu of dishes here. I thought the home-made fences looked pretty good, but I guess that's a matter of taste (pumpkin pie vs sweet potato...). Another nice job on the Quar--I don't prefer that sort of cuisine myself, but certainly can appreciate it. Hope your thanksgiving was good!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ed. The blog isn’t so much about the Quar as it is me. As it is with most blogs. 😀
DeleteGreat work on the Quar Stewart, nice that you've been able to balance out your forces to the same amount. Shame about not braving the garage and getting on with the scenery, but at least you were still productive.
ReplyDeleteThe mistake on the fencing is a common one, you had the grain running across the planks, rather than with the direction of the planks. The purchased ones look good but your design was more unique.
Hope you enjoy the new rules.
Thanks Dave. I thought I did have the grain going in the direction of the planks (ie up and down). I just couldn’t get the grain to be convincing without a lot of effort. might try the saw tooth fence again with foam sometime. 😀
DeleteThe grain you added does indeed go up and down, but the balsa grain from the wood you used is going side to side, which makes it harder to get the effect you're looking for, but we've all done it at some point mate, myself included ! LOL
DeleteOOOOOHHHHH. I just tried it the correct way and take the point. Thanks for the tip. 😀
DeleteNice looking Quar, I especially like the sweet little howitzer, so cute! I think your scratch built fences weren't that bad at all, I'm sure they can find a home somewhere? I'm getting Midgard this week, I was chatting to the author at partizan a couple of years ago when he was running a dark age game of it and it sounds good, not too big, not too small!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain caveadsum1471
Thanks Iain. My scratch fences have indeed found a home, in the trash can. 😀
DeleteI’ve finished reading Midgard snd thst is a well written rule set and seems really solid as well.
Hey Stew, getting caught up on blogs after a couple of weeks off (darn holiday) and naturally yours is first up. Always good to see more Quar. Are you going to get allied factions now that more plastics are on the way? Partisans?
ReplyDeleteTanks are always fun, but to my mind a bit difficult in the current game's level of detail. Something like Bolt Action/CoC where you have a platoon to a company makes more sense... but tanks are cool regardless, so they need to happen!
As for your home made fences, I think they look good. Maybe you could recycle them as a field fortification, with earth piled up on one side.
Thanks David. There’s going to be lots of plastic Quar coming out over the next year. I’ve already picked up a Toulmore squad snd was planning on a Gwent but will probably stop there. Mass battle rules are also in the works.
DeleteI agree about the tractors. I don’t try like them for CoR as the scale of the game is too small.
And my fences got recycled all right. Next life they they might be used by someone actually talented. 😀
Its my turn to apologize for the late comment! I hope you and your family had an excellent holiday. I don't tire of seeing the Quar because I enjoy WWI (as weird as that is to say!) and I find the miniatures pretty charming. I also admire your focus with getting them done. You've surely painted quite a lot this year!
ReplyDeleteIts a shame that the balsa wood didn't work out but the terrain you bought looks great. For what its worth, I've had the same experience with sculpting and building with balsa wood. Its not as easy to get good results as you might expect or at least that is what I learned the hard way anyway!
Thanks Jeff. I should have known thst scratch building was hard but YouTube makes it look so easy. Might try again in the future. Maybe.
DeleteGlad you like the Quar. It’s turning into a thing for me. 😀