“Colours" Showcase 2024

The entrance to Newbury Racecourse/"Colours" and view of the First Floor upon going inside

Due to the Newbury & Reading Wargames Society proudly announcing that "Colours" was once again happening this year, and that the entry price was still a "bargain five pound cash", I felt it would be rude not to make my annual pilgrimage up to Newbury Racecourse in Berkshire. Delightfully, I was far from being the only one to think so too, so having arrived at the venue a little earlier than I anticipated, and certainly well before the show opened, I joined a rather impressive looking queue outside in the sun.

Some of the marvellous, pre-painted miniatures on sale by "Pirate Rich Paints"

Just as I had last time, I thought I'd venture straight upstairs to the First Floor and for a short while enjoyed some relative calm and quiet with various stalls such as "Ironclad Miniatures", "Baccus 6mm", "Black Scorpion Miniatures", "Peter Pig" and "Tablescape". Of particular interest though was "Culverin Models", whose 3D printed science-fiction vehicles have always interested me ever since I first laid eyes on them. Indeed, I already own a few of the company's filament-produced transport carriers, as well as a handful of their STL (Standard Triangle Language) files too - many of which they have very generously sent me for free to test out on my Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer.

Three views of the Ground Floor

Having just about resisted 'pulling the trigger' within mere minutes of entering the building, I made my way back downstairs to face the general bedlam of a popular wargaming show already in full swing. As usual the likes of "Pendraken Miniatures" and "Westwind Productions" already looked rather busy, so I momentarily stopped at the "Warlord Games" area to have a look at their "Black Seas" range. Few followers of this blog will be surprised to know that I'm currently obsessed with the Napoleonic Wars, and resultantly have actually been watching a fair few documentaries about the period's naval battles, as well as Bonaparte's conquests on land.

Just a few of the impressive Napoleonic ranges on display by "Eagle Figures"

Despite knowing very little about the Nottingham-based manufacturer's selection of Age Of Sail era models, apart from the Terrors Of The Deep box which I once bought many moons ago on impulse, I've always felt their Master & Commander Starter Set looked rather good - especially as it contains nine vessels. Somewhat disappointingly though, I then saw the price of one of the larger ships, a Royal Navy 1st Rate, and frankly that was a costly investment I wasn't prepared to make at a time when I have little understanding of attaching laminated card sails, acetate ratlines and bobbins of thread to a 1/700th miniature ship. Definitely a project for the future though...

A smattering of the wares produced by "Mammoth Miniatures", Culverin Models and "Void Scar Miniatures"

Another stall which most definitely caught my attention, and almost my wallet, was "Perry Miniatures", which alongside selling “Let’s Fight Leipzig! Wargaming The Battle Of The Nations” by Steve Shann, were also stocking plenty of Napoleonic soldiers sculpted by the Perry Twins. Now having watched many a comparison video between "Wargames Foundry" figures and the more recent sculpts by Alan and Michael I'm well aware that my older models are a bit shorter and fatter than their latest stuff. But that didn't stop me mulling over their marvellous Brunswick range and thinking about whether my OCD could cope with the difference.

The Fantasy range by "Bifrost Miniatures", and "The Silver Bayonet" display of "Sarissa Precision"

Having now managed to survive a fair few close shaves when it came to splurging my limited funds, including a superb demonstration game of "Dead Man's Hand Redux" at the "Great Escape Games" booth, which had me very close to getting their new starter set for ninety quid. I finally wilted whilst visiting "Sarissa Precision", and picked up both the United States Unit for "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games", as well as a pair of the game's expansion rulebooks.

The Japan-Korean War by Newbury & Reading Wargames

I always find the show's Second Floor a bit 'hit & miss' to be honest, as it contains both the Bring & Buy, and a number of exhibition/participation games. This year I didn't see anything second-hand which I was even remotely interested in, with the total absence of any "Wargames Foundry" Napoleonics proving particularly disappointing. But I did enjoy finding inspiration in a number of large-scale battles - such as The Leggetts' Salamanca 1812 "Black Powder" fracas, and Shepway Wargames' Russo-Finnish Winter War.

Salamanca 1812 by The Leggetts

A final tour of the Ground Floor traders saw me make a few obligatory purchases at "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio", and pick up a couple of extras from "Magnetic Displays" and "Gringo 40's". In addition, whilst hunting around for some specifically coloured dice I realised that two show stalwarts, "EM-4 Miniatures" and "Two Fat Lardies" weren't at the event. I actually thought the "Lard Zone" from last year's wargaming spectacle was one of its highlights, so left Newbury Racecourse somewhat bemused that there hadn't been a repeat performance...

“Colours" Showcase 2023

"Yes! We are on for Colours 23."

With my pleasant memories of last year's show at Newbury Racecourse, Berkshire, still firmly ensconced in my mind, it would arguably have been rather remiss of me to have failed to attend this year's "Colours" by Newbury & Reading Wargaming Society'. Sure, my previous journey to the site's Car Park 4 was a chaotic nightmare. But having learnt my lesson to check the show's website beforehand for directions, I felt reasonably confident that I'd be able to make the ninety minute long journey with far fewer frustrations than last time.

A view or two of the First Floor, including the "Lard Zone"

Disconcertingly though, my Sat Nav had other ideas, insisting that I enter the market town from the wrong direction and resultantly forcing me to slowly fight my way through some seriously heavy Saturday morning traffic. To make matters worse, it also repeatedly attempted to take me to the main entrance at the western side of the venue, so ultimately ended up being binned in favour of my memory from twelve months ago. This eventually saw me through safely enough, however, the complete lack of signs along the route was not helpful, and would certainly have been greatly appreciated.

Some of the demonstration/participation games put on by "Two Fat Lardies"

To mix things up a bit this time round, I decided to 'hit' the First Floor traders first. This choice turned out to be a good one too, as the large spacious area wasn't particularly busy, so I was able to mooch about the stalls relatively freely. Quite possibly the highlight of this initial 'scouting trip' was "Scarab Miniatures", who were selling some truly fantastic looking 28mm metal Great War figures for a mere 'pound a pop'. As such, I could quite easily have walked away with a significantly heavy bag load full of Austrians and French. Luckily, it was a little too early in the day to 'hit the trigger' quite yet, so I moved on before my wallet had a chance to inadvertently fly open.

More demonstration/participation games put on by "Two Fat Lardies"

Enjoyably, I next encountered the "Lard Zone" which had previously seen a lot of success at "Salute" 2023. Run by "Two Fat Lardies", this space had several of the company's games running, so I spent a short while thoroughly enjoying the different tables, genres and rule-sets on display. In addition, I was able to have a good look at the scenic wares of "The Last Valley", "F4 Freddie Terra Firma" and "Last Man, Last Bullet" - the latter of which had a number of World War One trench-works and Black Powder-era earthworks at various scales. A number of these seemed rather suitable for the American Civil War as well, so we ended up nattering for ten minutes about fortifications during this conflict, such as those at the Battle of Fredericksburg,

Plenty of scenic pieces on show by "The Last Valley, "Last Man, Last Bullet" & "F4 Freddie Terra Firma"

Following on from these visits, I ascended to the Second Floor and joined the jostle along the length of the show's Bring and Buy sale. To be honest, I found this one of the few disappointing aspects of this year's "Colours", as there simply wasn't a great deal to catch my interest due to it largely consisting of boxes full of painted miniatures. Doubtless many a visitor interested in such purchases scooped up a bargain or two. But for me there was a distinct lack of bare metal or plastic.

Some of the demonstration/participation games put on by the Society of Ancients

Instead, I busied myself looking at the different demonstration/participation games filling up the floor. A number of these caught my eye, most notably a 6mm battle being shown by the Society of Ancients for their intriguing "Mortem Et Gloriam" (MeG) rules. This biblical battle looked good and I was rather impressed when one of the members highlighted that the much larger sized tabletops surrounding me were all using the same game - just in different scales. Bemusingly though, I was then handed over to another fellow who seemingly felt the best way to sell me on the "multi-award-winning ancients wargames rules" was by quickly 'putting me in my place' for daring to even suggest that "Xenos Rampant" could be used to play some Napoleonic skirmishes - something I'm currently working towards.

A selection of models from "Gringo 40's" Vietnam range

Perhaps unsurprisingly, I therefore decided to promptly leave the area utterly uninvested in MeG, and instead briefly made my way around the other pitched battles before moving down to the Ground Floor.  This was absolutely bustling with activity, with several stalls momentarily capturing my attention. Of particular note was "Gringo 40's", whose range of Vietnam War and Napoleonics had me drooling over their display cabinets.

A selection of models from "Gringo 40's" Napoleonic range

Ultimately however, I only succumbed to the usual suspects of "Warlord Games" and "Pendraken Miniatures" - who managed to ensnare me with a 15mm all-metal Siege Mortar Battery for Black Powder Epic Battles: American Civil War, and a ton of 10mm World War armoured vehicles respectively. Indeed, I felt a bit guilty just buying from two manufacturers who I regularly purchase from online, rather than from one of the numerous 'cottage industry' companies present at the show. But in the end, I decided to simply support my current hobby projects, rather than 'dip my toe' in yet another period or genre...

"Colours" Loot 2019

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIP - The resin Giant Robot has been pinned and assembled

This past Saturday I was once again able to make the trip to Newbury Racecourse and attend the annual Newbury & Reading Wargames Society's show “Colours”. Last year's 'happening' was arguably the best I've attended since it was disappointingly reduced in length to just a single day, and despite not finding any bargains in the event's 'Bring & Buy' sale this time round, I felt the attending traders still put on a worthy gathering. It was certainly nice to once again briefly meet up with fellow blogger Tamsin Piper of the website “Wargaming Girl” fame.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" have always held a special place in my hobby heart ever since I encountered their wares on the eve of them first distributing their "7TV" rule-set, and I have been patiently collecting their substantial range of miniatures ever since. Recently, amongst an Occult Statue, Mushrooms, Dead Forest and trio of Protoplasmic Terrors, they announced the imminent release of a 90mm tall Giant Robot and fortunately I was able to find a pair of these resin models available at their stall.

"Magister Militum" WIPs - A pair of feathered Velociraptors and an egg nest

Sculpted by Andrew May, each kit actually comes with two hands, a fearsome pincer and a death ray, so I've decided to build one as a right-handed maniacal clawed monstrosity, and the other as a laser-gun firing fiend. As the robots are cast in resin, I found them really easy to assemble using a little grey-stuff, some super-glue and pins, and even went so far as to pin my test automaton to its "Citadel" 60mm circular base.

My other purchases were actually motivated by a pang of nostalgia, and a sudden desire to return to one of my favourite vendors and scales. Approximately eleven years ago, back when this blog was hosted on "CoffeeCup", I began work on a 'War That Time Forgot' project using both the 10mm Prehistoric monsters and World War One figures of "Magister Militum". I actually managed to finish a fair few dinosaurs, British, German and French soldiers, and even played a few games using them, but soon found myself put off by some of the Salisbury-based company's military sculpts.

"Pendraken Miniatures" WIPs - Two British Airborne armed with rifles, and one with a Sten gun

Having more recently spent some considerable time painting both 6mm and 10mm models I figured a re-boot of a 'War That Time Forgot' might be in order, especially as I believe I still know where my antediluvian backlog may well be buried gathering dust. As memory serves I actually already own a fair few of the range's larger flesh-eaters, so with this in mind I bought several blisters of the smaller dinosaurs, such as Protoceratops, Gallimimus, and Velociraptors, as well as three egg nests to use as objective markers.

In addition, I thought I'd inject some extra enthusiasm in the project by turning to "Pendraken Miniatures" for my soldiers, and relocating my 'war' to 1939-1945 instead. As a result, I decided to pick up a British Airborne Army Pack, plus some Bren Carriers and Churchill Tanks, and establish whether from these I could possibly build some semblance of a force with which to triumph over a horde of angry dinosaurs using some homemade rules...

"Colours" Loot 2018

"Wizkids" Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. alongside the likes of the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man

This past Saturday I was lucky enough to make the trip to Newbury Racecourse and attend the annual Newbury & Reading Wargames Club’s show “Colours”. To be honest I haven’t been that impressed with this event since it was reduced in length to a single day a few years ago, but having come away with a motley collection of models and scenery pieces, including the obligatory ‘I never would have expected to buy that’ goody bag, I feel this was probably the best one I’ve experienced for some considerable time.

In addition, there seemed to be far more games being played on the two upper stories that I was interested in perusing than I can recall too, with an “Infinity” tournament proving to be particularly eye-catching, if not off-putting, with all the numerous colourful tokens being required in order to record each (predominantly unpainted) figure’s status. Sadly, for those anticipating a review of these wonderfully-adorned tabletops I won’t be providing any coverage here. However, one of the highlights of the day was briefly meeting up with fellow blogger Tamsin Piper, and she has done a first-rate job of detailing seemingly every battlefield present at the show on her excellent website “Wargaming Girl”.

"Doctor Who" WIPs - Romana, the Fourth Doctor & K-9, and Harry Sullivan 

It probably won’t come as much of a surprise to anyone who pays even a passing attention to my wargaming habits to know that I’m a big fan of ‘Wizkids” and their pre-painted “Heroclix” range. These plastic ‘clicky’ super-heroes and dastardly villains have been about for many years and I’ve re-painted more than my fair share of them to use with such notable systems as “7TV” and “Mutants And Death Ray Guns”. Resultantly, when I stumbled upon a stall containing a shoe box of some of the New Jersey-based manufacturer’s earliest figures for ‘50p a pop’ I had a darn good rummage and picked up both the entire Fantastic Four, as well as my favourite “DC Comics” Silver Age comic book character, the Blue Beetle.

Now admittedly I already own these miniatures and have actually re-painted the vast majority too. But recently I’ve found myself yearning to play a few games of “Heroclix” using the system’s somewhat simple 2002 “Clobberin’ Time” rules, and Reed Richard’s quartet would allow me to do that rather nicely. In addition, I was later lucky enough to ‘pick up’ the ‘out of production’ “Hellboy And The B.P.R.D.” Action Pack from the show’s Bring & Buy area; a boxed set I’ve previously only partly-collected and re-painted as individual models.

"Epic" Khorne Army - Just the smallest of smatterings, as the plastic container was crammed full of tiny figures 

Equally as popular a genre with me as super-heroes is currently “Doctor Who”, so there was no way I was going to resist grabbing a set of the Fourth Doctor And Companions from “Warlord Games”. Featuring “medical officer” Harry Sullivan, “the noble savage” Leela, both incarnations of Romanadvoratrelundar and K-9, as well as Tom Baker’s instantly recognisable scarf-wearing time traveller, I’ve already popped all the models onto bases and given them a quick undercoat.

Perhaps somewhat bizarrely, I also succumbed to temptation at “Lesley’s Bits Box” by purchasing a plastic container full of “Epic” scale Khorne miniatures by “Games Workshop” for a tenner. It’s recently occurred to me that I’ve been firmly focusing upon 28mm sized figures for a considerably long time, much to the detriment of all the other scales I’ve collected, so thought a momentary future flurry with 6mm science fiction might make a pleasant change of pace.

"Blotz" Sci-Fi Style Wall Sections WIPs - The MDF pieces come in numerous pieces to add to their detail

Lastly, and by far my most enthusiastic ‘grab’, was from the excellent people at “Blotz”. I’ve been considering going all in for some “Necromunda” scenery ever since I latched on to the idea of blending it with Frank Herbert’s “Dune” universe and painting some Goliaths up as if they were from House Harkonnen. Many of the gangs arguably lend themselves to such an idea with the Escher (Bene Geserets), Delaque (Guild) and Van Saar (Fremen), as well as the Cadian Astra Militarum (Atreides), all appearing reasonably similar in looks to their ‘silver screen’ counterparts.

Impressively, the marvellous “selection of 28mm scale sci-fi style wall sections” “Blotz” produce in MDF was the final piece to my jigsaw, and should quite quickly help me progress a campaign set upon a nice three-dimensional Arrakis spice refinery using the “Necromunda” floor plans as a base. Somewhat foolishly, I only picked up a few of their pillars and walls at “Colours”, but have since ordered more along with some of their “terrain suitable for use with 6mm games such as Epic…”

Painting Challenge: Week Six - 15mm Battlefront Miniatures

This week's painting challenge is to complete just a couple of bases of 15mm figures. As a result I thought this would be a good opportunity to make some more progress on the sixteen unfinished "Battlefront Miniatures" I recently discovered, all of which come from the "Flames Of War" blister BR758 LRDG/SAS Dismounted Patrol.

 

In addition I thought I'd also try and paint the final few stands of Retained Knights and Prydian Muster Patrol models (by "The Ion Age") I need to finish as part of my current 'Aliens verses The Imperium' 15mm project.

 

Lastly, I have fully based the first of three MDF air vents/sewer openings I bought whilst at "Colours" last year. A simple "Citadel" Boltgun Metal and Nuln Oil wash worked well for the metal grates, whilst I used "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey with more "Citadel" Nuln Oil for the concrete support.

"Who You Gonna Call?"

One of my smaller projects for 2010 was a planned set of homemade rules based upon the “Ghostbusters” films and cartoons (using the 1986 Ghostbusters Role-Playing Game” by “West End Games” as a starting point). However my recent exposure to the numerous variants of “Song of Blades and Heroes” has lead to my discovery (and purchase) of the “Fear and Faith” Horror Skirmish miniatures rules by “Ganesha Games”, and as a result I’ve concentrated simply on painting some models for the venture instead. Indeed, one of “Ganesha Games” forthcoming supplements is entitled “Ghost Rangers” and is described as “A full campaign for those guys you’re gonna call when the town is full of spooks. Hunt them, stock them, and remember, never cross the streams.”

I’ve previously seen these “Heresy Miniatures” superbly converted with proton backpacks and ghost traps but I quickly wanted them painted, based and ready for action. The models consist of HSF008 ‘Inspector (with coffee) Bob Jones’, HSF009 ‘Inspector Johnson’, HSF010 ‘Inspector Camille Van Towe’, HSF011 ‘Inspector (with scanner) Kane’, and HSF012 ‘Inspector Knuckles’.

I wanted my ‘Ghostbusters’ to wear their original ‘light brown’ costumes so Venkman, Stantz, Spengler and Zeddemore were all predominantly painted Dheneb Stone and washed with Devlan Mud. The red emblems were simply painted Mechrite Red and Baal Red; and their belt buckles Burnished Gold and “Coat d’arms” Brown Ink. As I thought Melnitz should stand apart from the foursome I painted her uniform with Astronomican Grey and Badab Black.

The stone circle is a resin piece I purchased a couple of years ago whilst at “Colours” in Newbury. As I plan for it to ‘emerge’ within a cityscape (as an objective), it was undercoated Chaos Black, and then dry brushed using Codex Grey and Fortress Grey. The standing stones were painted with Calthan Brown and Devlan Mud, before being dry brushed with more Calthan Brown.