A while ago I wrote a piece about the Collectors Showcase depiction of the Lichterfelde Barracks in Berlin, the once proud home of Hitler's Lifeguard regiment, the LAH. At the time of writing I didn't actually own one but I'm delighted to say that is no longer the case
A couple of weeks ago I took receipt of a rather large, brown cardboard box from TM Terrain inside which were three more boxes, each plain white save for a colourful label stuck on the top declaring its contents. It's taken me a while to break them open and now that I have, I'm quite simply delighted
I bought the entire facade comprising the central building and two annexes and they are currently lying on the table in my hobbies room awaiting assembly. Save the odd paint chip here and there, easily remedied should I feel inclined to bother, they survived their trip from China, via the US, via TM Terrain, safe and sound and look well and truly marvellous, even in their unassembled state
The entire facade, laid out in pieces
The flags and Swastika banners are removable, should you not be inclined to display them
I will put up more pictures as soon as I've put the 20 pieces together, and even more once I've bought some more soldiers to display on it. I will keep you posted
The full results of my poll are now in, however, I'm not entirely sure what they tell me. The number of people who responded was disappointingly small, just 16, nevertheless, I'd like to thank those people who participated and hopefully it gave you something to ponder over
The two options selected least from the nine on offer were 'Members of the SA' and 'Members of the public showing support for the regime' both of which were chosen just 8 times. K+C, of course, have quite a few SA figures in their range and they have very recently brought out a figure depicting a WW1 veteran in civilian clothes, standing and saluting as the Nazi parade marches past in 1938
You probably won't be surprised to hear I have no such qualms or reservations about reading about such figures, or buying them, and on that note I thought I'd share with you some pictures of part of my LAH collection from the 'Berlin '38' range. I hope you like seeing them as much as I enjoy owning and collecting the figures they show
Himmler saluting the marchers
A close up of Hitler in his staff car
Goering, Goebbels and Rohm take to the balcony, and yes, I do know Rohm was dead by 1938. Surely I can be permitted a little artistic license?
Bormann, the doorman! I couldn't resist!
Bringing up the rear, Heydrich and more of the 'asphalt soldiers'
As I said earlier, I hope you like them. More to come at a later date, when I finish the next display!
Some of you may have caught my earlier post regarding the March woodland game at my regular airsoft site, which took place last Saturday. It was a great game, thoroughly enjoyed by all those involved, not least me. I simply couldn't wait to play and was determined to have a good time. Sometimes, simple determination in such matters pays off!
I am similarly keen to have just as good a time on Saturday, April 16th when Fireball will be hosting a WW2 Filmsim game based loosely around the last ditch attempts by the Nazis to hold on to the crumbling remnants of their inglorious Reich in the face of nigh on relentless pressure from Allied forces
If this is the first you have heard of the game and you have an interest in taking part as a keen and already committed WW2 airsofter, or you are new to this aspect of the hobby and would like to come along and find out what all the fuss is about, you can find out more about the finer details by going to the appropriate thread on the CIA forum, or visiting the organiser's own forum, links to which you will find below
Forum of the game organiser, and no, I have absolutely no idea why it's called that!!
Hopefully, the above links will help you answer most, if not all, of your questions, and more importantly, perhaps, with any luck I will see some of you at the game. I will certainly be there, taking on the role of the bitter and twisted, and ever so slightly insanely committed, German C in C. I can hardly wait!
This could well prove to be my busiest month to date on this here blog. Having begun it wondering what to fill it with, I am now virtually inundated with ideas and bits and pieces of information to pass on and share, so here goes
Those of you with an interest in airsoft may already know about this, especially if you read AI or have been keeping abreast of things via any of my links to the AI blog, but just in case you don't, the next AAF [Airsoft Arms Fair] is due to be held in May, so 'pencil it in' in your diaries, or whatever else you use to make a note of important upcoming events
Here are a few more details, including the all important date
It would be great to see loads of people there supporting this event and helping to make it a permanent fixture on the airsoft calendar. See you there guys
Last month I posted one or two shots of our recently arrived baby boy, Matthew Charles, and at the same time gave a plug for a friend's recently started photography business. I said at the time that I would post a few more pictures when I received them
Well, I've had them sat on the computer for a couple of weeks and have finally got around to putting them up. I hope you like them, and I hope you can forgive a proud father another tender moment
I will try to resist the temptation to put any more up just now. Looking at baby pictures is probably not what you come here for. Your indulgence is greatly appreciated
Welcome everyone to my first post for March. The subject of this missive? My first airsoft outing since the arrival of Matthew, our very own little soldier, and a game I have very much been looking forward to, I can tell you
I took myself down to my regular club, Fireball Squadron, on Staurday for the monthly woodland game and had an absolute ball. The game scenarios were written by Nick, aka Blackblood, one of the management team and were mighty challenging if, like me, you happened to be on the Red Team since we were outnumbered by approximately 2 to 1
The game was very well attended, as hopefully you will be able to see from some of the photos included here, and we used the whole site from Area 51 at the one end right the way up to the Drugs Den at the other. The mission objectives involved quite a lot of carrying and escorting of various 'cargo' and 'packages' and we certainly covered some ground. My legs, and to be honest quite a few other pats of my body too, have certainly been feeling the consequences today
The first set of photos are courtesy of yours truly, taken on my i-phone 3 and probably not terribly good quality
Four shots from in and around the safe zone prior to the game and during morning briefing
Members of the Red Team, 'playing' the British Army/SF, trying to look mean , moody and menacing
'Dude' and his ATAC Masada. I'm struggling to decide which is the sexier!
No such problem here. I'm sure Chris won't mind me saying so!
One of the new rules we introduced at the last AGM, implemented for the first time at this game, is Knife Kills, which up until now we haven't allowed. To be accepted as a KK the attacking player has to sneak up on the unsuspecting enemy, tap him or her on the shoulder and physically show the player the knife he is holding, which must, of course, be made of rubber or some other suitably flexible and 'bendy' material. Rubber chickens, however, are not allowed, and you can't simply saunter up to someone and whisper in their ear, unless of course you have something else entirely on your mind!
During the afternoon game I decide to try on one of my latest purchases. Overall, I have to say I was quite pleased with the look, however, I think I had it on a little too tight and before long the top of the mask was really digging in to my forehead. I also think it would probably look better with a helmet or a bandana. The ball cap didn't really sit too comfortably as I couldn't pull the peak down far enough
Having never worn gauze goggles or face masks before I found this a little strange and, if anything, something of a strain on my eyes, but I was pleased with it. It certainly offers good face protection and looks pretty scary into the bargain
The following pictures were taken by Nick, on a fancy looking camera with a big round lense on the front, and as usual there are more to see on our website
'Snippy' the Red Team medic taking a well earned breather
Desperately trying to defend Border Crossing.....
.....we came, we SAWed, but sadly didn't conquer
Shots of members of the Red Team in various states of preparedness
And finally, yours truly in alternative face protection
The following two video clips show the Yellow Team defending Dunlop, one of the sites bases, and the Red Team in the process of escorting a number of VIPs from one end of the site to the other. Not an easy mission
So, that's about it for the March game. There will be another one on the first Saturday in April, not to mention the WW2 Filmsim game later that month, more details of which will appear in a later post
