I have posted 3D Print files for 10mm / 6mm trees

I have posted the files I used for the 3d printed trees in yesterday's post, they are on Thingieverse here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4248630

I have not painted mine up yet.  Today was the task of adding decals to a couple of T-34/85's.  I have to let the set, seal them, then I will share.

Enjoy and good gaming!

Preparing to play What A Tanker! and an outing

As many of us, I have been very busy in the last couple of weeks and adjusting to the current situation.  We are fortunate in that we live in a fairly rural area, have plenty of supplies, and a nice large yard.  My wife and I have been doing a lot of yard projects, taking walks, and soaking in the hot tub.  I know folks in dense urban areas do not have it as easy and if you are, hang in there!  My work has been pretty busy too and I have been logging a lot of hours as we respond to the shifting circumstances.

Of course, I hope all of my gaming friends around the world are persevering and staying safe.  I suspect that the wargaming community will do fairly well, as most of us are introverts to some degree or another and have built-in craft projects to work on.

I have been able to get some gaming related stuff in and we did have an outing today.  Now on with the show!

Preparing to play What A Tanker!

I am finally getting close to getting this on the table, especially since I have gotten less picky and want to give it a play, even if my tanks are not painted!  I did get the rest of my M-26 Pershing Platoon painted up and added decals. (Click pictures to enlarge)

Since I am doing the Korean War for WAT!, I need T-34/85's, M4A3E8 with 76mm gun and M-24 Chaffe light tanks.  Here are some I have printed up on my 3d Printer at 1/150 scale.  Behind them are my 3d Printed Trees I am fiddling with.  I will post pictures once I have them painted, but I think they are the solution to my problem of robust trees that do not shed but look decent.

And here is the table set up I shall be using soon, I need to do some dry runs before I hijack my wife to play.

An outing.... Lake Lure Flower Bridge

We have only left the house maybe twice in the last two weeks, and while it has been fun, we decided to get out today and stretch our legs.  It was a beautiful 80 degree Fahrenheit day and we drove up to Lake Lure, NC and visited the Flower Bridge.  There were a few people there, but it is not crowded even in normal times.

Here are some pictures fo you to enjoy...

 It is an old highway bridge that was replaced and abandoned and a group of local gardeners turned it into a very beautiful and creative flower garden.

I think I will build some fo these for the back yard.

 The area looks like this in all directions.

And we looked for plant and decorating ideas for our garden.  I am NOT a gardener of any stripe, but as everyone seems to be saying now "Don't let a good crisis go to waste!" and we are doing a lot of clean up and planning for our yard.

What I read on vacation - This Kind of War, A Military History of the Korean War

I took the opportunity of our cruise at the beginning of the month to read T.R. Fehrenbach's 1964 This Kind of War.  It was fascinating and he used a lot of detailed small unit actions to illustrate the larger situation in Korea as the war ebbed and flowed back and forth and finally settled into a static battlefield.   By the author's own admission in the preface, it was not written long enough after the events to be a comprehensive, objective history.  But it is very well written and still highly regarded, the latest reprint has blurbs from Colin Powell and Jim Mattis on the cover.

It is a very visceral read, particularly the accounts of UN POW's and the Communist POW uprising.   I highly recommend it.  It compliments Max Hasting's history of the Korean War nicely.

If you are burrowed into your Hobbit hole, I recommend you pick it up, it is available on Kindle.

Just public service announcement if you do not own a kindle: you do NOT need a kindle to read kindle books, you can read them online with any web browser at read.amazon.com

Quick Update

The last few weeks have been packed, we returned from our cruise on 3/9 and the current situation began to immediately develop.   We got in under the wire and there were no issues on our ship.

The schools in our state closed on Monday, so I had my team work from home on that day and my company closed the building Tuesday.  I am very fortunate that I have a job that I can do effectively from home.

Otherwise, we are doing well and frankly have had little impact on our quality of life.  My wife and I prefer to be at home anyway!  Plenty of books, entertainment, and we have a large yard and it is time for us to start working in it anyway.  The weather yesterday was beautiful.

We are fortunate that we do not live in an urban area, so not a lot of feeling claustrophobic.  My 91-year-old father lives out in the country and they are taking reasonable precautions.  The only negative is we are staying away from the grandkids for another week just as a precaution.

I do not want to spark a debate on what is or is not an appropriate response, I have mixed feelings and it is outside of my area of expertise. But I am grateful that my wife and I are snug in our cozy house and there is no one I would rather be isolated with.


Now on to gaming, I have gotten some painting done the last few weeks:

• Finished Painting the rest of my M-26 Pershing platoon and adding decals
• Painted enough Germans from my 3mm Eastern Front project that I can try The Portable Wargame on the table
• Did some maintenance on my 3d printer, including a new nozzle, cleaned it up, and relieved the bed (a pain!)

I hope all of my virtual gaming friends around the world are doing well, staying safe and supplied and getting some painting and gaming in!