Muskets, Shako’s and Fantasy from the Talented Mr Minadeo

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Gavin Syme

The Injia Game set up for play!

My good friend Bob Minadeo runs a great wargaming blog of which I am a frequent visitor and sometimes blogger about. He recently put up a posting with a double claim to fame for it was not only in celebration of his latest published rules set (which he let me look at and is excellent) but also the putting into it the awesome fantasy nature of Flintloque. Using his newly published rules from 2 Hour Wargames and all pro-painted miniatures from his collection by Alternative Armies Bob has put up a posting with plenty of images and its a fine read too.

I like to think I contributed a bit to the process….I helped with the uniform of his Othari Cavalry as Skinners Gnolls and I sometimes assist in choosing miniatures and bits from the massive World of Valon range to suit his latest slightly demented on table scheme. Such as the miniature below which featured in the ultimate part of the ’98 Campaign.

A Furry Top O’ the morning to ya!

Well done Bob!

GBS

Pacific Rim – Review

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Gavin Syme

Pacific Rim Poster!

Two weeks ago I got the chance to be treated to a showing of Pacific Rim at the Odeon Kilmarnock. It has taken me some time to get around to posting this review of the film basically because I have been mired in the shallows of the summer school holidays, birthdays, house guests and other things which have slowed me right down on non-essentials (see I do this blogging lark out of love not money!). But now here we are and the film is still very much on at the cinema so its still relevant. A full 3D experience in a modern and this time fully functioning cinema (my experience last year with Dredd was interrupted by technical problems in the same cinema)…how was it?

As normal I tried to avoid trailers, adverts and especially reviews of the movie before going and in this I was successful. Aside from a TV spot and the basic idea I knew nothing and went into it with an open mind. A mind that was frankly very excited to see the film since I really like giant robots, giant monsters and the whole anime roots and premise of Pacific Rim. I also really like the films of Guillermo del Toro too and Hellboy as well. So my mind was looking for comparisons for Pacific Rim and while some people have used Transformers and the 1990’s version of Godzilla they are wrong the true father of Pacific Rim is the seminal Robot Jox from the 1980’s (which you should watch if you like mecha) and it delivered big style.

The giant robots and the monsters were superbly rendered on screen and the action set pieces were at times really tense and nail biting too. Characters are often a let down in summer blockbusters but not in this case as the cast played off each other brilliantly. From the names of the ‘Jagers’ to the names of the pilots there was a tongue in cheek humour. The film had heart and drive while dropping the nod to its source material. At no point in the cinema did I feel bored or did my attention wander from the screen and while you could have written the ending on a postcard and mailed it from minute one of the performance it did not matter. In short it is a very good film in its own right before you get to the genre and in terms of the genre it is one of the finest of its kind ever filmed. Go and see it!

In terms of wargaming there is plenty of scope for giant robots in scales such as 15mm with 1/100th and 1/72nd plastic kits…heck even a few 1/60th if you want really big. Gives me ideas!

Pacific Rim Movie book and Pacific Rim Year Zero book

Finally I got a package this morning ordered just after seeing the movie containing the two books that go along with the Pacific Rim film. Excellent! Once time allows I will read them and hopefully post a wee look at each of them.

Go see the film!

GBS

One and One make Eleven!

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Gavin Syme

Mascots and Mayhem with the Birthday boy on the right

Happy Birthday my Son! The grand old age of Eleven is now yours!

A day off work for me and a trip to the Chocolate Factory near Dumfries with The Thinker and two of his friends along with his Uncle Jim and Aunty Cat too. In blazing heat I watched him mix and pour chocolate in a chilled room (grrr!) and then have a riot of a time looking for fools gold in a panning stream and play for the afternoon at the large outdoor activity area (pirate ship, slides and other fun). I chose this destination as his younger brother had gone there for his own birthday back in March and really enjoyed it. A grand time was had!

Minecraft was the custom cake theme this year

The birthday boy is into Minecraft just now so we decided to theme his birthday cake upon that very subject. My good lady wife goes all out for the birthday parties and cakes and so forth which I think is lovely and the children really do appreciate it. A new bike and other gifts were his. A little more than normal as a reward for doing very well at school and also being chosen to represent Girvan Primary at the opening of the new harbour pontoons last month. I have pictures of him there but I forgot to post about it…doh.

Enjoy your day my now not so little non white metal soldier!

Winter 2002….The Thinker a decade ago!

Perhaps I do post a little too much on the children and the family. But hey life is more than only work and I do adore them all so.

GBS

A Little Gift from a Good Friend!

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Gavin Syme

I got a little gift from a good friend. As you can see it is from foreign fields afar and rather strong in the spirits department at 50% volume. It is in a wax sealed stone earthenware bottle. I am a fine fan of Gin and other spirits so I look forward to trying this fine bottle out. Though I do think I will hold off until cooler weather (its about 27c here just now). You can learn more about Filliers here and below is some information about the eight year old Jenevers:

OLD JENEVERS: 8 YEAR OLD

Filliers old jenevers are split up according to the amount of time (5, 8 or even 12 years) that the carefully selected juniper berry distillates are left to age in oak barrels.

Stone pitchers containing 5- and 8-year old jenever:

Our malt wine made with maize, rye and malt ages for five or eight years in American oak barrels dating back to 200 l. We blend them constantly in separate barrels with carefully selected juniper berry distillates that have been aged for five or eight years. This guarantees its unique and unadulterated quality and flavour.

Look and taste the 50° Jenever:

Colour: copper, golden brown
Aroma: very sweet and particularly pleasant, complex
Flavour: bitter and sweet, with hints of vanilla, pepper and cinnamon.
Finish: long, bitter with sweetish hints of vanilla.

Lovely!

GBS

RNLI Girvan Harbour Gala 2013

Posted on July 16, 2013 by Gavin Syme

On Sunday it was the annual Harbour Gala Day in Girvan and I have to say that apart from nicer weather this year over last the day also seemed busier and the mood better than in 2012. I did not spend long at the Gala having other things to attend to in the morning but I did see a very inspiring team up between the Life Boat and the HMS Gannet helicopter for a mock rescue at sea scenario. The usual assortment of rides and stalls along with a bring and buy all against the edge of the harbour.

Below you can see some of the pictures I took including the ‘bubble balls’ and the sea rescue. It was a brilliantly bright and warm afternoon.

Girvan Habour Gala 2013 – The view from the sea front

Girvan Habour Gala 2013 – The Bubble Balls!

Girvan Habour Gala 2013 – The Thinker looks at the Life Boat

Girvan Habour Gala 2013 – The Sea Rescue

Good fun for all the family. Perhaps next year I will get more time at the Gala. Who knows?

GBS

Totally Choosing a Baby Name…badly.

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Gavin Syme

Recently in a conversation with a friend the subject of baby names came up. Now I know that is not something you would expect a fellow like me to think about but I have done it three times in the past for myself and also chipped in a couple of suggestions for others. So why this posting?

Aside from a fun little read I decided to do a quick browse for ‘choosing baby names’ and came across this video. To me this is an example of a poor way of choosing names for your children. Have a watch. The first mother chooses something that will cause endless confusion for her daughter (but not to worry it makes her sound edgy and trendy..well for at least a year as nothing changes like trends!), the second something traditional (after suffering a bit of brain death beforehand) and the third…well she is the best of all. The third will not tell you the name of the child for ‘internet security reasons’ thereby making her whole appearance on the video pointless (incidentally I found her and the name in less than two minutes online so bang up security job there self promoter!).

My idle muse on this is actually quite simple. When you have the joy and honour to choose a name for a child do it with kindness and care. It is the biggest choice you will ever make for that baby, toddler, child, teen, adult, parent before you. Ignore trends, ignore your friends, choose wisely and choose fittingly too. That name will benefit or hinder them for their entire life.

I followed my own grandmother’s rules, you might find them amusing or useful:

1. Choose something you are not afraid to shout out loud in the street.

2. Never choose anything beginning with the same letter as your surname (alliteration is not cool!). Simon Syme anyone?

3. Avoid the names of children of your friends or the friends themselves. Also give each child a different starting letter in their names, avoids you accidentally calling the child their siblings name!

4. Find out the most common regional names where you live and do not use them (in South Ayrshire it is James and Claire for my generation).

5. Trends change and celebrities are vapid. Have integrity and give the chosen name time to solidify in your mind before committing to it.

GBS

“The Jaws that Bite, the Claws that Catch”….

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Gavin Syme

A snapshot taken moments before a bloody and savage death for an intrepid explorer of the wild ways and places. Rumour has it that this fearsome beast is no myth and poetic imagining but is instead a white metal reality coming this week for pre-order at 15mm.co.uk. I could not possibly say at this time but perhaps in a few days time….a more in depth look maybe.

For now gaze and long for it…I know I do.

Now I must go a galumphing back to work.

GBS

Kingdom of Heaven – Movie Making Book Review

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Gavin Syme

Get yer books only a Pound, only a Pound!

Taking a stroll through a local pound shop a couple of months back with a good friend I stopped in front of the ‘all books £1.00’ display and among the tacky crap (who wants a PJ and Duncan 1993 fan sticker book honestly!) I spotted a pile of thick glossy movie tie in books. Ah ha, I thought and had a dig through. While most were for chick flicks and kids movies there was one that caught my eye. The Kingdom of Heaven story behind the film and the making of the movie introduced by Ridley Scott.

Costumes used in the film

In its pages there are three main parts. The Introduction, the Kingdoms of the Holy Lands (Part 1) and Swords and Stones (Part 2). The introduction by Ridley Scott discusses the notion for the movie while part one has sections firstly on the history of the actual Crusades then their leaders followed by how you dramatise such stories and then lastly choosing the cast for the film. It is the second part that most interests me with sections on computer graphics, scene setting, costumes (see above), weapons, artillery, heraldry and more with plenty of images to go along with the descriptions.

For one pound I just snapped it up!

Books like this are always useful. I might get something out of it for historical wargaming or even ideas for science fiction or fantasy too. As for the movie to go with it…it left me cold I seem to remember.

GBS

Well done Andy!

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Gavin Syme

Andy Murray wins Wimbledon 2013

Well done to Andy Murray who has just won the Wimbledon 2013 mens final!

It has been seventy seven years since a British win at that most English of tennis events and in tense match the better man won. I am sure that endless inches will be written about this but I just wanted to post up my own congratulations on the day. But how will be BBC report this great victory…we shall see.

GBS

USEME Prohibition Gangsters – WIP

Posted on July 4, 2013 by Gavin Syme

Top of the World Ma!

There are some more USEME Titles in the planning stage over at 15mm.co.uk and while I have posted about my own title in the next three (Alien Safari , delayed I know!) I have said nothing about the others; so here it goes! Provisionally titled UM015 USEME Prohibition Gangsters this booklet presents rules for two scales (15mm and 28mm) in wargaming the period in American history when booze was illegal and tommy guns the norm. That is the 1920’s and 1930’s.

This is not a period I know much about really so I was delighted when Bob McAlister over in the USA told me he was keen to write just such a title. With some assistance from his good lady and playtesters UM015 has shaped up as a solid and themed set of rules. Its the first set of wargame rules Bob has written that has made it to published stage and he is rightly proud of this achievement.

Skirmishing is the name of the game and the idea is that small groups of Cops, G-Men, Molls, Gangsters, Hooch Runners and others fight it out over objectives such as hidden stashes, nightclubs and speak easies, warehouses, the open street, flop houses and more. As with most USEME titles its ten or so characters a side but you can use more plus the solo rules engine is attached. In fact Bob handed in a manuscript that was too long when his two scenarios were included so these will be given away free on the website and also included in the paid for PDF version.

As USEME’s are budget titles for gaming fun I opted for public domain photographs and so on for the internal pages of the book and the cover is a clever bit of dress up fun on a sunny day from the creative commons licence on Flickr.

I feel that in terms of the way it plays this vision of USEME is most like UM003 USEME WW2 written by Omer Golan but without the armoured vehicles and aircraft of course and a lot more car chases. This title will be published later this summer.

GBS

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Monthly Archives: July 2013