Year in review 2019 and goals for 2020

2019 in review:
 Hobby wise the past year was most interesting.  I certainly painted less then the year before.  My favorite new units we actually command stands from Fife and Drum.  George Washington and William Howe came out great and are some of my better painting efforts.

   I also tried out building the new MDF kits. These are great!  They have graced mountable in numerous battles and always draw positive attention.

 I put on a number of games this year and had great fun doing so.  These include one from each of my collections. American Rev War, War of 1812 and Crimean War.  I am happy with my output and surprised I did so many.

Conventions:
Cold Wars 2019


So, what are my plans for for 2020?  Here is my goals and plans.

Battles:
I am looking to continue my roll of putting on more games this year.  For big games I would like to do a battle based on Lundy's Lane.  This will require some additional terrain items and how to fight in the dark.  also working on putting on Trenton and also Princeton for the Rev War.  Everyone at game night turn the club enjoyed my large Crimean war game so at least another one for another game night.  Is putting on a game a more too much to ask?

Painting:
Diverge American Rev War I have a number of figures bought and ready turn the painting table.  These include another
British Grenadier battalion and British Light Infantry battalion to round out my Cornwallis field force.  For the Americans I will be adding  4  Continental line battalions in Massachusetts bounty coats and mixed civilian clothing.  These will be for one of the New England brigades in 1776.  Another brigade will have mixed hunting shirts and regular uniforms.  If course this means I will be adding another division commander and two brigade commanders. I also have a group of civilians from Perry  miniatures as well as their camp group and the group interrogating a  captured officer.  The last add to give some life to the table top.  In war of 1812 I need to add more Native warriors.

MDF Buildings:
I have enjoyed building these MDF kits.  They are fun to do and look very nice on the table top when done.  I have picked up a couple kits to build in 2020.   Captain William Smith House from "Things in the Basement" is first on my list.  I spent a lot of time there during my time at Minute Man NHP.  I hope he adds some addition structures from the park to his collection.  I also picked up the Tidewater home from "Charlie FoxTrot. ". This will work well in southern campaign battles from the Rev War.

Terrain:
I will be adding some additional trees in based to my set up.  And a larger hill for my  Lundy's Lane battle I want to put on later this year.  Mandy a small pond or lake just because!

Conventions:
I will be attending the Seven Years War convention in April.  I have my room reserved and flights listed. Looking forward to it.  In would also like to attend two local conventions, Havoc in Massachusetts and Huzzar in Maine.

  Well, those are my goals and plans.  Let's see how I do.  In addition I enjoyed sharing reasearch posts I have done.  I have been working on a number concerning the fighting in 19 April 1775.  In the month of April u.plan on sharing these as well as a photo of some of

Hawaii: Kaua'i

Light house on north shore

Handlei beach at sunset.

This was the location they filmed the first season of the old TV series "Gilligan's Island.". Here was where the SS Minnow went aground.

Na Papi coast

Wailua falls

Just a quiet spot we found for a picnic.

Happy New Year 2020!

I hope all of you have a most Happy New Years.  My you all play more games and paint more figures then the past year.

Last day of 2019

  Good bye 2019!  We will be sending the old year out and greating the New Year here in Kauai by swimming at the beach in the morning attending a wonderful Luau in the evening.  Not a bad way to end the old year!

   Hobby wise 2019 saw me painting less (a lot less) but playing more more games.  I hope for 2020 to add to the number of games I will play.  In addition I have reinforcements on my painting table waiting the paint brush.  More figures to add to my American Rev War armies as well as some civilians.  I have a few terrain projects that need to be done and ideas for games.  Lastly, I have a few research articles to share.  So 2020 is shaping up to be a interesting year.  See you all then.  Happy New Years to you all.

Hawaii; the big island

 just a few pictures of our time in the Big Island

Down in the Waipi'o Valley falls.

Coast line by the Waipi'o valley.

National Park Service site Place of Refuge.
During time of War if you get here you were safe.
Outstanding National Park Service sites here.

Rainbow Falls

Waikoloa Petroglyphs

Spam on everything!

My time :)

Mele Kalikimaka

  🎶"Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say
In a bright Hawaiian Christmas day
That's the island greeting that we send to you
From the land where palm trees sway..."🎶

    This year, Janine and I decided to do something different for Christmas and New Years.  After celebrating earlier in the month with Alexandra and Nathaniel we were off to Hawaii. No snow or cold weather, but sun and swaying palm trees as the song says.

   I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas.

  To celebrate the day we wanted to do something special.  So we went out to the Waipi'o Valley.  It is incredibly beautiful.

  Merry Christmas to all my friends here and in this wonderful hobby.  I hope you have had a great day.

Midway (2019)

   I recently saw the movie Midway.  I know most individuals who saw the movie complained of a convoluted plot, poor script and too much CGI. Others said there were historical errors or they glossed over too many important points.    In fact the negative reviews almost stoped me from seeing it.  But in the end I am glad I ignored them and saw the movie.

  I am not an expert in the war in the Pacific. I have read Walter Lord's Incredible Victory and it created a fascination with carrier operations. That, and  the Old Avalon Hill game Midway.  So I went to the movie to see planes flying, carriers turning in to the wind to launch planes and the like.  I wanted  historical entertainment, not a documentary.  And I got all that with this movie.

  The CGI gave me the opportunity to see WW2 carriers.  Not modern carriers.  Good old flat tops as they were.  It also gave me a glimpse into what a dive bomber did.  Where the explosion over the top?  Ya, but I could live with it.

  It also got me hunting down questions afterwards. I picked up the book Carrier Operations from Amazon.  I looked up most of the people mentioned in the movie.  I think they did a good job with all of them.  I was particularly amazed reading about the actual Bruno Peter Gaido.  Check it out at https://markloveshistory.com/2017/06/05/bruno-peter-gaido-and-the-battle-of-midway/

  Little things I liked included the sets for the night club scene.  Great period music and feel. Best clothing diverge period.  The code breakers room.  Again the great Carriers.  My daughter taught in China for a year so the part with Doolittle and the sacrifice the Chinese people made during the war was heart breaking and moving.  And lastly the ground crew doing a FOD walk in the deck of the carrier!  a throw away scene but I loved it and a important part of the operations.  Outstanding!

(All pictures in this posting were captured on the internet and were from the movie.  These appear to be in the public domain.)