I hadn't intended to go, but at the last minute I decided to attend the Carronade wargame show in Falkirk. I went on the train, and enjoyed the day much more than I expected. I'm not very enthusiastic about such events normally - my interests are mostly a bit too limited, too far from the mainstream, and I find the bring-&-buy sections are usually depressing.
Yesterday was better. Good to meet up with Stryker and Goya, of course, but I also had a chance to chat with Graham from Crann Tara, Paul at Tumbling Dice, Michael from Supreme Littleness, Trevor from Magnetic Displays (Coritani for those with tribal tendencies) and various other worthies. Some modest shopping was in order - I bought some Coat d'Arms paints, and some steel paper (and the word is that a steel-paper shortage is coming...).
A special mention for John Coutts and the lads from Westerhope Wargame Group - excellent fellows all. I particularly liked their 40mm SYW game, with Prinz August semi-flat figures which had not seen the light of day for many years. Splendid stuff - that's them in the photo at the top. I didn't take my camera, so it's not my photo, I pinched it from the Carronade Gallery page. Any club that has Charlie Wesencraft as a frequent guest are surely good guys in my book!
I was also very taken with the special home-made dice used for the Dunfermline club's C&CN game - one of the guys makes up his own custom dice - he has a set for each Napoleonic nation. Keep an eye open for these - a very nice touch! I've been thinking about some ECW-themed dice, so obviously the scope is wider than I had surmised. Hmmm.
Glad you had a nice day out. Nothing like that around here (sighs). If you pursue the ECW dice idea I'd interested in getting my hands on a set too!
ReplyDeleteWorking on it - I'm not confident how well inkjet-printed labels on dice will work - even with glossy paper and acrylic gloss varnish on top. Might need laser printing. Must speak to my friend Malcolm the Printer...
DeleteHmmm . . . bad news about the steel paper shortage. Better get some at Partizan to set aside :O(
ReplyDeleteTrevor's a nice chap(there are a lot of them in this hobby, I suppose)-I always feel compelled to get something from his stand in a sort of loyalty/guilt trip.
Steel paper - don't wish to start a panic buying session here - Trevor showed me a sample of a new alternative to steel paper - it's thin - looks just like a thin version of the magnetic compound sheets - also it's black. Should be about same price as steel paper, I understand. Might be trickier to paint convincingly.
DeleteGlad you had an enjoyable day and indeed it was good to catch up and chat. In fact a lot of chatting took place on the day ! A great show I feel.
ReplyDeleteYes - it was a nice day. Good to see you looking so well and cheerful!
DeleteSounds like a grand outing. I always find bring and buys a useful index of what trends are waxing and waning in the hobby. For the past few years, I've seen a lot of 15mm FOW stuff on the market, this year, superhero stuff seemed hotly in demand and GW stuff was getting dumped.
ReplyDeleteStruggling to imagine what one does with steel paper.
B&B had a lot of fantasy stuff, a lot of ancients, and tanks in many sizes - as you say, FoW - if I was ever interested in FoW (and I am vaguely interested, though I have zero knowledge of the period), occasions like last Saturday would be a great opportunity to buy in a ready-made starter army.
DeleteSteel paper - I use acres of the stuff - self-adhesive paper containing steel, which is essential for applying to sabots and insides of box-files so that figure bases fitted with magnetic sheet will attach themselves securely. The Apprehensive Wargamer's friend.
Steel paper, I've just found out, also can give world class paper cuts to hamfisted or clumsy users. Serious.
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