The true story of Chow Hayes, Australia's first gangster.

ABC Conversation Hour is a Podcast that consists of two people, two mikes and an hour of conversation. This means that they get into the meat of the interview rather than just skating over the top.

One that caught my eye was The true story of Chow Hayes, Australia's first gangster.

Here is the Link:

https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/jack-hoysted-chow-hayes-rpt/10565084



Chow Hayes was a Sydney underworld figure in Australia's 1920s and 30s. I really recommend this as a listen, just to understand the times and how the criminal element behaved at the time. It is evocative and will help anyone thinking of creating a Push (Gang) for ARBM.

Good Bye 2018.

Matt

2mm Projects Overload

Seems I am in overdrive when it comes to 2mm projects at the moment, with ARBM projects fighting to get into the workflow. The ability to reproduce large battles in a relatively small space has proved to be overwhelming.

The Painting Desk - 2mm ECW 

The Process:

I use 3mm thich MDF bases from Battlefield Accessories. Generally 40mm wide bases, with two 2mm x 3mm magnets in the rear face so that I can attach details using magnetised 40mm x 10mm information panels.

Multiple castings are glued to their base prior to undecoating (by hand), painting, flocking and finally varnishing to keep everything where it belongs.

The complete process, right to left.

I used to paint a crazy level of detail on 2mm casting. My eyes and the three foot rule have lead to a simplification of the painting process. Now it consists of:

• Base.
• Undercoat back.
• If cavalry paint horses.
• Drybrush white.
• Drybrush trousers.
• Spot paint jackets.
• Spot paint faces.
• Spot paint headgear.
• Drybrush pikes and tips (if needed).
• Paint flags.
• Varnish Figures.
• Flock.
• Varnish Bases to harden the flock.

Currently I am working on the following:

English Civil War: 
I was intending to write my own rule for the period, but the release of For King and Parliament may have made that process redundant as it represents units at the level I wished to model.

I have about 50 bases undercoated and 22 completed. Base size is 40mm x 20mm with a magnetised 10mm attachment on the rear for information.

The first batch.

Napoleonic:
I have 4 armies all based and undercoated.

• French.
• British plus Portuguese and Spanish.
• Austrian.
• Russian.

All are based on 40mm by 30mm bases, with magnetised rear for information.

I intend to use Blucher and FPGA, both of which assume that a base represents a Brigade.

War of the Spanish Succession:

I have completed my test bases using a single base to represent a Brigade. My aim is to replay the Battle of Blenheim using a set of rules I am currently developing. I use a scale that allows me to reflect the full 10 mile wide battlefield on a 8' table.

Bases are 60mm x 30mm plus 10mm for unit information.

American Civil War:

Again using the one base to a brigade, I have about 20 bases completed. The rules will be either Bitter Angels (a FPGA variant), Alter of Freedom or a custom set I have in the works.

Basing is again 40mm x 20mm plus 10mm for unit information.

Ancients:

Big Red Bat Cave is again causing problems with their To The Strongest rules. I am using 40mm x 20mm bases the last 5mm of which is devoted to unit info. 

I have complete small Republican Roman and Carthaginian armies with more to come.

Romans and Carthaginians

It goes without saying that all the miniatures are Irregular, provided by Eureka Miniatures.

Happy Gaming.

Max34 - The cars that ate Murrumbeena #2

Here are some photos of my painted cars. They are complete with the exception of weathering. I have a few more still on the work bench, mainly Matchbox Models of Yesteryear with Eureka bits added on. Unfortunately these will have to wait till my next shiny is scratched.

With the exception of the the last vehicle all are made using bits from Eureka Miniatures.

  

Happy Gaming,

Matt

Cleaning up the painting table.

I am one of the lucky few that has a permanent painting table. Unfortunately a flat surface no longer existed anywhere, so time for a major clean up.

I am using Battlefield Accessories Vallejo paint racks and their painting station. They each hold 50 bottles, but I assume that they were prototypes as the website only shows the 70 bottle version.

Already I am finding things a little easier. The real test will be to see if  can keep it this way. The painting station is changing the way I paint 28mm figures, with 16 holders. It is good, but not perfect. I think the addition of a heavy washer on the bottom of each holder will help keep them from being knocked over by two thumbs here.

Here is a direct link to Battlefield Accessories store.

The Australian Post-Master General's Department and the Amalgamated Postal Workers' Union

My latest foray into a faction revolves around the Australian Post-master General's Department (PMG) and the Amalgamated Postal Workers' Union (APWU).

My intention was to create a small platoon of postal workers that I could use as an interesting faction either within a state's forces or part of a militant group of workers. To this end I have painted 8 bases and a commander in 15mm using Eureka Miniatures WW1 British Infantry in Sinai wearing caps.

Australian Post-Master General's Department
The Australian Post-Master General's Department was headed by the Post-Master General, Sir Robert Archdale Parkhill (1878-1947) from October 1932 to October 1934. He was seceded by Alexander John McLachlan (1872–1956), a United Australia Party senator from South Australia.

Following federation in 1901, the colonial mail systems were merged into the Postmaster-General's Department (PMG). They were responsible for telegraph and domestic telephone operations as well as postal mail. An airmail service was introduced in 1914 and the licensing of wireless broadcasting services added in 1923.

Australia's first public radio station opened in Sydney on 23 November 1923 under the call sign 2SB with other stations in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart following.

A 1927 Royal Commission into wireless broadcasting came about from listener dis-satisfaction with the programming and coverage of the manufacturer/retailer driven services. In mid-1928, the Government established the National Broadcasting Service to provide the service and coverage the existing stations were unwilling to provide. This service was funded by a compulsory license fee, chargeable to all owners of radio receivers. As licenses for the larger (Class A) stations came up for renewal they were cancelled and reissued to the National Broadcasting Service - with their transmitters and studio equipment being purchased by the Government.

The Postmaster General's Department was given the responsibility of running the new service. To complement the license-fee funded Class A stations, a Class B Licence was established for privately run stations which would not have access to license-fee revenue but would be allowed to carry advertising and become the Commercial Stations we know today.

The first B Class Licences to Commence Service were 2UE (Electrical Utilities), Sydney on 26 January 1925, followed by 2HD (Mr H A Douglas), Newcastle  on 27 January 1925, and 5DN (Mr E J Hume), Adelaide on 24 February 1925. Claims by 2BE (Burgin Electric Co) that they Commenced Service on the 7 November 1924 (the day their Licence was granted) is not supported by Archive records and a more realistic date would be after July 1925.

It became politically unsustainable for the PMG's to run the National Broadcasting Service, so on July 1, 1932 the Government established the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) to run the National Broadcasting Service.

Amalgamated Postal Workers' Union (APWU)
In 1912 two separate unions were registered to covered postal workers. They were the Australian Letter Carriers' Association and the Australian Telegraph, Telephone Construction & Maintenance Union (later known as the Australian Postal Linesmen Union of Australia). In 1913 the Postal Sorters' Union of Australia was formed. The Australian Letter Carriers' Association changed its name to the Commonwealth Public Service Fourth Division Employees' Union of Australia.

In 1925 the three unions amalgamated to form the Amalgamated Postal Linesmen Sorters' & Letter Carriers' Union of Australia. It changed it's name in 1926 to the Amalgamated Postal Workers' Union (APWU).

The APWU covered postmen, sorters and linesmen. Front line workers, essentially postal clerks and telegraphists were covered by the Australian Third Division Telegraphists & Postal Clerks Union.

I have added some period photos to our Very British Civil Forum War Room
Link to the VBCF

Max34 - The cars that ate Murrumbeena.

I have been painting Eureka Miniatures Mad Maximilian cars, plus using their bits box to make more using Matchbox Models of Yesteryear.

The matchbox vehicles are great, but check scale. I found a list on line containing the correct scale for the whole range. The range from 1:32 to 1:86, most falling in the 1:40 - 1:60 range. Note a few, including the Crowley truck are 1:48, the same scale all my ARBM vehicles use.

Make sure you get the accessories pack from Eureka Miniatures. It contains all sorts of goodies. Nic also has a few new car bodies to select from. I am sure he will bring them to Little Wars.

Proof there are sooo many bits to chose from.

 Here is just one of the vehicle.

Photos of the final product still to come.

Happy gaming,

Matt

Black Dog Stole My Life!!

Sorry for the huge gap, the Black Dog (depression), stole my life. Again.

Doing better so I have been working on some cars for Max34.

More to follow,

Matt