This is my Folgore action figure. When I projected the figure I was thinking to replicate something of the desert, the thirst, the effort of will of these men while they were stopping the British Empire offensive against them.

Here you can see the collar badges with the star. The helmet is with its Italian camouflage. There is a binocular too.

The pose is with the Fucile Mitragliatore Breda Modello 30. It was the standard light machine gun of the Italian Army during WWII. Upper the plastic 1/6 version, under the real one.

I have got one of these light machine guns in my arms. For a “light” it was pretty “heavy”, more than 10 kg of steel. People fired it even while it was in their hands. It was a matter of life or death, so it was like a plume.

On the back I put two canteens. The water, when they could have it, was transported in fuel drums, with fuel remains inside.

A sad thing. My doll was without feet. There was a problem with what I bought, and my father resolve it with new feet, hand crafted from a piece of wood. They are inside the boots so none can see it but the stability of the action figure is improved.

The fair is ended. Like all finished parties, the mood is a little bad. The other days the hotel was full of people and friends (and late night games were setted in the hall), this morning we are alone in the breakfast room. I see the desk and only 7 keys aren’t in position on 114 rooms. Mondays are always empty of holidays mood.

We want some souvenir of Modena’s food so we find a local supermarket and spent 150 euros in aceto, gnocchi fritti and other cholesterol sources.

On the road to home there is Bologna and the Museo Memoriale della Libertà (Memoir of Liberty Museum). It is a place with a private collection of vehicles like this Sherman (it is still in order) that you maybe watched in “La vita è bella” flick.
There is even a place with sequential rooms where was in action animated scenes about WWII in Bologna. Very suggestive and with real deactivated weapons.
The museum was closed but it opened for us. The guardian is a picturesque ex soldier of fortune of Algeria and Indochina wars. We woke him after a night shift…
More here

Near the museum there is Fabio and his headquarters.

I took some pictures in his office. Instead of the real work about software and pharmacology you can see little soldiers everywhere. And some previews about his TB Line. They are real photos, the office is invaded by these little things.

And here there is my viaduct, blocked. Too many things to do in these days. I told it goodbye, I will see you in the following months.

After this visit, Fabio offered us a heavy dinner on the hills around Bologna. I ate crescentine until my stomach permitted it. Thanks Fabio!

Five hours after I was at home, a little tired… next stop is for Agliana, next Sunday!

You can view here 1/6 action figures of WWII. The owner, a friend of mine, was a paratrooper when he was serving in the army and so he is interested to this branch of elite forces. And so I am after his example, as you can ascertain on other my posts.

These figures are very flexible and customizable, but not so easy to manipulate. We bought single pieces to create what we wanted. These are dolls to dress, and sometimes you can have some difficulties to do it. I broke a hand of one figure of mine while I was dedicated to make wear it a jacket. Well, the last year I almost broke a rib trying to wear a slim Afrika Korps shirt, so I think all is due to the weird uniforms of the Axis. 😉

Here there is a His Majesty paratrooper. This year in Nettuno I saw a man with this uniform and the camouflage was great. But not so great with this yellow light and on IKEA parquet. If we will have enough time we take better pictures with a realistic war scene.

Folgore in Africa. Enough said!

A fallschirmjager with his drop camouflage. Uh, it has not so good looking trousers. They was more wide than these. With a bit of cotton you can better recreate the effect. Another time.

These are the three first action figures on the battlefield. He has got another two more elaborated pieces to built: ardito paracadutista RA/ANR and marò NP Btg. Barbarigo X° MAS. I have got even my action figures, see it in a following post!

This is my mayor. He arrived this morning by mail from Madison WI. This nice guy made of lead is the result of a great idea: honour a dead father with a miniature that represent him. His name was Dan J. Binsack and you can find more informations here. A lot of people bought this lead person, especially in the circle of Very British Civil War players. So he is present in a lot of games. I found for him the role of mayor for my Flyton in my future games.

A couple of word on Anticamente. This is a project of a crazy man from Bologna, the tortellini & mortadella country.
When he was a child he was always sawing an hexagon on the top of the house door and thought: “this can mean something”. A lot of year after he created a game based on hexagons, or rather a game based on areas instead of measurement. So you haven’t inch or cm to measure, you have got an area with a limit of troops that it can contain, and with troops in battle array along a direction of the six on the angles of the hexagon. An interesting approach for a new type of game without rulers.

This man is crazy, and I told you this. Well, he without thinking about his wife and two little children began to produce hexagons at home to sell it to other people lightened on the way to the hexagon. Now he has got an industrial (!) production of polystyrene hexagonal bricks to permit you build your terrain, with flock to bring it to life. He is a maniac, so he built terrific things with his hobby knife…

He still had money in his pockets so dilapidated it in 10mm soldiers, charging a sculptor to make various ranges of lead men (and horses and elephants). With good results indeed (even if in the upper photo you can see only Pendraken pieces). But now his house is full of lead and polystyrene.

Here you can see something brought to sell at the tournament before all were sold out! Blisters about the new Roman & Celt ranges and some hexagon pillars.

And this is a preview: the new army lists for Anticamente, based on a system of composed cards. Very beautiful and smart!

These aren’t two alcohol addicted but (on the left) Fabio, the man of hexagons, and (on the right) Bizzio, the graphic designer of the ruleset, while they were eating in Rome.

If you want to know more this is the website: https://www.tridentebologna.it
In the near future there will be the free rules in English language.

During the day of the DBA tournment in Labaro, Diego showed the SDS rules to the other players. They set a game and this try got a good response. Maybe in the future we will have more SDS players in the area.

Le Grenadier is an old club. They play Napoleonic games at most and Di Bartolo and his wife are reneactors of this era too. Their place is big, not humid and with all the services. Two big tables are in the room and there is space for more. The only bad thing is the urban wildness of the surroundings! They have a secret address and Napoleonic minis in a specific cabinet and wine boxes. They have minis even in the bathroom. Years of years of collecting and painting minis. Highest quality here, and all historically correct.
Here I put some of their beautiful collection to raise your envy!

I pick up some souvenirs. An homage not a larceny!

Dragon Paint is a panting service from China. My friend Bandini bring with him some surpluses to sell from his enlistment.

Here we have his magical IKEA metallic box full of Russians on sale.

My new Russian team while I was choosing which command group I have to bring with me at home.

They are Front Rank miniatures. I hope that this Chinese painters buy their pieces from Front Rank, I don’t want clones. An officer painted by Roberto Bagna (right) compared with an officer painted by Dragon Paint (left). The photo is out of focus but you can see the differences, especially for the uniform details, painted with more speed and sometimes not so historically accurate for the Chinese.
Well, I prefer the Bagna one, it is more realistic and well painted, but the Russians from China are not bad, cheap and Bagna is not my painter (sigh!). In the future I will have something little more from Dragon Paint.

A small but heavy box is now in my home. Some reinforcements for my SDS armies. My little warriors will mount on horses.
There are 3 layers of miniatures in the box but I have no time to take away them from it, too much work to do in these days. I have no time to sleep too, only 6 or less hours at day…