MOAB 2026 best painted 

Below are the game tables that Rex played on at MOAB Sydney 2026 games 1-5, podcast has been recorded and will be available soon.

I've just started watching World War II with Tom Hanks and about 2 seconds into the show I see this amazing image! I double-checked it because I thought it might be just blended images from somewhere else. But apparently according to ChatGPT (below), this really was a thing in Poland. Looks like about 120m offshore, engaging land targets with 11-inch shells, I guess you'd call that direct fire HE, not sure what size template to use though!

ChatGPT:

Yes — that footage is almost certainly genuine footage of the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein firing on Westerplatte at Danzig (Gdańsk) on 1 September 1939. So the documentary's Poland context is historically sound.

The ship in your screenshot matches the Schleswig-Holstein, an elderly Deutschland-class pre-dreadnought battleship dating from before the First World War. By 1939 it was primarily being used as a training ship, but still carried its heavy armament. The German Federal Archives specifically catalogue photographs of Schleswig-Holstein firing on Westerplatte in September 1939. (Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv)

The circumstances are particularly interesting. On 25 August 1939, Schleswig-Holstein sailed into the harbour of the Free City of Danzig, supposedly on a ceremonial visit. In reality, it was loaded with ammunition and had about 225 naval assault troops secretly aboard. It was positioned in the harbour channel opposite the Polish installation at Westerplatte. (Przystanek Historia)

Then, at about 4:47–4:48 am on 1 September, it opened fire on the Polish Military Transit Depot at Westerplatte. The German Federal Archives gives approximately 4:47; the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk gives 4:48. (Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv)

So what you're looking at really is basically:

A battleship sitting inside a harbour firing naval artillery almost point-blank at a land position.

And we're talking substantial guns. Schleswig-Holstein's main battery consisted of four 28 cm (11-inch) guns, plus its secondary artillery. German naval records for the opening fighting record the ship firing 28 cm, 15 cm and 8.8 cm ammunition against the Westerplatte positions. (Uboat Data)

There's a geographical wrinkle worth mentioning. Westerplatte was Polish, but it wasn't simply an ordinary part of Poland. It was a Polish military enclave inside the Free City of Danzig, which was under League of Nations arrangements. Modern Gdańsk is of course in Poland.

And this is why that sequence is right at the beginning of the Tom Hanks documentary. The History Channel describes Episode 1 specifically as beginning with Germany's September 1939 invasion of Poland, and the shelling of Westerplatte is traditionally regarded as the symbolic opening of World War II in Europe. (HISTORY)

One small historical qualification: you'll often hear that Schleswig-Holstein fired "the first shots of World War II." That's the traditional account, but historians debate the exact timing of several German attacks that morning, including Luftwaffe operations. So "among the first shots, and the conventional opening of the war" is the safest description.

Incidentally, the view in your screenshot makes perfect sense. Those railway tracks, warehouses and quay immediately beside the ship aren't some unrelated harbour footage — Schleswig-Holstein really was firing from inside the Danzig harbour complex, not sitting offshore miles away.

If you'd like, I can also find you a 1939 map/aerial photograph showing exactly where the Schleswig-Holstein was sitting, where the camera in your shot probably was, and where Westerplatte was across the harbour channel. It's quite striking how close the ship actually was.

Dear Future Opponent, No, you can't advance your horses 9 inches, then get off and advance 6 inches, then shoot me at point blank... 

I've re-queried this query after a recent Bolt Action FAQ muddied my original response from Warlord Games.

 Random post. This will confuse and befuddle the general populace... :-)

Back to the 1950's, got this shipped in from the USA. We will se how it goes,the only thing that is guaranteed is that my family will laugh at me.

The joys of creating a new paint recipe :-/

I'm still reeling from the amazement of what you can generate with AI. I know not everyone is enamoured with AI and data centres in their backyard, but when it's used for a worthy purpose such as helping me with my painting, I think it's worth it. ;-)

I sent photo number one below, a quick snapshot from my phone, and asked if it was appropriate that this smock get painted in splinter cam. ChatGPT then offered to create a mock-up, which it returned as image number two below. The helmet seems to have turned into a soft hat somehow, but apart from that, I was utterly amazed. It waxed lyrical about reducing the complexity so that it would still be visible at 28mm, and then this is the final result.

Warlord Games, makes of one of our favourite games Bolt Action (now in version 3), have just posted a 'Where Do We Go From Here' post, you can read that in full here?
https://warlord-community.warlordgames.com/bolt-action-where-do-we-go-from-here/

Here is a quick summary of what was said. Spoiler alert… Bolt Action... lots of love to come.

The article is essentially Warlord Games' roadmap for what comes after the current wave of Third Edition army books. The biggest takeaway is that they're shifting attention from the major powers to the smaller nations while continuing to expand the miniature range.

Key announcements

Armies of France is the next major book after the Commonwealth release.
It will receive its own dedicated army book rather than being bundled with other nations.
A new plastic infantry kit will accompany the release.

Armies of Europe follows France.

This book is intended to cover many of the European "minor powers", including:

• Belgium
• Poland
• Finland
• Hungary
• Partisans

It will also receive a brand-new plastic infantry kit.

Remaining PDF armies are not being abandoned.
Nations that don't make it into the Europe book will continue to receive expanded and updated free PDF army lists.
Warlord also hints that some countries with no current rules at all will finally receive official PDF lists.

Miniatures

Warlord says it is continuing to invest heavily in the model range:

• more plastic infantry
• new vehicles
• new support weapons
• replacement kits for older models
• additional brand-new kits

This fits with their previously announced move away from many older metal support weapons in favour of plastics. 

The "big secret"

The article teases a large new project that is expected to unfold over the next few years, but deliberately gives no details.

The community is already speculating about possibilities such as:

• Korea
• Vietnam
• Cold War-era conflicts
• a new game system
• an expanded campaign framework

These are purely fan theories—Warlord has not confirmed anything beyond saying it is a significant future project. (Reddit)

What this means for players
This is good news if you collect anything outside the "Big Five" nations.

For years, armies such as Poland, Finland, Hungary, Belgium and various Partisan forces have relied on older books or basic PDF lists. Warlord is signalling that these armies will receive:

• modern Third Edition rules,
• more complete army lists,
• and, importantly, new plastic model kits instead of relying mostly on metal or resin figures.

Takeaway
For gamers like us, who are interested in collecting a variety of historical forces rather than just one tournament army, this is probably the most encouraging roadmap Warlord has released in years. It suggests they're finally giving the smaller and more unusual WWII armies the same level of attention that Germany, Britain, the US, the USSR and Japan have already received, while continuing to modernise the entire miniature range.

Game on!

On Sunday 7th June '26 the Bolt Action Big Bash was held at the Burnham Community hall just out of Christchurch, here in NZ. ​What a great event held by Matt and Craig- thanks very much to them and all the other players for making it a great relaxing day with loads of fun! Listen to the podcast and look at the pics below as you go, hopefully it will make your listening/viewing experience even better.

Firstly, here were the tables for the event, supplied by Craig and Matt, and I helped by supplying a couple. there are plenty more pics, click 'read more' at the bottom  to see them!...

​Next, here are some pics from my Game 1 Vs. Flynn and his US Mechanised Infantry:

 Amazing, prolific, and FREE Konflikt '47 (oh sorry that's not right they are 'Dust Warfare 1947' 😊 ) 3D printable models.

https://cults3d.com/en/users/ANerdsNerd/3d-models

"...for 1/56 games like Bolt Action scale to 85.71%"

To break through the Axis Mareth Line, Montgomery executes a wide flanking manoeuvre through the Tebaga Gap. Using the 2nd New Zealand Div. as the nucleus, the New Zealand Corps is created temporarily by incorporating other formations, and is tasked with the vital breakthrough Monty needs into Tunisia.

Meanwhile, disparate elements of various German formations are providing mutual support while recovering from their retreat to Tunisia. While awaiting arrival of transport North to rendezvous with the main Ramcke Brigade force, the Fallschirmjäger receive intelligence they are directly in the path of the enemy advance and prepare to stubbornly defend their positions...

 Hi All, I'm very pleased to announce that registration for the Bolt Action event; 'Operation Spring Awakening 2026', Sept. 26-27 in Christchurch (NZ) is now open, and the PDF of the event pack can be found below!

In the coming weeks we will pin this event pack on the site, but in the meantime, enjoy reading and reach out if you need more info.Last year was a huge success and showed a big event can be fun, friendly and a great challenge to play in! Tickets are limited to 23 Axis and 23 Allied players, so get in quick!

​Get in touch and secure your tickets by contacting me on the email address in the pack- please dont just reply on here, use email to ensure your registration happens swiftly. 

Thanks everyone- i look forward to seeing you there!!!

If your following the Konflikt '47 Soviet models story, apparently Warlord Games are having a production issue and their starter pack has been delayed and delayed. Talk about life imitating art, apparently the Soviets don't have their own rift yet. (...or something like that, when I actually read the rulebook lore I will know I guess)

Here is the obligatory 'booty on the font seat of my car' image (By booty I mean plunder taken in war or by pirates, just so you know).

The War and Peace Games (Australia) new web site is live, now with Shopify integration for ease of ordering, payments and tracking. Its live from about 2.30pm today. and yes I have ordered already .;-).

These guys are generous and long time sponsors of Australian and NZ Bolt Action events.

https://warandpeacegames.com.au/

Hi All, Dan here. So to support our podcast Ep. 34 ( see the last post for details and link to listen to the episode), here are a bunch of pics from the event, starting off with the a look at the tables for the event: 

Join Dan and Rex as we discuss Dan's participation in the Bolt Action wargame event, 'The Battle of Hastings'. The Battle of Hastings was held in Hastings, New Zealand in 2026 over the Waitangi long weekend.

Firstly, Dan and Rex do a quick hobby catch-up on what they've been up to. After that we hear a blow-by-blow account of Dan's escapades with the Germans against the rest of Western Europe in this early to mid-war bolt-action tournament.

As always refer to https://valhallagames.net for supporting material and general hobby content. Plus https://valhallagames.net/youtube for our YouTube channel.

We love to hear back from audience participants. Send any feedback Via https://valhallagames.net/contact, or email us at mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Positive or negative, keep it coming. We love a passionate wargammer!

Subscribe for this podcast by searching for Valhalla Games in the podcast app of your choice. ...Or you can listen in the YouTube version >>> HERE<<<

As always, thanks for listening, game on… 

Join Dan as he shares his progress amassing a horde of 28mm WW2 Soviets in summer dress, focusing mostly on Mid- war but with some early and late options to sprinkle in , dependent on the period of the game. The opening footage "The Battle of Stalingrad Experience" is from the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, in Blenheim, New Zealand. It is part of the "Dangerous Skies" WW2 aircraft exhibition which is HIGHLY recommended, along with their even bigger WW1 aircraft exhibition!! Thanks for watching! 

​Last week I had the pleasure of playing my first Bolt Action game for a few months, and it was against Craigs lovely Italian Partisans army. As I played and enjoyed looking at our forces on the table, I realised that the last games I played were during Operation Spring Awakening ( plenty of hobby, but no games since due to... 'Life')!

And this got me to realising that I had more photos i could share of his army, which won the Best Themed Army prize for the event. So here I thought I'd share them for your viewing pleasure. Check out even more photos by clicking below!

• The Eagle-eyed amongst you will have, I'm sure, noticed the release in the last fortnight of some ruined buildings by Warlord Games ( made by Skytrex, who are owned by WG of course). Since there hasn't been much fanfare surrounding the release, I thought I would share some information and additional pics, as I was lucky enough the have my hands on them at Skytrex's stand at 'The Other Partizan' show in October in the UK.

​ Firstly, unlike many MDF buildings -especially ruined ones- there are multiple layers of MDF creating very effective exposed/damaged appearances. This also has the benefit of having thickness to the walls for a more realistic appearance. You can pick this up in the photos below:

​ In addition, there is really good detailing in the models, as you can see in the stairwells, balconies and bannisters etc. in the photos. In fact so much so that Warlord felt they may be a little 'over engineered' and therefore allocated them the be a Skytrex product ( according to the gentleman manning the trade stand)- despite the fact that I have yet to find them on the Skytrex website yet they are on the WG site for sure. 

 Another thing i like is that there are plenty of internal corners and detailing, which is quite lacking in most MDF buildings for WW2 at the moment on the market, companies having invested most of the detail into the exterior. I thing the internal stairway above is actually my favorite in the range thus far!

  I took some photos of the unpainted products on the Skytrex stand in order to let you see further detail in the manufacture:

​something else i liked was their production and use in the pics above and below of ladders and improvised wooden walkways between adjoining ruins, which gives the buildings an improved sense of realism

​Above is the website pic of the contents of this particular pack within the range. 

What's my feeling about them? Well, I can't claim they are the cheapest option on the market, as the price tag is fairly hefty- however, the strength and durability of the product combined with the solid look that they have all from the multiple layers of MDF do deliver something that many MDF Ruins don't have.

Add into the mix the extensive 'internal' ruin pieces which are quite overlooked in the market in favour of external detailing, and these are a real option for those willing to invest the extra cash and time to paint their pieces. Verdict? Worth seriously considering for a detailed table or centrepiece. 

As an aside; Skytrex and Warlord are getting longevity out of the old infantry box sets weapon sprues. They have bagged sprues up with shipping crate resin pieces and MDF bases in order to create nation- specific themed objectives- again worth a look if you've used your old sprues up or have moved into a new army and never had these old sprues:

​So, thanks for stopping by, I hope these give you additional information  you are looking for on these products.

Regards, 

Dan