Mike Broadbent - RIP

 It with sadness to report the passing of sculptor Mike Broadbent.  

I know Mike best from his work on the Teddy Bear line, prominently sold by Eureka over the years.  Mike sold the line around a decade ago, and things have been in limbo ever since.  

For the last few years, he had been selling his work through Slave2Gaming.  It's quite amusing stuff. 

Wargaming With Barks

Cold Wars 2023 Gnome-Related Action

As I wrote in my full Cold Wars AAR,  with the Western table, the gnomes took a bit of a backseat to the host of anthropomorphic cowboy minis available from a host of companies.  

Hog Hollow

With most games having each player running only 4-6 figures, the Gnome Wars rules were put aside for Fistful of Lead Western Rules.  Fistful does adhere to the Gnome Wars philosophy of "You should know most of the rules by the end of the third turn."

A lot of the game was searching houses for the missing payroll, an ill-timed encounter with killer cacti, and everyone fighting off the Sheriff. 

This member of the Hog Hollow Boys did not know how to load his weapon.  Every attack resulted in an out of ammo result, including after spending an entire turn reloading.  He was hiding and reloading, as his fellow gang members were getting gunned down.

The cavalry finally arrived after it was all too late, perhaps because they were missing a vital accessory that makes them cavalry.

We broke out more gnomes for the other games over the weekend.  My Imperial Republican Guard of California filled in nicely for Mexican Federales, and by request, the Mormons made another appearance. 

The true villains of games 2 and 3 were the Germans... something about going to the telegraphic office, and some person named Zimmerman.  They never got around to it, as the German officer angered the sheriff instantly, and he was force to steal a stage coach.

He left his men to fend off the infamous "Three Lone Rangers", but a row of Germans with aimed rifles are superior to gnomes that want to quick draw.

In the third game, the Mexican locals needed to evict the Germans, who had claimed their village as a fort.  

 

The final event for the table "Just Not the Slowest," was run using Gnome Wars and the full catalog of figures.

The town of Hogs Hollow wanted a military parade, and invited all nationalities to attend. 

Including a mistaken invitation to the Cult of Urinitas, and you know what those guys did to the fountain...

It's been awhile since a full-scale Znombie Incursion occurred, and without the help of the Jackalope herd, all may have been lost!

Znombies and Skeletons?  Come on!

The Skeleton Warriors of Hog Hollow assault the Sikh tank

The Scots escorting a tanker truck to the train station.  They claim that it was "milk" but I highly doubt it.

(Kickstarter) Teddy Bear Warrior Gaming Miniature

 Sometimes there are Kickstarters that raise your hopes up, just to dash them without mercy.

The Teddy Bear Warrior Gaming Miniature Kickstarter recently launched his all the right buttons with me, especially since fantasy was a genre that Teddy Bears appeared to be under-represented in.  

It's a cute, basic figure, but I wasn't prepared for the pledge levels.

One resin figure w/shipping to the US?  $15. 

Five figures w/shipping?  $75

I would like to see the day where a Teddy Bear Fantasy warband takes on Mordheim, but it won't happen over the next few weeks.

The War to Save Yule

 Call it my own personal holiday blues, but somehow I missed The War to Save Yule, a supplement and campaign guide for Wars of Ozz.  Available at Old Glory and Sally 4th websites, it is a free campaign introducing two more factions, the Army of the Ice Queen and the Army of Yule.  

The Army of the Ice Queen is Ice Trolls, a Krampus, and other nasty sorts.

The Army of Yule is Santa and his workers, plus some extra help from factions long missing from miniature ranges:

Teddy Bears:

and Toy Soldiers

They are smaller compared to the old Eureka line, but their a welcome addition to the Ozz line.

(Kickstarter) War of the Teddys by DioHistory

 As I haven't joined the 21st Century of 3-D printing, I rarely mention any of them on Kickstarter.   However, with a resin-printed option, I can safely mention War of Teddys.

The digital printing files are reasonable, and the resin-printed pledge level for all 25 is as well.  

The Return of Teddy Bear Wars

The holidays bring out some excellent blog posts, but one of the things that warms my shriveled heart is when Der Alte Fritz breaks out a game of Teddy Bear Wars with his daughter. 

http://altefritz.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-return-of-teddy-bear-wars.html

The Mike Lung Gallery #73 - Pi-Rats and Teddy Bears

Friend of the blog, intrepid correspondent, and "AWARD WINNING GM" Mike Lung has handled the entire COVID quarantine far better than the rest of us, especially with two college-age children trapped at home with with.

For Mike, miniature piracy is the business at hand, and business is booming!

Steve Lortz sculpts formerly produced by Fortress Figures

The now-long languishing Mike Broadbent Teddy Bear Pirates.

(Kickstarter) The Crew of the Hydria Mel by Blind Beggar Miniatures

In the midst of the ZineQuest invasion of Kickstarter's Gaming section, the good folk at Blind Beggar Miniatures launched their 55th campaign, and it's definitely not 'zine based.

The Crew of the Hydria Mel, is a group of sci-fi Space Bears with playful names to expand your universe!

The Mike Lung Gallery #66 - Teddy Bears, Occulites, and Corn

A custom teddy bear "Mohaircan" riding a wolf. 

 Mike's also made a whole lotta cornfields.

And a few of the Occulites become Hydris Occulites for an underwater game to be determined.

(Kickstarter) Urzan Liberty Corps Teddy Bears by Ill Gotten Games

I try to avoid mentioning Kickstarters that just produce STL files for 3-D printers.  I don't own a 3-D printer, and I must admit total ignorance on that corner of the hobby.

But mention Teddy Bear minis in a world that's missing many of the old favorites, and you have my interest.

Ill Gotten Games has launched a Kickstarter for the 3-D printer files for the Urzan Liberty Corps, a collection of 20mm tall sci-fi teddy bears.

The big purple guy is a stretch goal (and literally, a "People Eater.", but only a $25 pledge nets you the files for the 17 core teddy bears, plus any unlocked stretch goals.

The Mike Lung Gallery #61 - A Return to Chicka Zulu

Alternative Armies: Cyber Bears New Grinning Skull

Longing for the days of the Eureka Teddy Bears, but also interested in wanton sci-fi death and destruction?  The Cyber Bears from Grinning Skull (available through Alternative Armies) might fill that hole in your gaming heart.

Between these guys, the space beavers and pugs I got from Gydran Miniatures, if I do go the Starcraft route, we are going to FunTown!

The Battle of Teddysburg, Now Distributed in America!

Well over a year and a half ago, I mentioned that Slave2Game Miniatures was producing Battle of Teddysburg 18mm ACW figures.

The biggest flaw was that Slave2Game was an Australian company and a few heart palpitations were made to pay for shipping from Down Under.

That has changed, as CompanyB will now be selling Teddysburg here in America!

Hopefully these cute little fellas can make the HMGS convention circuit?

And for those still inquiring.... nothing on the 25/28mm Mike Broadbent Teddy Bears that Eureka used to carry.  

The Mike Lung Gallery #57: That Driver's a Rat!

Gaming with the Gnomies effervescent correspondent and great friend of the blog, Mike Lung has added a new racer to drive through the countryside!

"He started off a Eureka/Broadbent teddy bear pilot. But that didn’t really work for me. So after a lot of chopping, pinning, and putty, he became a rat."

The Teddy Bears Return!

While his interests and mine rarely cross over, I do enjoy reading Der Alte Fritz Journal.

And when our interests do cross, like the return of  Lady Emma Cuddleston-Smythe and the Teddy Bear Armies, I am simply ecstatic!

From Der Alte Fritz

If we can't have the bears in production, at least we have another AAR featuring them.

Black Friday Combat

Teddy Bears and Friends from Northumbrian Tin Soldier

With Salute coming up again, it's not surprising those companies attending are hitting my radar as they do, once a year.

Two years ago, I mentioned a Teddy Bear from Northumbrian Tin Soldier.  This year, I'm looking at the whole line, plus a few gnome-esque characters.

The Snitch

The Burglar

The Dragon Rider

The Hood

The Battle Bear

Two years ago, I compalined that they were almost $7 apiece.  Thanks to Brexit, the exchange rate has dropped them to a more palatable $4.90.

And a few new items, assuming they'll be available for Salute:

Battle of Teddysburg Review Over at Wargamer.Com

There's a two part review by Bill Gray about the Battle of Teddysburg and the new ACW 18mm Teddy Bears from Slave2Gaming. 

Part one covers the Beta test version of the Battle of Teddysburg (with a quick Gnome Wars aside), while part two covers the actual minis.

18mm ACW Teddy Bears and the Battle of Teddysburg!!!

It appears that 2017 is trying to shrug off the doom and gloom that pervaded 2016. 

The new year kicks off with a beta-test pdf version of The Battle of Teddysburg, available on Wargames Vault. 

When the family goes to sleep and all the lights go out, many people believe that this is the time when bad things come out of the closet or out from under the bed.

Maybe this is true, but what we know is that the Teddys get out and recreate battles. They don’t kill each other, they dress up and re-enact war!

Teddys don’t fight wars. Teddys re-enact.

These rules are basic regimental rules. They are a short, simple set of rules designed to be used to play games with the 18mm Slave 2 Gaming figure range of American Civil Paw Teddy bear figures.

These rules are beta test rules that I hope we can get players to join in and help to create some fun rules.

My plan was to create a set of rules that were not hundreds of pages long, "Keep it simple" was the idea, with the idea for the furure having the game no longer than 25 pages long.

Please join in and help build a fun set of regimental rules.

Waitaminute, 18mm Civil War Teddy Bears????  Why yes, sculpted by Mike Broadbent and made through Slave2 Gaming!!!

A promotional blurb from TMP that made me a bit sad....
Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, the 28mm Teddys that Mike used to make are no longer available, but these take their place quite nicely.

The Teddy Bears were always a bit small compared to the Brigade Games Gnomes, making them 3/4 size turns them into over-sized gnomelings. 

Two words of warning, one good, the other not great.  Slave 2 Gaming in an Australian company, so all prices are in Australian Dollars ($1AU = $0.72 US).  That being said, they offer no economy shipping option from Down Under, so checking a preliminary order, S&H was about $16US for one pack of figures or ten.  Each order does come with tracking, so you are paying for shipping halfway around the globe PLUS piece of mind.