The last QR code video for 'The Battle for Primosole Bridge' campaign book is nearly complete, just a final image and then editing. Won't be long now, get you paint brushes ready for Dan's tropical Fallschirmjäger paint guide including; general workflow, paint colours and tips.

Speaking of exciting new books, I received my copy of Wargaming Campaigns by wargame royalty Henry Hyde today what a massive amount of content and I'm massively excited about as I have plans to run a huge campaign some time in my life. 

This book makes a great bookend to Henry's other book The Wargaming Compendium which is one of the first books I read when getting into wargaming.
Dan and I will be reading though and reviewing this. So look forward to that (but at 526 pages it may take a while!).
Available now at Pen & Sword

https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Wargaming-Campaigns-Hardback/p/14601

We are pleased to report that The Battle for Primosole Bridge campaign book has been shipped to all backers and pre-order customers (excluding 5 people who haven't got their address to me yet).

Thanks to our logistics partners War and Peace Games Australia the process was smooth and quick. A HUGE thanks to Ian and Sean for their help with that. 

If your buying wargames products, in Australasia please check them out at https://www.warandpeacegames.com.au/.

You should receive your shipping email with tracking information direct from Australia Post in the next couple of days.

Dan and I are extremely happy with the final result, and we think you will be too. We have shot a video of a flick through of the book but what would be the fun in that, we are going to keep you in suspense a few days longer. Once we see reports of sightings of the book 'in the wild' we will release some video to whet your appetite for those shipping to destinations further afield.

Dan literally gets out of his foxhole and in less than 24 hours back in the real world he is bulking up on steak, and well... good to see you have your priorities right...

As you should be aware The Battle for Primosole Bridge book is in print production right now. 'Shipping day' (to you) is planned for 29 June and the printers have confirmed that they are on target to have the bulk delivery to us in time for that.

Its time to collect addresses for all backers and pre-orders. We have deliberately not collected addresses before now so that we didn't have to deal with address changes but now is the time when we need to collect your information and collate everything for an efficient shipping process.

To enable this, we would appreciate it if you could reply to this survey ASAP with your details. Remember if you have ordered two books they will be sent to the same address. 

Thanks again and we are excited to nearly have to book on its way to you.

Rex and Dan

Kickstarter surveys have been sent, pre-order emails requesting the same should be sent tonight.

 Something to play after the book goes to print tomorrow

Hi Everyone!

Rex and I hope this update finds you well. Just a quick update for now; we have entered what we hope will be the final week of the books preparation for sending to the printers! That's right – at the end of this week 'The Battle for Primosole Bridge' will be sent to the printers for review by them, the production of the proof copy, then then print run itself!!! Based on current estimates we are perfectly on [revised] target for 'shipping by the end of June'.

We will provide another update after the proof is approved by us and the printing has started. Shortly after that we will ask for delivery address details. We have left collecting delivery address details until now so that there would not be any address changes, ensuring that we post your book to the correct location.

For now, here is a photo of the last photo ever to be taken for 'The Battle for Primosole Bridge'...

Talk soon with another update, we are excited and we hope that you are too.

Dan and Rex

Hi everyone, what a busy period it's been since the last update!

Rex has moved heaven and earth to get the remaining photography pretty close to being done for the book. A few 'whites' (the popular type of shot you see in publications that have just the figure, vehicle etc on a white/transparent background) remain for a couple of places in the book, then photography is all done!

For many of the photos of a full or 'deeper' table set up we needed to capture (there's a LOT of these!), Rex used a process where he 'stacked' differently - focussed shots on top of each other... a hugely time-consuming process that entailed the taking of over 1600 photographs! But the results are worth it we believe, and we feel confident, after looking at the end result, that you will think so too when you hold the book in your hand and see how good they are!

Secretly up to now, we have engaged the services of a professional artist to assist with the creation of the scenario maps for the book. We have now received the final artwork and WOW! what a result! This is another part of the book we can't wait for you to see!

To whet your appetite, Rex has done a video of the new fully sculpted Primosole Bridge table and will be releasing it in the near future which will get you excited for the book and give you some ideas for your table at home. It's fantastic- when I saw it first and it allowed me to take in the board for the first time I was astonished at just how great it was.

We received the massive shipment of your free sprues from Wargames Atlantic, and they are sitting patiently for when it comes time to send out your books to you.

We just wanted to say we have really appreciated your patience and kind words of reassurance after our delay in fulfilment until end of June primarily due to freight issues. It has been really heart-warming, thank you.

We have made every attempt to reward you for your patience and wanted to share with you that the book has now grown in size to over 100 pages!

Thanks everyone, talk again soon.

Regards,

Dan & Rex

We hope this update finds you safe and well wherever you are.

Rex has done amazing work on the (Now finished!) additional table for the book...we can reveal now that Rex has made an additional table for the initial assault on the bridge and which also stars in many of the detailed close up shots in other scenarios within the book.

I think it looks amazing, and Rex has really outdone himself yet again- you are in for a treat! That means you are going to see TWO versions of Primosole Bridge in the book- one representative and one closer to scale. The first photos from this new board are REALLY impressive!!

The Hobby section has now been expanded greatly from what was first envisaged also, with extra detail being invested into the detail of how to build terrain for the campaign and how to build up an impressive table layout for your games and/or photography of them in progress!

Wargames Atlantic have informed us that the free plastic Italian sprues are also winging their way in freight to us ready for inclusion with your book!! Thanks WA!

Now for the not so good news; The transit time of the final shipment of miniatures to Rex for photography was grossly outside our timeframes we had planned. Previous shipments for the book under the same shipping constraints have taken approx. A week, with 10 days maximum. This shipment took almost FIVE WEEKS.

Added to this, the printers have asked for an additional editing/production process for our images prior to printing. Rex has been working on our existing images night and day, but still has some yet outstanding. It also means additional work on the final photographs too.

The fact the final photography has been delayed almost a month, and now there is additional work for each of those photos has really damaged our print and dispatch schedule.

We had planned to be dispatching the book before end of April, but for these reasons we need to push this date back. We do not want to have any further issues that mean we need to do this again, however, and so we would rather make a bigger correction now and ensure we are within this new timeframe.

To that end, we now have had to push back the forecasted dispatch date to no later than the end of June.

We are sorry for the delays and hope you can understand given the delays above. We are working hard behind the scenes to make this book have the WOW factor, and are disappointed that events have conspired to foil us with the finish line so close.  

Thank you to all of you who have been in touch with us with excited news of your hobby progress in preparation for the book, such as having printed off your free STLs and progress on new armies for the campaign...your enthusiasm is also inspiring to us! 

Talk soon! Dan & Rex, Valhalla Games.

Well, here we are...arriving at the first of our 'final times'...the last time we do a particular activity in prep for the books production ...

STLs have been sent within emails to all the Kickstarter backers (if you didn't get the email let us know at: https://www.valhallagames.net/index.php/contact), along with the contact details for WOW Buildings in case there are technical questions or other queries regarding the files.

STLs for the pre-order customers should be sent in the next 24 hours

The Final wargames Atlantic sprue numbers have gone to them for production and supply of the sprues to us.

In other news; while continuing his work on the (currently unrevealed) realistic scale battle board that will provide photos for the book ( and hopefully a board with which to attend some wargames shows/events sometime in our future!) Rex decided he needed some blockhouses and barricades. Having designed them for 3D printing, Rex has decided decided to share them here with you..... for free!;

https://www.valhallagames.net/index.php/barricades-and-blockhouses

So follow the link and print some off ( or get someone to do it for you and buy them a beer!) and get yourself set up for your scenarios when you receive your book!

In the 'background' but very much at the forefront of our minds and driving our timelines, we've been refreshing our quotes and checking lead-time with the printers.

Spread the word: pre-orders still open ( despite the free STL and sprue deal having finished due to our deadlines for those suppliers-apologies!), so if you want a copy, reach out and we will let you know how you can  place your order.!

There's a couple of weeks of hard work and immersion in the written content for the book as final editing is ongoing. Following that we have final photography and working through further logistical demands. Thanks for staying there with us in this journey- some of this stuff isn't the sexy/glamourous/exciting news to show and tell you about...BUT it is essential work to add polish to this production, and we hope in some small way you enjoy hearing about this in order to feel informed and reassured of the professional work going into the book.

Thank you and we will update you again in a couple of weeks time with another update! 

Regards, 

Dan and Rex

[Newsflash, we are giving away these STLs for free. Get them here:

https://www.valhallagames.net/index.php/downloads/download/6-paint-guides/31-bunkers-and-barricades-v1-stl-files]

I needed some barricades and blockhouses for my Primosole Bridge board and I couldn't really find what I wanted so I created my own from scratch in Tinkercad and printed them out. I'm happy with the result, I printed one of each then printed the barricades as a mirror image so I could have plenty but if I need more... just press print. Concrete blockhouses and barricades printed on a FDM complete with 'Mold lines & striations as part of the manufacturing process" without any extra effort! (Well that what I'm telling myself.)

The blockhouses will fit a 60mm base.

P.S. Dan, great idea I will also print some 'risers'; so that the MMG and antitank gun teams mounted on a 60mm base will be able to be see (and be seen) through the firing slit, has to look good for those photos!

Images below:

_{If this is all new to you and you would like to learn more about our WW2 campaign book 'The Battle for Primosole Bridge' you can find a video on our YouTube page explaining exactly what is in the book here: https://youtu.be/7sKSxdmukWk
The kick-starter has been funded and finished however, if you want to order a copy, at the time of writing this we are still taking pre-orders for the printed A4 softcover 80+ page campaign book, find the info about ordering here: https://www.valhallagames.net/index.php/the-battle-for-primosole-bridge-pre-order or simply contact us here https://www.valhallagames.net/index.php/contact for a price including shipping to your destination.}

 Happy New Year to you all. We hope you've had a happy and safe holiday period. The question arises though; What exactly have WE been up to early in the New Year?

Firstly (for those of you that didn't know!) the 'Assault on Johnny I ' scenario that will appear in our book was reverse engineered and re-edited for publishing in Wargames Soldiers and Strategy (WSS) magazine, issue 118.

This version of the scenario varies from that found in the campaign book in order to make it a stand-alone scenario for Bolt Action, but if you'd like a taster of what is to come, go purchase the issue and enjoy it - tell them we sent you ;) https://www.karwansaraypublishers.com/wss-issue-118.html

What else have we been up to?; check out the Wargames Atlantic WW2 Italian plastic figures that Dan has painted for the book here: [continued below]

Dan has continued British vehicles and infantry for 151 Bde. In the Primosole Bridge engagement, and has finally just finished them… this means another bunch of minis to be sent over to Rex for photography for the book!

Rex continues to put a phenomenal amount of detail into the 'secret' table's construction, I can tell you it looks amazing and it isn't even finished yet!! He is detailing it as he goes so we can bring you all the tips for you to be able to build it yourselves when we reveal it to you.

As well as that, as lockdowns due to COVID come and go, we are continuing play testing on various scenarios, making sure that they are well tested and as user-friendly as possible.

We hope your holiday period has been hobby-friendly and you've got some work progressing yourselves… maybe some Sicilian campaign armies?!!

For anyone that's been following along you will know that the Valhalla Games Kickstarter for "The Battle for Primosole Bridge" campaign book was a success. This campaign book is based on the WWII historical actions around the strategically important Primosole bridge during the Sicily invasion in 1943.

The book has been successfully crowdfunded and Dan I are working our way through the rest of the tasks that need to be completed before printing. I will be requesting the final number of free sprues from Wargames Atlantic on the 7 January 2022 and I just wanted to let you know that if anyone still wants to pre order the book and get the free Italians sprue you can do so up until 7 January.If we get your order before then we will include the sprue for you just the same as the Kickstarter orders

We will be doing the additional books pre-order via PayPal so that we don't have to go through the complicated and confusing Kickstarter system for adding any more books to the Kickstarter at this late stage.

If you're interested and would like the price of the book including postage to help you to make a final decision, please contact us here and I will email you a quote for the book (including free sprue) delivered to your location. The cost of the book is $55 Australian plus postage (remember to check your conversion rate - in your currency it may be half this cost!). The prices for pre-order will be an Australian dollars as that is where the book is being printed and shipped from.

The $55 AUD price, once converted, is the same as the Kickstarter price of $60 NZD (give or take a little for currency fluctuations between then and now), so both those ordering through the Kickstarter and now via the pre-order are paying the same amount.

The books are planned to be shipped out to all Kickstarter backers and for all pre-orders in April 2022, we are not planning to hold a warehouse full of printed stock so if you want it and haven't backed the Kickstarter doing a pre-order is your chance to secure the book, we think you're going to love it.

Contact us here https://valhallagames.net/contact and include your shipping country and I will get back to you will an obligation free price. Again just the reminder that the free Wargames Atlantic sprue offer with the book will end on 7 January 2022.

If you're at a loss as to what this is all about you can view all the detail here:

Great friends of Valhalla games, WoW Buildings, has just released their latest kick starter 'WoW Buildings The War in the East' if you are a 3D printer and WW2 player... actually these building could cover a number of different wargaming genres (Tatooine anyone? Yes get your bonus desert buildings here too), then check this out.

This one is only 20 days so get in quick if your interested.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wowbuildings/wowbuildings-the-war-in-the-east

More images 'after the break'

Commandos! A gift from my brother Dan fresh off the painting table! Dan saw these on Trademe (That's New Zealand speak for ebay[ish]) and snapped them up for me as he knew I wanted to get serious with my 28mm commando force. Not only that, he painted them for me as well! I have a cunning plan on how to base them, should be unique if I can get it right.

I love them and can't wait to get them in the post. only problem is that the commandos I have already are my first painted army, I have improved since then and I'm not sure they will stack up against these so the old ones are up for a touch-up (at least).

I bet you wish you had a brother that would paint minis for you! 

FYI they are Wargames foundry.

Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy will be publishing one of the scenarios from our 'The Battle for Primosole bridge campaign, book in their forthcoming Sicily themed issue early next year. It's a great magazine, I subscribe to the PDF version and get LOTS out of each issue. Very exciting to be in print in such a prestigious and well circulated magazine. 

https://www.karwansaraypublishers.com/wss-mag

 Sometimes when 3D printing you get an under extruded print. That's where not enough plastic comes out and the model isn't fully bonded together or is 'squeezy' to the touch. This happened to me due to a blockage, and thinking that this was a good opportunity to take advantage of an 'easy' to cut up model I thought I would make this into a ruin. Armed with Dremel with mini circular saw for cutting I hacked into this one. An hour later covered in plastic and with plastic in my eye (even though I was wearing protective goggles and mask) I vow never to do that again. That plastic is hard, hard, HARD!

The result is passable, or will be once I glue things back together and fill some places.

Moving forward, however, does anyone have some suggestions of easy to use software to erase parts of the building STL and smooth/close the shell back up. I tried Meshmixer but that was a pain, I don't want to have to spend a day learning how to use it if possible.

One week to go... Progress on yet-to-be-revealed content and EVERYONE* GETS A FREE ITALIAN SPRUE.

'The Battle of Primosole Bridge campaign book' Kickstarter has only one week to go. Initially funded in 26 hours we now have more than doubled our funding goal and have backers from all over the world getting ready to refight the historical battle from Sicily 1943. With only one week to go before the end of the campaign there is still time for this pre-Christmas/pre-end of year investment in your gaming for 2022 (and still have a few weeks before Christmas!).

As we have mentioned previously Dan and I have the book largely complete. However, along with fine-tuning our various assigned parts of the text and rules, Dan is painting more models for studio photos to include in the book while I am finalising our best terrain board to date for more in-game/in-battle photos. This new gameboard which has not been publicly revealed yet is a 10' x4', purpose-built, fully sculpted terrain board which is a beautiful representation of the bridge and its environs in [near] real scale for 28mm miniatures. It includes what we are calling the 'realistic bridge'. This new 3D printed bridge which we have not mentioned until now.

After a major rework of the original STL so that it exactly fitted our requirements and at over 120 hours of 3d printing its near 4' long and admittedly not for everyone's games room. Having said that Valhalla Games always aims to raise the bar so in conjunction with the already stunning gameboards we have revealed on the pages of the book so far showing the 'representational bridge' on a [more reasonable] 6x4 table we look forward to revealing the new board to you also. If you want to see all of that, you're going to have to back the book on Kickstarter and you only have a week to do it.

*In other exciting news Wargames Atlantic have been even more generous to the project, we went to them cap in hand to see if we could get some more free Italian sprues to go with the books, they must be excited as their response was... I quote: "No limit - go for it." This means that EVERYONE that backs the book gets a random free Italian sprue from the box set here: https://wargamesatlantic.com/collections/world-ablaze/products/italian-infantry If we can get the new miniatures in time we will also include some images in the book itself for inspiration. (paint Dan paint!!). Do us a favour and hit that page in the link above so that they can see that their generosity is rewarded by interested potential customers.

We would like to remind you again that doubling up with a buddy and getting 2 books shipped to the same address is significantly less postage 'per book'.

Standby for even more exciting news in the next few days but get your pledge in now so you don't miss out as the next week fly's by. If we are able to add more content such as we have with the free sprue mentioned above we will. We won't be doing it as a 'stretch goal' but instead we will be retrofitting this extra reward into the original project, if we can give you more for the same price we will regardless of the final project total! (But don't stop nagging your friends to back it also).

Back it here(!): https://valhallagames.net/kickstarter ...or if you have done so already spread the word, did I mention its only 1 week to go ;-)

VHG_Rex

 WOW! Thank you everyone who has backed "The Battle for Primosole Bridge" already, and thank you for your interest to anyone who has just found our project and is here to find out more...

We certainly didn't imagine we would be at almost 200% funded at half way through the campaign! Thanks very much for your confidence in the book.

We continue to work doing editing and additional final photography for the book. Another load of miniatures is winging its way ( Airborne of course!) from New Zealand to Australia for further photography as we continue to capture images that fulfil our vision of bringing each element of the battle to life. We were confident we were on the right track even before we revealed some of the books images to you for this campaign- and now you've shown you are as excited by our work as we have been to bring it to you, we are so excited for all the images and content that you haven't yet seen in the previews!

We only have some 14 days to go!! If you are reading this and you haven't secured your copy yet, or your buddy is keen but has lost track of the time... now's your time to get that order in before the start of the busy festive season.

Perhaps Santa might bring some wargamers The Battle for Primosole Bridge? If he wanted to here is the link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/valhallagames/1015543703/