Booty!

I have returned from meolidiz as we say in Hull.
Had a splendid time in Northumbria and then in East Yorkshire and managed to get a small amount of broadly toy soldier stuff squeezed in which will ideally feature here in the next week or so. I also managed to get sunburned while surfing on Tynemouth beach - in your face Bondi!
I returned to some good news about work with my contract being extended for another year, and so decided to treat myself.

Goodies

I picked this little lot up from the ever helpful Nick at Northstar while on my way to collect the offspring from holiday club.
It's a copy of the new Ronin rules which I've been after for a while (I did call on Nick just before departing on holiday in the hope of it being holiday reading but he was still awaiting delivery). Together with a few Crusader and Artizan blisters.

I've been looking for an excuse to buy some of the Perry Korean range since they first came out and Ronin features a list for Koreans. Add to that the fact that one of my regular opponents has a pile of Samurai he's been looking for an excuse to paint and it was a bit of a no-brainer. And cheap too at £11.99 - buy it at that price from Nick, don't support tax dodging onliners for the sake of a few quid.
A quick look through and it seems to be just what I'm after. I'll only need 10 or so models to get started (ideal, should be ready by Easter*) and the rules seem pretty straightforward and clear- certainly compared with Dux Britaniarum that I've really struggled to get my head around.
Nice pictures of models too (mostly of the new ones from Northstar to support the game but also some of the poor WF plastics - albeit with very good Kev Dallimore paintjobs) and some colour plates from the Ospreys as you might expect.
I even realised last night that my LotR Khand and Easterlings could make some stand in models to practice with - though I'm hoping to pick up the Koreans at Partizan next week!

The blisters were an assortment of US Infantry models to expand my Bolt Action force to three squads. Two of riflemen (one Crusader and one Artizan) and a pack of bazookas (my opponent has acquired a Stug) and a mortar (both Crusader). I really enjoyed quickly dipping some of these earlier in the year and think three squads makes for a decent enough game of BA. I've based and undercoated them already and with the kids away next week hope to make speedy progress.
I've also got a plastic Hobby Boss Sherman that I picked up at Salute awaiting assembly, but as I took it on holiday with me and never even got it out of the box I'm beginning to think it was a false economy and I should just have bought a resin model that I don't have to assemble.

*You'll notice I didn't say Easter of which year