Two new things to report today! I received some sample 28mm Carlist Wars figures from Blaze Away Miniatures and I played a (partial) game of Cold War Commander last night.
First, the sample figures. I can't recall how I found Blaze Away Miniatures (from down under) but I was certainly glad when I did. They have a small collection of 28mm figures for the Carlist Wars, many of which fill gaps in the Perry Miniatures line. Of specific interest to me were the French Foreign Legion figures. A number of FFL battalions and cavalry squadrons fought with the Isab
ellinos (or Cristinos) and I thought they might make a colourful addition to my growing collection. So, I ordered a pack of six figures of the FFL and one of casualties (not sure why beyond my constant, but rarely realized, desire to use casualty figures in my games). The service from Blaze Away was quick and easy and they included a couple of extra figures (always a nice touch). My main concern was the compatibility with Perry figures but I was pleasantly mollified. The Blaze Away FFL are slightly more chunky than the Perrys but are easily compatible in height. The sculpting style reminds me more of a Front Rank in the exaggeration of details and clothing folds but certainly not in terms of sheer size and bulk. I don't mind the exaggerated details as this makes painting somewhat easier. While I love the Perry figures, sometimes the detail is so delicate that I have trouble seeing it, let alone painting it. I've included a photo below of the Blaze Away FFL and a Perry British Auxiliary Legion figure for comparison (you can also see a pic of the figure on the right that I've shamelessly downloaded from their site). Note: I've decided that my camera sucks or my photography skills are severely lacking...probably the latter!
Perry Miniatures BAL on the left and Blaze Away FFL on the right. Despite the horrible photo, you can see the compatible heights of the figures. 
And the Blaze Away casualty figures! Second, I stepped into a modern micro-armour game with my sons last night. The previous couple of nights, Michael had put together Cold War Commander games in order to use the recently-arrived rules. These are essentially the same system as Blitzkrieg Commander, amended for modern combat. For my semi-review of BC, look here. I won't bore anyone with another talk about the rules except to say that the only significant issue I have with CWC ( and BC) is the I-GO-U-GO turn sequence. The combat and movement mechanisms are simple and effective. Thankfully, Michael is working on a card system for CWC that may pseudo-Piquet-ize the game. I have some photos below of Michael's excellent vehicle/figure and terrain collection from last night's game.
Overview of the battlefield.
German infantry deployed in defense.
German tanks advancing along the main road.
The German commander.
Artillery deployed for action.
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