Summer's here, and you'll be wanting something to read whilst you're sipping Pimms and topping up your tan. What's that? Oh, yes, you're a wargamer, so your sun-shy skin is tucked up indoors as usual, protected from those harmful rays by a healthy and variegated layer of acrylic paint.
Anyhow, wherever you choose to spend the milder months, here's what's in store with this issue, due to be published in the second week of July:
- Diane Sutherland gives us "Good for sci-fi," an exploration of the potty possibilities offered by bits of polystyrene that her husband Jon has hoarded in the shed for all this time. She even offers her own bottle tops and bits and bobs to adorn her loved one's work.
- Siggo's Forward Observer is more fulsome this time round, with plenty to say about GW's War of the Ring, Partizan, paint pots and washes, current progress with his collection and almost nothing about plastics.
- I, on the other hand, having been dropped in it by Siggo last issue, have made good on my promise with Plastic? Don't panic! - a photo-feature showing how simple it can be to assemble and clean up a box of Perry plastic ACW cavalry ready for painting. So, no excuses for not at least giving them a try! Maybe next issue I'll even paint them, too.
- Wargamer and historian Chris Scott continues his Talking Wargaming series with "Dicey situations," a consideration of how dice can bring unexpected realism to our games.
- Our regular Canadian contributor Bob Barnetson decides to cash in on the latest Star Trek movie this issue, and what we get is a simple, fast and fun set of rules for pitching Star Fleet against the Klingons in "Red alert! Shields up!" Great fun! You'll also be able to find extra files for this here on the site next week.
- Our favourite Brigadier, Charles S Grant, is a bit of a Thin Lizzy fan on the (not so) quiet — yes, seriously! — and his Table Top Teaser this month is catchingly entitled Breakout, or "Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak." Expect rampant prisoners of war and a whole lotta fun.
- As if we weren't confused enough by Diane, Siggo and Bob talking fantasy and sci-fi, this issue's melange is completed by Roger in his To boldly go column picking up the historical baton. Well, sort of. He's become intrigued by that blurry "is it history or is it fantasy" region, better known as Alternative History. And all because he took a short holiday on Jersey!
- Prepare to be stunned by new contributor Clarence Harrison, well-known for his Quindia Studios website and contributions to the recent rules output of Barry Hilton. Here, he gives us an exclusive step-by-step lesson in how to build the stunning Spanish abbey on a hilltop that graces our front cover. The Abbey of Santo Diago is set to become a scenery building classic.
- Recce is absolutely heaving with stuff, including books, miniatures, computer games and rules. We've got some new top-notch reviewers on the team, too.
- The calendar of events supplied by Tricks of the Newark Irregulars covers events in July and August worldwide.
- An update for our Battlegames Combat Stress Appeal, with details of how you can get involved with the fund-raising yourself just like Rich of TooFatLardies has.
- Our competition this month is to win a copy of the lavish Osprey commemorative tome, Men-at-Arms: A Celebration. This stunning collectors' book is worth £50.00 GBP, and we've got one to give away.
- And to round things off, we've even got new advertisers!
As usual, I've added this new issue to the shop, and it will be delivered to purchasers as soon as it's back from the printers, most likely around 8th July.