Before I bought a metal model of the Japanese aircraft carrier IJNS Kaga online, I had already ordered a 3D printed resin model. It – and a model of the IJNS Akagi – were recently delivered.
IJNS Kaga
(38,200 tons; 28 knots; 10 x 7.9-inch guns; 16 x 5-inch AA guns; 22 x 25mm AA guns; 90 aircraft)
IJNS Akagi
(41,300 tons; 31.5 knots; 6 x 7.9-inch guns; 16 x 5-inch AA guns; 28 x 25mm AA guns; 91 aircraft)
I have yet to paint these models, but hope to do so soon.
Last month, I mentioned that I had been doing a lot of thinking about my future wargaming and that I had been considering several ideas and possible strategies. That process is still ongoing, although my ideas are beginning to crystallize.
In the meantime, I have been trying to use my time constructively. Rather than paint figures, and spurred on by the success of my repaint of the resin model of Tallinn's famous Viru Gate, I decided to paint some model buildings that I constructed whilst I was bedridden last year.
I used the same basic technique (and colours) that I used on the model of the Viru Gate. In other words, all the models were given a dark grey undercoat (Humbrol No.67) and the majority were then dry brushed with beige (Revell No.314). The roof tiles were repainted using carmine red (Revell No.36) and dry brushed with a 3:1 mixture of carmine red and beige. The details were then picked out in a number of other colours. Once they were finished, each building was mounted on a 3mm-thick MDF base that was flocked with fine cork granules.
The resulting buildings looked like this:
I was so impressed by the end results that I have actually bought another example of Faller's 1965-vintage 'Old town block' model (Code number B-924) to build and paint.
My Amazon KPD account has been reinstated and all my books are back and on sale again!
Thanks to everyone for their support and advice … and particularly to Graham Evans, who pointed me in the right direction when it came to communicating with Amazon KPD.
At 12.20pm I was sent the following email by Amazon KPD:
Hello,
Thank you for your email concerning the status of your account.
After reviewing your response, we have reinstated your account and you may submit titles for possible publication.
To ensure the account remains in good standing, take the following actions:
- Review your catalog and unpublish any titles that do not comply with the Content Guidelines: https://kdp.amazon.com/help/topic/G200672390
- Review your catalog and unpublish any titles where you do not have the necessary publishing rights
- Ensure that future titles comply with our Content Guidelines and that you hold the necessary publishing rights.
As a reminder, finding additional violations of our Content Guidelines may negatively impact your account status. You can find our Terms and Conditions here: https://kdp.amazon.com/help/topic/G200627430
If you have questions or believe you've received this email in error, please reply to this message.
Thanks for using Amazon KDP
SNEH
Amazon Content Review Team
It would appear that my ‘evidence’ was sufficient enough to prove that I had not published anything that I did not have the right to publish ... BUT in future I will be even more stringent when I check articles that have been contributed to the next (and subsequent) compendia.
As an aside, I did give some thought as to the title of this blog post. I was unsure what the opposite of ‘terminated’ might be … and toyed with ‘ex-terminated’ … but decided that word had far too many Dalek/alien intelligence connotations. I settled for ‘reinstated’ instead … but I still think that ‘ex-terminated’ might have been more apposite.
I have still had no reply to my original email to Amazon KDP, so this morning I followed it up with a second email, the text of which follows:
I sent a reply to the termination email that was sent to me but as yet I have had no reply. I attached screenshots to it that showed when I created the original document that formed the text on the book that was cited as the reason for the termination. When I uploaded the file for publication, I made sure that the book - which is a compendium of articles written by a group of people - listed all the contributors (including biographies) and made sure that they were cited as authors on the book's entry on Amazon's relevant bookstore webpage.
The reason given for termination was 'you do not have the necessary rights to publish the book(s) listed below.' (The book was DIID/ASIN: 58756726-Title: The Third Portable Wargame Compendium.) I would like to know how that decision was arrived at as the email seems to have been created automatically and that no human was involved in the process.
I am particularly concerned that I received no warning that there was a problem, especially as the book was published a year ago and you had plenty of time to determine that there might be a problem and informed me so that it could be sorted out. What seems to have happened in this case is that something has triggered your AI system and it has acted as accuser, judge, jury, and executioner ... and I had no right to defend myself before the termination took place.
What I do not understand is why my account was terminated and all my books published by Amazon KDP were removed from sale when there seems to be no issues with the other books ... which include two earlier compendia that were created and published in the same way as The Third Portable Wargame Compendium.
The Portable Wargame concept has been around for eight years and has spawned thirteen books since then ... and another is in the process of completion! It has a very active Facebook group with over 1,700 members and many thousands of copies of the books have been sold. May I strongly urge you to re-examine your decision and if there is a problem, begin a dialogue that can lead to a mutually beneficial conclusion.
Bob Cordery
I received an automatic response that assured me that I should get a reply withing twenty-four hours ... or longer if they have to investigate more deeply.
I am not holding my breath.
Further to the 'termination' of my Amazon KDP account, the books previously published by them are no longer available. I therefore decided the list what PORTABLE WARGAME books are still available and from where.
It is worth noting that:
I am in the final stages of putting together The Fourth Portable Wargame Compendium ... but I have had to put further work on hold because of the following email I received from Amazon KDP:
As the text of the email shown above is rather small to read easily, I have added it below:
Hello,
We have terminated your KDP account because we found that you do not have the necessary rights to publish the book(s) listed below. If you have documentation proving you have the necessary rights to publish this book, please reply to this message and attach it to your email.
DIID/ASIN: 58756726-Title: The Third Portable Wargame Compendium
We are committed to providing a bookstore built on trust between authors, publishers, and readers, and we take prompt action when needed to ensure a positive experience. As part of the account termination process:
For more information, view our Terms and Conditions: https://kdp.amazon.com/terms-and-conditions
If you have any questions or believe your account was terminated in error, please reply to this email. To help us respond quickly, please send a single email.
Regards,
Amazon KDP
There is no explanation as to why they have reached this conclusion, but I am at a total loss as to how I can provide the proof that Amazon KDP require.
I will share any updates as and when I can. In the meantime, I am going to find a dark room to sit in whilst I try to come to terms with what has happened.
Today marks the one hundred and seventh anniversary of the Armistice that ended the fighting on the Western Front.
'They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.’
‘When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say,
For Their Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today.’
‘We will remember them.’
Thanks to seller on eBay, I have managed to acquire a second model of a Kongo-class fast battleship to add to my collection of 1:1200th-scale Imperial Japanese Navy warships, ...
(36,601 tons; 30 knots; 8 x 14-inch guns; 14 x 6-inch guns; 8 x 5-inch AA guns; 8 x 25mm AA guns)
… as well as the aircraft carrier, IJNS Kaga.
(38,200 tons; 28 knots; 10 x 7.9-inch guns; 16 x 5-inch AA guns; 22 x 25mm AA guns; 90 aircraft)
At the same time, I acquired a model of Argentinian Navy coastal defence battleship, ANA Libertad
(2,336 tons; 11 knots; 2 x 9-inch guns; 2 x 4.7-inch guns, 4 x 47mm QF guns; 4 x 18-inch torpedo tubes)
Finally, I bought one of KATO's Pocket Line N-gauge locomotives and carriages.
The locomotive isn't powered ... but one of the carriages is!
I hope to give it a test run on my layout later this week.
I have been continuing to buy stuff on eBay.
Firstly, I ‘won’ an auction that will enable me to add a further Kongo-class battleship and a Kaga-class aircraft carrier to my collection of Imperial Japanese Navy warships plus a model of the Libertad, an Argentinian coastal defence battleship.
Secondly, I also ‘won’ an auction for a Faller kit of a ruined castle that I hope to use with my Belle Époque collection.
Finally, I ‘won’ the auction for a KATO Pocket Line N-gauge steam loco and two carriages to add to my model railway collection.
I’m waiting for these items to be delivered, hence the title of this blog post. In the meantime, I’m continuing to work on the next edition of the Compendium.
I’ve been making slow but steady progress with compiling the next Portable Wargame Compendium. I have recently received several more very interesting contributions and I think that the next volume will really take the whole Portable Wargame concept forward.
At present the contents of the Fourth Portable Wargame Compendium includes the following:
My quest to build up a sizeable force of Imperial Japanese Navy 1/1200th-scale model ships continues, and I have recently acquired the following new ships:
A Mogami-class heavy cruiser, ...
(11,000 tons; 37 knots; 10 x 8-inch guns; 8 x 5-inch AA guns; 8 x 25mm AA guns;12 x 24-inch torpedo tubes; 2 catapults*; 3 floatplanes)
... four Kagero-class destroyers, ...
(2,500 tons; 35 knots; 6 x 5-inch guns; 4 x 25mm AA guns; 16 depth charges; 8 x 24-inch torpedo tubes)
... two Mutsuki-class destroyers, and ...
(1,445 tons; 37 knots; 4 x 4.7-inch guns; 2 x 13.2mm AA guns; 18 depth charges; 6 x 24-inch torpedo tubes; 16 mines)
... two Asashio-class destroyers.
(2,370 tons; 35 knots; 6 x 5-inch guns; 4 x 25mm AA guns; 36 depth charges; 8 x 24-inch torpedo tubes)
* The model is currently only fitted with a single catapult.
I have always had a soft spot for the Boulton Paul Defiant singe-engined, turretted fighter.
The Defiant was designed to be a day and night fighter that could attack enemy bombers. At the time that the RAF drew up the specification for a turretted fighter (F.9/35), it was expected that enemy bombers would not have any fighter escorts.
The Defiant was in front-line service with Nos. 141 and 264 Squadrons by May 1940, and although they enjoyed initial success against Luftwaffe aircraft during Operation Dynamo and the opening days of the Battle of Britain, once German fighters realised that they had no forward-facing armament, the losses of aircraft led to it withdrawal from daytime service and it took on a night fighter role.
The design was trialled in the Army Co-operation role (close air support: Providing, tactical reconnaissance, artillery spotting, and training anti-aircraft gunners) and Boulton Paul produced a prototype fixed-gun fighter that was armed with either twelve .303-inche (7.7mm) Browning machine guns (with six guns in each wing) or four 20mm (0.79-inch) Hispano cannons (with two cannons in each wing).
My 'What if ...?' builds on these two possibilities. I assume that removing the turret and replacing it with a single rear-facing machine gun would reduce the aircraft's overall weight, and that this could be used to offset the weight of adding a 20mm (0.79-inch) Hispano cannon in each wing and two underwing bomb racks capable of carrying 250-pound bombs.
The resulting aircraft would have looked something like this:
The aircraft's characteristics would have been something like this:
Interestingly, the end result looks somewhat like a scaled-down Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik ground attack aircraft.
At the recent Wargame Developments Autumn Virtual Gathering, I gave a presentation about the 1985 Battle of Britain that was outlined in General Hackett's book THE THIRD WORLD WAR. I hope to turn the presentation into a YouTube video, but in the meantime, here is the outline of the information I covered in it.
The prediction …
According to General Hackett’s book The Third World War (published in 1978), the war would start on 4th August 1985. To defend UK airspace, the book made several assumptions that by 1985 the RAF would have the following assets:
The air war began unofficially on 30th July when a Russian reconnaissance MiG-25 Foxbat approached UK airspace and a Tornado from Leuchars was sent to intercept it. The Russian aircraft turned away before it was intercepted and accelerated to Mach 2.5. Ground-based radar systems reported sporadic ECM interference during the incident, but AEW was able to maintain radar coverage.
Once the war started, the UK was subject to a series of Russian attacks that were intended to achieve the following objectives:
As a result of these attacks, the ground-based radar systems were destroyed, AEW aircraft were shot down, and no European mainland radar systems were available to give early warning of Russian air attacks on the UK.
Tornados – supported by tankers – were forced to operate autonomous air patrols to intercept Russian attacks until replacement AEW and mobile ground-based radar systems became available. These air patrols were initially concentrated on the area to the northeast of Scotland but switched to the Baltic entrance into the North Sea as the Russian advanced in northern Europe.
Runways were subject to considerable damage due to cratering, but these were repaired by specialist repair units.
Most Russian low-level air attacks on airfields were shot down by Rapier SAM units defending the RAF’s airfields.
Russian medium-level air attacks were accompanied by considerable ECM.
The use of precision-guided air-launched stand-off ordnance was concentrated on specific types of targets.
By the afternoon of 12th August (the ninth day of the war) Russian air attacks on the UK effectively ended. Incoming Russian Backfires were turning for home as soon as they picked up intercepting Tornados.
The air defence of the UK had defeated the enemy … just!
The reality …
RAF Strike Command was formed on 30th April 1968 by the merger of Bomber Command and Fighter Command, which became No. 1 Group and No. 11 Group respectively. Air Defence of the UK was in the hands of No. 11 Group (RAF Bentley Priory, Greater London).
During the early 1980s, the Group included the following RAF squadrons:
From 1983 to 1986, eighty-eight BAE Hawks T1s operated by various training squadrons (mainly No.4 Flying Training School, RAF Valley (Anglesey)) were equipped as short-range interceptor aircraft and modified to carry two AIM-9L Sidewinder air-to-air missiles in addition to a 30 mm ADEN centre-mounted under-fuselage gun pod.
In addition, SAMs were operated by several RAF squadrons in the UK:
In support were:
The following ground-based radar stations were available to feed data into the air defence system:
Summary of air defence assets:
RAF 1985 equipment data
I collected the latest issue of THE NUGGET from the printer (Macaulay Scott Printing Company of Welling, Kent) yesterday, and I will post it out to members as soon as I can.
I will also send the PDF copy to the webmaster as soon as I can so that members can read this issue of THE NUGGET online.
IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the third issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2025-2026 subscription year.
If you wish to subscribe for the 2025-2026 subscription year and have not yet done so, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.
I recently acquiring three more 1/1200th-scale models of Imperial Japanese Navy destroyers. They are IJNS Fubuki (a Type I Fubuki-class destroyer), ...
(2,090 tons; 38 knots; 6 x 5-inch guns; 18 depth charges; 9 x 24-inch torpedo tubes)
... IJNS Amagiri (a Type II Fubuki-class destroyer), ...
(2,090 tons; 38 knots; 6 x 5-inch guns; 18 depth charges; 9 x 24-inch torpedo tubes)
... and IJNS Hatsuharu (a Hatsuharu-class destroyer).
(1.530 tons; 36 knots; 5 x 5-inch guns; 18 depth charges; 6 x 24-inch torpedo tubes)
Today I will be taking part in Wargame Developments' Autumn Virtual Gathering. This annual virtual event (it is conducted using Zoom) began in October 2021 in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, and proved so successful that it has taken place every year since then.
This year's programme includes the following sessions:
MEMOIR '44 was created by Richard Borg and published in 2004 by Days of Wonder and has proven to be a very popular hybrid miniatures/board game. I own the basic set as well as most of the supplements and one of the scenario books, and over the years I have enjoyed playing the game. In fact, it was playing MEMOIR ‘44 that sparked off my development of MEMOIR OF BATTTLE (MOB), MEMOIR OF MODERN BATTLE (MOBAT) and eventually THE PORTABLE WARGAME.
A new, revised version of the game has (MEMOIR ‘44 REFRESH) been released to mark the twentieth anniversary of the game’s release … and I just could not resist buying a copy. I ordered it via Amazon, and it arrived on Wednesday.
The box contains:
If one compares the two editions, the new version includes the following changes:
All-in-all, the new edition is a worthy celebration of the original game and - in my opinion - was well worth buying. All I’ve got to do now is to persuade someone at my local club to play it!
The editor of THE NUGGET sent me the latest issue on Sunday and I sent it to the printer (Macauley Scott Printing Company, Welling, Kent) this morning. I hope to be able to collect it next week and post it out to members of Wargame Developments as soon as I can afterwards.
IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the third issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2025-2026 subscription year.
If you wish to subscribe for the 2025-2026 subscription year and have not yet done so, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.
I have recently been acquiring a number of 1/1200th-scale models of Imperial Japanese Navy warships. It started when I bought a model of IJNS Fuso (a Fuso-class battleship). This was for sentimental reasons, as I ‘commanded’ her during the famous Madasahatta campaign.
(35,900 tons; 25 knots; 12 x 14-inch guns, 14 x 6-inch guns; 8 x 5-inch AA guns; 37 x 25mm AA guns; a catapult; 3 floatplanes)
I then bought some smaller units, the IJNS Yubari (a one-off light cruiser), …
(3,587 tons; 35 knots; 6 x 5.5-inch guns; 12 x 25mm AA guns; 4 x 24-inch torpedo tubes)
… the IJNS Shimakaze (an experimental one-off destroyer), …
(3,048 tons; 39 knots; 6 x 5-inch guns; 6 x 25mm AA guns; 18 depth charges; 15 x 24-inch torpedo tubes)
… and IJNS Asagiri (a Type II Fubuki-class destroyer).
(2,090 tons; 38 knots; 6 x 5-inch guns; 18 depth charges; 9 x 24-inch torpedo tubes)
I have now added to this collection by buying the models of a Kongo-class fast battleship …
(36,601 tons; 30 knots; 8 x 14-inch guns; 14 x 6-inch guns; 8 x 5-inch AA guns; 8 x 25mm AA guns)
… a Myoko-class heavy cruiser …
(14,980 tons; 34 knots; 10 x 8-inch guns; 8 x 5-inch AA guns; 8 x 25mm AA guns; 8 x 24-inch torpedo tubes; 2 catapults & 3 floatplanes)
… an Aoba-class heavy cruiser, and …
(10,822 tons; 33 knots; 6 x 8-inch guns; 4 x 4.7-inch AA guns; 8 x 25mm AA guns; 8 x 24-inch torpedo tubes; a catapult & 2 floatplanes)
… Isuzu, a Nagano-class light anti-aircraft cruiser.
(5,570 tons; 36 knots; 6 x 4.7-inch AA guns; 50 x 25mm AA guns; depth charges)
I also have three more destroyers on their way to me. They are IJNS Fubuki (a Type I Fubuki-class destroyer), IJNS Amagiri (a Type II Fubuki-class destroyer), and IJNS Hatsuharu (a Hatsuharu-class destroyer).
All I need now is at least one aircraft carrier to complete my Imperial Japanese Navy task force.
It was Diwali - the Hindu Festival of Light - on Monday, and Sue and I were part of a group who were invited to attend the local Hindu temple, the Shree Kutch Satsang Swaminarayan Temple.
We arrived just before 9.45am, and Sue and I were directed to the respective men's and women's entrances. Once inside, we removed our shoes before entering the temple. A service was already in full swing, and we were invited to sit and watch. At that point, the shrines (sinhaasan) that contained the deities (murtis) were concealed behind curtains, but soon after 10.00am the two priests pulled the curtains back and revealed them. The service continued until just before 10.30am, at which point the men were invited to go into the women's half of the temple. We were then joined by a group of school children from a local primary school, and one of the satsangis (devotees) explained the basic beliefs of Hinduism and the importance of the various deities. She told us the stories of the main gods, the most important of whom as known as the Trimurti and their consorts, the Tridevi:
Before we left, were all given a small gift and allowed to take photographs.
The site of the temple was formerly an army drill hall, but by 1986 it was no longer in use and was derelict. As Woolwich and Plumstead had a growing Hindu population, many of who came from India and Kenya, the site was bought for £45,000 by a group of Hindus who wanted to build a temple. Once the land had been acquired and the site had been cleared, building work began, and by 1988 the temple was completed and it was inaugurated on 20th to 28th August.
By the 2010s the original building was proving too small for the congregation, and in 2017 it was remodelled and expanded. The building now houses the largest Hindu temple in Southeast London and Northwest Kent as well as a nursery, a supplementary school, a large function room, and provides Gujarati Shaala and music lesson as well as services for the elderly.
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