Poor Old Picton...

 On Thursday I played a marvellous wargame at Stryker's "Hinton Hut" using his magnificent collection of vintage 20mm figures. The refight of Waterloo can be read in full here (with loads of extra pictures to boot).

The opening of the battle with reinforcements off-table.

The French came on in the same old style and as I was playing Picton, I met them in the same old style.

And just like Picton I shuffled off this mortal coil (this time while supporting the 11th Light Dragoons morale throw!)

I now have the record of an unbeaten streak of defeats while leading Ian's toys!

My thanks to Ian, Tony, Nigel and Goya for a fantastic game and to the excellent catering provided by Mrs S.

5th Italian Line Infantry Regiment

It has been a while since I posted anything as frustratingly I started feeling unwell back in November last year. After months of feeling awful we discovered I had an underlying health condition which sadly is not going to go away. 

While I have no immediate plans to meet my ancestors I am having to get used to some pretty strong medication. I am not 21 anymore.

So, planning ahead I have begun drastically streamlining my collections of unpainted figures and kits which will never be finished in three lifetimes. 

Instead I will concentrate on the one dearest to me, starting with my 20mm Napoleonic figures. 

These figures are RSM95 figures (the original range sold as Pax Britannica in the UK back in the day). 

These are their French infantry/ Guard infantry painted up as the Kingdom of Italy 5th Line Regiment, based on the painting guide from the Haythornthwaite/Chappell "Uniforms of the Peninsular War".

The officer is the ADC figure with a shako head swap. The figures have had a few animation tweaks to add a little more interest.

I have given them the old "Republican" flag as I seem to recall reading the roll out to troops in the Peninsular was a little sluggish. Still my favourite figure sculpts (as I may have mentioned before!).

Next up, French infantry.

A Grand Run Thing

 Last week I had the pleasure of attending The Hinton Hut to play a four handed Napoleonic wargame hosted by Ian using his fantastic collection of 20mm Hinton Hunt figures. For a full break down of the battle, including the infamous "typo", Ian has posted an excellent 3 part breakdown of the battle here.

For my part I will post a few pictures to give a flavour of the days events.

The Guards - who secured my first victory points.

Ian's Prussians advancing neatly in support on my left.

And those pesky French-types determined to spoil our strategy.

The Young Guard marching to the base of the hill before marching back again. A French version of The Hokey-Cokey perhaps?

My rather rash decision to buy some time slowing the Austrian advance resulting in a severe bloody nose for the British Light Dragoons.

And all the while the Emperor and his Old Guard sat still and watched! 

Just to thank Ian, Tony and Nigel for a fantastic game and the first class company. Plus Mrs Stryker for keeping us all fed and watered the whole day!

Some More Shiny Napoleonics

 Finally I have something to show. Not one but three units for the Classic Napoleonic Collection.

First off and still using black undercoat we have the Brunswick 1st Line Battalion. Tradition of London figures and flag from Warflag.

While I was at it, time for some artillery. Tradition once more for the Brunswick crew and artillery piece is from Hinchliffe.

Finally, the first of the French Line infantry; and yes, you've guessed it, Tradition of London 25mm figures once more. This time with a light blue undercoat which really has helped speed things up with my poor old eyes.

I have noticed a couple of spots that need cleaning up but this is two days work so I am impressed with my output for once.

The Napoleonic  thread will continue for the next few posts even though I should be painting additional Perry Union troops as I have received intelligence that following his besting at Bryson's Crossroads my Southern nemesis, Neil, has been busy reinforcing that darn Reb army.

Finally On the March Again.

It has been a while since my last post caused by general stuff plus difficulty with the old eyes again. Hopefully tomorrows laser surgery will fix the worst of that problem. 

Continuing on with shiny Napoleonic's I give your more Tradition of London 25mm figures in the form of the Grenadiers of the French Imperial Guard.

These fellows were undercoated in black and with their delicate detail were the devil to paint. I will be using alternative colour undercoats in the future I think; but as the next batch are Brunswickers I will persevere a little longer with the black. 

 My old Merit trees have had a bit of a refurbishment following Aly Morrison's recipe found here.

Oversize flag (I know-but they are my toys!) from Warflag one again.

Marching Boldly Into 2022

With 2021 now officially history it is time to look forward to my plans for the next twelve months. Firstly one project sitting on the backburner is a collection of classic 25mm figures I have been amassing for a few years now. Here is the first unit, all figures are Tradition of London 25mm with flags printed off of the Warflag website.

This collection is intended as a replacement for the Airfix Waterloo Project which I have decided is a stretch too far and really not achieveable. To be honest all collecting will be governed by two overrding factors. Firstly I returned to the working world in November meaning the seven day weekends are a thing of the past (my daughter's decision to go to University this year was the major factor in this!). Secondly it is a matter of eyesight. Since the operations it is safe to say my eyes are not what they were but I am experimenting on ways to make it easier. For now though I leave you with my best wishes and hope 2022 will be one to remember - for all the right reasons.

Broadside, Saturday 4th December 2021

Yesterday I attended my first wargames show since 2019 with my club, the South East Essex Military Society (SEEMS), at the Broadside show in Kent. I must say it was a most fun and friendly event which reminded me of the shows of yore. We put on a Peninsular Napoleonic game (using Neil's toys) playing two linked scenarios. I did not take pictures of the other games as we were very busy chatting at the table.

The French had decided to make a nuisance of themselves and sent a not inconsiderable force to investigate the strength of a local fort. In scenario one the British occupied a a hill overlooking the plain and sent news of the French deployment. The French simply had to push the British off the hill to win Day One. Numerical superiority and British reinforcements arriving in dribs and drabs made for an easy French victory.

Two units of skirmishers ready to take on the pesky French.

However the British had a secret weapon. I was the French C in C.  

My advance was a muddled affair with the dice gods leaving me with units failing their activation rolls meaning the units arrived piecemeal. Also my "great idea", to post a battery just out of range of the British in an attempt to tie down two British was folly. At the end of the scenario I discovered my heavier guns outranged the British by 12".

It's a shame the Voltigeurs are being shot to pieces, Pierre. But we are safe!

The farce continued as my advancing columns took fire from that blasted hill.. At least my second battery did some damage.

Incidentally, those Dragoons are some of the best painted Hinchliffe figures I have ever seen.

By the end of the day the hill was still stubbornly occupied, the disordered advance units created a log jam for those behind. All I, as C in C, had was a headache and a burning desire for red wine, baguettes and onion soup!

Merde!

Day Two  was based upon the British retiring overnight to their village stronghold. I did not take any pictures and the matter was inconclusive as by then we were pretty much chatting away to all and sundry in the best atmosphere I can remember for many a year.

The lull before the storm(ing).

The rules were "Rebels and Patriots" with an on-line unofficial extension for the Napoleonic period, "Flags and Eagles". I thoroughly enjoyed it; so much so that I bought a few boxes of Perry Austrians to pit against the French juggernaut. The infantry figures are glued up and the undercoat is on. First results next weekend!

I Got Distracted

It was all going so well. Another Jacklex Confederate  infantry unit in the bag and the first mounted rebel cavalry glued up and waiting for the undercoat. Then I got distracted.

As some may remember 15 plus years or so ago I launched another blog (long since deleted) called "In The Grand Manner" intended to cover the creation of the kind of Gilder Napoleonics I could only dream of back in the day. I painted one base or so and then dropped the idea. Well this unit has been sitting idly by, occasionally having another base completed over the years.

Then this week I decided to bite the bullet and finish the last 12 figures. So here you have it, a 36 man Connoisseur Miniatures French battalion over a decade in the making.

They had to be glossy!

I have no plans to pick the idea up again (even though I may paint up the Hinchliffe Foremost Scot's Greys one day just for the hell of it). I do however have a Hinchliffe ECW glossy project planned.

I will make up for this next week with a bigger Classic 20mm ACW update. 

Airfix Waterloo Odds and Ends

So for my final post before returning to work I thought I would finish up some of the Airfix Battle of Waterloo Project figures. There were far too many to finish in the time left so here is a sample of what is in the queue.

The glue is in fact still drying on my first command stand, but here is Jack Hawkins, sorry General Picton, leading from the front "Gordon, take your bastards forward. I'll bring up the rest of the Brigade".

He started life as the US 7th Cavalry officer. The jaunty sentry is perhaps hoping the cannon carcass will offer more protection to him than it did for the original crew.

The Chasseur a Cheval is an obvious conversion. All the mounted cavalry figures have been reinforced with a pin bent to shape on one of the legs and pinned to the base. In this case the pin is on the rear left leg and once painted is pretty much invisible. Its a fiddly job though!

 Finally the good old French artillery marching figures serving (with their occasional warped muskets) as Prussian Musketeers.

Not sure when I will being returning to the painting/gaming table. My job for one of the "blue light services" means I'm being deployed against the C-19 virus. From my experience of other civil emergencies I'm going to be really earning my wages for the foreseeable future.

So keep safe indoors and I'll see you all when we come out of this the other side!

Zvezda French Cuirassiers

Despite my best intentions I am a lot behind where I planned on the hobby front. It's now February for goodness sake! I have however been able to complete twelve of those Zvezda French Cuirassiers I am painting up for a friend and so without further ado, here they are.

They are beautifully animated figures and the detail is quite amazing. I have a few more to do before I hand them over. After that I really must finish the last twelve Confederate infantry for my Rebels and Patriots ACW army. I have a few days off at the end of the month so fingers crossed.

More Airfix Waterloo

Having reached a milestone of more games played in 2019 than 2017 & 2018 combined I have also been slowly adding to various collections. The first is this British artillery base.

Waterloo Horse Artillery - probably my favourite of all the Airfux sets

I have a few more weeks of shift work to go before I join the 9-5 set so I hope to increase output very soon. Rather than go bonkers and start painting everything I have I will probably stick with 4 main projects for 2019. Next up for the Airfix collection are those really useful marching French artillerymen. 

But for my next post are some 28mm ACW destined for some club games later in the year.

33rd Regiment of Foot (First Yorkshire West Riding)

With apologies for the lousy photography (I am using a back up camera) the Airfix Battle of Waterloo Project takes a small lurch forward.

Photographic special effects for that true 1970's look!

My period of being too busy with "stuff" should be over in the next couple of months so hopefully there will be a marked increase in output.

Next post should be the command bases needed to complete phase one of the French FPW army.

The Airfix 3rd Silesian Landwehr

Finally I have something to post. 

But first:

Sadly 2017 has not been a good year. I got a new job (same line of work but just a different employer in the City of London) but developed a niggling back ache. In turn this developed into something far more serious and in just over a week I have surgery on my spine. Coupled with the austerity measures for public sector workers such as myself it all makes for a less than certain future. All nasty stuff; which brings into focus that you really should enjoy the simple things in life - they are invariably the most important. 

So I give you the 3rd Silesian Landwehr:

Not a wobbly chin among these veterans!

"Back in the day" I would have busted a gut to have been able to achieve these kind of results so I am proud of this unit. A lot of them had to be completed while standing!I just hope they fulfill my battlefield expectations!

The standard is in the official Airfix box art pattern. Yes, I know!

I would like to be able to finish one more Airfix unit before I go under the knife, plus I have been re-basing my 15mm Franco-Prussian War figures which should be completed in the next two days. I will post the results and the ideas behind this once done.

In the meantime I hope you can enjoy a trip down Airfix memory lane when grand battles were fought, completed and put away over the kitchen table before fish fingers, mash potato and peas were served up for the whole family's tea!

The 2017 Campaign

My campaign plans for 2017 are made in the sure knowledge that if hobby time was sparse in 2016 its going to be very much the same this year too. Therefore all figure collecting and gaming adhere to my official 2017 mantra (to all things) of "Keep It Simple".

Airfix figures will form the bulk the work; after all it was 40 years ago that I started secondary school and discovered the wargaming hobby. Back in 1977 I could churn out a couple of Airfix units a week...I hope to be able to average 2 units a month now!

I have chosen to organise and base the figures for a more traditional 1:20 ratio set of rules such as General de Brigade, Black Powder or In the Grand Manner (I have all three!). The first of the allied units has been undercoated but already their completion date has been put back until beginning of February. They are a tribute to the best performing unit of my 2016 gaming; the Silesian Landwehr. I hope they fire as well as Ian's Hinton Hunt's did in June!

A Couple of Old Pictures

It has been a little quiet on the painting front but I did manage to retrieve some old pictures from (more than a few) years back:

Newline French Infantry in Greatcoat FR23 Refs

All figures from the excellent Newline Designs 20mm Napoleonic range. All figures now in the collections of other wargamers!

Newline French Dragoons FR11 Refs

I have started some more Newline Designs 20mm ACW figures which are coming on quite nicely. They will be my next proper post next week but for now please settle for a little nostalgia from the days when my figure output was much, much higher!

Proof of Life

It has been a little busy round here of late but I did manage to finish a few French Infantry for the Airfix Battle of Waterloo Project.

2 Infantry bases for "Age of Eagles" Rules

These are all "vintage" yellow figures so they do not suffer from the excessive flash that I encountered on the artillery. 

Hopefully I can get the remaining bases complete in the next week or so.

2nd Hussars Update

 I am continuing to reduce the horde of figures in the painting queue in order to get to grips with the larger formations required for the "Airfix Battle of Waterloo Project". Some figures have been simply put away: but others actually are getting finished, like these RSM95/Pax Britannica 20mm French Hussars.

2nd Hussars standing in reserve....and looking just dandy!

I have re-based them to a more generic standard as these fellows will not just be fighting the British in Spain and added a further two figures. The standard bearer is a simple enough conversion - a standard trooper with sword removed and given a flag pole instead. The Eagle is fashioned from Greenstuff - as is the busby. Flag from the AB Miniatures 18mm range.

Perhaps I need to add an Elite Company stand as well? The busby does look better than I hoped for.

I have to admit to being a huge admirer of these old figures. "Back in the day" I had a fairly sizeable Austrian/French collection which I used to buy mail order from the UK importer "Vandrad". The paint job back then really did not do the delicate detail justice, so hopefully these fellows start to make amends. 

I am now working through the first Airfix French infantry brigade and the 15mm FPW artillery. Not sure which will be finished first.

Airfix Waterloo French Foot Artillery

Finally the Airfix Battle of Waterloo Project has started. Here are the 3 guns and crew supplied in the big "new" Airfix Waterloo Farmhouse set. Moulded in a white plastic there was an awful lot of flash to try and remove showing the age of the moulds.

Nostalgia in a box.

However I have been blitzing ebay lately and have more than enough yellow plastic "originals" to make life easier next time round.

I have a lot of half finished figures in the painting queue so the next few posts will appear to be a little random - starting with those 15mm French artillery pieces for the Franco-Prussian War that I promised months ago.

Hinton Hunt Wargame 11th June 2016

Yesterday morning I made an early dash to Bath (lovely part of the country) to play a thoroughly enjoyable Napoleonic wargame using vintage Hinton Hunt from the collections of Ian and Roy.

I played the part of Wellington and had to settle to leading my side to second place. Your intrepid War Correspondent did not make extensive notes so I can only leave you with snapshots of the action from the Allied side of the table!

The Left Flank (Picton)

The serried ranks of Picton's Division in the early morning haze.

The French advance against Picton

The Swiss enter the Church yard...

...and get mauled horribly!

They didn't stay around much longer.

 The Centre (Wellington)

The source of much hilarity throughout the day and the only troops responsible for inflicting casualties on every nationality on the table-The Rocket Troop. Hurrah!

Napoleons Old Guard advance - which was to be my undoing.

With support from the combined Grenadiers and the guys with sky blue pompoms!!!

Despite the excellent musketry of the Silesian Landwehr (my Death Star unit on the table as it turned out!) the Old Guard contact the Allied line. The writing was on the wall for yours truly.

The British Naval Contingent's last stand in the Centre.

 The Right Flank (Blucher)

Over on the right flank the largest collection of A class cavalry ever assembled. The horse artillery piece would have been REALLY useful had it not been destroyed so quickly!

The whole right turned into a cavalry mincer for the Allied cavalry. Blucher's mid afternoon quote"Sorry I appear to have lost the cavalry" was a masterclass in understatement!

Blucher's infantry denying the French the 1VP for undisputed ownership of the "rock" - despite the constant threat from the remaining French cavalry.

 Games end!

The Centre has collapsed, the left flank is definitely ours and the right is holding on. Unfortunately the number of Allied routing/destroyed units tipped the balance against us!

All that remains is to say a huge thank you to Ian, Roy, Tony, Clive and Nigel for a thoroughly enjoyable game. Plus thanks to Mrs S for having us and the delicious food!