Jacklex Naval Brigade

 I could not let 2014 without at least one more post. Here are the only figures I have  managed to paint in two months, the lovely N1 Naval Brigade Sailor advancing. Times six.

Jacklex 20mm sailors from HMS Nostalgia!

I am going for "look good en mass" appeal, but with output currently at less than a figure a week it is going to take some imagination at the moment! 

However I am going to end 2014 on a positive note, they are finished and six more of their mates are prepped and ready to go along with a company of the Lincolnshire's. 

So, Happy New Year to you all and I will be back in early 2015.

With Jacklex on the North West Frontier

Jacklex 20mm British Infantry

 While I clean up the Sudan War figures I thought it might be nice to show some other Jacklex figures that I painted a year or so ago. These figures are painted, based and gloss varnished for a traditional toy soldier look. My plan is to use "The Sword and the Flame" rules...using my original copy bought c.1980!

For a history of the Jacklex range there is none better than here, at Vintage20mil.

Jacklex 20mm Pathans

I have over the years painted the Colonial, ACW and Great War figures. It is a real treat they are still so readily available from Spencer Smith. 

Back to (Old) School...

Another downside of having no hobby time (just a damn long commute and everyone asleep when I do get home) does mean the mind begins to wander. 

I have been following the excellent "With Pyjamas through the Desert" blog for some time now and have purchased the excellent Gilder based "Sand of the Sudan" rules. I am halfway through reading Harry Pearson's "Achtung Schweinehund!"  for the third time - still as laugh out loud as the first read.

This and other random thoughts and ideas have lead me towards the next "big plan". An Old School Sudan collection using the 20mm Jacklex figures available from Spencer Smith Miniatures.

I have also come to the conclusion that 20mm really is "my scale" and frankly I see no reason to dabble in any other.

Hopefully the first of the British will be up for show early December and not a wobbly lip among them!

Been A Bit Busy Lately

My new department was in a bit of a mess so I have had some long, long hours to put in at work.  Hopefully things will calm down soon and I can get a little painting time in, probably some Franco Prussian or Crimean War figures.

In the meantime here is one of the illustrations that hooked me into the 19th Century period.

Bringing Up the Guns

I finally have something new to show for October...hoorah!

18pdr Limber & Crew from the Tumbling Dice "Old Contemptibles" 20mm range.

 It has been a very unusual month...two weeks ago I was transferred to a completely different department with 48 hours notice and have not stopped running myself ragged since then. No hobby time at all but fortunately they honoured my previously booked holiday and so I was able to finish this little arrangement to add to my 1914 BEF collection.

Hopefully things will calm down after a while otherwise my (already slow) painting output will become positively glacial. For now though I have a few more 1914 German infantry prepped and ready for painting-hopefully finished before I go back to work next week.

After that I intend to have look again at some of the "classic" 19th Century Continental Wars.

British Infantry 1914

As the highly imaginative title for this post says at last we have the beginnings of a British Rifle Company to add to the BEF. For some reason the colours seem a bit muted in these shots.

 I am actually running low on TD figures and in particular do not have many more British infantry left in the lead pile. However I have promised myself no more figure purchases for a while (certainly not until next year), so I will just have to finish up what I have*.

Next up will be some additions to the British 18pdrs, followed by more Germans.

*HUGE caveat on the new Airfix WW1 releases!

A Nice Big British Gun

I thought I would pick up with the British to start with this month and what better than a little morale boosting support in the shape of a 60 pdr? Tumbling Dice figures and models again and although they are "wargames" figures I do believe they make a lovely little vignette.

 

Sadly they do not produce a limber for this piece nor can the barrel be modeled in the transporting configuration however I have found a company that do so watch this space!

 

 A Medium Gun battery for "Crush the Kaiser" consists of 1 gun and 5 crew-including the FOO. I have placed the FOO on the base just because he looks good with the gun and will mark his real position on the battlefield with a suitable map marker.

Anyway I am working on the first British rifle company and more 18 pdr artillery. May even have something to post again by Sunday. 

Rebel Cavalry Reserve

I have finally finished the remaining Pax Britannica/RSM 95 ACW figures. A restrained pose for the Southern cavaliers I think. This marks the last of the commission work and so I am able to say whatever comes next is all for me...hooray!

I will start by adding to the 1914 British and will probably not return to the "War Between the States" chapter until the New Year when I pick up on those Western theatre 10mm figures started in the Spring. 

German Gun Line 1914

Ready to pound the BEF...

 I have managed to fix the problem with the back to front gun shields and we now have a suitably impressive looking gun line to support the Kaiser's infantry. Once again, figures from the lovely Tumbling Dice "Old Contemptibles" range. 

I have the British artillery next in the WW1 painting queue and am looking forward to adding a bit of khaki to the collection.

...this time with the gun shields the right way round!

However, next up are the long overdue ACW cavalry. Once these are done I am free to push ahead with my own projects, primacy for the rest of this year will be the Great War collections.

Bavarian Artillery 1914

 I must admit that I thought twice about posting these pictures. I was most impressed with the results of my first Tumbling Dice German artillery in the shape of the 77mm Feldkanone. That is until I realised "the mistake".

Now even though the  artillery crew helmet's should have a ball rather than the spike (except for the Bavarian artillery) I can live with that.

 

No, the problem is one of my own making - I put the gun shield on back to front!

I will have to pull this one and the half completed one apart and do it properly. Bit of a pillock really!

This is the second "Doh!" moment in relation to these figures this week. I did seriously consider using the WW1 plastic figures from Airfix for my 1914 collection. However I decided against it on the grounds that while I could convert the ACW artillery into German and French pieces, it would be time consuming and fiddly.

So, what do I find out?  40 odd years down the line Airfix are finally filling the gap and producing 1914 French infantry and artillery, plus German and British (13pdr) artillery too. Available by the end of this year apparently. I'm sure I will be able to find an excuse to buy a box or two!

For the next post I am going to fix the artillery and finally finish those ACW cavalry I have been putting off for too long.

20mm American Civil War Artillery

 I seem to be making some progress now that the school holidays are over. Firstly I have sorted out the figures I am keeping in the lead pile. Secondly I have made progress on the last of the commission work-the much delayed 20mm ACW figures.

 I only have a dozen or so cavalry figures to paint up and then I am completely free to paint up stuff for me!

 I will be picking back up on the WW1 collection first. I have started on the German and British artillery with a horde of infantry to follow them up and exploit the holes they punch in the front line...it will probably all be over by Christmas.

Wargaming the Franco Prussian War #2

Essex Miniatures 15mm Franco Prussian War Command Stand

After due consideration* I have made a small change to my choice of scale for the Franco Prussian War...15mm. 

*In this instance "due consideration" was me finding a large biscuit tin stuffed with even more 15mm figures covering a number of 19th Century conflicts.  Compared with the relatively paltry pile of 28mm figures I was shamed into this decision.

Here's some I prepared earlier!

Wargaming the Franco Prussian War

40mm Grenadier of Napoleon III's Imperial Guard 1870

 I did intend to finish up some more ACW figures before introducing the Franco Prussian War onto the blog. However I started to paint this 40mm figures from Gringo 40s Miniatures and, well, I could not stop. The chapter of Glover's book that has always grabbed my attention is "The Rise of Prussia" and lets face it, when it comes to European Wars of the 19th Century the FPW is "the big one".

The figure comes with 3 headgear variants...

and the bathroom sink strapped to his back!

I will not go into the amount of  FPW collections I have started over the years but rooting round in the various boxes and biscuit tins that house the lead pile I found 10, 15, 20 and 28mm figures aplenty.

So it was crunch time, I want to go back and start collecting again. A choice had to be made. The smaller 10 or 15mm scale was the logical choice. The most complete ranges for the Imperial and Republican phases and small enough to recreate the huge battles of the war. 20mm is my generally favoured scale, it's patchy in places but with a little imagination all troops could be represented. Or should I go with the 28mm big boys? Costly, space consuming and with annoying gaps in the biggest of the ranges, Wargames Foundry.

The winner is...28mm of course! 

More to follow in the coming months, but next up artillery. Mainly 20mm ACW but also the new French Guard Horse artillery released this month from Newline Designs.

The 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment 1815

20mm Newline Designs British Infantry. Flags from AB Miniatures 18mm range.

 As mentioned in earlier posts I have extended my Napoleonic collection to include the 100 Days Campaign. Newline Designs produce the most comprehensive range of 20mm Napoleonic figures in the universe, they match my RSM95 figures perfectly and they look great. The choice was simple!

Another chance to model puddles!

I chose to start my Waterloo Allied army with Alten's Third Division as it contains some excellent troop types; British line, KGL and Hanoverian's.  The 30th were part of Halkett's 5th Brigade.

Newline vs RSM95 20mm figures. Excellent match size wise.

My next posts will all be ACW figures, they mark the last of the commission work. 

While it is always useful to have extra pocket money for my hobby I am looking forward to painting just for me...starting with some thoughts about the Franco-Prussian War.

20mm Newline Designs British Napoleonic Infantry completed August 2014.

"1864" Trailer

As mentioned last month a very interesting looking Danish TV production due to be released in October. Hopefully available to view in the rest of the world very soon after.

The 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment

 With these images I believe I have managed to double the amount of painted RSM 95 British Napoleonic figures available to view on the internet...the others being my May posting!

Viewers will be pleased to hear that I have some "proper" mdf bases now...so no more base warping after this unit.

RSM 95 figures are "small" 20mm. AB flags are for "big" 18mm figures. The two match up very well I think. 1/72nd flags look too big on these fellows. 

30 figure unit based for Black Powder rules.

I have also be painting up the first of my Waterloo British infantry, which will be my next post.

Muddy Puddles

After what seems an eternity I have been able to pick up a paintbrush and finally finish the Confederate infantry. As mentioned many times before these are the fantastic 20mm figures from the RSM 95 range.

They are destined for a diorama depicting the attack on the "Mule Shoe" at Spotsylvania. A savage assault across boggy ground - hence the "puddles".

 Must say I am quite impressed by the effect and when I eventually get started on my Inkerman collection I plan to do similar. 

These fellows will be posted out to their new owner tomorrow leaving me a little time to finish my next (British) Peninsular War Regiment before I get cracking on the cavalry and artillery support for these fellows.

This Looks Really Good...

1864...a Danish made for TV series coming out in October 2014 covering the Second Schleswig Holstein War. Apparently will be shown on BBC4. Can't wait!

More 20mm ACW - A Work in Progress

It has been a while since my last post, so here is the sum total of over a months painting. Forty Confederates from the RSM95 20mm range. I have another 18 infantry to paint and then I will be sending them off to their new owner, followed later by some cavalry and guns. After that my painting time is my own.

Currently in the queue are my own ACW (in 10mm), Napoleonic (now expanded to include the Hundred Days Campaign), WW1 Germans and British plus a fledgling Franco Prussian War collection.

All I need is a bit of spare time!

Drum Roll Please...

My "Sharpe - est" wargames unit to date.

Here is what I consider to be the best wargames unit I have ever produced. As I said on my last post they were animated and painted for another collector who changed his mind with them and gave them back. The yellow facings and Rifles officer were an idea which appealed to him. Well, I am an Essex lad!

I have now re-based them and brought the numbers up to make a 36 man unit ready for Black Powder (or similar) rules.

The figures are from the old Pax Britannica (now RSM95 range) 20mm range - the rank and file figures started off as a pose "British infantry advancing", but they animate splendidly with a little cutting and twisting.

I have gone a bit picture heavy for a single unit with this post but as they are my "bestest ever unit", they deserve to be shown off!

Slight change of plan with the next few posts - now they will be the ACW in 10 & 20mm scales. 

RSM95 20mm figures animated, painted and re-based from 2012-2014!

Cannot rush these fellows!

More Figures From Mr. Hezzlewood

Here are some more Hezzlewood figures I animated and painted few years back for a collector.  Interestingly he started a blog and passed them of as his own work. Well, he never signed a Prenuptial Agreement. Anyway, his interest was short lived and he actually gave all the figures back!

Classic 20mm Hezzlewood figures still available in the US from DPC as the RSM/95 range.

Here are the hussars. I am changing the bases to suit Black Powder rules and to get rid of the sand colour. Never did like that finish. I need to build up the numbers for the unit and as the range does not include Elite Company figures I need to start making some busbies. 

I have managed to add some British command bases and start to rebase the matching French.

However my favourite work to date is a British Infantry battalion which I have nearly finished basing again. That will be my next post. 

Then it is back to the Tumbling Dice WW1.

The War Between the States

Figures from the late Steve Hezzlewood's Pax Britannica range. Available from the Dayton Painting Consortium in the USA

Those who followed my old blogs will know that the American Civil War is the period I have gamed the most: 20mm is probably my favourite scale: to my mind Steve Hezzlewood's 20mm figures are the best sculpts in this scale. Ergo, these must be the best wargames figures ever. Or something like that.

They are, like the Tumbling Dice WW1 figures, under represented image wise on the net. So here is my little bit to redress the balance.

Despite the fact that I sold off all my painted ACW figures, including the Airfix ones, earlier this year and the very obvious attraction of the Hezzlewood range I have decided to start again from scratch in a completely different scale.

Here is a work in progress shot of my embryonic 10mm ACW collection:

Hopefully the base work will be completed by the end of the weekend.

10mm figures from Pendraken and based for Fire and Fury. Completed April 2014.

More German Infantry

 

As promised I have added to the German infantry. My main concern, with such a long break in between painting sessions (2 years), was that I would not have the same paints or forgotten which one's I used. Fortunately I found a scrap of paper which listed the colours in the tin of unpainted stuff. None of it was a dried lump at the bottom of the pot either. Very handy!

I am moving back to the British artillery next as I wait for more round individual infantry bases. Plus it makes a break from the field grey. 

However, my next post will be a small digression onto the War Between the States and more figures that are unrepresented on the internet.

22 figures, less than two companies-these units are going to be big.

10 more Tumbling Dice German infantry completed April 2014.

Looking Back To 2012

So, while I wait for the paint to dry on the latest German infantry, a quick look back at what I managed to complete in 2012. 12 infantry, 1 artillery piece and a MG and crew. Clearly I need to up my game here-"Crush the Kaiser" has over 50 figures per German infantry battalion for example. 3 battalions to a regiment. I definitely need to burn the proverbial midnight oil.

What I hope does show in the photographs is the charm of these little figures. The Tumbling Dice "Old Contemptibles" range has been around for years now, it covers the whole conflict and is very reasonably priced. Stood side by side with 1/72nd scale plastics they appear small-but they match well enough when spaced out the wargames table. Besides the range has pretty much everything you need in one place.

But enough rambling. I hope that the bases on my next batch dry sooner rather than later (I decided to use oil colour and a "quick dry" additive as the base coat a few hours ago - still looks wet to me!). Will post them as soon as I can.

Tumbling Dice 20mm figures completed 2012.