Generally speaking

 Two mounted generals were in the box of Eric’s Ottomans-

Labelled as ever, now to give them suitable names and perhaps personalities with positive or negative attributes for command.

The brightly painted general is a Minifigs Tartar with his lance cut down , mounted on a lovely half armoured horse. The other general is a drab but business like figure with lots of weapons and a shield plus a severed head hanging from his horse furniture. I don’t know the manufacturer.

So here they are , ready to lead Eric’s men into battle once again…

Next artillery, gunners and transport…

Here comes the cavalry or Oliver’s , sorry Eric’s, Army is here to stay

 As promised some goodies from Eric Knowles’s Army . Firstly ,as Bob commented,  Eric uses a fascinating mix of figures in his armies. This is evident in the figures he has used in this Ottoman Army- ancient, Persians, ancient Britains, Huns and so on. I find this approach both charming and refreshing and one I can identify with. Secondly Eric labelled his figures with sticky labels on the underside of the bases in his own hand writing. I am impressed by this and want to preserve the bases and labels. Now for some pictures-

Light cavalry - diverse periods and manufactures as Dellis or Tartars.

Labels on the underside of the bases, neat and concise .

Other light cavalry, not sure of who manufactured them. Lively animation…

Underside of the lively animated figures. I really like the style of them.

Heavy cavalry this time , mainly Minifigs, not sure what they are but they look the part.

Another view of the heavy cavalry showing the bases and labels.

Over the weekend I agonised about how to use these figures and yet retain their charm and labels. I thought of sabot basing, clear Perspex bases and on and on. Then it came to me - l will use them as they are base wise for square based the Portable Wargame . An ideal solution, allows them to remain intact with a variety of basing styles. Ideal l think. One final question l am tempted to varnish the figures to protect Eric’s paint job . What do you think ? Will the integrity of the figures be diminished if I varnish? 

Well worth watching

 I’ve probably posted this before but these BBC “Timeshift” documentaries on the history of railway modelling are well worth viewing-

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oX5ZEV354yI

Chhanges…

 Yesterday my last born moved into her new flat. The rain teemed down as we loaded the van yesterday evening. Today we were due to have my uncle and aunt over to view my father’s cinefilms from the 1960s and 70s .These were transferred to VHS and subsequently onto Dvd. Here is an image I found on the internet of what I can remember the camera looking like-

He documented family holidays, birthdays, Christmases and more. My uncle has never seen the films or probably more likely has forgotten them being shown on a projector over fifty years ago. My Subuteo games are there somewhere along with Action Men and more besides. Sadly little or no footage of toy soldiers . And so we were due to gather here today to wallow in the remembrance of times past but a bug hit the household over night and I had to cancel. Yes we hope to reschedule but my uncle is getting frailer and changes were not what anyone needed or wanted. Soon hopefully.

My email inbox and its contents informed me today that it is a hundred days to Christmas, information I could have lived without. 

Finally Thursday saw me getting round to unpacking a final box containing some of the late Eric Knowles’s Ottoman artillery, transport and cavalry. Fascinating finds lay within-

Much more on this when I collate what I have and begin to work how how to take these forward in my gaming whilst respecting the organisation, labelling and modelling of Eric Knowles, something I am more than keen to do. Here is a brief taster-

 

 

B day etc

 It was my middle daughter’s 28th Birthday today. 

Anna and I went to St Andrews and had an enjoyable lunch at Northpoint cafe.

As ever a walk along the beach was in order . Weather was kind to us and it was very pleasant.

Presents followed , she is a huge Percy Pig fan…

Family members came round for a meal and Angus baked a splendid birthday cake.

In St Andrews I discovered a bookshop I hadn’t been in before, went in and found this- very reasonable at £6.50. -

I am particularly interested in the scenic aspects of railway modelling and the development of the fully integrated scenic approach. This book has some fascinating articles about “ Notable Model Railways” giving an account of such in words and pictures.

A good day indeed.

Podcasts etc

 I enjoy listening to podcasts whilst working around the house and painting figures or modelling. Currently here are some of my favourites, which I access via free Spotify-

Firstly “ The Civil War , a history podcast”  which has been going for years I believe. It is about the lead up to, aftermath and conduct of the ACW. Often in fifteen minute episodes it has helped me come to grips with the social and political aspects of the period as well as the war itself. Easy to listen to and accessible plus every episode offers book recommendations.

Secondly “ Revolutions” which looks at revolutions in history reaching back to Roman times. I have been listening to the ones about the lead up to the 1848 revolutions. The podcast is a one shop stop to finally understanding the complexity of Europe at the time . It can be stacked full of interesting information in a dense way but remains always interesting. A perfect way of spending under an hour coming to grips with the history of Hungary , for example.

Thirdly “ The Oldhammer Fiction Podcast” which I have just found relatively recently. It is full of fiction based in the setting of warhammer.  I haven’t listen to loads of episodes yet but quite enjoy these stories from yesteryear. Probably one to dip in and out of.

For some reason l don’t seem to enjoy wargaming based podcasts although sometimes the interviews with the good and the great of the hobby are fascinating. I would be interested in hearing what others listen to.

September seems to be increasingly busy, something l am not a big fan of. The calendar gets filled and there is less energy or enthusiasm for hobby matters or perhaps they are a mental escape, however briefly. Real life is either famine or feast at the moment. Once the current wad of family things gets done l hope to settle down to slightly quieter life as autumn approaches.

One interesting development is that l will be going to a weekly class in Glasgow, put on by the Open Learning department of the University of Glasgow . It is another Art History one. It will be fun to be in the  West on a weekly basis in the weeks of autumn into winter. I also look forward to a new lecturer and probably new students. I have found that those attending such courses are often fascinating to talk to having had a great variety of life experiences. All this and fifteenth/sixteenth century art!

Back in the H.R.E , you don’t know how lucky you are…

 Change is as good as a rest they say. Although I don’t have a great deal of time this week l am returning to this project from last year-

Hope to get a few semi flats begun…

In case you have forgotten what this was about follow the HRE label at the bottom of the post. It will take you to a Europe that never was…