Albion Field Day

 I’ve been working on some cavalry conversions to add to the metal lancers which made up the Albion Cavalry. I’ve added some rifles/carbines to both foot and mounted figures and have painted them as various Albion heavy cavalry. Here they are going through their paces...

Hip to be square?

 These arrived yesterday and today I managed to have a read of them over coffee in the garden. 

Nice straightforward rules with some interesting and fun mechanisms. I look forward to trying them out later in the week . Here is a link to Bob C’s webpage with his thoughts and a link to the author’s blog

http://wargamingmiscellany.blogspot.com/2020/09/new-edition-of-table-top-battles.html

Well worth supporting I think.

Resins to be cheerful part two

 Well it had to be titled thus didn’t it! A few photos of the new recruits on parade in Albion.

Resins to be cheerful

 I picked up these fellows on eBay for less than fifty pence each.

There are thirty of them and they are very tall indeed, see comparison with a Britains/ Herald lifeguard! The figures are made of what seems to be resin or hard plastic. They have a brittle sound and feel to them. I have had similar sized soft plastic figures in this pose but can’t lay my hands on them currently for comparison. These resin chaps have no markings on the base but two wee circular indentations. They are charming, very tall, not quite sure what I will do with them but am pleased to have got them. Anyone recognise them?

Looking forward towards the next six months

 Been thinking today that not a lot is going to be different over the coming months in terms of seeing folk and going places. Not even much on the horizon on face to face gaming front. During the week I enjoyed a local autumnal walk.

I am beginning to plan what projects to work on and what to mothball. A range of scales and periods seem a plan. Over the coming days the mothballed will be put away in the shed and the things to be worked on will be brought inside the house. Horizons seem to be shifting inwards, courses on line only and travel a distant memory.Although sunny today I am pretty sure that it was near zero overnight. Can’t seem to shift an alternating stuffed up nose/ sneezing cold , not Covid related. Sorry for this melancholic post ,normal service will be resumed soon.

22nd Regiment N.G S.N.Y dress uniform

 Made a start on some figures for Army Stars Spangled by adding metal heads to some plastic figures

which started life as Guards but will take on a new identity in the army of a very close neighbour to Maple Leaf Country. Dorset Miniatures Danish Cavalry kepi was the head used to depict these National Guardsmen. Off to add some paint..

By armchair to Leeds

 Yesterday afternoon and much of today I have spent in Leeds from the comfort of my armchair 

I was attending an online event to celebrate 500 years since the Field of the Cloth of Gold and the Royal Armouries online exhibition about it. I had two lectures yesterday and three today. All were different from each other yet equally fascinating. Highlight for me was this afternoon’s by a French academic who shared information about tournaments in France, most of which was completely new to me. A great big thank you to the Royal Armouries for organising this ( booked through eventbrite but it was free) and making scholarship widely available. Here is a link to the online exhibition https://royalarmouries.org/tudor-power-glory/

Took my Chevy...

 Been working on 1930s Swedish armoured cars which were based upon Chevrolet trucks. I found a couple on eBay, added plasticard as armour and here are the results with 28mm crews. Here are the finished armoured cars, pictures of the real life prototypes for the models and the eBay purchases as they arrived yesterday.

Army Star Spangled or opposition for Maple Leaf Country & Albion

 Recently I had been thinking about another country to add in with Albion and Maple Leaf Country as an opponent. This , as some of you may recall, is a 54mm toy soldier ongoing project. The idea is to use old toy soldiers, convert some and maybe a few recasts. Anyone I was researching American uniforms of the later nineteenth century, particularly dress uniforms of the National Guard. I was aided in this by the fantastic prints from the Company of Military Historians -http://www.military-historians.org/company/plates/images/postCWUS.htm#z available on line ( I have a volume of their prints of the FIW and AWI bought in London 1986 which is a terrific book) and some books of my own-

Notes were taken and ideas pondered upon. I was also helped by a splendid new blog https://wargamingwith54mmtoysoldiers.blogspot.com/search/label/United%20States%20Infantry%20c.1880which shows what can be done with Britains guardsmen etc. I am looking forward to getting some eBay Britains and Dorset Toy soldiers heads and the fun can start. I was amazed at the variety of American uniforms in the prints. Loads of conversions asking to be worked on!

Tradgardland in the 1930s - uniform research...

 Today I have been researching Tradgardland uniforms of the 1930s My first sources were these books-

It is hard to find information as the Tojhusmuset in Tradgardstadt does not have as good range of publications as it’s illustrious Danish counterpart. Hence the need to rely on Danish and other sources.

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The Duchy of Tradgardland tended to be conservative in uniforms, often seeming old fashioned by European standards, hence the look in the above photo. Other influences can be observed from the photos below which show the first khaki uniforms and the influence of Norwegian uniforms of the period. 

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We’ve got ourselves a convoy ... in Tradgardistan

 Been working on some transport for our chaps in Tradgardistan. Firstly an improvised armoured car fashioned from an old embassy car with some corrugated iron attached. Secondly the Craigshire infantry have acquired a truck to save them marching-

Intelligence gathering ( or gossip from the bazaars, you choose) suggests that the Man with The Golden Gun and Sword has acquired some advisors in the form of French Army Officers supposedly on leave. We await confirmation of this... 

1930s Swedes finished but what next...

 Here are the finished 1930s Swedes in a variety of uniforms. They have come up well -

However I am not sure what to do with them! Only thing I can come up with is to include them in my Tradgardistan games as a next door province which might get involved. I don’t fancy using them with vbcw currently.All suggestions welcomed!

Today in Tradgardland

 

Listening to the talks from Oxonmoot 2020 whilst finishing the Interwar Swedes and starting on Napoleonic Jack Tars from Perry Miniatures. Looking forward to the Virtual Wargames Club this afternoon. Not too late to join in the fun, just contact Phil Olley .  

Progress

Made progress on these 28mm Swedes from the 1930s. They are manufactured by Historifigs and available here http://adalen.historifigs.com/

Interesting painting guide and background to Swedish equipment and uniforms here-

http://adalenfigures.blogspot.com/2013/06/landstormen-home-guard.html

 

On the painting table today

 

North Albion troops on parade

Finally finished my 54mm North Albion troops yesterday with a coating of pva to add shininess. They have been worked with on and off for ages. All have been given new paint jobs ( apart from three pipers etc) and quite a few required new rifles, legs and bases etc. They have come up well. Any suggestions for their deployment most welcome...

Trial game

I set up the game. The look of it appeals to me and the small squares don’t affect that. I think a bigger board is in order but that isn’t a priority yet. First thing I noticed was giving everyone javelins made it a quick and bloody first few turns. Note to self - Romans can throw pillium only at much shorter range ( javelins range 12 squares) and perhaps javelins should be restricted in their use.

The photos show the game after two turns. More later...

Return to Lurland with Morschauser

Earlier this year I began my Hyboria homage campaign project using zinnfiguren/flats based in Lurland. It fell by the wayside and now seems a good time to pick it up. I spent much of the last few days repainting,basing and varnishing figures. I also reread Joseph Morschauer’s rules for the ancient period using individual figures, in units and on a grid. I decided to give them a go-

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When reading them over at breakfast today I found I already have a lot of questions about how to integrate skirmishers, bows, cavalry and armour into the rules. I put those aside and am giving the rules a go today and tomorrow. I will post my battle report and thoughts later...

Basing Flats: some examples

I decided to run with single basing ( more options given by this ) and have been trying out various basing looks. All my examples have been based on card, painted with textured paint and then dry brushed. After that I have added bits and bobs-

They have gravel, tufts and flowers in various combinations except for one of them that merely has green paint on it. I would be interested in your thoughts on these.

Subdivision etc

Yesterday afternoon I subdivided one of my gaming mats with dotted lines. I was reminded of school gym halls with different markings for different sports, if you know what I mean-

The dotted lines now provide 30mm squares and the solid lines 60mm. I wanted also to point to a couple of books-

One is an excellent read about the chap who began the Pendon Museum and the other is a John Curry reprint of  an early pioneer of the hobby. I am interested in his single figure grid based rules from 1967 with a view to trying them out for some Lurland games.

Pendon Virtual tour

I have never been to the Pendon museum in person, something I hope to remedy one day. I found this link to a virtual tour-
https://pendonmuseum.com/tour-introduction
Well worth a look. The models are amazing. Just the thing for  a dreich Saturday morning...

Britains Enemy in action this morning...