Third Light Dragoons

  I  managed to base all 20 of the 3rd Light Dragoons for the Sikh Wars collection over the weekend.

 The figures were painted for me by David Allan who has painted stuff for me previously. Most notable some rather nice ECW cavalry and some 40mm French Hussars which I no longer own . 

I have organised these in 2 10 figure  'wings' as the regiment began with four Squadrons when it went to war in 1845 around 500 or so strong but operating in wings was not uncommon.

  Jim and I now have between us about enough for a small introductory game for the period though both of us are still painting. I'm doing some Sikh irregulars and the 24th foot  plus some more British artillery. Jim is doing Sikh regulars.

Published- and in my grubby mits too!

 Arrived earlier today so I am feeling just a tad pleased with myself 

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The colour plates by Giorgio Albertini look splendid and as usual Helion's productio values are right up to the mark. 

Of course now all I have to do is source some figures for the various armies ...... 

Publication Date.

 

I have been given a publication date of July 21st - that would be NEXT WEEK DUDES !  for the publication of this my first book so you can see I'm just a tad exited about this.  Looking forward to it. 

Catching up on my reading 7

 

Last Christmas my wife Carole bought be a subscription to the BBC History magazine. I'd bought the mag of and on from newstands for several months before and found it always interesting and occasionally fascinating. Now the is not a Military History mag but rather general History and frankly all the better for that. Let's face it quite a number of the wargaming fraternity have a pretty narrow view of History - just like much of the general population only more so - therefore getting a more rounded view of the past cannot be but a Good Thing  (Sellar and Yeatman take note !) I may not always agree with the writers but they make you think which again must be accounted a Good Thing. The precise worth of individual copies will depend upon individual tastes but in the above issue alone we have mention of - Old Noll as you can see, but also Mary Wollstonecraft, The Tokyo Olympics- 1964- and Slime mould to mention only four highlights in a magazine that is full of both longish readable articles and fascinating little snippets. Past issues have included pieces on the Battle of Thermopylae, the Peasants revolt and the Sikh War.

All issues also have a plethora of book reviews and notices of historical events and event of interest to  the historically minded.  Never had a totally duff issue yet... wish the same could be said for wargames mags.

More "Spare Units" - well sort of ....

After a bit of heart- searching I have decided to unload my Front Rank Seven Years War units. I know plenty of chaps like Front Rank models and they do plenty of lovely stuff  but these have never been entirely to my taste. I bought them when I was building up my 28mm Seven years War collection  but the time has come for them to move on.

 All are for the French army. Most of them are cavalry as that is what I was short of a dozen or more years ago but there some Schomberg light Infantry  and an artillery piece with crew as well. Most were professionally painted, either by Steve Skinner or Rob Anderson. though the gun and some of the dragoons are my work.

  

Schomber Dragoons- Painted by Steve Skinner 15 figures 

Schomberg Light Infantry 26 figures painted by Steve Skinner 

Royal Dragoons and a gun and crew. Painted by me.

French Line Cavalry  painted by Rob Anderson.

More French Line Cavalry. Painted by Rob Anderson.

 2 shots of the Royal Dragoons. Painted by Rob Anderson. 

So in total there are 26 foot 57 cavalry and a gun and crew. These is also a 2 mounted figure command group - also painted by me but I don't yet have a pic of that.All of these pics were already in the files so to speak.  the 3 Rob Anderson painted units are each 12 strong. 

 Once I get a bit of time spare- rare currently-  I will post each unit individually on FB  Historical Wargames Buy Swap Sell .  But if anyone  fancies the lot  well offers in the region of £700.00. Shipping cost will depend upon where you live of course. 

More for India.

 So I am finally able to show some finished figures. All of which will be going into various "Indian" projects. All of these figures are Old Glory 25 or indeed 28mm (Yes Dudes they are the same thing for most people unless you have 3mm angst!). They come from various ranges - Indian Mutiny, North West Frontier, Crusades and Renaissance Persians.

Persian High command. These will, of course end up as Mughals.

A lovely mob. Models from the Cursade and the Indian Mutiny range . Old Glory 28mm.

Pathan Command. Lots of variants in this one- even the same bodies have head variants.

A smaller mob. These from the Old Glory Indian Mutiny range 

Another shot of the Pathan Command. The chaps with Sniders and Martini- Henry  will be for the 1897 Pathan Revolt. The chaps with Jezzails will become part of a Rohilla mercenary band for the 18th century.

So the assorted India project move on - slowly but they move. Quite chuffed at how many Old Glory models I can use to get into the earlier parts of British India . Next up are a bundle more Sikh Goracharra cavalry. 

Catching up on my Reading 6

 I don't often buy books on Naval matters but over the years I have amassed a small number of volumes about  messing about in boats- and not only by Kenneth Graham either.

 I have A.T.Mahn's Influence of Sea Power Upon History - a  portentous and now dated but still useful volume about warfare in the Age of Sail.plus a small collection of WW1 and WW2 naval books - probably less than 20 volumes all told. So when doing the supermarket chore the other week I was surprised to find Max Hastings' book OPERATION  PEDESTAL concerning the Allied 1942 attempt to get supplies through to Malta 

Now Hastings can read and write  but sometimes is a bit right wing for my taste but this one is a good un. He spares no one in the story of cock up and courage occasional cowardice and sheer bloody mindedness that was the four day battle to get supplies through to beleaguered Malta - which was only a bare few weeks from starvation . Operation Pedestal has been treated as one of those  British successes against adversity by the nationalist propagandists of WW2 and up to a point so it was but it was also a collection of balls ups- by both sides which turned- for the Axis a victory- which they trumpeted into a mere losing draw. Losses for the British were heavy- including a carrier sunk, an Admiral doing a runner  and only 5  merchant ships actually reaching their destination. Yet it was enough. Just- to enable Malta to survive . Of course if the prize was worth the cost is another matter but that does not stop the story being something of an epic in itself. Well worth purchasing especially if you can get it cheaper than list -which I did.  Nice one Max.