Variations on a theme

Now all in all despite my butterfly habits when it comes to wargaming and model soldiers I do seem to keep coming back to the 17th century. I have largish ECW armies in 25/28mm(take your pick they are of course the same). Ealier posts will show you at least one of the battles- see Battle of Theakstons Folly.
I suppose it's what comes of sapending 10 years as an ECW re-enactor but the period has always been one of my favourites not just ECW but the Thirty years War too- especially the involvment of English Scots and Irish Mercenaries. So here we see the first of my "Munroe's Regiment" in 40mm - equally it could be Mackays since the latter became the former. In Danish and then Swedish service until the 1630s there is even a little evidence to suggest that the remnants ended up in Ireland- certainly Robert Munroe did- in the army defeated at Benburb by another Mercenary come home Owen Roe O'Niell - who had fought for the Spanish..
There was a lot of that in those far off times. Professional soldiers following the Drum across Europe. ECW Generals Waller and Hopton both fought in Bohemeia and the Earl of Essex fought for the Dutch. Lesser names fought in Poland Saxony and all across Germany. The Scots especially providing troops and Officers for Swedish, Danish, Moskovite and Polish and Dutch armies- but especially Swedish.
So thinking upon these variations the next 3 pictures show officers of various armies of the later 30 years War period- most of whom would be equally at home in ECW armies. All are 40mm and like Munroes they are made from a variety of parts. Mostly Romanoff but with Sash and Saber heads or jacdaw with Romanoff heads . The parts are all pretty interchangeable /. They were designed that way. I wanted the interchangeability. - this would be a pain in 25mm but the bits are big enough to get your fingers round in 40mm .
sculptors do this sort of stuff all the time- small variations in a basic figure. Some charge the bloody earth for it too . I've been quoted £40.00 for a simple arm variant- about 15 minutes work according to the lad who got the job- and DIDN'T charge anything like that.. Some sculptors are just taking the **** but if you are daft enough to pay then fine. However there are plenty of lads out there who do a good job for a fair price so you takes your pick...

Ancient and Modern.

Now as you know I'm a bit of a polymath- thats posh for "never stick to one project for long" If I was female it would be called multi-tasking and I would be told how good at it I was but I'm not I'm a chap so while women never finishing anything is called multi-tasking and if OK even laudable if you are a bloke its called never finishing anything and is simply part of life.
So the 40mm Greeks are one of those projects that stutter on and off. The plan is to do Pelopennesian War forces for battles between city states. However this was disrupted when I opened the box after a show last year and discovered they had been given a right "elvising" - ie "all shook up"- laugh,I thought I'd never start ! . So away they went out of sight out of mind sort of thing.However the recent extract from Hail Ceasar (que - Sid Jmaes!!) in Miniature Wargames caused me to dig 'em out and see how bad the damge was. Nothing a bit of superglue couldn't put right - and a drop of paint here and there so here they are . Now all I need is about another 200 or so plus some more peltasts anda few cavalry- all of which I have or can make but painting will slow the job down.
At the other end of the scale are these 15mm Moderns- painted for me by Paul Cotton . These are "Middle Eastern Regulars" from my 15mm Modern Range and are deliberately generic . They'd even do as Cubans at a pinch, its all in the paint job. Now my pattern maker has finished the new Warrior W.R.A.P. and its out on the site I'm on a bit of a moderns kick at the moment but as ever it won;'t last and other stuff will catch my eye.
Next game won't be 'till June as I have 3 shows in May. Falkirk on the 7th being the first the Tripleson 21st and 22nd then Newark on the 29th I think so a crowded month 30% of a years' shows in 1 month - "somone has blundered" methinks! Actually its the venue owners for Triples- they dumped on the organisers from a great height so it was take it or leave itas if basketball actually matters- at least on this side of the pond. However it takes all sorts so they tell me.
However said game will be at the Durham Wargames Group Open Day on the 11th June. Now this is a small local show as I've doubtless said beforeand The T.W.A.T.S and I have been doing a game the for the past 5 years or so. This year its a toss up between ECW and 18th century- and the probability is that it will be 18th century.. Especially as I'm told Robbie Roddiss and his crew can't make it this year.
In a roundabout way this has brought me to a decision. I'm getting shot of some of my 18th century collection. Only a few units - all Front rank because they are fat and I just don't like the look of them anymore. There are at least 3 French Cavalry units maybe 4 and some French Light infantry . Painting ranges from the Superb- by Steve Skinner- to the not half bad- by me to the They'll do . As more Jacdaw come out the FR will be replaced by them I've always had an ambivelent attitude to FR. Casting quality and detail is excellent -posing and anatomy ranges from the OK to Gwd 'elp us. Detail while excellent is often overdone. I can see why chaps like 'em but they are so static so now the Jacdaw De Saxe Dragoons are fairly imminent and then Gendarmerie these FR units can move on .

This won't do- write me down a victory!!

- From the diary of General Hertz Van Rentaals Saturday March 26th. Now I have entered the service of his majesty Frederick of Prussia it behoves me to tell you dear Diary of an action fought this day against the Austrian army commanded by my one tome comrade Avis Van Hire also from the United Provinces. ....
For the record this game - umpired and run by Jim Main and using his superb 10mm collection had a toal of 5 players, 3 Prussian and 2 Austrian. The Austrians had 48 infantry stands - each of 14figures in 8 6 stand Infatry battalions 3 cavalry regiments of 4 stands each - 4 figs to a stand and 2 guns . The Prussians mustred 11 Infanrty regiments at 4 stands each - so 56 little men per battalaion 4 cavalry regiemtns and 4 guns. Rules used were AOR - mostly unmodiefied. Each stand represented the usual 3 figure AOR base so the number of little men was- in this case for the look of the thing- in which they suceeded admirably.
now back to Van Rentaals Diary.

I disposed my forces in4infantry Brigades with the bulk of the cavalry on my right to my left front the Austrians skulked behind the mass of the Largerberg ridgeand our right outwinged them.They somewhat outwinged me on my left but such was their defensive posture that it concerned me not

After a little prelimenary movement the action commenced in earnest with Prussian cavalry charging the slowly emaerging Austrian Horse and after a sharp figt putting some- but not all to flight. In the left centre the Prussian guns gained the height of a small hill withing range of the Largerberg and commenced to batter the Austrian Infantry. The Prussian guns would perform somewhat above the norm all dayand effectivly accounted for 2 of the Austrian Infantry units.
Meanwhile on the right the Austrian horse- albeit weakened had rallied somewhat and while a major and prolonged firefight ragres along the main infanrty lines sought to hold the Prussian horse and even put in a couple of spirited charges against hard pressed prussian foot - capturing a brigadier in the process. However this brave action saw the end of the Austrain horse and with Prussian Hussars rampaging about their reras areas (OOOH Ar missus !!) and the rally Prussian Kurassiers again beginning tpo threaten the remaiming Austrian foot began to draw off..
The firefight in the centre had been long and bloody and had it not been for the preformance of the Prussian guns the day had gone hard for the Prussian foot. As it weas their weakend conditiion led to a most lacklustre follow up . Indeed there seemed to be a heavy sigh of relief about the Prussian camp as the Austrians staggered off into the dusk.
The actual game was fiarly fast running - starting at 1 pm and finishing around 5 - including beer, fag and buttie breaks.( alas gentle reader some of our bretheren still use cigges!!).
On the photos the dice next to units are casulaty markers so in AOR termsthe Austrians had 16"hoits" before a battalion was wiped out the Prussians 12 - though no unit on either side was actually wiped out- it was close a couple of times though!
All the figures were from the Old Glory 10mm range the infantry come in 5 figure strips which are- as Jim has proved easy to cut- his infantry bases have 14 figures on them . This makes for some fine lookin units - real linear warfare indeed.
I'm in the chair for the next game- hopefully sometime in April I have absolutly no idea what will take my fancy by then.

Busy busy.

Had a busy few weeks here at OGUK. What with bundles of new kit coming out left and right. More on the way too. Finally managed to get a few more JACDAW 30mm out French Grendiers- Charging Black Watch and more French Guards.
Biggest release from the UK is on the aircraft front though where we have a total of 7 new planes either out or iminent- all WW2 The picture is of a Fokker- no honest - in Finnish Service with skis to land on frozen lakes. We now have about 50 model aircraft and what started as a small project has grown a bit.
The 18th century pics are of course all JACDAW. These examples painted by sculptor David Wilson . This range also continues to grow albeit more slowly than the aircraft but there are now around 40 packs all told French ,British and a few Austrians with more to come.
As you know I'm quite taken with the Bluemoon 15mm Marlburians- well got my eyes on the ACW range last week and they are every bit as good - perhaps better. Now there is no way I'm doing ACW in 15mm go too many 40mm for that but these are very nice indeed so I'll be having a couple of display units painted for the shows and photgraphs.
For now though its back to painting 40mm Napoleonics - I need to have more French done by mid June for thre Durham show . These appear firsat as I almost always forget that you upload picture ares about face as Grandad Albert would have said- he was the one who rode in the TT in the 1930s so family legend has it . Certainly he was a great motor bike fiend so heres to the King of the mountain... Non TT fans might not get that but I always make a point of watching the TT races if I can .
Andy

And now for something.....

I've long had an interest in the middle ages. In my wargaming life I've had lots of assorted medieval armies. Normans- currently working on my 4th Norman Army this time in 40mm. Hundred Years War , at least 3 or 4 armies French English and Flemish - not to mention Scots. All long gone now except for a few disply Items. My 40mm Wars of the Roses have been about on this blog and are still extant - even slowly growing but that does not account for these chaps.
54mm "Toy style" Knights-over the last few years I've built up a small collection of mostly Britains levened by a few Mulberry and a single Jose Akmeyer. This all started with Peter Greenhills excellent book Heraldic Minuiature Knights which I bought years ago primarily for the info it contains. Nevertheless the pictures of Courtenay, Ping,Greenhill and Almeyer knights got me going. Now most of these are way out of my price range- a Courtenay mounted Knight can fetch around £1500.00 at auction assuming you can find one so not being awash with spare cash I picked up these few over the years mostly on ebay.
HenryV directing his archers are all Britains. The melee- with Price Philip "le Hardi" on the ground are all Mulberry. The Black Prince- with an extra lion on his caparison is my only Almeyer duelling with a Britains mounted Knight.
All of these of course come pre painted in the shiny style- only the Black prince has any attempt at "realism". I'm not sure where to go with these . They have charm and an attraction but I'm not sure Iwant to continue to collect... but we'll see Have not yet made my mind up.

Sikh Wars picture.

I found this photo in an archive of mine while searching for some Napoleonic pictures. It's a selection of my 25mm Old Glory Sikh Wars figures- a period I've often thought about. I have a couple of period memmoirsand a biography of Joesph Thackwell- who led the cavalry - as well as several regimental histories from unitswho fought in the wars. I painted these -or had them painted , some are mine some not, as dsiply stuff for shows but Jim the painter and I both fancy the period so maybe it will go further.

Up the Frontier and"figure Fascists"

So there I was having a little tidy up - as you do- and Lo and behold out pops this golden box once containing cosmetics, now holding some of my venerable North West Frontier collection and incidentally containing the only Foundry figures I have left in my personal collection- the mountain gun crew- though the gun is an Old Glory piece. The rst are a mix of Willie and Stadden with the odd Connoiseur figure . These all mix pretty well with the Old Glory Bengal Lancers, Mountain Battery Mules and British Infantry I have its just that they have not fought for some years- The OG Bengal lancers need reconditioning after several years "on the road" as part of the display case collection. The whole period of course screams to be gamed but it isn't easyand while I've done it in the past of late it has fallen out of favour. Nevertheless I thinks it may be time to look again and get my Kipling out not just the Frontier but the whole subcontinent.
What caught my eye here was asusuall the movement of the figures and how despite the "figure fascists" they all fit together well becasue of the paint job . Now I don't claim to be the greatest painter about but despite the eyesight I can do a bitand its a matter of using the colours and the figure to create what you want. Not as the "system freaks" have it simply layering on painting by numbers style to create anothert clone. Now don't misunderstand here- paint any way you want after all they are your toys but be aware that there are other methods than the "recieved wisdom " of the "use this paint this way" brigade.
Again I don't blame the designers for figure fascism but rather chapsc who know no better and would if they could reduce us all to gaming with simlar clones of each other. Its odd to me that so many of todays figures are difficult to tell apart from the magazine adverts. However that as they say is for them.
As for the Frontier its tailor made for chaps who like me prefer Umpire controlled games and the scope for an evil minded umpire is enormous- assuming of course that he knows the period. Now I'll need to revise as its been a while but British India is probably the largest section of my not inconsiderable library (if you don't have the info how the hell can you game the period) not just the Frontier but Clive, Coote, Wellington Roberts etc etc all did a turn there so I will perhaps ressurrect these forces too - More tidying up Iknow I have a box of partly painted mutiny sepaoys somewhere.!!1