Catching up on my Reading 3

 I have had an interest in the late 17th century for some years- even though I currently own no armies for the period.  I have on my libraru shelves a good few of the books of the period. All of the usual suspects in fact. McNally Borrett, Childs, Lenihan Sapherhson,  Hall, Walton and Mahan(for the Naval side) to name but a few. I used  to be in partnership with Rob Anderson of Reiver Castings- we founded the company together- but could not give it my full attention  so sold my share to Rob some years ago. Rob is still a good mate in case you were wondering.

 So from that perspective  I have "form" so to speak so Barry Hilton't  "Every Bullet has its Billet  was if interest to say the least, especially as I am currently considering building armies for the Killiekrankie campaign. This last partly because I already have a bundle of Highlanders.

First impressions.

 The rather slim large format book looks good well up to the usual Helion standard. It is bright, full of eye candy and very colourful . Some might even say "inspirational". The actual text begins with a lightweight introductory gallop through some late 17th century campaigns, and none the worse for that if you are looking for a brief and not too taxing way into a new period.. For me this told me little I did not already know . The same goes for the chapter "Participating forces"- You will need to read more deeply to get a better picture but than what else would you expect. 

The Meaty Bit.

 However the real meat of the book- and there is some- are the chapters "Gaming the Period" and "Building and using a Force". This is where the book really scores- far better than I expected. I was particularly impressed by the section "Transferring Reality to the Tabletop" which every wargamer who  is more than a mere dice roller should read, mark, learn and inwardly digest. The photos here are particularly instructive to anyone who has little idea of how much space real units take up on a real battlefield.  I may not share Mr. Hilton's approach on all of these matters but here there was significant agreement. The book is almost  worth the cover price for this section alone. The book also contains a couple of scenarios 

This does not mean the book is faultless. I'm afraid I found the Naval section - while still very  useful- a little  like the Curate's Egg . I'm afraid the over enlarged photos of the tiny 1/2400 scale-  ships made them look  more than a little clumsy- which was unkind to those little models.

28mm 17th century Ottoman Turkish Spahis- Old Glory.

 The three scenarios- one Naval and two land are all tied to rulesets published by Mr. Hiltons company -  not sure if they would translate to other systems as I am unfamiliar with all three of the sets. Though the Donnybrook game should  probably easily translate to any reasonable low level skirmish system. As for the battle scenario I can't tell. Personally I feel the 12-18 figure units are a bit on the small side but then I like larger units for most periods.

Ottoman Turkish Command 28mm Old Glory.

The painting guides are useful  for those who don't know what paint feels like but again there is nothing useful there for veterans such as I. I have more paint than I can shake a stick at  and don't need to be told what size brush to use either. I know some chaps like such simple " How to's" but not me- been in the trenches too long.

Ottoman Turkish "Dellis" 28mm Old Glory.

The book finishes with the usual lists of products and resources which the new gamer will find useful. As you might expect this was somewhat selective perhaps reflecting some of Mr Hilton's preferences

Now before I continue I must admit to a bit of an interest here.   Just to make it clear. I am Old Glory UK. 

It is interesting that the "Miniatures" list details quite a few makers - perhaps most of them (Minifigs and Hinchliffe being absent despite the latters range of Poles and Ottomans and I'm pretty sure Minifgs do Ottomans and Marlburians and there may be others I am not aware of).  but while the mentions  in most cases give at least some details of what those makers produce - pertinent to the period- three in the list do not rate such detail- Front Rank, Reiver Castings and Old Glory. Reiver's range is extensive- Rob has expanded it far beyond what existed when we were partners in the venture including such esoterica as the Scanian War as well as models that I'll be using if I get the Killiekrankie project off the ground. . Front Rank likewise has an extensive range including some lovely Monmouth Rebels. As for Old Glory, well we have an extensive Ottoman range, the WSS and Pirates- as mentioned-  but also Poles Muskovites and Cossacks- all in 28mm Not to mention the Pirates- and ships- in the Blue Moon 15mm range as well as WSS and GNW  under the same Blue Moon label. Oh and a 10mm Marlburian range as well.  However this is merely personal nit-picking. So I will add a few pics to this post as extra -eye candy !

So  do I recommend the book? - well yes, given the above reservations-  rather surprisedly I do . It was much better than my first impressions and while there was not a massive amount in there for me personally it will definitely be of use to a newbie in the period.

 However as always it is wise to be aware that there are "more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy"... and that goes for all of us. 

 So Merry Christmas one and All... 

 

Christmas 2020 .

So it is THAT time of year again another December 25th looms. The Ebeneezer Scrooge Christmas Appreciation Society is in session. Not that I mind a bit of Crimbo cheer and to that end our last posting date will be December 19th. as Carole and I are having some time off. No more little soldier for a bit. 

Orders received after that date will not be posted until after NEW YEAR as I reckon they are safer in my stock room than kicking about the countryside and in various Post Office and Royal Mail sorting offices - or worse in some couriers van.

 We will be back to work properly around Jan 4th and first posting will be around that time. 

 Hope you all have a geat Crimbo - covid not with standing. Personally I am looking forward to a bit of peace and quiet- and maybe the odd tincture ..... 

Shinyloo quickie.

A few more shiny dudes finished means that this is now a four company French "regiment". Still some way to go- the rest of the Tete de Colonne for a start and for the look of the thing I want 5three centre companies at least. then with those and the Grenadier company the regiment will form an attack coloumn 2 companies wide and 2 deep. This should be pretty meaty under "Charge!"- which have become my go-to rules for gaming with this collection. Actual models are a mixture of Stadden  Hinchliffe/ Foremost and a few Connoisseur which last I have a bundle to paint.... when  I get the time .

Fifty years and still looking good.

 A few pictures of my very few Les Higgins 30mm Jason cavalry. Mostly ECW and two Marlburians- both the same figure in different colour schemes. . These chaps have been out of production since the mid 1970s. They still stand comparison with many of todays models. .

ECW Cavalry by Les Higgins. These are the now unavailable 30mm Jason range- compatible with much of today's so called 28mm. 

 

 The chap on the grey horse is supposedly King William III. - Though the Les Higgins figure is actually Marlborough.

The two more or less identical castings together as Marlborough and William. 

Keep Calm and Carry On !

 More like Carry on  up the Government- without the bad 1970s jokes. Aye well,

An Officer of an Austrian- Hungarian Infantry regiment- now all I need to paint are about50 or so blokes to follow him- 28mm Old Glory. 

  Right up 'em - but never mind the everyday story of farcical folk. I'm currently trying to avoid entering "Thickies R'us" aka the House of Conmans (is that a typos I see before me? Perhaps not.)  So we shall move swiftly on to toy soldiers- they look more lifelike .

Been a bit of a thin time on the painting desk recently. Of course I did receive some lovely Drabant 28mm Saxons painted by David Allen  which I just HAD to base up  see the results on the Old Glory Miniatures UK Facebook page.  But my own painting has suffered a bit simply because my wife and I were getting all the back orders out after unpacking a shipment from the USA and frankly at the end of a days work there are times when I am simply sick of the sight of the little lead gits and cannot face picking up a paintbrush.

 Does not happen all that often but it does happen.

Nevertheless I have painted a few individuals over the last couple of weeks. 

Bizarre image of 3 40mm TYW pikemen that simply will not flip. 

Connoisseur Colonel on Willie Horse and an Artillery Officer of unknown make- Both French Napoleonic and both for "Shinyloo".

A couple of 40mm TYW Pikemen. The chap at "Charge for Horse was a bit of an experiment. I've had the body in a mould for some time but never made one up . Quite pleased with the result.

Another view of the same chaps with a couple of musketeers- one with a cat hair on his hat ! -and a Sash and Saber ECW officer who is doing duty as a Spaniard.. The rest are from my own Romanoff 40mm range .

As for actually gaming with any of these - well thanks to a mixture of brain-dead piss heads and government incompetence that is not going to happen soon. Even if I had enough painted 40mm TYW .

 Ah well  If you can't take a joke .........  

Izzy- whizzy - we ARE busy.

Anyone remember Sooty? or Sweep or Sue or even Ramsbottom the snake?  I suppose it depends how old you are.  The man who had his hand up Sooty was Harry Corbett in my childhood and I - at 6 years old was a fan. When he was casting a spell with his magic wand the cry was always "issy-whizzy0 lets be busy" and mayhem would ensue.

 Well the little furry bugger must have been waving it about something fierce  because we here at OGUK HQ are more than a little busy. A shipment came in this week so we have sorted it and made a good start on the back orders. Almost 80 parcels this week alone. I'm knackered ! More in the queue for next week . We will get there. Another order goes off to the USA in a few days to cover the next load of stock I need.  You might have guessed that in the time taken to get this lot from the USA other stuff has  sold out since. 'Tis always the way when you have such large and varied ranges as we do.

Ah well back to the grindstone ...... 

Catching Up On My Reading 2

 

 This one is my friend Mike McNally's latest in the Osprey Campaigns series.  Now apparently some fellow has given it a bit of a spanking - which I have not read and don't want to. I shall form my own opinion thanks. 

So here is my own opinion.  Physically the book is what you have come to expect from this series and if you are an 18th century dude then you will want it on your shelf- assuming your read the books as well as push the little men about and roll the dice. Colour plates by Sean O'Brogain are well up to the mark.- my personal favourite being the Mouquetaires.  These plates are backed up by some reproductions of contemporary maps and paintings- some at least never seen before outside Germany. As usual Mike does his research- and I should know the amount of time Mike has spent bending my ear to  bounce ideas off me and let me pick holes in his theories- which sometime I have. All that does is make him go off and find more evidence to make me shut up or agree with him  or indeed to change his mind where such is needed. 

So back to the book  Dettingen is a well known battle but probably less well understood.. The traditional view is very Anglo- centric, this is probably because the presence of King George II as "commander" of the combined Austrian/ British ,Hanoverian forces was the last time a King Of England  commanded his army in the field - so became a lodestone for Victorian  historians such as Fortescue. The traditional view is that the British simply walked up to the French shot at them a bit so that they ran away in the usual style. Mike chucks most of the tradition out of the window and examines the facts and the ground- there are a good number of photographs of the battlefield today-   to give a different narrative of events. 

 Now I'm not going to give any kind of precis here- pointless- buy the book if you want to know how it ends ! But a few taster might be in order. The Allies do not seem to have had much of a coherent plan for the engagement and were  somewhat confused by events. What is clear is that the Allies were caught  somewhat unawares by the French who then proceeded to squander most of their considerable  advantages.  This allowed the Allies to escape by the skin of their teeth. The detailed order of battle for both sides is very useful indeed from a wargamers point of view- somewhat more detailed that the one I have in the aged(1972) Knights Battles for Wargamers  slim and traditional volume on the battle.

 Other delights in the book are the rather nice selection of photos of reconstructed uniforms. Some of these appeared in Mikes previous Fontenoy title in the same series but some did not .

Overall I liked this some of the political lead up to the campaign is a bit tortuous but it is stuff you need to know to put the action into context. If you are only interested in the battle- skip that bit. The usual biographies of the commanders are also useful for context but if you only want to lift the scenario for the battle- which would make a rather large but splendid game you can skip that bit too.

 Now I've almost got enough troops to refight this .........