Even More Stuff

I spent most of my hobby time this week painting up these Late Roman infantry from Fighting 15s. They are the old Gladiator Games figures, but I believe they were originally from a German range. All that's needed now is flockage, tuftage and varnishage.

This Late Roman Legion has been rebased, but the trumpet and officer are new.

I need to replace the old paper chimneys with carved xps ones and put proper shingles on the roof of this War of 1812 building. It looks like some of the paint needs attention too. I've temporarily put the polystyrene blanks in 

The Late Roman project got more out of hand when I bought these from EBay. They are from the same painter as the last lot of Auxilia, and I have 12 light cavalry coming too. I've rebased them and they are also waiting for flock, etc.

More Stuff Finished

Finished

Duke of York and Sir Thomas Erpingham

[The edges of the flags have been painted!!]

Late Roman Legions for TTS and HC (Rebased)

Frankish Command for TTS and HC

Rebased a few single figures to complete this unit:

15th Dragoons

Blunders and Orders

I was going to order some figures to replace a couple of auxilia units for my Late Romans, when I spotted these rather nice old range Essex which match my other units on EBay. I would just need to rebase them and add three command figures to each unit. They arrived really quickly and I rebased them................

As well as the command figures I also needed some infantry to finish my Gothic contingent and some archers to complete a French unit for the HYW. I put the order into Essex and half an hour later realised that I had forgotten to add the command figures for the Auxilia. I believe this particular double six applies to all wargameers' orders and appears to be a fundamental law of nature like Relativity, and the disappearance of at least one sock in the wash.

Anyway, I've managed to get these Roman archers rebased.

They are on 40mm x 30mm bases and I've decided on the following system for basing for "Hail Caesar" and "To The Strongest":-

Infantry on 40mm x 30mm bases

Hoplites 8 figures

Heavy Infantry 6 figures

Medium Infantry 5 figures

Light Infantry 4 figures

Skirmisher Infantry 2 figures

Cavalry on 40mm x 40mm bases

Heavy and Medium Cavalry 3 figures

Light Cavalry and Horse Archers 2 figures.

I'm not sure whether I'm going to put 4 Cataphracts on a base or leave as 3

On the WIP front, the 15th Dragoons are still progressing but are a real pain, When I do the 25th I am going back to a black undercoat with a white drybrush and I believe the young, cool people call this method "slap chop". Us old farts have been doing it for years and calling it "dry brushing white over a black undercoat", because we didn't have to worry about snappy titles for YouTube videos.

 

February 11th 2024

Finished

Spanish house carved out of EPS with plastic tiles and wood "bits". The windows are sliced up dice holders.

This will go with this previously finished build done in the same way

and this piece made of PVC foamex,

to make this 150mm x 150mm built up area:

I'm trying to get my Spanish buildings to look more like those around Fuentes De Onoro. These were taken on out tour last year:

The old bridge has been replaced by this concrete monstrosity

Work in progress

Continuing with the French 15th Dragoons

(there is some progress, honest)

Games

Dave, the Northumbrian Wargamer and I decided that the Coa game had gone as far as it could with the Soldiers of Napoleon rules. We had reached the point when the Light Division was going to have to start to run like hell to the bridge and, to be honest, we didn't think there were many sets about that would cater for that. It was a great game though.

We are now playing a 1813/14 French vs Prussian game with Dave's 28mm figures and the S.O.N. rules.

Here we go again

 Achieved so far this year:

Rebased all my Hundred Years War figures on 40mm square bases, they all just need a spray of varnish now.

Completed a 48 figure Catholic League Thirty Years War unit for Twilight of Divine Right. They are all Essex 15mm and I like the pose of the musketeers, but it was a real P.I.T.A to cut the muskets off the bases and glue them onto the shoulders. I won't be using that figure again.

For those annoyed by such things (you know who you are!!), I will get around to edging the flags, honest.

And  on the bench, the French 15th Dragoons for the 2nd Brigade of Boyer's division at Salamanca. These are the old Gladiator 15mm figures now sold by Fighting 15s

Current ongoing game is based on the action on the Coa ,1810 using Soldiers of Napoleon. I must admit, when you set the figures out on a scaled table, it really gives a sense of the skill and professionalism  Crauford's brigade and battalion commanders needed to get him out of the mess.

Here's the real thing. We were lucky enough to go on a guided tour with Colonel Nick Lipscome last September. I'll post more pics as appropriate.

Final position: Ross' guns on the crest of the hill and the entire hillside covered in very determined light infantry, cacadores and rifles.

Ney thought it worth his while to throw several attacks over this in the face of said infantry and Ross' battery. The latter succeeded in driving off an attempt by the French to place a battery on a slight hill at the opposite side of the bridge. They had no counter to the shrapnel.

From the allied side after retreating across the bridge. The French attempted to put a battery on the rise in front of the "rugby post thingy".

This is the actual track from the bridge to the final postion of Ross' battery.

Here's my rather two dimensional representation of the the whole action with Dave , as usual, being forced to control the forces of darkness.

Ross is struggling to get up the track to the ridge, while on the other side of the Coa, things are getting very uncomfortable for the Light Division. A battalion of the Rifles is isolated at the far side of the table, the 3rd Cacadores are now desperately trying to fend off two French Battalions in the centre, and one wing of the 52nd is almost surrounded.

 

From the French side. Ney has  a reserve of grenadiers at the rear, while a French Brigade of 4 battalions heads across the table to put more pressure on the allied right wing.

Ross continues to struggle  to get over the bridge and up to the firing position on the ridge. I don't think the French will to need to try and put a battery on the rise this time.

I think Dave's got this one now with French, but it's been a hell of a fight and a bit of an eye opener. We'll see what happens after the next session.

Flames Across the Border

 I'm only up to page 90, but bloody hell this is a brilliant book. I've already got some ideas for Sharp Practice scenarios based on forces I knew nothing about.

The book is effectively written as a series of scenes based on the viewpoints of one or two characters. It's actually history written almost as a novel, and it's addictive.

So far it has painted a really good picture of the mayhem in the Niagara peninsula in 1813 and the attack on York. It has also highlighted the actions of Lt Fitzgibbon's "Bloody Boys' who were 50 volunteers from the 49th foot whom he dressed in green and fought with Merit's provincial dragoons and Dominique Ducharme's Caughnawaga Indians against Chapin's mounted marauders, helping to keep the Americans bottled up in Fort George. That's an SP campaign in itself!!!!

Here's a link to another website with some details

Bloody Boys / Green Tigers

Another link that seems to suggest they wore 'stolen' American rifles uniforms. Which probs means another Oldgloryuk order when I get back. (If Andy has got the website back up and running)

Bloody Boys uniform reference

Blog Reboot?

 Possibly..........when I get home from visiting the family in Canada. I'll have more time on my hands, so maybe I'll actually finish writing up campaigns (unlike the last one - the Americans got the upper hand if you are still wondering.).

So, currently in Saskatchewan, I spotted the following book on Abebooks from a seller in BC,  so it had to be ordered. I'd been wanting a copy for a long time, but it's out of print and of course , me being me , it had to be a hard back with intact dust jacket. Hopefully it will inspire some more 1812 campaigns with Murdoch and the crew. It only took a couple of days to arrive.