This week I have been mostly painting...

No games here in GHQ, or elsewhere, this week so I have been keeping busy painting figures and also working on a secret buildings project. As has been my wont of late I've been working on a number of different projects. First up, the second canoe for the Paddoquoi in the F&IW ~

Canoe and figures from Redoubt Enterprises F&IW range.

Next an addition to the Baggage Train for my Indian Mutiny games: Hinterland's 'Victorian ladies riding on camels'.

The figures seemed very small when I unpacked the parcel, but they scale well with the older Foundry Mutiny ranges. I think the camels are by Ebob.














Finally some odd Perry Miniatures ECW figures to form a Forlorn Hope in future ECW games.

As I said, a bit of a mix of projects this week, but it all helps to reduce the Lead Pimple!

"The British are coming!"

Well, for part of the game they were at least! The latest game here in GHQ featured a, slightly belated, tribute to the 4th July celebrations across the pond: an AWI game with Phil 'Liberty' Robinson commanding the brave colonials and yours truly the forces of the tyrant, sorry, the Crown, aided by some Loyalist volunteers and paid mercenaries from the German states. The rules used were Black Powder and the figures and terrain were from my collections ~ a little dated now I'm sure, but still doing sterling service when called on!

The rebel camp on the left of their line, defended by Militia and Rifle armed Backwoodsmen. Figures are mostly Front Rank, with a few Perry Miniatures and Foundry thrown in.








The Hessians' Brigade attacked through a farm, attempting to turn the flank while Butler's Rangers harassed the camp's defenders! In the centre the British advance to a fence line to support the Hessian attack while beyond Regulars engage the Continental line.

In the centre the 38th, supported by Light Infantry, Paddoquoi Indians and South Carolina Loyalists drove in the first Continental line, despite coming under heavy fire.




About the half way point of the afternoon it was all decidedly promising for the Crown's cause: the Hessian attack was making slow progress on the right, the Rebel centre was creaking and starting to buckle; and on the left the cavalry were getting the upper hand! Hurrah!

The 17th Light Dragoons drove straight through the Philadelphia Horse, on into the Dragoons holding the right flank, and smashed through them in turn into the Rebel right flank. Oh, it all looked so good...






Counting your chickens is a dangerous game in any wargame, oh yes it is! It all began to unravel for the Crown's forces. On the right, the Rebel Militia defending the camp drove off the Hessian attacks in bitter fighting: the Brigade broke and fled! On the left, the Light Dragoons were sweeping all before them, only to take withering flank fire from Pennsylvania Line and Continentals! They broke and fled! In the centre, dogged defencive fire finally stopped the attack and then broke the British resolve! Liberty had triumphed over the tyrant!

Scenery is by The Last Valley, with the farm buildings and tented camp by Dave Paddock's former Architectural Heritage firm, now JR I think and available through Magister Militum here in the UK. A great afternoon's gaming with Phil, spoilt only by the humiliation of certain victory evaporating into ignominious defeat! Oh well, that's all part of the joy of wargaming really! {And, as a side note, it marked a third defeat in the week, having lost a Black Powder SYW game with Jon the day before in a similarly tight and hard fought game.} Still, there's always the next time...

Another mediocre performance...

Not a reference to England's recent Euro debacle, rather a hint at the result of this afternoons ECW game here in GHQ with Charles. Yet another play test for my rules, 'A Crowning Mercy'.

On the Parliamentary Left Wing, a mass of swirling cavalry really decided the battle's outcome.










The Parliamentary Horse are from my collection, a mix of Perry Miniatures and Wargames Foundry. The Royalist Horse are from Charles' collection and are mostly Bicorn Miniatures I think. The unit nearest the camera routed off the table in short order. Charles' unit returned to loot my baggage ~ just out of shot ~ while the unit furthest from the camera also routed and was destroyed! Only Obadiah Bykleigh's horse in the centre fought the Royalists to a standstill.

In the centre for a long time the Parliamentary foot held firm, before finally succumbing to some devastating dice on Charles' part.







In the foreground are John Hamden's Foot opposing Prince Rupert's Foot. Parliamentary figures from my collection, mostly by Wargames Foundry, Royalists from Charles' collection, mostly Bicorn. Trees and walls from The Last Valley.

More detail of Rupert's Foot. Flags by GMB I think. In the distance the Royalist's Lord General base featured Charles I and the Royal Standard.











Charles' figures are exquisitely painted. The command stands are really nice vignettes in their own right. It was almost a pleasure to see them thrash my poor souls...

Taking to the waters...

I don't seem to have been as productive this month here in GHQ as I might have been. I'm not really sure why, but its just the way I've been I think. I'll put it down to age, or the weather, or whatever... I've painted 59 figures this month, for a number of my ongoing projects. They include three cavalry and six Forlorn Hope figures for my ECW project, all Perry Miniatures this time. I've also managed: three Union generals, and a table, for the ACW project ~ Dixon figures of course! ~ three Boers from Empress for my AZW/1stBW project; and, the Partizan freebie of Princess Elizabeth. My main effort has continued to be completion for the F&IW project, so we can get some game practice in with Sharp Practice. The latest addition is a war canoe for the Paddoquoi.

These come from Redoubt's fine range of F&IW figures. The set features four paddling natives and two 'character' poses for the bow and stern of the canoe. I ditched one of the paddling figures for a kneeling firing pose from the firing line pack.

Partly this was for the better 'look' of the piece and partly as I had three paddling out left and one only right! Not a major issue, as I had the figures to hand, but I have subsequently found the same configuration in my second large war canoe set! I have again ditched the extra paddler for another kneeling firing pose.

One of the two paddling natives poses in the set ~ I have two of these spare, for now...

The other paddling native pose!

I like the Redoubt F&IW range more each time I paint a few of the figures. Undoubtedly, judging by a few of the castings I have,some of the moulds must be a tad worn, but if they corrected that fault I'd think they would compete with any range. I've had no trouble getting by with them anyway and am working on the second canoe set now, alongside the last of the Forlorn Hope figures.

Games wise, I feel I ought to gloss over the month! P 6 W 1 D 1 L 4 ~ more relegation form than champions league! The sole success was in a BP ACW game at Jon's (See previous post), my most recent defeat a RF2 game yesterday when my hotchpotch of Germans failed to stop the British airborne under Jon taking the high ground and shelling my HQ!!! My sole purchase to have arrived in time to be logged for this month was some tufts, from the New Modellers Shop in Peterborough ~ ordered after 4.00 pm on Wednesday, here at 9.30 am on the next day! Can't have better service than that! Now, just have to glue two or three tufts to each of the bases of my rebased Sudan War collection!!!!!

Let us cross over to the other side...

A few phone camera shots from this morning's Black Powder ACW game played over at Jon's, utilizing his marvellous figures and terrain boards. I wish the photos were better really, they don't do it justice. Anyway, Jubal E Bykleigh's Good Ol' Boys had eight turns to drive Those People back across the river.
Jon's figures are a mixture of Renegade and Redoubt, with some head swaps here and there and sport the fine GMB flags. The church is a Mick Sewell scratchbuilt model. Now, the action...

Jubal E Bykleigh leads his men forward!

The Irish Brigade boldly advances into the storm of Reb fire...

Major General Thaddeus J Whyte dabbles his toes in the waters. Seven turns later, he and his Brigade were still trying to cross over!

The gallant boys of the South Carolina brigade march to glory! Are you sensing a result yet?

The Union centre disolves in the face of a determinded charge!

Overview of the table at the conclusion of turn 7, and of the game. Union troops in rout unable to stem the tide of the Confederate advance! Time for a Rebel Yell I think...

War of 1812...in 2012

My Foundry War of 1812 collection holds a special place in my affections, as it was the first project I undertook when I retired ten years ago. Most of the figures I got in very large bargain blisters in the sale when the company relocated to St Mark's Street in Nottingham , adding the missing figures when you could still buy them singly ~ oh, those were the days! As Stuart Asquith says, its Napoleonics with Indians! Well, actually of course its more complex, but what it does offer is few cavalry for those of us who find horse painting a chore rather than a pleasure.
Anyway, today to celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of the war, and the tenth birthday of my collection, Jon and I played out a game here in GHQ. Jon commanded the US forces, having eight turns to drive off my British-Canadian defenders, using Black Powder rules with standard movement rates along the length of my table. The Battle of Robinson's Farm...

The British-Canadian line of battle.

American Regular Brigade advances, screened by the 1st US Rifles, and covered by a battery of 8lb guns.

17th US Infantry advance into a hail of fire from the Royal Artillery's 9lb battery and skirmishers from the Glengarry Light Infantry.

On the British right the 104th New Brunswick Regiment prepares to fire on the 9th US Infantry.

Two moves later the British right is in some disarray: the 17th Light Dragoons driven off and the right flank turned.

The end of turn eight and of the game. A draw, with the gallant British-Canadians holding on in part and the shattered US troops unable to press their advantage to victory, as I think the Shaken and Disordered counters show.






The game lasted an hour and fifty-two minutes and was very close. The Americans were awarded a winning draw by agreement, though I felt the British-Canadian forces of mostly Militia and Fencibles had done well to hold on.

A Princess and some Generals...

I've been meaning to paint these Union Generals since I can't remember when. They figures are by Dixon Miniatures, of course; the table from a bits box in Spirit Games; and the maps, etc from the net.

I've also painted up the recent Partizan free figure of Princess Elizabeth, designed as ever by my son Matt, for use in our 1940 Operation Sealion/Pig Who-o-o-o-ey! games.

I'm working on a Redoubt F&IW war canoe and Native American crew at the moment and have put some paint on some Foundry AWI gunners and Perry ECW Forlorn Hope. I hope to finish these before the end of the month with a fair wind behind my brush...