F&IW Native American character

Just a short post as I've finished painting and basing the free figure from Warlord Games which came with the Black Powder supplement Dark and Bloody Ground. I really liked the whole look of the figure and enjoyed painting it. Here are two pictures of the finished piece ~

I'm quite pleased by how he turned out in the end. For the flesh I used the same method as on all my F&IW native American figures, first shown to me by Joe Moore when I stayed with him to attend Cold Wars one time. It's just repeated washes of Games Workshop Flesh Wash over the standard white acrylic spray undercoat I buy from a local Home & Motor store. It's quick and works for me, so that does!
I thought a granite finish for the rocks would be too harsh against the Colour Party Dried Earth Basetex I use for these bases, so I chose Foundry Rawhide shade as a base, highlighted with the same company's British Uniform Light. No real plans for a game in the near future, but he's ready when summoned now at least.
On the painting desk three Footsore VBCW standard bearers are nearly finished and four other figures for the same are started, including a rather jolly Bishop {of unknown manufacture} included in Tim Hall's last box of freebies.

Hilton Main Miners’ Collective Silver Band 1938

After seemingly endless hours of painting figures for my War of 1812-15 expansion project I decided that I should take a break from the genre at the beginning of a new year. So far I’ve added a very large mortar to my ACW collection, a gift from Tim Hall, and a 1st Corps vet and shepherd to my VBCW bits and pieces ~

 Now the latest additions into GHQ are a band for my VBCW Hilton Main Miners’ Collective. The figures are from Tsuba Miniatures, via Empress, and were sold as a Russian band. I thought the communist leaning miners of my 1938 imagination could easily adopt a Russian cut to their dress, with the red collars and shoulder boards a nod to their political inclinations. Sadly the group lacks a big drum and a conductor, but I can live with that for what is really a bit of table dressing. Here’s a period picture of a Silver Band ~

Followed by their 28mm counterparts, the Hilton Main Miners Collective Silver Band ~

Not likely to win any prizes, but good for morale perhaps, so I’ll look at tinkering with Bolt Action in our games later in the year. Finally, a splendid Christmas gift from Phil for my ACW games, the Glory Hallelujah freebie from the Perrys which he painted up of course ~

Cut up up the cut! 1940 Operation Zeelowe ~

For the final game of 2019 here in GHQ I chose a 1940 Operation Zeelowe game, using the basic table layout from the ECW game earlier in the month with added elements to bring it visually into the period. This involved adding the garage, canal and railway line along with hedges, walls, fences and period scatter like the greenhouse, platelayers' hut and pig houses. Added civilians further aid the period 'look' of the table ~

The action sees the British counter attacking the invader across a canal and a railway line. Phil took charge of the British and I was in charge of the Germans, caught out by the surprise counter attack. We used Bolt Action2 for the rules, but set the game limit as 12 turns to accommodate the larger playing area. As is my wont, the battle unfolds through the captioned pictures which follow ~

I sent one of the 38Ts supported by a squad of infantry to delay
Phil at the bridge crossing.

The other 38T I sent out wide to my left, again supported bya
squad of infantry to give flanking fire on the bridge crossing.
Myinfantry gun is in the wrong place! But my 80mm mortar
did splendid service. The spotter is in the abandoned pill box!

Phil's LDV Reccon squad made it over the bridge and into the
wood before my squad was in place. They were a nuisance all
game.

The sniper's spotter acquires his first target.

Von Bikel bites the dust! Bit of a downer that!

Vickers Mk VIc engages and destroys my 38T! What can I say?
The dice certainly didn't run for me there!

With the 38T down the infantry squad withdrew into the cover
of the garage!

At last my anti-tank gun gets into action ad destroys the Vickers
Mk VIc. Sadly the remaining Vickers knocked out my other 38T
on the flank along with my supporting infantry.

Well, Turn 7 and I'm beaten really, so we adjourned for coffee and then a late lunch. Being the 'vile Hun' as usual seems to have affected my post game frame of mind, so I arranged a small scene to finish on...

Finally, a couple of shots of the extras for these games ~

Sheep may safely graze? Or cattle chewing the cud?  A very
pastoral idyll...

Richard Dimblebury reportingfor the BBC?

Next game planned here in GHQ will be on January 8th with Jon. No idea at this stage what we will play, I will have to see where the muse leads me now the year has turned...

Canadian Sedentary Militia for 1812-15

The last addition to my War of 1812-15 expansion project, completed right at the end of 2019, comes in the form of a unit of Knuckleduster figures painted to represent the Canadian Sedentary Militias. These were often no more than Company sized formations which when called into action were grouped into what were called Brigades, really regiment sized units. For that reason I've finished them in various facing colours and coat colours too, with the odd individual picked out in different coloured trousers ~

Knuckleduster figures have lots of life and character, details well sculpted for we older types to see easily, and are very reminiscent for me at least with the old Hinchliffe Napoleonics which I began wargaming with back in 1973! On the down side some of the detailed sculpting is a bit variable, notably odd hands on some and oversized belts on others, but I can live with that. After all, on the table in a game they will look fine and that really is all that matters! They are available in the UK from Caliver Books whose service I couldn't fault.
Did they carry colours into action? Well mine will, from Flags of War of course. Did they boast Grenadier and Light Companies? Well, mine do; although the officers and sergeants for such are missing from the offerings, but they are Militia after all so I pressed centre company types into service.  Here are the usual close up pictures to encourage my fellow journeyman painters ~

I've one more unit of Foundry US Infantry to paint and then the three Brigade Games units which came before Christmas. I've decided to leave them aside for the moment and have a refreshing break over January. To that end I've started a band for my VBCW Hilton Main Miners' Collective, by Tsuba Miniatures via Empress Miniatures and the complimentary Warlord F&IW native American character figure. I've also lined up the Grenadiers von Rall for my AWI project, some nice Front Rank figures and a second pair of mounted commanders by the same. If I manage all of that I've some Eureka Austrian Grenze infantry for the FRW collection and even a couple of French Battalion guns and crew! We shall have to see where the muse takes us...

Another year older...

...but none the wiser. Not that these ramblings are of the slightest importance to any passing reader, or even to friends and family really, but in common with other residents of the blogosphere I try to publish some sort of review of the year in GHQ and to cogitate out loud on the possibilities of the coming year. So, without more waffling on, here we go!

Games played, here and at Phil's mostly, though latterly also at Jon's, will be the first item. After all, our hobby is called wargaming for a reason! Over the year I have played in 51 games, ranging from C3rd Romans v Goths, through Late Roman internecine wars, via the Italian Wars and the ECW into the black powder period and beyond to the Great War, the fictional VBCW to WWII in Western Europe, the Russian Steppes, to the jungles of the Far East. Looking back though it seems that the black powder period has dominated GHQ games from the F&IW, the SYW, the AWI, the Wars of the French Revolution, the War of 1812-15 and the ACW. All these played using Black Powder 2 as the rules driver in its many iterations and nuances. Of these I won 25 and lost 15, with 10 drawn and one abandoned as unplayable, so I'm still firmly average (but performing better than Jeremy Corbyn!) During the year though three games moved on from GHQ to find new homes: the 20mm Vietnam War and the 28mm Victorian Pulp were sold on and the 28mm Samurai were gifted to Jon and Phil as I'd lost interest to be honest. I expect there will be further departures from GHQ in 2020 as I look to rationalize my collections in the light of what games we enjoy playing the most.

Turning to painting activities, I've completed 636 figures at this moment in time and doubt I'll manage to complete the few in progress by the year's end. All were in 28mm of course, the hand and eye being as they are I've postponed my 15mm Cold War Gone Hot temporarily. I still hope to get this project done, but I need to finish other ongoing projects first I think. The completion of the Italian Wars joint venture with Phil was a major addition this year, and featured twice in Wargames Illustrated, but I also added substantially to my AWI, SYW and War of 1812-15 collections. Mentioning the Italian Wars reminds me that I added a considerable amount of terrain for the period, some from The Last Valley, Grand Manor and Irongate Scenics, but also a number of buildings and a grand Pallazo in MDF, the latter also featured in Wargames Illustrated. I'm pleased with what I accomplished this year in the light of eye and hand issues and I hope to continue into the coming year!

As ever I made a number of hobby related visits over the course of the year, starting with Penkridge Table Top Sale in January and concluding with Wargamer in December. As well as the usual visits to the shops , at Foundry, Caliver and Warlord Games, and regular shows such as WMMS, Partizan and Barrage, I also made my first visit to Hammerhead and Phoenix. With the exception of the now defunct ROBIN I enjoyed them all and hope to get to the 2020 iterations (DV).

Over the course of 2020 I bought too much, as I suspect most of us do, so the Lead Pimple remains about the same at three RUBs worth; though all are cleaned up, spray undercoated and stuck to MDF bases with whitetack. Of course there's also a box of 15mm plastics for the CWGH project, but that's out of sight so doesn't count! I shall reach my 70th Birthday (DV) in 2020 and this impending landmark has from time to time induced thoughts of mortality and the fate of a lifetime’s hobby activity stored in GHQ. With that in mind, a modicum of downsizing is planned to continue next year if I can find the right market and price for what I plan to move on. As to further projects, well I like to browse new products and periods as much as the next hobbyist, but I doubt I shall be undertaking any radical additions in the future. But, you never know as they say...

It only remains for me to wish you all a very Happy New Year and much joy of our wonderful hobby!

A quick word...

...from GHQ and all the GHQ Irregulars

 And remember, whatever you are told by others, the truth for all of us is...

 A very Happy Christmas to all who visit GHQ from time to time and best wishes for a peaceful and prosperous New Year!

100th Foot, Prince Regent's County of Dublin Regiment, War of 1812

The second of my Foundry War of 1812-15 British Regular regiments, painted for me by John Hill, are now based and ready to be varnished. The flags are from Flags of War and the bases from Warbases. I get my basing texture and static grass from the Tutbury Jinty, a model railway shop in Tutbury of course ~

As usual, following the general shot of the 100th Foot drawn up in line, here are a couple of close up pictures to give a better sense of the detail for the reader to pick up on ~

Recently this range from Foundry, sculpted by Aly Morrison, was described to me as venerable, suggestive in their thinking, I suppose, of ancient rather than worthy of veneration. I would choose the latter myself as the range stands up well against more modern offerings from Knuckleduster and Brigade Games, figures from which companies now also figure in my collection.
On the painting desk, still, are the Knuckleduster figures for a unit of Canadian Sedentary Militia, which I still hope to finish by the year's end, though two Perry Miniatures Mounted officers to portray a General and his ADC have now also been completed and deployed into GHQ to await varnishing ~

I have one more Foundry unit to paint before I reach the three new Brigade Games units which recently checked in from the USA. With the completion of those figures the War of 1812-15 expansion project will be completed for now at least, though I’d like some Canadian cavalry at some stage if I can light on suitable figures.