British 4.5" howitzers part 2

Continuing the 4.5" gun theme. On the right is the next pair painted up for Northern European use. The crews are as provided.

To the left are a couple of Emhar British 13pdrs that now have some much more suitable crews.

British 4.5" howitzers part 1

The latest set of guns from Hat are in hard plastic and fit together far easier than the rubberery material they were using. Here's the first of them completed, a pair of British WW1 4.5" howitzers. They are combined with the crew figures from their separate British crew pack, who have had their heads swapped with the extra sun-helmeted heads provided with the set.

The result a nice pair of guns to support operations in warmer climes from 1910 through to 1930 and beyond if you ignore the spoked wheels that were replaced with a rubber tired version.

Only downside, I finished the bases and then remembered I'd forgotten to add the extra boxes and shells that were provided!

Egyptian Artillery

These sneaked onto the painting table will I wasn't concentrating. They are the latest Strelets set for the Russo-Turkish war of 1877 but the uniforms were so generic I had to get a set to add to my Askaris.

There were enough figures for three gun crews (only 2 guns) so two crews were given white uniforms.

The other in Khaki with a rather fine looking officer

Does this mean I'm start the Sudan? - No decision yet, but my resistance is weakening

Dio et San Marco

The special part of my Italian forces for the Big Game, the Italian Marines. Very much a paint conversion in line with the illustration in the Osprey book. These were based in Tobruk North Africa, but I'm using them to represent the Naval Infantry that fought on Leros.

The figures are mostly from the Waterloo 1815 Italian Support Group plus their Folgore MMG with head swaps.

Italians for Leros

Part of my commitment to this years big game is a company of Italian infantry, so I took the opportunity to add more heavy weapons to my Italian forces and also rebase quite a few figures to give a more consistent feel to the force and also provide a better match to the terrain they will be fighting over.

Heavy weapons are from the Waterloo 1815 Italian Support Group set, which had everything I needed except 81mm mortars. The reworked infantry behind are Esci/Italeri Alpini.

SYW Hanoverian Artillery - update

Having acquired some additional artillery pieces I've now painted them red and added them to the figures painted earlier.

The pair of light guns are from Revell's SYW Austrian Artillery and the heavier ones from Esci/Italeri's French Napoleonic Guard Artillery. However as I didn't want howitzers I replaced the barrels with some spare ones from the Zvezda Napoleonic French Artillery.

More US Paras

The 2nd battalion joins the first.

AEC Armoured Car

Picked up this rather battered resin kit at Crewe for £1.00 in the hope that it was repairable. It was and it now finished, It's the Mk I version of the AEC Armoured Car with the Valentine turret and was used in the late stages of the war in the desert. I found out late on that the model was made by Gramodels.

Behind is a Bofors tractor, which was also purchased and needed repaired and repainted

On the Workbench - July 2011

Bit of a mix this month. The main item is to create a unit of Italian Marines for The SOGG big game coming up next month.

Otherwise it's catching up with what's unfinished last month/May.

• Sturmboot 42
• British AEC Armoured Car
• Airfix Bofors tractor
• US Paratroop Battalion

Plus a few extras

• Hat 4.5" howitzers and crews (I couldn't resist)
• Guns for my SYW Hanoverians (I picked up some at Phalanx)
• US 75mm pack howitzers and paratroop crews

The howitzers were part of an order from Harfields to ensure my stocks did not run down to fast in spite of my targets.

Half year review 2011

A quick review of progress against plan

General items

• Continue reducing the stash of unpainted figures, the target is 5,000 by year end. So I have to trade/sell/paint at least 1,500 figures and more to cover what I buy in 2011. Given I typically paint around 1,500 items a year it should be feasible. – Hmmmm having just ordered some more figures from Harfields the current stash is 6,200 figures, hardly an improvement and I haven’t counted the figures I’m selling for a mate.
• Tidy up a number of armies and dispose of any old surplus painted figures, especially WW2, which has quite a number of figures I never use. - Sorted out quite a number of units, hopefully they’ll sell at Derby or Leeds along with the other surplus figures.
• Upgrade more terrain, especially walls and hedges. – still to do

Major Projects (I’ve got most of the figures already)

1. WW2 US Airborne Brigade – underway, now working on the 2^nd battalion
2. WW2 British Airborne Brigade – not yet started, may get deferred to 2012
3. Medieval German/Swiss Army – completed the Swiss
4. Frundsberg and Pommaine “SYW” forces in preparation for a new campaign. Pommaine completed

Minor Projects

• Terrain for the Siege of Peking game for Gauntlet – done, but it needed more work on the terrain than I anticipated
• Italian forces for the “Big Game”, mainly a number of small units for Leros plus some Allied aircraft - Aircraft done just need to work on some Italians and a Sturmboot
• Continue work on my new Afrika Korps, my plan is to mainly complete it by buying discount figures and vehicles. – Gradually acquiring the bits as I spot them The new Rapid Fire book might increase the amount required.
• Tidy up my figure database, I’ve not done a complete check for years now so I suspect it has some errors in it. – still to be done.

YTD output

· 217 SYW figures and 4 guns

· 156 medievals

· 107 WW2 plus 28 vehicles, etc.

· Upgraded 48 AWI figures

· 8 Colonial casualty markers and 6 WSS figures as command teams.

· 81 new pieces of terrain plus reworked 12 trees

Total 667 items, which is below my usual average of 750.

Gauntlet - the SOTCW Boxer game

This is just my collection of photos from the game, Pete made a more comprehensive report and it's over on his Freewargames rules blog at link. It's probably worth reading his report first.

The Boxers make an early rush at the French legation (figures provided by Alan Owen a SOTCW member in Denmark)

For some reason Luigi and his ice cream cart was in Peking. But sensibly left the Italian Legation early. Counters in the legations reflect the mix of supplies available to the national contingents

After the officers staff conference in the British Legation an explosion occurred in the rear wall conveniently allowing the Russian and American officers a quick route back to their own legations

All quiet in US and Russian legations with no officers around to order people about

But not for long as waves of boxers attacked the US legation

An unfortunate problem at the important bridge on Legation Street

Thornhill's Roughs and the Japanese prepare to defend the little Fu.

French looking vulnerable after both the Austrian and Italian legations were abandoned

Alan's Boxers again (with some quick basing) attacking the British legation

Fort Halliday under attack from a random band of Boxers. Clear plastic CDs were used as movement trays for large boxer groups)

Frenchmen being slaughtered as they defend an outer position.

French legation under severe threat, The Austrians abandoned their gun just after their officer was hospitalised due to sunstroke, note the Boxers on the right heading off to the Japanese Legation now held by Italians

A major thrust by the Boxers through the Imperial Carriage Park against the British Legation

The Boxers didn't ignore the Germans (who won the prize for the least enterprising national contingent as they stayed hunkered down behind their walls for almost the complete siege.

Boxers massing against the Little Fu, which would shortly fall. The Boxers at bottom left had just wiped out the Japanese defenders on the outer defenses

The French in real trouble, with no ammunition left they have fallen back to a position inside the legation. Those boxers mentioned earlier have sneaked round and entered the Japanese Legation from the rear.

The retreating Italians meet up with the International gun and the quote of the game “Losing one legation is unfortunate, losing two is just careless”

Shortly after this a random shell hit the bridge causing the international gun to drop into the waters of the Imperial Canal without firing a shot.

Gauntlet Other pics

Just some pictures of a couple of the other games at Gauntlet, more pictures of other games will appear on our club website in due course.

FOW Western Desert game

AWI fought using Black Powder

Deeside Defenders club site

Phew - Gauntlet over

It's been a hectic few days, but everyone involved seemed to have had a good time. Pictures of the Peking 1900 game will be posted sometime tomorrow.

Gauntlet 2011 - Peking 1900

It's already to go, we spent the afternoon setting up all the tables and then Pete and I laid out the table for the SOTCW game based on the 55 day siege at Peking

Some general views of the table

Austrian Legation

Italian Legation

French Legation

German Legation

US Legation

Russian Legation

British Legation

The Fu Place

Japanese Legation

If you are anywhere near the Airbus plant at Broughton near Chester please pop in and say "Hi" (Gauntlet link)