More for sale

All now under offer/sold

Continuing the clear out!. I've got too many buildings and I'd like to continue building my modular ones so these will have to go.

Quite a mix all for £6 each. Front centre and right ruined farm bought at the Delft show, back row left a fieldworks factory, front right and centre left a couple of resin kit buildings. The two remaining are home made.

Yet more £5.00 each this time. Hovels ruined church, resin shop (again from Delft) and the rest fieldworks ruins.


If you are interested I'll have them in my car boot at Derby on Saturday.

Off to Derby

I'll be at the Derby show on Saturday, so if you pass by the Lance & Longbow stand please stop and say Hi. I'll also have some of my sale/trade items with me so if there is anything you're interested in let me know and I'll bring it along. Especially as my sale of painted WW2 Russians and Germans has fallen through.

Trades

Olaschin 1696

We had an open gaming weeend at Deeside Defenders so yesterday I put on a big Black Powder game covering the battle of Olaschin 1696. It is covered in the latest Arquebusier, the journal of the Pike and Shot Society which deals with the campaign of 1696 where the Imperialists led by Frederich Augustus attempted to captured the city of Timisvar but were defeated by the Turks under Sultan Mustapha at Olaschin.

Only a couple of photos of the battle.

In the foreground the massive cavalry melee gets under way with Turkish right flank cavalry being fed across. In the distance the two infantry bodies square up to each other. The far table edge is the river Bega .

Another view of the cavalry melee, The large open flank meant that the Turkish superiority could gradually bear on the Imperialists and by the end of the game their three brigades had all become broken.

The terrain was pretty flat with only a few areas of brush to break up movement. These were impenetrable to all but skirmishing infantry, but had no effect on line of sight.

On the infantry flank one of the Turkish brigades had been broken by the end of the game and the second coming under pressure from two Imperial brigades. It should have been supported by the Janissary brigade, but they decided to retire back to the Wagon laager at the wrong moment (A lovely blunder roll)

Orbats

Imperialists - 11 Foot, 8 Cuirassier and 4 Dragoon Regiments plus 3 guns

Ottomans - 4 Jannisaries, 7 Other Foot, 2 Skirmish, 5 Heavy Sipahis, 5 Medium Sipahis, 8 Light Horse Regiments plus 4 guns.

Played using the Black Powder variations (see previous post) plus the inclusion of mobile chevaux de frise. These took 2 moves/phases to deploy but gave +2 to the saving roll in Hand to Hand.

It was a pleasure to find that the same battle was refought by Wargames Amateur (link)

Finally thanks to Mike Ian and Kyle for participating in the game

Atlantic figures for sale/trade

These are now all sold except for two bags of Greek Infantry

I have been passed a large box of Atlantic ancients by another wargamer. If interested in any trades please leave a comment. I'll be selling off any remainders at the next show I attend (probably Derby)

• Roman cavalry (about 20)
• Roman command figures and archers (about 50)
• Greek cavalry (about 20 - no horses)
• Greek infantry (about 150)
• Pharaohs court (SOLD)
  
• Egyptian Infantry (about 400)
• Egyptian Archers (about 80)
• Trojan infantry (about 90) (sold)
  
• Egyptian Light Cavalry (unique conversions)

Trades I'm looking for are listed here and my other items to trade are here

Latest update, these have now been bagged up and available for sale as follows
8 x Atlantic Egyptian Infantry (50figs) £1.50
2 x Atlantic Egyptians Archers (40 figs) £2.00
1 x Atlantic Greek Cavalry (20+ riders) £1.00
3 x Atlantic Greek Infantry (50figs) £1.50
1 x Atlantic Roman Cavalry (20 riders 10 horses) £1.50
1 x Atlantic Roman Infantry (42 figs) £1.50
1 x Atlantic Egyptian Cavalry £4.00

I'll be at Derby (Saturday only) and Fiasco in October so if you are interested in any of them email Fire-at-Will@live.co.uk

Thanks for looking
Will

More of the old

My Old WW2 Germans currently up for sale and under offer.

Panzer Grenadiers to the left and Infantry to the right.

A SU85 converted from the Airfix T34. A pair of Airfix soft plastic Tiger Is (note I had filled in the front were the original had a gap. Plus a BP casts Quad 20mm flak.

Nice day out in Stoke

A quick run down to the Stoke Challenge show yesterday. I took a pile of stuff for the B&B, but didn't shift much at all. However I purchased a couple of Airfix bren carriers (plus the vital 6pdrs) a Befehlspanzer I and a few British airborne jeep conversions. Plus some books for holiday reading on Crusader 1941, Napoleon in the Holy Land and the H&C big picture book on Eylau and Friedland 1806/7.

The afternoon was pleasantly passed in my first game of Armati, playing Goths v's Romans coached by Phil Steele from the Society of Ancients. Typical beginners luck I won convincingly, either due to my innate skill, Phil's coaching or lucky dice rolling. Interesting to experience the rule mechanics, but not a game I would play regularly.

On the dreamholme stand there were some nice 15mm French buildings, so I took a couple of picture for inspiration when I next get into a building mode.

They also had some 20mm ruins and "French" vehicles in various states of damage.

Stoke Challenge

A quick run down to Stoke tomorrow, more to have a chat with people rather than any serious purchasing. I'll put a few things on the B&B in the hope that I might sell something, and then see it there are any bargains, etc.

Stoke Challenge

British Army Wolsey

When I saw this in Modelzone today, I had to buy it as it's just the thing for my British Commander's transport.

And only £3.95 made by Oxford Diecast.

Last of the US Paras

Well here they are, on the left an engineer company, on the right the regimental HQ and behind the spare company (for use as a Reece or Defence company in the RF orbats)

In the front row, second from the left is a flame-thrower converted from a US Marine torso added to para legs and head.

In with the new - part 2

Some close ups for those that like more detail.

Plastic Soldier Company infantry - I used Humbrol 83 ochre as the base uniform colour and a wash of GW Ogryn Flesh.

Heavy weapons - all Plastic Soldier company, except a Hong Kong copy alongside the AT rifle.

For the AT guns I mixed in a few other figures as commanders, so I can use the extra figures on other guns as I upgrade them.

Regimental HQ, quite a mix, from L to R Esci(HK), Revell x2; Esci(HK), Esci (the soft plastic set) and Airfix

Now back to the rest of the list

In with the New - part 1

Time for the new Russians, a full three battalion regiment plus extras to give extra flexibility. At the back are a couple of bits to remind me I still have quite a bit of rebasing still to do for the heavy weapons

47mm AT guns are by Plastic Soldier that will either be used as a stand-alone three gun AT battalion or allocated to individual battalions if like motor rifles they have them in their establishment. Behind is the regimental HQ.

1st battalion, dominantly Plastic Soldier, note that I have included a pair of MMGs and AT rifles so they can be used as Guards Rifles. It also means I can swap the figures between marching and deployed when they are not.

2nd battalion, same organisation as the first, but the figures other than the Heavy Weapons and LMGs are a mix of Pegasus and Zvezda, mostly already painted. In addition there are some of the old Esci Hard plastics that were reworked to current standards,

3rd battalion - more of a mixture

4th battalion - this is where I've tried to maximise flexibility, its basis is a late war SMG armed motor rifle battalion, but I've added a couple of figures to each company so they can be used as ordinary infantry, and I still need to rebase a few more bits to complete it. Figures are from all sources and even a few from the Matchbox T34 kit.

Some close-ups to follow

Out with the old

Well it was time for an upgrade, so after more than thirty years service the bulk of my WW2 Russian infantry is being retired from my service. In total a regiment of three battalions organised for Rapid Fire.

The core of the force was a pack of Hong Kong copies of the Esci Hard Plastic figures, they were quite reasonable copies in a fairly solid plastic and have stood the test of time.

There are various add-ons from other sets, but only a few Airfix, which formed my original Russian army that was passed on many years ago.

For those interested in such things the AT guns are conversions of the Airfix 6pdr to give something similar to a Russian 47mm following the instructions in Airfix magazine.

I hope they will fight as long and as valiantly in their next owners service as they have done in mine.

Black Powder variations

Variations to the Black Powder rules based on local playing experience and ideas from the Black Powder Yahoo group.

1) Move Sequence (all moving player unless mentioned otherwise)

· Initiative moves

· Normal command moves

· Move generals (who have not issued rally or follow me orders)

· Remove disorder from stationary units

· Defensive fire (non moving player) and break tests

· Hand to hand combat and break tests

· Follow up moves and any resulting hand to hand combat resolution.

· Check brigade morale

2) Disordered units

Cannot take orders, but may retire into their rear quarter as part of initiative

3) Movement

All movement into flank or rear quarters is done at half pace

Close order can move through woods, but at half speed and for each 6” or part moved though the wood roll a d6. If the result is 1-3 the unit is disorganised and movement ceases.

4) Interpenetration

Any close unit passing though a gap between close order units narrower than half its frontage rolls a d6. If the result is 1-3 the unit is disordered and movement ends. Passing through skirmishers and artillery has no effect. Distance moved is measured via the gap between units.

5) Brigade morale

As per Hail Caesar, more than half units broken, or all shaken for the brigade to be broken. Ignore tiny units, small or artillery count ½; large count 1½ if needed. Rallies still possible.

On the Workbench - September/October 2011

I was getting on fine in August until late in the month when family came to visit, restricting painting time and then the bulb failed in one of my lamps. I've only just got a replacement and the result was the Bashi-Bazoukis are only half started. Why a two month target this time? Well I hope to sneak in some holiday in the period, but nothing definite yet and I've got to get on with a number of projects so I'll be flitting between them. At the end of October I'll be putting on an Aztec/Conquistadore game for the Lance & Longbow Society at Fiasco, so hopefully I'll see more fellow bloggers there if not at Derby.

Plan:

• Finish the figures for the US paras, the HQ, Engineer Company and a "Multi-purpose" Company that will be able to act as either a Defence or Reece Company or just as a spare if needed. About 30 odd figures
• Overhaul my WW2 Russians, these go back at least 30 years and I really need to bring them up to a common standard and replace a fair proportion with the new Plastic Soldier Company figures, so about 100 new figures to paint and 50 to rework/rebase. Net result will be to release some old figures for sale.
• Massive effort on my Imagi-nation SYW Frundsbergers around 120 infantry and 20 cavalry to paint.