BEF 18/25 pdrs

Back in April I posted the PSC 18/25pdrs that I had created from the PSC kit. Subsequently I purchased some BEF gun crew and they are now completed.

The seated gunners are Airfix with added gasmask satchels to look consistent.

TYW rebasing - Imperial infantry

Another large batch completed and at last I feel I'm getting towards the end.

There are actually six regiments of Imperial foot (centre and left in three ranks), two Bavarian (right, first two ranks), one Hessian (right, third rank) and two Danish (at the rear)


Two extra pikemen were added to make up each new unit, but I also had to shuffle the pikemen around between the units to make them look sensible(!)


My plan is to add enough extra figures to those remaining to make up another three Imperial regiments

Old TYW Flags

Over 25 years ago when I started my Thirty years War armies there was very little readily available information on the armies from various sources I assembled a number of flags and hand drew them on paper. These were then photo-reduced added to the figures and then painted. There were no easy solutions back then. Here are copies of the flags I created.


Immediate references I used included
Blandford - Flags of the World in colour
Renaissance Armies - George Gush
Arquebusier (Pike & Shot Society Journal)
- 1985 #1 Danish Flags
- 1986 #3 Imperial Flags (Saxony)
- 1986 #4 Imperial Flags (Hapsburg)
- 1986 #5 Imperial Flags (Other)
- 1987 #1 Thirty Years War Flags
- 1987 #4 Wallenstein's Regiment of Foot
- XVIII #1 French Infantry Colours.

Now I would have to add the four Osprey Men-at-Arms books on the Swedish and Imperial Armies, plus various websites.

Different rebasing - Jacklex Boers

I looked in the box and decided - you'll have to go. But, as they sat there all alone waiting to go, I thought I might just tidy them up before selling... And now they are staying! These are stalwarts of many a colonial battle and even seen service as Confederates. They are Jacklex (Jack Alexander) figures bought in the late 70s in the Harrow Model Shop (not far from where I was living t the time) and only needed a few missing rifle replaced.

Just demonstrates the effect of a touch up and rebasing.

2017 half year progress report

Substantial progress for the first half year in terms of painting as I completed 1,071 items. However as you can see from the following tables the dominant effort was rebasing my Thirty Years War armies. Second was WW2, where I mainly worked on the Plastic Soldier Company items purchased through their kick-starter.

Period
Renaissance	819
WW2	227
Terrain	13
WW1	12
Grand Total	1,071

Type
Rebasing	645
Cavalry	140
Gunners	125
Infantry	38
Riders/Vehicle Crews	30
Vehicles	28
Artillery pieces	16
Buildings	13
Commanders	12
Tanks/AFVs	12
Limbers	10
Wagons	2
Grand Total	1,071

Looking at my plan for 2017 the progress is not so good as I under-estimated the work involved in the rebasing project.

Painting/Modelling - moderate sized projects

• Renaissance - sorting out and rebasing all my Thirty years War figures. This will involve deciding how to restructure my units and then painting any addition figures needed to make the units up to strength. - well underway, hopefully the rebasing will be finished by the end of this month, I may still add some new units.
• Napoleonics - I've got quite a pile of figures (mainly cavalry) available to replace/upgrade some of my oldest units. - Not started
• WW2 - extending my coverage to US and German for the Ardennes - Not started
• Scratch build some small renaissance galleys, probably a pair each of Ottoman and Venetian to go with the guns and crews I received at Christmas. - Not started

Smaller projects

• Work through the Plastic Soldier Company Kickstarter kits once they arrive. - Completed the main bulk just a box of CMP trucks left
• Adding another medieval Swiss pike block - Not started
• Various renaissance units to cover war in the Balkans, Stradiots, Sipahis, Ajinkis, etc. - Completed
• I need some desert sand-dunes/wadi sides so I'll get on with them once the weather warms up - Not started
• Various houses to add to my Eighteenth Century town, including a model of my daughter's house - Not started
• Two or three units of Vikings to add to my Dark Age armies. - Not started.
• More Swedish cavalry for the Great Northern War. - Not started
• Plus a number of bits to fill in odd gaps in existing armies
- continuing to work on odd bits

Gaming

• Continue to support the Lance & Longbow Society games at various shows - ongoing, the last show was Phalanx and the next will be Britcon
• Vaasgo 1942 is planned to be the SOTCW game at Gauntlet - Successfully completed
• I need to organise one or two large games, one SYW and another to be decided. - Nothing done
• Try to get to Crisis in Antwerp - Still my plan

Last of my June painting - some WW2 bits

A few Zvezda bits that have been hanging around the workbench for a while just got finished before Gauntlet.

Russian HQ (left) and Frontier Guards (right), I really like the Alsatian


German HQ

On the workbench - July 2017

Having completed Gauntlet I currently have no deadlines before the end of the year. So I can switch between my various projects for the year, except I'm on the final leg of the Thirty Years War rebasing so my July plans are:

• Rebase/Upgrade 11 TYW Imperial Foot Regiments (each 28 strong)
• Rebase/Upgrade all the TYW commanders from mainly single figures to a vignette style of 2 or more
• Create some TYW forlorn hope/commanded musketeers
• Rebase some old Jacklex Boers for the Men who would be Kings"
• Gun crews for my BEF 18/25pdrs
• Start on converting a pair of Airfix Bofors Morris QLB tractor into a CDSW tractor for the 18/25pdrs

TYW rebasing - Imperial Lobsters

My last item finished in June were these 3/4 armoured cuirassiers. As previously noted rebasing is not that easy when you also reorganise the units and then spot various bits you missed (or didn't bother with) when they were first painted over 25 years ago.


With only three lobsters per pack I was desperate to find extra figures so included in the forces are a number of extras like these B&B ECW Lobsters mounted on Revell horses in the front rank

Behind them with red sashes are Mars copies of Revell, they were horrible figures, but the best I could get.

To provide variety I painted the armour different colours, wheras in reality only a few officers might have a different finish on their armour. When touching up the bronze with paint from the same tin as I've always used since the year... I was surprised how much the colour on the figures had faded over the years.

Gauntlet - day 2

Some more pictures from our local show, quite a busy days gaming.

We restarted the Vaagso game with two strengthend Commando platoons assaulting the town held by two scratched up German platoons, it was the most we could manage since we were short on numbers due to illness, etc. For those interested in the mechanics, we skipped the patrol phase in Chain of Command and used the landing craft for jumping off points for the Commandos and the main billets for the Germans. This meant that we needed to pre-game bombardment to keep the German's heads down until we deployed.

A reasonable first move by my Commandos, who then got stuck in crossfire and couldn't move forwards for quite a while. The German jump-off points are marked by flags.


Andy's platoon had a clearer initial run, the real blockage was the Ulversund hotel (top left) occupied by two German squads


Eventually the defences of the Ulversund hotel were broken down and one German Platoon was routed, leaving the way clear to take the rest of the town. The Panzer I they controlled was quite ineffective for most of the game as it refused to activate until the bombardment completely stopped. It then gave me a nasty fright with its firepower, then it was pinned by our mortars.


More details and pictures of the game are on the Land of Counterpane blog and Sediments wargames blog

Other games - WRG 6th competition


A large Anglo-Zulu War Isandwana game




Quatre Bras 1815





Plus an X-wing competition and lots of boardgames being played.

Overall and excellent weekends gaming, only marred my the unfortunate absense of Richard P, who had built some more scenery for Vaagso and a Hampden bomber, which would have been a nice sight over the table.

Gauntlet - day 1

First pictures from our local show/games day, mainly of our SOTCW game of Operation Archery - Vaagso 1941


Above and next two pictures the isalnd of South Vaagso




Maaloy - with the German coastal gun battery


Commandos advancing on Vaagso


and on Maaloy towards the gun positions, unfortunately on both island an early end of turn (we were using Chain of Comand) the covering barrage from the warships ended allowing the Germans to respond effectively.


Commandos decide to hide in a fish oil factory, only two would survive!


Germans responding on Maaloy


Commandos slowly pushing forward on the main road into Vaagso, while their comrades who landed closer in are being cut down by vicious German MG fire


On Maaloy the initail game ended in failure for the Commandos and the second attempt didn't get any better.


Time ended with the Commando attacks on both island repulsed. Tomorrow should see a more historical encounter, just on Vaasgo. Oh and I was the German player on Vaagso.

other games - a Flames of War competition




A large Battlegroup Kursk game




Plus the usual 6th edition competition, boardgames, B&B, etc. definately a good days gaming.