A few more 28mm Saxons

The final batch of Gripping Beast Dark age warriors have been completed to boost my 28mm Saxons for either Saga or any other skirmish game.

Recon 2015

I battled my way across the Pennines through storm Desmond to get to the friendly local show at Pudsey. it's not a great show for eye-candy, but it's great to meet up with lots of friends.

So only a few pictures, mainly the Harrogate club's Kampfgruppe Pieper game set in the snowy Ardennes. So some ideas for my winter games






We put on the battle of Liverpool again, starting off the first game with a very young participant


Battle of Tawnersley Moor 1643 (an obscure ECW battle) - Nice to be able to read the research that was done.


Bolt action in the jungle!


Purchasing - not a lot as I'm officially not allowed to buy toys in the run up to Christmas. But I picked up some half price items in a traders closing down sale, a box of PSC British Halftracks and on impulse a box each of 28mm Gripping Beast Arab Heavy and Light Cavalry. Then a couple of bottles of paint and that was it.

Yet more cossacks

These are mainly Zvezda figures gained though a trade a few years back plus a few Orion mounted cossacks added in.

I hadn't added any flags to my existing units so I added so extras to these.

The flags can be found on the 1/72 depot site (link)

Wallachians

As well as some cossacks (next post) I completed the Lucky toys Vlad Tepes set. originally I though I would mix them in with the cossacks but they didn't match up, so I kept them as separate units.

I based up the mounted figures as light cavalry, which are on deeper bases that can be turned though ninety degrees to show tey are skirmishing.

I expect they'll be used as unreliable allies for my Ottomans.

On the workbench - December 2015

Crumbs another year has almost finished. November was spent trying to catch up with October's over-runs and in December I will have to clear up all those bits and pieces of half started ideas so I can get a clear start to the new year. In addition, after the fun of the £2 diecast tanks from the works the entertainment continued with £4 Deagostini diecasts on ebay and Amazon, so I have quite a few amassed now. Quite a few need repainted and/or drybrushing to fit in with the rest of my collection..

I've some finished units to post and I hope to get the following finished by year end.

• 28mm Saxon spearmen for Saga, etc. (only the shields left to paint)
• A small group of armoured bishops as a medieval command stand
• Eight diecast transport vehicles for my winter Germans
• Two Russian trucks and a Katyusha for my winter Russians
• A selection of MMS German winter vehicle crews
• Renaissance Ottoman Artillery - 4 guns plus crews, etc.
• A couple of Russian 47mm AT guns in winter camo

Maritime Museum

After the Museu do Combatente it was across the road to the Jeronimos Monastery, I visited the church and cloisters, then moved on to the Maritime museum, which occupies two side of the monastery.

It's a huge number of rooms many filled with model ships in cases from many eras. Helpfully I had read up on Henry the Navigator a year ago so it was easy to assimilate all the information on the age of discoveries.


The vessels used at the time seem unbelievably small


The trading post (fort) of Diu in India, a marvellous setting for a obscure campaign (link)


Lots of classic ships from the age of sail


Some splendid marines in green with red facings


steam/sail hybrids


WW1


More modern Portuguese ships


Then you move to a modern extension containing real vessels


A royal barge last used for Queen Elisbeth's visit




It took over two hours to go round and it could easily have been three. Perhaps I should have taken notes as there was so much material that was new to me, however with the internet I can still check up on the bits I remember.

Museu do Combatente Lisbon

There is a new military museum adjacent to the Tower of Belem. Its theme is those who fought in Portugal's Twentieth Century wars.


It;s inside a more modern fortification and is overlooked from the Tower.


I has a selection of guns and equipment like this 75mm pack howitzer.


It is concerned with all the military forces involved in foreign combat including the police.


Part of the original equipment of the fort


Yes that is a Stuart at the far end.


I didn't take any pictures inside. One room had modellers collection of aircraft and it's surprising how many different types the Portuguese airforce fly.
The most interesting section of rooms was the African liberation struggle - lots of intriguing pictures, but with Portuguese captions so it was difficult to get a proper impression.
Each of the casemates had a section concerned with one arm of service with explanation of the uniforms and past and current roles. Finally like many museums at the moment there was a WW1 trench experience.