Making Flags and Standards.

Hello There! As mentioned earlier I am painting the forces for the Battle of Maida. Part of the French forces includes the 42nd Line Infantry. I have used figures from a bargain purchase of Wargames Foundry mixed with the odd Perrys Miniature and Front Rank. All of these figures are well detailed and 'compatable' with each other.

The completed battalion will be putting in an appearance in a later blog but here is the flag from GMB going on the standard.

Here are the tools I use to fit the flag. I have already taken a Front Rank Eagle and used epoxy adhesive to glue it to the end of a length of brass wire. The wire is cut to a length that allows the completed base of figures to be kept safely in the 'Really Useful Boxes'. Hence some may say that the standard is not the right length.

Here I have painted the edges and the inside of the flag to stop any white edges showing up when the flag is glued together. Although it is difficult to see in this photograph the right hand side of the open flag has a small square of cooking foil glued to the surface. This is to provide some rigidity to the flag when folded and is held in place so that when the PVA glue is dry the flag can be bent into place, hopefully preventing any creases into the flag.

 

Here is the completed flag for the 42nd Line and another flag I have completed for the 1st Light. Both present at the battle of Maida and these illustrations show how the flags can be curved and bent to represent the wind filling them.

American Civil War Dismounted Union Cavalry, 28mm

 Hello Again! This is the latest addition to my ACW cavalry forces. They will go towards the forces I will use for the skirmish rules I am writing and for the larger 28mm games I usually take around a wargaming friends, (when Covid-19 does not get in the way!).

These are Redoubt 28mm figures. I bought these as at the time the command figures from the Perrys range was somewhat limited. Typically by the time I had started to paint these then they released a second set of Union command, almost as if they were watching what I was doing!

Here are the other figures to substantiate that comment. I realised that the officers hat had a bugle on it too late so he will go into the infantry! The flags for the standard bearers are from GMB.

Here are some close ups of some of the command. The casting of the bugle held by the musician leaves a little to be desired but unless you get really close up it is not too obvious.

I like to provide close ups of finished figures as one of my gripes about pictures of figures I see on the internet are that they are at such a  distance you cannot see much of them at all. I do not mind cutting and cropping photographs to show them 'Warts and all' as I hope it helps other painters to realise that not everything looks that great close up but these do look very good overall.

Lastly the corporal is also ready for the table. All these figures are multi part and can be a bit frustrating to assemble but once done they are a unique model for the table.

Esci/Italieri 20mm Valentine Tanks

 Hello There! Having started too many painting jobs making my painting table almost unusable I thought I had better finish something that was taking up a lot of space.

I had three of these finished, (probably in the 1990's!), and have had a number of other Valentines waiting to be dome! I have a regiments worth in he boxes but two of the three that I have completed recently, (the three in the front), have come from the 'assembled but broken' box.

All they needed was a couple of wheels drilling and pinning back into place and stripping the paint off. The paint was stripped off using 'Model strip' from Hannants in nearby Lowestoft and a bit of careful scrubbing with an old toothbrus. After that they just needed an airbrush primed and off we go!

I notice I have not put the transfers on this one but that will be done in the future. The tank commander is from AB, (always able to improve any model), and the aerial is a cat whisker.

The base is a 0.8mm thick plywood on a thin sheet of magnabase. The terrain is waterproof tile adhesive, Cotswold Buff chippings, gravel and sand sprinkled on a layer of PVA 

The vegetation is offcuts from a coconut hair brush and the rest is tufts. I use yellow ochre paint from an art shop as the main sand colour as I do not have to keep mixing a colour over and over again. It is then drybrushed with the same colours mixed with increasing amounts of white.

In the past I have played a number of games of Stuart Asquith's tank fighting rules. I hope to increase the number of tanks I have painted for a desert version of this game.

British Napoleonic Field Artillery Book

 Hello There! I am continuing with the Maida project which has brought me to painting some 28mm Front Rank British Foot Artillery. After looking at the uniform research sources I had I found myself with a number of unanswered questions about their uniform so after a quick search found the companion volume to this here. 

I found it to be the 'one stop shop' for British Foot artillery, Royal Horse artillery and drivers with many useful illustrations of uniforms, artillery pieces and equipment.

It includes adequate information so I can also build a Royal Horse Artillery limber team complete with the traces and reins rather than just have the models of the horses just standing infront of the limber with no visible means of attachment.

This edition is a soft back and is £10 off the cover price. This is common deal with Paul and he stocks both new and second hand books in his collection which constantly changes. It is definitely worth visiting his website regularly.

This book was promptly sent to me from here.  Paul Meekins books have been a very helpful and a well priced resource for military books. I have used his services for over 16 years now. With the lack of wargaming shows I have not made purchases in person but he did regularly attend 'Salute' and the 'War & Peace' show at Beltring in Kent.

I would recommend both this book and Paul Meekins Books to you.

My 'Helper'

 Hello There! Although it is not an excuse I have had some extra 'help' to do the posts on my blog, and here he is:

Fred does look in a very grumpy mood and this is usually closely linked to the amount of food I decide to feed him. If I gave him the amount of food he wants he would probably cover the computer screen completely!

Access to the keyboard and screen can be problematical during these times!

42nd French Line Infantry Regiment

 Hello There! The latest unit to be completed for the 'Maida project is the French 42nd Line infantry.

The battalions I paint are 18 figures strong and are intended for use with Shako II rules. Here the flag is from GMB and the figures are mainly Wargames Foundry with some Front Rank and Perrys in there too.

I liked the officer in the great coat so he was a first choice to put in the central  or command base.

I wanted the unit to look a bit more spectacular and decided to add the grenadiers in bearskins.  

The voltigeurs are in more 'standard' yellow and green distinctions with a few tufts to add to the base.

I have prepped some artillery for the British and chasseur a cheval for the French to be completed next. 

Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy Issue 111

Hello There! I received my complimentary copy of issue 111 of Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy magazine today. In it I have had a feature published in it which goes into painting some of the more difficult colours that wargamers like to avoid. 

Reds and yellows can be hard to shade and highlight and here is a few pointers to help you out.

The idea for this feature came about while painting figures for my 'Maida' project. This started with the Watteville Regiment then a battalion of Swiss in French service. When looking into the sources of red dye and the shades of red that were used in uniforms, it became apparent that, as the Illustrious editor of WSS would say, 'There is a feature in that!'

I also included white, in the original feature, however it was lost in the editing but that will be rewritten and shall make an appearance in a future edition.

Steve Barber Models 28mm American Civil War Skirmish Figures

 Hello There! Among the many projects I have running similtaneously, (yes I know, just don't go there!), I bought some Union troops for the Horse and Musket period skirmish rules I have been working on

The rules are being cobbled together from a number of sources and are intended for a game I hope to play round a wargaming friends, when this coronavirus silliness is over and done.

I have some cavalry, for both sides based singularly, more suitable for skirmish gaming but I still required some infantry. While looking at the Steve Barber website I came across his ACW range and these figures fitted the bill perfectly!

The botton right hand figure is the only figure that came as a two piece casting but it was an easy and clean fit. I did use a brass wire as a pin just to be sure but with the pose of this figure it must have been impossible to do as a single casting.

The faces are full of character but are not over exagerrated, like Dixon or Redoubt. They are clean and with enough detail so it is easy to paint the faces by following the detail on the casting. You did not have to add painted feature which you have to do with some poor castings or older figures.

There is adequate creases on the jacket and trousers to shade the creases along the arms of the jacket and creases on the egs of the trousers. This detail is not a pronounced as a Perry figure but is still enough to assist you painting shading on them.

They are based on two pence pieces with a circle of magnabase below that. The grey stones are road chippings which the council uses to resurface roads. This has led to a number of bald' roads around where I live but this is a small sacrifice for decent basing material besides I do pay my Council Tax! No not really. When the road is resurfaced the layer of bitumen which is used to  stick these stones down does not 'catch all' the stones. As traffic uses the newly 'layered' road the loose stones get kicked to the side of the road near the kerb or across any entrances and exits to the road. You just pop along one day with a dustpan and brush. If the Police see you mdoing this they do detain you for a while as they obviously believe you are totally mad!

The stones are painted and dry brushed but they are very effective. The rest of the basing is simply flock and static grass with tufts.

There are more figures in the pipeline which will be appearing on here soon but I must really get on with the rules!

Maverick Models

Hello There! Among the many projects I have been working on is a Spanish force in 28mm to refight the Battle of Medina de Rioseco.

One of the problems with this project is that the flags available for the Spanish Army of the Peninsuar War is limited. While there are a few suppliers that supply some flags, (Flags of War and GMB). The scope of units covered is small. Many cavalry units are not covered and many of the 'Provisional Militias' are not covered at all.

This situation is not helped by the fact that many of these flags have not survived from the Napoleonic Wars and we are reliant on many accounts to vague eye witness accounts which are often unclear or 'best guesses' which are hypothetical.  

After some searching on the internet I came across Maverick models who had a small list of examples but I saw a comment saying that if he did not have what I was looking for I should contact him.

The owner of Maverick Models, Stuart, was very helpful and kept in e mail contact often. I supplied sources and pictures for the flags I required and after a few weeks they flags arrived.

Here is the order and a copy, bottom right, of a similar item I obtained from another supplier. The flags were printed on a high quality paper and there was the option of what size I required and a choice of paper or cloth. Also if I wanted a 'plain' or a  'effect' print which has a 'ripple' effect on the finished print.

The units are the La Reina Dragoons, Guardias du Corps and Queens Carabiniers. These are not supplied anywhere that I could find. These are a print and not a photograph of an existing picture or illustration and include a surrounding fringe which I can cut into strips for realism. 

I was very impressed with the service and communication from Stuart and the prices were very reasonable. I also sent some extra money due to the amount of Stuart put in to this project.

Here is the flag fitted to the figure.

Apologies for the white background not covering by painting table. These are Eagle Miniatures Spanish Dragoons painted as the La Reina Regiment. These are also the figures which will be appearing in issue 111 in the painting 'Red and Yellow' feature.

New source of Information for the Peninsular War

Hello there! With the second lock down starting I have turned to the painting table again after spending a long while on some wargaming admin.

I have been translating, from Spanish, a book on the Battles of Alcaniz, Maria and Belchite.I have completed the translation of another book from the 'Guerreros Y Batallas' series of books on the Battle of 'Medina de Rioseco' the layout of which is reminicent of the Osprey Campaign series of books however the coloured uniform plates are more 'clinical' as opposed to the more 'artistic' illustrations we have coome to expect from Osprey. Also there are far more details in the form of  buttons, city/town crests present on various flags and musicians on each plate.

These do provide an alternative view to the Peninsular War, other that a solely British perspective, and is well balanced. It acknowledge that there were deficiencies in the Spanish Army but explains why they existed and what they did to try and overcome them. 

The text is, (or seems), well researched, which in the case of the Rioseco book includes details of the battlefield based on visits to the battlefield by the author. There is also relevant photographs of the battlefield and comments on parts of the battlefield which are significant to key points during the battle. The text also refers to deductions and judgements from other works in English, notably Oman, but also to some more modern reference, (Micheal Oliver).

I sourced these books from the internet, particularly Amazon and Abe books, the latter which has many links to overseas bookshops which is very helpful.

I use 'Deep L' for my translation, (here.) which does not require any payment to use and I have found it much better able to translate the context of Spanish as opposed to English. As you type the words in you can see the resulting text being switched around which saves a lot of time later.

Also if there is a word that seems out of place in the english translation you can click on that word and a drop down menu lists a number of alternative words that can be fitted into the translated text if you click on it. 

It does take a while to translate but if I am waiting to something to dry or set on the painting table it is a welcome break to do this and make available an alternative piece of research material for my hobby.

Battle of the Civil War

 Hello  There! I have just finished reading 'Battle in the Civil War' It is written by Paddy Griffith and I found this in a second hand book shop. I was aware of the work of the author and being interested in the American Civil War I purchased it after a quick flick through.

I found it to hold a lot of relevant information which I have not seen elsewhere. It explains the basics of how armies function and engage each other. It goes into the problems that commanders from both sides experienced and how they tried to deal with them. This was a refreshing difference to the usual unit history or personal recollections but it also goes some way to expain the actions described in these other publications too.

It includes chapters covering Strategy of the Civil War, Commanders problems, Finding the Enemy, Manoeuvering, Transmitting Orders, Deployment, Generalship, Control in Battle, Pursuit, Artillery, Cavalry and the Fire Fight among others.

Each subject only has a double page spread on each of these and also has so me well detailed line drawings on every page.

Althogh reall y a 'Crash Course' in the American Civil War it was very useful, even for myself who has been reading about the period for years.

I would certainly recommend this to anyone who is interested in the period.

Foam Woods and Explosion Markers

 Hello There! I have some items for sale and would like to put them on here. The amount of interest will determine if I do anymore so if you would like something like this please contact me through this blog.

1.Here are some foam woods. The figures to show size are 28mm Spanish Guerrillas on a two pence piece. The tree trunks are thin dowel and cocktails sticks. The dried paint on the trees has made the foam hard. They are dry brushed a lighter green and spray varnished overall.  Sold as a set and are £15 plus Postage & Packing.

THESE WOODS HAVE NOW BEEN SOLD,(10/04/21), HOWEVER I AM MAKING SOME MORE AND THESE WILL BE POSTED ON THIS BLOG IN DUE COURSE.

2.These explosion markers have two pence pieces glued to their base to weigh them down and stop them falling over.  Sold as a set this set is £12 plus postage and packaging.

 

3.These two large explosion markers are more suitable for larger calibre guns. They are weighed down with two pence pieces and are £8 for the pair plus Postage and Packaging.

4.This group are medium sized markers with various arrangements of explosion arms. This groups are weiged down again and are £15 plus Postage and Packaging.

5.This group does not have the extending arms like the previous items and portray the explosion but not as well developed. They are approximately the same size. Again they are weighed down and are sold as a set. £8 plus Postage and Packaging

6.This and the next set are various sizes. Again weighed down and suitable for different calibres of gun. £10 plus Postage and Packaging

7.These are again weighed down and suitable for different calibres of gun. £10 plus postage and Packaging

Purchasing more than one set will qualify for a 10% discount.

Please contact me through this blog.

The Battle of Maida, 4th July 1806

Hello There! I have been painting units to refight the Battle of Maida so have decided to write the British and French orders of battle to show progess on the project.

Here is the British first.

British Order of Battle

Commander: General   Sir John Stuart

Light Infantry Brigade: Commander Lt-Col James Kempt, (formerly 81st Reg commander)

Composite Light Infantry Battalion, (nine companies)

'Flankers' from 35th Foot, (120 men) (possibly part of the Light Battalion)

Royal Corsican Rangers, (two companies)

Sicilian Light Infantry, (one company)

1st Brigade: Commander: Brigadier Sir Lowry Cole

Grenadier battalion, (seven companies) Lt-Col O'Callaghan

1st battalion, 27th Foot, (eight companies)

Second Brigade: Commander: Brigadier Wroth Palmer Acland

2nd battalion, 78th Foot, (eight companies) Commander Lt-Col Patrick MacLeod

1st battalion, 81st Foot, (eight companies)

Third Brigade: Colonel John Oswald

20th Foot, (eight companies) (Veteran, from Egyptain campaign, Distiguished)

1st Battalion, 58th Foot, (eight companies)

Watteville Regiment, (nine companies)

Artillery, Commander Major Lemoine

10 x 4pdr

4 x 6pdr

2 x howitzers, (Calibre?)

Light Battalion

    This was formed while the battalions were in Malta. Lt- General Sir James Craig stripped the other battalions of their light companies and formed a light battalion of nine companies. While in Malta they were trained in light infantry tactics and he encouraged esprit de Corps in the new unit.

       The unit fought well in the battle and was considered strong and reliable.  

    Although this tactic was seldom used by the British and not again after this battle, (according to Oman), the historian described this action as 'an execrable device'. He highlighted the removal of the battalions best shots and removing the light skirmisher screen which the battalion would also benefit from.

      The system was abolished by Sir John Moore, who commanded the army in Sicily after the replacement of Stuart in July 1806.

Royal Corsican Rangers

    Raised in Malta on 14 September 1803 and commanded by Hudson Lowe this unit consisted of ten companies of sixty men each, two companies of which were present at Maida. Spending all their existence in the Mediterranean area they were uniformed in a very similar way to the 95th rifles, (although I do not believe they were armed with a rifle), the only difference being the black cords had an obvious red fleck included in it.

        I will use figures representing 95th Rifles for this unit leaving out the red fleck so I can use them for further Peninsular War scenarios in the future.

This unit is illustrated in Osprey men at arms 335 Emigre and Foreign Troops in British Service (2) 1803-1815 by Rene Chartrand, plateA3

Sicilian Light Infantry

    Raised in Sicily in May 1806 part or all of this unit was present at Maida. Some sources say just one company was present and another says'it' was present inferring it was all present.

    It was barely raised and kept in reserve so could not be trusted in battle.

    This unit is illustrated in Osprey men at arms 335 Emigre and Foreign Troops in British Service (2) 1803-1815 by Rene Chartrand, plate D2

Grenadier Battalion

This was a composite battalion composed of the Grenadier companies from all except the Watteville regiment, hence their extra company compaired to the other battalions.  

Again formed on Malta it provided another battalion for this force and were very accomplished during the battle.

1st Battalion 27th Foot, Inniskillin

This battalion had buff facing which also included buff trousers and turnbacks. They were described as 'Hard biting fellows' according to Lt-Gen Sir Hensy Bunbury, (Head of the expeditions quarter master generals department). Therefore I would consider them veteran rather than line in morale value.

Further information can be found here.

2nd battalion, 78th Foot, (Highland) Ross-shire Buffs

    This was a recently raised regimment which had arrived in Messina in May 1806 and was due to go to Malta to reinforce the Sicilian garrison there. They were considered inexperienced. Their service took them to India later and they did not take part in the Peninsular. Due to this I have found it impossible to source their flags and so have made them myself. In turn as I would lke to use the figures in Peninsular games later I will paint another highland unit and use that instead.

Further information is here.

1st battalion, 81st Foot

    This unit also has buff facings and turnbacks. They spent the vast majority of the time in the Meditterranean. Further information can be seen here.

1st Battalion, 20th Foot, East Devon

The East Devons had yellow facings. They had a long history being a part of the Peninsular War and were with the army at Rolicia, Vimero, Corunna, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Orthez and Toulouse.

    Later they guarded Napoleon on St Helena in 1819 and 12 grenadiers of their regiment bore Napoleons coffin in 1821. 

Further information can be found here.

1st Battalion, 58th Foot, Rutlandshire

    This unit had black facing which leads to a drummer in a white jacket. They were considered inexperienced green troops but previously fought with great distinction in Egypt so this may be undeserved.

This unit spent its time in Messina and had no further part in the Peninsular War.

Further information cen be found here.

Watteville Swiss Regiment

This regiment also had black facing. I managed to source their flags from 'Flags of War' from their 'War of 1812' range. This is because it is one of the few units in the British Army that served in the Mediterranean, Peninsular and Canada. The flag does bear the battle honour of 'Maida' but with the flag being folded on the flagstaff it cannot be seen.

Artillery

How this was divided up has been difficult to ascertain.

There was an artillery reserve of  4 x 6pdr and 2 x howitzers.

Dyneleys Battery of 2 x 4pdr supported the light brigade.

This leaves 8 x 4pdr which I assume was spread evenly between the remaining two brigades.

Sources

Osprey men at arms 335 Emigre and Foreign Troops in British Service (2) 1803-1815 by Rene Chartrand

The Battle of Maida 1806, Fifteen Minutes of Glory by Richard Hopton

Wellington's Switzers by Alistair Nichols

Steve Barber Models 28mm Napoleonic British Royal Horse Artillery Mounted Officer and Bugler

 Hello There. I have just retrieved some more figures from the 'Lead Mountain of Unending Shame' with the idea to prepare some more figures for painting. I like to deflash, degrease, prime and mount items so that they are ready to go.

I wanted to do some artillery for the French and British as I have started some cavalry and done a few infantry battalions by now as well. I found some Polish artillery from Murawski Miniatiures, (more about them later), and some Royal horse Artillery from Front Rank. To complement these I remembered these from Steve Barber Models.

This company provides a varied and eclectic range of single figures across a wide range of  periods. This is a result of the company providing a service to provide figures for the wargamer under a commission a figure sysytem. The result is then provided on their website.

I have purchased these figures and a number of British and French Napoleonic sailors and marines. I also have some American Civil War items as well.

I am wary of describing how much flash a figure has as each individual gamer has their own opinion as to what 'minimal' or 'bad' is or even 'acceptable' This can easily give an incorrect image to future customers. I also feel that people may expect far too much from figure manufactures sometimes too.

Here the flash consists of a line along the back of each horse which is easily removed with a sharp scalpel scraped along it. The officers horse has some 'proper' flash which is about 10mm long and  2mm deep. The mould marks are easily removed with a sharp blade or a 'rats tail file' The horse cloth has a moulded line to help paint the edging along the horse cloth.

The figures are very clean of mould marks for the standards of the day. The trumpeter has a little under the arm holding the bugle but that is not a problem at all. The braid is very clear and so detailed it is enough to make any figure painter cry realising that he has to paint each line individually.

As you can see from the rear view here the lace work on the jacket of the figure. It is very clear and easy to paint with no flash line involvement.

From the front the officer has TEETH moulded in his open mouth and all cords are just as clear as the bugler.

Overall these figures area very worthy purchase and a very good addition to the RHA figures I am about to start.

I do not have any connections to Steve Barber Models, apart from the fact I purchsed some of their figures.