Warlord Games 'Carrot' Mule Train

 Hello There. This is another model that has languished on the painting table for a while. 

This Warlord Games model was bought at Their stand at Salute a number of years ago. I also got the companion 'stick' and have nearly completed that.

Both are intended for a feature for WSS about logistics and their absence in wargaming games. This seem strage to me as in the real World logistics is of paramount importance but is largely ignored completely.

I have since found a further cantiniere and mule train which are also on the work bench and will also be subjects of the feature, 'fluff' on a large games table and suitable for the skirmish project as well.

28mm French Napoleonic Artillery

 Hello There! With more time spent at work recently I have been unable to finish much from the painting table. Here is one item that has been completed.

This battery is intended for part of the Maida project, hence the small Wargames Foundry 4lb gun. The figures are also Foundry. Because this will be used in wargaming I have replaced the white metal rammer with a brass wire and the trail spike was added to an open handed figure. It was made from a thicker piece of brass wire hammered flatter at one end.

The long yellow grass is made by rolling 6mm long static grass between my fingers and after levelling one end planting it in a dab of PVA. The long green grass is coconut hair broom bristles cut to length and planted into the wet water resistant tile adhesive before covering in stones, grit and gravel.

Battle of Maloyaroslavets, Fought on 29th May 2012 at New Buckenham Historical Wargamers Club

 Hello there! At last the wargaming famine is over with the above battle fought at the wargames club I attend. In a large hall the game was set up the evening before and players arrived promptly to get their places and plans arranged.

 Although dcropped and part way through the game this picture gives you an idea of the size of the game.The actually does not show a further third of the battlefield at the bottom of the picture which holds the Italian division and its cavalry.

Which is here marching across the board.

Here next to the Italians is the Russian church on a plateau. The ground had a scattering of snow represented all over the table.

This is the objective for the game. The capture of these two village sectors were the goal for the French and Russian forces.

Annd the Approaching assaulting french forces. Gallantly led be me they were going to keep many of the Russians occupied and not defending the villages. They did their job but did not get into contact with the enemy.

At the same time the troops under my command had to deal with the threat from their left of a cavalry division comprising of cossacks and regular light cavalry. These did slow some of the advancing infantry battalions as they had to form square to repel these forces.

These Saxons were held up in particular. These were supplied for the game by Will who has done a very good job of painting these.

They were on the right wing of the approaching division whichis here.

The left of my attacking column had the French forces that were assaulting the village sectors. They were supported by this 'grand battery'

At the same time, on the far left of the battlefield the Italian division advanced to their objective against an angry grey sky.

Meanwhile after a couple of attempts to threaten the flanks of the formed infantry the Russian light and irregular cavalry withdrew into nearby woods.

Although the moves in the game were kept going, (by the umpire Darren), there was time to showcase some of the figures used in the game which came from a number of different collections within the club. These figures are completed from the latest Perrys plastic French line box. THey have come out very well indeed and looking to the left of the picture is a small conversion showing a wounded infantryman.

Here is a close up for you.

The representation of the cavalry commander on the table is here.

The Italians on the other side of the table and from another collection looked good too.

Here is the front of 'my' attacking forces from the Russian point of view.

The village sectors started off in Russian hands and on the first attempt they were pushed out. However the dekoralisation of the division they were part of led to them breaking and quitting the field. This lead to a scramble to fill the vacant position which the Russians won. They stayed there for the rest of the game.

Further forces made their way across the board to back up the forces under my command however they were not able to make a difference to the outcome.

An overview of the game at this stage shows the Russians absorbing the pressure all along their front. They broke fighting against the Italians but held along the rest of their front.

This is the attack of the troops under my command. They did get a bit closer than this and after two attempts to press home their attack  they were finally demoralised and could not turn this back.

To make me feel better here are the Italians successfully engaging the Russians.

Here is a last look at the head of column of another collection.

Overall it was a very enjoyable game and well worth the wait after the 'Wargames Famine' of the last year or so. It was well run by the umpire and with over 50 battalions on either side it made a very good spectacle.

Further AAR and photographs are available on the New Buckenham Historical Gamers Facebook page here.

French and Austrian Napoleonic 28mm Additions

 Hello there! I have had the opportunity to complete some Austrian casuality markers, another line colonel and a French officer for the Napoleonic skirmish project.

Here is the sole Frenchman. He is a Front Rank Light infantry officer who will lead the line infantry voltigeurs against the cowardly Spanish guerillas. I have been trying a few alternatived to the 'French Blue' coat colour. This is Wargames Foundry 65A French Blue shade, 65C French Blue highlight and Vallejo 841. The last two colours were mixed to make the highlight and I am pleased with the result.

Next up the latest Austrian line colonel. This chap is for the 11th  Erzherzog Ranier regiment. He is a Wargames Foundry figure from their mounted officers set. This is a two piece casting, unlike the Perrys version which is one piece which in turn takes longer to paint, is a very good fit with his horse. If I have any critisisms it is that the angle the sword is held at means that when picked up you can push the sword towards the figure and it looks odd. I feel it may only be a matter of time before it snaps off.

Here is the first casualty markers. I intend to use Shako II rules and these measure the effectiveness of each unit by having a number of 'hits'. These go down during the game and reflect how well they can fire and melee with the enemy. These are a way of recording the units status without paperwork. The counter bases are from Warbases.

These figures are again from Wargames Foundry and are very clean castings which required minimal cleaning up. I noticed while cleaning that some were Hungarian so after a quick scan of the order of battle of Eckmuhl and the facings of the required Hungarian regiments were found.

This last figure is from the Foundry German line command set. The position he is in is incompatable with the usual poses of the Austrian drill book version of march attack. This left me with some odd figures which I had no use for and as I had bought a few command sets I had a number of these. I decided to use them as casualty markers and this chap is for the 57th Joseph Colloredo regiment.

I have a further battalion 'on the paint table' and have now got in the habit of turning out the off white jacket and trousers to a satisfactory standard so speeding up their completion.

 

Austrian 28mm Napoleonic Front Rank Infantry

Hello There! This is a short post to show you the lastest progress on the mountain of Austrian infantry I am slowly ploughing through.

Please excuse the first picture which has slight out of focus extremeties as I was rushing as the clouds were rapidly closing in blocking my light!

This is my second battalion of  infantry, the first of the 42nd Erbach Regiment, and are awaiting a reply from GMB for the availability of the flags for it and a number of other battalions. In 1809 many infantry regiments had the regimental number embroided next to the standard pole and this could be quite noticable. GMB have the option to provide the correct numbers for these units but has to be sorted by e mail.

Hope you enjoy.

Norfolk Boardgames, Wargames and Collectables, Great Yarmouth

 Hello there. After seeing some fellow wargamers from the New Buckenham club talking about the wargames shop in Great Yarmouth I decided to pay it a visit.

I did not know what to expect but sent a couple of PM messages to ask about a few Vallejo paints I required and got a very prrompt response which was really helpful.

There is a pay and display car park within sight of the shop on Georges Street which is convenient.

There is a wide range of stock and while there is a large range of Warhammer and fantasy there is also plenty of Historically based stock to peruse as well. The shop is densly packed with figures both new and pre owned, painted and unpainted. These are easily viewed on shelves in the shop window and along the walls.

There is stock of Warlord Games Napoleonics, WW II and Naval figures, models and rules and also 15mm figures available as well. 

I was surprised to find a complete range of Vallejo paints including game color, Panzer and air ranges as well as model colour.

I always like to support small shops like this so made a point of  making some purchases.

The Warlord Games Napoleonic Mule Train and Cantiniere sets were a nice surprise as I am painting the 'carrot' and 'stick' sets at the moment. These are intended for the skirmish rules I am presently working on and for photographic subjects for a future planned feature for WSS on suppllies and logisitics.

The panzer aces paints are to add to my various 'horse colours' and various brown shades which are always useful.

Overall I found it well worth a visit and has something for all gamers form historical to fantasy and feel it should be supported.

The shop has a facebook page which is here.