Hello There! Better late than never! Here are the photos that I took while at the Odyssey show last year. As you can see there was a very wide range of periods of military history on show and a very high standard of drill and training shown too.
The re enactors had a number of camps which made some nice vignettes and a varied array of uniforms and units. These were from the Southern Skirmish Association which includes troops from both sides.
It was nice for the groups to make such an effort and was much appreciated. I have some camp sets for the ACW from a number of suppliers which I now have some incentive to put together!
Yet again there was a vast variation in the colour and shade of 'Union trousers' Although re enactors may not be the best source material for such things it is clear that there is no 'single' shade and that over time the blue fades faster than the green part of the dye mix and so can have a greenish hue. I add a small amount of Vallejo 'Green Sky' which works very well.
The Sharpshooter was a welcome surprise as well.
There were a big variation in under shirt and shirts as well. You could almost use any colour you wanted! However the drab and more muted beiges and greys are obviously in the majority.
The positions of soldier who were on picket duty was also interesting. Almost like 1:1 scale skimish!
These officers were having a chat while we browsed through the camp.
The Confederate camp was helpful as well, as the stacked firearms provided a useful picture for that camp set I mentioned earlier.
Something that you do not get to see much, unworn equipment.
Seeing the variation in colours of equipment is something I should perhaps start on my Confederates?
Not too sure about the artillery. I had to shout all the time so they could hear me and answer my questions!
An officer of the Royal Horse Guard, The Blues. Very tall and imposing figure!
The incredible amount of detail in small items, such as motor bikes and side cars are a real challenge for the modeller. As you can see on this full size vehicle all the things that can be carried!
The variations in shade of uniform items, in the command group is plain. Lovely to see a large turnout for the DAK.
Again another smaller vehicle and this has been well recreated. Not sure if it is an original but looks very good.
More shades of the 'same'. Looks like I painted some of my DAK this shade too!
This looks very short in the nose to be a Kublewagen?
I took this photo, not only because of the detail on the motorcycle and side car but also the camo pattern in the background.
There was also a large contingent of Italian troops for the desert as well! A big surprise! As I had an Italian Uncle who was captured in Operation Compass, its good to see what he would have looked like then.
In the Italian forces there is also a wide variation in uniform shades.
To actually see all this equipment up close and have the re enactors be very happy to explain things to you. there was plenty of opportunity to to handle the firearms under supervision.
This Horch did look original but there was no one around to talk to about it. It was a very hot day so is understandable that people wanted to have a break.
The arena, staged fight, was well put together. You can never get enough space to put these on realistically, preserve safety for the public and be close enough to get a good view.
The main reason I photograph these staged fights is that you can get pictures of actors in the sort of poses that you can get your figures in. then you can hack them around to make them a bit different so making your figures a little more unique.
This marder did appear to be original.
While this was explained to us that this Stug was a British '432' which had a new superstructure fitted to it. The group charge for this service but I cannot remember how much. It was less than £20,000.
This reminded me of the French quad 13.7mm AA gun I placed on the back of a truck, for my FFL Bir Hacheim figures.
This was a surprise to see, especially as I bought a copy of his book recently.
An odd, top heavy looking hybrid. I was more interested in the sand/dust shields on the front of the tracks as I had made some out of brass sheet for the desert carriers I have.
There always seems to be one of these at every show I go to! It maybe the same one?!. This one had rounded corners at the rear which does denote one of the makes that were used during the war. I do not have the book to hand to tell me which one!
I always remember making the ESCI version of the scout car/ I may even still have it in the loft!
The span of military history covered was all the way back to ancients. In the arena the display was very informative and well presented. This group was 'The Hoplite Association' and is the first of its kind in the World, according to the event programme.
Although there were no more than a dozen re enactors here they could show the effects of the large round shields and how they overlapped in formation.
The Diehard Company, is a Victorian Military Society which had a good display which included firing, a small artillery piece and plenty of bayonet drill.
The artillery was an original 1860's Whitworth piece.
I like to be able to give the impression of just how much smoke these firearms generate. This was only a single line. I vaguely remember that that smokeless powder was not available until the 1890's?
And all actually in the same step!
Overall this was a very enjoyable day out and not too far to drive. There was plenty to see and I have excluded the ACW fire fight as this was similar to the one at Stoneham Barns earlier in the year.
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