Since seeing “The Four Feathers” (1939 version if you please!) film as a child the idea of a British “square” formation has been ingrained in my brain (not that it appears in the film at all but vaguely the idea is there when the Fuzzy-Wuzzies attack at dawn the lone company of Captain Durrance -already blinded by the Sun- and Burrows and Willoughby of course!
The reading many years later of SMALL WARS revealed to me nothing “new” but it is a book I recommend because it is a compendium of “obvious things to do” (but easily forgotten)… it took me a long time to read and digest (meaning that since begun I read and finished a lot of other books) because it was interesting and meticulous. It has been a long time since I recommended a book!
So today I chosed some old pics from my personal Vault to illustrate the point. Maybe when I get the remaining 16 figures from DORSET (sorry IMPERIAL MINIATURES nowadays) I will indulge in a new series with Khaki clad warriors.
Maybe you already have seen them but anyway…
Enjoy!
A Major (later Colonel) in the Artillery… and specially useful if you are a colonial wargamer or buff. Not the edition I’ve got… but that’s the one!54MM “square”A variation of my first one with Perry’s added to my Old Minifigs.The 54 mm version (aka ULUNDI times)I even did it with customized Playmobils (75mm).Ulundi in 6mm (Baccus minis)Not forgetting 6mm BaccusI used those well known pics on the cover and backcover of my Spanish Second Edition (unavailable because of the I.R.S. that was pesting me every year!… I am not American you kow… and I pay my taxes in Andorra!) So I deleted the books from amazon and that put an end to the harassing.The second and final English Edition (try ebay if you must)
It was a gift! (It came with an order of 54MM casts you have seen ad nauseam…)
I did paint it between colours on other projects in 54MM… quite pleased with the result… not as pricey as 54MM… and they look smart for the size!
Queen’s Bays (more or less…) for a while I was tempted enough… some would love that scale! (see Graham Hilditch)… It was like the old days when I painted a lot of 25/28MM wargames figures.
I rather keep me in the 54MM lot though (details are easier at my age)… but though to show it here nevertheless.
As it is, with the current NAPOLEON movie creating a bit (or a lot) of disturbance in the pacific waters of History I have decided to refresh this Post from long time ago.
I went to see the movie in a theater, in fact I was invited by my eldest son&family… so I could not decline (I planned to go for the Blu-Ray extended version or director’s cut if it ever is commercialized…). You see… I am a fan of Ridley-Scott movies… since I saw THE DUELISTS!… Blade Runner… Gladiator…Black Hawk Down… are very good too. BUT: one thing is “MOVIES” and the other History (different from actual facts sometimes too often)… I think it is a mistake to judge NAPOLEON by its History standards (which are very much distorted or incomplete)… I am grateful for an epic movie even if it is a bit too dark for my aesthetic taste… Kubrick was not able to do it (to his credit)… and I think it is fairly impossible to resume Napoleon Bonaparte in a 2 or 3 hours film… the period is too long to condense… and if you loose precious footage decapitating Marie-Antoinette etc even worse…
From an strictly cinematic experience it was boring, full of cliches, too many flags and a lovely lass!… would not go to a theater to see it again. It is a pity in a way because it could have been so much better. Would I still buy the Director’s Cur?… of course matter of fact!… KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is much better in that format too!. Joaquim Phoenix can not represent a young Napoleon and a sick Napoleon 25 years later as hard as he tries… not a bad actor… a bad script!… as for the battle sequences any Napoleonic Wargamer will tell you ad nauseam all the mistakes… me included! (but we are a minority… a learned minority perhaps in the napoleonic period… but I confess I am not an expert neither in the Romans (well a bit) or The Crusades (only have read an interesting book about it!). It is the same with the Little Big Horn or Greasy Grass … I own (and have read more than a hundred books about it… I just hope Ridley-Scott does not a film about it!).
My recommendation?… go to see it and judge for yourself!… if not a moderate expert yo will probably enjoy.
More than 200 years… and still present in our collective memory for what it was… a genius (with faults and virtues) and I personally think quite ahead of its time. Nobody seriously studies Napoleon without noticing that it was not exclusively Napoleon fighting offensive wars (mainly) but defending France against old monarchies coalitions because of the ideas (seen as dangerous) of the French Revolution (which has also controversy attached). Of course having a military background (after all he was an Artillery Officer) and following the European tradition that Clausewitz will formulate a posteriori he went to war frequently enough (understatement) as it was the custom in Europe, nowadays he is still remembered for his Civil Code (nearly 200 years of life) and abolishing feudal privileges. He also reinstated slavery in the Caribbean Sea (to his shame). He was not perfect but had a great brain and “je ne sais quoi”.
This post has really a lot of pics!
Napoleonic wargaming was my passion for almost thirty years, in 25mm because I was stupid enough to do not choose 15mm in the first place (minis in the late seventies had no such vast offer and traders… even if MINIFIGS did 15mm too!) so MINIFIGS 25mm (after all I was coming down from plastic 54mm and up from AIRFIX 20MM) I went for… and no regrets, was quite happy with my collection who also extended to other periods and wars (I though it would be very difficult to paint such small figures in 15mm because of the lavish uniforms of the napoleonic wars!).
Was interested for many years (obsessed is a better description) with the battle of Waterloo, could the Emperor have won? In context and after years of reading about it, I arrived at the conclusion that it was a NO WIN – NO WIN situation, it would have been 1813 all over again… with Austrians and Russians and what not invading France which was exhausted… and that’s that.
Have some pics of my years indulging in that particular wargamers fetish. And remember the fact that I painted myself all the Waterloo minis!… LOL
Battling with my little brother… many years from now… yours truly on the left.Waterloo set on my “wargames room” in fact part of my office!… weekend well employed.Prussians arriving on the French right flank… 1815. The dark green area was a removable extension of the biggest table at my office.French Grand battery close up.Waterloo 1815 (Solo wargame).Another view.Waterloo lateral view.Waterloo view from the French side.The British Heavy Cavalry charge. Waterloo 1815.British “heavy” (in fact medium) Cavalry close up.Waterloo Allied Cavalry close up.Wellington under his tree…British and Hanoverian Infantry 1815.French Heavy Cavalry of the Imperial Guard + Cuirassiers on their left.French Light Cavalry of the Imperial Guard.French Grand battery (background out of focus)The fictional South Essex of Cornwell’s Sharpe (see right of pic).Ditto.Denmark Infantry. With a change of Command stand they become Swiss…The Prussians arrival!Austrian Grenadiers, Swedish Infantry and Russian Grenadiers.Portuguese Line and Light Infantry (Caçadores).The 9th Leger “L’Incomparable”Napoleonic units: early Spanish 1808 , Duchy of Warsaw and Wurtemberg Infantry.French Artillery.Different Napoleonic units: Kingdom of Naples, Saxons and Bavarians.Aspern-Essling 1809
After a deep crisis with 25mm wargaming I sold them all. After some years toying with Playmobil (75mm) conversions and quite classical 54mm toy soldier collecting I went back to wargaming but in 6mm this time! (see the other Posts). Cheers
I’ve been doing this for years now… and in a way it is quite futile… followers of this Blog must know that from now on Saturdays and Sundays I will not Post as a rule (with exceptions). And this is just the first step… in slowing down.
AND as I have gone over the 500.000 visits mark (including robots)… I am gonna end Posting Facebook pics you can go to Facebook to see for yourself:
Go to Facebook, search for Scott Lesch, Graham Hilditch, Alan Harrison, Gian Lucca Cocchi, Daniel Hodgson, James Opie, Tony Dilley, REPLICA, Andrew Stevenson, Antony Spencer, Imperial Miniatures, Dorset Soldiers, Ducal (or Fort-Ducal), Stuart Asquith, Dan Allen, Donald Featherstone, Daniel Borris, Paul Watson, Tradition of London, RPWorldModels, Baccus, Peter Berry, Dave Mitchell, Bill Horan, John Firth, Roberto Lodoli, Al Fisher, John Clarke, Timothy Hyndman, Paul Griffith, Gavin Holliday, John Clarke, Stefano Allorini, Massimo Vittucci, Alan Green, Steve Snark, Claude Bailey, Bertolini, Howard Whitehouse, Frankowski, Der Alte Fritz, Glenn Robert Pearce, God’s Own Scale, British Bulldog, Steadfast Soldiers, New Buckenham Historical Wargamers, Perry Miniatures, MINIFIGS, Nate Fogt, Alejo Dorca, etc. Groups like: H.G.Wells Little Wars, www.mytoysoldiersandme.com, Playmobil Pictures and Dioramas, 6MM wargaming, W.Britains, Dixon Miniatures, To The Redoubt Miniatures, Perry Miniatures, A Gentleman’s War etc etc etc… Just browse my Posts and then go to Facebook… I am sure some of you already do.
What I intent is just Post my Own Collection or work in this Blog… including Books recommendations or reviews. This transition will go smoothly I guess, it has been a pleasure to entertain you (if I did at all).
Another thing is I want to eliminate the pics I collected but have nothing to do with me… the categories are too crowded as it is and is hard to find things in them… I guess too many info to begin with. So I am in the process of “cleaning up”. Many things I delete are nice pics mind, but as I have said a quick search in Facebook or Instagram will bring them to you.
But the scope of this Blog is turning to a more intimate diary (and no daily entries) and only when I find I have something worth to say IMHO.
Those are mine… and as I have told you in “CLOSING TIME” this is what I am going to Post from now on.
After buying painting and displaying the “new” Chard&Bromhead by Dorset Soldiers I did not knew what to do with my “old one’s”… finally I repainted the RPWM Bromhead as an extra officer of Royal Artillery (quite an easy job!)… and kept Chard as it was but he has joined the Royal West Kent (have not decided yet if attached as a Royal Engineer or simply an officer of the RWH.
Enjoy.
Now Bromhead is a Royal Artillery Officer.And Chard has joined the Royal West Kent.
Probably one of my longest affair with 54MM Toy Soldiers. I wanted to do Nathan Brittles patrol (SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON – John Ford film)… I know I have done it in 6MM… but those are different efforts.
Finally got some weeks ago the casts from REPLICA (Andrew Stevenson)… then I waited for some pistol holsters from DORSET, meanwhile I was cleaning the casts of bits here and there… and gluing the two part kits of horses together… yes… superglue again.
The more difficult model was the troop standard bearer (guidon), Andrew supplied a lancers arm (quite nice on its own I have them on the 9th British Lancers at Kandahar) but it was not what I had in mind… luckily I never throw away discarded parts… so I had a very promissing lance from DUCAL Life Guards I converted to sword carriyng troopers… a bit of paint…
And then an arm (it is a left arm glued as a right arm and would need a bit of putty to disguise the fact)… I was able today of drilling a hole in the hand to receive the guidon… and then I glued all the parts to the body and the horse (it still lacks pistol holster and head).
Was not easy… and I am quite satisfied with my work… so until I finish assembling and painting them… quite a long process because I can do this just an hour a day (and not every day) you will have to wait for more Posts and pics…
Enjoy!
Assembled but a lot of work pending.Long ago I did a very good inversion on that! A good mini drill…
It was one of those crazy things… I have never played a game by the rules A GENTLEMAN’S WAR by Howard Whitehouse… not I intent to… but I finally fall for the units organization (one never knows).
So, here they are… finally 24 Infantry models + Brigade Commander or whatecer is my fancy…
Enjoy!
The Corps of GuidesGurkhas on the flank…Actually my mobile phone seems to make pics better than my old camera…Nice models if you ask me…
Remember those bikes with policemen I painted in January?… well at last the General and his chauffeur are here… and now are finally displayed together… LOL
Great “ancient look” model… the only car in my modest collection!
Enjoy!
General view.Frontal view (ADB52 is a joke of course!)Rear view…In its proper placeGeneral view of the shelve.
I added those casts as an afterthought to my order and have been painting them on and off while doing other things.
They look more Military Modeling than I thought… my intention was to use them as Toy Soldiers… but I do not know… the casts are truly excellent… practically they painted themselves!… such detail for a 54MM… what you find at default is probably my painting job…
Now… to gloss varnish or not… that is the question! (Finally did varnish them)
