Month: August 2022

British Napoleonics 28mm

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My first love when I discovered metal soldiers was the Waterloo battle (see elsewhere in this same web page), then I was convinced that it was a British/French affair (lol)… much later I discovered the King’s German Legion, The Hanoverians, The Dutch&Belgian, the Nassauers and of course the Prussians! (LOL). It was a long journey… and now at seventy I know that the main pleasure was in the “journey”… all those years buying books, reading about it, checking (and double-checking ) my Armies compositions etc etc etc.

It was a great hobby, and I was entertained for more or around thirty years by it!… I have no regrets. But I must comment that one of the things that put me out of it was when the “finish of the painting job” become Military Modeling like!… I have nothing against it mind… but in my mind the point was not there, the pic of today shows what can be achieved in that scale (and inferiors too) by extremely good painters. Transforming a wargames unit (I must admit I was more Toy Soldier focused) in a mini diorama. You need all sorts you know!… Suddenly my painfully researched and balanced Waterloo Armies looked as “past” as a British Two Seater if you know what I mean (my other hobby been cars). So I quitted.

Military Modeling like minis…

Not wargaming mind, I still have the thrills!, but you’ll need a magnifying glass to see my 6mm ACW paintjobs! (lol again)… seriously even having a permanent quite big table (see elsewhere in the webpage) I love to have more “room to manoeuvre”… “no secure flanks”… and “lines of supply”… I understand perfectly the trend to downsize the minis and have more fun with the game itself. Now I simply collect in the traditional 54mm scale (as I have always done), display them on cabinets ad hoc… and wargame in 6mm.

Mind, I still love those units as the pic of today shows but my time for them has passed away, nor I have the room to field them, nor the funds or time to get them “right” (I have abstained to enter in the argument of “parade look” versus “campaign look” on purpose… I always preferred the former…).

So, without much more to say today… I will let you ponder on it. Enjoy.

Der Alte Fritz minis (again)

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One of the successes of “Imperial” forces (not exclusive of the British Empire) is the raising, training and correctly use of “auxiliaries” or “allies”… good logistics and financing needed… in the end Empires crumble by financial overstretched reasons (and yes corruption too).

Lovely pic. Enjoy.

Sudanese and Egyptian Infantry 54mm

Colonial 28mm

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Well, hereby you can find your daily dose of painted lead soldiers… as announced yesterday those are 28mm by the talented Perry Bros. Soldiers from the collection of Dave Docherty and pictures courtesy of Mark Freeth. Guess that all of this is easy enough to find in Facebook… but yours truly does the work of choosing and showing. That’s that. Wargaming with Toy Soldiers (here am I preaching again!) has nothing to do with Colonialism, Imperialism, Real War, or whatever other whimsy world facts… it is an ideal world to display fortitude courage and adventure in an old fashion way… it is not that times gone by were better at all… it is not that local people were NOT right in fighting Invaders mind!… it is just FUN. If you do not find funny better stop trying to understand.

By the way… another example of indulging wargaming with minis painted to such high standard that it looks like a Military Modeling Diorama… (nothing against it but OMG!)

Naval Brigade in the thick of it…
Highland Brigade…
Another view of the Highlanders
Fuzzy Wuzzy

My own efforts after years with 25mm MINIFIGS are now in 6mm scale (You know you need all sorts!).

Baccus 6mm
My Old MINIFIGS with some Perry’s too… (Sold them long time ago)
54mm still in my Collection… I do not use them for Wargames… only display I am afraid. various makers: Tradition of London, STEADFAST (R.Prati) and DUCAL.

Fort Rexford

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One of the REGULARS in facebook, Colonel Bailey never tires!… his duty is protect the NW Frontier… and he does that with devotion and professionally… so here we go again!

I think he’s permanent table is a must. If this is 54mm… next post would be 28mm by Dave Docherty.

Claude Bailey’s punitive expedition (night march)

Repainted for the better…

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What a good paintjob can do for the castings (all of them) is wonderful.

Her Majesty’s Guards (or Household Division Troops) are a popular choice among collectors or simply aficionados whatever the level. It has much to do with that the daily exposure in such well know military procedures as the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, The handing of the keys at the Tower of London, and similar at Windsor castle. The more “touristic attraction” the more popularity in children minds… So, let it be.

Hardly original subject… but a CLASSIC IMHO. As seen in Facebook.
Even with a bit of patience you can do it with Playmobils. (Those are my own).
By the end of your “collecting life” you would have gone megalomaniac (well, a bit). Those are mine.

There are no limits …

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Imagination and craftsmanship on the tabletop. Nothing to do with the real thing of course… if you fire that gun it would go backwards?… NO of course it is a self reloading mechanism that remains in place and help reload… no limits I said… that is the stuff of legendary wargames!

Somehow creative… by DER ALTE FRITZ… seen in Facebook!
Another view.

The long grey line

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A very traditional Sunday morning I fear… but some pics deserve a post in their own right. Not much to comment I guess.

Going to start a new thread in the Proxies Department chez Baccus (6mm) in search of British Guards with Bearskin proxies (a la ALMA and INKERMAN) but to decide if I use 6mm instead of 54mm in A GENTLEMAN’S WAR wargame rules… there are units one fancies but not the whole Armies… and there is no better place to use them than in Fantasyland (but not FANTASY if you follow me).

Enjoy the pic.

Surely deserve a place here… as seen in Facebook HIRIART LEAD FIGURES.

Before/After

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So, the old question arise… what would you do?… keep them as Historical Vintage Items?… or… Repaint and Restore?…

I must admit that when confronted with it in the past I opted, after thinking about it, for the second option. Even more I sold them once restored because problems of mixing up sizes and scales in 54mm with others manufacturers…

Was I right?… I do not really know… Those below are not mine… as seen in Facebook by Arno Durieux..

Before Restoration
After Restoration

Quite old 54mm!

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First Empire… Napoleone Buonaparte the “corsican”

It is funny what History “makes” of some figures or “personages”… the collective of wargamers (me included) focus on the uniforms (gaudy) the generals leading from the front (that was a nice thing) and other colourful items of the period (same can be said of the XVIIIth Century of course!) and we tend to forget the horrors of those real wars… there are some positive aspects as civil populations were not involved to a point (try to go explain that to a German city who suported “billeted” French Napoleonic Garrisons or for that matter to a Spaniard who simply wanted the French OUT! and did his/her best to make war -even the nasty guerrilla war- to produce that result).

Be that as it may Napoleon was one of a kind, an exponent of meritocracy (and ambition) post Revolutionary (1789) he reformed laws and promoted a more just living in France (generally)… the ideas of the Revolution are now widely accepted in modern democracies… but of course were a shock for old monarchies in Europe (count aristocrats IN)… Europe made war to Napoleon as a consequence (even if he favoured moving and striking first!).

A fascinating human being with lights and shadows but a high IQ. It is, of course anachronic to “judge” Bonaparte by modern standards with hindsight and all that jazz… he marked a period of History for better and for worse.

Nice Miniature by the way… as seen in Facebook!

PS: Passed the 110.000 visitors bar today… a solid third of them from the USA!…quite puzzled by it.