6mm wargames minis – Page 3 – My Toy Soldiers & Me

BACCUS 6MM: indulgence with the “spares box” or a bit of proxies…

I am waiting for a small parcel from “Greg” (yet again), it would contain some carts with bullocks and some Natal Mounted Police & Carbineers + Durnford and Vereker (If they are spelled like that which I doubt)… too many visualizations of ZULU DAWN I guess… has little mistakes but a much better film that the recent Ridley-Scott NAPOLEON extravaganza… (I would have written a much better script myself & other thousands of armchair generals).

So, getting to the point… I perused in the “spares box in 6MM” (never throw away anything is the correct approach in any scale) and rescued some ACW Rapier cavalry that I painted as NNC Cavalry (both mounted and dismounted); but as it is I found a lot of surplus of Prussian Dragoons Standard-bearers and with very little customization are now converted into the 17th lancers (of ULUNDI policing the Empire fame).

And what’s more!… found a half painted Romans Command figures that I complemented with an Arab Lancer posing as a Numidian Prince… and what not!…

I even went as far as converting with a paint job only of the figure three 21st lancers to make up the numbers of the 17th (from kakhi to dark blue)… they are the first case of doing a “transfer of men between Regiments” (LOL).

Have some pics!… BTW it is really easy to paint 6MM… believe me… just a matter of practicing a bit… and they are so cheap!

Enjoy!

My 21st lancers (the three figures in the rear rank-middle are now converted)

Here they are (A pic too big maybe but this way you see the “painting job”

They will be based differently… maybe like this (The 17th I mean)

New Roman stands before “finishing” the flocking.

Union 6MM Cavalry (and other units on the pics)

On the Baccus Forum we had a lively discussion or debate about the basing of ACW Cavalry.

After reading books about Brandy Station, Trevilian Station and others… I concluded that I needed more variety than the standard 60x30MM base (one brigade) of many stablished popular rules.

Here are the results.

Of course I will do my own thing as usual!

Enjoy!

Some crew added to Gunboat (6mm)

On the last parcel there were the much needed guns and sailors for the Gunboat.

The company of Highlanders on board come as an afterthought!

Enjoy!

Omdurman has now all the troops in 6MM needed to do the wargame my way.

The Charges of the Heavy Brigade and the Light Brigade (Crimea 1854) 6mm Baccus Proxies

I have been very lazy and tardly to show those 6MM Baccus proxies… they have been in the cabinet for months (or weeks)… and they deserved a Post. Probably the less mentioned action of Balaklava!

My collection of 6MM is slowly growing (under control I like to think… lol).

This action has always been a favourite of mine.

The Russians are in fact german cavalry from the Franco-Prussian war… used just to give a sense of perspective!

Enjoy!

General Scarlett in front of the Scots Greys

Frontal view from the Russian positions…

Those were the first Baccus 6mm I ever painted myself!

I only have the British Army… well not true as my French Zouaves, Turcos and FFL from North Africa are also usable… is a long history… but to make it short: I first bought proxies for THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE (Peter from Baccus helped me to find the adequate proxies that come from a variety of Napoleonic nationalities in the Baccus range)… I painted those myself… the first ever Baccus 6mm I ever painted… I loved the result… and since then I slowly built the rest…first was first and BALAKLAVA was completed adding the 93rd Highlanders, some turks (in fact egyptians from my colonial range) and some British Horse Artillery… Then I confronted the problem of the British Guards Brigade -with bearskin- had to do that myself… converting Napoleonic Imperial Guard Grenadiers (somewhat a heressy!)- I did paint them too. In paralel I bought (painted mind) the heavy cavalry brigade (Scot Greys as per Napoleonic range) the other regiments using Prussian dragoons from the Franco-Prussian war Baccus range. Only remained to add the rest of the Infantry (Line+Rifles+Highlanders) and line Artillery. And the big guns Raglan used at Inkerman. The last one has always been a favourite of mine…”The Soldier´s battle”. If you peruse the posts in the Baccus Forum there are plenty of pics of what I say. Also in some posts on my website www.mytoysoldiersandme I guess that’s all. Cheers

Trying my hand at 6mm proxies by Baccus slightly modified

It was somewhat an ordeal, maybe because I am 71, but the delays due to Postal Services mishaps did not help at all.

I first tried pestering Peter Berry about them (to no use), meaning why not a proper Baccus Crimean range?… wishful thinking of course!

Then I finally (and stubborn in a way) followed the Proxies Way!… that meant eliminating with a cutter the “French” parts of the minis (obvious even in 6MM).

Painting them was fast and true… the minor step of the way… you maybe do not believe how fast it is to paint 6MM!

Gluing them into bases was easy.

Then something I have not done for years… sculpting the bases or stands… an awful mess I did of it. To the credit of the Baccus basing system the old pots where still quite useful (except the wash who had evaporated more than 5 years later).

And finally the sets of colours (Napoleonic in fact).

This is my last effort of DIY in 6MM… my daughter has forbidden me to paint less than 54MM (LOL).

Enjoy!

Greg’s parcel (Part II)

Today the minis all are from BACCUS 6MM… ACW detail… and a Crimean War perspective.

Wargamers in this scale must understand the importance of flags: “They make the Unit”.

I embellished a bit the Rebels…

And an apology is due to Greg (done) because the colour and shade of the horses is as I asked for… the day I opened the parcel my eyes were not true to form (and in a hurry!) and I thought they were all the same shade of colour!

Once this said I still prefer the ACW in 6MM to any other period because the size and the real uniforms go well together… Crimean and Napoleonic Units have an excess of detail very hard to “impressionistically” (pointilisme) translate to 6MM (but I can be wrong you know!… have seen marvelous painting (including faces!) of them in 6MM… it is me who do not seem able to achieve the right compromise!… but I stubbornly go on…

Arrival of the new GREG’s Parcel! (6mm) Part I

It’s a real fest!… they do not come every day of the week you know… it had been a long wait due to initial hesitation on my part… no clear objectives… lack of suitable proxies (in my head)… and what not!… as it was the parcel had in it The Crimean Heavy Brigade of Cavalry using proxies (1854); a couple of ACW Brigades; and some Colonial Troops (Egyptians and Sudanese for Omdurman) and Gurkhas for the North Wesr Frontier… (the later from Heroic&Ros)… the bulk of it from Baccus.

I started buying painted 6MM Baccus from Greg (Robert Jackson) many years ago… to my everlasting satisfaction!… he is constantly very good on the periods I fancy and even if crossing emails with him is sometimes an exercise of laconism (mainly his) communications are also very good and he understands my needs (sometimes overcomplicated)

You must be a collector/wargamer/old-hand to understand fully the mixed emotions!

So I will give you a bunch of first pics now and a second when flags added to the ACW Rebels (lol) and a touch here and there from my hands and pleasure!

Try to enjoy as much as I do!

My Union Army of the Potomac (6MM)

It took me years of painstakingly collecting and even painting some things myself, but more than 90% the work of Robert Jackson (Greg) rgjackson100@gmail.com and Daniel Hodgson did the Ammo Wagons (Reveille chopperboydan@hotmail.com (Daniel did also all the Real State, terrain and Woods)… see ANTIETAM/SHARPSBURG Posts.

Not much to add, there are even engineers in shirtsleeves…

Enjoy!

PS: By the end of the ACW the Union Cavalry alone had more men that the whole Confederate Army… so… better refight 1862-1863

Detail (mainly Baccus but some Rapier included for variety and because they do kneeling firing minis)

Division Generals (POLEMOS and Altar of Freedom do not use them… but I do)

My Confederate Army of Northern Virginia (6MM).

You have recently seen them in action in the ANTIETAM/SHARPSBURG reenactment-wargame (SOLO).

I guess they are a bit difficult to photograph… one do his best believe me!

There you have the Infantry Brigades on the lower centre of the pic (by two different painters of minis), Artillery on the right of the pic, plus Cavalry mounted and dismounted, Division generals and Corps Commanders, and Robert E. Lee. There are also Cavalry fording a river (blue base) and even a stand with foreign observers.

Even if I used painting services, I added painting details here and there, and put the flags myself. At 71 I could not wait to paint them myself… lol

The standard recommended Infantry Brigade in some sets of rules are the two rows of 12 minis with 4 skirmishers in front… I did that or organize them that way until I realized there were a lot of possibilities around and the minis in the stands could add more feeling to the army. So then I did designs of my own mainly understanding that you do not need skirmishers behind earthworks and other circumstances… I hope you can zoom in on the pics. I do include one myself to make the point.

Cavalry is represented “charging” in line, but also in more conservative stances dismounted and in column of squadrons.

Some special stands to cross bridges and pontoons and of course supply wagons.

Hope you like them.

Enjoy!

Infantry Brigades (Ortodox) by Turbil Miniatures.

Much more variated use of minis in the stands by Robert Jackson (Greg)

Detail and example of different ways to enhance your units (Robert Jackson’s)

ADLER (mostly) 6mm Napoleonics. Collected by Jean de Dieu Labedoyere as seen in Facebook

I do not know about AI but surely you are looking at the future of wargaming through the following pics. And YES! they are a blow UP!… really small things 6MM… but size no longer an excuse… simply count as a BONUS.

6MM has been called God’s Own Scale (blasphemy not intended at all… people seem to be easily offended nowadays!)… and it is for the overall bird eye’s perspective and the sudden new dimensions of your table!

Enjoy! I did.