Wargames – Page 2 – My Toy Soldiers & Me

Scott Lesch’s French 1854-1871 (54MM Toy Soldiers) I

The work of Mr. Lesch features quite a few times in this Blog.

Hope you like them as much as I do.

Enjoy!

Scott Lesch Prussians. 54MM

And after French, Austrians, and ACW Armies… the might of Prussia…

Scott’s does not do things by half…

Really wonderful customization and modeling… lots to copy and learn from…

Enjoy!

Scott Lesch’s ACW in 54MM.

Followers of this webpage, Blog, or whatever this is knows it is my favourite period.

Strangely enough I do not have a single 54MM Toy Soldier figure myself in my collection.

I have a Military Modeling one in 54MM (John Wayne in USA Cavalry uniform… but it can be a much later period… aka Indian Wars 1876… She Wore a Yellow Ribbon like… but could have been THE HORSE SOLDIERS with a black hat too! I think I have already shown that pic several times so…

Enjoy!

Scott Lesch’s Austrian Army in 54MM Toy Soldier “style”

Great for a change!

I knew he was building an Austrian Army… but the result is magnificent!… now if those pesky Prussians come against them I fear they will lose order, life and limb!

Very good effort!

Enjoy!

Corps of Guides completed set: REPLICA + DORSET 54MM

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!

Actually my mobile phone seems to make pics better than my old camera…

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)

BACCUS BIG BASES (6MM) Small scale but think BIG!

You only have to go to the BACCUS Forum… search for Baccus 6MM in Google and you will be easily directed to it.

We have an interesting debate about the use of Big Bases for wargaming (I am against it in MY games because I love flexibility and it took me ages to adopt the system one stand equals a Brigade… even if I am pretty satisfied now).

No doubt they are little works of art. Military Modeling I dare say!… but for wargames purposes I have my doubts.

Mind, always on the back of my mind there is the idea of building a unit in 1/1 ratio in 6MM… but NOT in a single base… I did it once with Captain Dajou’s third Co at Camerone in 25/28MM (Hacienda de Camarón) 1863… but they were in single bases or maximum two minis per base if I recall alright… there are pics somewhere in this webpage… search for it if interested… but I digress.

Peter Berry has it’s own legion of customers (me included) and the Forum on his web is probably one of the most satisfactory experiences for 6MM aficionados… full of ideas and suggestions of proxies for rare periods…

I thought maybe a post about it would interest the lot (or some) of you.

As you have seen in my ANTIETAM/SHARPSBURG series my biggest base is a 60×30 mm … so not going to change that for nothing!

Enjoy!

Scott Lesch’s Own Battle of Puebla (First) Franco-Mexican War 1862.

Those 54mm by Scott are always stirring toy soldiers!… Do not tell me the subject is well known!

Exotic to say the least!

Napoleon’s III intervention in Mexico (Because the Mexicans were not paying their international debt!)… follow the money!

Wonderful Toy Soldiers!

Enjoy!

ANTIETAM/SHARPSBURG 1862 in 6mm (VII)

There are seven Posts so far… but that does not mean it equals seven turns or seven hours… so do not extrapolate please… it is a slow and quite parsimonious tale.

After chaotic fighting for the cornfield Hooker’s First Division retires and he throws in his other two divisions supported by Artillery. The Confederates also replaced their tired troops by fresh one’s and the fighting continues.

Sumner is advancing as planned and so is Mansfield!

The morning goes on… but the day is young yet… Burnside continues doing nothing… (except sending cavalry patrols to find a ford) McClellan is worried by his imaginary inferiority in numbers (THAT is very difficult to translate to the tabletop… but I guess having Franklin and Porter in RESERVE account for that!).

I can only play about an hour or so a day (and not everyday because real life intrudes a lot… but it is fantastic to have a permanent table in a safe place!… you know what I mean…no one is messing with the tabletop at all… but me)

So far so good. satisfied… still working on mechanisms but the battle flows quite right!

Enjoy!