My Confederate Army of Northern Virginia (6MM).

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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!

Aerial view.
Infantry Brigades (Ortodox) by Turbil Miniatures.
Much more variated use of minis in the stands by Robert Jackson (Greg)
JEB Stuart’s Cavalry
Detail and example of different ways to enhance your units (Robert Jackson’s)

Alan Harrison’s work of repair…

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He bought this set on EBay for 9 GBP (without officer and gun) and he stripped-repaired-repainted.

Wish I was so confident on EBay… I have bought things during the pandemia that never arrived… and when I claimed my money I was not refunded… so it is out for me nowadays… on the contrary I wish I could visit flea-markets or Boot-Sales to find old toy soldiers (no one wants anymore) as a lot of my friends in FaceBook seem able to do!

Enjoy!

Head of the Unit
Lateral view.
Full set.
The other side.
Nice overall pic.
Detail
Officer view.

New Buckenham Historical Wargamers (as seen in Facebook posted by Lorenzo Centola) part II

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I once painted 4 minis in 20MM scale (AIRFIX) and was enraged by the fact the paint peeled off… must be a seventies trauma.

Charles Grant and Peter Young enjoyed the period… Charge! is a book fetish that uses them…

And still I can not push myself to it!

Enjoy!

I still do not know the scale!
French
Personalities
Love the pics!

New Buckenham Historical Wargamers (as seen in Facebook posted by Lorenzo Centola)

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I was always fascinated by the Uniforms of the Seven Years War… but… never got into it… do not ask me why… I do not really know. Have read the full History many times (considered the first world war in a way)… but Campaigns and Battles are not exciting me as per example those of the American Civil War (I never tire of the ACW) or Napoleon’s wars against many coalitions…

Those pics are truly very nice… I guess they are 28mm but could be mistaken… do not personally like the white on the eyes (but this is a personal mania)… fantastic flags!

Enjoy!

British Line
French Advancing
Detail
Wearing redcoats was not a British exclusivity…yet

FREE BOOK : MY TOY SOLDIERS AND ME (second edition revised & updated).

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You can download for free on the top right column clicking on the cover… it would take a minimum of time (about 3 minutes) because of the original colour pics (BTW the captions of them are silly printed at the end of the book… I do not know why but in 2016 it seemed a good idea!).

To cut a long story short one day I read you could edit and publish a book quite easily! (autoedit a book using createspace)… just on the point of ending my professional life as an architect I decided to write a book about my experiences with Toy Soldiers (my daughter counseled that better than writing about urban planning&landscape because I would hurt less people).

So I did, for a while I sold copies through amazon.com and amazon.co.uk (and even a Spanish version in amazon.es)… guess that I sold around two or three hundred copies including the kindle version. So far so good.

Then the IRS started pestering me about my supposed benefits… the correction of the English version costed far more that the pitance I got from the book returns… and I simply retired the copies from createspace. No vanity after all… it was fun for a while.

Then one day I asked my eldest son (a computer engineer with a doctorate and several masters I do not know how to explain myself…) if it would be possible to hang in this present webpage a downloadable free copy… and he said yes no problem!

So, there you have it!… the first drafts date back to 2006 or 2008… it was first written in Spanish (my maternal language)… and I assure you nobody was interested in Spain at all!… LOL… So I translated it myself to English (where the hobby still exists… I thought!) with awful results (the black cover first edition) and then once the critics in amazon said it was good intentioned but ilegible… I decided to put a remedy and then I paid for the services of a profesional corrector (something the IRS does not take account for). and there you have it.

BTW I pay my taxes in Andorra dutifully!

What happened after 2016 is in the Facebook Group under the title (obviously) MY TOY SOLDIERS AND ME…and this webpage/blog.

Enjoy!

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

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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.

French Heavy Cavalry
1815 Carabiniers
Horse Artillery of the Line
Mass effect!
Superb painting!
Cuirassiers
Dragoons

ANTIETAM/SHARPSBURG 1862 in 6MM (XI and last!)

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Some of you have been patient enough to follow this reenactment/wargame until the end. I will add some pics (final… you must be tired!) and then will give you my “conclusions”.

A.P.Hill’s Division arrives after a forced march from Harpers Ferry… to save the collapse of the Confederates right flank. Yes he is wearing his red shirt there in the background.
Confederates are retreating everywhere… finally Burnside is advancing with a meaning…
General view of the situation when A.P.Hill arrives…
Confederates retreating into Sharpsburg facing off!

I was surprised that with minor variations the action or battle went so smoothly well (and not The Bolshoi Ballet syndrome at all). It was my first try of home rules ACW which I will not bother to explain in detail (and if I ever do… they will be downloadable for free as my book). The fact of introducing limits at what Brigade and Divisions could do before getting tired/spent/out of ammo and for how long was a success, the idea of throwing a dice per brigade stand to see if they engaged the enemy when close to it (there when the thing matters) was also a box of surprises but went quite well too. Minor things were the survival of Mansfield, the performance of the Irish Brigade (Union), the fast crossing of Burnside’s bridge… but overall quite “historical”.

I have had doubts before it, but now they are clear to me… I have more fun with the real characters of the ACW than with imaginary generals. For a solo wargame it went well and to my taste (HOW NOT?).

That one can have pleasure reenacting America’s bloodiest day is only a matter of perspective… no one died… my toy soldiers will live to fight another day… Brandy Station, Gettysburg and Trevilian Station are projects on the near future. Cavalry did nothing but to find a ford in the present one… and Stuart was an spectator. And after all I have all those Cavalry Brigade stands…

The ACW is for me the last of the “old wars” and even “romantic” to a point… morals were different back then… some protagonists were deeply religious… and some had been too much exposed to Walter Scott’s novels. I try to keep it that way a serious affair but with a bit of taste thrown in.

Enjoy! (some will enjoy the end of the series… lol)