Another excellent book...

While I am slowly working my way through the next WSS unit ...


I have started reading this book...

So far a very enjoyable and informative read...
And an excellent companion to this...

I would highly recommend both these books if you are interested in this colourful period.




All the best... Aly

A bit more nostalgia... Miniature Warfare 1969

Greetings...


So here are another couple of images from Miniature Warfare...


These pictures inspired and influenced me quit a lot in my youth... (actually looking at them now still gives my wargames butterfly a flutter) they are all from Volume 2 1969


My father bought me a subscription to the magazine for my birthday... I was 12 years old.


This was the first time I saw miniatures representing troops from the Franco-Prussian War...I spent a considerable time poring over the images... even at my tender age I recognised that the miniatures were mostly conversions...
The artillery and cavalry looked like the were based on Airfix ACW... the others I wasn't sure about(even now I am not certain...)


I set about trying to make my own... mostly with ACW Union Infantry and French Foreign Legion... because that's what I had ... latter I got hold of some WW1 Germans and of course the first thing I did was paint them blue...


I was also given some copies of the Airfix magazine which had articles by Bob Gibson on converting figures into troops from the 7 Weeks War...this led to more creative butchery...


Of course none of these toys have lasted the test of time... plasticine dries up and nothing glued polythene... they probably did however kick start a process that led me to the career I am in now... and I still have a love of 19th century warfare to this day.

The credit on the pictures is Andrew Brown.
I have always assumed that they were his toys and I would love to know a bit more about him and his armies...


All the best   Aly

The War of Spanish Succession... French Gardes Françoises.

Gardes Gardes...


One more unit finished...


Yet another 'spruced up' unit...The French Gardes Françoises.


These were a nice easy job... All I did was...


Put a wash over the flesh... mostly to tone down the eyes a bit
Tidy up some chips and scuffs...
Brighten up the 'metals'...
And paint out the highlights on the black... My own personal foible... I prefer black to be.... black.


They were then re-varnished and re-based... Again to suit my own preferences...


The standards were lifted from the web and tweaked on Photoshop... I think they have come out a bit soft... but they are not to offensive and I quite like the shade of blue...


I am slowly building my confidence with Photoshop and as this project continues I will try and make some more standards... failing that I will buy my daughter lunch and persuade her to do it for me...

Like the Gardes Suisses these chaps seemed to have got around a bit.



1701 Flanders and Brussels.
1702 Nijmegen.
1703 Tongres.
1704 Flanders and Rhine.
1705 Huy and Overische.
1706 Ramillies.
1707 Flanders.
1708 Oudenaarde.
1709 Malplaquet.
1710 Flanders.
1712 Douai and Le Quesnoy.
1713 Rhine, Landau and Freiburg.


Although they may have spent some of that time exchanging fashion ideas...


Of course... not on my watch... It will be battle, blood, disaster and defeat... as usual.


Next up... Bavarians.


The miniatures are Front Rank...
https://www.frontrank.com/product-category/18th-century/spanish-succession/
Bases from Warbases...
https://warbases.co.uk/?product_cat=premier-bases-metric


All the best   Aly.

The War of Spanish Succsession... French Gardes Suisses.

Greetings...


Yet another unit finished for this project... This time it is The Gardes Suisses.


This is another spruced up eBay purchase...
I spent a while wondering what to do with this unit as the red colour was a bit to orange for my liking... After some consideration I decided to give the figures a glaze of Evil Sunz Scarlet diluted with acrylic matt varnish... it worked a treat.
I only had to put a wash over the flesh and fussed up the white and silver...

A lovely unit and a must for any War of Spanish Succession collection...
They were fairly active during the war, seeing action at...
Louvain 1701
Eckeren 1703
Rhine 1704
Nodoue 1705
Ramillies 1706
Oudenaarde 1708
Malplaquet 1709
Douai, Le Quesnoy and Bouchain 1712
Landau 1713


They are 24 figures strong... so one of the larger units in my French army.




The miniatures are Front Rank...
https://www.frontrank.com/product-category/18th-century/spanish-succession/
Bases from Warbases...
https://warbases.co.uk/?product_cat=premier-bases-metric
The colonels flag is from Maverick Models...
http://www.maverick-models.com/flags.htm
The battalion flag is from the web via Photoshop...


All the best   Aly.

Miniature Warfare & Model Soldiers...

I picked up this copy of Miniature Warfare & Model Soldiers... Volume 5 Number 2 May 1972... on eBay...


I never actually owned any copies from volume 5... so it was nice to have a read and visit the past.


One article really caught my eye...


An American Civil War Wargame Army For Beginners... by A. Mason.


I have scanned it so that you good readers can hopefully enjoy it as well.

The thing that I love about this article is that the information and advice is in my opinion as relevant now as it was back in 1972...


My basic starting point for an army is 8 infantry units, 2 cavalry units and 2 artillery...


I love the costing up at the end... £2.89 for two whole armies... I wish....


Here are some pictures to increase the nostalgia...

And yes... I am tempted...


All the best  Aly

Wargaming the Sugar Islands Campaign.

Greetings...


Today I took delivery of  this lovely little book by Stuart Insch.

It is a guide to the British Expedition to Martinique and Guadeloupe in 1759... an often overlooked and unknown part of the Seven Years War....


I have only skimmed the book so far ... but I can say that it is well written and nicely laid out...
The contents cover the background, the actions in the campaign and scenarios for Wargaming... These are not tied to any specific rules so you can play them out with whatever system you are used to.


There are also some notes for Wargames... which include a list of suitable manufacturers... and a bibliography.


I am looking forwards to reading this....


The book is available from Stuart..
Here...
http://stuartinschwargames.blogspot.com/2018/11/now-available-wargaming-sugar-islands.html




All the best   Aly

1918-2018

I thought by way of remembrance that I would post this picture of some of my family who served in the great war.


They are all from my fathers side.

The young chap at the front is my grandfather.


All the best.  Aly