Sneak Peek, Perry Miniatures, Late 15th Century Mounted Light Cavalry 1450-1500

Funny really, just as I was thinking of doing my Late Med. Lion Rampant project up pops the latest from the Perry Miniatures Facebook Page... and how lovely they are too!

I will of course be buying many of these as they will fulfil the role as Counted Crossbowmen, Archers and Scurrers as well as French 'Archers' etc etc, they come with an array of appendages which include arms for Mounted Archers (complete with canvas bag of arrows), Mounted Crossbowmen and an assortment of melee weapons ideal for Scurrors or to add to a Lance as back up!

Lovely paint jobs and a great view of the sprue.

Keep drooling and bye for now.

Arghhhh! 'Tis Free I Tell Thee!!

I've come into possession of a free gift that arrived from North Star with my latest order of NWF Brits.

If anyone is interested in having these Pirate Flags please contact me and I'll pop them in the post.

I'm not being a Scrouge, but if you're overseas you'll have to pay the postage- times are hard at Just Add Water Towers! (I'm in the UK).

Just drop me a line at the e-mail address on the front page of my blog. First come, first served. all I ask is that you 'Follow' my blog then post on your blog and Google Plus me.

Bye for now.

St. Valantine

Saint Valentine of Rome states that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry. There are other sources of the origin of the day but this is the one I have chosen to depict.

OK, seeing as it's St. Valentine's Day..... what could be more romantic (and chivalrous) than: Francesco Gonzaga and his Doomed Charge Across the River Taro at the Battle of Fornovo 

1495(?):

river.............

............

Bye for now.

Not What One Would Expect But......

...... in transferring some files from my steam powered laptop to my new I was pleasantly surprised to discover some Fantasy painting that I'd done some time ago. As far as I remember they're all conversions(?) of GW Dark Elf and Slaaneshi Chaos Champions.

Anyway, just thought I'd pop up the pics (sorry about the quality, they're not my best):

I wonder if I'll find anything else!!??

Bye for now.

General Roberts, Second Afghan War

I was recently sent a conversion of General Roberts to paint up who led the British army the Second Afghan War. The mini is a Perry Miniatures figure form their British High Command on English Mounts pack (The Graham figure at the right) with a poshteen added and a suitably whiskery Victorian beard! I have to admit that the NWF is one of the (semi-new) areas of modelling/wargaming that I was looking at the mini wish some relish when at the prospect of painting it up. I even had a go at converting a Third Afghan War mini from Studio miniatures but with less than satisfactory results! (you can see my in an earlier post HERE).

Genaeral Roberts met with great success during his efforts in the Second Afghan War which was to include his famous forced March to Kandahar following on from the British disaster at the Battle of Maiwand where he decisively defeated the army of Ayub Khanon September 1st at the Battle of Kandahar which pretty much brought to a close the Second Afghan War which was concluded at the Treaty of Gandamak.

Well, the mini is now done and here are the pics- hope you like them(?):

Bye for now.

Vapnartak, Games I missed!!

Hi,

A very quick post that surely represents my folly on the day of Vappa. In my last post I said that I was in too much of a hurry......

Well, I happened to miss a NWF game and a Rorkes Drift game, two games that are right up my street!!

If, like me, you want to know what I missed(?), here are some links to some blogs that show off these games:

Another Slight Diversion:
http://blog.belisarius.org.uk/2015/02/vapnartak-2015.html#comment-4741

Storm of Steel Wargaming:
http://stormofsteelwargaming.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/vapnartak-2015.html

That's about it for now, I'll throw up some more links if I see anything else do do with these two smashing looking games.

Bye for now.

Vapnartak, York Wargames Show Report, 01.02.15

There I was up early on a Sunday morning having made my mind up not to visit Vapnartak for the first time, bar once, in about eight years. I had a funny feeling, like I had made the wrong decision...... that nagging feeling. So, I jumped up, had a quick wash, fitting the description of the great unwashed that seem to linger around the Bring and Buy stands at all shows(!) and was out of the door at the bus stop and half an hour later on the train to York. I managed to get to the show sometime between 12:30 and 1:30..... I was just happy to be there, it being the first show I have attended since Vapnartak last year! That is, if I don't count the local Durham show that was held in June.

Immediately I headed for Dave T's stand to try to fill the list that I had worked out a week or so earlier! I managed to get everything except the 10th Hussars for the Sudan and a few Artizan Designs North West Frontier range that I was looking for to add a little interest to one unit and to add a Highland unit to my yet unpainted collection. For more details on what I've labelled Sudan Swag go to my Shooting Leave blog which concentrates on Late Victorian Warfare.

It would be silly of me not to say that it felt a little strange as this was the first show in 13 years that I had attended without my ex and at times I did feel like I was really missing her. I was asked on a few occasions where she was and had to explain what had happened which was emotional but not unbearable. It was great to see a number of old friends, Andy S, The Curteys just to name a couple.

As far as games went it was a bit of a mixed bag. I believe there was some kind of competition on the second floor, so I avoided that as time was of the essence and if I was going to get any pics of some of the better looking games I'd need to speed things up a little.

Here's are the pics of the games that did strike a chord with me and a short description to boot:

Assault Across Suez 1915

The League of Extraordinary Kriegspielers

A great well thought out layout and some wonderfully well painted miniatures contributed at least for me this was the pick of the show. On display there were many of Mark Hargreaves of Open the Sights beautifully rendered conversion and painting work. Many of the close ups that I tried to get are of his work. Incidentally Mark also does free WWI Painting guides on his blog which you will find HERE! Overall, a fabulous looking game and I would have spent watching more action unfold had i not been in a rush. I think the pictures speak for them selves.

Dux Britannium Game

Curteys Mi niatures

Again, this game was a real treat for the eye with (I think) much of the buildings being hand made especially for the day. The terrain was great, the players very friendly (what else would one expect from a chap known as Nice John?)., the game seemed to be running smoothly as Dux Britannium tends to do.

The boat below really was made out of a cornflakes packet!! Seriously!!! John Noakes eat your heart out!

Shaun of the Dead

Bingham and Disrtict Wargamers

For anyone familiar with the very funny Shaun of the Dead movie this will need no introduction. There was a frenzy of gaming activity around the table and I was not able to get any close ups. Hopefully the few shots i got indicate what a nice looking and fun game this was.

John Paul Jones Raid on Leith Septemner 1779

M. Wheatly

This game was purely a display game by a chap that puts on game every year and seems to add more detail every year, not that the display stays the same, it doesn't. Very impressive scenery and terrain- my favourites are the details in all the buildings and the duel at the side of the building.

Pistols at Dawn Sir!

Lance and Longbow Society

Battle of Hexam

The oft overlooked Battle of Hexam was an important event in the Wars of the Roses/Cousins War as is marked the end of any serious Lancastrian resistance in the North of England during the reign of Edward IV. It's also very near to where I live so was interesting in that respect too.

Donnybrook

League of Augsburg

That's about it for now. I really wish that I'd had the time to get to see more games but I had to be back in home at a certain time so I had to leg it along the road to get the bus. It must have looked comical, man  running in thick woolly hoody with puffa jacked and backpackladen down with miniatures, none of which were plastic!

Bye for now.