Reinforcements – The Wargame Artist painting service

Almost a year ago I bought from a show a few packs of soldiers from a new manufacturer and therefore range.  The range was Napoleonic Spanish and the manufacture was Three Armies. I don’t have a large collection of Spanish but probably have always wanted to, not sure if it is the era, colourful uniforms or being an underdog. Whatever the reason I spotted these for sale and investigated. The figures I think are some of the best I have seen but buying them broke one of my main rules, do not buy figures from incomplete ranges. There were no grenadiers available at the time. The sculpture who is also the owner assured me that soon they would be available. The figure sat on the To Be Done shelf. Then about 3 months ago I spotted an advert for the Grenadiers and this reminded me I need some, so I ordered them. The figures are great and detailed as I hope you can see from the pictures. My only criticism would be that the bayonets are possibly too delicate for wargaming as a few had broken off in delivery and I have knocked a few off in handling.

On a slightly different note I had recently bought a painted British Napoleonic unit from Ebay and noticed that the seller offered a painting service. Following a chat I sent of a few units for painting. I must state that Sam at Wargame Artist admitted to not having a great knowledge of Napoleonic uniforms so I supplied the details, therefore any areas of the uniform that are incorrect are of my doing. Normally if I need units I send them to A Brush Too Far but Sam offered to turn the units around in weeks, definitely in time for my birthday.

Sam was as good as his word and last week the units turned up. The other great thing was that I was sent pictures at most stages to ensure I was happy with the work. Please check out the Wargame Artist site for details www.thewargameartist.com but basically there are two levels of service Standard and Deluxe. I sent figures for both services but did not request basing.

Spanish Walloon Royal Guard – Standard level

I think this unit is what sums up the Spanish Napoleonic era for me. Uniforms from a bygone age with bright colours giving a sense of showmanship. I really like the painting.

1st battalion Royal Walloon Guard. Only the first battalions in Spanish regiments had Grenadier Companies. 2 Companies of fusiliers and 2 of Grenadiers.

1st Battalion – The first battalion carried the King’s Colour while the other Battalions carried the Regimental Colour

1st Battalion – with homemade flag

2nd Battalion with 4 companies of Fusileers

2nd Battalion with Regimental flag

 

Irlandaise (Irish) Regiment – Standard level

 

Foreign Regiments in Spanish service were distinguished by light blue uniforms.

1st Battalion Irlandaise Regiment

1st battalion

1st battalion close up – may need to touch up the buttons

2nd Battalion

2nd battalion

2nd battalion close up of command. Buttons again.

 

Spanish Line Principe Regiment – Standard level

1st battalion

1st battalion close up – buttons need to be picked out in Gold. my error as I missed this detail off of my guide and did not spot in the updates.

 

Review

I needed to be more accurate with my details as I forgot about mentioning buttons etc but the work by Wargame Artist is great and turnaround time is fantastic. Thank you Sam.

I will detail a few more units in my next blog including some AWI and a few deluxe wild west figures.

Legionary 2017 – May 13th Exeter Part 4 The Show

Up nice and early having packed up the car the night before, I set off to Legionary 17. The roads were clear so it took me 6 minutes to get to the show. How lucky am I.

In the past I have raved about how good the facilities are at the venue for gamers and traders, well this time I remembered to take a photo.

How many shows can you unload next to your table?

I had booked a 12 x 6 table. I started to lay out the terrain and place the figures.

The Plot.

The game was to be set around August 1814 when both sides were sitting around a table in Ghent brokering a peace deal. The Americans not wishing to have to give up any of their country following a reversal of fortune and the British trying to reinforce their position. To give them a better bargaining chip a force has been dispatched to seize the Washington DC. The scouts tell them the road is open apart from a few militia. The British ever confident set off.

The Americans have been tracking this force and have guessed what the British are up to. So to stop them they rush all available troops to the area. This means that to initially stop the British there are some militia infantry, Cavalry and a gun.

Here you can see the Amera Plastics river.

 

Looking up the table from the British view point

Across the British Lines. In the distance you may just spot some supporting gunboats. These were classed as heavy artillery but took a turn to reload. They could also not move as they were at anchor due to the current.

In the centre you may be able to spot the royal marine rocket team. These were the stars of the game and anybody who was watching when they fired, all commented on the process we use to see where they land!!!!

The game started with the militia units having taken up position behind the fences, just shy of the river. Just on the British side of the river waiting in the woods were 3 units of Indians. In our games Indians can deploy up to halfway across the table if in a tree line otherwise normal deployment rules apply.

The British fired their rocket – they decided to roll 7 sets of dice. A D6 for direction and a D10 for distance. The first two dice rolls looked good then a few wild rolls saw the rocket head towards the British units on the right flank. The final three dice rolls somehow correct the direction and landed the rocket within an inch of the original target.  Must get Nathan to pick next week’s lottery ticket.  The Freed Color units did not like this with one becoming shaken.

Not a great photo but you may just spot the Freed Color militia , the shaken unit has a white counter.

Rocket crew fire again. this time nearly taking out one of their own gunboats!

Heavy Militia gun opens fire

British are in the fields!

The  British advance continued and American reinforcements start to arrive. The American militia had a heavy cannon mounted on the hill by the church and so they started to fire. The first shot hit the advancing 1st Royal Marines.

Both sides traded shots and the militia taking the worst of it started to fall back. American regulars advancing up the left flank enter the woods to chase out the Indians. It takes 4 line and a unit of rifles to finally clear them out.

The remaining militia attempt to hold the ford!

American regulars advance into the woods!

Having advanced across the river they catch the Indians in a crossfire

Royal Marines advancing on the river, in the rear ranks are the 5th west indies regiment with the two Swiss Regiments Du Meuron and De Watteville in the middle (great flags).

View from the British end

View from the American end

The American advance down the left flank was not to continue as they were faced with the Canadian brigade and a rocket aiming at the American Right flank landed in the woods and 4 units had to test morale (Enemy units under flight path of a rocket have to test).

Canadian Brigade including Voltigeurs

Another rocket just misses the advancing British!

7th New York Militia and the Glengarry Lights trading shots when another rockets lands and frightens the horses making them shaken and a sound volley from the Glengarry finish them off.

The British push back the American Left and take the river but the lead units have taken a little too many casualties to pursue the retiring,  not retreating Americans.

A great game was had by all. It was especially great to get such positive feedback from the visitors and especially some new gamers  asking about the figures, rules and terrain.

Figures- Old Glory, Knuckleduster,Foundry,Victrix, Elite, Britannia and Perry.

Buildings –  Large house -Sarissa, small home and Church – Renedra

Trees – Mostly hand made(please see blog) and K&M.

Haystacks – Homemade

Fencing and Walls – Ebay

River – Amera Plastics. I think this is great value product

Hopefully you will get to see some better pictures as the photographer from Wargames Illustrated was on hand to take a few which I hope will be in the magazine soon.

A big thank you to “A Brush Too Far” painting service who helped me out with a number of units towards the end. Thank you Jono and Mary.

RULES – King George Commands and We Obey – see blog.

 

Legionary 2017 – May 13th Exeter Part 3

My demo at the Legionary show is based on the American War of 1812.

Last night I finished another unit for the table.

Native Indians.

Here they are mixed in with a few units I already had.

The figures are Foundry and Old Glory,

 

 

 

A few days rest now although I may attempt to make a few trees over the weekend.

Legionary 2017 – May 13th Exeter Part 2

My demo at the Legionary show is based on the American War of 1812.

Last night I finished another unit for the table.

The Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada.

This unit were always going to be in any army as I was just attracted by the uniform. I have decided to paint them in their early uniform  which they apparently changed  some time in 1814 to a more traditional Red face Blue. The earlier uniform was Green faced Red and trousers in a variety of colours from Grey to Oxford blue.

The only issue I have is that the only flags I could find seem to represent the later uniform, as the regiment colour is blue and not green. That said I cannot find any evidence of a green regimental flag, I just assumed it would or should be.

The figures are Knuckleduster with a few Old Glory and the flags are from Flags of War.

 

Tonight I hope to finish a few Indians!

Legionary 2017 – May 13th Exeter Part 1

Well it is fast approaching that time of year when panic sets in to complete my regular demo game for the Legionary Show, Exeter.

This year I had decided upon a Napoleonic game with a difference, The American War of 1812 or Napoleonics with Indians.  I decided upon this theme as I packed away last years Dad’s Army game. Every year I do a demo and try to furnish everything from my own collection. Therefore the Boys can just turn up and play. Unfortunately due to health issues this year I had started to fall behind with the required volume of figures needed to ensure the game looked good.

A Brush Too Far, to the rescue

Once I realised this was happening I sent some figures off to Jono and Mary and asked if they could fit in some units to help me out. Well, a number of months later the figures have started to arrive.

All I had to do was base them and here they are:

5th West Indies Regiment. Scratch built flag. Figures are Old Glory

93rd Sutherland Highlanders. Flag by Flags of War and figures by Old Glory

1st and 2nd Regiments, Men of Free Color. Scratch built flags and figures by Old Glory

1st and 2nd Regiments, Men of Free Color. Scratch built flags and figures by Old Glory

1st and 2nd Regiments, Men of Free Color. Scratch built flags and figures by Old Glory I have put the 1st in Blue and the 2nd in Green

2 regiments of Royal marines. Figures by Old Glory.

Over the run in to the Game I will post more images to hopefully whet your appetite.

Legionary Show.

Is on the scale of things a relatively small show and only on for 1 day but it has a lot of things right which other local shows should learn from, if they want to keep attracting people new and old.

Please come along and support it.

Hope to see you there.

 

Peninsula Napoleonic – Our Saturday Game 13/06/2015

Time for our Saturday game.

Nathan had never played Peninsula Napoleonics nor in fact 28mm. I decided to do a little scenario for him to get familiar with the troops and the rules. ( My own, King George Commands and We Obey).

The Orders of battle:

Allied

CinC – Exceptional 48″ command range

Army Guns – Foot Artillery Medium/ B/E/C 3SP

Brigade – Picton

Highlanders – B/B/B 3SP

Line – B/C/C 3 SP

Line – B/C/C 3 SP

Attached coy skirmishers – B/C/C 1 SP

Cavalry Brigade –

Light Dragoons – D/C/C 1 SP

Light Brigade

95th Rifles – A/B/A 3SP may skirmish, rifle armed

52nd light Infantry – B/C/B 3SP may skirmish

Attached coy skirmishers 60th Royal American – B/B/B 1 SP rifle armed

Spanish Brigade

Line – D/C/D 3 SP – may not deploy skirmish coy

Line – D/C/D 3 SP – may not deploy skirmish coy

Line – D/C/D 3 SP – may not deploy skirmish coy

Attached Skirmisher coy – B/C/C 1 SP

French

CinC -Poor 12″ command range

Brigade 1

Line – C/C/C 3SP

Line – C/C/C 3SP

Line – C/C/C 3SP

Light – B/D/C 3SP may deploy as skirmishers

Brigade 2

Line – C/C/C 3SP

Line – C/C/C 3SP

Line – C/C/C 3SP

Light – B/D/C 3SP may deploy as skirmishers

Foot Artillery Medium C/E/C 3 SP

Brigade 3

Line Irish – C/C/C 3SP

Line  Swiss- C/C/C 3SP

Attached coy skirmishers – C/D/C 1 SP

Chasseurs a Cheval D/C/C 1SP

Cavalry Brigade

Dragoons D/C/C 3 SP

Dragoons D/C/C 3 SP

The Game.

We had a 6×4 table with a village on each flank and a hill line that the Allies were defending .

The French came on in the same old way with the right flank brigade (3) taking the village ahead of them with a plan to advance through it and the orchard to engage the Spanish, defeat them and turn the allies’ left flank. All this while the other infantry brigades advancing under a skirmisher screen take the hill line. The French Dragoons there to exploit any gaps etc.

Well that was the plan!

All started well with both sides trading shots and no real damage. Turn 3 was a telling moment. The draw of activation cards did not go well for the French and the reality of a poor commander started to show. He was unable to influence the whole battle field, so the dragoons and brigade 3’s movement ground to a halt.  This timed with some first class counter battery fire silenced the guns in Brigade 1 who were supporting the advancing brigade.

The French centre starts to make it way up the slopes. The Pathetic British cavalry advance forward and could potentially threaten the French units in brigade 1 who are in Attack column. Not to worry the Dragoons will ride them down!

Turn 6 was the defining turn!

The second activation card was the Fate Fortune card. The result was master spy in play. Nathan won and so he looked at the next 6 cards and rearranged them to an order of play he wished. This allowed all his brigades to fire with devastating effect and his cavalry to charge into the side of my attack columns. The six card being end of turn, therefore my French never got to move. Over the next three turns his unit of cavalry dispatched two columns who all failed to react and form square or inflict any damage. Too  late I did manage to activate my dragoons to charge into the rear of the British cavalry, getting rid of them. My centre in ruins, a strong British presence still on the ridge and slow moving French Allies through the town we called it a day and a British Victory.

Here are a few pictures from the game and latest version of the rules.

The Battle

Picton’s Brigade holding the right of the hill

British Light Brigade

Spanish Brigade

French Brigade 1 held up by British Light Dragoons

French dragoons save what is left of the day!

French Allies take the town

French brigade 2 advances to the hill line

Spanish move up and skirmishers open fire

French Artillery open fire

KGCAWO rules V1.2