More Kashgari Falcons and an Indian MG Team

 After a long break due to recovery from laser cataract surgery, I was finally able to get back to painting.

Please click on pictures for a larger image.

My first new unit is an Indian Army Vickers machinegun team.

As with all the other Imperial figures I'm using, these are from Brigade Games WW1 in Africa line.  Since the Indian MG team only came with 3 figures I added a British infantryman to make it up to full strength of four figures for "The Men Who Would be Kings" rules.

The second unit is Detachment Two of the Kashgari Falcons.  They are commanded by Subedar Bahadurjit (Victory of the Brave) Singh.  He was lately wounded in a scrape with the Pashtuns and still carries his right arm in a sling.  These are Brigade Games WW1 in Africa line Indians.

If you will recall for my earlier post about the Kashgari Falcons, their turbans are in my high school colors.

I will be taking a short break from late 19th Century Aooghastan to work on some 15mm Confederate figures for an upcoming game of mine.

British Infantry for "The Great Game"

 

Following on from all the Russians, I present the first of the British units for my expeditions to Aooghastan.  I will be using "The Men Who Would Be Kings" rules from Osprey for these actions.

All of these figures are from Brigade Games WW1 in Africa line.

Please click on the picture for a larger image.

A British regular infantry unit of an officer and 11 other ranks

A second British regular infantry unit of a noncommissioned officer and 11 other ranks

They will be supported by a Vickers machinegun team.

The 4-figure team set up for firing

And the same team in travel mode

The next units in the painting queue are Indian infantry and machinegun units.  Stay tuned!

British Forces, Part 2

Now the rest of my currently on-hand WW2 British forces are complete.  These will get me started although I'm planning on getting at least another two sections of riflemen and some PIAT teams soon.

Please click on picture for a larger image.

First my rifle platoon commander and his senior sergeant.  I'd prefer to have the subaltern armed with a rifle, bu that will have to happen later.  As you can see, these two leaders are on round bases.  I've decided to remount all my leaders from section/squad sergeants and up like this.  It will make them stand out better in the "chaos" of the table top game.  These are Warlord figures that came with separate heads.  I had to scrounge additional helmeted heads since I have a "thing" about front-line combat troops wearing helmets (unless of course the figure has the head already cast on the body).

Each British platoon has a 2-inch mortar team to provide close range fire support.  Of course the 2-inch explosive shell was just a big rifle grenade so the British commonly used it for smoke missions.  I purposefully cut the angled base so the loader would be dropping the shell into the muzzle.  I'll eventually add a third mortar man as each team had a lance-corporal and two privates.

Additional heavy fire support is being provided by a .303 Vickers medium machine gun team.  Again the base has been purposefully cut so the loader's belt matches with the side chamber.  This team comes from the divisional machine gun battalion.

And to call in the really heavy fire support is a forward observer team of a subaltern and his radioman who can call in fires from the divisional artillery.

A look at all of the final additions.

Up next will be a fourth German infantry gruppe (squad), a few additional kampfgruppe headquarters figures, a MG 42 "heavy" machine gun team, and a 81mm mortar team, plus (I hope) a reconnaissance motorcycle with sidecar armed with a MG 42.  Stay tuned!

British Forces, Part 1

I've completed the second British rifle section.  It joins some earlier painted British.

Please click on the pictures for a larger image.

Warlord Figures

This section consists of a sergeant (left center of picture), a corporal and four privates in a maneuver element (right side of picture), and a corporal and three-man Bren gun team in a fire support element (left side of picture).

The other British that I have completed are a few senior command figures, a rifle section, and a heavy mortar section.

The senior command figures are Captain Campbell (center) armed with a Sten gun, Color Sergeant Gilmore (right), and an aidman (left) from the battalion support group.

The First Section is similar in composition to the Second, with a sergeant (center), a five man maneuver section (right), and a four-man fire support element (left).

Immediate fire support is provided by a ML 3-inch mortar with its three-man crew.  The mortar was actually 3.209-inch (81mm) and by 1943 was comparable to the German 81mm mortar.

I'm still working on a platoon commander and his sergeant, a 2" mortar team (2 figures), a .303 Vickers machinegun team (3 figures), and a spotter.  After I get them completed, I'll go back to the Germans to complete their heavy MG 42 machinegun team and 81mm mortar team.

British Expeditionary Force, Northern Germany

Continuing with painting my Napoleonic forces for the 1813 post-armistice campaign in northern Germany, I added a company of Royal Artillery to my British forces.

Hunt's Company, Royal Artillery, equipped with 9-lb guns
[Miniature Figurines gunners, 2 Mini Fig 9-lg guns, 1 unknown 9-lb gun]

My British forces are (very) loosely based on the forces that were sent to northern Germany in 1813 after the armistice.  Most of what I've pictured below weren't actually sent to Germany but I've used "wargamers license" to add them as I own them.

Force Command group - Major General Archibald (left) and Colonel Campbell hisself (right)
[Archibald and staff officer are Der Kriegspilers and Campbell is an "antique" Airfix figure - painted by me]

Battalion of the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment, the Black Watch
[Miniature Figurines - bought already painted]

Battalion of the 71st Highland Light Infantry
[Miniature Figurines - bought already painted]

3rd Battalion, 95th Rifle Regiment, the Green Jackets
[Der Kriegspieler officer and bugler and Scruby other ranks - painted by me]

Battalion of Royal Marines landed from ships of the Baltic and North Sea flotillas
[Miniature Figurines - painted by me]

Luneburg Light Infantry Battalion, Kingdom of Hanover
[Der Kriegspieler officer and bugler and Scruby other ranks - painted by me]

  

Battalion of Brunswick Oels Jagers
[Der Kriegspieler - painted by me]

Battalion (-) of Corsican Rangers, transferred from the Mediterranean Theater
[Scruby Miniatures - painted by me]

11th Light Dragoon Regiment
[early Miniature Figurines - painted by me]

I do have many more to paint, eventually - 5 battalions of British infantry, 4 battalions of Hanoverian infantry, parts of 3 cavalry regiments, 1 Royal Artillery company and 1 Royal Horse Artillery Rocket Troop, plus a number of officers.  I'll also upgrade the Brunswick Oels and the Corsican Rangers to full 4-stand battalions.

Napoleonic British 11th (Light) Dragoon Regiment

Last night I completed the second half of this regiment that I had started many years ago.  The first half was done back in the early Spring so I could use them in my Battle of Plancenoit convention game.

The 11th British (Light) Dragoon Regiment



These are very early Miniature Figurines (MiniFigs) with the saddle and horse blanket molded to the rider.  They'll join my small British expeditionary force for the 1813 Befreiungskrieg campaigning as part of the Armeeabteilung Walmoden in northern Germany but they may make it a little further south and find themselves ensnared in the actions of the Army of the North, especially with the Prussian III Korps.

Looking Forward in 2015

First, I hope everyone had nice Christmas and New Year's celebrations.

For 2015, my gaming will involve both old favorites - Napoleonics, Seven Years War imagi-nations, Very British Civil War, and American War of Independence - as well as a couple of new game systems - Pulp Alley and Lion Rampant.

I'll be running a Napoleonic game at our regional gaming convention, Bayou Wars, in June.  The game will be a what-if rearguard action between Marshall Grouchy's retreating wing of the Grand Armee and  Generalleutnant von Thielmann's III Korps of the Prussian Army after the Battle of Wavre.  I'll have a test of the scenario in May.  I still have some more French infantry to paint for the test and the convention game.

Between now and then, I'll be running a SYW game pitting the forces of the Elector against those of the Emperor and King.  This will be another of the semi-linked campaign between the Electorische Armee Thüringen (Germanians and Britannians) and the Reichsarmee Oberer-Sachsen (Imperialist and Gallians).  I have some Gallian (French) troops to paint, specifically the Royal Ecossais Regiment.  I'll also be running a Very British Civil War game in my ongoing campaigning between the Royalist/BUF forces and the Anglican/Socialist forces along the border between Essex and Suffolk, northeast of London.  I think all the troops I'll need for this are already painted.

Later this month I'll introduce our group to Dave and Mila Phipps' excellent Pulp Alley rules.  We'll pit a menagerie of various Leagues in a hunt for the magical Dingus.  And probably in April, if not sooner, I'll introduce our group to Daniel Mersey's new Lion Rampant medieval rules.  They remind me a lot of the venerable Rules by Ral which our group uses already so I'm hoping for an easy transition to these rules.

And to begin 2015, I introduce a unit of British Loyalists for our American War of Independence armies.  The Royal Highland Emigrants were raised in 1775 from discharged veterans of several French and Indian War Highland regiments as well as new recruits from Highland emigrants to Canada and the American colonies.  There were two battalions raised, with the second being employed primarily in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and then the southern American Colonies.  The regiment was taken onto the British establishment as the 84th Foot.  My battalion is the Second Battalion and consists of a mix of Dixon and Old Glory figures that I acquired via eBay.  They originally were to be additional companies for my SYW imagi-nation Campbell's Highland Legion but the figures just didn't fit well with the original figures I used in the Legion.  They are mounted in six 3-figure stands per our standard organization.

This battalion will get its baptism of fire when our friend Tim C journeys from North Carolina to Mississippi to run a Carnage and Glory computer-driven game on Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 19.  We've never used this computer based rule system but we are looking forward to seeing how it works with our style of play.

More later!



Where There Is Smoke ...

There is fire and police.

After completing preparations for my Bayou Wars game earlier this month, I took a short break in painting, partly because I have had both viral and then bacteriological sinus infections.  But as I am finally recovering from them, I completed some fire and smoke markers and a few British early 20th Century police.

The fire and smoke markers are made by Litko Game Accessories and I have had them for a number of years.  I finally decided to glue them together and then to steel washers to make them easier to store and use.

The sets come with small flame markers in two colors and tall and short smoke columns.  I mixed the flames and smoke pieces together to get ten small and ten tall markers.  I then glued them to steel washers (3/4" or 20mm) and painted the washers a charcoal color.  I'll primarily use these with my 1:2400 pre-dreadnought ships and my plastic Renaissance galleys.

Here are a couple of Japanese battleships, the lead ship showing that a single fire has been started and the trail ship showing that a massive, critical fire has gained on the damage control teams.


I also painted some heavier armed police for my British police flying squad.  I'll use these in pulp fiction games and as my contribution to our WW2 home army games using I Ain't Been Shot, Mum rules.

The detective inspector (in mufti) is an old out-of-production Ral Partha police detective while the three rifle armed constables are from the Artisan Design Thrilling Tales line.  The detective inspector was originally painted as a gangster in a very bright blue suit (a la Dick Tracy style).  But I repainted him in a more neutral charcoal suit although he still wears a red carnation boutonniere.  They will join four other bobbies that I painted back in December.

The British police flying squad can quickly respond to any crisis and swiftly put the Hun infiltrators in their place!

Back of Beyond Troops Bases Enhanced

After my test game last Saturday, it was quickly apparent that although I could tell my units apart, my gaming buddies were having trouble.  So after some constructive comments from them, I spent today enhancing the bases so the different units of the same type of figure could be distinguished from each other.

I added dark green or brownish green flock, fine sand, fine talus, combinations, and additions to all the bases.  Now we'll be able to distinguish between the British, American, and Chinese troop units.  The bases aren't quite completed as I still need to fix the "flocking" and add the officer and sergeant rank insignias.

The entire group of units after basing enhancements have been added.

Front row are the missionary and his daughters (both their passive and action figures).  Front right corner contains the Marine headquarters element.  Both Marine sections are behind the missionaries.  One of the German-equipped Chinese units is behind the Marine HQ element.

Front left unit is one of the Chinese warlord units, while the Ghurkhas are to the front right.  Across behind them (from left to right) are two Chinese commanders (one in German outfit and the other the Warlord himself), then the senior British sergeant and officer, and the two British Vickers machinegun teams with their sergeant.

Finally the two British infantry sections are in front with a German-equipped Chinese unit (left rear) and a warlord Chinese unit (right rear) behind them.  On the far left are the Chinese mortar team and heavy machinegun team.

I was pleased with the way the enhancements added to the basing of the figures and helped to distinguish one national unit from another.

Between the Wars British and Chinese

Over the Memorial Day weekend, I completed my Between the Wars British "flying column" and also added some heavy weapons to my Back of Beyond Chinese forces.  All of these figures are Copplestone, from their Back of Beyond range.  Please click on the pictures for a larger image.

The flying column commander, a major, and his colour sergeant

Another view, showing the hand painted crown and chevrons on the colour sergeant's arm

The 1st Rifle Section, commanded by a captain, with a sergeant, corporal, Lewis gunner and loader, and seven riflemen

The 2nd Rifle Section, commanded by a Second Leftenant, with same other ranks

The machine-gun section with section sergeant and two Vickers .303 water cooled machine guns

The attached Ghurkha Rifle Section, commanded by a First Leftenant with his Ghurkha sergeant and corporal, British Lewis gunner with Ghurkha loader, and seven Ghurkha riflemen

I've had the Chinese heavy weapons for a while after purchasing them from Bobe's Hobby Shop when they were getting rid of many of their historical miniatures.  While I was painting the British, I took the opportunity to get them painted as well.

Chinese heavy machine gun team, with team commander, gunner, and loader

Chinese heavy mortar team, with two "active" pose crewmen and a "leader" (?) eating rice

Another view, showing the large mortar shell being held by the loader and the "leader" (?) enjoying his bowl of rice

These figures will see their baptism of fire in my friend Bill's game at Bayou Wars, our Gulf States regional convention.  Bill will be running his game at the Jackson Gamers table on Saturday afternoon, June 11.

Between the Wars British - Part 2

Continuing my short break from painting mid 1700s figures, I finished the basic painting on ten British riflemen and two heavy machinegun teams yesterday.  The riflemen will be joined by their officer and Lewis gunner (pictured in the previous post) to form a 12-figure section usable for either The Sword to Adventure or I Ain't Been Shot, Mum rules in future pulp fiction action with the Jackson gamers.

The 1st Rifle Section of the British Flying Column decked out for action in their "grayback" drill shirts.  Notice the assistant Lewis gunner on the front right corner carrying extra ammunition drums slung two on his chest and two on his back.  Unfortunately the Copplestone set only came with one of these lads  so my other two Lewis gun assistants will not be so accoutremented (Is that a real word?).

The two Vickers .303 heavy machinegun teams.  With their section sergeant (pictured in the previous post), they will provide some critical fire support to the rifle sections of the British Flying Column.

Besides the Rolls Royce armoured car, HMAC Ajax (pictured in previous post), the British Flying Column will rely on these three Crossley carriers for getting around the operational area.  A local Euopean guide is posed next to them for scale.  I have one more vehicle to paint, a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, for the column command car.

And in other news, Col Campbell's Barracks was mentioned by Murphy on the Bongolesia blog as one of his inspirations.  You can read the news of Murphy's recent receipt of the Stylish Blogger Award and the mention of Col Campbell's Barracks, among other even more outstanding blogs, here:  bongolesia.blogspot.com/2011/04/winner-of-stylish-blogger-award.html  Murphy is a good writer and really, in my opinion, captures the romance and inaneness of "banana republics" all over the globe.  We should all be so gifted!

 

The officers and soldiers of the various troops stationed at Col Campbell's Barracks are all aquiver about this mention by the nation of Bongolesia, especially since President for Life Phat Daddee B'wonah is so fulsome in his praise of European colonial masters.

Of course this is just good ole jossing around among the "good ole boys" and we are pleased as punch that Murphy has such a high opinion of our little endeavors here.

Between the Wars British

Several years ago I took advantage of a sale by Copplestone Miniatures and ordered a batch of his Between the Wars (Back of Beyond) British infantry.  After a pulp fiction game several weeks ago, I was envigorated to start painting them.  Although my organization is for The Sword to Adventure, a variant of The Sword and the Flame, it is also applicable for the rules we used in the pulp fiction game, I Ain't Been Shot, Mum by Two Fat Lardies.

So here is the start of the British force:  four officers (force commander and three section leaders), the force color sergeant, the machinegun section sergeant, and Lewis gunners for each rifle section.

The force commander, a major, is front center with the three rifle section leaders arrayed to his right and the three Lewis gunners to his left.  The machinegun section sergeant (kneeling with arm raised) and the force color sergeant (holding rifle) are to the rear.

I have completed the painting but haven't applied the Future sealant, the wash, or the matte glaze.

Here is another angle.  I dotted in the officer rank insignia on the shoulder straps -- a crown for the major and the appropriate number of crosses (or pips) for the captain, 1st leftenant, and 2nd leftenant.  The two sergeants got their rank insignia painted on their left upper arms.  I don't know if the British wore their sergeant's rank insignia on their drill (or "greyback") shirts, but mine will!

Additional figures to be painted will be two British rifle sections, each of a sergeant, a corporal, seven riflemen, and a Lewis gun loader; a Ghurkha rifle section (same composition); and a  heavy machinegun section with two Vickers .303 watercooled machineguns, each with a gunner and a loader.

I found the Copplestone figures very easy to paint, especially since I'm basically a "block" painter and don't try to do layers or shading.  The wash that I apply later will give the figures some additional definition.  They might not look very fancy close up, but they will look very serviceable on the miniature battlefield.

This British command will be teamed with my Rolls Royce armored car (HMAC Ajax) and two (later three) Crossley carriers into a "flying column" for actions anywhere from the sands of Mesopotamia to the plains of the Yellow River.

These figures will be added to about three dozen Chinese infantry of various "flavors" that are already painted (and a Chinese heavy machinegun team and a mortar team still to be painted) as part of my contribution to our pulp fiction/Back of Beyond forces.

Britannians - Continuing the Work

I've done a little more work on the Dixon figures, getting the lace painted on the first 12-figure division, including the drummer.

The drummers were the most intense to paint since each regiment's drummers seem to have worn a different amount of lace.  I had to guess on this regiment (the 5th Foot) since I didn't have a picture of its drummer.  Here you can see a drummer both before (right) and after (left) the application of the lace, plain white in this regiment.  I haven't decided if I want to try to do a replication of the regimental shield (St George killing the dragon) on the front of the drum.

The hatmen of the center companies were a little easier than the drummers although nine of them more than made up for the single drummer.  Again, a before (right) and after (left) picture.  The belting and muskets haven't been done yet.

Finally a picture of the two officers and two drummers in the first two 12-figure divisions.

More anon.