Honved Hussars

One of the problems of having talented friends is that - well - they are just so damn talented that it's hard to hate and envy them as much as one should.  Our man in Budapest, Krisztian Takacs, has been sculpting a range of 15mm figures for the Hungarian Revolution of 1848.  They are, I think you'll agree, very fine looking fellows - one could almost forgive them for being in 15mm. 

These examples were painted by TK himself and represent Hungarian hussars in the new hussar uniform introduced in 1848. A disturbing lack of shakos I know, but there are some pelisses which is something.  I keep meaning to sit down and draft some scenarios for 1848, but I've been decoyed into the Crimea. 

This picture is probably more useful to those of us familiar with Hungarian currency, but it does give some idea of the size and heft of the figures. You can see some more of TKs pictures here. 

And for those who do play in 15mm and fancy giving a new period a bash, you can find these for sale at the Hagen Miniatures Store. 

1848 Hungarians

Hungarian Honved

Regular readers no doubt remember Carlo's Conversions from last November.  Carlo is a chap based in the UK who divides his time between playing wargames and coming up with some of the most imaginative conversions of 1/72 figures you could possibly think of. I traded some ACW plastics with him over the last few months and got these fine fellows in return. Aren't they fine? 

These are Hungarian Honved suitable for facing the Austrians and the Russians in 1848, converted from American Civil War figures. You can see them here, where their bases are getting a quick coat of the house brown, before a dash of Constables snow and static grass and then they will be off to fight the Germans. 

Romanian Legion 

These fellows are Romanian volunteers in Hungarian service, again converted from American Civil War figures. With this and some figures from Krisztian, the Hungarian forces are looking pretty healthy.  I'll have to invest in some cavalry and start hashing out some scenarios.  That and sort out some flags of course. 

I'm really very pleased with these and I think Carlo has done a cracking job. Don't they look well? 

Breaking news from Hungary! Honved Miniatures

I can only hope there's a wheel right coming before they start shooting. 

Gentlemen, I wish to inform you of a terrible, terrible occurrence. 

A wargamer struggling to cope with the news

I've been toying with the idea of Hungarian interlude for quite some time now. It's dreadfully exotic, I'm already raising a Napoleonic Austrian army and I bought some wonderful Hungarian conversions from Krisztian. 

Krisztian has written to let me know about a black piece of treachery.  He and Uwe over at History in 1/72 have begun a joint enterprise called Honved Miniatures. They will be producing a full range of figures to cover the Hungarian Rebellion of 1848. Their first release is a set of Hungarian artillery which you can see above. 

The guns

  The pack comes with three bases, twelve crew, three guns and a small selection of accessories for €14.40. They are available from Hagen Miniatures in Germany.

Another wargamers reaction. 

But what is the problem surely? A new range is good news. Sadly, Gentlemen, Uwe and Krisztian will be producing their fine figures, no doubt well researched and well sculpted,  in 15mm.  That said, for those that do game in 15mm, like Lee, Bob Cordery, David Crook, etc, etc* - these represent an excellent way to get started on a new period, particularly if you've already got a Napoleonic Austrian Army. 

The Men

Somehow I intend to keep smiling through the tears - but as I said, these are good figures, reasonably priced and offer you 15mm collecting swine better than you deserve. 

I'm going off to sulk in my tent.

*You know who you are - and I hate you all.

Garibaldi and the Siege of Rome by Ralph Weaver

This arrived this morning. 

I first learned about Garibaldi when I was about eight or nine and my mother, who disapproved of my interest in military history, got me a picture book about Garibaldi and his red shirts. Garibaldi may have been a soldier, but he was at least ideologically pure.  I didn't think much of it at the time, but I rediscovered Garibaldi in my mid twenties when I read Trevelyn's book on his defence of the Roman Republic. 

"Garibaldi and the Siege of Rome"  by Ralph Weaver is in the style of his previous work on the Hungarian Army of the 1948 revolution.  Ralph Weaver has never disappointed and I am really looking forward to getting a proper read of this.   What you get is an A5 sized perfect bound softback, stuffed with uniform plates covering the army of the Roman Republic* and its opponents. There are chaps here that I've never seen before and that I've never even heard of.  

I had heard rumbling that this book would be available at Salute in April as the Continental Wars Society are doing a 28mm participation game set during the Siege of Rome, which sounds really something.  

No details as to what rules will be used, but Ralph Weaver has written. 

"The part of the siege that we are going to portray at Salute will be the attempt by Garibaldi to recapture the villa Corsini on the 3rd June 1849.  Trevelyan gives a very spirited account in 'Garibaldi's Defence of the Roman Republic 1848-9'.  We shall have a model of the villa on the table held by French infantry and artillery and another model of the St Pancras Gate.  Participants will command various small Roman units and lead them in assaults on the villa.  They will have to negotiate the open road, the villa entrance gates, the Corsini garden and the double staircase before arriving at the door of the villa itself, no mean feat!  We shall have various Roman units on the table including the mounted lancers (which are sitting on my desk in the process of being painted) and I am sure Garibaldi himself will make an appearance." 

Something hexagonal this way comes 

In other news, I received a parcel with some more MDF bases from Jim at Products for Wargamers.  Jim has always comes up trumps, but this time, in addition to the excellent supply of bases Jim ran these up for Capability Savage. These are hex rosettes for a pirates board game that Capability Savage has been working on for a while now. The hexes were cut to a fine degree of accuracy and were also laser etched to show the smaller hexes within the larger rosettes. This will hopefully save Savage a considerable amount of time as he had made his own from card and it had taken an age. 

Artists impression of the kind of pirate that plays Savage's game. 

That said, I think Capability Savage is beginning to lose his edge. This pirates game has been in existence for nearly two years now and there is no sign of a drinking game to accompany it. I for one am appalled. 

But be that as it may, the laser etched rosettes are very nifty and I can't help thinking that there must be other ways of using this facility.  A solution in search of a problem perhaps, but still interesting. 

*No doubt I should say Second Roman Republic lest I be beaten by an enraged Classicist. 

To them I say, "Ite, et venire, si tibi satis durus es."

The Foreign Correspondent

This arrived in my inbox this morning and it made for some very pleasant reading over my coffee and porridge.  I think it's bi monthly, but it's well worth a look either way. 

This issue is relatively representative and includes. 

The Villa Corsini and the siege of Rome 

- fascinating description of a proposed participation game at Salute. The siege of Rome has always intrigued me. Having walked the ground, I am still astonished that the Romans managed to pull off a cavalry charge up stairs! 

The Belgian Army in the Franco-Prussian War 

- not really my period, but interesting. 

A Revolutionary Hero of 1848/49

- contemporary obituary of General Schurz, veteran of the 1848/49 unpleasantness and the American Civil War.  

The Winter Campaign 

- piece about the Russo Turkish war of 1877. 

Kissinger, the difficulties of terrain

- plea for help in representing the above in a wargame. 

War Correspondents of 1895

- contemporary piece on journalists. 

A French Marine Infantryman of 1870

- article on making a 1/6 scale model soldier. 

At £6 for a digital subscription and £7 for a paper UK sub, I think the Correspondent helmed by the redoubtable Ralph Weaver is probably on of the best deals going. For further information, contact the Continental Wars Society.