Mortar and crew, Bicorne Miniatures

I picked up this pack (Code: BIC-ECWG018 - Mortar & 3 crew) at the Alumwell show (WMMS) earlier in the year, it consists of the mortar and three crew but not the barrel. The set is nicely cast and is easy to paint up.

The plastic barrel is from Renedra. The slightly dodgy joint lines which I've tried to cover over with greenstuff. g greenstuff I made the leather bag from greenstuff.

Roaring Meg

I had assumed the model was based on the only surviving large period mortar, know as Roaring Meg, which is currently on display inside Goodrich Castle. I now think it is based on the cover of Osprey's 'English Civil War Artillery 1642-1651' book and that the illustration was based on the original piece. The figures look very similar to the Oprey book.

Trebuchet - Part 2 of 2

In this post I will concentrate on the base. I'll go into a bit more detail with this for reasons that will soon become obvious.

Normally I would simply fix the crew to the base as I have done with previous artillery pieces. However because of the Cry Havoc/Siege's unique causality recording system I thought it would be nice not to fix the crew but allow them to be interchanged to show them in at least two of the their states (healthy/wounded or stunned/dead).

Therefore as I was making the main base from cut-off pieces of 4mm MDF I needed to figure out a system that would let me change the figures around. 

After a great deal of pondering and false starts resulted in this cheap and cheerful alternative to buying a special slotted/sabot base for the artillery crew. Using the method described below will give the look a diorama style base but will also allow the practical removal of the figures as required with the Cry Havoc/Siege's rule system. A bonus is that the base will stay relatively thin. 

If you're going to have a go at this method of basing then I would strongly recommend allowing plenty of space to position your model AND figures when you're planning your layout and dimensions of the base, especially if you intend to sand down and/or bevel the edges. I made this fundamental error and had to start all over again after discovering that I couldn't even fit a single figure onto the base properly - d'oh!

I used a few lengths of plastic sprue, ideally the same thickness as the base used for the figures. This ensures that the base of the figure will sit flush with the raised surface of the main base. As plastic sprue is rarely square in section use a sharp blade or shade down one edge so that it forms a ninety degree to the large base. Then bevel the outside edge.

The beveled edge doesn’t have to precise as this will be covered in flock and grass but a shallow angle will help in creating a better final visual result. Remember that its real purpose is to ensure that the figure base blends in with the raised main base as closely as possible.

Try to use an original edge to form the inner side of the pit for the figure if possible, as this will be guaranteed straight and also will be visible when the figure is removed during play. 

Place these plastic strips around a base you tend to use for your figures. When you are happy with the length and position of the strips, drop a small amount of poly cement onto the joints. I wouldn’t recommend using superglue as there is a very strong possibility of sticking the entire assembly, together along with the figure base itself, to your work surface. Using a poly cement at least allows you a few minutes to safely remove the figure and reposition the strips if necessary. I am, naturally, speaking from experience.

When fully dry you can then remove the sharp corners and blend the edges together with sandpaper or a blade. This is now ready to be fixed to the main base. 

Ensuring that the eventual position of the figure won't interfere with the main model, fix the plastic locating square the main base. Try to ensure no glue spreads over into the ‘pit’ as this with be visible when complete.

When texturing the figure engineer's base I used larger stones and bushes to break up the straight lines of the base.

This technique now seems that obvious and simple I’d be surprised I haven't seen it before (actually I probably have and have just convinced myself that it's my idea). I was thinking about calling this method ‘Matt’s Patented Hollow Base Locating Technique’ - catchy title, I know.

The model was painted with a combination of Citadel and Vajello paints.

 

 

I've since added a few more tufts to try and break up the outline of the holes.

The 'stone' balls are made from a hard foam-like material, given to me by John from the Pensnett Model Makers Society, I whittled (you can't beat a good whittle) each of the balls into a crude circular shape and left them to look like rough hewn stone. 

Trebuchet - Part 1 of 2

This small model trebuchet detailed in these two posts was made as a direct result of a very frustrating encounter with an awful 'Finecast' version from Games Workshop. I may give a blow by blow account in a future post if I can ever be bothered to finish it. The parts are currently lying in a pile, bent and broken, somewhere in a storage box.  I did nevertheless manage to divert a complete disaster by using the resin kit as a template to create the one detailed in this post and which will explain why it looks similar.



The base of the not exactly FineCast (?) GW version,
the less said about it, the better.

Anyway back to my version. This model has been made mainly from balsa, with hardwood round dowel, plastic sprue, copper wire, wooden coffee stirrers and model chain for the various detailing. 

All new and improved WIP hand-built balsa version,
note the original location of the winch. 

As I've just mentioned I used the original individual model parts from the GW model as a initial guide for the main framework. I used lapjoints wherever the beams crossed each other, which were easy to make with balsa. For the main throwing arm/beam I used a hardwood dowel as I thought balsa wouldn't have enough linear strength. I gradually dry-fitted the components piece by piece until I was assured that all the parts went together correctly before they were glued in place.

On my command, unleash the Werther's Originals .. sorry, I meant... 'Unleash Hell!'

As I wanted to add a slide for the stone balls, a feature seen in medieval illustrations of trebuchets, it gradually dawned on me that using the GW model as a guide wouldn't work. The stone and sling would fowl the spindle for the winch mechanism. With this in mind and recalling numerous artillery pieces from various re-enactment societies I moved the spindle and placed it at the very rear of the model.

The counter weight is made from the ubiquitous wooden coffee stirrers, the bolts were made by simply chopping off small sections of a cocktail stick. Once made, I filled the box with scrap pieces of foam and then topped it off with small pebbles to represent large boulders and then filled the gaps with sand all stuck in place with copious amounts of PVA wood glue.

The sling is made from the thin metal wrapper from a tube of tomato puree and all the rope/cables are made from copper wire stripped out from electrical cable. The slide itself is made from wooden coffee stirrers.

At this stage I was considering adding a ratchet mechanism using plastic card but I stopped, put my tools down and actually thought 'That's enough, it's only a gaming piece not a museum piece." 

The model does (or did before I glued everything into place) actually work in the sense that both the arm and counter balance can freely rotate and fully swing. However, I did made the counter balance too large and it hangs too low; in a full scale version it would mash into the framework and do more damage to the crew than any enemy castle.

Scots Saker Cannon, Warlord Games

Regular readers may remember this particular post showing Scots Dragoons where I mentioned that I had also painted a saker cannon for the same company. Anyway reading about one of the latest releases from Warlord Games, New Alexander Leslie, Lord Leven I scrolled down right down to the very end and noticed these familiar chaps: Scots Saker Cannon (click on the images to enlarge them).

I had actually initially painted the carriage red but around the same time I attended a re-enactment display at Kenilworth castle. Speaking to the interesting crew manning the artillery one fellow mentioned that Scots artillery was 'associated with the colour yellow' as he phased it. I went back home and re-painted the carriage and was reasonably pleased with the results.

I've been temporary distracted by other periods (and shock horror - another scale!) at the moment. but I do have some more ECW pieces on the workbench but these will hopefully feature some time in early 2012. Looks scary when you write that date down, doesn't it? Where has the year gone?

Scots Civil War Ordnance

After experiencing a creative block painting previous figures I decided to switch to something slightly different. As I have family connections to the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers (hence the blog title) I'm always drawn to field pieces and other heavy equipment. Following a swift rummage through a few boxes I chose to paint this artillery set from Perry Miniatures.

As the other Scots I've already painted look quite dour and miserable I thought I’d introduce some colour with this gun and crew, therefore the red carriage ("Finally.." I hear you cry, "he's actually painted something!").

The gunner is based on the main figure shown in Plate 25 of Haythornwaite's excellent ECW book showing Royalist artillery. The matrosses have been painted to compliment the other northern forces already completed.

The barrel is from Renedra (the toolmakers used by Perry's, Warlord etc). I added greenstuff to replicate the leather lining which could be draw together; the barrel is also painted to show it banded with rope rather than iron.

I purchased this artillery piece from a show last year. The box label said it is a Falcon (9 pounder gun) plus crew - (SW19) from Scots of the Civil War 1639 - 1652 range. However looking through my large ECW lead pile I noticed that the gun and carriage are exactly the same as another Perry box I'd bought previously, Culverin (12 pounder gun) plus crew - (ECW13) English Civil War range. It's no big deal really, just thought I'd mention it.

I'm not certain the bronze colour looks right (i.e. like bronze), it's painted with GW Dwarf Bronze shaded with GW Flesh and Mud washes; comments and thoughts are welcome.

Next up should be the command group stands for the Renegade Covenanters but as usual progress is slow - four down, four to go.

Scots Frame Gun, Perry Miniatures

In between my painfully slow painting a legion of plastic EWC figures this small artillery piece from Warlord Games kept catching my eye. I believe it would be more accurately described as an organ or volley gun rather than a frame gun. From what I’ve read the frame gun, designed by Sir Alexander Hamilton, would be mounted on a wheeled frame similar to a tripod. Either way this would have been a pretty unpleasant anti-personnel light field gun.

The figures are nicely sculpted and paint up well. The figure shaking his fist has a face that is a picture of glee after delivering a successful volley.

The crew figures have been painted in subdued colours. Grey seems to have been the colour of choice for the Scots. I gave the officer a more slightly more colourful but still relatively plain blue line white coat.

After I’d glued the small barrel (from the Perry farmhouse set) to the base I noticed illustrations that show that it should be leather lined with a pull string making access easy and safe. I’ll try this next time using Green Stuff to replicate the effect. At least I’ve painted the straps to resemble rope rather than metal to decease to the likely hood of sparks.

I normally apply a first coat of high gloss then a semi-matt second coat so the figures don’t resemble Britains traditional lead soldiers. I remember reading years ago that high gloss varnish offers better protection than matt varnish although I don’t know this is true; matt varnish simply has additional flattening agents added which disperse incident light rays.

Whilst I was applying the final coat of matt varnish the spray can spluttered and died. 'No problem' I thought, I'll buy another can. However after I'd done this I had a mini crisis after applying the matt varnish. Left overnight I found the set looking like it had been dusted down with talcum powder. After a few choice Anglo-Saxon  expletives I decided to look for a remedy (if there was one) using the power of the internet. One forum suggested completely stripping the figures and starting again (no chance). I settled down and tried several different methods on various small areas of the figures.


Several sources suggested applying another coat of varnish, I again sprayed the figures with both gloss and matt versions but this made the problem worse. I then applied both matt and gloss varnish by brush to see if this would work - nope. Deciding to remove rather than add I then tried white spirit but this made little impact. Finally I used a cotton bud dipped in real turpintine on a small section and this seemed to work. Eventually and carefully I removed the offending cloudy layer. As acylic paints are water based and varnish is oil  based (I assume) the painting was unaffected (thankfully) avoiding a 'wicked witch of the west' effect - "I'm melting, I melting". If that would have happened I'd have thrown the figures out the window. The turps dissolved the plastic pot so I won't be using this on plastic miniatures.

I will be eventually be adding this little lot to my future Hamilton's Scottish forces.

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