That Terry Wise article

Thanks to Matt and indirectly to old John, here is a scan of the Airfix magazine article by Terence Wise from Airfix Magazine July 1978.

I'm afraid the quality of the scan isn't so good though I have put it through Paint Shop to sharpen up the text (the photos are particularly poor though)

Request - Airfix magazine article from July 1978

I have had an email from Adrian in Germany who years ago produced a Napoleonic Austrian army from Airfix conversions inspired by an article by Terry Wise in Airfix Magazine July 1978. He no longer has the army or the article, but inspired by Matt's Airfix Wargames Blog he would like to recreate the one with the help of the other. If anyone has access to a copy of the article please could you email me using the Contacting Vintage Wargaming button at the head of this page and I will pass it on.

Airfix Magazine Guides

Airfix Magazine published a series of very useful and attractive guides from about 1974 to 1976. These were in A5 format with 64 pages in black and white, well illustrated with photographs and line drawings.

There were 28 in total: a full list can be found here on the Vintage Airfix site.

While the main focus (understandably) was on modelling, there were five wargaming subjects:

Ancient Wargaming by Phil Barker (the purple cover hasn't come out too well in the scan)

The English Civil War by George Gush and Martin Windrow

Napoleonic Wargaming by Bruce Quarrie

American Civil War by Terence Wise

World War 2 Wargaming by Bruce Quarrie

(I have no picture for this title)

Others with a particular interest for wargamers are:
8th Army in the Desert by John Sandars

Afrika Korps by Bruce Quarrie

and (possibly) The French Foreign Legion by Martin Windrow


They were great when they came out: affordable, packed with information, robust, not taking up much shelf space, and much pored over. My favourites were the English Civil War and American Civil War titles.

The Big Battle League: Et in Arcadia Ego

THE INVASION OF ARCADIA 1975 by the Big Battle League

This article was published in Battle Magazine May 1976 and has been mentioned on the Society of Gentleman Gamers forum.Terry Mutlow and Neil Roberts were the driving forces behind the project and asked Terry Wise to umpire the game by the War Department, a wargames club based in New Malden Surrey.

Other clubs involved were the North London Wargames Society, South London and the Whitehall Warlords and the Hampton and the Wandsworth Wargames clubs.

The game was played on a hall floor 48 by 24 feet over 1100 square feet of battlefield. There were more than 40 players and used models from WWII to 1975, including 4000 infantry, 700 AFVs and 200 aircraft, 40 landing craft and other naval assets.

Tyberius, who posted about the article, is interested in finding out the following:

Is there anyone out there who participated in the original game, or who knows of those that participated in this game?

Is there any more information about this game - who played, any pictures, highlights etc.

Did the Big Battle league organise any other games?

Any comments or further information would be welcome.

Operation Sealion - 'Dad's Army', by Terry Wise, Airfix Magazine August 1975

Watching the cricket match episode of Dad's Army today (the one with Fred Truman) reminded me I hadn't posted Terry Wise's Operation Sealion article on the Home Guard, so here it is.

Terry Wise: Buildings for Wargames: Conversions from Airfix Service Station and Booking Hall: Airfix magazine Jan and Apr 1973

Two more articles from the series. The two Airfix Trackside buildings used (Petrol Station and Booking Hall) are both readily available from Dapol

Terry Wise: Buildings for Wargames: American Civil War buildings from Airfix Magazine December 1973

Another of Terry Wise's buildings for wargames articles from Airfix Magazine. The back numbers box on p2 has a useful summary of the others in this series.

Wargaming Operation Sealion, by Terry Wise, from Airfix Magazine December 1975

Thanks again to Twmas

Operation Sealion - the non-invasion, by Terry Wise, Airfix Magazine June 1975

The first article in the series. Thanks to Twmas.

Terry Wise: Building a Boer War Armoured Train, from Airfix Magazine July - September 1976

Typical of Terry Wise's modelling articles in Airfix Magazine, this series of three on modelling a Boer War armoured train was inspirational and very memorable. Thanks to Peter and Alan for providing the scans and attachments. The first two (of the first article) are not of the same quality as the others as they are derived from photos rather than scans, photoshopped for perspective correction and high pass sharpening.

Terry Wise's Observation Post: Battle is dead, long live Battle

This is Terry Wise's first Observation Post column in Military Modelling Magazine from Novemeber 1978, once Battle ceased independent publication
.

Operation Sealion as a wargame: Terry Wise from Airfix Magazine January 1976

French Foreign Legion Forts by Terry Wise, from Airfix Magazine Annual 6 1976

Terry Wise

The passing of Terry Wise has just been announced on TMP here.

I never met him, but was inspired by his books, rules, modelling articles in Airfix Magazine, and observation Post in Military Modelling (incorporating Battle). I also bought some books and figures from him through the catalogue he published from time to time. In my limited dealings with him he was always courteous - a real gentleman - and I am sure he will be missed by many.

His appearance as Wargamer's Newsletter Wargamer of the Month was posted earlier here. In the guise of Athena Books he was the publisher among many other titles of the compendium of Wargamer's Newsletter rules.

I shall be looking out for some appropriate material to post in tribute in the near future.

Wargamer's Newsletter #82 January 1969 Wargamer of the Month