H is for Hinchliffe's Heavy-metal H'artillery!

Shot these a while ago, but an email from Gisby earlier today on another matter reminded me they were in the queue, so I finalised the editing of the photographs this evening and they can go up, we don't have enough metal here, but it was and is again mostly in storage!

Couple of variations in Hinchliffe packaging, with a later poly-bag on the left and one of the earlier boxes on the right, they soldiered-on is shops like my local; Concord Models for years as shop-stock boxes though.

Between them are the two Wellingtonian guns I have, one unpainted might be from the 30mm range - ME/30/1 - British 9 PDR. 1800-1860 - while the other painted is the same as the one in the bag, from the 25mm range: 25/K - British Napoleonic 9LBR Gun.

You can see the larger piece is much better made and more detailed, I wondered if it was the 24lbr., from the 25mm range, but am pretty sure now it's the 30mm piece, they (Hinchliffe) also made 54mm stuff, distributed through Rose Miniatures for a while.

Detail shots of the larger piece, the chains have been soldered-in by the owner/modeller, as have the buckets. not much more I can say, it is what it is, a bare-metal casting, assembled! Scale aside - this piece has a narrower track than the 25mm 9lbr.

Catalogue image, it doesn't say what it is, but my crew have the typical heavy, oblong/square bases of the 25mm range so this may be the 30mm set, but the gun looks a bit basic?

I also shot these as a bit of fun; Hinchliffe gave you a paper flag with each bearer, but you had to colour them in yourself! Quite a good idea with the English Civil War, as a lot of them followed a similar pattern/format but were all different colours with dots or stars and things (rank-amateur vexillologist talking here) you'd need to draw/paint onto the main field, but I wouldn't fancy painting the small French one, they're busy little buggers, while you'd need a steady hand to do the nappy 'Queens Colour' Union-flag one justice!

A is for ACW Armies All right After All this time

This is my old war gaming army, dating from when I was about 13 and Humbrol Authenticolours were mythical things other, older, richer people possessed! I played with mys......er...it was an exercise in solo war gaming!

These are the two armies in their drawer, they were small, but then by the reckoning of all these DBA, DBB, DBC and CBEEBIES that people play now, they look a little on the large side!

Confederate Volunteers skirmish irregularly, while more formal units form up behind, the Terrance Wise school says use union for confederates, as they wore what they could, and both sides had kepi's, a fact thankfully reflected in more recent issues by newer companies.

The gun/s (and crews?) have been here before, but if I'm blowing the dust from an old closet, you might as well see it warts and all, massacred the Hinchliffe British Colonial Gatling Gun, gave the Union cavalryman a Napoleonic saddle AND check out the cowboy!! I was always quite pleased with the CSA General from the Civilians set, Grant was Hinchliffe...but not necessarily their 'Grant'! Crews were converted from Atlantic Gold Diggers and Hong Kong Cowboys

Scratch-built transport. You see, it was about wagons all along! The union force got a sort of engineer/blacksmith/tool shop wagon made out of heavy-duty poly-strip, and another old man from the civilian set, not to mention more Napoleonic horses! Confederates were issued with a prairie schooner and a water-cart, I also built a small cannon mount, which would probably look more at home on the walls of the Alamo.

Union troops stand firm, I would find a colour scheme I liked the look of - usually from a Blandford Colour Guide, which explains the 34th Right Royal Leprechauns in the second row! But I'm not repainting them now, they're part of my childhood!

The last thing I did before '...putting away my childish things' and going off to join our army was buy a box each of the two then NEW Esci sets, the officers, flag bearers and buglers all joined my army first!.

G is for Gatling Gun by Hinchliffe ?

And before you say anything....I know..., it's the patented Owen-Gatling! I was thirteen when I made this, I think it's a Hinchliffe 'Colonial' Gun on a Hinchliffe Napoleonic RHA carriage, and working from a hazy piece of pen and ink artwork in World of Wonder magazine I thought the right thing to do was cut the magazine down!!!!

The crew were converted from three Atlantic Gold Diggers and a Giant cowboy, basically I just cut their stetsons into kepi's and gave them a matching colour scheme, based them on plasticard with Humbrol filler and a bit of flock and placed them front centre in the line!

A close up of the gun, a blob of Araldite two-part epoxy keeps the wheels on yet moving, and a few splashes of gold make the whole thing look more workman-like...well it does when you are thirteen!!