Sir Able Brush

Monday, 23 May 2022

Partizan Wargames Show May 2022

What a curious day. Normally I go to shows with a close friend, but he is no longer with us. So I hopped in the car anyway and scootled to Newark.

I got there at lunchtime and it was warm and inviting and busy.

These are the things that caught my eye:

Ian Smith's amazing 40mm - I was amazed the first time I saw these at the Other Partizan before the plague, and I'm still amazed! (Ok I'm repeating myself). This was called "Sharpe and Hornblower in Spain 1809""a full display to honour Ian.

Carlist Wars:

I was totally absorbed in the Carlist War game from Westbury Wargamers. The Battle of Arquijas was beautiful to behold. Thanks for the lovely conversation, your patience with headswaps and pinning and all that glorious colour!

There were some gorgeously painted 28mm ACW figures - I love the talent that can take such samey uniforms and make them glow: This from The Iron Brigade. They were using a short fast play set of rules Bonnie Blue Flag.

The Random bits that make a table:

Not so Easy Company caught my eye for their table clutter. In fact I think I noticed more not military stuff on sale, partly through the mdf laser cut and also 3d printing people, which makes fleshing out the table easier than ever.

What else? Small things:

Who brought these amazing 6mm blocks - a Successors game? (Update - they are from Sheffield and Rotherm club https://www.facebook.com/groups/597968686964595/ ) Were they part of the baccus display? I've always also loved Adler minis.

And these tiny paper/plastic figures just work! Why wouldn't we? I think these were 10mm Napoleonics from https://peterspaperboys.com/ - they looked wonderful.

Hougmont in 28mm -

What a wonderful set up from Like a Stonewall. Huge table but also helped me undertsna dthe tactical problems the French had in such cluttered ground:.

The Perry's do late 19th Century:

28mm WW2 Kits:

I've been here before and probably won't go again, but the quality of kist for 28mm WW2 gamers is extraordinary. These from Rubicon really caught my eye.

And Finally some twinkling red pyrotechnics in this ACW game - worth therextra effort. Thanks Grimsby Wargames Club - Vicksburg 1863. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1416022955204847/

I'll pop other blog posts as I find them:

https://battlefieldswarriors.blogspot.com/2022/05/partizan-wargame-show-2022.html

and

https://jjwargames.blogspot.com/2022/05/partizan-wargames-show-and-boys-beano.html

and see also

The traders were:

Wednesday, 11 May 2022

Selling - 28mm Young Guard - Flanquer Chasseurs Painted 2 battalions

Here's the link if you want to have a look : They're the fab green uniforms (with higher officer wearing their blue Middle Guard uniforms)

UK Ebay

US Ebay

The uniforms are based on research in a newish book Dawson's Napoleon's Imperial Guard the Infantry.

Where he says:

From this it is clear that the flanqueur's uniform was green with chamois facings.
Chamois was also the facing colour for voltigeurs in the line, and is a distinct
colour of a pale yellow/beige shade, as opposed to the yellow used by the voltigeurs
of the Guard. The only scarlet cloth issued was for the tail facings and linings in milled serge.

Therefore, Knoetel and Jouineau are wrong in ascribing scarlet piping. The facings
of the tails were clearly scarlet milled serge with chamois piping. The regiment's
archive confirms what the period iconography shows: chamois collar and cuffs.

So rather than having green cuffs piped yellow (or red) they are painted with yellow - or chamois cuffs.

There's a wonderful representation of these units over on this blog, where they also chose to represnt officers in green too - so effectively only low ranking officers.

Sunday, 8 May 2022

Selling painted 20mm WW2 German units

A group of half-tracks - 20mm WW2

uk ebay

Three Stug III

UK ebay.

Monday, 2 May 2022

Napoleonic blogs from the last few weeks.... April 2022

Never say never - the revival of Napoleonic Naval games is clearly in part because they look amazing!

JJ"s Wargames have been at it:

Picking up from my post in February, work has continued to put together some fleets for my friend and fellow clubmate Bob, which started with the build of the British Navy boxset from Warlord Games and has continued with this the French Navy set.

Warlord really is brilliant at making game systems. I remember a long long time ago some Hinchcliffe system 12. Warlord's Epic Battles has the same ambition and wonderful execution.

The Wargames Room ponders, points, campaigns and scenarios

Campaigns have a strong draw. Historical campaigns have the same appeal as historical refights, yet my experiences suggest a successful campaigning can deliver terribly unequal battles, which are not particularly satisfying. I’m of the view that campaign mechanics must be simple providing a narrative for a scenario game, or be played as a seperate campaign in an evening, likely as a board game.

Sgt Steiner tries out Soldiers of Napoleon - a card driven rules set:

Overall a thumbs up and if you like (Sam Mustafas) Maurice 18th Century rules these have a similar feel regarding card deck use and level of complexity (low to medium) but with of course own feel and twists.

Devon Wargames played the Battle of Maida

The Battle of Maida was fought on 4th July 1806 and is popularly (and erroneously) seen as the first time that the fire power of the two deep British line overwhelmed an attacking French column, but let’s not go down that particular rabbit hole. It was a welcome victory after the humiliation of Ulm and crushing defeat at Austerlitz and showed that a French army could be defeated. Maida Vale owes its name to the battle, there apparently being a pub called The Maida or The Hero of Maida in reference to Sir John Stuart (later Count of Maida) who led the British troops.

The British force landed on the Italian coast and force marched to attack the French camp at Maida. Stuart’s force, numbering some 5,000 men, was made up of 11 battalions, (two of which, the 78th and the 81st were untested) and 8 guns. Regnier, the French commander, was notified of the British landing and with a slightly larger force of 8 Battalions, 4 squadrons of cavalry and 4 guns, left his well-fortified position to confront Stuart’s force. Confident of victory and eager to avenge his defeat in Egypt five years earlier, Regnier immediately ordered an attack on the outnumbered British force.

Helion and company say they've book on the way about Leipzig - a Wargamers guide.

Battlebrush studios says they actually like painting Austrian White!

Monday, 18 April 2022

Half an Hour at Arcis-sur-Aube

This is map of a few photo's taken at Arcis-sur-Aube. The photos are on the map and show the postion looking out from where the French were - with one exception, which looking across the ground that the main Allied advance took from St Remy.

The town has grown since 1814 but the land around is largely unchanged since the battle in March 1814. What did I get from being there?

1 What amazing cavalry country albeit maybe not in March 1814. Have a click on the photos and they show wide open spaces. The Cavalry of the Guard fought here against Austrian and Russian Cavalry.

2 Napoleon fought with back to a river. Zoom in on the map and since how little space there was for some of his troops to manoeuvre. It was really my first genuine appreciation of why it's such a difficult position to be in. There is almost room to rally any units before they hit the river - and then they might disintegrate. The River itself is not easily crossed other than by the bridge.

Here's a map that matches the one you see above

I only had this book with me.

A fab diorama of the battle.

Wednesday, 5 January 2022

Napoleonic Wargames Blogs I've seen in December

Bavarians, Bavarians, Bavarians!

Amongst the best looking with amazing flags. The plastic Victrix are now for sale as vonpeterhimself points out. The breakdown is as follows:

36 x Marching units

16 x Firing units

4 x Command units

2 x Mounted colonels

all for £30 (just about 50p per figure - when was a quality 28mm figure last that cheap!) and they look amazing. The balance of marching to firing could be improved - it feels like more skirmishers thane most will need.

I also spotted some beautiful Perry Bavarians in their pre christmas napoleonic game:

With that fab falling figure from the pack of figures under fire. The depth of figures now available in plastic 28mm is extraordinary - I was a delighted to see Prussian Reserve Infantry from Atlantic appear in 2021 : £25 for 60 rank and file (buy your command from others.)

Rules

Dining Table Napoleon has reviewed Lasalle II, concluding:

this is an excellent game system, fully justifying the rave reviews I have seen of it. The turn play system – both sides interact without the use of phases or player-turns – is especially clever and works really well. There are intricacies which you can miss on first play, but generally the rules should be very quick to pick up