ACW Union(15mm)

Perhaps some of you remember when I mentioned overhauling my 15mm ACW collection awhile back which was in desperate need of this(follow the Link). Errr.... it only took me a few years to finally start! Anyhow, I finally have some results to show in a few union regiments. Well.... actually I have more already completed, but I'll break it all down by posting a few regiments at a time to keep things neat and tidy so to speak.

The figures are all Old Glory 15mm and are still good sculpts after all these years with some having odd positions, but I can live with that. At one point a thought about selling it all and switching to either 10mm or starting the excellent Blue Moon 18mm, but realized that would be a fools errand for me when I already have so many Old Glory figures at least with a basic paint job to work from and many more in bags which made doing it in another range/scale both time and cost prohibitive. 

These were the first figures I collected for historical wargaming way back in the day and so one can imagine they needed a painting update and complete new basing! However the figures were at least neatly block painted, but that was about it folks. Needless to say nowadays I need a more depth to my figures then that so I decided to simply give them a wash and add a highlight and I must say I'm pleased with the results. The basing was awful which consisted of green flock and reddish brown paint. Of course that too had to change and I decided to go for a light summer day basing and again I'm pleased with how that came out as well. I then replaced the tattered flags I had with some lovely GMB  designs flags which really helps the collection to shine. I decided that my goal with 15mm ACW was to achieve tabletop effect rather then glass case painting so I skipped a middle tone and used a base darker tone followed by a wash and then a bright/brighter highlight. Viewed up close it doesn't look grade A+, however when viewed from the tabletop looks quite good as the stronger contrasts help them stand out from the terrain. I feel at smaller scales you have to paint in higher contrasts or the figures fade into the table. I also believe lighter coloured bases and tabletops are needed at smaller scales then 28mm, but even there lighter is generally better as well. So far, I'm quite pleased with how things are turning out and to tell the truth better then I expected. The reason is simple in that when I was painting them I was always looking up close seeing the flaws and it wasn't until I was finished and looking at them from a gaming distance before I could see the effect they really gave. This of course has given me motivation to plough on with the overhaul which is always a good thing.:-)

Does this mean the end of 28mmACW?.....No not a chance! I'm simply a ACW nutter and feel compelled to do it in two scales. I plan on using 15mm ACW for F&F and RF&F to fight historical battles and with the high base count it makes sense to do this in 15mm and the fact that I've been playing it using this system and at this scale for more years then I care to count! For 28mm ACW I'll be using Longstreet, Black Powder etc. Stay tuned for more to follow!

Thanks for viewing!:-)
Miniature Company-Old Glory

Confederates

These are from the Perry plastic confederate box set that I picked up last year and started, but just got around to adding the highlights a couple weeks ago. These are done with ap then with highlights added. I have the other half of the box mostly finished which I'll post up at a latter point.

As far as the figures go they are very nicely sculpted with very good detail and probably the best plastics Perry have done. My complaints are the usual with plastics in that I hate the assembly process, plus some positions are a bit stiff and they are just too light in heft so I doubt I'll ever collect a lot, but I do like trying a few out here and there.

The basing I used is my experimental 2 figures on a 40 x 20mm base which is useful for RFF to get the base count up, but kind of a pain as they don't sit even and I have to pick up too many pieces when moving them around. Since I've decided to move my RFF games back down to 15mm as the scenario's are too large for 28mm I'll start basing my 28mm ACW back on a more manageable 40 x 40mm base for games of Longstreet, GaG, FoB2 etc. Speaking of Longstreet I had a chance to play the game and I think it's just fantastic! Longstreet isn't another grand tactical game which I'm grateful for as I already have systems I like for that, but rather a game set in the ACW period that tells a story while wargaming at the same time. Quite similar to Maurice, but with differences to keep it in period. If you like Maurice which I do very much then you will like Longstreet. Oh, when playing Longstreet I highly recommend playing the campaign as that is where these rules really shine. While it plays at any scale I think it's ideal for 28mm and is where I'll focus my 28mm ACW collection on.

As for painting I've been getting things done and now have a backlog of things to post up which I'll try and get up to date on.

Thanks for viewing!
Miniature Company- Perry Miniatures

A quick update

Confederate view of Burnsides Bridge at Antietam from last summer.

Wow! This month just blew right by. Well just a quick update in that I have been painting, but just haven't posted anything yet. I'll for sure have some things up next month. 

More M4A1 Shermans

Slowly getting back into things. While 15mm isn't the easiest to paint it is very practical scale in that it paints a bit quicker then 28mm and you can see the figures better then 10mm plus gives you a large army effect. It's also a very popular scale making finding players easier and uses up less space. Anyhow I will be doing more 15mm in the future for my small scale stuff. Most of my terrain is all 15mm and 28mm so it's not surprising I would prefer things to stay that way, but things can always change.

These are some Sherman tanks I did a little while ago for my FOW American Tank Company, but just couldn't get the energy up to photograph and post it up. Americans are fun and easy to paint which is a good way to get going again after you have been in a major slump like I have just been through. Probably the worst slump I've been in and happy I seem to be getting going. I'm sad it happened in the Analogue Painting challenge where I basically really wasn't a participant at all.

 I also plan on having less presence on forums and more on activities and the painting desk, but I will try and keep up on blogs, but if I fall behind it's because frankly something has to give of which I'm sure many fully understand that being the same situation.

My painting ambitions are pretty modest at the moment and just simply painting whatever I want to and trying not to over think things. Currently I'm re-doing some 15 ACW figures I'd like to game with as they are in such sorry condition and really need some tlc. I'm also doing some more FOW Americans. I do have some 28mm in the painting line up, but again just taking it moment to moment and letting the mood control what I do so I don't re-lapse.

Thank for viewing!
Miniature Company- Battlefront

  

Having problems with Mojo aka the dreaded painters block

Hi everyone just thought I throw out that I've been having issues with painters block for a few months that has progressively gotten worse. I think it has more to do with a lack of direction then it does with actually painting plus irritating low level flu's that keep cropping up, lack of energy and a stiff neck are not helping much either. This is effecting my painting output, blogging both writing and reading pretty dramatically. It's also come at the worst time right in the middle of the Analogue Painting challenge which I've been reduced to more of a spectator then participant.

The lack of direction is I can longer decide how to base my figures or in what scale to do them or what rules to play them for. I don't have this issue with strictly skirmish games like WWII etc. or F&IW etc., but rather large or army based games.

I'm trying to decide what periods I want to do in 28mm, 15mm and what I want to do in 10mm which I happen to think is great for mass battles and if I want to do a period in more then one scale.

For 28mm Ancients/Mediaevals I cannot decide if I want to have more figures per base giving a better visual, but extremely time consuming with a much higher probability of the project never getting finished or go with fewer figures per base which is less impressive visually, but greatly increases the chances of seeing the project completed. It looks like an easy answer and say go with the one you'll finish, but one must factor in you'll always wish it was bigger! F**king conundrum!!

Also with some of my 28mm I'm a bit tired of sabot basing which I don't like all that much, but find it necessary with some periods as doing the same period twice in 28mm is impossible for me, but I'm still not happy I'm pushed into a corner like that.

Oh now lets talk about a scale that has caught my eye which is 10mm which looks great for mass battle btw! However then in creeps the problem of number of figures per base and how big a base to use. A big base crammed full of figures looks the best, but costs more time in painting, money and more importantly flexibility in terms of gaming. Smaller bases look less impressive and are more time consuming to move, but are more flexible for gaming. So again what the heck to do!

15mm is flat out annoying to paint! You have to paint all the bells and whistles you do at 28mm, but just smaller so takes to much time for the effort and result. However, it is a very popular scale making getting games easier and has a very large selection of figures to choose from. Basing issues are just as much a pain as the other scales.

I'm not having these issues with 28mm ACW/AWI as those projects are so far along that those decisions have already been made and are pretty much set in stone, but sadly I'm just not in the mood for them right now.

With a dozen projects all wanting my attention, but with no real plan  has pretty much frozen my brush in place.

On the positive front I've lost none of my mojo for wargaming and enjoying myself quite a bit. I would say the biggest impact has been my introduction to Piquet's Field of Battle2 series which is awesome! I promptly ordered Field of Battle2 and Pulse of battle which I'll go into at a later date.

Well, I hope to make some decisions soon and get back on track and give all of you something to read. 

British Legion Cavalry

My first miniature post of the year begins with AWI in the form of the British Legion cavalry. The British Legion otherwise known as Tarleton's Legion or Tarleton's Raiders is an American Loyalist formation that is a combined force of both infantry, cavalry and light artillery. The Strength of the legion varied but at full strength it stood at 250 Cavalry and 200 Infantry. The Legion fought in numerous engagements, anti- guerilla missions and punishment raides to include the siege of Charleston, Monck's Corner, Lenud's Ferry, Waxhaws, Camden, Fishing Creek, Wahab's Plantation, Fishdam Ford, Blackstock's, Cowpens(Losing all their infantry here), Cowan's Ford, Tarrant's Tavern, Guilford Courthouse, Francisco's Fight, Gloucester. The British Legion was disbanded on October 10, 1783 with most of it's members settling in Nova Scotia Canada.

Banastre Tarleton is probably one of the most controversial figures in the war with many believing him to be a murderous commander while others think he is a victim of propaganda. Just to give you an idea of some people's opinion of him think of Mel Gibson's The Patriot and the brutal British commander in the movie is supposed to be based on Tarleton. A lot of this stems from what is reported to have happened at the Battle of Waxhaws. This engagement resulted in the catch phrase Tarleton's Quarter. My personal opinion is that it was a civil war of sorts especially in the south with a lot of bad blood so I think both were pretty ruthless in dealing with each other and atrocities were likely committed on both sides, but I think Waxhaws either through fact of events or propaganda ramped things up a few notches and both sides took revenge killings on each other when the mood and opportunity struck. I feel I need to add that as the commanding officer Tarleton is responsible for his troops as he instilled both discipline and code of conduct. One must say Banastre Tarleton was a very effective cavalry commander either through tactics or ruthlessness or a combination of both. Whatever your opinion on Banastre Tarleton from murderous thug to brilliant cavalry officer you have to admit the man could design an excellent hat! He designed the Tarleton featured on these gents and as a matter of fact everyone liked it so much all light cavalry adopted it in the British forces.

As a Southern Campaign enthusiast this unit was a pretty much a must do as the Legion was so active in the war there plus my collection is in desperate need of cavalry to run some particular battles. When painting the unit I pretty much used Don Troiani's painting and description of the regiment down to the horses being a mixed lot of what they could get their hands on. Equipment I kept as uniformed as possible as I feel cavalry were better equipped and found it easier to maintain it.  I enjoyed painting their simple, but rather elegant uniform and of course the Tarleton hat's which are my favourites of the war. As you may have noticed I couldn't resist playing up the bad guy image and mounted the commander(perhaps Tarelton?) on a black stallion.:-)

Thanks for viewing!:-)
Miniature Company- Perry Miniatures

Looking back on 2014 and looking forward to 2015

A happy me in front of Lee's Memorial

I don't ever keep a count of how many figures I do per year as my count is usually not high enough to warrant that, but I may give it try someday if I feel my painting output sees a strong enough push to make that worthy of talking about. Anyhow 2014 followed the usual pattern of wanting to do much more then I actually get done so same old story on that front. Gaming has seen a bit of slump with perhaps one game every 6 weeks which I hope to improve on in 2015. The highlight of 2014 was without question my dream visit to Gettysburg and Antietam battlefields which surpassed my expectations. I promise to post up more pictures soon. If you have not gone and are an ACW fan then it is a must see!

My projects plans for 2015 are:

Strong Contenders
AWI- Continue on with this as I  actually have decent amount of figures that makes playing this period easier and easier. I would say another 4-6 units of cavalry and infantry will see a lot of scenario's open up. If I do more then that will just be icing on the cake. I must say Black Powder's Rebellion has really opened up the possibilities here. I can say with a very high degree of probability that this will see good progress in 2015, but as to everything else below......

ACW- I will probably do more as this period is dear to me, but I cannot decide if I want to make a serious push in 28mm or 15mm. Need to chew on that a bit.

FOW WWII- I will add more to my growing American Tank Company and perhaps do some Germans as well, but haven't decided if it will be Luftwaffe/Herman Goring or regular Grenadiers.

Moors 28mm Impetus- I really must get started on this as my poor Spanish Crusaders are tired of playing cards waiting for a fight. We shall see....

Germanic/Late Romans 28mm Impetus/Dux Britt./Dux Bellorum-  I kind of view this as all one project and I would be surprised if I didn't do anything here so I would put this in a close second after AWI in terms of likelihood of seeing progress made.

Vikings 28mm- Continue on with the laborious task of re-basing for SAGA and Impetus.

Possibilities

WWII 28mm- Will maybe do some Japanese and I may also do some Germans, but honestly I might not bother as my friend Nick has plenty of that making it a bit unnecessary.

Swiss 15mm- Lovely Legio Heroica figures, but still thinking it over if it will see paint this year.

Teutonics 15mm- More lovely Legio Heroica which actually makes sense doing a snow theme for once.

Sudan 28mm- I've been thinking of this for sometime and have now began to collect the figures....will they see paint....good question.:-)

FIW 28mm M&T- Need to do a few more French and Indians and then start on the British.

All of the above is subject to change with things dropped and others added as I put the B into butterfly in terms of painting habits.

After family and health my resolutions are to spend more time painting then reading blogs, forums and planning new purchases. Last year I did better with the forums, however the extra time I accrued didn't go into painting but went into reading yet more blogs, and planning new purchases. It's fun and all, but doesn't help with getting things done. This year I hope to get the balance right.

Happy New Year!