Oh! What a Lovely War

Amongst the usual round of weekend domesticity I have been able to to give the newly acquired Peter Laing 15mm Early WW1 collection a proper look over. As you may recall, I had mentioned on a previous post that I am in the market for a new digital camera and so at the present time I am not going to bother with any photographs of the models - simply because they will not come out particularly well. Profuse apologies for this and as soon as I am fully kitted out with a new camera I will happily snap away in close up!

There is a pile of stuff in this collection and starting with the British we have two battalions standing firing, two advancing, two deployed in trenches, one prone firing and a battalion of Highlanders. These are all sixteen figures strong - as are all the battalions from both the French and German contingents. There is a twelve figures cavalry regiment, two HMGs with three crew each, two field guns with five crew each and a couple of bases of figures suitable for staff or higher command groups. The figures are very roughly painted which looks OK at a distance but really grates when viewed close up! I don't mind a basic paint job (by that I mean unshaded and with blocked colours) but I really dislike a sloppy job e.g. straps painted over the tunic or flesh in the wrong place. A simple and tidy paint job for these figures is all that they would need to look really special in a 'toy soldier' kind of way and so I guess that will be the look to go for. The infantry prone firing will be used as dismounted cavalry but I am not sure that the figures in trenches will see any use although I will have to see in due course. The cavalry are all standing with the lance in its bucket and of all the cavalry the British are in the best condition but probably the most poorly painted. The artillery and HMGs are fine although the Vickers has been painted black and will need to be redone at some point.

The German infantry consists of six battalions advancing, three standing firing and two of jager. There are seven HMGs and eight field guns - four of which look like 77mm pieces; two of 150mm and a couple of 203mm heavy gun/howitzers. There is also an army command base with seven figures including a seated commander in chief with map spread across the table (looking suitably splendid and 'Germanic') and three each of two figure artillery /staff command types and three figure command types. Cavalry wise there is a regiment of hussars and one of ordinary cavalry - both regiments with the lance. Painting wise the same observations as those made for the British apply - a wholly appropriate paint job marred by the sloppiness of application.

The French contingent consists of five battalions - four of line, one with white trousers (I am showing my ignorance here in respect of 1914 French uniforms!) and one which I believe is the Chasseurs Alpine.There are three cavalry regiments - one of Dragoons, one of Cuirassiers and one of Belgians. the French cavalry units are fifteen figures strong as opposed to the twelve figures of the German and British. There are two HMGs and three field pieces - two of which are the famous 'soixante quinze' and the other is a larger piece. Although there is not a dedicated higher command base there are a number of loose painted staff officers that could easily be pressed into service for use as a higher command base. Once again, the same observations re the the painting apply.

As you can see, the scope for this collection is enormous but it has given me an almighty headache. I was expecting to merely have to rebase (which is in itself going to be a huge undertaking) and apply the odd touch up on the painting front but I am now thinking that a complete repaint may be more appropriate. I will be able to expand the collection simply because I will be changing the unit sizes from sixteen to twelve figures for the infantry - based in threes - and six figures for the cavalry (three bases of two figures each).

This will be a long term project and no mistake - the cavalry will need some TLC in the biggest possible way - but oddly enough, given the 'old school' nature of the figures and the fact that I will be able to quite happily use an understated paint job (aka my painting comfort zone!) I am really quite keen to tackle this.

I have a long term idea in mind for use with these figures involving Morschauser and the naval version thereof (the ship charts are finally ready for these and I want to run the final play test before I unleash them on the unsuspecting public!) and will leak the odd detail out from time to time as the mood takes me. In the meantime though - the Balkan Wars stuff needs to take priority and I am hoping to make a severe inroad into that particular project over the next week.

Peter Laing has Landed

I collected the Early WW1 Peter Laing painted 15mm collection from the redoutable Mr Fox yesterday evening and very impressive it is! I will report in full later once I have had the chance to fully review it all but suffice it say at this stage gobsmacked does not even come close! Lots of kit and lots of rebasing but using the 40mm frontage with 3 infantry figures on looks fine so it will mean that there will be extra units made available from breaking up the 4s. The only downside I can see at the moment is the cavalry - the lances are pretty bent and a couple are missing so some repairs and refurbs will be in order - this was hardly surprising though, given the age of the collection.

Painting wise they are, to be honest, pretty rough but in as much as the original job was applied quite sloppily e.g. going over edges too widely etc. Given the quality of the figures though this does not seem too bad. The figures themselves are true 15mm and are quite 'toy soldier' like in terms of detail which I have no problem with. Apparently some of the original Peter Laing moulds were acquired by a gentleman in Scotland somewhere but I have no details in connection with this. Hopefully they will come back into production as I think they are great figures - ideal for the tabletop and easy to paint as well.

Projecting the Projected Projects

I realise that the heading of this post may appear to be somewhat cryptic but that is a reflection of the usual modus operandi of what passes for my thought process! I suspect that most gamers usually have several projects ‘on the go’ and I am happily no exception to that worthy principle. Having said that, I sometimes find having a mini project can be a useful fill in during those periods between phases of the main projects. A good example would during painting stages or waiting for the next batch of kit to arrive through the post. Now you would be right in thinking that I have a large number of full blown projects on the go and furthermore you would probably also be right in thinking along the lines ‘why on earth would he want to tackle something else on top of all the other projects?’ Guilty as charged I’m afraid – it must be the Magpie syndrome that most, if not all war gamers have when it comes to acquiring new and shiny things! To which………………………………..

I have in mind a very small mini project (I am sure we have all said that before….!) arising from the new range of 6mm Power Armoured Infantry produced by Brigade Models. These are lovely looking models and the plan is to acquire some Ground Zero Games (GZG) ‘Bugs’ as opposition for some rip-roaring ‘Starship Troopers’ type action. The figures come in bags of 24 for £2.50 so these will sit on bases of four figures on a 40mm frontage. The bugs come in 12s but are slightly larger so putting, say, 3 of these on a slightly deeper base will provide the opposition. I plan to paint the infantry in two basic colours so there will be a couple of forces that could even fight amongst themselves if need be.

This will merely be exercise and will not distract from the more serious business of the Balkan Wars, WW1 and various other assorted projects. Furthermore, I am boldly stating that this project will be complete ‘before the leaves fall’. Seriously though, they will need minimal painting and I plan to game with them using Space Hulk but with fire team bases rather than individual figures. Using this scale of figure will allow for the use of a lot more ‘kit’ in terms things like ‘walkers’, vehicles and such like. Adding the occasional small selection of extra kit is an easy way to expand the set up should I wish and this will also keep the collection ‘fresh’ in terms of gaming longevity.

A further example of a mini project will be the basing and naming of the next batch of ships and aircraft for Axis and Allies: War at Sea. There is not a huge amount of models to be tackled but it would still be an evening or two. There is no pressing urgency to do this immediately as I am still acquiring the kit I need but it still qualifies as a mini project.

I had mentioned the Balkan Wars above (and the WW1 stuff as well) and the state of play has moved along slightly from last weekend. I put the base coat on the horses and this was mainly to see how the effect I was using was going to look. I am painting these using a technique described by Frank Chadwick as ‘stain’ painting. This means using a diluted base colour for the main uniform shade and then using full strength colours for the detail. With just the base colour on it looks horrible but when you start applying the detail the figure really comes to life – and this is from a renowned ‘Non-painting Philistine’. Dare I say it, but I am almost enthusiastic about tackling the figures using this technique! It is probably not suitable for all types of painting but for 20th century flat coloured (i.e. non-camouflaged) uniforms it works really well.

I have also been busy with the Morschauser Afloat naval rules and will have the ship charts ready for Sunday. Once again, this has been a labour of love to a certain extent although my enthusiasm has flagged slightly whilst drawing up yet another set of ship specification charts! This part of the process is more informative than fun but has to be tackled nevertheless. Certainly I shall derive great satisfaction from seeing the finished article.

It will be an interesting couple of months on the project front then – I am hoping that no further distractions arise but then I guess that is one of the beauties of this hobby of ours!

Wind and Water or 'Carry on Jack'.....

Yesterday evening at the club I took part in a small 1/1200th scale Napoleonic Naval action using models from the collection of the redoubtable Mr Fox (and very nice they are) and a fast play set of rules obtained from a magazine some time ago – I cannot remember which so will check and update in due course. Each squadron consisted of 6 ships with the French having five ships of the line and a frigate whilst the Royal Navy had 6 ships of the line. Each force had a first rate as the flagship with the remainder being third rates. The French had the advantage of the weather gauge with the wind directly behind them whilst the Royal Navy had the wind off the bow and so were at an initial disadvantage. The scenario was simple – the French had to exit the Royal Navy baseline whilst the Hearts of Oak had to stop them. For this action yours truly had command of the French whilst our own ex-gunner, Ernie Fosker, hoisted his flag aboard the Royal Sovereign and the Royal Navy.

The French deployed as a single squadron of five ships in line ahead with three of the 3rd rates followed by the 1st rate flagship and an 80 gunner bringing up the rear. The frigate was deployed off the lead French ships starboard beam and sailing on a parallel course. I should point out that although compass points for the wind were not assigned as part of the game set up I have chosen to call the French base line South and so all directional references are based upon this assumption. At the start of the action then, the French were heading in a North Easterly direction.

The British deployed in two divisions of three ships sailing parallel with the flagship deployed in the lead position of the Westerly column. Overall the formation was heading in a South Westerly direction.

The French moved off taking advantage of the wind and headed towards the British who in turn reciprocated whilst battling against the wind to try to initiate the action. The French then turned due North individually and ran before the wind across the van of the two British divisions that had turned due West in anticipation of this move. This brought the Westerly division, with the flagship – Royal Sovereign – into firing distance of the leading French 3rd Rate – the Jupiter – and so first blood went to the British with a damaging broadside. The next turn saw the Jupiter park off the bows of the Royal Sovereign and rake it from stem to stern. The Royal Sovereign then ran into the Jupiter and boarders were called away. The British though had not reckoned on the pluck of their adversaries as the gallant matelots through back their assailants and severed all the grapples etc. The wounded Jupiter stood off and blasted the Royal Sovereign before limping away. The second French 74 received some fire and gave the Royal Sovereign a long range broadside that inflicted minimal damage. The rest of the British were struggling to get to grips with the French who were by now deploying full sail where able in order to make good their escape. The final turn saw the French flagship saluting the British opposite number in passing with the benefit of a full broadside but the damage inflicted was insufficient to make any further impact on the Royal Sovereign. The French then made good their escape thereby satisfying the victory conditions of the scenario.

The final score in respect of damage etc was that no ships were sunk; the French had two damaged 3rd rates – the first with heavy damage, but nothing fatal and the second with very minor damage. The sole British ship damaged was the Royal Sovereign and she had suffered a severe pummelling from two 74s and a 120 gunner. Only the fact that the French gunnery was so poor enabled her to survive and I suspect that their Lordships at the Admiralty would take a pretty dim view of the proceedings.

It was always going to be difficult trying to stop an opponent that had both the weather gauge and that also did not want to be caught and so a certain degree of sympathy should be allowed for the British commander. However, by choosing to use two columns he made his formation much too compact which meant that it was easier for the French to avoid action and that when it did get into range only a couple of ships would be able to have any effect on the issue. The French could have headed North much sooner and would then probably have completely avoided the British but this of course makes no allowance for daring of the respective combatants.

The French Frigate sailed undisturbed across the rear of the British squadron, mindful of the need to resist the obvious temptation of a passing stern rake thereby preserving the gentlemanly tradition of ships of the line not engaging smaller vessels unless they try it on first!

Huey Loose and the News.................

I have just finished reading the book ‘Chickenhawk’ by Robert Mason; an account of a Huey helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War – and what a great read it is. The Huey was the helicopter that is most closely associated with Vietnam and it saw extensive use both in its troop carrying ‘Slick’ configuration and as a gunship. Want to know what it was like to drop or pick up troops from a hot landing zone? This would be the book for you. It is graphic and pulls few punches when describing the action – both in the front line and in the rear areas. The technical detail and descriptions of actually flying a Huey; what it can and cannot do, is really interesting and provides much food for thought in respect of how best to replicate their use within the context of Memoir 44.

I am not sure at the moment how the use of helicopters will fit into the game but I will certainly be employing them. I was concerned initially at best to represent them but have come up with a simple solution – I will make use of either 1/200th or 1/300th scale models, rather like the aircraft that come with the Memoir 44 Air expansion pack. It should be easy enough to get these – Navwar have a good range in 1/300th – and for helicopters on the ground I will try and source some overhead views of a helicopter to mount on a terrain tile or a counter. I do not envisage needing many models for this so it should be fairly cheap to set up.

A Blast from the Past

When I first embarked upon the war gaming road, back in the early 70s, I used to have a small group of friends that I shared the experience with whilst growing up on the Isle of Sheppey, just off the North Kent coast. We were all of a similar age and inevitably, as jobs, life, family and house moves all took their toll we drifted apart as is commonly the way with such early and formative friendships. I was delighted then, when an old gaming friend of mine renewed his acquaintance with me via Facebook. To be honest we had shared an on and off contact over the preceding years – especially after I had moved to London aged seventeen – so this was hardly a ‘bolt from the blue’ but was still most welcome all the same.

Paul, my friend and ‘comrade in arms’ during those formative years, and I enjoyed many games – primarily Napoleonic although with WW2 featuring as well. We started using Charge! and unpainted Airfix plastic 20mm figures and moved on to the Airfix magazine guide Napoleonic Wargaming (and the later WW2 volume) with the plastic figures being painted this time. We also used to play Waddington’s game Campaign (which I still have!) with Neil, another member of our then ‘secret’ society. Obviously as young teenage boys our street ‘cred’ was all important and so any mention of playing with toy soldiers was kept very quiet! I always had the impression that Paul was made of sterner stuff and would not let such considerations bother him in the slightest – he was, and indeed still is, a very easy going and laid back individual.

Our first games were played using unpainted Airfix figures and Charge! as mentioned but we soon graduated into far more serious gaming using Bruce Quarrie’s Napoleonic Wargaming. This was a revelation in many ways and I can remember using the complexity of the book to ‘blind them with science’ when challenged about the ‘playing with toy soldiers’ from any incredulous contemporaries – the tables and charts contained therein were enough to give anybody a nose bleed and so I was clearly and very obviously involved in an incredibly complex and cerebral pastime! Oh the intellectual vanity of youth! For WW2 we used continued to use unpainted infantry but oddly enough we spent a lot of time making tank and vehicle kits.

We dabbled in metal figures – small quantities of Hinchcliffe - and a smattering of Tradition 25mm figures acquired during a day trip to Tradition in London (then still in Piccadilly) accompanied by Neil (another member of the group) and courtesy of his Brother who used to drive to work at Holborn. We also visited Under Two Flags at St Christophers Place (sadly no longer there) and I recall that on the journey up to London from the Island I was violently car sick when we arrived! I remember buying a battalion of Russian Napoleonic Grenadiers for the beginnings of my small set up for 1812. Eventually this army consisted of three battalions of infantry, two of cavalry and some guns and the whole collection was sold to Eric Knowles shortly after I had moved to London. The Hinchcliffe Cuirassiers were huge figures and had a very good record on the table.

Our last gaming project together was to build up two armies for the 1815 era – he had the French and I had the allies – and I remember fondly the hours spent painting and converting figures to use – French Cuirassiers into British Heavy Dragoons and kneeling British Infantry into 95th Riflemen. I also managed to convert some slouch hat wearing Confederate Infantry into Brunswick Jager. Not to be outdone Paul managed to convert some British Hussars into French and also painted up a unit of Swiss Infantry. We also had a very small smattering of Hinchcliffe metal figures – these were obtained from model shop in Sittingbourne if I remember correctly. I remember his squadron of French Red Guard Lancers in action on more than one occasion. Sadly the plastics are no more as the dreaded plastic rot set in and most of the figures became very brittle and began breaking off at the ankles very easily. Still the memory of those games will never disappear and although I managed to amass a record of almost continual defeat against Paul I always enjoyed the experience – anyway, I used to beat him regularly at the aforementioned Campaign so overall the honours were probably even!

Morschauser Afloat - Close to Launch!

I have managed to finally agree how the number of attack and defence dice will be assigned by ship class which is the final step before drafting the ship specs. Once this is completed I will then be ready for the final play test. The rules and all the associated charts etc will be available to anyone that wants a set and I am hoping that any resultant feedback will help to improve the final version.

I am thinking ahead for these rules (as I did for the DBSA variant) to cover the WW2 era and of course the impact of air power on naval operations. I also have in mind an earlier variant - ironclads and such like - for the germ of a project I am considering involving all manner of things! This will be a long term effort and will involve the Balkan armies currently under the brush. More on this to follow in due course.