28mm Great War Cavalry from Blaze Away Miniatures

A mini-project I'd like to do this year is to collect and paint a late-WWI Canadian cavalry troop for a "Moreuil Wood" game. Lieutenant Gordon Muriel Flowerdew won a VC for his part in the action:

"For most conspicuous bravery and dash when in command of a squadron detailed for special services of a very important nature. On reaching his first objective, Lieutenant Flowerdew saw two lines of enemy, each about sixty strong, with machine guns in the centre and flanks; one line being about two hundred yards behind the other. Realizing the critical nature of the operation and how much depended on it, Lieut. Flowerdew ordered a troop under Lieut. Harvey, VC, to dismount and carry out a special movement, while he led the remaining three troops to the charge. The squadron (less one troop) passed over both lines, killing many of the enemy with the sword; and wheeling about galloping on them again. Although the squadron had then lost about 70 per cent of its members, killed and wounded from rifle and machine gun fire directed on it from the front and both flanks, the enemy broke and retired. The survivors of the squadron then established themselves in a position where they were joined, after much hand-to-hand fighting, by Lieut. Harvey's part. Lieut. Flowerdew was dangerously wounded through both thighs during the operation, but continued to cheer his men. There can be no doubt that this officer's great valour was the prime factor in the capture of the position."

Exciting stuff!

Now to find the models needed to represent Flowerdew and the Lord Strathcona's Horse. My Great War infantry collection is almost exclusively from Wargames Foundry and they don't make late-war cavalry. I had some Old Glory infantry stuff before and it didn't wow me. I love Great War Miniatures' models and have painted tons of it for a client, but they don't currently do late-war cavalry either (although some is apparently on the way).

I inquired on TMP and was referred to an Australian company called "Blaze Away Miniatures", who make a selection of Australian Light Horse for the period, in both slouch hats and steel helmets. Unfortunately their website with photos is down, but their proprietor, Jon, very kindly sent me examples of the range.

The four models are an officer-type with sabre, a chap aiming a pistol with rifle slung, and two troopers holding rifles. The horse selection that came with them was two galloping and two standing mounts. They painted very nicely as shown in the pics. Some might criticize the anatomy of the horses but I think they are characterful and "heroic" in proportion to match the style of the riders. The only point of criticism I have with the figures is that the facial detail seemed a bit "soft" on the troopers. I really like the mustachio'd officer though.

The price quoted for the mounted models is AUD$12.50 for a pack of three mounted or six foot figures. I think this represents excellent value for money indeed!

Yet more New Year's pics

More pics of the New Year's Game

New Year's Day Battle Report

Short version: It was fun!

Long version:

Conscripts Dave V., Cam, Mike B., Mike F., Bill, Frederick, and Brian made it out for the game on New Year's Day. As reported previously in the blog, the scenario was "Operation Sealion" with Frederick, Dave and Mike F. taking the part of the intrepid British Home Guard and Royal Tank Corps instructors, and Brian, Cam, and Bill rolling with the Deutsches homies. Mike B. was out for a bit but soon retired homeward with "flu-like symptoms" acquired as a result of activities the night before...

(Lunch was a delicious pub platter prepared by Pam (!). Savoury meat pie, steak-cut chips, and oven-barbequed carrots, washed down by a frosty brew of one's choice. Top meal!)

The game began with the German paras and British Home Guard entering the table. There were a few turns of "manoeuvre to contact" due to my dense terrain layout on the 8x5 foot table, but the two sides came to grips in the village, with Mike's troops in the pub (good lads) and Bill's FJs hunkered in adjacent houses. Some sniping back and forth occurred but the real pusgh came when Brian moved on table with his armoured assets - three Pzkpfw 38(t)s and a mighty StuG III. After some random boggery (!) in the river, the StuG III started blasting away at the pub, eventually bringing it down on the heads of the hapless Home Guard with tremendous loss of life. One more objective obtained for the invaders, nobody said it had to be intact to count!

Meanwhile the 38(t)s were dashing for the hilltop objective, in a race with the Stuart Honey driven by the lead RAC instructor. It was a dead heat but the Home Guard platoon command section still sat on top of it, as well.

The civilians on the table dashed hither and yon, controlled by whichever side had won the initiative for the turn. In the end the British controlled 5 and the Germans 3, with the British having captured the only civilian that was an actual Fifth Columnist (this was determined by a random die roll made for each civilian at the end of the game - on a "6" he or she was a Quisling).

It was a fun game. Next time I would make some changes - starting the Home Guard and FJs "on table" in random spots would have moved things along a bit. The rest seemed to work well enough.

More pics in the next post...

40mm Russians

Sometime in 2008, Dallas picked up a collection of 40mm Russians & Chechens which I believe were sculpted by "Honourable Lead Boiler Suit Company" - see this link.

They are pretty expensive, but Dallas, if I recall correctly, picked them up for a song in yet another sharp-eyed trade. I think he has like thirty or forty of them. Since I already do modern in 3mm, 6mm and 28mm, why not 40mm? Dallas was kind enough to part with 5 of the models, and I'm pretty sure this is supposed to represent a Spetznaz fire team.

I sat down to do some research on the uniforms, and then quit almost immediately, as I just have no attention span for that. I checked a bunch of photos from both the Chechen war, and the more recent conflict and Georgia, and it seems that the troops wear whatever is handy, based on an OD camo-pattern, with some black and brown. The Russian military establishment is hardly what it once was, so I doubt there are commissars doing inspections for uniform regs, especially for special forces soldiers. So I went with that, and tried to give them each a little Russian flag patch on their left sleeves.

Overall, they are neat looking figures, but I think the sculpting leaves a bit to be desired (not that I am any kind of sculptor, but still). The hands in particular suffer from a "platapus" syndrome of some kind, and really sucked, which is disappointing given the nice detail in other areas. Also, the previous owner of these figures had some kind of priming issue...there was a bit of a fine "fuzz" left behind by whatever he primed them black with, and this showed up in the dry-brushing efforts, but was mitigated by the wash I applied.

Here are links to other (yes, still blurry - sorry) photos....not sure why these are showing up as so #@$@ing enormous in the blog, so I'll try links for now.

Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3
Photo 4
Photo 5

Looking forward to a game with these fellows some time in 2009. Perhaps if I am lukcy, I can pry a few more away from Dallas.

New Year's Day Game

Operation Sea Lion
New Year’s Day Game, 2009

April 1941 – it took longer than expected (and this delay cost Reichsmarschall Goering another diamond-studded oak leaf cluster to his Grand Cross of the Iron Cross) but the Luftwaffe has finally crushed the resistance of the RAF over southern England.

With air superiority established, the long-planned seaborne invasion of Great Britain can at last commence.

We join the action in the morning of 1 April 1941. The scene is the sleepy coastal town of Warmington Quim-on-Minge. As the villagers awake, the country air is split by the drone of the air-raid sirens and clouded by the billowing silk of parachutes! German paratroopers drift gently to earth near the village as a mile or two away, the first wave of German troops and tanks hit the beach.

But not all the villagers are still laying abed. Captain Meriweather Augustus Dimbulb-Entwhistle has mobilized the village Home Guard in anticipation of just such an event. While the Captain is an enthusiastic soldier, his leadership skills are somewhat limited to the “Fix… BAGNETS! CHARGE!!!!!” variety. Fortunately, his senior NCO, Sergeant John Blobby, is a canny veteran of the Great War who has a great deal deeper appreciation of the tactical arts. If only Sergeant Blobby can make his own voice heard over the Captain’s…

Other villagers stir as well. Hidden radio sets crackle into life, transmitting code words in German. These secret fifth columnists hurriedly dress and head outside, moving toward a rendezvous with England’s enemies, eager to provide them the first-hand information they need to conquer the island realm.

Elsewhere, a Royal Tank Corps Instructional cadre is completing familiarization runs with the new Churchill tank. They’ve decided to head into the village for brekkie at the Queen Vic public house.

Unbeknownst to the tankies, a platoon from No.4 Commando has been stalking them for several hours, on an exercise practicing stealth and fieldcraft. Little had they anticipated that their skills would soon be put to use in a “live-fire exercise”!

But now the German paratroopers have landed. Their weapons in hand, obtained from airdropped containers, they move swiftly from their rallying points towards the predetermined objectives around the village. Securing these important objectives, they will await reinforcement of infantry and armour moving inland from the beachhead.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG?


Find out starting at 12 noon. Pub lunch of pie and chips to be served. See you there and Happy New Year!

First Unit of Perry French Completed

Tonight I finished my first unit of plastic French 28mm Napoleonic troops from the Perry Twins' range. They are based for Shako (or, I suppose multiple other systems but I intend to use them for Shako).





There is a sapper with them to keep em' company. The banner is courtesy of Brian (his are the best!). The photos are blurry as I have yet to get a proper lense to shoot the minis up close. It's on the to-purchase list.

So that's one down and 13 or so to go...for line infantry....then there will be artillery, cavalry, officers....oh well, at least one is done!