Hovels 25mm ACW/AWI barn

As a continuation of the revamp of my 25mm Hovels buildings, the attached photos are of my ACW/ AWI barn which I have recently adapted with a small coral. This was a fairly simple project which only required a 3mm sheet of MDF for the base, a length of round dowel for the fence posts, match sticks for the planks and PVA to glue it all together. The most expensive item was the Woodland Scenic tree that I added to give more depth to the completed project.

The foliage was once again supplied by Rodger Wood of Rebel Barracks fame. There are a couple of touch-ups required to the base, but overall I'm pretty happy how this turned out, especially the little gate that I made for it. This is my last completed project for 2017 but I have a couple more near completion which I hope to finish over the festive season holidays. Best wishes to you all for 2018!

Until next time.     

Odds and ends

Now and again it's nice to have a break from painting up big units and take time out to finally paint the odds and sods that have been sitting in your 'extras' box for months or even years. Fellow Southern Strategist, Geoff  Martin, gave me a hand-full of figures that were surplus to his requirements that fall into this category and I thought it rude if  I didn't get around to painting them.
The first were a couple of well-known Perry AWI Hessian jagers; with the officer being modelled on the famous Captain Ewald. I didn't have a command stand for my Front Rank Hessian jager unit, so this stand will fit in nicely.

Some of the Southern Strategists are toying with the idea of dabbling in a Scottish Border Reivers project over the next year or two. This would be played at skirmish level and should only need each player to paint up a force of 20-30 mixed mounted and foot figures. I've always wanted to try my hand at building a fortified Pele tower as a side project, so this fits right in with the group's plan.
Geoff gave me three spare Wargames Foundry figures from their Elizabethan Pirate range that will double up as part of my Scottish Reiver force. I'm still to decide what other figure brand to use for the rest of the force, but I think Perrys' Moss Troopers from their ECW range will probably count for the mounted reivers.

Wishing you all a relaxing Christmas and hope Santa brings you plenty of figures to paint in 2018.

Until next time!     

Based & painted Hovels buildings

Recently I decided to base my terrain pieces to enhance the look of the models on the gaming table. I reckon basing them will also help protect them from getting knocked around too much. The models below are from Hovels, a well-known and popular supplier of wargaming terrain, and I'm sure many gamers will have these in their collections. I've had these 28mm models painted for a while and a couple need some touching up with a brush, but I think the basing with the foliage has certainly added something to their look. 

28mm church from the European collection

28mm mansion from the North American collection, suitable for both AWI and ACW gaming

28mm Virginia farm house based on the one Stonewall Jackson died in in 1863  

28mm generic church suitable for AWI and ACW games

No sign of Colonel Tavington and his Loyalist Green Dragoons attempting to burn this church down

I've still got a few models to base up, but that job can wait until the Christmas holidays.

Until next time!

Nap French Chasseurs a Cheval in 28mm

 About a month ago I attended the annual wargamers swap-meet at the Woolston Workingmens Club here in Christchurch. These things can be  kind of 'hit and miss,' as some years I haven't spent a dollar apart from the gold coin entry fee. However, that was not the case this year when I spent all the cash I I had in my wallet. The funny thing about this was that most of the stuff I bought off guys from within my own gaming group, the Southern Strategists. Included in this was a couple of 28mm Front Rank French Napoleonic cavalry units from Chris Packer. Chris has a huge collection of figures, the surplus of which he was casting aside to help pay for the construction of a new wargaming garage. I secured from him a unit of chasseurs a cheval and a hussar unit. He had bought these second-hand and they had seen quite a bit of action, needing some freshening up regarding painting.

My new second-hand French chasseurs a cheval after being 'refitted'

All the paint chips have been covered, company pom-poms added, along with a new GMB flag. An eagle has been added to the standard since I took these photos 

I've also added some grass and foliage produced by Rodger Wood from the Southern Strategists

I tend to paint all my horses, except those for the trumpeters, as Bays and the different colours used on the horses of this unit, as painted by the unknown original owner, will make them stand out from the rest of my French cavalry

It will be a while before I tart up the French hussar unit as I need to order some replacement swords from Front Rank and I also have a few other painting projects that have priority. This includes a second-hand SYW/AWI Hessian force of  four infantry battalions, 2 artillery stands and a unit of cavalry that I bought of another Southern Strategist, Geoff Martin. They only need a change in facings, some new GMB flags and rebasing to get them ready for action; so keep an eye out for the next dispatch from the Mess.

Until next time!     

     

SYW French Cavalry

Despite my last post being way back in June, that doesn't mean that there's been no action in the Mess over the last few months. In fact, I've been quite productive in painting up new units and 'tarting up' some existing terrain pieces. I've had a session photographing these recently, so you can expect a regular dispatch arriving over the next few weeks. This dispatch regards a regiment of French line cavalry for my SYW project.

A generic French line cavalry regiment using 25 mm Dixon Miniatures

I had originally intended these to represent the Orleans Regiment but I couldn't find the right flag for it, so I've used a generic GMB French cavalry standard instead.

These aren't my favourite figures and are a bit smaller than my preferred Front Rank units, but once painted and mounted they blend in ok with the rest of my French army.

  The next French cavalry unit currently 'under the brush' is the Gendarme de la Guard. These are Front Rank figures and, with all the raised detail provided, are proving quite easy to paint.

Until next time!     

SYW - French Royal Ecossais

It's been a slow year painting wise for me in 2017. This 28mm SYW French Royal Ecossais regiment had been 'under the brush' for a number of months but finally can now grace the gaming table in the Mess as part of my WAS/ SYW French force. The unit will also be used in the 1745 Jacobite army that is slowly coming together. I've now got the regular French units for it (Royal Ecossais, Dillon's Regiment and the Fitzjames Cavalry Regiment), but I've been holding off painting up the Highland units as the thought of painting all that tartan gives me nightmares.

The figures I used for the Royal Ecossais are Front Rank French light infantry from their SYW range. I wanted to use this unit for the Seven Years War, War of Austrian Succession, as well as the '45, so I chose to have them in short coats that they were recorded as wearing during the Jacobite Rebellion. I also wanted the majority of troops to wear the standard 'cocked' tri-corn hat to represent a French unit on the Continent. To ensure the visual Scottish character of the unit I've used an officer and piper from the Front Rank Jacobite range to represent Lord John Drummond and his personal piper.The unique flags are from GMB Flags.

Thanks for taking a look.

Until next time!        

Dillon's Jacobite Regiment of Foot - Williamite War in Ireland

 As usual, I've been a bit slack in posting over the last few months. However, I've finally got around to posting images of Dillon's Regiment of Foot for my Jacobite army in Ireland. This is my first painted unit for 2017....which I finished back in January! Strictly speaking, the flags I've used with this unit were only used in the Irish Brigade of the French army, but they are too classy not to use for my table-top troops.

Figures are 28 mm Front Rank and the superb flags are by Warfare Miniatures

This will be the last Jacobite unit I do for a while as I'm concentrating on finishing of my 28 mm French and British Seven Years War forces. The French Royal Ecossais Regiment will be next off the painting table.

Until next time!