Saturday 15 February 2014

The Guns at Toblerone - Italians get some bite!




Italian Foot artillery deploy near the villa on the outskirts of village - Elite Miniatures 
 Well as the Peninsular project continues to potter along it was time to bring the Italian Foot artillery into the brigade.  These are all from the wonderful Elite Miniatures range available from Pete Moreby in the UK or if you live in the Antipodes like me, the mighty Nathan Vinson up in Townsville.


A view across the main road.
 The Italians fought well throughout the Napoleonic Wars, often in difficult circumstances, and often against opponents in less well known theatres of the war.  These lads will give the Italian Brigade I am building at present some more firepower in an attempt to come to grips with those dastardly Brits and Portuguese formations undoubtedly skulking behind some ridge line in the future.


Italian Guard horse Artillery battery
 To also add some colour, if a somewhat  " non-historical" formation, I have added the Italian Guard Horse artillery only because I love the uniforms, had the figures and this is my Peninsular Campaign not Oman's or Napier's!!

I also very much like the guns that Elite Miniatures manufacture - they look very intimidating and bloody menacing.  The grey painted/stained wood of the guns has been a point of discussion over many forums over many years and despite people disputing that grey was used (I think I saw it first written in Ospreys "Artillery Equipment of the Napoleonic Wars" having been to the Napoleonic Museum in Rome and seen some guns and carriages I can definitively claim that the grey is correct...however remember we are talking about Italians here and that colours can, and do, change according to the season!!

Friday 14 February 2014

Big Boys Toys


From the archives...way back when.

As one tends to do when travelling I was awaiting a flight and started to go through some old folders of photographs and happened across the Big Boys Toys Exhibition held a few years back which the NWS decided to take part in.  Like most wargaming clubs around the world we are eternally bound to the creed of "promoting wargaming in Western Australia" in any way we can.

This often includes the purchase of and donation of books on the hobby to various libraries around the city etc.


The boys and a few sons setting up the display case


Nice view of Cookies and Martins French - nearly all Elite Miniatures.

British Cavalry hell bent on destruction...whose is yet to be determined.

Saxon Grenadiers in illustrious company - French Guard Chasseurs
 and Grenadiers.  Figures from Elite and Front Rank


The French advance

Foundry Hussars and British with a scattering of Elites - lovely
 hedges from the hand of the "Lonely Gamer" himself Nathan!

Mike and Cookie heavily "recruiting".

If memory serves we were painting and flocking these tiles the night before.

French in square - those British cavalry must have been in the neighbourhood.

Preparations on the morning.  Those young men in the picture are now studying for
Doctorates and Degrees these days - how time flies!



This was a great exhibition for showing off the hobby.  Not sure we generated any new members however the project was good fun and people couldn't believe that all those miniatures were hand painted.

Now doesn't that sound familiar?

Tuesday 4 February 2014

Empires, Eagles and Lions - Introducing "The White Menace"



Front cover of E, E & L May /June issue of 1987.
For wargamers of a certain vintage a visit to the local wargaming shop was always one of avid anticipation.  For me planning a train trip to the city after school to dart off and visit Simulations in Cremorne Arcade near the Cinemas was an all day excitement buzz.  Getting there and looking about, spending my hard earned pocket money and getting back to Midland and home before training was always great fun.

On one occasion I came across these old looking, manila coloured journals published by RAFM out of Canada full of interesting articles and references to Napoleonics.  What really caught my eye however were the wonderful re fights depicted in the journals, ,many of which were beautifully illustrated by the wonderfully talented Mike Gilbert.

Rear Cover of the same issue
Full of great humour they were a young wargaming boys Sunday funnies if truth be told.

At present I am cleaning some of mine and gaming buddy Steve's spare and surplus copies of EEL on eBay and whilst listing came across this old favourite illustration on the front and back covers of the journal.

The White Menace, the club Austrian player, being heavily pursued by all and sundry of the french led by Jean Lochet and Tom Devoe amongst others...as well as the ADC a cat "ack... ack" I can still hear them cry!!!

Enjoy!

Mike Gilbert at his best!  Still call my boys the White Menace whenever I have Austrians on the field.

Saturday 1 February 2014

Napoleonic Italian 3rd and 4th Ligne


3rd Italian Ligne bound for Spain - sensational sculpts from Elite and great
flags from the ever -helpful Grahame Black at GMB.

Well it was high time to put up some more photographs of units as they prepare to march their way into Spain as part of my General De Brigade Napoleonic mentoring plan for the younger gamers in the house in 2014.  Following on from our annual pilgrimage to CANCON in our nations capital, our largest wargaming show in Australia and New Zealand for the year, and picking up a few goodies on the way nit was time for the Italians to get a parade!

These boys believe the lack of Allied cavalry in the peninsular may actually
allow them to form line on occasion...poor deluded fellows.
Once again these figures are from Elite Miniatures Australia and are just superb sculpts with the animation in the mass formations an absolute joy to see on the tabletop.

4th Ligne

Start of the Brigade skirmish screen


Close up of the varied Elite castings - great looking figures in case I haven't
mentioned it!!