13th April 2024 Hobby Update

I haven't played quite as many games over the last fortnight or so, but I have managed to get a couple of things to the painting table, which are nearing completion.

The painting tray, in all its glory!

The based 6mm stuff are a variety of somewhat speculative things for the Jacobite Rebellions. This isn't too much of a problem since the whole collection has a slightly whimsical air in the first place, with the foundational armies being a British WSS force for the Hanoverians, whilst I mainly use some WotTK Highlanders for the Jacobites. That probably isn't too bad for Killiekrankie, not awful for Sherrifmuir but more the legend than the reality for Culloden. Ho hum. Anyway, these few bases are too round out some of the troops for both sides. The Hanoverians get some combined Highland Independent companies, using Baccus 6mm AWI highlanders with tam o'shanter type bonnets; the Stuarts get two 'non-Highland' Scots' Jacobite units (using the remainder of the AWI highlander pack), plus two 'English' Jacobite regiments, one being the Manchester Regiment and the other being given the semi-fictitious name of the 'Forster Regiment', as the kernel of the English Jacobites who ended up surrendering at Preston to end the first half of the '15. Like the Royal Eccossais unit, the Manchester Regiment is in a WSS-ified version of its uniform, so historicity is not quite the first priority here! I painted the other unit in brown coats, I think from the cover of the book about the Second Battle of Preston. Is there a book which covers the uniforms of all the Jacobite rebellions in sufficient detail to do all the armies? Anyway, a few non-Highland Jacobite foot units in whatever guise will be helpful for some of the battles. I would like to add some English and Lowland Jacobite Horse for the '15 but I am not quite sure how to paint the English, or whether Scots' Covenanter Horse would be 'close enough' for the Lowland Horse.

Sorry, not a great photo here, but just finishing off a few very nice Perry late C15 knights, plus a conversion of a Mahdist body with a Statuesque miniatures female head, for a 'Hammer Horror'-type scenario with a heroine running around in a nighty and a sword pulled from the mansion wall! It looks okay at wargaming-distance...

German WW2 vehicles: PzIVFs from 2d6 Wargaming* to the left in (dark) Panzer Grey - I have only very recently become aware of the differences of opinion between 'darker' Panzer grey and 'lighter, bluer' Panzer grey. I think the darker Panzer grey looks better on the smaller models especially, plus they match the early war tanks I have which are in the Panzer grey/dark brown camouflage schemer.  To the right are some more German motorcycle and sidecar combinations, and some more cars (BMWs?); I didn't have as many as I would have liked for playing some of these WW2 campaign scenarios that I am doing at the minute, so thought I would get in some reinforcements!

Still some more work to do on these Hanomags, but they are nice models! From Baccus.

Hopefully I will get most of these off the tray today or tomorrow. Not sure yet what will replace them, I might have a rummage and see what takes my fancy. I do like the colourful simplicity and elegance of WSS-era soldiers!

Game-wise, my e-mail Napoleonic Italy campaign is drawing towards its climax. Not sure what I will tackle next as a campaign. Apart from that, there are a few battles left to do in 'Kampfgrupper Heller' in Poland; France 1940 is calling my imagination again; there is still lots I want to do in the Neil Thomas-esque vein I have been mining; and I would like to do some Twilight of Divine Right battles soon too. So plenty to be getting on with.

*Incidentally, 2d6 Wargaming seems to be back trading again having been up for sale only a few months back! Strange, but welcome. Will have to have an e-rummage soon. In fact, what I really feel like doing is having a shop for a few books and a few miniatures. Will I resist? Should I even try?!?!