Baccus French Horse Artillery - Newish Release

Baccus released these new French Napoleonic Horse Artillery not that long ago but it's getting hard to keep up with the releases LOL.

These are HFR31H/S at £3 for a pack of four in the UK. These are a mix as I have subbed the howitzers from the foot battery for the horse as per a previous post. Like the foot, these are great clean miniatures 

In practice I will have one howitzer with a regular gun to simulate a battery but wanted to show the howitzers together. As you now expect from Baccus the guns are one piece castings. I never had an issue glueing the wheels on but the move to one piece casting was very popular.

As you can see here, they really are crisp. You can also see the Sabretacheon a couple of the figures shown. All four have them and makes a nice point of difference.

Here are the longer barrelled friends that will pair up with the howitzers again with 1812-15 Horse Artillery crews. These give me more than I actually need for the Waterloo game but the great thing with the French is that you always need more. Indeed I actually have a few more guns and crews to paint up at some point as well as the just released Guard ones I will be painting up soon.

So these are the last figures I will be including in the Waterloo game, well unless I get the urge for painting up even more. In the meantime it's the Prussians and then those spare Guard.

Secret Santa - The Last Week

I have decided to set the closing date early for the Secret Santa to allow plenty of time to get your target sorted out and that date will be this coming Sunday the 19th of October. 

If you have signed up please check below to make sure you are listed. If not send me an email or message on this post.

Not signed up yet but want in then leave a message below. The idea for anyone not aware is that each person involved gets a target randomly drawn by my wife Cath who they get to buy a wargames related present to the value of about £15 (or equivalent in foreign money). I suggest you buy the gift in the country of your target to cut down on postage though Cath does tend to group say the USA together if enough numbers involved etc to make life easier. Also she will re-draw anyone who has bought for the same person in either of the previous two years.

Anyway I have two lists below, one for those who have contacted only by the comments and those who have emailed. Anyone who has not emailed can you do so with your full details (Name, address and blog name if you have one) this will allow Cath to provide your gifter with the information they will need to sort your present out.

It is OK to put up a wish list on your blog, or email Cath to give to your gifter or let them decide. I can't recommend nipping on your targets blog and having a good rummage as you can come up with great ideas that way. My target last year was really happy with his present as it was something he was planning on getting at a later date which I had guessed from a previous post from earlier in the year. Result was two happy bloggers LOL.

Got Your Email Details at Least.

Brendan Watts

Jake Bledsoe

Andy McMaster

Conrad Kinch

Chris Stolsen

Ray Rousell (can you email Cath or me as an email bounced that Cath sent you)

Stefan (AKA Monty)

Thorsteinn

Dave Docherty

Flags of War Iain

Thomas Nissvik

Markus Sharaput

Patrick Ballinger

Stuart Markham

Gary Amos

Ian Willey

Not Got Your Email please contact me.

Styx

Thomas Richer

J Miller

Leif Eriksson

Phyllion

Ron Carnegie

Edwin King

Fire Monkey Boy

Paul Smith

Largo W

Mike Whitaker

of course I could have your email lost somewhere on this computer so if your on the bottom list just be sure and send again and I will send on to the boss.

Not on either list and you should be, again let me know. Also if you want to join in and it's before the 19th October 2014 then please join the fun. It would be great to crack the 30 mark.

Gifts at a Wargames Show

As I mentioned in the post about Castle Donnington I received some gifts, well my son received them really but I can dream can't I? These are tremendous gifts from Loki and even at his tender age my son really appreciates them. At the moment his Saga army is Anglo-Dane but I can see him moving onto Vikings, or at least using mine some of the time. Not that it will stop him using these guys in the odd game anyway. In fact I expect a few test games coming up next weekend as it's my sons birthday Friday so it would be a great treat for him to start playing with his figures.

The quality of the painting speaks for itself. I was already planning on commissioning Andrew to paint up a point or two of Vikings for me, now I need to as my son has more Loki figures than I do!

Great quality and would be a prize for anyone's army. I think he will be using this guy as the leader of his best troops and why not he looks the part.

This guy though is my favourite and has helped me decide I need some berserker's, he is just too cool not to want a bunch of them! The effect Andrew has got on the trousers is so very good and I plan to study it for some of the other figures I have yet to paint for my force.

Great clinic in how to paint flesh and wood are also rolled into this figure. OK I won't be able to match such brush control but I sure can improve my skills just by taking note. This year has been such a focus on 6mm that all other scales have suffered a little but fortunately I will be spreading over a wider range as next year gets closer and whilst 6mm will be seeing a lot of painting action 2015 will see lots of the other scales as well.

Andrew also supplied something for us to fight over as well. Two highland cows from Warbases, indeed I think famous from a Warbases Wednesday post and if that was not enough....

A pair of Boars or Wild Pigs, again from the Warbases animal range. I have finally cracked open my Warbase horses blisters and have cleaned and primed them, no excuse now not to get them all painted up and ready for the next shoot out. 

So a very big thank you to Andrew and if you want to own something as grand as these then you can commission Andrew or Kev over at Brigantes Studio, just don't jump ahead of me in the queue LOL.

Building Of The Week Sarissa Precision Old West Store

Well 7 days without a post, sorry about that but I have been so busy at work on a computer that I was just not able to get it together to sit in front of another computer. Fortunately I have still had some time for hobby related activities but less so than normal. I have still managed good progress into painting Hougoumont with both sets of buildings having the walls and roofs worked on but have now put them to one side to allow me to work on the Prussians which are half way through being cleaned up.

Last night I started work on one of the buildings bought last weekend, this is Sarissa Precision D001 Old West 28mm (£8) and is the smallest building they do for Western games. I bought 3 different versions though they all have the same basic shape but the doors and windows are different. They also do a small Plus version that has a veranda I will possibly buy one or two of these next time.

And more I am sure there will be, as they are a good value do it yourself alternative to the excellent 4Ground buildings, though of course much simpler in their offering. As these are for use with the kids (me and Lee will hijack them every now and again) I wanted to inject a little humour into the buildings so here we have somewhere you can get a replacement gun should you find yours keeps missing the target.

The building has one small window on one side which can be placed on either side of the building. I washed the walls with watered down Mahogany (70.846) from Vallejo which gave the desired weathered look to the sides. My thinking was that the owner would try and keep the front of the building in better condition than the sides or rear.

My only bugbear of the whole model is the back door. It's actually wider than the two doors at the front added together. Not a deal breaker but an unnecessary gaff in my opinion. Of course I made it worse by painting it bright colours, oh well.

I painted up the back of the sign and roof a fairly none de-script grey, I think I may add a thin wash to it but in real life it's not got the bright look it seems to have here.

Nice to see the floorboards on the inside, again I may do some more work on these with a wash of ink that will bring out the wood a little better. I gave the inside four coats of Foundation White as I wanted it to not look too dark when the roof was on. Seems to have worked so worth the extra time taken.

Have you spotted what's missing? yes it's the back door on the inside, just like the missing front doors. It's one of those things that I think would be worse to try and paint in rather than leave blank. If I can pick up some door blanks I will do so and add them to the rear of the buildings and then I would consider painting in the doors.

Don't take the whole door issue to much to heart, when a building is just £8 you can accept such minor issues though at least the door width could be easily corrected. Sarissa Precision is based quite local to where I live so it's nice to see them doing so well. Their full range is large, even the Western has a lot of variants that would make a large town if you so wished, though actual houses seem not to be over optioned to say the least.

So can anyone come up with a few names for some of these buildings, I am thinking Custer's General Stores, Lynn Seed, Dry Goods but can you give me any better?

Don't forget still time to join in the Secret Santa and Blog Giveaway, see the previous post for links.

Castle Donnington Show and Shopping

It's taken a few days to get round to doing my report on Donnington World Wargames Championship. Indeed I am still getting over the day as it was as tough on the body as it was on the wallet!!!

As for many old hands the shows real big moments has to be meeting up with lots of friends who I only get to see at the shows. This one was no different other than a few who I did not get to see. My son was really good as he is getting used to this part of the show and he likes to meet up with people he has met at previous show. Still expecting a seven year old to stand still whilst Dad talks to mates when all you want to do is spend money and play games is a trial. 

Fortunately Derek was running a WWI gallop game that he was able to get not one but two games in whilst I was talking to Peter at Baccus and being relieved of funds. My son has now played three WWI games in his short career that's one more than I have in well over 20 years of play. More on his WWI doings later in this post.

We had planned on his getting revenge on me at Dead Man's Hand but though we visited the table five times during the show no one was at the table nor any information to say why the figures a tape measure and a Quick Reference Sheet were left abandoned. So we left without getting in a game, more shame to running a so called display game.

So I was very pleased The Manchester Mob put on a very fun Squig Race  that after many changes in fortune saw my son win after both his Nephew and Father take the lead but be found wanting at the final hurdle. The smile on his face was well worth the whole trip and he saved his treasure of a chocolate was saved till he got home so he could proudly show his prize to his sister and mum.

From comments I gather it was a lot busier than the year before. I can't honestly remember but it was nice and busy. However Sunday according to one friend was very quite but easy to shop. Dr. Mike was showing his skills and sharing ideas in his 6mm clinic. It's always good to see new converts and 6mm painters honing their skills as this can only strengthen the hobby and he has to be recognised for the tireless efforts he puts in. My son wanted to have a go at painting some WWI 6mm figs as he received some at The Joy of Six. When I finish the base in a day or two I will blog them as I have to say I am very proud of his work and it should be a lesson to any who say they can't paint that scale.

I will also do a separate post on some fabulous gifts from a mate for my son to enjoy. He also was given some more 6mm figures by Peter at Baccus, not sure of the need as the boy is hooked on 6mm but Thanks Peter I am thinking I will be getting into more periods in 6mm than I can hope to get through LOL. That I guess leads me onto what I bought, well here goes.

First up is the KR Multicase figure box. Mostly this is to hold the roleplaying figures that are otherwise going to be subject to more mishaps and a general reduction in looks as they really need to be accessible but out of the way. I have also put our Saga and cowboy figures in it but this is more a temporary home that will chop and change as we need to take one or the other on the road as I can see the odd game being played over at Lee's of both.

I needed static grass and a few paints so was happy to pick up one summer and two autumn grass with Lee buying the same so these have been added to my original fast diminishing stocks that will see me through the next 1-2 years. Also in the carrier bag given on entry was a pack of bases, I ended up with three packs all told. Also in the bags were some Napoleonic French Line Infantry trees that my son will have the chance to paint up once I have assembled them. I picked up five of the six paints I was after, the one I did not get I still have a reasonable amount left so no worries there.

The new French Napoleonic figures just released by Baccus was available so I grabbed them these being Guard Infantry in Greatcoats NFR28 skirmishers for sameNFR29, Guard foot and horse artillery NFR34T and NFR33S none of which I need for Project Waterloo but I will get some of each painted up regardless.

Sticking with Baccus I also picked up a few packs of ancients, enough to put together a decent sized pike phalanx, six elephants and saka horse archers. These I will start work on in the distant future when I want to do something different. I expect to start them sometime next year before any of the major shows I will be able to get to.

Can anyone guess what I have bought these sweeping brush bristles for? It was a great idea Dr. Mike let me in on and if it works for me as well as it has for him I will be a very happy boy.

The Baccus French might not be for Project Waterloo but this is. It's the Timecast La Belle Alliance Inn and it's quite likely to be the only building on the boards that will not be Leven. Mike has no plans as things stand on doing the building so I have got it from Timecast. Not that I want you to think I have anything against Timecast far from it, but we do need this building for the game and to be honest it would have been great to only use Leven as we simply have hundreds of them between us. This is a very nice model and will be fun to paint up once I have space on the table for it.

Four coffins for the cowboys, after all you need things to hide behind and put the losing side in. I thought £4 for four coffins was a real bargain and they look like they will paint up a treat. I really do like how the Warebases range is growing and look forward to getting more things from them in the future.

Last and no means least was five buildings and a gallows from Sarissa Precision. I bought four smaller buildings and one larger store, these are basic kits but perfect for what we want. I noticed Lee was looking at them and licking his lips, no doubt he will be getting some of his own in the future. Actually I doubt I will stick at these but lets see how many I get done and what I make of them first. I have made up the one building just to see and will start to paint it up once I have the table clear of the 6mm hoard I am working on at the moment.

Building of the Week New Fackwerkhaus and Some

Leven Miniatures are at it again, that is they are extending a range. This time it's the Fackwerkhauser range that has just the two buildings at present but will be expanded by one with the release of FAC03. It's roughly the same size as FAC01.

FAC03                       FAC01                           FAC02

As you can see from above each house has different aspects that allow them their own identity rather than being clones of each other. I would love to see more buildings either added to the range or more English versions that can either be mixed in with them or used in their own right.

The main differences with this building is the lack of a stone foundation or lower level, an overhanging upper story window and shuttered shutters. 

All the wood work on these buildings really looks good but really adds to the painting time and difficulty but I guess that's one of the reasons I like them so much.

The overhang is only on the one side, the other side has another bank of three shuttered windows instead. Again this building could be used for other locations than Germany as it's a fairly comprehensive design, more so than the other two though these will still get some use when we finally get round to playing with the ECW figures.

Mike wanted me to paint up one of each of the Fackwerkhaus and as I had some in stock awaiting paint I thought I may as well paint up all three together. This is FAC01 the original release. It's rather cute if I am allowed to say that! The under hung stone lower level makes the building stand out. It also adds a lot of character to the building. I still have a few of these awaiting a turn on the painting table and the balance are to be painted up for the Waterloo game.

The larger of the buildings is FAC02 and is my favourite of the bunch. I actually find it slightly faster to paint than FAC01 even though the sides are a little more complex. Again this was painted up the same time as the others though I painted up the roof a little different in colour as I don't want the three to melt into one on Mikes display.

The lower stone level level really works for me, the stone work is fairly easy to paint up and adds to the bulky look of the building. 

It was a busy weekend as I was at Donnington yesterday and today I was supposed to be out but due to the effect of walking around on a concrete floor all day had left me shattered post treatment I ended up spending enough time at the paint table to get all the buildings of Hougoumont have been started with all the brick work painted with a base coat. Next up will be some contrast work to the bricks before moving onto the roofs etc.

I will do a report on the show tomorrow if all goes well. In the meantime here is a couple of links for previous posts

Secret Santa, still time to sign up but I will be closing it in two weeks time.

French Give Away, I will be drawing three prizes in around a weeks time, 2x £20 vouchers to by anything Baccus sells and either La Haye Sainte or buildings to it's value from Leven Miniatures whichever you wish.

Super September?

Remember August's round up. Sub par levels of painting and a lead mountain spewing figures in mini eruptions? Well September was poles apart, amazing given the other commitments I had in the month. Still I seem to still have some frightening additions to the pile of figures to paint but a corner has been turned for sure.

The only items to be added to my mountain this month has been buildings. Mike sent me 25 buildings, 10 to be painted for his own collection and the rest for the Waterloo Project. The other building was bought as my Santa Clause present and I am really excited to get onto this soon. I can't say any more for obvious reasons but it will be painted this month as will all the 25 buildings received in September so I am very happy with my mountains slimming down process.

6mm has obviously been the focus of this month with 11 French Battalions and the equivalent of three Battalions of Zulu's finished off last night. This means that the 24 Battalions bought in July and a further 5 have been painted in three months, not to shoddy.

I did not touch any cavalry so I remain plus 7 but my end of December I should have that reduced to a minus figure.

Command has remained flat and guns reduced back to the same level as May. Both will see more painting done in the final quarter so again the mountain will be chipped away at.

Buildings look horrific at +50 and even with the 28 I plan to get painted this month I have a lot more to get done before I can get these back in hand. Mind you I need to sit down with Lee and work out how many buildings we need for Waterloo as I can expect to need more.

Wagons and Planes remain the same, I really am not concerned but I do need to get more painted up so we can try playing the rules we have.

In 28mm I carried over 12 last month and thought I would get some painted but that was a mission to far, expect some more work getting some of these over the table, mostly Vikings but a couple of cowboys and finally some Mansion of Madness figures for a friend (more like 25mm but they can count).

Finally painted up the two wagons from Partizan but the horses are still in their boxes, need to fix that this month.

September
Type	Carried on	Bought	Painted	Mountain
6mm Infantry	PLUS 9		14 Battalion	Minus 5
6mm Cavalry	PLUS 7			PLUS 7
6mm Command Figs	FLAT			FLAT
6mm Limbers	FLAT			FLAT
6mm Guns and Crew	PLUS 4		4	FLAT
6mm Buildings	PLUS 25	25		PLUS 50
6mm Wagons	PLUS 4			PLUS 4
6mm Planes	PLUS 9			PLUS 9
28mm Infantry	PLUS 12			PLUS 12
28mm Wagons	PLUS 2		2	FLAT
28mm Horses	PLUS 2			PLUS 2
28mm Building	FLAT	1		PLUS 1

So it looks good, well yes and no. The World Championships is at Castle Donnington this weekend and so far I have the following on my wish list

6mm Four Battalions of the new Baccus French Guard and four Guard guns and crews.

Whilst at Baccus I plan to pick up some Ancients for a side project I am interested in dabbling at. This will be a Field of Glory or DBM/A army with bases set for 15mm figures but packed with 6mm goodness. I will get at least enough for a pike phalanx and maybe some elephants but it's just going to be a fun slow burner as it has to fit round finishing off the Prussians and Zulu's

28mm I need a couple of figures to finish off my Saga command stand, a few more for Loki to paint up and that should be it.

I also plan on picking up some western buildings for the kids but as these may be prepainted and not effect the mountain at all.

Given that I will more 6mm painted than bought at the show I should continue to see the mountain shrink back. It's still too big to consider counting what I do have  to paint though. It's also possible the 32mm kickstarter figures will arrive as well, that's a sobering thought!