Categories
wargame shows wargaming

Partizan 2026 part two

Part two resumes with a dose of medieval warfare….

Lewes 1264 by Mogsy Makes as I know of him opted for some serious sloping ground

I did arrive with a purchasing plan – that failed to survive contact with reality. One intention was to buy Midgard rules but in the end it was a “no” despite my feeling it was a fantastic display and they really did go at the game, unlike some tables where actual progress was harder to determine.

Painting quality was top notch
The arrays on show made you want these armies
The icons did not detract from the game
Not all the units were dressed for a night out at a seventies disco
The Mogsy makes blog explained the walls of Lewes were a mini “bin rescue” project
This game moved along at a fair pace

I did buy some cobbled lanes from “Early War Miniatures” – last year I bought some of their muddy lanes. The latex material means they sit better on some gaming set ups and scenery.

A brace of samurai games provided variety

Unexpectedly I dawdled past the Dutch section on the EWM stand while checking to see if they had any Italeri plastic WW1 1/72 italians (which he did and I now have – using them for my Fauxterre 1930 forces). Suddenly I remembered buying some home defence books at Fiasco 2025 in Leeds (in the royal armouries bookstore), and before you knew it a Dutch roadblock was in the bag along with a small stone bridge (nice shape) which matches the cobbled road pack and a Dutch armoured car……hmmmm

Stunning 18th century and Baroque armies were common as muck
Buildings to match the figures too
These are correctly proportioned 30mm figures so look overly slender to the average wargamers engorged eyes – still they look fantastic en-masse
Approximately 1500 to 2000 figures graced this table.

I strolled out to the small bring and buy. This visit yielded some now rarer imex 1/72 wagons and horses sets while next door I snapped up 13 (lucky for me) practical wargames magazines. The reason being, the seller must have had a mid nineteenth century bent, because of all the articles on acw but more importantly 1848/1859 and 1866 Italian independence wars featuring heavily.

League of Augsburg put on an impressive display
The buildings on show were fine models and very pleasing on the eye
Impeccable paintwork

I was on a roll and back at the Lance and Longbow society stand I took ownership of a book about Stoke Field 1487 (another long in the tooth project of mine). The society zone is a really good aspect of Newark shows and it was sad that it seemingly fell foul of the change of organisation at Hammerhead in March.

A regular feature at Partizan

I met and had a chat with Chris, he of “not quite mechanised” fame. This time he was having a rest from his hex ww2 participation games which are most enjoyable and ideal show games.

One of the many ACW games being demonstrated
Bodkins ACW table caught my eye as much for the amount of information they provided at the table edge – a lot of homework done here.

Still finding plenty of wandering energy, I passed by Iron Gate Scenery a couple of times looking aslant at their new castle model. I collected nearby some Frankish metallics in 1/72 from Tumbling Dice – hoping they get painted but don’t hold your breath.

Lego style wargames

Away in a corner Parabellum from Birmingham where there with their plastic figures – I snapped up a Strelets (Ukrainian company) city levy box for my current medieval madness.

Sci fi was more visible in the participation games area – this one was put on by Tangent miniatures

And then mid afternoon I returned yet again to north stars demo table. It was ACW – 25/28mm crusader figures very nicely proportioned rather than heroically fisted 28/33mm figures.

I think these were painted by Nick Eyre who casts these crusader miniatures at North Star

I think we need to start recording 28mm scale in double references as the variation in height and muscularity dwarfs even the 20/25mm dilemmas of the 1970’s.

I found this demo game an enjoyable watch because one of the guys clearly liked explaining what was going on although they offered me to play – it was faster with them even though the rules are new to them as well

Anyway I liked the table, I liked the figures and I enjoyed the guys explanation and interaction – ok so their in business but there is still a good way to sell and show while there are also bad ways.

It’s a 6×4 feet table and with nice scenery and great figures at a “home” scale I found it more engaging than the very impressive “club” or “group” set ups fine though they may be. Both Partizan and Hammerhead have lots of smaller table games.

Later after numerous pop ins to watch them play out the rules with explanations to others I finally returned having bought “musket and tomahawks” core rule book plus the new “kepis and bayonets” period piece they had played, to tell them I was at least one punter sold on the demo.

Back to a restart – the forces were set up to enable a quick engagement

Bearing in mind the core rules – single figures skirmish and originally 18th century oriented have no place in my gaming spectrum you may be thinking there is erratic and then erratic.

Some excellent very specific units which nick eyre talks about on the Lead Adventure Forum website

But the clinchers were the figures played with in the demo were multi based not singular and being ACW not that far from my stamping ground of 1848/1859…..

Simon Millers vast game
A fine town
Fantastic miniatures
An astounded Mr Miller spies a measuring stick on the table! (Only joking)

Yet that was not my last splash even though it was a big spend of 50 quid at Caliver. I am hoping these rules get more use than another French authored set “art de l’guerre” – loved the production values of what in effect is an improved DBA but hardly given a run out since ancients slipped off the gaming agenda.

Which reminds me I was buttonholed by the guys promoting DBF – fanaticus, which seems a new version of DBA set to be published. Whilst long in the tooth DBA has always been playable as a house game – getting rid of the wordy complexity of course.

My loot turned out to be a lot more than I planned…..

Anyway my final tour brought me again to Iron Gate Scenery where I succumbed to a Scottish castle…..maybe in a few weeks time, given they sold all their stock at the get go and now have a string of orders to fulfill.

This castle was unavoidable – at the main hall entrance but crucially modelling natural river stone or cobbles instead of the usual dressed stone in the walls. This random rubble look was just too compelling.

All in all a great day out – games, people, figures, rulesets, shopping or just looking and absorbing with loads of people enjoying their hobby their way.

Thanks to the organisers, traders and those volunteers-clubs and their unsung supporters!

And then they were gone – not stayed this late in a long while.

2027 show hopefully not to be missed.

Categories
wargame shows wargaming

Partizan 2026

Another bright May Day and I was off to Partizan in Newark – it invariably scores on weather over say a chilly February VAP in York.

My place in the queue started nearly at the gates – not bad for a 0945 arrival

Fortunately the bring and buy in the pop up gazebos at the main hall entrance had their sessions done before a mega deluge mid afternoon flooded the place.

Some gloriously painted armies took to numerous battlefields

In the dry main hall there was a frenzy of gaming, talking, shopping, inspecting the forces on show and well just looking.

Some stunning buildings

I got to Newark before ten and the queue had doubled by the time we got moving at our point at 1010, I felt sorry for the pre bookers who, only later on, were plucked from the main queue to get priority entry.

ACW was very popular in the demo zone and I became preoccupied with a game on one of the smallest tables!

The Partizan show was organisationally good with more food stalls and seating outside plus the extra toilets which thankfully now seem a permanent feature.

These guys come every year – there are quite a few stand regulars. But there the similarity ends here as these chaps offer a raised playing surface which is simply great on the eye and of course the players back!

The Partizan space management was good with an open entrance area and generous aisles. This managed space approach contrasts so much with the disjointed effort I saw at VAP 2026 in York which had very congested areas alongside literally empty space.

“A Raised battleground” is standard with these guys
Warlord sell these pre-painted buildings – very nice indeed

Talking to someone with experience of both shows – gamer stand set up and access seems very good at Partizan, whereas at VAP only traders were given easy access and stand gamers had to park with punters and haul all their gear in and only use lifts and stairs (ground and first floor level both have vehicular access at York racecourse).

There was a lot of smoke on one table – winning the most “realistic award” for a black powder demo of the show I think

VAP should be a gem of northern shows but somehow it isn’t – well not for me anyway.

Ok so the naval game was at it creating smoke as well.

Back to the Partizan show – I enjoyed the visual displays but strangely baroque/seven years war and acw were very popular demos while ancients and ww2 seemed less apparent and napoleonics almost non existent (Sharp Practice in the Lardy zone excepted). I am also excluding here the “regular” tables who often put up the same or similar presentations year on year – attractive though they may be.

Fantastic detail on this Vietnam game in the lard zone
A venerable? Airfix girder bridge or the equally venerable Rovex/Triang model or printed facsimile?
Attention to detail made this the best diorama game on show for me

Unpopular periods include the Crimean wars – rectified here by a 1/72 demo comprised of fabulous vintage 20mm Hinton Hunt and Douglas figures and the guys were happy to talk about them.

The smoke has still to clear on some fantastic figures
I had a good chat with Mark Lodge
Fabulous 20mm figures classically painted

Westbury war games meanwhile did another Baroque period bash but I only got there at the end of the day – I stayed till nearly four pm which has not been the case in recent years.

A splendid battle line
Simply realigning the forces battle lines can make your rectangular table bigger but also more interesting

Thats the end of part one.

Categories
miniatures painting wargaming

Armoured April

The winter painting challenges have stuck the usual spanner in the works.

I will hopefully still post a second “afterglow” post wrapping up the whole thing.

Right now though my head has finally been turned. After analogue hobbies painting challenge (AHPC) finished at the end of March, I had a tidy up while finishing some figures slated for the other challenge. I have posted my afterglow about AHPC while I have yet to finish those figures that complete the afterglow for “paint what you got”.

First thoughts were plough on through the paint queue. That idea was ended pretty quickly. That’s despite some of the queue counting the years they have been in it – somewhat sadly.

And then as usual a book triggered some thoughts followed by digging out figures from the hoard and then embarking upon a great book sort out.

This is one of my top ten books on military history. Michael Mallet makes every word count in this journey through medieval Italy. Don’t let the title deceive you as the story begins in the 12th century
Although they overlap I find both books very useful for Italian medieval armies

The end result is I am back in medieval times and I plan to paint my tumbling dice 1250 era samples. I also hope to progress my 100YW plastics who have been in the queue awhile. Then again they’re competing with some other figures washed and stored that have also been gnawing away at my brain.

I dug out my tumbling dice 1250 figure samples bought a while ago.
Some mounted knights
Some foot knights
Militia spearmen
They prime up nicely

Roll on Medieval May

Categories
miniatures painting wargaming

Afterglow I – AHPC16

I have had a successful third year in the analogue hobbies painting challenge.

I kicked off with some Fauxterre 1930, trucks 1/60 scale lledo models

This year the challenge was less heavy on a theme and returned to a greater focus on the painters choice.

The theme was about rebellion and resistance – 3 subjects and in my case the first was 1848 Hungarians rebelling from the Austro Hungarian Empire (Hat 1/72)

In my case that focus on figures paid dividends as I got plenty done.

A second theme entry was the Duke of Berwicks Irish Regiment (strelets 1/72) the wild geese

In fact it’s my most productive AHPC so far. The constricted theme helped.

More Fauxterre 1930 trucks by PSC in 1/72
Tumbling dice 1/72 English civil war figures – Covenanters made my third and final theme submission



These Covenanters were painted in standard block method

A show freebie king Stephen in 28mm

King Stephen was painted with contrast paints

A scratch build of an 1848 Hungarian steam engine using 2 Airfix Stephenson rockets in 1/72

I had made the steam engine for AHPC15 but it missed that boat because it was only part finished by the end of the challenge

This was a garden rescue figure – games workshop era elf – another contrast paint excursion
40mm Vikings by Irregular Miniatures who retired their business this Spring

I used a combination of block, contrast and washes for these figures

Two “days past” OO gauge railway model transporters carry as it happens John at Just needs varnish gifted Renault tanks for Fauxterre 1930

https://justneedsvarnish.wordpress.com

Johns Renault tanks have some campaign colour while most of my AHPC16 trucks are fresh from the factory

1/76 Airfix Morris tractor and bofors anti aircraft gun

At this point the challenge entered its last month and you can see entry photos prep seriously declined…….

Three 1/72 plastic soldier company Opel blitzes
1/72 plastic soldier company Valentine tank
Hat miniatures 1/72 World War One British lancers

Just for fun I returned to using static grass without applicator.

Mardav printed 20mm Italian support group

These Italians got a mix of craft paints, contrast paints and dry brush to get the green I wanted- they too are rookies with shiny new helmets

Left to right antitank gun, medium machine gun and a light mortar
The challenge was a success
The ones that got away!

My idea for “afterglow” is mainly centred around what nearly got painted during the challenges. In this case 1:72 strelets War of the Spanish Succession, French Dragoons which were fun to paint. I really like the sculpture work in this range – the wild geese Irish also being from that range.

The uniforms were done in Vallejo yellow ochre topped with deep yellow while the bags and cuffs were done in Oxford blue
The horses received coat d’arms chestnut brown followed by citadel contrast gore grunta

My 1700 era armies are based in a toy soldier style – these are perry bases from the 28mm box sets

Paint What You Got ran in parallel to AHPC and I aim to post about an “afterglow” for that too.

Categories
wargame shows wargaming

A Brace of shows

My wargaming year invariably starts with Vapnartak in York followed by Hammerhead at Newark on Trent.

A normal queue at VAP
The queue at Hammerhead was shorter than I expected though

I was going to do one post about these shows but have decided it’s a bit confusing.

So there will be two separate posts. The most notable thing was numbers, queues to get in were shorter or more efficiently cleared!

But then both felt less “crushed”. In the case of VAP yet again there was this odd mix of available space and some crowded areas. It’s almost as if traders get their usual spot and if there are any “no shows” then there is no rejigging.

Having some participation games right next to the crowded bring and buy felt ridiculous given the bags of space elsewhere – all paid for by someone of course.

In contrast Hammerhead filled its spaces although some “late no shows” occurred because the new show runner – Caliver books offered them out again at the last minute. There were no obvious gaps so I assume there was some juggling to avoid gaps.

Anyway two enjoyable shows to get the wargaming year off to a start. Except my wargaming year has certainly shifted to starting in the autumn and finishing in spring once my two winter painting challenges are done. But that’s another story.

Categories
natural world

Intermission 26a hello spring

As winter recedes we have belatedly had some brighter weather. Often you get decent amounts of winter sun in Yorkshire but this time round it’s been distinctly dark skied.

A cloudy sunrise yet too often it’s been just cloud
A rare full winter sunset
There have been some interesting colours to be seen
Only an occasional frost – it’s been cold but often dry or just wet and cold but not freezing
The ice was quickly melting as the sun rose
One of the late winter dust clouds from north Africa or the equatorial Atlantic
There have been a few blue pink sunsets
In contrast washed out golden sun contrasts with grey cloud
Categories
Book Reviews wargaming

World Book Day

Here are some of my recent purchases. Needless to say I adore books.

This set of rules have been on my mind to buy for a few years and then I read another bloggers post about it and took the plunge on the most recent 4th edition 4 years after the FINAL edition! It will feed my Fauxterre 1930 gaming.
Although I have the original “the wargame” rule book primarily for sentimental reasons I was intrigued to discover this book covered the campaigns background in the rule book as well as that behind “Charge or how to play wargames” (my favourite rule book from the seventies) – when I first got a library copy.
A Christmas present about a period I find intriguing and suitably “dark” as in we know so little……
Just the other day I finished Duffys earlier renaissance/early modern period book on fortress warfare. I had owned that quite a few years and only now read it cover to cover. So why not start on the next book.
Categories
miniatures painting wargaming

Paint what you got part 5: the last knockings*

I got distracted yesterday – the last day of “paint what you got”. Instead of knuckling down with some final painting I legged it to Newark for Hammerhead. That’s Newark, Lincolnshire, old England.

Anyway I did finish a few more pieces although there is no “painting portrait” show as such.

Lots of figures!

Only joking – that’s a hammerhead participation game.

The reality

So “Paint what you got” has been very productive with a lot of miniatures stuck in the paint queue making it over the line.

I finally finished B & B miniatures Prussian limber. 20mm Franco Prussian war figures. Sadly the business shut its doors last year I think?

Then there are 3 wagons from Irregular Miniatures 20mm ranges – I think these were all ACW. I have a couple Hat miniatures ww1 French artillery men on them.

In the background two types of cavalry but from the same company. Strelets are a Ukrainian company who make plastic injection figures.

I quite pleased with the cavalry as they look a bit brutal in the raw plastic

In this case the figures are from their Crimean War series – British Dragoons and Russian Lancers.

I had only minor tweaks to the models before a paint job transformed them to 1848 Prussian Dragoons and Lancers

The lancers are 5th Westfalia

The dragoons are 3rd Neumark

I have a very good funcken uniform book for 19th century European armies. It covers the transition from coatees and shakoes to frock coats and casque type helmets.

*the phrase last knockings as well as knocking off at the end of the day relate to the end of something – a task, process or activity and completion.

Categories
miniatures painting wargaming

Paint what you got part 4: more cowboys – the Van Stevin gang

I have had a productive “paint what you got”. This winter I opted to use the challenge to tackle a big paint queue of part painted figures as opposed to the mountains of untouched miniatures.

It means I have progressed some 1st Schleswig Holstein War figures while some oddballs have made the journey to “wargames ready”.

These cowboys are clearly the latter.

So this lot are again “many years ago” Triples Sheffield purchases long before what a cowboy/dead man’s hand appeared. The leader is a “blue moon” character as sold by Old Glory in the UK while the gang are Dixon miniatures from that great Yorkshire firm – Dixon Miniatures.

The “blue moon” leader (again) is in fact Jesse James while the bauxite gang model was in fact Frank James, his brother, that I wrongly attributed in the previous PWYG painting post.

This is Frank James erstwhile leader of the bauxite gang
He is part of blue moons “slice of Americana” range

On with the Van Stevin gang led by none other than Pieter Van Stevin himself.

Pieter Van Stevin – a no nonsense Dutchman living in Dawson Colorado the boom town coal mine near Cimmaron New Mexico in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountains.
Blue moon markings on Jesse James

The rest of the gang are

Mexican hat – from Mexican Hat, Utah
Laddy
Mr Brown
Beardy
Tash
I decided to give Pieter a faded Union jacket being a devout Protestant originally from Grand Rapids West Michigan by the Great Lakes
The Van Stevin gang who are down south on the Santa Fe trail southern route running through Kiowa Indian lands rich with Spanish Pueblo adobe mud buildings.
What’s that……..
Huh the bauxite gang……

A bit about Cimarron. Cimarron sits beneath the Sangre de Cristo mountains in northern New Mexico. Its fame nowadays relates to the St James hotel whose regular visitors included Wyatt Earp, Buffalo Bill Cody and Jesse James amongst others.

At its height it was on the Southern leg of the Santa Fe trail to which it gave its name. Taking the Cimarron route was risky as it crossed New Mexican desert with no water holes. Still the mountain route to the north through Raton and Taos required dismantling of wagons to physically lift them up rock faces at certain points on the route. Tough choices or what!

St James Hotel
The old jail
Pick your room – yes you can sleep in the same room used by Jesse James
Wyatt Earp gambled here – the original cast iron ceiling feature still has bullet holes in it from the odd argument
No you can’t handle the dice – you cheetin’ @£@(*

The southern Rockies are worth a road trip. I did mine in 2024.

Categories
wargaming

Fragment 26/1

Last year I started some posting ideas around bits of things which did not really make a post but when combined with others could justify a post in their own right.

After the first two fragments of 2025 things sorted of dried up a bit. Or rather my focus was on specific miniatures or gaming posts.

I am going to have another try this year and ironically the first driver is the same as last years – magazines. And with further irony the second idea mimics fragment 25/2 – books.

However to kick off 2026 fragments I am going to mention painting challenges. These have kind of taken over my painting activities to the extent that three define my painting year.

First up is “paint what you got”. Now this challenge by Dave Stone works for me because it drives me to dig out what I have either half painted or abandoned. It has proved its worth.

https://thewargamingerratic.home.blog/tag/mid-19th-century-wargames/page/2/#:~:text=The%20Painting%20Portrait%2025a%201848%20Bavarians&text=The%20portrait%20approach%20should%20enable,a%20ball%20topped%20pin%20head.

Second is the Analogue Painting Challenge. I took this on at no14 and so I am on year three.

https://thewargamingerratic.home.blog/tag/fantasy/

This challenge has caused problems in that it got my ideas flowing and instead of reducing the lead mountain I ended up scratch building models during the challenge as the “themes” caught my imagination.

On the positive side I have found a use for those magazine freebies and indulged in my recycled household junk heaps to create spacecraft.

Klim class Intra planetary trader from AHPC15

I also think it propelled me into painting a background for my model displays – retiring the painting pedestal in favour of the painting portrait. In fact I even produced a sci-fi background last year.

Ahpc invariably overruns well into spring so now absorbs about half my painting year!

https://thewargamingerratic.home.blog/2025/04/26/the-painting-portrait-25k-ahpc15-leftovers/

The third challenge is Dave Stones scenery season which runs over the summer. Or in my case summer into autumn. This has proven a godsend as scenery production was nil and an ever increasing list of kits, models or ideas were tying me up in knots.

https://thewargamingerratic.home.blog/category/scenery/

So three challenges which basically cover the whole year of my painting activities.

Maybe in another fragment I will say something about the impact of these challenges on my painting activities themselves.