It’s summer! And my brushes have scarpered again.
Categories
The Painting Pedestal
Categories
Intermission 24b
Categories
Beware Greeks bearing gifts
My recent painting blast over winter had dried up with the end of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge XIV. It broke my preoccupation with the mid 19th century.
The Danes and Germans are sat there in the various painting queues but making no progress.
Green-shoots anywhere?
something different maybe?
yes!
It is a case of returning to an old favorite. Ancients.
In fact two threads emerged from the languid waters I found my wargaming boat resting in. One followed the other.
The first, which I will cover in another post was partly prompted by Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy recent magazine running a Bronze Age theme: I have lots of Bronze Age figures for a long abandoned project.
But the impulse here was mainly due to Curt’s Trojan horse entry for the analogue hobbies painting challenge 14.
http://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/2024/03/from-curt-last-post-of-challenge-xiv.html?m=1
The second concerns DBA. DBA got me back into the hobby after an almost 20 year break. It also propelled me into 15mm scale at the time – the late 1990’s. Those armies had since lain unused for years as 1/72 and 25/28mm tempted me back to bigger figures.
I dug them out – quite a mixed bag – could I run a campaign using the 1st or 2nd Editions 6 nation offering. I mulled this over before the figures went back into a slightly more accessible store and the unpainted ones joined the paint queue jostling with mid 19th century Danes and Germans.
And then I went to York one weekend for the annual open studios tour. Somehow somewhere I came away with the urge to craft. Note – not paint.
The next minute I was cutting card and with drawing pens to hand inking DBA bases. I had picked a campaign and lacking the right figures thought I would simply play empty bases. I have done this many a time and its a very enjoyable digression. And then I remembered all these 2mm armies currently in vogue plus that crafting itch had not been sated fully. And so out came some discarded HEAT board gaming counter sheets! minus the useful counters. Maybe I could use these “blocks” to suggest groups of soldiers?
And there we have it instant 2mm armies for a 6 nation DBA Bronze Age campaign: The Thracian’s might make a guest appearance!
The Royal Danish Army of 1848 was characteristically mid 19th century in dress. It still had a napoleonic uniform as such, yet things like the peaked cap and Hungarian kepi had begun to change the look. Pantaloons were noticeably full length and trouser like.
At the start of the war infantry uniforms were red tunics and bright blue trousers. Uniform regulations for 1848 planned a change to essentially all dark blue clothing complete with a bright blue kepi.
The regulations crept in although the kepi was so popular – soldiers often threw away their bell shaped shakoes in the field.
Other elements of the army – Artillery and Engineers kept the older kit for longer.
The Cavalry had largely reduced to the Dragoon in combless metal crested helmet (a fashionable trend) while the Hussars wore a small tapered shako. Dragoons wore red tunics and bright blue trousers, the Hussars wore all pale blue.
Never one to resist a metaphor or comparison my recent encounter with project hesitation prompted me to look for a parallel. For some reason my usual mountain climbing examples in my head sat a bit oddly. Oh yes I think many of us wargamers probably try and climb many Munros* at the same time. And fail to reach any summits – unless its those super wargamers with unlimited talent, production skills to match and boundless energy.
*munros are Scottish mountains in excess of thousand feet in height.
Then it came to me going downhill might be a better metaphor than ascending when it comes to the wargamers hobby.
So where have I been and where am I now?
In recent times (i.e. since Covid struck) – back in 2019 I was quite taken with Normans in the North and South. It remains a work in progress so you could say a meandering river then and an oxbow lake now is the order of the day.
And then I discovered the mid 19th century and a fair torrent of water cascaded down the wargamers hillside.
There have been the odd side flows such as my nearly mechanised 20th century warfare explorations – now also several oxbow lakes or should it simply be a mountain col?
And what of my recent diversions during Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge? I certainly think that was several small torrents which then ended in a hanging valley leading to a small lake with no apparent exit.
And right now where am I – well it feels like the wargaming is still in flow but very much winding through some extensive marshlands – languid.
Descriptions of water seem far more apt for my wargaming than my previous mountain climbing parallels.
The question is where will those languid waters lead me to next?
The Rebel forces in the Schlieswig Holstein War comprised local pro german forces including those who had served in the Royal Danish Army. To these were added many volunteers alongside their numerous allies.
The rebel cause had wide spread support from states within greater germany at this time “the Confederation – in its post Napoleonic form”. Notable were Prussia but also Saxony and Hanover. Austria was a significant objector and refused to become involved. Although they did apparently send rocket troop batteries.
Initially Rebel uniforms were a mix of Danish, improvised and various state uniforms. Later the Schleswig Holstein regular Rebel forces obtained a more distinct uniform for themselves.
This makes the war fascinating in terms of uniform, lots of german states still preserved a distinct character in their uniforms while fashions were still a mix of the Napoleonic coupled with more recent french led fashions such as the kepi. The Pickelhaube (invented in Russia and made a success by Prussia) and the Frockcoat (from the dresscoat of Napoleonic times) were now noticeably popular in german states. The classic mid to late century Prussian uniform dates from the 1840’s.
The smaller flat top tapered shako was in wide use long before it identified again with this time British Crimean troops or indeed the Rifleman of Prussia who kept it till world war one.
Therefore Armies comprised troops still wearing napoleonic uniform alongside others who would not look out of place in the American Civil War 13 years later and even subsequent conflicts.
Winter 2023/2024 proved to be quite productive painting wise. I don’t keep stats on numbers painted although I do record my painting colours and techniques in case I wish to replicate a figure/unit.
“Paint What You Got” by Dave Stone and “Analogue Hobbies Painting Competition” (AHPC) by Curtis Campbell and Co. both provided a big push to my painting in a very positive way.
In both cases I had planned a limited involvment to secure yet more mid 19th century completed units for my Danish and Germanic forces of the 1st Schleswig Holstein War.
Initially all went well and the fruits of my work can be seen on the AHPC14 site and in previous posts on this blog.
Paint What You Got II – better late than never
Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge 2023/24
Then I fully succumbed to the “Library Challenge” on offer with the AHPC event.
So out went the 19th century and in came whatever thematic library section I found myself in next.
The result?
- One 1/72 Reconnaisance Spitfire – now gifted to a lover of all things aerial.
- One 28mm Noggin the Nog super hero from the 1960’s childrens black and white TV. Bought from the Little Toy Soldier online shop.
- One 28mm General Siskorski hero of the free Polish during World War 2: A Partizan Newark freebie.
- One 25mm veteran (1980’s) games workshop fantasy Cyclops: found at Doncaster Toy Fair.
- One 28mm Empress Matilda (12th century): A Partizan Newark freebie
- One home built “button monster” (DeathZap Pastor created these inspiring SciFi/Fantasy creatures)
- One home built “Nissen Hut” left behind in some village in the East of England after world war 2 “upcycled” – before the term was invented – to a village library.
Quite a haul and it was a very satisfying period of painting and making. The AHPC served up some great contact with the other painters as well.
After what was in effect for me a serious 12 week painting/creating blast – I literally hung up my paint brushes. March has rapidly become April and I have been drifting: I cannot blame outdoor activities like gardening as spring has been one soggy wet mess and still is.
So much for getting on with the 1st Schleswig Holstein War forces. That project has been a case of two or three steps forward yet now stopped.
Maybe that stop was coming anyway. My Wargame projects have that way of shuddering to a halt for no good reason.
Pauls Bods is a blog that celebrates 1/72 plastic wargames figures. Yet it is so much more because Paul as an ace modeller who can turn even unpromising sculpts into fantastic pieces of the wargamers art.
His head, body and everything else swops are inspiring.
He also has a great sense of humour which appears often in his creations.
The headline image is of my own work prompted by Paul’s bods. Taking a leaf from his book I painted some mini art medieval cavalry that were given a searingly negative plastic soldier review.
Here are some posts highlighting the range of his work.
http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/2010/10/run-rabbit-run.html
http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/2010/10/houstonbeepwe-have-problembeep.html
http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/2010/12/airfix-acw-infantry.html
http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/2010/12/world-war-ii-deserters.html
http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/2011/03/dalek-command-post.html
http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/2011/01/after-sandstorm.html
http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/2011/04/new-set-from-e-bay.html
http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/2011/04/bear-fight.html
http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/2011/04/airfix-guards-band.html
http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/2011/08/fantasy-island.html
Sadly I think his work is disappearing as some of it was in paid storage products that no longer operate.
From the 1970’s era I have had three cavalry types – Cuirassiers, Hussars and Lancers in my collection.
They are all minifig.
The Lancers and Hussars have done sterling service especially in more recent times appearing as mid 19th century units for my Italian Wars of Independence forces and their Fauxterre equivalents.
In addition I have some Warrior Miniatures French dragoons. The first batch were in green and were sold years ago. Then I got inspired by a funcken image of French napoleonic dragoons in red……
Categories
Intermission 24a
Intermissions have been thin on the ground this year. Perversely the awful weather has meant more time indoors – war gaming.
But there have been some interesting sights all the same.
The Wargaming Erratic 