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 gangHe 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, UtahLaddyMr Brown BeardyTashI decided to give Pieter a faded Union jacket being a devout Protestant originally from Grand Rapids West Michigan by the Great LakesThe 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 jailPick your room – yes you can sleep in the same room used by Jesse JamesWyatt Earp gambled here – the original cast iron ceiling feature still has bullet holes in it from the odd argumentNo you can’t handle the dice – you cheetin’ @£@(*
The southern Rockies are worth a road trip. I did mine in 2024.
At Battleground – the wargames show at Stockton on Tees I was lucky enough to see Dave Pengilley and his fantastic 28mm collection of Danes and Prussians for the First Schleswig Holstein War which started in March 1848 and finally ended in 1851 with the Treaty of London.
Danish line infantry in shako, kepi and flat cap!
Dave encountered the main problem with anyone interested in these wars – no figures or rather no complete ranges of figures.
Bearskinned guards soon to lose them
The best comparison I can think of is how much easier the Perrys have made the Portuguese Brothers War circa 1830 for wargamers.
Rocket unit in Danish forces with new blue uniforms on the line infantry
Anyway Dave has done a splendid job showing what an overlooked period this is.
I suspect many people will be drawn to the second war not least because of the TV series and some attempts at a range in 28mm. Also Prussians are beginning to look distinctly 1870 era by 1864 when the second war occurs.
Austrian rocket troops were lent to Prussia Prussian regular field artillery
Back in 1848 the war happens on the cusp of giant wardrobe changes. Indeed the Danes do a uniform change as they go to war. This means if you apply shaky compliance and dodgey quartermasters to new order plus supply chain vagaries – then quite a variety of uniforms can be featured alongside each other.
Just field caps and shakos on this danish line unit
And for the Germans – the confederacy means you can draw on 23 member states, many who were so conservative they were also embroiled in their own home country insurrections and still dressed in a napoleonic style.
The bell top shakos have all gone on this Danish line infantry unit Bell shako line infantry grab a lift to the front
Add to that tailcoats, tunics, frockcoats, kepis, shakoes, pickelhaubes and greatcoats means you have much choice if only the figures were for sale.
Danish light infantry were green uniformed
In a way that variety means for 28mm if you are happy to kit bash then raiding Napoleonic, Franco Prussian, ACW, Crimean and other wars up to WW1 gives you vast choice.
The technology adds in smoothbore muskets, rifled muskets, early breechloaders as well as rockets, machine guns and of course telegraph communications, steam ships, proto-submarines and railways.
Danish dragoons
Here are some more pictures of Daves excellent “home cast” range – which would meet most peoples requirements if they were on the market commercially. The problem of course is the period is not popular and even then it is dominated by those adjacent Crimea, ACW and Franco Prussian Wars.
David’s table also fielded period buildings – all scratch built by Dave!!!!Closer view of Danish light infantry Closer view of buildings Danish light infantry prepares to receive Prussian attacks Prussian line infantry marchNew uniforms in blue for the DaneSteam engine in close up – I think this is scratch built as well!Another Danish rocket troop Danish early machine gun unit Prussian hussars creep along a covered way, cavalry were not significant players in this warVon Bismarck’s Prussian hordes practice for 1864, 1866, 1870………Dane’s actually made great use of their maritime dominance Prussians advance Prussians on their march to ultimate defeatNot unlucky for me – great table number 13
So if the big wars are jaded or you simply want an unusual escape then the First Schleswig Holstein War might be just the ticket.
The Wargaming Erratic 