Well suddenly VAP was here and then gone for another year.
I turned up early and got in quick and did a rapid recce including the bring and buy.
I managed one participation game in the end, collected some preordered figures, bought some stuff I had not planned to, but did want, and chatted quite a bit.
The show seemed as busy as last year but maybe emptied out a bit quicker? These thoughts are subjective as it depends what your doing and when – you don’t notice stuff going on if your immersed in a game or a conversation.
Overall I had a good VAP24 and the queue seemed to move promptly at ten with plenty of attendants present: Last year there was a slow ticket purchase process which delayed entry obviously causing a deal of grief for the punters.
The reenactment vikings entertained the front of the queue – not sure it was appreciated as people often use the queue time to chat. It was a neat idea though.
Onto my purchases
Ubiquitous pendraken bases and some neat spears I kept meaning to buy some extra road and of the flexible kind – these are from early war miniatures Plus a curveAt Irregular miniatures I picked up my preorder of two packs of colonial British in bell shakos which will give two battalions each of Danish infantry 1848 and a Tuscan regiment along with some 1848 danish artillery in bell shakos
I participated in the Lance and Longbow Society game – this time it was 1177 and the crusades. Modified Lion Rampant and 1/72 plastics in abundance. It was fun.
Lance and longbow society game – Saladin attempts to halt Baldwin, but it was not his day. Loads of 1/72 plastic miniatures on display and no heavy lifting!
I went with three gamers. We puzzled about whether the show was busy or different compared to other years. It felt like another transitional VAP reflecting hobby developments.
This Venice game shows how scenery quality has really been transformed by the industry offerings in the hands of talented wargamers
2022 felt the benefit of post covid and lockdown ending while 2023 felt that some changes were afoot. In 2023 we said goodbye to the likes of SHQ Miniatures and Magister Militum (in the past MM had been a significant stand at VAP).
Harrogate Wargames’s club offered the battle of ferrybridge – a wars of the roses action in 28mm
It felt though that there were less games this time. The normally crowded ground floor had some big spaces, mainly around the York Club game tables.
Then again it felt like more use had been made of the upper floors to give people more space for circulation. Frankly in previous virtual scrums were a big deterrent in reaching some traders.
Overall this extra room was a really good thing. And accessibility was improved as a result.
1866 kepis in Europe – once again Garibaldi is up against papal forces and losing?
I reckon there were 65 tables all up this year (all types of activity) compared to 57 in 2022 but it seemed many were smaller offerings: For example Helion Books were absent. But their space was used by a smaller vendor.
And the bring and buy seemed to have less turnover – I went at the beginning and some sellers were still there much later on.
Which ever way you cut it VAP is still a great show to meet the hobby, throw dice and make some sound buys.
Once again I have belatedly found a painting challenge. This one by Dave Stone started at Christmas and is about getting stuck into your figures backlog – assuming you have one?
This is my first contribution.
15th regiment
These figures were prepped and on painting sticks on the 10th January 2023 according to my painting journal. A year in production is not uncommon in the Erratics world. I had made more progress by November with the main colours done when I stopped all existing production to do some new acquisitions!!!!!
Finally I have finished them complete with gaming bases.
For many years I did not record my painting activity or maybe kept random notes until with lockdown I decided to consolidate my notes and eventually opted for a handwritten journal. It has stood the test of time and has repaid the effort as I have added duplicate figures and simply dug out the recorded paint guide.
These figures are Hat 1/72 World War One German Infantry who have simply been given a paint job. I decided the boot detail was fine at even close distance. This then magically turned them into the 7th and 15th Landwehr Regiments of 1848 who marched into the First Schlieswig Holstein War.
7th regiment
The bases use my standard technique taken from Warhammer Ancient Battles – birdcage grit on PVA followed by Burnt Sienna, an Ochre dry brush and a yellow white highlighter. I then use a Javis mid green turf to finish. Bases are from pendraken.
Cockades were popular
The figures are based on 4 No. 40mm square bases which allow me to use a variety of wargame rules.
In line for a variety of rules
The flag is from Warflag (They are certainly worth a donation or a few) and I have opted for plain flower arranging wire flagpoles with the paper flags glued to recycled covid testing sticks – the hollow sticks fit the wire just right. I am still deciding on how to arrange them – whether to give them caps to set them at the height I want. Right now they just drop onto the figure.
Ok so pistols were only just arriving in 1848 but I like the figure as is…
The only difference between regiments is in the shoulder strap colours. The 7th are yellow while the 15th are light blue.
My reference book is Ralph weavers armies of the first Schleswig Holstein war 1848-1851 published by partizan.
Brilliant guide by Ralph weaver
You can also see a glaring mistake – one base incomplete with only two figures. Quite simply back in 2023 I managed to miscount the figures being put on sticks and never checked again until basing them! This was a puzzle as I used all 48 figures from one box to paint 4No. 12 man units……
Oops one of my men went missing
So that journal will repay itself again as I paint that missing figure – when I find it!
Stockton on Tees and nearby Thornaby played host to a very friendly and inviting show I had never previously attended.
Located in a Sports Hall on the University site I was a bit late arriving so only just got a parking space in the adjacent carpark, although in fact there is plenty of parking around the site generally. The Railway Station at Thornaby is 800 yards away plus there are bus services to be had according to the well detailed Pendraken Show website. It even has pictures of the road junctions you will encounter on the way in.
And I have not even talked about the event itself!
I found the venue bright (something I struggle with at the Fiasco black hole in Leeds). There was less catering than many shows but enough – coffee/tea and snacks plus an outdoor food wagon. With a big shopping centre nearby you were not going to starve.
But it was the wargaming we had all come for in terms of food for the brain.
This is not a big show in the sense of a Salute or a Newark. However it has some particular aspects which make it a rich experience. Quite a few reenactors, living history groups were dotted across the show – I guess the point here being a lot more than you might normally see.
Then there were two talks in a dedicated room – one about the spanish civil war and one about anglo-scottish border warfare. I failed to get to either simply because there was so much I wanted to see elsewhere in the show.
The Sponsor is Pendraken and entry was not only free, you also got entry into a prize draw – some 20 odd prizes being offered.
So what about the show – traders, games etc.?
In that respect you would be right to say it has the same sort of mix as many other shows.
Here are some selected photos
The Schlieswig Holstein War (the first one!) Demonstration caught my eye and I will post again about that encounter.This RPG horror in Venice had some impressive paper buildingsThe theme of paper was to the fore with these “flats” – a massive Spanish Succession WargamePaper Buildings plus some humour all made for an engaging demonstrationNaval interests were also to the fore with this galley action being hard to missAnd this medieval naval battle was equally vibrant and a participation game into the bargain of which there were I guess 50% at the showNo daylight but a well lit arena and the viewing area allowed people to easily sit out for a while The usual traders plus some local and regional companies were present. Irregular Miniatures have a stand which itself is veteran class yet I still love to examine figures in the flesh like these 20mm metals which have character. Sorry despite the infinite ranges of newly printed 3D they seem to be too accurate for my liking when compared to say Irregular’s metal sculptures.Irregular do lots of basic ranges in lots of scales complete with guns and wagons. Late on I found this participation game I had missed several timesI have only ever dipped a toe in the 6mm water below 15mm scale but these League of Augsburg 10mm figures were quite enticingThe show was celebrating 10 years in its various formsNeedless to say no564 did not win any prizes
All in all a very enjoyable day out (that was prize enough) and a show that will be on my list for 2024.
Next week if all goes ok I plan to go to Recon 2023.
I did not go to Battleground with a shopping list and as it happens none of my usual interests drew my wallet out. However I did pick this book up at the bring and buy – yep I don’t do desert war in any scale!
Partizan at Newark Showground made a welcome return for me in 2022. Last visited in 2019 this show or rather the pair – “the other Partizan” that happens in the Autumn, had both become a regular destination for me.
This years show built on my trips to Vapnartak (masks still very evident as well as much caution) and Hammerhead (obvious relief as constraints eased) so I should not have been surprised that Partizan was “many in earnest”. I felt there was a lot of catching up conversation going on, which maybe meant slightly less participation? Yet the enthusiasm was so obvious – people discussing, looking and yes playing games – simple pleasures throwing dice and moving pieces.
And there was the other simple pleasure of admiring other peoples work. Conversations seemed easier and the enjoyment palpable.
For once I had no shopping list – 2 years of on online buying had emptied my pockets? Well no – quite simply I have been sticking to my projects and actually painting my figures and even gaming. That has meant less erratic moments for the Wargaming butterfly.
First up are the games that were on show. I concentrated on just a few for photos. on reflection mats seemed to be a theme for me!
commercial mat – not to my liking but I liked this Pike and Shot display by Mr Mike Spence.Plenty of eastern cavalry – polish?I really enjoyed reading Robert Frosts The Northern Wars 1558 to 1721, where a lot of actions involved storming defences – as shown here.Excellent read if you can get a copy.The pikemen gather
The 40mm Mr Ian Smith and friends was a glorious display of Napoleonic soldiers and fantastic scenery.
Napoleonic infantry columns advanceArtillery drop into actionCavalry advance beneath the walls of an imposing townThe British Light Infantry and redcoats appear in the distanceI really liked the town wallsExcellent attention to detail made this a model come alive
The Immortals presented an excellent medieval action
The terrain was the first thing that caught my eye which is terrible because the figures are absolutley fantastic. But the terrain caught my eye becuase it looked so good in itself!The painting schemes used here are simply fantastic even though I know medievals lend themselves to being pictured.On the hill English foot await the cavalry attack while admiring the fantastic detail of the grasslands that surround them.Behind the french lines are some equally fantastic buildings of another town – all scratch built.This table won the “mat award” for me.It was all about the Bretons and their succession……….nearby I think was Mr James Morris and Chums? anyway his dark ages game was fought over Sherpa fleece – it was good and he kindly showed the process of turning this product into a usable table mat – top marks
Over to another Eastern European battle – no details gathered
traditional boards slightly textured worked ok for me.
Fast forward to 1833 and Westbury Wargames with their “two brothers war” in Portugal where all manner of nations piled in for another go just a few decades after Wellington and his Portuguese allies had fought their way through to Spanish held France.
Traditional scenic boards with some nice set pieces and out of shot excellent buildings (again scratch built)
And thats it. Well I did get distracted by mats and terrain this year. The terrain mats are a gift for the time hungry and space hungry gamer which is the most common type of wargamer I suggest. I think it is more the case that, at shows where displays are a product of a different amount of effort the textured cloths seem to be the better bet for “a look”? However I have seen some tables where the “hirsute” cloth swamped the poor figures who looked as though they were wading through 2m high grass.
All in all the displays I found were excellent and inspired me to wargame, which is what it is all about.
What did the other big sell do to me – the trader tour!
I impulsively fell for some pendraken and warbases material – invariably so. Usual suspects being bases plus some dice.
Gamers grass seems to be winning my texture competition and I am going more bland as well. You live and learn – my Austrian rifleman have demanded sunglasses to tackle the luminous green grasses they are striding through………..
The man in the “corner” shop hailed from Birmingham and brought many an interesting box for the 1/72 gamer. They were at T22 in the trader zone – see map at the end.
I fell for this station……..
But was too late for its mate the Italian church – curses.
I took this warbases church insteadLong gone – these out of production miniart romans are not everyones cup of tea even if the artwork is enticingeven rarer the cavalry are very nice. Not sure when my interests will return to the late roman period?
Chariobaude offers up a great range of painted Late Romans.
My current preoccupation is middle nineteenth century where in plastics you get the “plastic soldier review” much disliked Austrians. Failing this in 20-25 mm its really just Irregular Miniatures at each end so to speak 20mm or 28mm. I have posted a picture of 20mm Neapolitans posing as 1848 French at Rome elsewhere on this blog.
Irregular 20mm Neapolitans posing as French 1849 at Rome. Austrian Artillery are always useful while the Carabiniers will get head swops – wearing kepis or stovepipes to become something useful. Plastic Soldier Review liked these horsemen……
I will be back in the Autumn for the Other Partizan
The free figure was nice – I might even paint him. A nicely laid out and well organised show – very well attended! A hobby back to some of its social life
What do you do when your sidetrack project becomes a Cuckoo in the nest. You buy another nest, metaphorically speaking, and stick it in it. I had attempted to paint and kitbash my way through the sidetrack project Fauxterre 1930, while progressing my main project of 2021 – Wars of Italian Unification 1848/1859 (in themselves ever more complicated but still fascinating).
So, having gone round the show in quick time I felt there was little to tempt me or solve my current project woes. “Or so I thought”.
Early War Miniatures was one of many (but not all) bigger traders busy selling at VAP22. With no bring and buy or competitions, plus only a select few demo/participation games, it was easy to get around but also the smaller sellers were not too diminished as they were spread across all 4 floors.
At Early War Miniatures I encountered a sell off of some completed figures. And they were exactly what I wanted for my Fauxterre 1930 project. Although I had opted for US and Russian forces – original plan – I had drifted into the interwar period and French forces had loomed into sight complete with Char B tanks, Renault’s and various quirky looking vehicles.
Net result was I came away with a prize and of course my wallet much lighter.
The effect was that a mini deluge in buying followed. There is a lesson in there somewhere.
The figures come next followed by the rest of my purchases with some kit armour and finished EWM tanks to finish.
French WW2 infantry from Early War Miniatures – 4 x 12 man rifle units plus HQ + Heavy Weapons The complete set of French WW2 figures – it was the fact that it was a useable set that caught my eye – all ready to go.
The rest of my buys were somewhat “erratic” of course……….
impulse buys at PendrakenMy Great Northern Wars “Era” project remains unrealised. I seem to find Italy ever more interesting across all periods.tufts for basing my italian wars of unification project (1848/1859) – for when I get some figures painted again!Pendraken again – small dice are simply too enticing – should be banned.I like AC’s!This Renault Truck I nearly bought in injection kit form from Hannants – but at a higher price!tankettes are the way forward!Some interesting armour and vehicles for Fauxterre 1930 From EWM, my slow build of a Russian WW2 force now includes some decals – very slow it would seemAs part of a show discount Early War Miniatures included these miscasts for free. They are intact enough to become part of the Fauxterre 1930 war effort.
So a big thank you to Early War Miniatures who fixed a growing problem. Pendraken as ever met my needs for all sorts of extras while HelionBooks invariably come up with attractive titles to feed my reading. Great Escape Games provided the tufts and some humour.
The large ground floor flowed freely as the demo and participation tables were absent this year.Plenty of the smaller traders were located on the higher levels
Last of all for those who stuck the journey………..
3 M11/39 Italian tanks from Early War Miniatures
Thats all folks – just maybe for patient “John the Varnish” the next post should be about Wars of the Italian Unification although Fauxterre 1930 is still squawking away!
My hobby has again been sustained by a supply chain. In my case 2021 has seen my ebay activity trail off while I have increased my buying with a few hobby companies.
Thank you to everyone (in no particular order!)
Cronwallis – ebay supplier from Oz who provided some rare 1/72 plastic figures for my Fauxterre Napoleonic Mythical Realm. Also I secured a supply of Russian Napoleonics who will see life as my Milan Guard – one day!
Model Hobbies supplied a lot of Napoleonic 1/72 figures and many Waterloo 1815 figures for my Wars of the Italian Unification project
Black Forest Hobby were a source of some hard to get figures and rulessets
Other ebay suppliers included ms-plueth (dutch/belgians), model148 (for peninsular war types) and rasweetrampwp who provided some WW1 belgians which I morphed into Neapolitan Chasseurs circa 1860.
buchunversum supplied a very valued book – Funcken 19th century army uniforms with german text – britain/prussia/france 1815 to 1850. Crucially it shows the evolution of french and german uniforms from shakoes and breechs to pickelhaubes, kepis and trousers.
SHQ provided 20mm metal napoleonics
Hannants provided numerous 1/72 plastic figures mainly for my mythical napoleonic armies
Caliver books provided invaluable titles for my new interests in european wars between 1848 and 1866. The Schleswig War of 1848 was probably my most satisfying buy – I just did not expect such a gem of a book. (see lead image for details). America in Algiers circa 1820 was a complete surprise!
Irregular Miniatures have supplied some very useful 20mm figures for my Italian and French forces fighting over Rome in 1848 and all Italy in 1859
Warrior Miniatures have provided 25mm troops for what will be my Fauxterre post Napoleonic forces
Wargame Vault supplied me with “A Gentlemans War” skirmish rules in pdf format.
Perry Miniatures provided their Carlist Wars ruleset
Paul Meekins Books supplied a 100 year old copy of a trilogy on Garibaldi’s wars
Games Lore supplied 5 Parsecs from Home sci fi rules
On the high street I bought figures and kits from Antics in Plymouth and Monk Bar models in York while Wonderland of Edinburgh supplied many sets of 1/72 figures including Crimean era
I managed just two shows where the following traders provided some excellent material.
Pendraken for bases
Colonel Bills for 20mm WW2 metals
Dave Lanchester Books who have provided some really excellent source books most recently on 19th century sea warfare and Vichy France at War
I have written up about Fiasco 2021 traders here and Recon 2021 show traders here.
Operation Hight Street
For some extra fun I have tried where possible to run my sideshow WW2 wargame project by buying in person at shops/traders. It has not been easy. Yet I have bought quite a bit of material from those few trips I did manage.
So I hope our hobby suppliers continue to prosper and provide us with figures, scenery, rules and other materials to enable us all to enjoy a hobby that lets you escape into your imagination.
Pursuing my side game of buying “face to face” for my latest project, in the world war two era, means wargames shows count.
For decades wargamers have treated shows as their own very necessary High Street. Remember once upon a time visiting “fairs” were very much part of medieval life for whole areas of a country. And of course prior to the internet and ebay they were the dominant route to wargaming purchases.
Quite simply the hobby could not sustain even general hobby shops on the high street even with railway and broader modellers sharing the same sources.
In fact talking about fairs reminds me that there is an excellent book by Graham Robb called the “Discovery of France” which highlights the circularity of life in France right up to the 20th century where whole rakes of the population derived their living through moving around the country. Even if your not a Francophile this book is a fascinating insight into a country which has dominated European Military history. His book certainly gives, in my view, a different view of France.
And then for the wargame shows, Covid19 really did drive us all fully online which may have far reaching consequences. On the evidence I saw at Leeds I am not sure what they will be though. Yes traders down, gamers down but then again we now have a late year crowded calendar plus organisers still having an obligation to manage their events to minimise the effects of Covid19 spread.
I for one, was a happy customer of the face to face variety.
I had stored up some planned purchases and spending money so here is a run down of my acquisitions and of course a “thank you” to the “SUPPLY CHAIN” without which we would not have the hobby we all enjoy.
First up some basics from Pendraken – 40×40 mdf bases for my currently stopped MAIN 2021 Project of the Italian Wars of Unification 1848/1859.
Colonel Bills yielded some 20mm preloved WW2 metals in the shape of a British Universal Carrier by SHQ and Romanian 47mm Schneider AT gun by FAA.
Regular visit to Coritani aka Magnetic Displays bought me some much needed paintbrush replacements and I spoilt myself with a prepainted crossroads – yes it was one of those days.
Stonewall Figures had some interesting kits and BT7 Russian Tanks were on my shopping list so these two Pegasus models dropped into my hand. And well these T34/76 armourfasts fell in as well.
Next up is a venerable book published in 1973 by Donald Featherstone. No4 in the series this is a bit late for me (1943-1945) as I am focused on early war activity. But it does cover the Tunisian Front and apart from Egypt/Libya where the British main north african action was, there is not so much printed material on matters west of Tunis.
Having grown up with Donald Featherstone books I find them an easy read: I know what I am getting. A nice purchase from Dave Lanchester.
Now for something completely different and I mean different. In this blog I have recounted my “sanity line” being nothing more recent than 1730-ish or the end of Peter the Greats reign. I caved in to Wars of the Italian Unification for 1848/1859/1866/1870 and suddenly found an interest in naval actions as well. You can see the slippery slope here………….Gradually ironclads have been creeping into my wargaming thoughts. So this book at Dave Lanchesters store was shown to me by Dave when I asked innocently if he had anything on Lissa 1866. Thanks to Dave I have a very nice 244 page hardback covering the second half of the 19th century.
Next up in contrast Grubbys Tanks yielded a small booklet at just 16 pages offering Rapid Fire fast play. This ruleset started life in 1994 so if age is pedigree that will do. I will give it a shot.
Now the Peter Dennis paper soldier books always look attractive and I finally picked up one I had previously nearly purchased back in 2018. The Spanish Armada is completely off my gaming list but I just could not resist, what with my current naval gazing.
I also tipped gaslands into the shopping basket at Dave Lanchester’s – not for me but as a christmas present for someone else.
The next two books from Dave were pure indulgence. The Russian Army in the Great Northern War 1700-1721 and William III’s Italian Ally 1683-1697 both Helion publications. I am hoping they will be ok on typos but I am not holding my breath. even so as I have posted before Helion publish where others fear to tread. So I have to be grateful.
Finally this is a repurchase – in fact I think it may be the third time I have bought this ruleset. Careless ……..
I do like Peter Pigs ideas, especially the uncertainty of process, and this set offers something a little different on the WW2 front.
Well thats it. Quite a mix when I think about it: More books than expected and less models.
So apart from Rapid Fire from Grubbys Tanks, I bought all my books at Dave Lanchester’s, who I must say keeps his books in very good condition.
The ones that got away or rather failed to appear – Russians by Plastic Soldier Company (Grubby’s were not short on Germans or US boxes though) and maybe a BA10 armoured car yet Stonewall Figures have promised to look out for one of them and set one aside for next year when they head north again.
So thanks to all my suppliers at Fiasco 2021 may you all prosper.
Thanks to Leeds Wargames Club for a very enjoyable show, all the sweeter, after such a long break from this aspect of wargaming.
Back to painting table………I wonder what will be up next?
After almost 2 years absence, wargame shows once again became a reality and I was pleased to have visited Leeds Wargames Club’s show at the Royal Armouries in Leeds.
Fiasco sponsors Sue Ryder Charity and the Soldiers Charity – the Army’s National Charity as well as Models for Heroes and the Battlefields Trust.
Hicks Hall was again the venue with a reduced trader and gaming footprint which made circulation easier.
I felt people had come to buy, people came with a purpose – to trade. And to meet fellow gamers, talk, discuss, game and well – enjoy themselves!
This is the first show I have attended since Recon 2019 almost 2 years ago.
Mask wearing was evident as was no mask wearing, but numbers were down so crowding and congestion were not an issue.
Notable for me, were two games right at the entrance, The Battle of Stoke Field 1487 and The Italian Wars.
The Italian Wars was a great spectacle with colourful 15/16th century pike, arquebusiers and mailed knights not to mention artillery, bills, swordsmen and many flags by Petes Flags.
Bradford Battletech Battalion caught my eye as their hex game with these recent (2019ish!) kickstarter plastics robot warriors looked quite enticing even for someone like me, that normally struggles for gaming interest after Napoleon has hit the buffers. I say normally because today most of my purchases were World War Two themed!
On the The Italian Wars table the buildings are made in west yorkshire but I forget the name……….the Yarkshire Gamer knows and has probably mentioned them in his podcasts
A recent Yarkshire Gamers podcast about the Italian Wars.
And the Winner is…….
I did not get the name of the demonstrator at Breese and Hudson but I am guessing he was either Mr Breese or Mr Hudson of Mansfield or more specifically Radcliffe on Trent. He was lucid and measured in explaining Stoke Field, while being clearly very enthusiastic and showing his enduring interest in the battle. In fact absolutely everything you could wish for from a demonstrator when just strolling up to a demo game that catches your eye.
The rules they played to were never mind the billhooks expanded, and yes I forget to get a photo, but given it was 1487 you can guess the Wars of the Roses picture or rather can you?
Stoke Field is an outlier battle of the wars with King Henry VII already in power. The battle itself involves significantly, Irish soldiers as well as European mercenaries – notably pike. Like many interesting campaigns this battle ended quickly but that is no barrier to the gamer. Makes a change from Barnet, Tewkesbury and Towton.
So Stoke Field and Messrs Breese and Hudson win my vote as top show stand!
I thought I might console myself with a virtual VAP this year via this site. So first up is something about traders.
Vapnartak is run by York Wargames Society volunteers and has a sizeable trader attendance. The York Racecourse site allows plenty of space although the organisers always ensure we all just about fit in!
In more recent times breakout space has improved yet I get the impression the number of traders remains unchanged? Maybe some of the games space has reduced. I am not sure on that.
The traders I have most often shopped with over the years have included
Caliver Books – no links at present
Dave Lanchesters Military Books – no links at present
Caliver Books have always given me a steady supply of books and especially rule books.
Currently preoccupied with mid 19th century warfare, I plan to use Brent Omans Piquet bought from Caliver Books.
I have also dipped into their figures occasionally plus the odd terrain purchase. At the show Caliver are the nearest thing to a street general wargames store before they became gaming cafes or just cafes and now just empty buildings!
These cast and painted buildings from Caliver Books have proved their worth in 2020 in my Saxon, Norman, Viking and Roman Britain outings.
Dave Lanchesters books have been a great source of the older Ospreys and I have often picked up Pen & Sword or Helion publications at great prices.
Many of these Ospreys have been bought at Dave’s store at various shows, all sadly missed.
And Dave has some really excellent condition out of print books.
Irregular Miniatures provide simply a vast range of figures and items that is staggering. Always something tempting to buy.
No pic, I hope to have some news in another post in Irregular.
Magister Militum, Westwind/Forged in Battle and Museum Miniatures have been my preferred 15mm suppliers – mainly ancients.
Forged in Battle command pack, detail is excellent.
All their figures have character despite their small size. I owned some 6mm Naploeonics back in the day but never got the bug so 15mm is as small as I go.
Museum Miniatures “Red Guard” drive off some pesky out of production Corvus Belli Cathaginians. Museum Miniatures got me into 15mm.
Funnily enough Peter Pig is another 15mm supplier yet it is his rules I have loved over the years – RFCM (Rules for the Common Man) remain the only other ruleset for pick up games I automatically think of for WW2 outings aside from my house rules based on the venerable Don Featherstone offerings. OK I do own Too Fat Lardies rules which really are the most engaging game rules in my view. However I have to be in the mood to play them!
Peter Pigs Bloody Barons have also found out my interest in the past although the figure scale has been 28mm or even Mike Tittensor’s SOA Bronze Age deriviative that saw 1/72 plastics take the field.
Peter Pig gave excellent pre game rules in their Wars of the Roses ruleset.
S&A Scenics have given me some excellent scenery of the “precise” kind and which give a nice “gamey” feel to a table top.
That clipped grass and trees from S&A Scenics just cries out for some shiney victorian era soldiersS&A Scenics do offer some nice crossover trees as well
In stark contrast Last Valley offer you trees and hedgerows which do feel very realistic to me. I like both – and yes use both together on occasion!
Last Valley make some nice pieces that often appear in my games.Many a time this last valley copse has held a unit or some piece of armour
Sally 4th have offered various companies products and I have often bought the Foreground pre coloured laser cut wood kits along with original citadel paints.
The detail on these buildings is so fine it is wasted in the gaming context at 3 feet or 1 metre. Mind you Foregrounds view on chiminies just does not chime with the rest of these exquisite models!
Dice are always in demand even if I don’t need them. The Dice Shop does what it says!
Pendraken Miniatures have also yielded some nice dice and I invariably get my bases from them. Alas their delightful figure ranges are just too small for me.
you can never have too many Pendraken bases in store!
I have a soft spot for 1/72 or small 25mm or large 20mm (take your pick). So Tumbling Dice have supplied some nice Dark Age figures.
Scale has always been a problem – Lamming 1970’s 20/25mm norman/saxons bookend 4 Tumbling Dice 1/72 true scale Saxon/Norman foot command figures
Last but not least are Magnetic Displays although I always remember them as Coritani. I buy their paintbrushes and occasionally paints. While their range of terrain features are always compelling and Renedra plastics have often figured in my purchasing, I always obtain spear reinforcements from Trevor & Paula who I just find are simply the most helpful and engaging of traders.
You always need a store of gabions and versatile bridges! Yes this is very old stock I rediscovered – which means I have too much stuff.
And of course there was the “infamous?” bring & buy scrum alley where pitches were offered on a time restricted basis. I could never make up my mind if it was any better than an ordinary bring and buy, except it crucially saved the wargames club members acting as intermediaries – double handling cash and items.
I managed to make some purchases. I never bought bad due to the selling mechanism so thats a good thing.
Whatever your wargaming activity I hope you are able to support your favorite traders despite the pandemic and the decimation it has caused to so many people in so many ways.
“The Supply Chain” is a bit like “hospital beds” a term overly used and missing out the crucial part – “people”. No hospital staff and well beds are useless. The same goes for all suppliers, despite the digital/AI/automation hype, people are still the crucial aspect of suppliers and the services they operate. Their work, largely hidden, is what makes our modern world go round.
Even my hobby activities rely on supply chains, as I do not make my own figures or write books I want to read for that matter.
right now I am gathering some reading material about Italy in the mid 19th Century
My supply chain for wargames has been of necessity online for about 10 years. Although when I think about it I was “online in the 1970’s because if you wanted certain figures you could not buy them at your local store.
I remember back then you could buy the “centre companies napoleonic british infantry” provided that was roughly 5 of each in advancing pose only (hinchliffe I believe) – that was all they had.
So I discovered direct postal sales long before “online” was even dreamed of. And in those days I did not go to shows either, having no means of transport. And anyway I don’t think I was even aware of them as a shopping opportunity.
I bought all my Warrior Miniatures by post in those days. and I still have a few.
So this is a big thank you to all the “people” who provide my miniatures, paints, scenery, brushes, books and the like. Either at shows (remember them) or by post (online).
In some ways nothing has changed although I seem to remember the cost of postage was truly massive to my mind back then – and I was trading in metal too.
superb service from Hannants to drive my latest project – the unification of italy…..
In alphabetical order some of my popular “suppliers” have been
Abe books – various out of print book editions
Antics online – for 1/72 plastics
Colonel Bills – for coat d’arms paints mainly at shows
Coritani (Magnetic Displays) – scenery, paint brushes mainly at shows
e Models – for 1/72 plastics
Hannants – for 1/72 plastics
Irregular Miniatures – 1/72 metallics
Lancashire Games – 1/72 metallics, scenery, rulesets
Models for Sale – for 1/72 plastics
Model Hobbies – for 1/72 plastics
Pendraken Miniatures – for mdf bases
SHQ – 1/72 metallics
Too Fat Lardies – rulesets
Warbases – for mdf bases
Wonderland Models – for 1/72 plastics and kits
World books – various out of print book editions
Tirelessly working to give their customers great service.
Currently reading this great summary of a complex story – needless to say garibaldi looms large yet the story is kaleidoscopic!
So thanks to them all for allowing me to pursue my hobby even in the midst of a global pandemic.
wishing every one a safe and secure christmas and a better year for all in 2021
The Wargaming Erratic 