I'm delighted to have the privilege of showing you Kevin East's latest efforts for his contribution to our La Haye Sainte scenario at 1:3 scale next Summer. This set is a bit special being an artillery battery rendered as a compromise between full numbers (should be about 60-70 figures representing about 200 men) and a suitably busy battery on the wargames table. Kevin tells the full story in his own words:
"Hi all, here’s the latest endeavor from my
paint brush for the 1:3 Waterloo games we are putting on during next summer. A
Royal Horse Artillery battery at our figure ratio. OK, I know I am missing a third limber (which
will be coming from a different collector) and also Chris will be supplying
another 6 mounted RHA riders and also a little ‘horse holding’ vignette similar
to the one you see here. So once the other collaborators' figures are there
then we will have the complete scene we intend. (Ross's battery sited near the crossroads - CG)
Of course not all the figures will be on
the wargames table at the same time,
unlike the complete group photo, as some represent the RHA limbered and
in motion (i.e. mounted crew and limbers with cannon) . Horse holding will be
there when the artillery are unlimbered and firing ( i.e. the crew dismounted and cannon removed from the limbers). Obvious
really, but interesting to note the group photo could never be possible in the
game.
The figure manufacturers are mainly Foundry
with pose conversions on a number of them, holding different items, moved
arms, etc. This helps the overall look as otherwise too many would have had
similar postures. There are also Perry figures; the smithy (which you will have
seen before (kevin-forges-ahead)), one of the limbers and all the horses in the horse holding
vignette – the latter being converted British Light Dragoon horses at
standstill. I removed the reins and carbines by grinding and added strips of a
‘tomato puree’ tube flatted out for the Foundry rider to hold their reins. In
this case the mix of the two manufacturers are fine I think. I managed to find
an ammunition caisson made by that fantastic company of all things that are wagon - Westfalia Miniatures, which has three altered
Foundry RHA crew with it. I need to gain a second one for the 1:3 Royal Foot Artillery I will be
doing soon – more postage from Germany!
There is also a converted RHA officer rider
as a casualty on a home made base similar to the ones that Warbases manufacture
with a rotating numbered dial for casualty clarification. I showed this design
to Warbases back in 2010 but felt that the 6mm depth (necessary for the 3x 2mm
roundels) of stand they required was too deep for my use, and they then put the
idea into manufacture. I am delighted they did so. Cool! However, I continue to
manufacture my own at 4.5mm in depth!
The recent abundance of figures at 1:3 is doing little
for my 1:20 ratio that I am used to! But I have worked out a cunning plan to
gain use of the figures for what would be two 1:20 RHA batteries (that is six guns with four figures per gun). Fortunately Foundry’s provision of 3 free guns came when
I purchased multiples of the same pack of RHA command…….very useful! My two limber crews will do just fine for
this situation. I really don’t need another……honest!
I also include a couple of vignettes of
rocket troops that were at Waterloo. Being lovely figures from Warlord games. I
just couldn’t resist them so here they are. I will base the rocket ladder
eventually after our games this summer. (A section of Whinyates battery with the small rockets will appear in our LHS scenario - CG)
Hope you like the photos!
Cheers. Kevin"
Yes, Kev I certainly did and they will bring our game an even more majestic feel once those guns come into action!
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Addendum - another addition to the set , Kevin has done a wrecked cannon to represent a damaged gun temporarily or permanently out of action, that's when we can use his field forge vignette!
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Addendum - another addition to the set , Kevin has done a wrecked cannon to represent a damaged gun temporarily or permanently out of action, that's when we can use his field forge vignette!
