Waterloo Project: RHA at 1:3 .....well, almost!

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!

Waterloo Project: A bit of fun for the Season of Goodwill

Hopefully I'll put up some very fine photos soon of Kevin's latest work on the project but meanwhile....some idle banter and a chance to show your knowledge.
I got a Warlord Games newsletter this week advertising their rather super model of Marshal Ney. Too pricey for me so I forwarded the info to Kevin and Paul, my chief partners in our Waterloo project. I pointed out that a model of Ney will be needed for front line duty in my refight of the La Haye Sainte theatre of the battle. It turned out that Kevin alreday has two versions of Ney waiting to be painted, and so Paul said he would relegate his Ney to the French substitutes bench........

Before we go on have a look at this splendid painting by Mark Churms of our Waterloo Hero.

you can buy prints and originals of Mark's Work here
Mark Churms Napoleonic art

Now, in a whimsical mood, the football analogy got me thinking so I put forward a little idea.
What would be your dream team for the 1815 European Cup Final?
I start the ball rolling with the following:
 Goalkeeper - Arthur "Nosey" Wellesley (safe pair of hands, can be relied upon not to let anything cross the goal line)
Striker - Marshal "Vorwarts" Blucher (keeps on striking even when he's down)
Midfield general - Napoleon "Boney" Bonaparte (can devise and execute brilliant tactics on a good day)
Good all rounder -  Michel "Brave des Braves" Ney (tenacious in attack, stalwart in defence, but liable to risk a booking with erratic behaviour)
Defender - Marshal "Misunderstood" Grouchy (cautious going forward but a master in retreating to the goal line)

And paul added:

Left Winger - Jerome Bonaparte ( always calling for and hogging the ball...)

Any more suggestions?

Only one restriction:

Must have been alive at the start of the French invasion of Belgium on 15th June 1815, so sorry fans of Lasalle, Lannes, Berthier, Sir John Moore etc.

Readers can join in with team positions from Rugby, American Football, Aussie Rules Football etc, if more appropriate than "soccer".

Normal service temporarily suspended

It's been a long time in coming and I've "bored for Britain" on the joys of architects, builders, ground source heat pumps, insulation, solar panels and sundry craftspersons, but the Duchess and I are finally moving (permanently we hope) as of next week. I thought on my wargaming blog it might be appropriate to show some photos of the space I've negotiated for myself on the ground floor.

This will be the first time in my married life I'll have had a space of my own dedicated to my hedonistic pastimes of wargaming, model making and painting pictures. Because it will have multiple uses my plan is not to have a large permanent wargames table but rather a series of semi permanent work tables and then lots of sturdy collapsible tables that can make up the desired table size. With any luck, allowing for the more rotund members of my group to get round it, we'll have enough space to do our Waterloo games next Summer on a minimum of 12 feet by 6 feet with sundry add-on bits depending on the scenario.

Of course it also has to house cabinets of models soldiers, cupboards of scenery and terrain boards  (stored in the roof space by the windows). The cold look of the tiles should be offset by the underfloor heating (so you'll be warm enough in stockinged feet, Pete!) but some rugs might help it feel softer. There is plenty of lighting provided by three flourescent lights, a bank of movable spotlights for the cabinets, and some LED down lights.

If the game gets boring the view from the windows is not bad - looking over one of Stroud's five beautiful valleys.

This is a photo looking down on the small area outside the back door, which on nice days is a sun-trap, facing South-west . We've had it landscaped and seeded to make a space I can work in the fresh air, but it will also make a nice breakout area during games for the players to discuss tactics etc.

There is never enough storage space so luckily I will have half the double garage to keep the less precious stuff.

There's always a down side isn't there? For us it's that the house is far from finished and when we move in there is an awful lot to do to make it habitable and before we can unpack and find homes for everything. Also, being way off the beaten track, getting decent internet is near impossible yet and I'm having to use a limited data package. I've no idea how severely I'll find my on-line presence curtailed and will be feeling my feet for a few weeks. Hence the title of this blog as I'm unlikely to have much time to post any news  or have anything worth showing for a while.

Also my email address, which I've had for about 12 years, will change (apparently it will still work for a few weeks) and I'll be notifying regular contacts, but if you want to know it just try the old one or post a request on here.