A Mixed Bag

Today's offering is a bit of a mixed bag.

To start off, Matt (Wargames in the Dungeon) joined me in a remote game on Friday.  We fought the Battle of Zallaqah with Matt taking command of the Muslim army.  For those taking count, this is Game #4 in the Zallaqah refights.  Not unlike Alfonso VI, I learned an important lesson in this battle.  Hope I can commit this lesson to memory for next time!  Details for another day.

Spanish cavalry's inglorious retreat!

On the painting front, December painting productivity has really picked up.  Not unexpected given my seasonal painting tendencies over the years.  Completed units are stacking up at the light box like cordwood before winter.  Some units from projects not seen in a long, long time are moving out.  Well, a few, never!  I may be winding up the year on a high note on the painting front. 

First out from the workbench is a bit of a clean-up.  That is, a few miscellaneous figures were pulled out and sent into the painting queue for a quick win or three.  What emerges are three units from three different projects.  Mustering out are a three-figure command stand for the Reconquista (BTD and Crusader), a two-figure command stand for the SYW (Eureka), and a Norwegian two-figure machine gun stand (Peter Pig) for WWII.  Whew!  Glad to have these out of the way in order to tackle some bigger units.    

On Tuesday, I expect to see Pharsalus return to the kitchen table in 6mm using Commands & Colors for a series of games before Christmas.  Have not had Caesar v Pompey out in a long time.  Should be fun.

Pharsalus

On the big table, downstairs, Zallaqah will be cleared away and a new battle contemplated.  Current thoughts point to the anniversary of Wakefield on 30 December.  I need to design a scenario and get busy.  Wakefield poses some challenges for a scenario design and requires careful thought.  Wakefield may be the first game to see action in the New Year.  We will see.  My mind and motivations wander.

Next time, either more painted figures, the last Zallaqah battle report, or something completely different!

Been a Long Time...

Yes, a long time has passed since I last fielded a new unit for the 28mm Punic Wars project.  Besides some game markers, the last unit to march out from the painting desk was a pair of Gaestatae units back in NOV 2021.  Nearly four years since the project witnessed any activity on the painting front.

The main reason that no new units have appeared in a long time is that there are not that many figures left in The Lead Pile.  Really, only a bunch of odds and ends remain with not much chance of fielding complete units unless I push some skirmishers into the production queue.  Already, plenty of skirmishers have mustered out such that more are not needed.  Still, I may paint and field these skirmishers someday to get them out of The Lead Pile.

With that explanation (excuse?) laid bare, today sees one more unit of Libyan heavy spearmen march out from the painting desk.  These thirteen figures had to be scraped together to form one more heavy spear unit.  Most of the figures are Renegade Miniatures but the Renegade cadre is augmented by a couple of Aventine figures and even possibly a Crusader figure or two.  Good to have these figures painted and out of The Lead Pile!

On the gaming front, no game this week.  Today's game at Scott's was called due to illness (not mine!).  Looking to get that game back onto the schedule.  Having cleared my table of the four-game run of Mortimer's Cross, my attention is turning toward horse & musket periods.  At present, I am focused on recreating a couple of battles from the War of Polish Succession.  Much work needs to be accomplished before I am ready to bring these to the table.  Study continues on scenario design and development.  Hopefully something tangible to share in the near future.

Clearing Out The Bins

As mentioned in an earlier post (see Cretan Archers & Survey Time) on the need to consolidate and organize The Lead Pile, work on that front sees progress.  Continued digging surfaced the following three candidate bins for completion.

First up are two stands of Assyrian heavy slingers from Wargames Foundry.  As expected, this venerable range of figures continues to set the benchmark as a superb range of Biblicals.  While more Foundry Assyrians remain in inventory, these represent the last of the slingers.  Being out of slingers is good since already more slingers are present than recommended for most Army Lists.

Next off the painting desk are more skirmishers.  This time, I switch gears to field Celts for the Punic Wars project.  One stand each of slingers and bowmen can take to the field.  Perhaps when conditions allow for a reconsideration of Telamon these lads will see action?  These eight figures are from Crusader Miniatures and Black Tree Design.

Finally, I dug out six Cuban Rebels for the Spanish-American War project.  While not enough on their own to form a BMU, I can add these two stands to existing formations to bolster numbers.  Figures are Old Glory.

Besides these half-dozen rebels, the Spanish-American War project is seeing increased activity at the painting desk.  In work are a couple of units of Spanish infantry and a couple of units of American volunteer infantry.

Old Glory's SAW range of figures is always a joy to paint.  The figures are big and easy on the eyes.  Few uniforms are as smart looking as the American uniform during this conflict.  Quite a practical outfit too.

After allowing my Old Glory Army Card to lapse several years ago as I moved away from projects based on Old Glory figures, I renewed my card recently.  After considering my options, I moved on an impulse to expand an existing project using Blue Moon figures.  I am sure to find other Old Glory products to add to The Lead Pile over the coming year.  No matter how fast I paint, my Lead Pile may never shrink...

Celts on Parade

Having worked on churning out one Celtic unit per month, on average, in 2019 and with the stash of Celtic figures exhausted, time for a parade. 

Figures are a mix of Crusader Miniatures, Black Tree Design, and 1st Corps.  There might even be some Renegade figures lurking about too.  A few chariots from Newline Designs are on the way but beyond that, The Lead Pile is now devoid of Celts. 

Totals for this sub-project thus far are:

• 162 foot in 12 warbands
• 2 chariots
• 28 cavalry

Looking at the size of this force, I think the Battle of Telamon is now finally attainable.

With the SYW battle of Kunersdorf in work on the gaming table, recreating Telamon must wait until Kunersdorf clears the deck.  That could be months away.  When I am ready, the Celts will be too. 

Last of the Celts?

No, not the last of the Celts but the last of the warbands.  The warband mustering off the painting desk today is the last of the Crusader Miniatures' Celts in The Lead Pile. The BTD Celts were exhausted long ago.  The bad news is that having waited since May for a resupply from BTD, I cancelled my order.  The good news is that I received a refund and an apologetic note from the proprietor.  While no more warbands are in the offing, an order from Newline Designs is on its way containing a couple of chariots.  That will round out the Celtic collection nicely.

These dirty dozen Celts make up the 12th warband fielded in total and the 9th warband fielded in 2019.  With a dozen warbands, Telamon is not far off.  I sure would like to deploy a couple more chariots, though.  The chariots will be arriving any day.  Pushing them into the painting queue upon arrival, a year-end deployment is possible.  

Having painted a dozen Celtic/Gallic BMUs in 2019, I think it time for a parade to see the Celts en masse.  The Celtic component of my 28mm Ancients project has more than doubled in 2019.  Of course, a number of other projects saw progress in 2019 too.  Looking at the Painting Log, total figure count is approaching 1,600 that have crossed the painting desk in 2019.  At the beginning of the year, I marked out a goal of 900 painted figures.  I may reach 1,600 by year-end.  Still, The Lead Pile never seems to shrink. 

Celtic Cavalry

Following up on the Celtic warband of last week, two units of Celtic cavalry trot out from the painting desk.  The two stands muster out as medium cavalry suitable for either Impetvs or To the Strongest!  Figures are from Crusader Miniatures.

With four BMUs of Celtic cavalry now available for battle, the core of the Celtic cavalry contingent for Telamon may be in place.  If needed, another two BMUs of Germanic cavalry can be pressed into service to fill out the ranks.  Spanish heavy horse could see action too if the OB requires more cavalry.  I really should begin looking closely at the force strengths and begin refining an OB.  After focusing much of my attention on fielding Celts, I may find I need to call up more Romans for battle.  With one more Celtic warband in work, I will pull the collection together and put together a representative battle plan.  Am I nearly completion?  I think so.  Time to find my source material on Telamon and build the Order of Battle and a scenario.  Will the battle be fought using Impetvs or To the Strongest?  Perhaps both but TtS! is more recently in mind.  

Work at the painting desk was brisk last week.  A couple of hundred 10mm ACW infantry saw action as did more work on the 30mm ECW project.  One of the units for the ECW project included the first glimpse of 1st Corps' expanding ECW range.  The 1st Corps' cavalry figures in work are very nice and seem to fit in well with the Redoubt cavalry that dominates the collection.        

Yet Another Celtic Warband

Yes, one more Celtic/Gallic warband storms off the painting desk today.  This dozen warriors comprises the third Celtic warband from Crusader Miniatures completed in 2019 and the eighth such warband unit for the year.  With almost one per month, that is a good rate of production and builds up an army quickly.  Enough Crusader Miniatures' figures remain in The Lead Pile to field one more warband.  When this last is completed, a dozen warbands will be ready to take to the field.  Will this be enough for a scaled down Telamon battle?  It may be but I need to work out the details. 

Two BMUs of Celt cavalry are in work and will be joining the Celtic army soon.  Plans were to add a couple more chariots and two more cavalry units but those plans have been dashed by the non-delivery of a Black Tree Design USA order placed in May.  Even after the proprietor made a call for those awaiting orders to contact him, my repeated emails have gone unanswered.  After more than five months, I recently gave up and submitted a claim to Paypal.  We will see if I get either the goods or my money.

With BTD orders seemingly in limbo, a search for compatible chariotry begins.  Options include Newline Designs, Foundry, and Crusader.  Will any of these approach the size of BTD?  Unlikely but the army needs a few more good chariots.  I see that the Crusader cabs are MDF rather than metal.  That is a surprise to me!  With Newline announcing their annual Holiday sale, I may give their chariots a try since I have a few things needed for other projects.  

On the gaming front, a refight of the 1840's India game using Commands & Colors is planned for this weekend.

Celts from Crusader

The steady stream of warbands emerging from the workbench continues.  This time, a surprise.  A dozen Celts scramble off the painting desk but no more BTD Celts.  Having exhausted the stockpile of BTD Celts, attention turns now to Crusader Miniatures figures. 

First, these Crusader figures are superbly sculpted.  Secondly, I ordered a medium-sized boxful of these figures from NorthStar Miniatures during a recent Bargain Sale.  Several of the Celtic collections were deeply discounted so perfect time to strike.  I filled my cart on this offer.  During the first six months of 2019, I managed to add one warband to the collection each month.  With a pile of Crusader lead in-house, perhaps that rate can be maintained until fall?

With Telamon as an immediate goal for all of the Celts, I need to soon stop and take an assessment on how this steady progress is driving toward this objective.  If the cavalry contest is excluded, there may be enough BMUs to produce at least a bathtubbed version of the battle soon.  I really should see where I stand with respect to progress made and effort remaining.

28mm Reconquista - Spanish

While I await arrival of a Reconquista resupply from BTD containing handfuls of cavalry, I pushed two more units out from the painting desk.  I may be waiting awhile for the BTD delivery since BTD typically gets inundated with orders during their 50% discount offerings.  No matter; I have other items to paint.

First up is a command stand composed two of mounted figures left over from two, unrelated packs.  The Berber light cavalry figure is from Gripping Beast while the other is from Artizan Designs.  This command stand will be fielded as an attached leader in Impetvs games.

The second unit is a 12 figure stand of Crusader Spanish heavy infantry in mail from the El Cid range.  Great sculpts with much character.  As a bonus, Crusader figures fit well with my hordes of Black Tree Design Moors.  

Hoplites in 28mm

A baker's dozen hoplites pass across the painting desk.  The rank and file are Crusader Miniatures while the officer is (I believe) Aventine.  The officer's lineage is unknown since he was one of the figures included in a lead swap with Scott.  This stand of heavy infantry can join a similar stand of hoplites (see here) to form a large FP unit in Impetvs if desired.  The hoplites in the link above have been rebased to comply with Impetvs.  More heavy foot for the Carthaginians.

Straggling Packages and CC: Napoleonics

Kevin and I met to give his newly arrived and stickered Command & Colors: Napoleonics expansion "Austria" an initial test.  The scenario selected was Wertingen.  Wertingen occurred at the beginning of the 1805 campaign where Oudinot's Advanced Guard caught the Austrians off balance.  Initial deployments have the French with an elite force heavily dominated by heavy cavalry.  Austrians are spread across the board with limited cavalry but numerous infantry.

Initial deployments

In the initial phase of the battle, both forces advance towards the center.  Artillery exchanges cause some casualties.  On the French right, Austrians advance to within small arms range of the French grenadiers and begin a harassing fire.  Weakened by musketry, the grenadiers are charged by the lone Austrian heavy cavalry.  In a protracted melee, the grenadiers are destroyed.  Austrian line occupy most villages and prepare their defense.  

Combatants advance

With the right under threat and French cavalry taking fire from the villages, the French shift the bulk of their Advance Guard to the right.   In retaliation for the destruction of the French grenadiers, French cuirassiers hit the weakened Austrian cuirassiers.  The Austrian horse is destroyed.  Having most of the French occupying the right sector meant the French player would lose the initiative as unplayable cards were discarded one after the other. 

French make a right shift

Taking advantage of the French paralysis, the Austrians bring their gun and infantry up to musketry range.  Large, five block Austrian infantry coupled with little armed French opposition ensure that Austrian infantry excel in any protracted fire fights.  Pounding continues until the French breakpoint is reached.  Austrian victory! 

In the mail this week, several stragglers and replacements arrived.

First, Wargaming in History Volume 8 on the 1866 Austro-Prussian appeared after a lengthy back order.  Looking forward to spending time with this work over the holidays.

Second, a straggling pack of Crusader Miniatures' Spanish Spearmen for the Reconquista project arrived.  Great figures!  I would like to get a few more of these.  This single pack followed the main Caliver order by two months.  A couple of emails to Caliver were needed to keep this missing pack on the radar.

Finally, my earlier report detailing a Minden Miniatures' purchase with eight musketeers having broken bayonets was resolved.  Jim kindly sent eight replacement Prussians in a well-reinforced pack.  No damage with this batch.

On the painting desk, a number of different projects are seeing activity. They are:

• Napoleonic British dragoons in 28mm
• AWI British infantry in 28mm
• Campanian hoplites in 28mm
• Samurai foot in 15mm
• Reconquista African spearmen in 28mm
• Rebasing Spanish for SAW

Most of the above should move off the painting desk within the week.

UK Figures Without Shipping Charge!

Ordering figures from U.K. manufacturers can be expensive for those of us in the U.S.A. or "Rest of the World."  Some charge as much as 40% shipping but rates have come down to an average of about 25-30% per order value.  Not outrageous but still a fair amount of overhead to swallow when purchasing from the U.K.  I should note that many U.S. manufacturers and distributors charge around 15% for shipping within the CONUS.

By examining the overseas package when it arrives, the 25-30% shipping charged is usually quite close to the actual shipping expense incurred.  No overcharging for postage from the vendors with whom I trade.

Probably not new to many but I recently discovered a means to bypass these shipping charges on select U.K. figures.  

How?  Order your figures from Caliver Books! 

On select ranges, Caliver ships for free.  Yes, free!  As a test, I placed a small order for Artizan, Crusader, and NorthStar figures and accessories.  Indeed, the order was post free! The order arrived within one week too.  As a bonus, Caliver's prices are up to 12.5% less than the Artizan web price for their figures. 

Nice!

Now, gone are the heady days when Crusader figures could be had at 40% discount through Old Glory but every little bit helps, right?

28mm Crusader Hoplites

The batch of Crusader hoplites shown in their primed state in my earlier primer/Dull Cote posting, marched off the painting table.  These hoplites are very well sculpted with great detail.  The Crusader figures fit nicely with the Renegade, Aventine, and BTD  figures currently fielded in the collection.  When I bought these figures, no solid plan for their use existed.  Having always been interested in painting Greek hoplites, it would have been nearly impossible to pass up an opportunity to grab several packs when they were on discount.  Clearly, I didn't resist the temptation. 

How will I use these figures?  My plan is to field these fine hoplites as mercenaries for the Punic Wars project.