Bloggers of the World, Unite!

This is an accurate representation of von Peter himself, honest (forgot to take any photos!)

I spent a very pleasant half hour (unfortunately it couldn't be longer due to work, dammit!) today at lunchtime catching up with another antipodean blogger of the Kiwi variety, von Peter himself.

von Peter was gracing Melbourne to see the Napoleon exhibition and take in some of the other attractions available in our fair city, so we made arrangements to meet. As I'm a local and have never actually stayed in a hotel here, I was tested trying to find his accommodation by the agreed time. It didn't help that there were 3 different locations of the same hotel, all tucked down our famous alleyways! Anyway, I found him and we repaired to one of the alleyway nooks for a coffee, kindly shouted by von Peter himself.

I showed him my entry for the La Bricole Summer Painting Challenge in person and got some very nice feedback. We compared rules, figures and generally talked shop for the rest of the time available. I've come to the conclusion that historical wargaming bloggers are a decent bunch of chaps whatever corner of the globe they come from and I wasn't disappointed in this instance.

It's amazing to think of a Kiwi and an Aussie talking about a long dead Frenchman on the other side of the world from his greatest exploits. We both marveled at the technology that brought us together; we wouldn't have even heard of each other before blogging, let alone been able to actually organise the meeting without email.

The world really is shrinking!

Naval Gun and Crew Now With Added Blob & Tackle!

Here's the finished product!

Even though the blocks are a little too large still, they're a huge improvement on the previous attempt at using kitchen twine.

Big thanks to Cadet13 from La Bricole for the inspiration. I don't know why I didn't think of watching Hornblower myself!

Blob and Tackle

After the underwhelming use of kitchen twine, I've gone for a more accurate representation of the block and tackle for the naval gun using the stiff bristles salvaged from our outdoor broom and small blobs of milliput with a double indentation added using the tips of a pair of tweezers. I tried sticking the bristles straight into the blobs, but ended up with a mess, so I'm going to let the blobs harden, then glue the bristles on to them.

Fingers crossed!

This is the arrangement I'm looking for after the putty's hardened:
Single strand either end secured to gun and ground, while the double strand will be glued either end to the  hardened putty. All up it's about 2cm long.

Royal Navy WIP and More Soviets

Work goes head on my naval gun emplacement. I bodged up some gabions using flywire and putty and used more putty for the earthen bank. I've decided to abandon the idea of ropes and pulleys as there isn't enough room.

The first couple of photos show the set up without figures and the last couple with figures and coarse texture gel added. When the gel is dried, it'll be painted and flocking added.

As proof for Jimbo, here's an update on his Soviets. There's more in the pipeline Jim! 

Luckily he's a patient man, because life, study and my own projects keep getting in the way of finishing his commission!

Royal Navy Gun Crew

Here's the progress of my naval gun and crew for the La Bricole Salamanca Summer Painting Challenge.

I intend to make a mini-diorama including a gun-platform, earth bank on either side of the barrels with either plank supports, or gabions if I can be arsed making some! I also plan to make coils of rope attached to the front of the gun with some sort of pulley system for re-positioning the gun (not sure how I'm going to do that yet!).

The figure which looks like he's winding up to punch someone I've decided must be actually pulling the lanyard, so I'll attach a plastic brush bristle from his fist to the gun's vent to represent a taught lanyard in the instant before firing.

The proposed layout of the base. 

Royal Navy Command Stand

 Here's the (almost!) finished command stand for my upcoming naval landing scenario, and first part of the entry in the 'La Bricole Summer Painting Challenge'

The party have just waded ashore, Douglas MacArthur-style, from the whale-boat. While the officer strides purposefully ahead, the sailor and marine keep a weather eye out for those scurvy Frenchies!

I still need to varnish and shade the figures, but besides that, they're done.

For those playing at home, I used Reeves Gloss Gel Medium for the water effect, coloured with Tamiya Sky-blue highlighted with Tamiya  Flat Blue

Bosun Benson

Bosun Benson reporting for duty, Sah!

Next up, I'll stick him, Bertie Bugler and a marine on a base and decorate it suitably for the naval landing scenario.

Ahoy, mateys!

Bertie Bugler, RN and Friend

Here's a start on my command vignette for the latest 'La Bricole' painting challenge. 

Painting Bertie was a doddle after snipping off the plume; Navy blue (what else?) with white piping and black belt and hat. Too easy!

His offsider took a little more effort. This is the first proper conversion beside the odd head swap I've done. The legs didn't quite match up, and his arse looked quite plump after giving him a new set of pins! After a bit more surgery he's a bit more anatomically proportioned though. I'll have to paper over the defects with some modelling clay. After that and a lick of paint I think he'll be ready for shore duty! 

Lt. Bertie Bugler

Bosun Benson

Horatio Hornblower's cousin...Lt. Bertie Bugler RN (and friends)

These will be my entry for... 

First up are the naval gun and crew I will paint and position on a gun platform behind a breastwork of earth-filled gabions and barrels. 

The figures are rather eccentric in their poses. If I can find inspiration (or be bothered!) I might try a little conversion on them

 Second is a command stand for the Naval landing party. This one I'm definitely going to try a conversion with.

This figure's body and upper legs...

...with this figure's lower legs.

He will stand in for a Naval officer, minus the plume from his hat.

Napoleonic Cavalry Charge and Other Stuff

Apparently this video has been kicking around various forums (fora?) for a while, but it came to my attention courtesy of Robert (Benevolent Chastiser of Serfs) of La Bricole forum and Serrez les Rangs blog fame. It shows a recreation of a Napoleonic cavalry charge performed by the cavalry of the French Republican Guard circa 1970 (when your humble correspondent was but a wee babe in arms!).

There is a commentary, but it's in French so some of my francophone friends might be able to tell me what is said! It's a very interesting view of how a cavalry charge may have looked from the start. I was impressed by the noise of the trumpeters, as I never really really thought of the volume generated, but I suppose that's accurate as they trumpet tunes indicated various commands that needed to be heard by everyone.

I also liked the aerial shots showing how ragged the line becomes once full speed was reached.

Speaking of La Bricole, there is now another painting challenge being run; this time to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Salamanca. The form it takes this time is to create a small vignette of command figures or morale markers etc. I still haven't entered, but may still yet dive in with a command stand for my Naval landing party!

Another member of the La Bricole family, Kawe (aka Schrumpfkopf of Grossbeeren 1813) has started an online shop selling quirky 28mm figures for wargaming, dioramas etc. He's bypassed the usual infantry marching, charging, firing etc. to concentrate on the more unusual, including Prussian medical services (including ambulance), French engineers in full armour and kilt-clad Highlanders showing everyone what's under their kilts! All the figures are sculpted by the talented and prolific Paul Hicks.

Click the image below to go to the store. There's also a link in the sidebar in the retailers section.

Good luck with the venture, Kawe!

To the Victor go the Spoils!

The winners of the inaugural 'La Bricole" painting competition have been announced!

While I didn't win, I came a creditable equal 4th along with von Blucher's 15mm AB 1806 Prussian Fusiliers and Archduke Charles' 28mm Foundry and Victrix Austrian Landwehr.

It was a lot of fun and definitely a boon in making one disciplined enough to finish a unit within a given time period . However, a few members fell by the wayside as the time pressure became too great :(.

The standards were very high and while I didn't really think I had a chance against some of the beautiful figures and painters in the competition, it didn't stop me doing the best I could. The quality was top-notch and the winners were very deserving of their prizes. Well done Bryce and Paul!

I'll be coming back for the second comp. in whatever form it takes, and I'd encourage you to join too, if you'd like to join in a bit of gentlemanly competition!

1st place:
Greystreak's Libavskii Russian Infantry Regiment (28mm Foundry)

2nd place:
Lieutenant Hausmann's Saxon Infantry Regiment (von Low's)(15mm AB)

"Les pinceaux de la guerre" La Bricole Painting Competition - Voting Begins!

The painting competition over at the La Bricole forum has wrapped up with the voting process now underway. I can report I'm currently in the middle of the field with the voting opening a couple of days ago. I can report that none of the votes for my entry were made by me (no, honestly!).

The standard is very high with Greystreak's beautiful Russian infantry and Paul's exquisite Saxons leading the voting, but there are some other lovely entries that also are great contenders, too. Commiserations to those who didn't manage to meet the deadline, but there's still plenty of lovely work to be seen with these projects interrupted by the vagaries of real life!

Go to the forum to check out the entries and check on the voting tally (which closes on April 17th), and if you feel inspired, join up and vote! La Bricole is a great, friendly, fun place for enthusiasts of wargaming the Napoleonic period. The combined knowledge of the members is a great resource if you meet a dead-end in your research, and there is always much positive feedback to works-in-progress and completed projects.

Many thanks go to Robert for organising the competition and sourcing the prize, too.

Win, lose or draw, it's been a great incentive to get my Italian project off the ground. I'll keep on with it over the year. Who knows; maybe I'll finish it off with next year's entry? ;-)

2 ° Reggimento Fanteria - Finalmente finito!

Well, I've put the final touches on the 2nd Italian Regiment of the Line with flag added and last layer of matt spray applied. Now to upload them onto La Bricole and see how I go in the competition.

The prize has been announced; Digby Smith's 1st volume of Napoleon's Division in Spain (not that I expect to win or anything; just keeping my fingers, toes and eyes crossed!)

In column

In line

Command stand

Voltiggiore

Advancing/charging

March attack 

Granatiere

The Prize!

"Les pinceaux de la guerre" - La Bricole painting competition

Robert of "Serrez la Rangs", who also doubles as Olsuviev, Despotic Chastiser of the Serfs and Grand High Poobah of Forum Discipline and President of the Russian Army's IXth Corp Karaoke Appreciation Society (or moderator of the la Bricole forum) has hit upon the idea of a painting competition for January/February. The votes are in and the subject for the competition is "Bog Standard" (otherwise known as line units) and "Militia" (exactly what you'd expect!).

I've put my hand up to participate, but now face a quandry of what to paint. I'm stuck between Italians, of whom I've been hankering to paint some for a while (especially as I have a ton of surplus French figures!), and Wurttembergers, of which I've bought the HaT set recently and look forward to painting as the 1st non-Peninsular War army in my collection.

What should I paint, dear readers? Italians or Wurttembergers? (leave comments, or vote in the poll!)