the future....part 1

My "wargaming space" clear out continues at a steady pace. I have decided to be ruthless with my lead mountain and i have restricted myself to six draws of unpainted lead. Each draw will house a different project. This is a five year plan, but being as fickle as any other easily distracted wargamer, where the mood and my imagination takes me, i am sure to follow.

So here it is in order of importance

PROJECT 1. NAPOLEONIC 1815

This is where i am spending most of my hobby time right now. The 28mm Napoleonic wargamer is now truly spoilt for choice when it comes to figures and rules. Over the last few years Perry miniatures Napoleonics range has kept growing at a fantastic rate. With the new golden age of hard plastic figures upon us having huge armies is now something we can all reasonably budget for. This was one of the reasons I got back into Napoleonics in the first place. I have had a seven year break after selling off my massive Austrian and French 1809 campaign armies, which i created using AB figures 15mm range.

So with that in mind, how comes the regiments which I am starting my new collection with are all metal figures? it would of been much cheaper and simpler for me to buy and paint up half dozen British and French battalions using the box sets available and just add the plastic cavalry regiments. Especially now Perrys have announced their British hussars plastic box set.


But, no. That would be far to easy...
What really caught my imagination was reading "The Battle of Quatre Bras" by Mike Robinson. A fantastic book which I literally could not put down.
So I have plunged headlong into recreating the forces involved in this confusing, exciting and very messy battle. Luckily for me there were some very interesting and colourful regiments involved. being your typical Englishman and proud, I shamefully no next to nothing about our allies in the conflict, except that they were just there to make up the numbers......
So when I am not changing nappies or painting I am educating myself by researching the Dutch, Belgian and German armies of 1815.

PROJECT 2. DARK AGE ENGLAND

I already have an army of hairy Norwegians which I have gamed with regularly over the past few years, it is currently and slowly evolving into a Hiberno-Norse force with the addition of some Gripping beast and Crusader Irish.

I have recently bought WAB2 and look forward to my first game using the army under the new rules on the 23rd October. We are playing a what if? scenario. What if Hardrada had beat Godwinson at Stamford bridge and made his way south to face Billy the bastard.

I will write up a detailed battle report on my rather forgotten blog link

To be continued....

14 down 29 to go....

Well its taken me over a week, but i now have 14 green coated Germans finished.
I would like to say the next lot will be quicker now i have my new bulb. But sadly I need to concentrate on finishing some commissions over the next four weeks. That will then give me only one week to paint, varnish and base all 43 Nassauers plus 4 Dutch guns and their crews, if I am going to remain on schedule for SELWG. Here I will be treating myself to the next purchase on my list. Its a big one, again with two different languages. They will look stunning but may well be the Napoleonic wargamers equivalent of a King Tiger. Not that I am getting to excited thinking about it!
First I have work to do.