Showing posts with label Miscellaneous. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Miscellaneous. Show all posts

Saturday, May 9, 2020

A comparison of 25mm American Revolution Miniatures





     Anyone who visits this blog knows I am obsessed with the American Revolution.   Gaming the period, with both board games and miniatures has been a part of my life for too many years.  And during that time I have had three large miniature armies.  My present army has seen me used a number of miniatures.  Not all the figures ranges that are out there but a number of them.  So I thought it might be of interest to show a picture comparison of those figures I use.  Perhaps to help other gamers out there decided which miniatures they will use for their collections.  Please keep in mind that these are my opinions and I would never tell anyone what they have to buy.  Only what I have bought and what I like or do not care for.  I will also show each figure next to each other so gamers may decide what works best for their army.  


Left to right by base  RSM, Eureka, Brigade,
Fife & Drum, Old Glory And Perry Miniatures.



Fife and Drum Miniatures.





My favorite line of miniatures out there.  I have lots of these and the company continues to grow and add new figures.  Again, this is a true labor of love.  Jim is into the period.  If you are familiar with Minden miniatures these are by the same sculpture.  He has also done the figures for Crann Tara miniatures.  These are slim figures with realistic proportions.  Again, the equipment and weapons are in scale.  Jim also is very open to customer suggestions and you just might get that one of a kind figure you wanted. He does British in campaign kit, and has one of the only correct Brigade of Guard's figures out there.  Outstanding Native American Indians.  And the line is still growing!  Super customer service and highly recommended.

Kings Mountain Miniatures.



     King's Mountain Miniatures is a sadly underappreciated and and should be better known.  It is a brilliant line of figures, and extremely flexible.  Most figures have separate heads;  and the owner provides a wide variety of heads and head gear to match.  You want Philadelphia Associators?  You can do it with this range.  Cocked hats, round hats, cousins caps and helmets all available.  The figures are slim and fit in very well with Fife and Drum miniatures.  Best of all these are a true labor of love for the owner.  Bill is a true Rev War enthusiast who commissioned the range to make sure he could the figures he needed.  He is great to do business with and a wonderful individual.  When he found out I was looking for a certain flag he sent me reams of files of flags he had collected over the years to help.  Please take a look at these figures, you will be glad you did!  When I restarted my American Revolution armies these were some of the very first figures I brought. 

http://www.kingsmtminis.com/catalog/


RSM Ltd.

 




     Most 18th century gamers know this company for their Seven Years War range.  Not as well know is their American Revolution line.  Not as extensive as the SYW line the Rev War line has the basics of any army; infantry, cavalry and artillery.  These are slim figures with realistic proportions.  They look like soldiers should look.  Muskets look like the musket I carried in reenactments for years and not oversized clubs.  PLus, they are extremely cost effective.  A bag of 36 infantry cost $29 dollars.  You get a lot of figures for a small amount of money.  For those collecting while on a budget consider this line.  My only negative is that she is starting to show with the molds and sometimes figures are not as detailed as they should be.  Otherwise I highly recommend this line of figures.

http://www.dpcltdcom.org/rsm95_012.htm


Old Glory (second editions).




These are the second edition figures from Old Glory.  Far superior to the original line of figures done years ago.  These are also sold in very economical battalion packs.  Add a sold glory discount card and it's hard not but these figures.  A little taller and more robust then Fife and Drum they are a little smaller then Perry miniatures size wise.  Standards are cast into the figure which is a drawback to me.

Eureka Miniatures.




    Another not familiar range of miniatures which deserves better publicity.  Eureka make some great fugures, and figures you cannot find anywhere else.  I bought the figure range they did for the 14th Continental Regiment (Glover's Marblehead regiment).  A brilliant range with plenty of personality.  There is also a line of "Ragged  Continental " who look, well ragged.  Great and useful fugures.  These created a different regiment then we usually see on the table too.  Certainly not neat parade ground soldiers but hardened men.  

Order within the United States:
https://eurekaminusa.com

Home of Eureka miniatures:
http://eurekamin.com.au

Brigade Games.






     A very new line of figures.  I picked them up because they are the only figure line out there with figures wearing the correct 1775 Bounty Coat.  I felt a couple regiments with mixed bounty coats and regimental coats would look great. These are a very nice group of figures which adds to any army. The variety of clothing and uniforms adds to any regiments appearance.  

 I have not bought any of the British (they wear the regulation uniform ) and the Hessians have not been released yet.  Some of the figures in civilian clothing look a little pirate like, to me as earlier period clothing rather then 1770's. And unlike many of the other figure lines you need to spend some time cleaning up each figure before painting.


Perry Miniatures and Wargames Foundry.






Possibly the most widely used figure for this time period.  They are available in both plastic and metal castings.  They have almost every type of uniform or clothing and also make unusual uniforms like the Volunteers of Ireland.  All are done by the talented Perry Brothers who also did the line for Wargames Foundry.  Because of this and because the two lines compliment each other I have included them together.   Again a little taller and better fed them many of the other ranges.  But on the table top they all work together and your eye makes adjustments.  I would not mix these with other figures in the same regiment. 





Monday, July 2, 2018

Painting Totals 2018



  I have been painting a lot this year.  Some of my figures have come out very good, others just ok.  Since we are at the half way mark through the year I thought I would add up my total figures painted. Civilian figures and farm animals are not included. 
 
 I was a bit surprised at what I have done so far.



American Rev War:
12 Militia Horse
24 Rifle men rev war
30  Smallwood's Maryland
30 Continental line infantry (1st NY)
30 Continental line infantry (3rdNy)
30 Continental line infantry (13th Continental regiment)
30 Continental line infantry (19h Continental regiment)
1  Brigadier




War of 1812:
6 New York militia hussars
24 Militia war of 1812
24 US regulars war of 1812





WAS/SYW:
2 French cannon
8 French gunners
12 French fusiliers
12 French Cavalry

Totals:
242 x  Infantry
31 x Cavalry
2 x Cannon

My plans for the remainder of the year?

  In Rev War I will be adding five more continental line regiments and a militia regiment.   I will be  doing a two gun battery  representing Hamilton's New York  Artillery regiment.   Then I am pretty much done with my American 1776 army.    I would like to add Colonel Rall's brigade of the Rall, Lossberg and Knypausen Hessian regiments if I can afford the miniatures.  For July 4th I am planning a parade of my American Rev War collection. 

In War of 1812 the 41st Regiment of foot and some British flank companies need to be primed and placed in the painting line.  I also have a headquarters group of American officers to do.  It would make a very nice display item. 

I have another French Cavalry Regiment to complete in my mid eighteenth century French army that is half way done;  but for  some reason I just cannot get them done.  After that I am not sure where that project will be going.  I love the figures and they are my most colorful army.  But I just cannot muster the enthusiasm to paint a another army to fight them.  It is possible I may sell or trade them but I can not make up my mind.  We will see.




Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Oh bother....



   No posts since new years due to the real world intruding into my life.

   Winter storm Grayson has disrupted my month.  After a wonderful holiday it was back to normal which is anything but in the airline industry.  The days preceding the storm saw our flights filled to capacity with customers trying to escape the coming sno-ageddon.  Frantic calls of can I rebook my flight were non stop throughout the day.  Flights were cancelled for the storm itself and we did not have to come into the station.  This is a new experience for me as when I
worked ground operations in Boston we had to be there no matter.  Airport operstions, at least in a tiny airport are quite different I guess.  After the storm flights were again booked to capacity but  weather, crew changes and such along the way caused flights to be delayed coming into ORH.  Our shift extended into the evening past midnight at one point.  Things are just getting back to normal now.

   And of course shoveling the snow.  Luckily my son was home from school to help.  Between the two of us we got the job done in record time.  On the weekend enjoyed watching the wild card round of the NFL playoffs.  Some very good games, and one not so exciting game.

   All of which left little hobby time.  No painting yet.  Instead we played a few games of World War One airplanes with the Wings of War game.  This is a fun game just perfect for a snowy day.  Of course my son consistently shoots me down as I am too busy talking about the delightful model planes while he plays the game.  And excellent models they are too.  I have repainted a few planes for aces not yet covered by the extensive range.  After a little research i repainted a spad to represent the lt. David Endicott Putnam's plane.  A local  from the area who not many have heard of but a great favorite of mine.  Also redid a few nieuport 17's to represent members of the Lafayette  escadrille.  I will be posting a few pictures in the future.

   Lastly I have started to add some sorely needed houses to my terrain collection.  The high cost of resin buildings have made them unaffordable to me so I have opted to go with paper card models.  These look very nice and are inexpensive.  There is also a great variety out there to choose from.  Two years ago at Cold Wars I took a class at the hobby university on how to make paper buildings.  It has been very helpful.  Once I get a few more done I will be posting my efforts.  here's looking forward to more time!

Friday, December 29, 2017

I was a painting fool!



  Looking back on 2017 I found this to be the year of massive painting.    I should not be surprised about this as I had replenish my supplies of paint and brushes with some very large purchases.  I was also very motivated by the time periods and the figures themselves to pick up brushes and paint.  I found I like to paint certain figures but not others.  Perry miniatures are a chore for me to paint. Very time consuming.   Fife and Drum, Crann Tara, RSM and Knuckleduster miniatures are a joy.  Not judging the miniatures, but what fits my painting style.


  But still the amounts done are surprising to me.  Best of all I now have good sized armies for American Rev War and War of 1812 ready to go for next year.  I might add a few new regiments.  Ok, who am I kidding here;  with all my favorite miniature companies adding new must have figures I will be adding a few new regiments.   I do have a number of scenarios and small campaigns written for games for next year.  Perhaps this will be the phase of my gaming life I play more then I paint.   I have also starting reviewing my terrain to see what I need and what I want to improve.  Redoing my basing for woods, adding more fence, a Crimean War and eighteenth century camps and other terrain pieces would be nice.  I have also started playing with paper buildings.  There are a interesting variety out there and very cost effective.  After all we play table top miniature games because of the visual appeal!





War of 1812 armies.
Command figures. 4
Royal artillery gunners.   12 figures
American gunners. 6 figures
1st regiment. 24 figures
8th regiment. 24 figured
100th regiment. 24 figures
Incorporated militia regiment. 24 figures
Glengary light infantry regiment. 24 figures
Lincoln militia. 24 figured
1st American rifle regiment. 24 figures
Indians. 24 figures
Niagara Dragoon.   6 figures
19th light Dragoon.  6 figures
1st American Dragoon. 6 figures
Royal marine rocket battery. 4 figures
89th regiment. 24 figures
Upper Canadian militia regiment. 24 figures
49th regiment. 24 figures

286 Infantry
   22 cavalry




American Rev War
Mounted command figures. 4 figures
New York volunteers. 30 figures
Volunteers of Ireland. 30 figures
British legion cavalry. 30 figures
British legion infantry. 30 figures
Royal artillery grasshopper. 4 crew
Regiment von Bose. 30 figures
3 Regiments Of militia. 90 figures
Hunting shirt regiment. 30 figures
3rd light Dragoon. 10 figures
Lee's legion cavalry. 10 figures
Mounted militia. 6 figures
17th Light Dragoons. 6 figures
State regiment. 30 figures

300 Infantry
 36  cavalry or command figures


WAS/SYW   
Dillon. 24 figures
Clare. 24 figures
Royal Ecossais. 24 figures
Orleans. 24 figures
Tournaisis. 24 figures
Saintonge. 24 figures

144 infantry



Total number of painted figures for 2017
730 Infantry
  58 Cavalry

Monday, February 13, 2017

Everybody talking about the cold....

  And now a break from the military miniatures and war games with this commercial interruption.....

  Gosh!  It dips down into the single digits and everyone is worried about the cold.  Schools closed. People worried if planes can fly if it's so cold.  It's the major topic on talk radio today.  Everyone who comes into work has to tell me how cold it is.

  And, we get a couple feet of snow dumped on us for good measure.

  Here is your humble blogger a few years back.  On that day it was thirty degrees below zero with the wind chill on the ramp at Logan.  So to all who are gripping about the cold allow me to quote the great philosopher, "you don't know Butkus about cold!"



       Why did I come back from Key West?


Saturday, December 3, 2016

Works in Progess


  Here it is December.  Back from Florida after helping Janine to take care of her mother and I am now planning out the rest of the year.  It's a very busy time of the year for me both holiday wise but especially work wise.   So here is hoping I can get a little painting time in!

  When I arrived home I had a nice box of goodies from the good people at Knuckleduster Miniatures waiting.  Finally I can start my British/Canadian forces.

   On the painting table I have three regular British battalions, one militia battalion and some artillery crews primed and set to go.
 In addition I have 24 Indians mounted on individual stands also ready to start painting.

Here is how I approach painting.   After cleaning the figures I glue 8 figures  to paint stirring sticks and prime them.  I use black gesso for priming.  Water it down and slop it on with a brush.  I wait for it to dry and then touch up where I missed.  The gesso dries skin tight and does not obscure the figure
details.  Before painting I dry brush each figure white;  so highlights are white and recessed areas stay dark.  Works out nice and helps with shading.  Not as fast as spray priming but more economical in the long run.

  One of the first and major decisions I had recently to make was on my brand of paints.  Due to age (the paint, not me) and the cold I have found most of my hobby paints dried up.  I use acrylics, and have bounced from cheep hobby paints to Vallejo.  Problem is the local craft store is not stocking the craft paints and Vallejo is getting too expensive.  I plan on trying the Coat d'arm paints.  They are the old citadel paints which I liked very much.  Ordered some and  will let you all know how it works out.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

What's next?




Work and life have been cutting into hobby time.  Enjoyed greatly our trip to Ireland, but change in work schedule has thrown me for getting things done.  So to stay in the game I am posting a little humor (always important to have a laugh), and a preview of what I am working on for the next two month's postings.

 Finishing up my War of 1812 Americans.   A battery, and the New York Volunteers regiment are now painted.  Uncoordinated's new artillery are outstanding.  Still working out flags for my volunteers.  Have the information but his to make them.  Will be posting a review of each American brigade along with some historical research on Uniforms and each unit. The War of 1812 is interesting as there is so little information out there compared to better gamed historical periods.


 Mabey not the correct way to play toy soldiers but a brief description of my new ideal table top set up and terrain.  Mixing a old school look with a new era terrain.  Ground cloth, stepped hills and such.  Less model railroad type set up more old school  look.


For rules I have put together a illustrated review of "Charge of the Light Brigade" rules.  A short, simple game with pictures showing how the rules work.  Or at least how I play them.  Also a review of the American Rev War rules I use "Loose Files and American Scramble."

So please stay tuned.....