Cold Wars 2018 part 2

 We arrived on Thursday to register and were pleasantly surprised.  The Lancaster Host has been bought by a new owner who is renovating the old building.  Yes there is construction going on.  New walls, wiring and carpets.  Rooms being given a face lift.  Next year this place will be unrecognized.

  And so too was the convention.  A new board of directors has shaken things up and improved things.  Registration was a surprise.  There was a small army of attentive volunteers who helped direct you where to go.  If you are registered there was a kiosk to print out your badge.  Next to it was a table where friendly people handed out handbags of goodies for attending.  The entire procedure took two minutes instead of the usual fourth five minutes.  Outstanding!

Old registration

New registration

  The dealers area was likewise changed.  I liked the main building for the dealers hall.  The hall was large, well lighted and bright.  Not too noisy;  you could be heard without shouting.  Plenty of room to walk and not get knocked over.  Dealers were friendly and talkative.  Very nice! No pictures, too busy to much to see!

Games were abundent.  And all looked good.  People were having fun.  Could be me but it appeared to be very few fantasy type games and more historical.

WW1 game .Great visual of a artillery bombardment.

Someone is having a bad day!

War of 1812 game.  British raid in the Chessapeak.

I really like these landing barges.

Great looking farm. I would like to add items to my table.

Beautiful 6mm game.  Italy 1859.

Beautiful Rev War game ruined by the beer bottle.

Love little details on the board.

WW2 game.  Nice terrain!

The flea market Friday night was held from 9:00 on to midnight .Again I liked the new room.  Lots of room to walk and still see everything.

  All in all a wonderful  weelend!  My compliments to management. They have improved Cold Wars. We have booked our rooms for  2019 and are looking forward to next year.

Cold Wars 2018

 

   Oh joy! Oh rapture!   Yes folks, it that time of the year again. The annual trip to Cold Wars.  This is the third of the trioka of the Historical Miniatures Gaming society's conventions.  Because it is held in the off season it usually has a slightly lower attendance then the other two events.  This translates into a calmer and more relaxed atmosphere which I like. It also does not interfere with family vacations. It is a time to indulge myself and enjoy all that is wonderful about this great hobby.  Fun, games, shopping, socializing and learning.

     Each year myself and my friend George take time off to drive down for the long weekend. We have been doing this for I cannot remember when.  This year we are leaving early (Wednesday) to get there and get settled. Then we will take in the New Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelpia for a day.  I have heard it is incredible and have been looking forward to visiting.

Mark and George on the way to Cold Wars 2018

Mounted Militia

  Ohhhhhh, shinny!!!!

   About this time last year, just before the Seven Years War convention Jim Purky of Fife and Drum Miniatures mentioned he was going to put on the Battle of Cowpens as his convention game.  He needed mounted militia for his American order of battle.  So he converted a number of figures into mounted militia. You can do this if you are talented and you own the miniature company.    They looked outstanding, and I said if he ever put them into production I would buy them.  Well, be careful what you wish for.

   Just weeks ago Jim released these new figure.  All casted and new and shinny.  And Jim's siren like voice called to me. "Look Mark, what wonderful new figures I have.  You really need these Don't you.  You just have to have these and your armies will not be complete until you have them.  And look, I made special packs at a special price."   Yup, and like a fashion model at a buffett I couldn't help myself.  In record time they were in my mail box and on my painting table .

  These are wonderful outstanding miniatures.  Each figure is very different and conveys the image of militia.  For American Rev War armies in the southern campaign 1780-81 these figures are a must have.  Many militia regiments were mounted in the South.  This gave them extra mobility and a will o the wisp quality.  In addition there were a number of regiments which acted as mounted battle cavalry. See the mounted militia at Cowpens who served with Washington's Dragoons.  These units created all kinds of problems for the Crown forces.   There extra mobility ment they could turn up where you  least expected them. If the Battle was not going well they could retreat to their mounts and escape to fight another day.  British General Charles O'Hara mentioned this as one of the reasons why fighting a conventional campaign there was doomed.  One side was playing chess the other checkers.

  In my American army I have my militia organized into brigades.  These include two battalions of infantry, one rifle and a mounted militia cavalry regiment.  I have three such brigades.  Each provides a good size command for a player and is based on a historical order of battle for the commands of Pickens, Sumter and Davies.  In addition to provide uncertainty in one off games players roll once for moral the first time a unit comes under fire.  It can then be rated regulars,  second class, militia or poor levy.  remember that militia in the South of her contained many continental soldiers, ex continental and very long term militia.  This rule  reflects the quality of militia much better historically during the campaign.

Works in progress and new paints

  March is turning into a very productive month.  My bathroom project in the basement is moving ahead great guns.  Shower and most water pipes installed and now time to put up dry wall.  But that is not why you visit here!  I am working on new regiments and have started using new paints.


  Again, after my great painting splurge of 2017 I find my self with lots of dryed out empty paint tins.  While I use craft paints for terrain, I needed to buy a great number of new paints for my present projects.  I had tried the Reaper brand of paints at the Cold Wars Hobby University and liked them.  Bottled similar to Vallejo paints they appeared to have a better quality to them. They also dry flat.  On the Fife and Drum miniatures forums William19 dang their praises and have given me a lot of advice on why he uses them.   I sent off for a bunch of colors I could use.  Reaper included a very nice box to store them in.  Good service here people.  I will be a repeats customer.   So for this year at least I am a Reaper painting fool.

  What is on my painting table?  I am working on two small regiments of mounted militia for the Rev War.  These are brand new castings from Fife and Drum miniatures.  As with all their figures these are great.  A wide variety of poses, and clothing and equipment. In other words they look like militia!

  I have also primed and started Maxwell's Grenadier battalion.  These were the Grenadier companies from the six British Minden regiments.  Again, Fife and Drum and Minden miniatures are all sculpted by the same individual.  These will fit in nicely with my mid eighteenth century armies.  While most of the figures are simple to paint, the grenadiers caps are extremely detailed and will take a lot of hard work.  But they will be a thing of beauty to behold when done.

  Oh, and the count down to leaving for  Cold Wars in March 15!

Diwrnod david sant hyfryd

   A special day for your humble blogger who celebrates his 61st birthday.   Which I will spend with a day off from work but installing a new shower and bathroom in our basement.  A long project I have been working on and now nearing competition. My present will be Later in the month with our annual visit to the Cold Wars miniature gaming convention. More to follow!  Later tonight I will be having a lovely dinner with my dear wife Janine.

To all today I wish a Happy Saint David's Day to the Welch, and to all Royal Welch Fusiliers both past and present!


1st March 1775;  This being St. David's Day the officers of the 23rd Regiment, or Royal Welch Fusiliers, dinned together according to the custom.  All the General & Staff Officers, the Admiral, and several other person's were invited to dine with the Regiment...."
From the diary of Lieutenant Frederick MacKenzie.

The "custom" was on each Saint Daivid's Day following dinner the regimental goat with the drummers and fifers are led around the mess table.  The drum major has a silver plate with raw leeks and the mess sergeant carries a loving cup filled with champagne. They halt by the newest joined officer who then stands on his chair with his left foot and places his right foot on the table and eats a leek while the drummers play a continuous roll.  Once he has consumed the leek he is handed the loving cup and before drinking toasts "And Saint David!"  All present who have not eaten a leek, including guests are expected to do so. Similar ceremonies occurs in the sergeants and the other ranks mess.  This custom, described as "ancient" in 1775  is still observed in peace and during war time up to the present time.

Reenactment of Battle of White Plains 1976 with your humble blogger in the ranks of the 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers.

 

French gun and crew

  For my mid eighteenth century armies I will need a few batteries of artillery.  I am thinking of using two guns and eight crew members to represent a battery.  Looks about right.

  In reviewing the research materials out there I noticed that most gamers paint the gun carriages blue. But some paint them red.  I went with blue after a little research suggested this was the color for field artillery.  Besides, it looked very nice. As does the round base for the gun and crew.

Fusiliers de Morliere

  Sometimes I wonder where my mind went....

 I wanted to add a light infantry type regiment to my growing French army.  Crann Tara miniatures made a figure representing the Fusiliers de Morliere which I had never heard of.  But they were rather dashing in their brown uniforms and hussar type mirliton hats. So included them in my order. Unfortunately I only ordered one pack instead of the three i needed.  Like I said I wonder where the heck my mind is at times.

  While waiting on the reinforcements, I painted these to get a jump start on the regiment.  They look very unique.  The brown uniform coat, with red small clothes and black gaiters look dashing. I was also very taken by the hussar type hat.  Black and white edging.  All in all a unique looking unit.  The skirmishing type poses mark the unit as a light infantry type and give movement to the regiment.  I am looking forward to finishing and adding the regiment to my collection.

  Thank you again to Crann Tara miniatures for a great looking regiment!

Fritz James Cavalry Regiment

  As I have stayed before, I'm really do not like to paint cavalry.  Not sure why I have this mental block. Possible because of stories my grandparent told me about Cossacks when they came to their village.  But for what ever the reason it is very hard for me to paint cavalry.  Note most of my armies in miniatures have very small cavalry regiments and not a lot off them.

  So it is with great happiness that I have finally completed my first regiment 2018;  the French cavalry regiment Fitz James.  The regiment, primed and based has been sitting for months gathering dust while I worked on the courage to take brush to figure.  Now that it is done, I am ready to rush ahead to more traditional figures I like to paint like British Grenadiers, French artillery and French light troops.

  Miniatures are from Crann Tara and very nice figures they are. Regimental flag is from GMB.

  My small collection of French troops is coming along nicely. I now have six infantry battalions and one cavalry regiment finished. I will be adding a Artillery  crew  with gun and some light troops very soon.  I would like to have eight line battalions, two batteries (four guns) and two Light battalions to round out my army.  Possibly two guards battalions, just because.  Then it's time to start my British, Hanoverian and Brunswick army!

David Endicott Putnam's Spad

  More Wings of War repaints...

  Possibly the best known yet unknown ace from the great war.

   I have a weak spot for flyers from the early age of aviation from the Wright Brothers through the First world war. This is especially true for local pilots or events that occurred in the New England states.  My poor family gets driven to distraction by my trips to local sites.  Had to visit Gordon college as it was the home of Norman Prince who was one of the founders of the Lafayette Escadrille. Visited the site of the home of Frank Leaman Baylies of New Bedford.  I had to visit the site of the crash where Hariott Quimby died.  But my favorite pilot was David Endicott Putnam.

 Putnam was a local man from Massachusetts with a family history that dates back to before the Revolutionary war.  He left Harvard before graduation  (he was awarded  a posthumous degree in 1920) and worked his way across the Atlantic on a cattle boat to join the French Foriegn Legion on May 1917.  He transferred to the French Air Corp, passed flight school and was assigned to fighter squadrons in December 1917.  After successfully flying with the French he transferred to the American Air Corp in June 1918.  He commanded the 134 and later the 138 squadrons.  At the time of his death he was the top American ave with 13 confirmed victories.  He had many more unconfirmed because of the very strict standards the French used to confirm victories.  When asked if it bothered him so many of his victories went unconfirmed, he said "The Germans know what I did.". He was killed in action in September 1918.  He is buried in France at the LaFayette Escadrille memorial.

"The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to David E. Putnam, First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Lachaussee, France, September 12, 1918. After destroying one of the eight German planes which had attacked him, Lieutenant Putnam was turning to our lines, when he saw seven Fokkers attack an allied biplane. He attacked the Germans and saved the biplane, but was himself driven down, shot through the heart.
General Orders 71, W.D., 1919"

   In researching Putnam's aircraft I wanted to represent his Spad XIII.  Based on black and white pictures, and modern art from modelers I came up with the color scheme.  The squadron insignia is copied from the actual one removed from his plane after his death which is in display at the Air Force museum at Dayton Ohio. The ribbon is his command strip as squadron commander. 

   It was a fun research project and I now have a very unique air craft.

Wings of war: LaFayette Escadrille

  More fun with the Wings of War aircraft.

These are the Lufberry/Thenault Nieport 17 model.  I am a big fan of the Lafayette Escadrille.   So I just had to convert them to aircraft flown by those pilots.  Fortunately Dom's Decals do a set for the Escadrille.  A really first rate Indian head insignia and various markings for individual piolts.  You get decals for six pilots as well as six pilots for another squadron (number 3).  A good deal.

Wings of War: Jasta 19

  I enjoy playing the Wings of War World War One air plane game.  It is a very enjoyable game, can be picked up very quickly and provides a fun game. The model planes which they make are first class and very economical. And you can get almost anything you want air craft wise.

  I tend to play with my son a lot when he is home from school.  Our style of gaming is very different, which means I usually end up being shot down.

  One thing I have done to add to the fun is repaint and customise some of the planes.  This is helped by Dom's Decals which makes excellent decals for the Wings of War Planes.  My first efforts were to customize were the famous Fokker DR1 Triplane. Great looking plane, almost iconic.  I decided to paint them as Jasta 19 which is well documented photographs wise and colorful with the distinctive yellow and black tail.  I repainted the tsils, added he decals and voila I have smart looking group hunting the skies.

Artillery Redoubt

  I promised myself I would work on improving my terrain this year.  So I have started to add some buildings, and also a few other items to improve the tabletop appearance.

  I picked him this artillery redoubt last year at Cold Wars but just got around to painting and flocking it.  I cannot remember who made it but it is a gem and most useful too!

  Although I painted the outside of the redoubt it is now covered in flock.so much for the ground.  But a good dry brushing of the the inside made the gabions and wood pop.  It holds up to two stands of artillery.  A nice strong point in the battlefield or perhaps the little redoubt in the Crimean.

Paper Houses: a start

  Here is one of the paper houses I talked about in my last post.  The Battle in America booklet comes with three houses; the small log cabin, a church and a town house.  The last two are perfect if you are going to fight Trenton or any battle by a largest town or city.  While the small log cabin is great for numerous battles and various period settings.  You have to take them to a copy place and have them printed on card type paper.  This lets you have lots of real estate!

  The cabin comes with a porch and a overhanging roof.  I choose to not add it on my first try putting one of these paper buildings together.  When I build another one I will add it and have two different looking cabins.  That is the nice thing about paper buildings. Once you have the template you can put them together with additions and subtraction to create a variety of buildings for your tabletop.

  At Cold Wars last year I took a class at the Hobby University in how to build paper buildings.  It was great and very informative.  lots of hand on work and you put together a building.  They give you all the tools you need and plenty of help.  In past battle reports you might have noticed the two paper buildings I built in the class and took home.  I highly recommend attending the Hobby University if you go to a HMGS show.  They are outstanding.

  More to come!

"Battle in America: wargaming the Revolutionary War"

   "Battle in America: Wargaming the Revolutionary War"  is part of the Paper soldier series of books published by Helion and Company.   Soldiers are drawn by Peter Dennis and rules are by Andy Callan. I am especially interested in this set as the American Rev War is my favorite period for gaming.  In addition Andy Callan wrote Loose Files and American Scramble which are my favorite rules for the Rev War. So I was interested in this booklet and very curious about the rules.  Are they a updated version of his rules with improvement?  For those who are interested in picking this booklet up here is my review.


   Introductory material and tactical notes in "Battle in America" take up two pages of the book. a very nice introduction to the period and gaming it.  A guide is presented for choosing armies using cards and dice.  Americans should enjoy a 3:2 advantage in numbers, but dice rolls favor the British in giving them better units. Quality over quantity in theory.

   The rules take up five pages of the book. Infantry regiments have five to eight stands; cavalry, detachments and artillery are represented by fewer figures or stands. Units accumulate disruption points (DP) throughout the game. The turn sequence is firing, movement, close combat, then reaction/rallying and morale checks.  Firing and combat are calculated on a stand basis; movement is determined by the drawing of cards. The cards' colors and types determine what units can or can't do during movement. There are some command and control rules.  There is A two-page playsheet, and three scenarios ("Capture the Heights", "Winter Solders 1776", and "Long, Obstinate and Bloody 1781") To Get You Started. Always nice To have A senerio or two Included.   There are outstanding paper soldiers to start you gaming.  Very nicely done too!  In addtion you get three buildings.  Outstanding value and really useful.

   I'm a big Andy Callan fan and have played Loose Files since it first appeared.  So I was excited to get this booklet as I wanted to see if they had improved Loose Files or clarified them.   I was sadly disappointed.  It appears these are an attempt to change things that deliver unnecessary complication without adding anything to the original set. These include a blunder-type rule and command and control rules. Also, numbers count for more than class, which is a incredibly big change from the original.    When you consider the number of troop classes has dropped from five to three then no longer is quality better then quantity.  One thing I liked in the original rules was better quality regimenrs could take more punishment, regroup remove DP's and come back for more.  I do not expect this to happen here.   Don't expect your outnumbered regulars to last long.

The paper buildings are outstanding and very useful.  I will most definitely be using them in my games. Worth the price of the booklet alone.

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!

Welcome 2018

  I wish you all have a happy and healthy New Year!  Best of luck with your projects.  And may you game more then you paint.