Reinforcing the Loyalist Cavalry

I finally got around to painting an additional four mounted figures for my Loyalist York Dragoons, a "made-up" regiment of Tory horse.  This regiment is composed of vintage Custom Cast mounted dragoons from their American Revolution line.  I've had eight of them painted and based for a long time and finally acquired another four to complete the unit.

Please click on an image to see a larger picture.

Here they are as I begin to paint them.
I use some older 1 liter soda bottle caps on to which I glue the horse (or in this case the horse and rider) in order to paint them.  This allows me to hold onto the bottle cap rather than the figure as I paint.

Here they are completed but still attached to the bottle caps.
I painted one of the figures as an officer after cutting and paring away his slung musketoon.

He's on the far left of the image.

The two newly based stands.  The officer described above is the figure on the far left.
He is riding his favorite bay horse.

And the complete unit with the newly painted command group figures on the center front stand and the others on the front right-hand stand.

This regiment joins the British 17th Light Dragoons and the mounted portion of the Queen's Rangers as the cavalry arm of my British Expeditionary force.  They are opposed by two Continental mounted units -- Bland's Dragoons and William Washington's Dragoons.

Another Two American Revolution Units

In between painting my 15mm Union cavalry (see previous post), I've also been working on two additional units for my American Revolution armies.  I'm running a game on Saturday, August 31, and felt I needed these two units with their different characteristics.

First, a battalion of Miniature Figurine British grenadiers:

The 1st British Grenadier Battalion, composed of companies from the 4th, 5th 10th, 17th, 22nd, 23rd, 27th, 35th, 38th, and 40th Foot Regiments.

The British army in North America removed the grenadier (and light) companies from their infantry battalions and "converged" them into 10-company battalions.  Initially formed for the New York City campaign in 1776, they remained on the order of battle until the final actions at Yorktown.  Losses were filled by drafts from the original regiments or others if the originals had been deployed elsewhere.  This battalion will eventually be joined by the 2nd Grenadier Battalion.

Second, not a new unit but two new commanders:

Hessian Colonels von Donop (left) and von Schamm (right)

I've had these two mounted officers for a while and decided to go ahead and get them painted while I was in a revolutionary frame of mind.  I'm sure you'll recognize Colonel von Donop, who was the inhaber of the Musketeer Regiment von Donop and led Hessian forces in North America.  But you may not be familiar with Colonel von Schamm, who attacked an American fort at the "Battle of Bagle Heights" and when defeated joined the American cause, saying that he was "... a Hessian without no aggression" and "If you can't beat them, join them."

Third, my first American militia unit, the Southern District Militia Regiment.  This regiment is not patterned on any particular state's militia but labeled so that I can use it just about anywhere.  It is composed of Miniature Figurines and (probably) Frontier figures.

The American Southern District Militia  Regiment

They will eventually have three compatriot regiments - the Northern District, Eastern District, and River District regiments.

They will be in action on Saturday.  I hope they do well.

Almost Year-End Wrap-up

Christmas brought some gaming items:

An early war squad of 28mm British infantry from Warlord and an early war squad of 28mm Germans from Artizan Designs, both of which will be used as my "contribution" for our group's WW2 skirmish action.

A Great War Miniatures WW1 British artillery crew for my British 18-lbr I obtained several years ago which will be part of my Very British Civil War gaming.

Also for VBCW, a Warlord improvised armored car, the "Malcom-Campbell" which I just had to add as those are my two middle names!

It has a resin body and white metal wheels, bumpers, and half-rifles.  This will be a nice little addition to my VBCW forces.

And two books - The Komnene Dynasty, Byzantium's Struggle for Survival: 1057-1185 by John Carr and A Battlefield Atlas of the American Revolution by Craig L. Symonds.  Both should make interesting reading.

I've not completed as much painting this month as I wanted, mainly due to a nagging cough from a month-long flare up of my allergic rhinitis.  It has robbed me of my stamina later in the day.  I did remount some pre-painted 25mm MiniFig Wurttemburg troops (a battalion of line infantry and a battalion of light infantry) as well as painted a few figures to complete their organization.  they were used in a fictional 1813 battle preceding Leipzig that pitted a retreating French force and their pursuing Prussians.

As a result of that game, I spent several days going through my 25mm Napoleonic French and Prussian forces and laying out a schema of painting next year to try and complete some of the commands.  As part of that inventory I redid my Napoleon command group by removing a mounted escort (needed him elsewhere), changing Napoleon's horse (also needed elsewhere), and adding two Old Guard escorts (who were extra figures).  The result:

Napoleon, with his faithful Mameluke Roustam, an ADc on foot, and a sergeant and grenadier of the Old Guard keeping close watch.  All of the figures are Miniature Figurines except Roustam's horse which is a Warrior figure.  Roustam himself is an earlier MiniFig casting while all the others are later MiniFigs castings.

I'm still hoping to get 24 more Royal Ecossais figures completed by the 31st.  If so, I'll make them my last post of the year.

Here's hoping everyone had a blessed and merry Christmas and will have a prosperous New Year!

August American Revolution Painting

Three more units joined my American Revolution armies during August, two American and one Hessian.

Please click on the pictures for an enlarged image.

This is the Hessian Grenadier Battalion von Lengerke, composed of the grenadier companies from the regiments Prinz Karl, Wutginau, von Donop, and von Trumbach.  They will join the Grenadier Battalion von Linsingen (see July painting post) and two yet to be painted British grenadier battalions to form the Grenadier Brigade commanded by British Colonel O'Hara.
They are a combination of Miniature Figurines, Custom Cast, and Grenadier figures.

This is the 14th Continental Regiment, originally organized by John Glover of Massachusetts as "Glover's Marbelheaders."  Although they didn't last long in reality (summer 1775 until December 1776), they will form part of the regular core of my Continental army.  The hand-painted Pine Tree flag is speculative for this unit.
They are Miniature Figurines "Marblehead" figures, except for the officer which is a standard MiniFig AWI officer.

And finally, this unit replicates my interpretation of Smallwood's Maryland Regiment.  Although for most of their active service they were clad in hunting smocks, I'm showing them in their Continental best.  The flag is purely speculative, based on some images of surviving Maryland revolutionary flags and the heraldic colors of the Calvert family.  Before and during the Revolutionary War, the Calvert heraldic colors were associated with Maryland.  The stripes are hand-painted while the central blazon was printed, sized, and glued on the flag.
They are Custom Cast figures, 15 metal and 3 plastic.  Yes, I said Custom Cast plastic figures.

These are two of the Custom Cast figures I used.  Can you tell which is plastic and which is metal?

Well, the one on the left is plastic while the one on the right is metal.  Both bear the Custom Cast imprint on the base.

I do not know who actually made the plastic copies of the Custom Cast metal figures.  I got them as part of a large acquisition of figures from a well-known miniature gamer.  The others included gunners and various poses of regular and militia infantry, all matching metal Custom Cast figures.

Only two more units to paint, the 3rd Battalion, New Jersey Volunteers (Loyalist) and the 6th Virginia State Line (American, with speculative unit designation).  After that I'll take a break from the American Revolution and either get back to my Seven Years War imagi-nation 28mm figures or my American Civil War 15mm figures.

June's American Revolution Additions

I'm continuing to work on my American Revolution forces, concentrating on my Continental Army.  My immediate goal was to bring that force up to 12 infantry regiments by the end of June.  But due to a lengthy flare-up of my allergic rhinitis and a sinus infection, I wasn't able to paint as much as I needed.  So here are the regiments I completed in June.  All four are composed on vintage Custom Cast figures.  Please click on the photographs for a larger view.

1st Rhode Island Regiment
(with a hand painted flag)

2nd Virginia Regiment
(with a hand painted flag)
[unit was just expanded from 12 to 18 figures]

3rd Virginia Regiment
(with a hand painted flag)
[unit was just expanded from 12 to 18 figures]

Haslett's Delaware Regiment
(with a paper flag glued over the precast metal one)

I also painted some additional Hessian gunners to fill out a gun crew and several artillery pieces to add to the "multi-national" artillery park.

The next two American units to be painted will be the 14th Continental and 16th Massachusetts Regiments.  Plus I'll be painting the rest of the American and British gunners and the last two artillery pieces for the park.

After this I will be working on "paired" regiments, one American and one British/Loyalist/Hessian, until I get another 12 regiments for each side.

More later!

American War of Independence - Newly Units

Well dear readers, it has been seven months (!!) since I last posted here.  I've been on a painting funk of late although I have done a little with my 1:2400 scale pre-dreadnought ships (see Col Campbell's Shipyard blog.

But now in the "merry old month" of May, I've recovered my painting mojo and have begun work on my American War of Independence forces.  The British (and Hessian and Loyalist) now have twelve infantry units, three cavalry units, three artillery companies, and some mounted officers, while the Americans have six infantry units, two cavalry units, four artillery companies, and some mounted officers.  But I've got six more American infantry units being outfitted.

Here are my latest additions.  Please click on the photographs for larger images.

British 43rd Foot Regiment, using vintage "true" 25mm Custom Cast figures, with six bases of three figures each.
The cast flags are hand-painted.

American 1st Virginia Regiment, using vintage 25mm Miniature Figurines figures;
flag from Warflag.

American 3rd Connecticut Regiment, using 25mm Custom Cast figures,
with hand-painted flag.

American 6th Connecticut Regiement, using 25mm Custom Cast figures,
with hand-painted flag.

American DeGimat's Light Infantry Battalion, using vintage Scruby Figurines figures
with a new Historifigs (formerly Scruby) officer.

Here is my British infantry troop box showing all twelve infantry units - five British foot regiments, two Highland regiments, two British light battalions, one Hessian grenadier battalion, the Hessian jager corps, and the infantry of the Queen's Rangers, as well as two British mounted officers.

British troop box - 12 infantry units and 2 mounted officers.

Finally, I also finished, after owning them for many years, the Fife and Drum Miniatures iconic "fife and drum party" set.

28mm (1:56 scale) Fife and Drum Miniatures.

In June, besides participating the our local wargaming convention Bayou Wars, I plan on completing the above mentioned six American infantry units as well as several mounted officers, two guns, and some more artillerymen for both my British and American forces.  My future plans call for painting one American infantry unit for each British/Hessian. Loyalist infantry unit, although some of the Americans will be militia while some of the British and Hessians will be grenadiers.

Fife and Drum Figures

Back last year I purchased a group of American militia figures from Jim Purky's Fife and Drum line.  After many moths of them sitting around primed and then partially painted, I finally had the impetus I needed to get them finished - a last minute French and Indian War game at the Colonial Barracks convention on Nov 7-9.  [Yeah, I know, this post is late.]  But without further ado, here they are:

[Click on picture for a larger image.]

These figures are very well sculpted by one of the best in the business- Richard Ansell.  They are well proportioned with weapons that are realistic and not "telephone poles."  My painting was done quickly to get them ready for the convention so there is no shading and the bases are completed.  I'll go back and give them a wash to bring out the details and do some terrain effects on the bases.

I still have Jim's drummers and fifer to complete as a vignette for my horse and musket forces.  These are the ones designed as a logo to replicate the "Spirit of '76" picture. 

Some Yuletide Painting

My painting has been going slow these last several months.  I just finished a new unit for my Very British Civil War forces and am working on a new unit for my French and Indian Wars forces.

Very British Civil War

First Section of a company of the Liberty Bell Legion

 The Liberty Bell Legion was formed in the mid 1930s as an adjunct to the more progressive wing of the American Democratic Party.  Initially they were used to raise funds to ensure the election of progressive candidates to the US Congress and to state legislatures.  But when the constitutional crisis broke in Great Britain and the Fascists began to influence the British government, many members of the Liberty Bell Legion traveled to the British Isles to offer their services to oppose the Fascists in the British government.  Organized into independent companies, these volunteers quickly went to various places where more socialist Anglican forces were in control.  One place was the Anglican League command at Bury St. Edmonds, where the 1st Section of the 3rd Liberty Company soon arrived.  The rest of the company are still getting outfitted (painted) and will join them before too many days are past.  They will soon see action as the Spring campaign commences.

These figures are from Falcon (US) Miniatures' Boxer Rebellion line and are US Marine officers and enlisted.  I've had these figures for a number of years.  The impetus for this unit was a flag that Leics_Gamer posted on the Very British Civil War forum of the Liberty Volunteers from New York state.  That was quickly morphed into the Liberty Bell Legion and, as they say, the rest is history (or alternate history, rather).

Banner of the Liberty Bell Legion to be carried by every independent company

I only had enough figures to form 9-man sections instead of the 10 I wanted, so if any American readers of this post have some these Falcon Miniatures Boxer Rebellion American Marines in the advancing pose, please get in touch with me.

http://colcampbellsbazaar.blogspot.com/2013/12/looking-for-few-good-men.html  Thanks.

French and Indian War

The other figures that I am painting are some of Der Alte Fritz's incomparable Fife and Drum American Revolution militia.  My war gaming buddy Lord Sterling picked these up for me at Historicon back in July.  I finally began painting them.  Although I'm not far along, they are looking rather good.  I'll be using them for a colonial American unit fighting against the dastardly French deep in the backwoods of America.

Part of the militia unit in progress

I hope all my readers have a very nice Christmas holyday and a happy new year.

'Murican Reinforcements

The 'Murican army has just received some reinforcements to assist in its campaign to free the colonies from the Britannians.

Barber's (New Jersey) Light Infantry Battalion, composed of vintage Jack Scruby figures

Morgan's Continental Regiment, composed of a mixture of figure manufacturers

I have had the old Jacks Scruby figures I used for Barber's Battalion around for probably 30 years.  Only this month have I finally gotten them painted!  Morgan's Regiment is designed to be used as either a rifle regiment, a "mismatch uniformed" Continental regiment, or a militia regiment, as needed.  Twelve of the eighteen figures have been painted for a number of years.  This month I added another six to bring it "up to strength."

In addition to these 'Murican reinforcements, a new general has arrived from Hesse-Coburg to lead some of the Hessian units in the Britannian army.  I haven't decided on his name yet; any suggestions?

A Miniature Figurines mounted American Revolution officer painted as a Hessian

First Painting of 2013

My first painting of the new year continued two themes -- American Revolution and clearing off the painting desk.

So I began with completing the painting of four Ral Partha pack mules/donkeys that I acquired sometime last year or the year before.  They sat, partially painted, on an upper shelf on my painting desk for months.

Four Ral Partha pack mules with their muleteers

My interpretation of William Washington's Regiment of Continental Dragoons uses Miniature Figurines figures.  I have had six troopers painted and mounted for several years.  Finally I obtained three command figures and three more troopers so I could upgrade the regiment to six 2-figure stands.

William Washington's Regiment of Continental Dragoons

The flag is purely speculative.  One of the command figures was a mounted standard bearer, so I had to come up with a flag.  I do not know if any of the Continental dragoons carried flags, but this regiment in my Continental army does.

Final Painting of 2012

Yesterday I completed a small batch of disparate figures that had been sitting around my painting desk for far too long.

First some Miniature Figurines American Revolutionary War figures:

An American general, using the MiniFig General Washington figure, painted from scratch.





And a Hessian general, using the same figure.  This was a repaint of a previously painted figure that I purchased.



New figures for Bland's Dragoons (American).  I previously had inherited a unit of nine of these from my friend Doc Ord.  With the acquisition of three more, they are now part of a six stand regiment.  The newly painted figures are the officer on the front stand and two of the four figures on the back stands plus three of those four horses.  I think I did a fairly decent job of matching Doc's paint job.

And the whole regiment together.  They will be used to help oppose my British cavalry - 17th Light Dragoons, Queen's Rangers, and the Loyalist York Dragoons (an "made-up" designation).

An Old Glory Darkest Africa figure:

This is the leader from the Old Glory bearers set.  I needed a senior leader for my Zanzabari units and he seemed to fit the bill perfectly.  He is a slightly taller figure than the rest of my Zanzabari so he'll stand out as their leader.



My Chinese Back of Beyond forces needed some additional leaders so I added the Pulp Figures PYG-14 Chun King warlord command pack.

The warlord in the center and the standard bearer will lead the entire Chinese force.  The two figures on each end will join one of his warlord infantry units to replace some leader figures who are getting promoted.  The bald-headed guy in khaki will lead my German uniformed Chinese forces.  He's armed with a submachinegun and looks rather nasty so he'll be a good guy to keep them in check.  The basing details correspond to the units that are already done to which these guys will be added.

And my early 20th Century "Pulp" forces got some additional stalwarts to increase the strength of the "Knights of the Cresent Moon."



Three Tommy Gun toting "Knights" from the Brigade Games line of figures.  They'll join the ones I already have painted.



To make a fairly heavily armed band to help protect the treasures of the Near East from those ravenous "tomb raiders" who plague that part of the world.



And finally, Bob Murch's Pulp Figures of "The Sergeants Three and Gunga Din."

Those three brave and rogueish sergeants plus the bugle tooting Gunga Din.  The bases aren't completed yet but they are ready for adventures.



Patriots' Day - 19 April 1775/2012

Today we here in the United States celebrate Patriots' Day - the day of the "shot heard 'round the world!"

And for all those patriots whose blood watered the Tree of Liberty, I give my heartfelt thanks.

Who Manufactured These Queen's Rangers?

I purchased four of these Queen's Rangers grenadier figures earlier this year after having been told that they were RAFM figures. Once I received them I realized that they weren't RAFMs since they didn't match any of the other RAFMs I have in either height or stockiness, being taller and heftier. But I don't know who manufactured them. Can a reader help me?

Front View showing half gaiters typical of American Revolution British dress and distinctive Queen's Ranger "busby" with half moon device

Quarter view showing carrying bag and short tailed jacket, which is typical of modifications the British made after being in the colonies for a while

The figures are all the same pose, slightly crouching which distorts their height measurement. They are about 23mm from base top to the eyes and 30mm to the top of the busby. If they were standing atraight, they would probably be closer to 26mm tall to the eyes. The bottoms of the bases had no markings at all.

Any help identifying the manufacturer will be greatly appreciated!

September 2009 Painting

Since I was preparing for two "big battalion" games this month (one on September 19 and the other on October 3), I didn't get much painting done - just 10 "Olley" points. But I did construct two rather large paper buildings, including a walled cemetery and graves for one.


This figure is a mounted officer from the (sadly) out-of-production Spanish range from the London Warroom. He is a very nice casting, waving his hat to encourage the troops, and sits very well on his horse. For my two games, he played a role as commander of one of the Reichsarmee brigades in the Imperium army.


During September, I painted 8 of the 24 figures in the unit of Hessian grenadiers. The other 16 have been painted for a number of years. The 8 new figures are all in the front rank and are Miniature Figurines SYW figures. The rest of the unit are Miniature Figurines (the advancing poses) and an unknown (to me) manufacturer (the march attack poses). This battalion is actually part of my American Revolution army but was drafted to play the role of a converged Reichsarmee grenadier battalion.

Later edit: According to DC, in his comment, the march attack figures are from Garrison Miniatures.




You've seen this church before as I posted an "under construction" entry earlier in September and it was featured in The Affair at Alt Kirchendorf, the first "big battalion" game I ran on Saturday, September 19 (see earlier posts for the 3-part battle report). Please see The Old Church posting for more details.


Here it is "in action" with its cemetery garrisoned by a company of Carpanian grenadiers.



The other paper building was the cannon foundry at Eisenmuhlen (which means iron mills in German). This building is actually in two parts which can be used together or separately. As was the church, the paper walls were glued to a foam core sub structure. The roof on the one-story part is removable. The cannon are a pair from RAFM.


And here is a shot of it on the battlefield of The Affair at Eisenmuhlen, which was the "big battalion" game I ran on Saturday, October 3. There will be more pictures of it in the battle report, which is still to be posted.

For October, I've already started on a third company for the Regiment Eisenmuhlen (RSM95 British infantry). I also will, finally, begin work on my 28mm French and Indian War figures and hopefully begin some work on the Regiment Royal Eccossais, using Old Glory figures.