Waterloo Sandpit

You may have noticed in my photos of the Waterloo game the modelling triumph which is the famous sandpit (across the road from La Haye Sainte).  

This began life as a chunk of 2-inch thick insulation foam which I hacked into shape and then hollowed out.  The sand effect was created using......real sand!

A Prussian flagbearer (the first figure who came to hand) tries it for size.

Nearly done

How many figures can I fit in?

Playing Bridge

I forgot about this purchase from Birmingham on Sunday.  Lovingly described by it's vendor as 'some plastic crap in a box', this pair of bridges looks useful for bodging into something Baileyesque for Little Cold Wars.

Here is one of the bridges assembled and successfully bearing the weight of a 1/43 scale T-55.

The (plastic) 1/35 Panzer II was even less of a challenge.  Expect to see more of these bridges once the bodging begins!

Prussian cavalry

Painted in some haste - and photographed in still more shortly before the Waterloo game were these Supreme British cavalry.  My daubing 'converted' them to Prussians.  I think they look OK.

Birmingham Toy Soldier Show 2015 - part 2

Here are the rest of my purchases from Sunday.  These Great War British gunners and their repainted Crescent guns are a delight.  It would have been nice if there was an additional gunner, but I have in mind a suitable figure.

It's many months since I picked up any Solido models so it was pleasing to find this pair.  The Panzer IV has some paint chipping but is otherwise in nice condition.

The Sdkfz-251 is in lovely condition - even the delicate plastic radio aerial is as yet undamaged.

 I tried manfully to resist this Victorian artillery crew.  Buy hey, I'm only human. I believe they are Hinchliffe figures.

And finally...  This nasty plastic HUMMWV is more or less the right scale.  And it was only 10p!*

For overseas readers that's about $0.15 US.

Birmingham Toy Soldier Show 2015 - part 1

This morning I visited this pleasant event.  The journey both there and back was trouble free though the major roadworks in central Birmingham prompted me to take an alternative route on the way home.

Anyway, "enough of this" I hear you cry "what rubbish did you buy?"

This Union stretcher team was bought from a chap whose entire stock seemed to be medical parties.  They are rather nicely painted metal 54mm figures of unknown make.

 My continuing quest for Starlux figures produced this apparently random collection.  With my existing figures the French paras will nearly give me a battalion, while the stretcher bearers will mostly be bodged into gunners.

 A pair of Lone Star DUKWs was an unexpected find.  At roughly 1/50 scale they will fit in with my Cold War forces.

And finally - this 1/32ish SPAD will join my Funny Little Wars air forces.

More still to come - but it doesn't get any better!

Elastolin/Hausser castles

The appearance of one of my castles in a recent game generated a fair bit of interest, so here are all three of  them arrayed for your delight.  While they seem to be scaled for 30mm-ish figures I bought them mostly to use with 54mm toys.  I wonder if I can ever get all three into a single game....

Leaves on the line

Having undertaken to run a game last Wednesday, I cobbled together a small Funny Little Wars outing to the ACW.  John was the man in the (my actually) grey kepi while Martin sported his Zouave-esque fez.

 The plan was for a train - laden with 3 units of US infantry - to trundle on from the north east (to right) corner.  On rounding the first bend the crew would spot the obstacle which the cheeky Rebs had placed across the line and halt.  The Rebs would then attack, with the objective of capturing the train.  Neither side was permitted to destroy the train.

 As always the well-know Forbodian photographer Mat Bradic was on the spot to record the action.

 As well as it's loco, the train comprised two packed wagons and a flat car with a gun.  Meanwhile at the front end...

 Was our old friend the Thunderbox!

 As the train slows Confederate forces rush forwards!  More on these figures in this earlier post.

 As well as two infantry units the CSA also had a small cavalry force.  Old Britains Deetail figures.

 Supervised by Gen. Pickett and Col. Robertson the grey-clad horde potted away at the train guards.

 A messy brawl was developing as the last of the Yankee infantry disembarked from the wagons.

 Ignoring the hail of enemy fire the Rebs rushed the Thunderbox.

 By now the cavalry had perished in a hail of musketry.

 Bradic (foreground) captures another enduring image of war.

 As the Rebs on the left charged the Zouaves their officer remembers to look at the camera!

 This was a bloody encounter but the Rebs prevailed.  Despite their flag being upside down!

 Led by none  other then Gen. Pickett (he's the man for a charge, you know), the Rebs took the loco and saw off a Yankee challenge.  At this point the Yankee commander conceded the game.
So and enjoyable little game with only around 70 figures on the table and a playing time of under two hours.

Kings German Legion Light Dragoons

Here are more of those Supreme British cavalry repainted as KGL and hastily photographed before the recent Waterloo game.