1914 Belgians - part 1

Following a flood of requests (well OK, one) for more info on my Great War Belgians, here is part one of their story.

I'm sure that most of us are familiar with the fabulous illustrations in the Funcken books.  This painting of the 1st Carabiniers is very atmospheric!

My starting point was the Deetail French Foreign Legion figures - including some of the newer plastic-based copies made by DSG.  First step was to lop their heads off and trim away the havelock (neck cloth).  I took the opportunity at this point to make a few other changes - such as replacing the officer's sword with a flagpole.

New heads came from Tradition Of London.

New paintwork began to transform their appearance...

...with final detailing in the form of the yellow piping being added with paint pens.

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Here is one with a pair of Tradition cyclists.  I picked them up for rather less than half price at a Paris Eurofigurines show a couple of years back.

And no - before you ask - I haven't built a dog-pulled MG.  Yet.

Plastic Warrior show 2023

 Yesterday I had a jolly day out at the PW show in Twickenham, West London.  It seemed well attended and some brisk trading was observed.  I sold a bit and bought a bit less - the difference being more than enough to cover my petrol costs.  It was nice to see so many old and newer friends - to name but a few, Jack, Paul, Brian, Anthony, Mike L, Mike C, Graham, Steve, Diego…..well you get the idea.

Here are most of my purchases.  The Basevich WW1 German cavalry were  - for plastic figures - fantastically expensive (£25 for a box of four mounted figures) but are very lovely. 

Replicants always has a new set or two for the show. This year it was two sets of medieval peasants - always useful!  

I was rather taken with this unsmiling Del Prado Red Army officer. 

Great War British officer by Tradition. 

Probably my favourite figure of the show - Great War British sentry.  Skewered on his bayonet is a chemically treated gas indicator.  Though it looks to me like cheese on toast!  

The Left Bank 1916 part 7 - spend spend spend!

As part of their briefings, I asked the players to 'spend' 100 points on resources and provided a list of possible items (though they were free to ask for pretty much anything).  I stressed the need to achieve prestige as well as military victory.  By their own admission, the French spent on 'stuff that was fun' while the Germans took a more sober approach.  With the aid of some dice rolls and drawing of cards I resolved the effects.

Their shopping lists were as follows:

                                               French            German        result

Super Heavy artillery              20                     20               2 batteries each

Air superiority                         25                    20                2.5 / 2 fighter squadrons

Air Recce                                10                      20               1 /2 photo recce missions

Air bombing                           10                                          1 bombing raid

AA guns                                 10                                           1 AAG battery

Visit from a dignitary                                       10                 see below

Storm Troop detachment                                 10                 2 companies

Field Telephone Detachment                           10               telephone engineers

Field Hospital                                                  10                 more replacements

Pioneers                                25                                            improved defences

The Kaiser (right) photographed while visiting a section of the front only 100km away.  

Pioneers hard at work.  Sadly these chaps are German as I don't have any suitable French figures.

French super-heavy artillery.

The field telephone team the French didn't buy.😒

The Left Bank 1916 part 4 - German preparations

Pioneers and machine gunners march forwards under the watchful eye of a staff officer. (painted metal figures by Tradition of London)

77mm field guns fire a few ranging shots. (modern Britains painted metal castings)

Further back super heavy guns are manoeuvred into position using the latest petrol tractors. (gun is an ancient tinplate toy, tractor a recent 1/43 plastic & diecast model)

This big-budget production even has sound effects!