Baden Artillery - I'll Take the Works Please

Richard Tennant provided the core unit here and it certainly is fully loaded!  I have made extensive repairs on this one as the limber traces and double trees (?) fared poorly on their journey across the Atlantic.  Even the wheels got a bit smooshed.  I also added an 8" Howitzer from the Hinchliffe 20mm equipment line which I was fortunate enough to find on eBay still in the original packaging.  When the guns are limbered it includes the crew in marching order, and when unlimbered the crew serving the guns has the ammunition case near by for prompt action.  There is something about the batteries that I just love!

The whole grouping makes for an impressive display.

I believe the addition of the bar for aligning the gun was a Dick Tennant customization.  It sure is nice to have a different pose for an artillery crewman servicing the gun.

Dick had mounted some of the artillerists facing different directions, which is a nice touch.  Of course they would not all be looking forward.

You can see the base of the battery has a platform for the gun, so that it is lifted to the same level as the crew on their bases.  This helps the gun to feel like it is in the correct scale.  The Hinchliffe 20mm equipment is one of the more accurate in this regard, so I didn't want it sitting lower than the crew.

I really liked the ammunition case mounted with the crew on the ground instead of on the carriage.  I'll have to do that with the rest of my batteries that are unlimbered for firing.

I particularly like this tight grouping of the officer and the crewman with the slow match.

Getting this limber reassembled was a bear!

But it worked out in the end.

I really like being able to include the howitzer in this grouping.  Dick painted the original 8 pdr canon with a dark gray carriage, so I painted the howitzer to match.  In truth they were issued with new guns when entering Spain, so they would likely have been mounted on French olive green carriages.

I've never known anyone to model the crew in marching order other than DT, which is a dead giveaway that Mr. Tennant painted the original.

Next up - Baden Infantry and Artillery Command with Modern Franznap Figures.

Another Weekend of DBA Fun and a Magnificent Bonus!

 This weekend my dear wife of 35 years was off enjoying a girl's weekend to celebrate birthdays, so I had a built in excuse to get in some gaming.  While the troops looked good, as usual, my handling of them left something to be desired.

Aslan at the Stone Table with Susan and Lucy.  How could I lose with this mighty lion looking over the battlefield along with the fated queens of Narnia?

King Peter sounds the mighty war horn of Narnia.

But Jadis, the Ice Queen, has other plans.

Beasts of all sorts clash in the middle...

And the Narnians pull out a crushing victory over the center of the wicked Queens army! 

But in the end, the magic of Jadis was too strong and the good people of Narnia will have to wait for another day to feel the return of Spring - Kinda reminds me of US politics come to think of it...

To make up for his treatment of my Narnian army, Terry presented me with an extraordinary gift.  A beautifully based and customized, painted figure of a 54mm Charles Stadden original, here altered to depict a Fusilier in Spanish service of the Cordoba regiment 1810-1812.

Here is how he started life.

Modifications to the front and back in preparation for  converting to a Spanish Fusilier, and also some general improvements to the casting of the figure.

The list of modifications was extensive: Removed the chinscales, cords and shako plate, and reduced the pom pom to a cockade. Made a new shako plate in the shape of the city seal for Cordoba. Added mutton chop style sideburns and a thin pointed moustache typical of the Spanish at the time. Distressed the coat, trousers and shako with patches and tears (saber cut in the shako). Added a new flap cover for the cartouche, and removed the fatigue cap below it. Did some undercutting and refinement to the casting.

Finally, I present the Completed Figure for your Enjoyment

The old campaigner

Even the pot was hand carved and researched for authentic Spanish motifs!

He looks like he stepped right out of the Peninsular war after much hardship!

Even the back is detailed!

My sincerest thanks to Terry for this extraordinary gift which he approached with skill, dedication and an occasional bit of humor at my expense!

Recharging My Batteries

 The German Division is inching forward, so I thought it would be fun to show some WIP pictures on the next unit up for renewal, a battery of Baden artillery.

The 2nd Battalion of the 4th Infantry Regiment of Baden is done.  These are just a quick rebasing and sprucing up of Dick Tennant's original work.  In truth they would not have worn the helmets, as those were discarded by all units except the artillery very soon after arriving in Spain.

Baden Battery Work

For a single battery of artillery, seven bases are required; one for the deployed battery base, one for the limber, one for the artillerists in march order, and four for the artillerists serving the guns.  Seen here are all seven basses after a gray primer coat on both sides and the first coat of Testor's green enamel.  The bases are elevated off the cardboard backing with some sticky tack, to prevent the bases sticking to the carboard and also to prevent the spray paint running under the bases.

Here are all of the bits and pieces that will come together for the battery; twelve artillerists, four draft horses, two riders, a limber, and in my madness, I have added another gun to the plan, so that each battery will have two guns, one deployed for firing and one limbered (only one will be used in an actual game, with the second only used during display). 

Hopefully it won't be long now that all of the pieces are ready to be shaded and shinnied...

Addendum - Gift Artillery!

My buddy Alastair sent a few cannons he no longer needed, from which I was able to pull out at least 4 British Hinchliffe 20mm canons and what I think are some French 25mm 4 pdr canons, that I just may be able to convert to 20mm 6 pdrs!  This will aid tremendously in my quest to have each battery contain two guns.  Below are two of them nicely finished as British 9 pdrs.

The Spring Break Trifecta!

The Perfect Trifecta: Wargaming, Hiking and Painting

Photos from a great afternoon playing an introductory game of L'art de la Guerre with good bud Mike Lee. It has been far too long since I had pushed some soldiers around on a wargames table! We will not discuss the outcome of the game however...

Mike surveys the devastation he has wrought!

Yes, that's my cavalry surrounded on two sides with a line of pikes to the rear

The takabara were at least trying to hold back the advance of the pikemen.

Unsuccesfully...

The Persian heavy cavalry on the right flank fared much better.

So many long pointy things!

Spring Break

We turned off the electric devices Wednesday and hiked 10.5 miles in Montgomery Bell State Park. Ended the day at the park restaurant overlooking the lake. Nyra was so tired she fell asleep against the leg of my chair. I was a bit tired myself...

The following day we took another electronics free hiking day at Edgar Evans State Park.  Nyra saved the day by refusing the climb up to an exposed ridge during our morning hike.  It was steep and difficult, so we thought she was just tired from the previous day's exertions, but it turned out she was warning us about a pop up thunderstorm!  We think she sensed it coming before we even heard the thunder, but five minutes after we turned around the sky opened up and the thunder rolled!  Later in the day we were hiking again on a really stunning section near the visitor's center.  It's a short 2 mile but quite challenging trail, and halfway along the loop we got hammered by another storm, this time with lots of pea sized hail!  Fortunately, Nyra's thick fur must have softened the impact, because she never complained and was just a champion.  Her new nickname is Brave Nyreen after a favorite children's book of ours.  Before the rains, I did get lots of wildflower pictures, but nothing during the storms as we were a bit pre-occupied!

Bloodroot

Cutleaf Toothwart

Trout lillies

Jefferson Twinleaf

Harbinger of Spring

Trillium or Toadshade

And finally I got some time off my feet for painting toy soldiers.

The German division's command; General de Division Jean Darmagnac with a Staff Major (center) and an Aide de Camp from the Nassau regiment (right), along with a Brigadier General, Neuenstein of Baden (left).

1st Battalion of the Baden 4th Regiment of Infantry.  These are based four to a company base like the Nassau battalions.

Now that the 1st Battalion is done, the second is already on the painting desk for prep work.  Dick Tennant did a wonderful job painting these originally, so my job was greatly simplified.

Next up; Baden Infantry, Artillery, and Battalion Command.