Welcome

Welcome to my wargaming blog,
I'm Dave and live in Morpeth, Northumberland in the UK.
This may or may not be a regular thing, we'll just have to see how it goes.

I am a painter/collector of figures first and a wargamer second. My thrill in this great hobby of ours is to place that final well researched & painted unit into the cabinet. The actual gaming with the figures is an important but secondary experience, we all like to win, but it isn't the be all and end all of it, being with good friends and having fun is.
Hope you will enjoy reading this blog as much as I will writing in it.
Just to remind the visitor to scroll down the various pages and click on 'older posts' to see more.
Dave.

Tuesday 17 April 2018

madame la guillotine

Well, here we go. This dear reader is not actually the start of a new project but is, as regular (if there are any) observers of this modest blog will know a refurbishment of one of my first wargame passions, the French Revolution.
The collection was first begun about twenty years ago, long before Eureka brought out their very comprehensive range, so it was mainly Old Glory bicorn French with rather shorter coat tails and hair than I would have wished but beggars can't be choosers as they say. No don't get me wrong, I'm not chucking out the baby with the bathwater so the French aren't going to be changed completely but her are a few things that are, eventually going to take place.

1.) The Vendee infantry will be grouped into units of ten each so that they can be used for Sharp Practice as well as other rules so a bit of re-basing.
2). French standard bearers will have their 1795 flags carefully removed to be replaced with small hollow tubing allowing earlier and later period flags to be slid in according to which period of the revolution is being depicted.
3). To that same end voltigures for the line battalions early empire green coated lights for early rev and side plumed shako light infantry for the consular period to be added.
4). Two regiments of horse by Elite figures will be replaced with Eureka figures. Elite are great but just too big at 30mm, you can get away with the infantry but not cavalry, they look huge, so the Elite will be sold once the replacements are done.
5). The Austrian artillery need proper guns, the ones there are make do and look crap, while their limber drivers need their uniforms darkened to gray instead of white with the turn ups on their hats shaved off and the brims rounded off with green stuff. As they stand they represent 1805 onwards.
6). The Consular onwards French limber drivers need to come off their horses so that I can paint up civilian drivers for the rev period and use both. Now this wont be easy as I use Epoxy steel glue, the sort you mix two different tubes together to get a strong fix so any suggestions would be welcome. I don't want to damage either the limbers or riders, so good luck with that Dave!
7). Other than that just add to the various infantry of both sides so that larger forces are available.
Not much to do then but one must start somewhere so for a bit of inspiration I dug out an old Foundry guillotine set that had been lying around, the cotton used for rope is a bit thin and I may try toughening it up by painting it with PVA, we'll see:












Well, it's a start, long way to go though.
Dave.

11 comments:

  1. Ha ha you've got some work in front of you

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  2. A French revolution project wothout a guillotine can not be a complete project...and this one is awesome! Absolutly wonderful (and atmospheric, brrrr), love the characters, excellent job Dave...and good luck for the following units!

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    1. From you this is very special praise indeed Phil, many thanks.
      Dave.

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  3. Dave, I like your plans for your FRW armies. Can I have the French cavalry you plan to sell? We need to have a mega FRW game sometime.

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    1. Collin, that's fine by me, it may be a bit of time before I get onto the cavalry but I'm sure we could come to some arrangement. I'm up near Morpeth but we game at Blagdon Hall near Stannington, have a look here https://sites.google.com/site/borderreiverswargamessociety/Home the link is above in my blog list
      You'd be very welcome, they are a good bunch of lads.

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  4. That´s brilliant...lovely vignette

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  5. That’s quite a daunting list you have drawn up, so good luck! The guillotine is a fine addition to motivate your Revolutionary Generals.

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    1. Yeh David, sort of clearing the decks by painting up single leader figures for Sharp Practice. Sorting Vendee infantry soon though, easy to do, just a minor bit of re-basing.
      Dave.

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  6. Dave, thats a great rendition of the war-games foundry guillotine set, very nice indeed. Also exited to hear of your FRW plans, will look forward to seeing it develop.
    Michael

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