The Wrong Hats an RCW Update

This month has been pretty focused on my Russian Civil War project, although not exclusively. I mentioned in an earlier post that having changed unit sizes I am using the spare figures created to kick start new units. This is going really well.

I have been able to complete 3 white units and 1 red unit. Below are the new figures.

These chaps are for the Generral Aleksayiv regiment. The middle two new figures from Russian sculptor Leonid. The other three are Copplestone.

These caps are dismounted far eastern cossacks. One of the units whose caps had to change, of which more later.

The Bolsheviki below are both Copplestone castings.

This base finishes a regular foot unit and has three sculptors/ manufacturers. Left to right Leonid, Footsore and Copplstone.

And then there is the cavalry. Firstly I have the best part of a unit of Siberian Cossacks. There are 6 as I had 2 Copplestone Cossacks left over. Unfortunately whilst both lovely figures Copplestone are are bit bigger and chunkier, they dont really mix.

Now these cavalry from Leonid are just lovely and I really like how they have come out. Unfortunately I have since found that cap colour is wrong.  The table of colours in Osprey suggests that Siberian Cossacks have crimson shoulder boards, trouser stripe, cap band and cap crown. It seems to suggest that for the far eastern cossacks it is yellow for the same things. Other sources, particularly the Pygmy Wars site suggest that the cap crown is blue for all cossacks the other colour schemes being correct.

I had already changed my far eastern cossacks as shown in the earlier picture of dismounted Cossacks. Would I now need to change the Siberians?

Of course the answer was yes you will. Both units.

 The Copplestone ones have only three caps to change. However Leonids......

 

Painful but they do still look great. I then moved on to order some more figures from Leonid. I have made some minor changes to some for which I ask Leonids forgiveness.

 This first red cavalryman is just brilliant and I love the horse. Cossack trousers add a little colour.

 The next figure is also brilliant. The picture doesnt do it justice. Sorry Leonid I used a redoubt horse so I could pinch yours for some Poles I am working on.

I then have the last two Siberian cossacks and yes I had to repaint this cap too. The second one is a minor conversion of the first red trooper.

The next 5 I decided would be a native caucasion mountaineer unit. My research suggests a variety of uniform and fur hat colours with sky blue shoulder boards, soa nice colourful unit. Only 5 so far these rest may end up being copplestone.

 This leads me to my most recent purcashes from Russia. I have decided that Leonids fantastic cavalry in Caucasian dress will be exactly that, Caucasian mountaineers. As native troops they have a variety of colours for both uniforms and fur hats. The sky blue shoulder boards set them off perfectly and I can use them as remnants of the savage division, shkiros wolves, oddessians you name it.

The above trooper is classic for these troops with that great aggressive pose.

The second trooper you may recognise as the same casting as one of the reds. Unusual to be dressed in a shirt but adds to their irregular look. The horse is Copplestone, the Poles have the original.

 The officer is probably my favourite of all of them as is this horse.

 Browns were not as common as grey or black but common enough to mix one in.

 

 Again not sure the picture does this chap justice its a lovely sculpt, very dynamic.

 It looks a little better in the below picture of the one I used to finish my Kuban Cossack unit earlier.

So thats it for now more Russians, Sikhs and the odd Saxon on the workbench.

Watch this space!

Saxon General of Horse

A while back I picked up a unit of Warefare miniatures cavalry but ordered standing horses by mistake. Eventually I ended up with the right figures but had the command pack standing left over. I decided that I would use the officer as a Swedish general. That left a bugler and standard bearer. I decided that if I cut his arm away and replaced it with a Warfare sword arm it might look ok and icould have aSaxon general of horse. Heres the result. I hope you like it.

Saxon cavalry Beust 2

Having received my second unit of Saxon currasier regiment Beust I thought it was an opportunity to let you know I have not forgotten my Great Northern War project.

These are all Warfare Miniatures figures. I have chosen a mix of tricorne, floppy hat and bare head to represent the transition Saxon uniforms went through during this war.

So thats them. It will remain a little quiet on the Great Northern War front until Warefare release the forthcoming Swedish cavalry. In the meantime I hope that the new offerings I have for the Sikh Wars, Russian Civil War and El Cid projects will be acceptable.

Thanks for reading.

Operation Crusader 1941

So back from sunny and very very hot Spain. On the Sunday before I left I was invited to play with Ken (Yarkshire Gamer) and chums a 1941 western desert game.

The team use Too Fat Lardies amended rules Iron Ivan or a coffin for 7 Brothers. This is my favourite theatre of WW11 so I jumped at the chance.

Ken will no doubt have a full write up on his blog shortly,  http://yarkshiregamer.blogspot.co.uk/  in the meantime  I thought I might share my experience of gaming at Kens and a few images, please note that most of this is from my perspective as I tended to forget what was going on anywhere else on the battlefield.

The game had three Allied commands, each containing a battalion of foot, a unit of tanks and a unit of armoured cars, assaulting an Italian force holding a fortified village and a series of hills. The Eyties had two battalions, two armoured cars, 3 AT guns and three tanks but had reinforcements on the way, including some German troops and armour.

 My command, pictured above had a battalion of South Africans, a troop of two Marmon Herrignton armoured cars and a unit of three tanks, two matildas and a Stuart.

 Looking down the table Ian next to me had a similar force but three cruiser tanks rather than matildas and Lonnie further down had valentines.

Rob was directly opposite me with two armoured cars a 45mm AT gun and a battalion of Italian foot.

Steve in the centre had a battalion in the fortified village with another 45mm and a 20mm, Ken had the three tanks on the high ground opposite Lonnie.

The game is card driven and a T break means anything that hasn't gone loses its turn other than to move into cover if possible. Frustratingly this meant that the allied foot stood still pretty much for the first two turns.

Our armour manoeuvred forward using the available cover with the exception of one of Ian's Morris armoured cars. This car belted down the road in the open with amusing if predictable results

 Both sides had their share of fairly ineffective air cover and Ians loss of an armoured car was quickly balanced by one of the Italian cars going boom from a particularly effective Boyes anti tank rifle.

It was about this point as my armour clattered off without infantry support that Ken realised that the Allied infantry cards had not yet been dealt into the pack. Oops, no wonder none of them were moving.

Meanwhile as the foot eventually start to move I get my Stuart to the edge of the wood and start laying down some fire on the Italians. Unfortunately Robs scout car moved into position and quickly knocked the Stuart out with an exceptionally lucky shot.

Meanwhile the first Axis reinforcements arrive and the hill is looking a bit busy. Another unit of German scout cars is also moving into position. This seems the ideal time to stop for some Fish and Chips, so we promptly do.

 As the allies press forward both sides start to take infantry casualties, the Matildas are almost untouchable but still attract a lot of fire from the 45mm. In quick succession the Matildas take out the second Italian armoured car and the 45mm takes out both Marmon Herringtons and the other Morris before the crew are finally wiped out by the South Africans.

 

Lonnie has pressed forward with his infantry but its all rubber swords on the right and centre with relatively light casualties for both sides. Its a different story on the left. Five burning allied armoured vehicles and two Axis. The Italian 45mm is out, half the mortar crew are down and both sides have multiple infantry casualties.

At this point the game is any ones still but its 4.15 so we leave it to pick up and continue another weekend. Great fun, I am sure Kens write up will bear no resemblance to my biased view of events, I look forward to the next instalment.

I will try and keep a better track of everyone elses game next time I promise!

Next to share back to the Great Northern War. Honest!