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ACW Naval status update - week 19

May 8, 2016, 4:53 pm
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Work continues on the USS Minnesota and USS Kearsarge models. The Kearsarge had the duffel bags along the railings painted and the stays and back stays for the foremast are installed.

Work continues on rigging the foremast of USS Minnesota.

Port quarter view of USS Kearsarge

Kearsarge, again


USS Minnesota from the starboard beam. The stays are installed for the foremast working on the back stays.

The lower back stays are installed. Still need the middle and upper back stays.

It's eating up a lot of wire!

This is hard, fiddly work. The glue won't always keep the wire in place. During a game it may start shedding wire on the table.

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Tales of the Anaconda - page updated!

May 19, 2016, 7:40 am
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Salutations!

Overhauled the "Tales of the Anaconda" page to include some background history on the life cycle of the game and add questions that commonly come up. If you have questions regarding the game, please let me know!

In other Anaconda news, I'll be sitting down to proof-read Anaconda: Capital Navies this week. Once it's up to date and converted to PDF I'll schedule a release date on Wargames Vault.


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ACW Naval update - week 21

May 22, 2016, 3:57 pm
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No update last week for multiple reasons. This week has some good progress.

USS Kearsarge has the rigging installed.






Last task here is to paint the rigging and call it a day...


USS Minnesota - work continues on the rigging. As indicated earlier, this thing is a beast. About 2/3 done with a little bit of the main mast and the the mizzen mast rigging remaining.






Trying to finish this in the next two weeks.


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ACW Naval update - week 23

June 5, 2016, 7:22 pm
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I know, you're asking yourself, "what happened to week 22?" Well, it sorta got swallowed up with a bunch of activities around Memorial Day weekend.  I spent a weekend in Houston doing assorted things.

This young man build a set of Brotherhood of Steel power armor out of cardboard and duck tape. The helmet started life as a Clone Trooper. Nice representation of a laser rifle too!


And the Fallout references continue with this absolutely sick 1:1 model of Mr. Handy.

What's this? The entrance to a Vault-TecVault? Nope! It's a armored door onboard USS Texas, a battleship commissioned in 1914.

Are you sure it's not a Vault? Yes! This is a connecting passagway on the second deck (under the main deck).

Casemate battery on the main deck. These 5" mounts represent gunnery 55 years after the Civil War. While the optics and recoil mechanisms have improved and the gunports are huge, it's still gives you the feel of what the gun deck on a casemate ironclad must have been like.


Work continues - rigging on the Minnesota is almost done. While I missed the end of May deadline, Minnesota shall be complete before mid-June.




Work is focused on the mizzen mast standing rigging. That and a few load bearing lines for the mizen boom and spar and it'll be completed!


The addition of the standing rigging really transforms the size of the model.

While I've been procrastinating with the Minnesota's rigging, I've made progress with prepping and decaling a Shapeways 1/144 model - a little seen Fokker D VI. It's a composite of the engine and fuselage of the Dr. I and the wing design from the D. VII. It was a produced in small numbers serving in both the German and Austro-Hungarian air services. 

 Slow progress here. Need to repaint the engine cowling.


Still need to decal the stabilzers and control surfaces.

It's very glossy right now as it's still under construction. Once decaled, the last thing it gets is a matte finish to dull down the shine.

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The ACW Naval building project 2015 - 2016. The final posting.

June 26, 2016, 6:55 pm
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It's done.

I've completed the assembly and painting of all the ACW naval models in my collection. If took more than half a year, but it's done.  The last two models - USS Kearsarge and USS Minnesota were stubborn. The standing rigging on Minnesota took the better part of a month. I don't want to think about how many feet of wire are on the model.

Port beam of the Minnesota from Bay Area Yards. Stripped down for combat with her boars lowered away. 

 Bow quarter view of the model. The stell wire really helps stiffen and support the masts - just like the real standing rigging! 


USS Kearsarge from Thoroughbred Models. Ready for action! 

Now I can do two things - reorganize the painting table for the next project and start playing some games using these models!
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Mostly done - the Shapeways Fokker D.VI

June 26, 2016, 7:30 pm
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I've finished another 1/144 model to add to the collection of World War I fighter planes for use with Wings of Glory - the Fokker D. VI. It's an interesting model. It's parentage is clear - the body of a Fokker Dr. I triplane married to the wing form of the Fokker D.VII biplane.

Production was authorized in 1918, but it was a case of too little too late. The shortage of appropriate rotary engines, the shortage of castor oil and the poor quality of the synthetic replacement "Voltol" hampered engine performance and durability.

56 aircraft were delivered, seven of which were sent to the Austro-Hungarian Air Service.

The model was from the shapeways shop of Kampflieger. The model was printed using Black, Strong and Flexible as it's an improvement is surface quality over the standard White Strong and Flexible. After you've smoothed the surface of a bunch of 1/144 WSF models, the upgrade to BSF is worth it!

The model is depicted as one of the seven aircraft delivered to the Austro-Hungarian Air Service. The summer lozenge camouflage is from the shop of 1/144 Direct. These decals are superb and the shop is a superb retailer. I've placed multiple orders without a problem.

This overhead image was taken after topcoating with the gloss and matte finishes. The gloss was a little sticky and when the plane was inadvertently flipped, some of the decals got scraped off. 


A front on view.

Those chips and scrapes in the decals really bothered me.

...so I fixed them with a little painting touch up! 

Almost good as new.



Ready for the tabletop! 

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More ships points for Anaconda...

July 8, 2016, 6:06 pm
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Added a new document to the wargamevault.com website with the point values of a bunch of additional ship models that are available in 1/600 scale. Click here to connect to the product page.

For those of you that already own Anaconda - it'll save you some time doing the research. There are a number of 'what if' ships included such as Dunderberg and the Yazoo Monster.
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Those magnificent men in their (heavy) flying machines - The Letord and R.11 hit the work bench

August 8, 2016, 6:31 pm
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Two new arrivals on the table, both twin engine aircraft.

The Letord is a French observation/bomber introduced in early 1917 and used throughout the war. This particular model is armed to the teeth with each observer having a pair of machine guns in a flexible ring mount. With this much firepower, the Albatross might find that this prey has fangs.



The Letord after surface preparation and  a primer coat of generic tan. 


Nice modelling of the wing and fuselage ribbing.







Our other arrival is a Caudron R.11 heavy escort fighter. More of a late war aircraft, the R.11 mounts an impressive five machineguns including one the fires to the rear and down through the bottom of the plane. Typically used as an escort to the BR.14 bombers. It may not be agile, but it packs a wallop!


The R.11 has nice big, streamlined engine nacelles. 

The R.11 evolved from the G.6 bomber design (you can see it in the back)

And now in the front. The R.11 is larger than the G.6

The R.11 on the left and the Letord on the right. The G.6 is stuck in the middle.

It's an all Caudron mission. Two G.6 escorted by the R.11.




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Two French Hens...

August 25, 2016, 6:46 pm
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Painting on the two recent Shapeways models is underway. The two models are the Caudron R.11 haevy escort fighter and the Letord light bomber / recon kite. Both planes shall be painted in the French four color camouflage used to the end of the war.  My friend Scott had experience painting a pair of Salmson's using this pattern and recommended the following color palette;

Folk Art Forest Moss -
Vallejo Reflective Green
Vallejo Camo Orange Ochre
Game Color Charred Brown
Vallejo Black
Undersides: Folk Art Lemonade


I made one small tweak to accommodate paint that I had on hand;

Folk Art Forest Moss -
Vallejo Reflective Green
Vallejo Camo Orange Ochre
Vallejo Flat Brown
Vallejo Black
Undersides: Folk Art Lemona



Here's a good overview of the R.11. It's a nice clean casting and the repeated
coasts of gloss coat have filled the surface nicely.

View from the starboard quarter. 

view from the port quarter.


The Letord is a similar project, but for variety, I've reversed the color pattern on the wings.

In this view the flat brown has been painted on the rear fuselage. Compare this to the prior photo. 


The Letord had prominent radiators and engine struts. Combined with the negative stagger on the wings and you've got a fairly unique airplane! 

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Reduced Aircraft Factory's 1/144 Caquot Type M Observation Balloon

September 4, 2016, 1:37 pm
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Newly arrived from Shapeways is this model of the 1/144 Caquot Type M Observation Balloon.

A mainstay of the observation corps, it was frequently the target of enemy aircraft. Years ago, FFG had released a set of balloons as part of the Wings of War product line. Those products are long out of production and getting increasingly difficult to find. Thanks to Reduced Aircraft Factory, another option is to obtain a 3-D printed model of the balloon and create your own.

My model arrived in the mail this weekend, just in time for the Labor Day weekend. I opened it up and looked at the parts - it's pretty darn simple. Two parts for the gasbag and one part for the basket and ropes.

The parts of the model laid out with the rule for sizing purposes. 


So how does it scale? I pulled out one of the new Nieuport 11 models from Ares Games and placed it next to the balloon for a sense of size.

With the Nieuport 11 added for a sense of scale in 1/144.

Granted, the Nieuport is a small, single engine fighter, but you get a sense of the size of the thing.

While it may be large - it's feels fragile. The walls of the model are super thin - maybe down to the level of what the printer will handle. I suspect that once assembled, each half with support the other resulting in a much more rugged model. In addition, treating the Black Strong and Flexible material with a base material (be it Future or gloss finish) should add a little 'heft; to the model.

I'm liking what I've got - now to get it in the assembly and painting queue. The fun with Shapeways is in the ability to get a uniquely painted model on the table. This one will likely be done up in colors for either the Italian front or possibly Western Front. (Now I have to read up on balloon operations!)
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Unboxing the Wings of Glory - Nieuport 11

September 11, 2016, 6:36 pm
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The new Wings of Glory series 9 aircraft models have been released in the United States. One of the four models is the Nieuport 11, a spiffy little single seat fighter.  The Nieuport 11 was a smaller, simplified version of the Nieuport 10, designed specifically as a single-seat fighter. Like the "10" the "11" was a sesquiplane, a biplane with a full-sized top wing with two spars, and a lower wing of much narrower chord and a single spar. Interplane struts in the form of a "Vee" joined the wings together. The sesquiplane layout reduces drag and improves the rate of climb, as well as offering a better view from the cockpit than either biplane or monoplane, while being substantially stronger than contemporary monoplanes.

The Nieuport 11 outclassed the Fokker Eindecker in every respect, including speed, climb rate and maneuverability. It featured ailerons for lateral control rather than the Fokker'swing warping, giving lighter, quicker roll response, and its elevator was attached to a conventional tail plane which provided better pitch control as opposed to the all-moving, balanced "Morane type" elevators of the Fokker. 

Enough of the technical history, on to the plane! 


The Nieuport 11 box. Ares has gone back to a box with the 'hook' atached to the shrink wrap. This is preferred for those that save their boxes as it makes storage in a case much easier. 



The box with the plastic wrap removed. 


Removing the tray from the box we see the standard Ares Wings of Glory packing tray.


The contents of the box - one (1) model, a flight base with four (4) pegs, a maneuver deck and the plane and ace cards. 


The pack includes the plane card (lower right) as well as the pilot's 'ace' card, the ace ability and cards for the special rules associated with the plane. 







Side view showing the detail on the side of the fuselage and tail vertical stabilzer.

More of a head on view showing the gun and the grey engine cowling. The base is pretty much the standard Wings of Glory single engine fighter base showing the firing arc and  the basic plane statistics.

Here's an overhead view of the plane model showing the Lewis gun mounted on the uppoer wing. The early 1916 markings lack the red white and blue roundels that will become the standard markings for the French air corps.


At last - Nieuport 11 models are part of the Wings of Glory game! As noted above, the Nieuport is a great opponent for those Eindeckers and can mix it up with the early Albatross.

In addition to this model, there is a rocker armed 'balloon buster' version and a green 'Escadrille' model included in the series 9 release.

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The balloon project is lifting off!

September 18, 2016, 7:29 pm
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the 1/144 Cacquot Type M balloon is coming along slowly. The gasbag has been assembled and several coats of primer have been applied.

This particular model was painted in Black, Strong and Flexible (BSF). Unlike it's cheaper cousin, White, Strong and Flexible, BSF appears to be much less porous material. So as an experiement, unlike all previous models I am not expending time on using PVA and gloss spray coats to prepare the surface.

Several coats of white gesso were applied to the model. I allowed each coat to dry for about a day before applying the next coat. The end result yields a relatively smooth surface than should accept paint with no challenges. (Fingers crossed on this one!)

Here's the primed gasbag being supported by two bottles of paint. The grid is in 1" blocks.

In the foreground is the bridle that supports the basket.

A close up of the bridle. This still needs a couple of coats of thinned down gesso for priming. The full strength stuff is too think as you can see from this picture. 

For a better sense of scale, here's a 1/144 Phonix C.I from Shapeways for comparisonn. The C.1 is almost exactly the same size as the D.1.

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French firepower almost ready to take flight

September 18, 2016, 7:52 pm
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Work on the R.11 and Letord 2 models discussing in a previous post is almost complete. All that is left is the final gloss and matt finish coats and adding a magnet for basing the models.

First up, the Letord 2. A nice, mid-war twin engine, three seater that packs a punch.









And of course, the Caudron R.11 "Heavy Fighter". Here's something that you see twenty years later in similar form in things like the Me110, the Potez 630,the Russian Pe-2 culminating in the P-61. But in the Great War, we're still hammering out the details and the concept.

The Caudron R.11 was envisioned as a robust recon bombing aircraft with enough armament that it could defend itself from attacking fighters. The two twin machine gun mounts gave it quite an effective punch. A mediocre bomber (The BR-14 was far superior) The R.11 found a role as a 'battle plane' serving as an escort to the bomber groups. Not a good dog fighter, but a solid powerful escort that could keep up with the bombers all the way to the target and back. In place of the bombs, a fifth machine gun was added that fired into the lower rear sector, covering the 'blind spot' the other guns could not reach. 








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Heavy fighter escorts reporting for duty!

September 23, 2016, 9:00 pm
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The Letord 2 and the Caudron R.11 are completed!

These both painted up nicely. Decals were from Dom's Decals and a few odds and ends from the decal box (the numbers were Woodland Scenics decals).

A box with the escorts in front and back.



The bomber box with the escorts shifted to the flanks. 

Caudron G.6 on a bomb run, as the fokker D.VI closes in. 


The Letord 2 turns as the D.VI hurtles past into the rear guns view. 

The Letord from the front, showing off the twin MG's in the nose and the prominent radiators over each engine.


The R.11 and the D.VI get close up and personal.

You can see the gunners clearly in this image. The gunners are separate items for this model. 



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Up, Up and away in my beautiful ballooooooooooooon........

September 29, 2016, 6:36 pm
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.....or 99 Luftballoons on the wall, 99 Luftballoons.....

But seriously folks, I'm making great progress with the Reduced Aircraft Factory model of the Caquot Type M kit balloon available on Shapeways.

You can read the earlier installment here;


The painting has gone very well, in fact much better than I anticipated. I stumbled over a link to a postcard of a similar balloon done up in a charming checkerboard pattern. With that as a base, it was just a matter of selecting colors and a brush and getting started.


Here's the balloon after painting and following installation of the mounting post and the basket and shroud lines. The mounting post is a #6 1/2" screw that's screwed into the provided hole. To this screw, a strong rare earth magnet is glued using DAP adhesive or other strong adhesive (I'm a big fan of JB Weld). I thought I'd get smart and use a stainless steel screw with the magnet, but as I'm driving in the screw I remember....stainless steel is not magnetic! 



Here's the balloon after the basket installed. (Don't mind the hand of God in the lower left). Okay the paint job looks crummy in this picture.  I think the camera is too close. 

This looks a little better. It might be the angle. (It might be my painting skills!)

Thought I'd hold it over a game mat to get a feel for it.  

Success! The magnet on the post mates with a magnet glued to a 'bomber' peg and allows the balloon to be placed on a stand. 



Here's a view of the inverted balloon showing off the basket assembly. The great thing about this is that the basket and all the lines are a single part, making installation very easy.









The colors used on this model include  Folk Art Lemonade (the light yellow) and Americana Yellow Ochre. The basket was flat brown and the shrouds a base coat of yellow oche with a stain of flat brown and dry brushed light gray for weathering. 

Here's a shot of the primer, paints,  and screws used in the construction process. 


Now we're cooking with gas!  An Italian SVA 5 flies past this balloon somewhere on the Piave front.  The checkboard effect looks much better from a few feet away.

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Sikh Wars: Battle of Ferozeshah December 21-22, 1845 - A scenario for Volley and Bayonet

October 30, 2016, 1:00 pm
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Following Ranjit Singh's death in 1839, a struggle for power erupted that saw a succession of weak rulers replacing each other by increasingly nefarious means. The Sikh army – the Khalsa – moved into the leadership vacumn created by the lack of strong civil leadership. The recent British disaster of the 1st Afghan war, had seriously eroded the Sikh's fear of the Company's army, while the annexation of Scinde by Charles Napier increased Sikh fears of British annexation. Amongst those individuals competing for power in the Punjab, a plan emerged to have the Khalsa cross the SutlejRiver and force the British to guarantee Sikh sovereignty. Exactly how the Khalsa was to accomplish this goal was left unsaid, and few concrete objectives were set for the campaign. Some historians view this as a deliberate attempt by the Sikh politicians and nobility to weaken the Khalsa at the hands of the British. Whatever the motivation, December 1845 saw a large Sikh army cross into British India, and then…stop, apparently awaiting the British response.

As the British Army advanced from Ambala to relieve the troops at Ferozepore, they first encountered a Sikh division near the village of Mudki. Sir Hugh Gough - commanding the British Army in India– attacked the Sikh’s under Lall Singh late in the day. The battle raged into the night, but was a clear victory for the British

Following the Sikh defeat at Moodkee, Lal Singh retreated to Ferozeshah, rejoining the main body of the army. The British spent the 20th resting and treating the wounded from the battle, but set out a 0400 on the 21st to unite with General Littler's division from Ferzorepore. Gough's column arrived near Ferozeshah from Moodkee about 1030 on the morning of the 21st.

Spotting the Sikh army, Gough's immediate reaction was to deploy for an immediate assault against the eastern side of the Sikh position. Several officers were critical of Gough's decision to attack, including his second in command Brigadier Hardinge-who happened to be the Governor General of the Colony! Hardinge overruled Gough's attack and ordered him to keep moving towards Littler's approaching division. The junction was effected at the village of Misreewala, southwest of Ferozeshah around 1330 in the afternoon.
      At this point the army started to deploy, an event that took the next two and a half hours to complete. The battle opened around 1600 hours. Littler's division launched a premature attack on the left flank and was bloodily repulsed. Meanwhile, Gilbert and Smith's divisions advanced. The British regiments bore the brunt of the fighting and they succeeded in fighting their way into the center of the Sikh position, where Harry Smith's troops seized Ferozeshah.
      Night fell, and the battle became even more confused. Sniping and sporadic artillery fire occurred all night long, with both sides attempting to regroup or reform. Littler's troops fell back to Misreewala, as did the survivors of Smith's division. A panicked British junior officer -saying he was passing along General Gough's commands, attempted to order a withdrawal to Ferozepore, but was overruled by General Smith. 
      The dawn of the 22nd brought a renewal of the battle. The regrouped British force (minus many of their native troops) renewed the offensive, attacking the entrenchments they had captured once already. As they advanced, the Sikh army's morale collapsed, and the troops fled north. The British appeared to have ended the battle with a resounding victory. The battle, however, was not yet over.
      Tel Singh, arrived from the west, bringing with him the troops that had been loosely besieging Ferozpore. Gough reformed his troops to meet this new threat, occupying the entrenchments they had so recently attacked. The Sikh's stopped, unlimbered their artillery and threatened to charge with the large bodies of cavalry on each flank.
      This threatened attack failed to materialize. On the British right, White's cavalry again charged the Sikh cavalry, throwing the Sikh flank into disarray. On the British left, the cavalry and artillery mysteriously withdrew toward Ferzepore - the work of a panicked junior officer, successful this time. This withdrawal apparently had a negative effect of Tel Singh, who worried that the British were attempting to flank him.  To the amazement of the exhausted British, the Sikh army ceased fire, and then withdrew. The only blemish on the victory was that the exhaustion of the British prevented a proper exploitation of the victory.





The Battlefield
      Ferozeshah was a village located at the junction of three roads leading to the major cities in the Sutlejregion- Ludhiana-the main British "base" for the campaign, nearby Ferozepore, which was held by the British, but threatened by the Sikh Army, and the road to Moodkee, which General Gough's troops were advancing along. The surrounding terain is covered by open scrub "jungle" -consisting of low thorny scrub and scattered trees. The Sikh position at Ferozeshah was a strong one. The army was drawn up in a horseshoe shaped formation around the village of Ferozeshah, with the open end of the "shoe" to the north. Light works protected the perimeter of the Sikh position.
 
Terrain
The battlefield has some unusual terrain which should be treated as follows;
      Ferozeshah: Ferozeshah is represented by a single town block as described in the rules.
      Misreewala: Misreewala is represented by two town blocks as descibed in the rules.
      Abatis: Abatis (a barricade made from felled trees) is treated as hasty works for any stand that begins the turn adjacent to the abatis.
      Jungle: Jungle is treated as open woods as described in the rules.

Game Length
      Ferozeshah models the events of the first day of battle. The game begins with the 11:00 am turn and continues through the 5:00 pm turn.

Victory
      The main British objective is to defeat the Sikh force and secure the camp near Misreewala. The Sikh's are defending the approach to Fezeropore and the Sikh army under Tel Singh, and attempting to defeat and delay the British force approaching from Moodkee.
      The British win by destroying or crippling the Sikh Army. The Sikh Army has 4 derahs or divisions. Each division exhausted at the end of the game counts as one point for the British, while each division in morale collapse or completely destroyed counts as two points. The British win a tactical victory with 5 points and a strategic victory with 8 points.
      The Sikh’s win by keeping the British from meeting their victory conditions and retaining control of the village of Ferozeshah.

Optional Victory Conditions
Okay, the only way to explain the British success at Ferozeshah is to factor in the inexplicable behavior of the Sikh commanders. Lal Singh has near parity in troops, but lets his command sit while the British outflank and overrun him. Then, Tej Singh – with victory in his grasp! – disengages from an opponent that he could crush. Obviously, the goals of the senior officers in the campaign were not to defeat the British.  To that end, I offer a set of victory conditions that better reflect the goals of the Sikh leadership.
Lal Singh – defeat the British, but have at least one Khalsa division in morale collapse. Taking the fire out of your army will make it easier to seize power back home.
Metab Singh – At least two Khalsa divisions exhausted AND Khalsa must suffer twice the casualties of your Ghochurra cavalry. The Ghochurra division must not be exhausted at the end of the battle.
Tej Singh – Let Lal Singh take the blame and conspire with your British allies. You must engage the British, but if all of Lal Singh’s divisions are collapsed, you can withdraw a happy man. If none of Lall Singh’s divisions are in morale collapse when you join the battle, then you must defeat the British by making all their divisions go into morale collapse.

THE BRITISH ARMY

      General Hugh Gough (army commander)
Corps Troops
      Field Artillery Battalion..........(2-6) qq
      Field Artillery Battalion..........(2-6) qq
      Heavy (siege) battalion...........(2-6) qq
      Siege mortar battalion…….…(2-5) qq

White’s Cavalry Division (exhaustion = 3)
      Brigadier White
      Horse artillery battalion….........(2-6) qq
      White's Cavalry Brigade...........(3-6) qqqbattalion gun
      3rdLight Dragoons…………….(1-6) q
      6th Light Dragoons……………(1-6) q

McCaskill's Division (exhaustion = 6)
      Brigadier Wallace (commanding)
      9th Foot...................................(3-6)qqq
      2nd Native Infantry...................(2-5) qq
      26th Native Infantry..................(2-5) qq
      73rd Native Infantry..................(2-5) qq
Gilbert's Division (exhaustion =9)
      Major General Sir Walter Gilbert (commanding)
Taylor's Brigade
      29th Foot.................................(3-6)qqq
      80th Foot.................................(2-5)qq
      41st Native Infantry..................(2-5) qq
McLaren's Brigade
      1st European Light Infantry......(3-5) qqq
      16th Native Infantry..................(2-5) qq
      45th Native Infantry..................(2-5) qq
In reserve;
Smith's Division (exhaustion = 7)
      Sir Harry Smith (commanding)
Hicks Brigade
      31st Foot.........….......................(2-6)qq
      24th Native Infantry...................(2-5) qq
      47th Native Infantry...................(2-5) qq
Ryan's Brigade
      50th Foot..............................…..(2-6)qqq
      42nd Native Infantry..................(2-5) qq
      48th Native Infantry...................(2-5) qq
Littler's Division (exhaustion = 7) Arrives as reinforcements in road column from Ferozepore to the west.
Major General Sir John Littler…..leader stand
Corps Troops
Marriot's Cavalry Brigade.........(3-6) qqq battalion gun
horse artillery battalion….........(2-6) qq

Ashburnham's Brigade
      33rd Native Infantry..................(2-5) qq
      46th Native Infantry...................(2-5) qq
      54th Native Infantry...................(2-5) qq
Reed's Brigade
      62nd Foot................................(3-6)qqq
      12th Native Infantry..................(2-5) qq
      14th Native Infantry..................(2-5) qq
British Deployment
      The British troops are deployed anywhere within 12” of the southern village of Misreewala.

Khalsa Army
      General Lall Singh (army commander)……command stand
     

Army Troops

      artillery battalion # 1...............(2-5) qq
      artillery battalion # 2...............(2-5) qq
      artillery battalion # 3...............(2-5) qq
      artillery battalion # 4...............(2-5) qq
      artillery battalion # 5...............(2-5) qq
      artillery battalion # 6...............(2-5) qq
  zamburak battery # 7………...(6-3)    qqqqqq
      zamburak battery # 8………...(6-3)    qqqqqq

Akali Irregulars (religious fanatics)
      Akali...…..(1-3 skimisher)
      Bakali….. (1-3 skimisher)
      Dakali….. (1-3 skimisher)
      Brakali.….(1-3 skimisher)
      Makali…...(1-3 skimisher)

1stInfantry Division (exhaustion = 11)
      1stBrigade....................(6-4) qqqqqq
      2ndBrigade...................(6-4)    qqqqqq
      3rdBrigade....................(6-4) qqqqqq
      4thBrigade………........(6-4) qqqqqq

2ndInfantry Division (exhaustion = 8)
      5thBrigade….................(6-4) qqqqqq
      6thBrigade….................(6-4) qqqqqq
      7thBrigade….................(6-4) qqqqqq

Sikh Cavalry Division (exhaustion = 3)

Cavalry Regiment # 2..................(2-4) qq Poorly Trained Regulars
Cavalry Regiment # 3..................(2-4) qq Poorly Trained Regulars
Cavalry Regiment # 1..................(2-4) qq Poorly Trained Regulars

Sikh Ghocurra Horse (Nobility and retainers of the Sikh tribes)

Exhaustion = 6

Mehtab Singh  (‘division commander’)
Ghochurra cavalry # 1….........(3-3) qqq        Poorly Trained Regulars
Ghochurra cavalry # 2.............(3-3) qqq        Poorly Trained Regulars
Ghochurra cavalry # 3.............(3-3) qqq        Poorly Trained Regulars
Ghochurra cavalry # 4.............(3-3) qqq        Poorly Trained Regulars
Ghochurra cavalry # 5.............(2-3) qq           Poorly Trained Regulars


Entering at some point on December 22, 1845 in road column from Ferozepore. No earlier than the 1100 hours turn.

Tej Singh’s ‘Wing’ (exhaustion=11)

Tej Singh (Corps Commander)

Corps Troops

Heavy artillery battalion # 8………(2-5)  qq
Heavy artillery battalion # 9………(2-5)  qq
Zamburak camel battery..…………(6-3) qqqqqq

Infantry Division (exhaustion = 8)
Infantry Brigade....................(6-4) qqqqqq
Infantry Brigade....................(6-4) qqqqqq
Infantry Brigade....................(6-4) qqqqqq

Ghochurra Left Wing  (exhaustion=7)

Ghochurra cavalry # 6…..............(3-3) PTR   qqq
Ghochurra cavalry # 7..................(3-3) PTR      qqq
Ghochurra cavalry # 8..................(3-3) PTR   qqq
Ghochurra cavalry # 9..................(3-3) PTR   qqq
Ghochurra cavalry # 9..................(3-3) PTR   qqq
Ghochurra cavalry # 10..................(3-3) PTR    qqq
Gochurra Right Wing  (exhaustion=7)
Ghochurra cavalry # 11..................(3-3) PTR qqq
Ghochurra cavalry # 12..................(3-3) PTR qqq
Ghochurra cavalry # 13..................(3-3) PTR qqq
Ghochurra cavalry # 14..................(3-3) PTR qqq
Ghochurra cavalry # 15..................(3-3) PTR qqq
Ghochurra cavalry # 16..................(3-3) PTR qqq
Ghocurra Cavalry Skirmisher…..(1-5)     q
Ghocurra Cavalry Skirmisher…..(1-5)     q

Sikh Deployment

The Sikh troops under Lall Singh are placed inside the perimeter formed by the works around the village of Ferozeshah. Artillery is placed on the perimeter of the line, with the infantry and cavalry deployed anywhere on or within the perimeter.
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Achtung, Panzer!

November 12, 2016, 7:48 pm
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Picked up a copy of TANKS by Gale Force 9. Fun little game. Very stripped down WWII game with total focus on tank combat.

Yes, it's a game, but this is clearly designed as an introductory WWII armor miniatures game. The game provides two Shermans and one Panther as plastic model kits (the same 15mm kits produced by Battlefront). The models are clean, well cast and easy to assemble. All pluses that will hook the budding model builder. Heck, I've been building models for decades and I enjoyed putting the models together.

As a game, it's well written and easy to pick up. At the same time, there's a good degree of strategy and planning required. It's initiative system is reminiscent of Star Wars or X-Wing. High initiative units move last and shoot first. You get data cards for a variety of tanks for the major powers - the United Kingdom, Germany, the Soviet Union and United States of America.  No Italian, French or Japanese tanks at this time.

There are modifiers in the form of crew and equipment cards.

Game play is straight forward. The game may start to bog down with more than a couple of platoons of tanks on each side. Terrain and cover are both represented with simple easy to grasp rules.

Overall this is great for casual play by grognards and veteran gamers and as noted above a great intro game for gamers new to tabletop gamers.
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Panzer Vor!

November 13, 2016, 7:18 pm
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On this beautiful fall day, I fired up the airbrush and proceeded to paint up a mess of late war German AFV. Most of these are meant for use with Gale Force Nine's new game TANKS, but I'm also getting the urge to play Command Decision again.

Here's the force lined up after painting. A Panther,  Pzkw IV and two Sug III G. 

This is the stock Battlefront Panther and I gotta say - it's a nice kit! 

Late model "G" on the left with the early model on the right.  Still need to attach the side skirts (Shurzen)

A trio of Pzkw IV H models. Think I went a little overboard with the brown.. These are models I picked up at Fall In! already assembled and base coated in Armor Yellow.  I added the green and brown. I need more practice with the airbrush! 

These are two Battlefront Pzkw IV H sold in the awesome two pack.

There was a panzer IV F2 included in my purchase. Feeling a little out of place for late war.

Practicing painting on the schurzen.  That third one in just went SPLAT! 

A bit more prototypical! 



Of course, now I'm dusting off all the stuff that's been sitting in boxes for the last ten years (or more!) . This includes today's project - a trio of Old Glory M36 Jackson tank destroyers.

There's not too many pieces, which is good. 

One of the models was already assembled.

The other two required...some assembly.

Okay, After assembling a bunch of the Battlefront plastic models, I just want to say - lead miniatures suck!  After working with the plastic models and seeing the detail done with the plastics, assembing these lead models was a real drag. Getting out the CA glue, getting the CA glue on my fingers. Gluing my fingers together.  Trying to glue the barrel in a tiny hole that doesn't seem like a good fit.

Yeah, yeah, I know - these were state of the art ten years ago. But that was then and this is now. It's a golden age for 15mm WWII gaming. That's all I'm saying.
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Getting a broken Panzer IV model back on the gaming table

November 16, 2016, 6:54 pm
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I may have mentioned that at FAll IN 2016, I purchased a batch Panzer IV H from a guy in Wally's basement. The were assembled, basecoated and given a heavy coat of weathering, which covered the basics of what I wanted. Given closer inspection, these appear to be Plastic Soldier Company Panzer IV kits.  I say this because one of the tanks is clearly a Panzer IV F1 with the 75L24 gun.

The remainder appear to have been done up as Panzer IV H with the 75L48 gun and schurzen skirts.
Unfortunately, one of the models was missing a gun barrel. A bit of a bummer as it's otherwise a nice tank model and was the only one with the tank commander modeled as exposed in the cupola.

The Panzer IV missing the barrel. The original owner never painted the tank commander.


Alongside one of it's Pazer IV H compatriots. One odd note - the cupola hatch is correct for the G and earlier, but not the "H".
But having knocked out a number of the Battlefront kits I wondered if I could find a spare part. Scrounging the used sprue trees, I found a couple of guns intended for Stug III G models. Now the Stug III G mounted the 75L48 - same as the Panzer IV H, so good news! 


Two spare barrels, but one is for a 105 howitzer! 


Selecting the 75mm barrel and removing it from the sprue, I used a Zona saw to cut the barrel of at the manlet. But looking at the resulting barrel after being cut off the mantlet, it was shorter than the barrels on the Panzer IV H models.  Sigh.

Anyway, pressing ahead, I used ABS cement to attach the barrel to the turret. A little care is needed to have the muzzle brake aligned correctly.

Here you can see the new barrel glued to the turrent of the table. Looks a bit shorter, yes? 

In this overhead view, we can say - yes, yes it does look shorter.
So I've got a tank with a barrel a little shorter than the 75L48. Looking at the data archives we find a happy coincidence, the Panzer IV G model (also known as the Pzkw IV F2) mounted the 75L43 gun - just a little shorter than the L48. This could work! Late in the G model production run, the Shurzen began to be fitted - that fits too!

Good news everyone! The model actually works out nicely as a late model Pzkw IV G refit with Shurzen. This will make a nice somewhat unique model for the battle group.

Goes to show you, there are no problems, only solutions waiting to be discovered!
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ACW Naval - Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.

December 8, 2016, 6:06 pm
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Earlier in 2016 I finished building and painting my back log of 1:600 scale American Civil War naval models. What an accomplishment! I was able to move forward and wrap up the 1;144 WWI airplane project and begin focusing on the 25mm Sikh War project.

And then, that quote from the Godfather III pops up.

While at Fall In 2016 in November, I found two 1:600 Ellet Ram models in the flea market. Okay, great - I could use more rams.


A Thoroughbred Miniatures ram, but with different stacks than the stock kit. Still a good gaming model. 

And a stock Ellet ram, with a good primer coat laid down. 


And then a few weeks ago, a friend gifted me with his unpainted, mint in box collection of 1:600 Thoroughbred Figures kits.

Huzzah! A third Ellet Ram! 

Another one!

You always need more tugs and barges! 

Another Sassacus class double ender! 

Again? Guess we'll have to reinforce the Carolina coastal squadron. 

Back to the Mississippi! 

And just like that, I've got a backlog of ACW models to work through again. It's a good thing there were 28 ships in the Sassacus class, because at this rate, I may end up with all of the them!


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