Terrain: My First Roads

I crafted the first 20" of roads from a roof shingle that blew off our house during a storm.  I still have to make curves and other roadway features.  I chose to use the gravel side. I brushed on some brown paint then while still wet sprinkled on some light green flocking and then glued some static grass down in spots.  The picture shows up more black than what it looks like on my table. Much more brown on my craft table.  Good start for now.

Boxer Rebellion: 15mm Chinese Boxers

Based up 8 elements of Chinese Boxer fanatics today.  Gave them names and printed out some base decals.  Wanted to add another model or two more per base but 3 was all I could do without buying more models which I do not want to do, aside from cavalry, artillery and a general.

Principality of Huack: Royal Naval Brigade

Here are some Naval Infantry units of the Royal Navy.  When conducting land borne operations with the Royal Army they form as the Naval Brigade though they are a much smaller detachment.  The models are 15mm Naval Russians for the Boxer Rebellion.  Lighting is not good but I'm taking the pictures at zero dark thirty too.

ACW: 5th New York Zouaves, Army of New England

This puts the Army of New England at 10 elements.  Only 3 more elements remain, the Army General, and 2 cavalry elements.

ACW: 3rd United States Infantry Regiment, Army of New England

ACW: 3rd Vermont Volunteer Infantry

Last batch of the gunboat Union infantry.  Labeled as the 3rd Vermont Vol. and based up as skirmishers.  This brings to 7 the total elements for my Union "Army of New England."  I am looking forward to finishing this army and then beginning either the "Arkansas Legion" based on Cobb's Legion or the 15th Arkansas Infantry.

ACW: 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry

Finished the 4th element for my Union Army the "Army of New England."  This element is the 54th all black regiment led by Colonel Shaw.  These soldiers were another eBay purchase that came as a nice surprise with a 15mm gunboat.  I don't need them for the gunboat as the boat is destined for the Huack-Turkoslavia Wars.  The remainder of the white soldiers from this purchase shall be used to construct skirmisher elements for the AoNE.

ACW: Next Element of the 22nd NY Militia, Army of New England.

Another base I put together of soldiers bought on eBay.

New Direction for the American Civil War

I have been collecting ACW in 15mm for several years now and have just not got around to painting yet. I also had some painted models that I had bought online.  Below is a few of those, the 22nd NY Militia.  I had been toying with the idea of selling all my 15mm off and going with 10mm for the massed troops look but I have since dropped this idea.  Why spend more money when I can do everything I want to do for this period in 15mm?  So I'm sticking with 15's and below is the first base I've done up for my home rules.  The lighting is kind of bad as it's the middle of the night.  This will be part of my fictional "Army of New England."

The 22nd New York Militia, American Civil War

Eagle Decoration For My Wargame Table

Saw this at Hobby Lobby and thought it would make a great addition to my table.

Painting and Gaming Totals for 2013.

Well my gaming year ended on Christmas day.  This years painting numbers are down but the gaming total was up.  Also I stopped tracking purchases and setting target goals.  So I will continue with simply tracking models painted but I am changing the format of games played.  Instead of listing the name of the game and how many times I played it I will list by period and how many battles were fought in that period.

2013 also held a couple of achievements for me.  The release of my element based WWII wargame rules and the launch of my own miniatures line at Bat Cave Minis.

Models Painted
3mm: 170

6mm: 15

10mm: 0

15mm: 15

25mm: 23

54mm: 0

1/72: 1

1/2400: 0

1/6000: 0

Terrain & Acc: 3

Total Painted: 227

Prior Year Total: 497

Games Played

HOTT-SYW: 1

Mayhem: 1

Dungeons: 3

Tales of M&L: 3

Combat WW2: 3

D&D: 1

Brigadier: 8

Battletech: 2

Battlesystem: 1

Legatus: 2

Commodore: 1

Song Blades & Heroes: 1

Freeblades: 1

HOTT: 1

Bush War FUBAR: 2

Myth & Legends: 3

Year Total: 34

Prior Year Total: 31

Principality of Huack: Photograph of Royal Navy Gun Crew at Practice

The Royal Navy released a photograph of a gun crew at the Royal Navy Base in Auston.  No doubt the photo is meant to a publicize deterrent to Turkoslavian aggression.

Gun Crew Sailors of the Huack Royal Navy.

In Memory... Donald Featherstone.

A legend in the wargames community passed away this week.  I never had the pleasure to meet Mr. Featherstone but from what I've read he was very kind and attentive to those he met while at the UK conventions, always eager to autograph a book.  I am lucky enough to possess several of his books and one has his autograph.  Mr. Featherstone is considered by myself and many others to be one of the fathers of modern wargaming along with Charles Grant, Tony Bath and Jack Scruby.  

Rest in peace good sir.

Mr. Featherstone at home in his last years.

Mr. Featherstone in the Royal Armored Corps, UK, Second World War.

Principality of Huack: Royal Navy Gunboat SMS Auston & Naval Landing Party

I bought these models on eBay back in December.  I still have to touch them up a bit, paint the sailors back cloth blue and find some guns for the "gunboat" and then give them all a wash.  But I am anxious to show them off.  Consider this the "before" picture.  Anyway, the Royal Navy is ready to do their part to take the fight to the vile Turkoslavians!

Principality of Huack: Royal Naval Officers Uniform.

Commodore von Bach also designed the new Naval officers uniform requirements for the Royal Navy which was readily approved by Prince Karl.

Principality of Huack: Royal Navy Sailors Uniform

Commodore von Bach designed the new uniform requirements for the enlisted men of the Royal Navy which was speedily approved by Prince Karl.  Keenly aware of the Naval requirements of the Principality on Lake Hreshta (Ohrespa in Turkoslavia) the Commodore submitted a request to Prime Minister Jagow for 100 rifles, infantry belts, pouches, boots, leggings and daggers in addition to the new uniforms.

Principality of Huack Royal Navy Officer Sleeve Insignia

Desiring that his navy should have comparable uniforms to other European Navies, Commodore von Bach designed and submitted the sleeve insignias shown below to Prince Karl, whom gladly added these to the Royal Navy Uniform Instructions 1881.

Principality of Huack - First Officers of the Royal Navy

Prince Karl created the first 6 officers of the Royal Navy today at his lakeside palace in the town of Auston. Prince Karl appointed Siebrecht von Bach formerly a Captain of the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Navy as the head of the Principality's Royal Navy and bestowed upon him the rank of Commodore.

Commodore von Bach's first task is to setup bases in St. Jamestonia and Auston; design, and build the first ships and finally recruit and train sailors for the Royal Navy.  The Commodore is also tasked with coordinating the coastal defense of the Principality with the Royal Army.

Commodore von Bach, far right with cigarette, poses with the first Royal Naval Officers.

Principality of Huack - Naval Officer Insignia

From his palace in Aleshirejvo and addressing the his court and both the Royal General Staff and the future senior Naval Officers, Prince Karl signed the Navy Act formally creating the Principality's Royal Navy.  Part of the Navy Act was the creation of a standardized rank structure.  The ranks below were approved as insignia for the Royal Navy Officer Corps.

VSF: All Quiet on the Martian Front

I jumped in on this Kickstarter campaign: All Quiet on the Martian Front  at the deluxe invasion level a few months back.  Earlier this week they released the pledge manager.  After all the bonus levels that were achieved I'm going to receive enough miniatures to make 2 full VSF forces using whatever rules I want.  Not to mention several posters that I can further decorate my war room with.