Pocket Panzers

One of the potential benefits of collecting figures to wargame the French and Indian War is that cavalry units are almost nonexistent in the forests of North America and artillery is really limited to large sieges which are mostly outside the scale of skirmish games like Sharp Practice. It makes it easier to collect and paint what feels like a full force. However, that doesn't mean that I didn't have a look at what was out there. Sharp Practice does  have rules for cavalry and artillery, after all. There's metal and even some plastic artillery kits out there, but most predate (War of Spanish Succession) or postdate (American War of Independence) the period I was interested in. As far as I can tell, the only readily available option that wouldn't involve some kitbashing or sculpting (something I wanted to avoid for a piece that will likely see limited use) is this metal set from AW Miniatures. They also carry an equivalent kit for British artillery, I believe. I could te...

In the predawn light, shadowy figures move from tree to tree, cradling their firelocks against their bodies to keep them free of underbrush and vine. Some wear capotes and blue wool forage caps, others are stripped to the waist and adorned with fierce red and black war paint. Marius watches the men under his charge from the rear of the file, while the imposing blanket-draped Huron war chief at his shoulder has his eyes on the French officer. Balancing the hot tempers of the political dissidents that gathered in Parisian cafés kept Marius at his wit's end, but working with the crown's native allies had proved an even worse headache. "We go now." Hardheart growls in French, a language he knows only a little better than Marius knows Wendat. What the sachem lacks in vocabulary he makes up for in tone. The words are a statement of fact, not a question. The young exile nods agreement, adjusting his forage cap and checking the pan of his musket before the two leaders steal t...

Gebirgsjäger — German mountain troops — are a project I've wanted to tackle for some time, although I couldn't say exactly where the idea first came from. At this scale, the mountain infantry are not that different in appearance from regular German soldiers, aside from the inclusion of some specialized winter clothing. And at least in the game systems I've played, their special rules are nothing to write home about. Still, there's something about the depictions of them in historical photographs, art and reenacting circles that has always appealed to me. Maybe it's the status they carried as elite troops, or the way they seem to appear scruffier and hardier than the average German soldier, or even the Third Reich's tendency to throw away the lives of their specialized troops as leg infantry to stave off an inevitable defeat. What I'm getting at is that I've made some Gebirgsjäger. I started with a squad at first, but I've got every intention to expand...

Well it's nearly Halloween, so seems fitting that I return from the dead with a new post, this time about the completion of the last major unit for my French and Indian War force. These figures were painted in late August, right before we finished playing out our FIW campaign and I took an abrupt and unplanned hiatus from wargaming and mini painting. My main wargaming partner in the area has left the country for two years on a Peace Corps assignment, and work has limited the time and energy I've had. Nevertheless, I do intend to make more posts here this fall, including battle reports from the FIW campaign. But, back to the miniatures. In Sharp Practice terms, this is three groups of regular French line infantry. I've got them painted as the Regiment Languedoc that served in North America, but I believe they could also stand in as campagnie franches de la marine troops in line formation. To that end, I've modeled flags for both units, since I shouldn't need two stan...

I've wanted to add some unarmed civilians and other characters to add some flavor to our Sharp Practice games in the French and Indian War, and decided the best way to start would be with these Jesuit missionaries from Warlord Games. They'll also do nicely as a Holy Man support option for SP games, either for the Frenchmen or the so-called "praying indians" they've worked so hard to convert. I think these figures are fun and add a nice touch. They're not hard to paint up, although getting a good black with depth and shadows can be a little difficult. That being said, there's not a whole lot else to paint once you get that down. I added a little variation by changing the colors of their books. Hopefully this party of Huron will find their message - or at least their offer of a hot meal - convincing, otherwise these padres may end up as martyrs. I have a bigger batch of figures that's just about done, but I wasn't going to have time to finish them to...

Well, June's gone along so fast that now it's the middle of July. After the big move in May, work has picked up and the summer heat has arrived, making it difficult to get the motivation the paint and ensuring that my paints dry out almost instantly, even on my wet palette. That, combined with the recent distraction of getting back into Vietnam War collecting and reenacting, has made progress very slow. Gaming, however, has continued, and before long I'll start posting the narrative battle reports from our FIW campaign here. We're still in the thick of it, so I can't say too much. With that said, this week's completed project is this batch of rangers from Brigade Games, gifted to me by my opponent in the campaign and painted for his use. I've always liked the look and lore around the rangers, even if their exploits are probably greatly exaggerated. I believe this is three figures from the command pack and then one whole pack of rangers . Like the colonists ...

After putting together two cabins and some fences for wargames set in colonial North America, it seemed only right to paint up some settlers, in this case colonists who have armed themselves to defend their livelihood from marauding French and natives. These models are Brigade Games' frontier family , and like the other Brigade models I have, they're quite nice. Definitely on the slimmer side, but detailed. My biggest gripe with Brigade figures is that the weapons are thin and bendy and the faces are all oddly similar. The set includes two figures who fit the bill for a father and mother. I personally think the man is clearly modelled off of Mel Gibson's character in the Patriot. Then two sons, both springing to action to defend the farm. If the dad is Gibson, I suppose that makes green trousers there Heath Ledger. Finally, there is a younger son and daughter carrying muskets and powder. I think the set has some nice variety, fitting a specific niche between unarmed settler...