All posts by Dana

I was born in East Orange, raised in Bloomfield, and went to school somewhere around Newark until my parents launched an exodus across NJ. I have been lucky enough to travel abroad. I read, play a couple of musical instruments, like movies, and do what I can to improve a rapidly aging body and mind. I currently work in Texas and live in Florida. I have moved over two dozen times in my life. My tiny armies and navies have followed me on my march across the US. Eventually we hope to end our nomadic existence and settle in one place.
Administrative, General

Moving

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Seems like I just got here and I am moving again.  The insects and lizards roaming the apartment like some tiny ecosystem, the severe flooding, the neighbor who owns the private road to the apartment and insists on making it as difficult and dangerous to drive as it could be, and the difficulties of getting from the side road to the main road mitigate for change so change is upon me.

I have packed everything and this time hope not to make the mistake of last time and let the movers handle the boxes of figures.  Nothing was broken or lost but turning a box of figures over and shaking it can do it no good.

I calculated that since i was born, I move on the average of every two years.  I am certainly bringing that average down not staying in one place for more than a year.  I once marveled at how desert nomads could pack their home and all their belongings and travel so frequently.  I think my own belongings have become increasingly spare as I move.  At least I am no longer a frequent flier.  Life always has its good aspect.

Figures

Heroics and Ros 6mm WWII Infantry

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Heroics and Ros seems about as old and venerable as 6mm gets.  They offered reasonable and varied figures for WWII at a time when even GHQ offerings of infantry were weak.  They also provided vehicles, artillery, and aircraft in a rich variety so that one could purchase a range of reasonably interesting figures to go with whatever vehicles one had.

The metal tray used above was from an AOL and shows just how many figures can be crammed into a small space, a boon for people who do not want miniatures taking up every bit of storage available.  The figures lack detail but are nevertheless distinguishable both for nationality and weaponry.  My painting on these was crude and quick.  I wanted to get a batch on the table at the time.

These serve well with Deluxe Squad Leader boards since these are standard quarter inch counters.  The addition of actual figures does lend something to any game.  The figures on top all show a (riderless) supply wagon, one of those details that always improves a game’s appearance.

Currently, these are available through The Last Square though like everything else, they also turn up on E-bay.  Infantry often comes in multiple types including regular infantry, heavy weapons infantry, and paratroopers.  Not to be overlooked are the very useful artillery crews.

Maker

Garrison Wargame Miniatures

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Another early British manufacturer, Garrison offered 20mm and 25mm ranges. The figures are easy to identify by an unmistakable stamp beneath the base including the company name. The figures shown above represent two from the ECW range, a popular range in England though less so in the US. The figures show the less intricate and detailed look that was common in the 60s and 70s. Garrison figures appear to be no longer in production.

Administrative, General

When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.

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This morning I drove by Winn-Dixie and wished that I was living somewhere I could not drive past Winn-Dixie. I miss snow. I suspect that snow is one of those things I will never see again. For some reason, the more I try to repair my life, the less time I have. I finished painting a lone regiment of figures and felt I had accomplished some major feat when it used to be a regular occurrence.

I do not think I ever stopped to catalog my life the way I am now cataloging the miniatures and rule books that overflow boxes and spill out everywhere. Cataloging it I would say that I do not accomplish as much as I did in the past. Even little accomplishments seem out of reach. One wishes for the stray day at home knowing they are becoming less and less likely. Today, I hopefully carried in a drawing pad and a box of pastels and now I wonder if I will even touch them.

I suppose the beauty of leading an isolated childhood is that one always has inner places to go to where there is some satisfaction to be had no matter what the world becomes. Still, I wish I had more time and more snow.

Administrative, General

Wishful Thinking

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The weather is nice outside.   There are large and small angry dogs barking.  But no one is berating me for my stupidity or anything else at the moment so the day is a passable one.

I have returned from a lengthy ocean voyage to find little changed.  There is sadly a bottle of milk in the refrigerator.  The tiny band of Muscovy ducks has been whittled down to two.  The neighboring housing complex has put up traffic signs where they do not belong.  But overall, things are where I left them.

So now it is time to return to the modifications I have been hoping to make.  About time, too.  With all the visitors to the house gone, there may perhaps be just a little bit of time to do some work like pull out all the 1/32 plastic figures and set up a game with them or photograph some of the old figures that cross the line between toys and wargaming miniatures.

The red cat suggests my hope for the future.  I am not sure whether he will have an impact or not.  We will see.

Past, Vehicles

Thoroughbred Figures 1/600 ACW Vessels

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The USS Roanoke triple turret monitor alongside a Union tin clad gunboat. The models dwell in that limbo between the more common 1/1200 scale for naval models and 1/300 as a lower limit on ground forces.
The USS Roanoke triple turret monitor alongside a Union tin clad gunboat. The models dwell in that limbo between the more common 1/1200 scale for naval models and 1/300 as a lower limit on ground forces.
Two Confederate ironclads. Top is the CSS Charleston. The lower ship is listed as CSS Columbia/Texas.

Thoroughbred miniatures ACW vessels are just a bit on the large size for gaming but I doubt that will stop anyone from using these, especially if they have enough space.  The range is extensive and the models well-detailed with many small pieces for some ships like the Hartford making these more of a project than most.

I first encountered these when with nothing to do on a weekend in Columbia, SC, I wandered into a toy soldier convention.  It was a small but interesting gathering.  The Thoroughbred display drew my attention more than any other.  I have been slowly gathering them since then.  ‘Then’ was likely about 12 years ago.

There are a reasonable number of rule sets available for ACW ironclads.  One likely candidate is the Ironclads games originally offered by Yaquinto.   The size of the larger ships, though, make these unlikely candidates for hexagons on all but the largest game mats.

Of course, the charm of these miniatures is the careful attention to detail.  These miniatures straddle the line between display and gaming.  Since the reality of gaming is that most gamers select a scale based on space available and cost of the miniatures, that most of these battles involved small numbers of ships and occurred in a limited area, the large size will not seem out of place.

 

Maker

Baccus 6mm

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Baccus 6mm

Baccus specializes in 6mm figures.  They offer an extensive range that covers some periods that are under represented while some ranges offer limited forces.  The man running the show at Baccus appears to be Peter Berry, an outspoken proponent of the smaller scale.  He has written rules sets to match.  The charming website offers a wealth of photos, how-to instruction, and painting guides in addition to the usual catalog.

Like so many miniatures companies, this one is based in England and seldom seems to travel beyond its borders.  However, Scale Creep does carry their figures in the US though it appears they may be discontinuing sales of Baccus as they have few in stock all at sale prices.

The figures come based several per block and can be purchased in bags devoted to a troop type or in army sets containing multiple bags.  The figures offer reasonable detail for such a small scale and will likely bring out the painter in anyone whose eyesight is still reasonably good.  As is the case all 6mm, the figures do best in large masses, something difficult to near impossible to achieve with larger scales.

Figures

War of the Spanish Succession French army

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A small but charming group of French soldiers from the War of the Spanish Succession.  The figures are a recent acquisition and painting is progressing slowly.  The ensign in the middle as yet has no flag but the flag pole is at the ready.  The figures are mounted on small plastic bases provided in the Warlord Games ECW figures.  Each group is mounted on a stand that in 28mm would hold a single figure.

 

The figures are by Baccus, a firm specializing in 6mm.  They have more detail than other 6mm figures I own and so tend to be a bit more difficult to paint.  At this scale, any uniform detail is appreciated.  There is enough here to easily distinguish different figure types.

The War of the Spanish Succession is not as well known as later musket era conflicts.  France attempted to place a king aligned with France on the throne of Spain and England, the Holy Roman Empire, and their allies fought to stop them.  The war is best remembered for the battle of Blenheim and two allied commanders, the Duke of Marlborough and Prinz Eugene of Savoy.

A larger version including some Bavarians.
Administrative, General

Year of the Monkey

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Monty Monkey Cadbury Cococub
Monty Monkey, one of the Cadbury Cococubs produced by Britains as part of a free advertising giveaway for Cadbury Bournville Cocoa. The figures were designed by Ernest Aris who had illustrated the Beatrix Potter books.

 

Time for reassessment again.   Another new year in just over a month and this one involves monkeys.  I am not terribly superstitious but always check the horoscope for horses.  It is generally bad.  I have yet to encounter anything especially cheerful and assume that the cheerful news is for snakes or rats or some other annoying animal.

It is also Super Bowl Sunday and this will make yet another of a long line of Super Bowls I have not watched trailing back to the first.  It is not that I dislike football.  I just never saw the point.  I do like junk food and beer.  And sandwiches.  But the fascination of football eludes me.

Next week starts a major revision of the site.  All ten people who have visited this past year may not notice the change but it is coming.  Promise.

 

Administrative, General

This Is for All You New People

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I thought I might write something relevant for a change. Bad form to be sure but here goes. What to do if you stumble on this page and find any interest in the subject at hand? Heed the advice offered under Figures and consider using some base counters sans troops to start with. The Junior General site offers some printable figures that can readily be used. Some are specifically created for use with the rules set De Bellis Antiquitatis which is available as a PDF at the link under the Ground Rules.

If you want more rules, consider browsing the Wargame Vault site listed on the front menu which offers many sets of free rules or consider browsing E-bay for an old set making sure you do not spend too much as sellers often believe that a set of rules is far more valuable than it is.

For figures, take a look at the Plastic Soldier Review site and consider using some unpainted plastic figures in the area you are interested in. Plastic Soldier Review also offers some interesting observations on the figures, shows what the figures look like, rates them and shows how many of each pose is provided in the box. A good starting choice might be the HAT Industrie sets 8095 French line infantry and 8186 Peninsular War British. But let your own enthusiasm be your guide.

If you are interested in getting some metal miniatures, again consider something like DBA since it requires relatively few figures for a game or try out some skirmish level game or consider some naval and science fiction games where there are relatively few pieces needed in play.

All these are suggestions. Another is simply to find a board game from one of the many companies around and try it out. A boxed board game contains everything needed for play.

One warning: some miniatures are expensive and starting an army that is going to require an outlay of several hundred dollars is a big leap especially if you plan on painting the figures yourself. A decent set of paints and brushes is costly as are figures so starting something where a single vehicle or figure could cost $50 should give you pause. Keep in mind that any set of rules can be played with nothing more than some homemade cardboard counters so try it out before the whole thing becomes a major investment.

And that is enough preachiness to start off the New Year. The baby is doing well and anything that is not fine now will soon be better.