By Hal Thinglum - B&B MINIATURES FRANCO-PRUSSIAN 20MM ADDITIONS B&B Miniatures, imported by BROOKHURST HOBBIES, 12188 Brookhurst St., Garden Grove, CA 92840 (714-636-3585) continues to add 20mm plums to their already extensive line. This time we have more 20mm Franco-Prussian War figures consisting of French Guard Cuirassier (12 riders and horses for $32.50); French Guard 4pdr foot gun and three crew ($11.75); French Guard 2-horse limber & crew (one horse rider; one limber rider) ($11.75); Baden Grenadiers (20 figures, including command ($22.50); and Prussian Horse Gun & Gun Riders (2 seated riders) ($8.75). I really like these chunky 20mm figures: horse and rider figures work out to $2.71 each while infantry are $1.13 each. Cavalry horses appear to be all one pose (galloping) and riders are represented by ten EM, one trumpeter, and one officer- all have separate right sword (trumpet) arms so you can get some variety within your regiment. The arms seem to fit fairly well into the body of the figure - I'm afraid I don't have the patience to do this sort of thing - as simple as it may be! Riders fit their horses well and there is not very much flash on the figures. I believe these figures are packaged for the Franco-Prussian War rules set THEY DIED FOR GLORY - I've said it before and I'll say it agame, I would rather than figure manufacturers not package for specific rules sets - it just doesn't make sense to me with all of the available rules sets out there. In the infantry pack there are two officers (leaning forward in nice position with sword pointing forward, and advancing with sword overhead); one advancing drummer; one standard bearer with separate wire flag staff (supplied); and five different poses of enlisted men: there were six advancing quickly with rifle on right shoulder (nice pose), one in march attack (nicely done); four advancing with rifle held in front of them at perhaps a 45 degree angle; two marching - a little slower than the others - with rifle on shoulder; and four advancing very slowly with rifle across their chest. There is also a banner(?) for the top of the flag pole. I really like these infantry figures, however, I don't know as I would mix all five poses within one unit. This, of course, is easily solved by buying multiple packs and grouping the poses you want in a unit. I don't find it when there are variations of marching poses, or advancing poses, within a pack, however, I am less enthusiastic about a mixture of marching and advancing poses. Figures also have a mixture of with and without back packs and the officer has a blanket draped across his chest. B&B excels with their guns, limbers, crew and limber horses. The wheels fit on very easily - no filing needed to make it fit - and casting is crisp! The limber comes in four pieces. The French Guard crew has mixed bearskins and what I think are fatigue hats. Also released, but not included, were French Guard Lancers, Dragoons, Carabiniers, and Chasseurs; French 12 pdr foot gun/crew- Saxon Grenadiers Baden infantry advancing; Wurttemburg Jagers; Saxon, Baden and Bavarian horse guns w/gun riders. This is becoming a most extensive line of 20mm Franco-Prussian War figures and I am very impressed with the quality, extensiveness, and beauty of these little devils! Most highly recommended!
By Jonathan Aird - MINIATURE WARGAMES: PUB GAMES BOOK - This 80 page A5 size booklet contains a dozen miniature's games which are suitable for playing in a pub. The common theme running through all these games is the need for only a handful of figures, a few dice and that's about it (apart from those things which you might expect to find in a pub, like beer mats and glasses). The twelve games cover a wide variety of subjects - fighter aircraft combat, Degenerate Emperors (keep the barbarian hordes at bay, and try and take over the empire !), a skirmish in Bandit country, cattle raiding in the highlands of Scotland, Science Fiction spaceship rules (in which just controlling the ship is enough of a problem), a simulation of the invasion of nomadic hordes across the open steps, a submarine hunt, gladiatorial combat, a dueling game, a boar hunt in ancient Greece (there's a slight typo on this one - these rules are headed "A Greek Boat Hunt" which sounded fascinating and is probably a scenario that should be written !), Napoleonic Naval Rules and a jousting game. It would be hard to find someone who didn't have an interest in at least some of these topics !
Now, most of the games are pretty simple, and art not incredibly accurate representations of actual historical situations. Obviously you can't refight Austerlitz with hundreds of miniatures marching over super detailed terrain in the bar room. No, the pub is the proper setting for Beer & Pretzels games. However, even though these are simple rules to learn several have a sly cunning to them : for example the submarine hunt's methods of representing sonar and the movement and combat rules of the SF fighters game. As well as being useful for a quick game in the pub, the book would also make a handy stand-by for a club : for the occasions when the game organizer has to call off at the last minute, or the organized game finishes just a little bit sooner than had been anticipated. It'd also be useful as a source of participation games for a local convention, since the rules typically take about 5 minutes or less
By Jonathan Aird - ITALERI 20MM PLASTIC NEW RELEASES - This new box of soft plastic 20mm figures for the French Imperial General Staff from Italeri is a bit of an innovation. Instead of representing a particular troop type it offers a number of different French officer types of the Napoleonic period. There are 21 figures in the set, of which 13 are mounted. The mounted figures include a Mameluke holding a map, two different hussars, and several figures suitable for staff officers. There's even a figure of Napoleon himself, which, unfortunately is a bit lacking in character (but, on the other hand, does mean it could be painted up as other senior officers as well). The mounted figures are provided with five different poses of standing horse, the grazing horse is particularly nice. The 8 foot figures consist of 5 different poses of officers and dismounted cavalrymen all in realistic poses - pointing at a distant object, carrying maps, using telescopes and so on. All in all a very useful set, providing not only an attractive group with which to represent a French army commander on the wargames table, but also plenty of individual figures to represent messengers carrying orders from the general to the various units under his command (if using a rules set which uses such a mechanism for orders). Good value at 2.99 pds (which is cheap even by plastic figure standards).
Secondly, they have released a new box of soft plastic 20mm figures of French Dragoons, further expanding their coverage of the Napoleonic period in this scale. It seems as if they aim to cover every troop type imaginable given time. This box contains 17 mounted figures, molded in a silver Colored plastic consisting of 10 different poses of rider and 6 poses of horse, The riders include a trumpeter and a standard bearer, and there is one pose of figure with a short musket held in the figure right hand. The remainder of the riders are shown in various poses of fighting with their swords, and look suitably dynamic on the charging horse poses provided. The detail is quit good on the figures - the flag is embossed with an eagle, coat buttons are clearly visible According to my reference books (the Funken's L'uniforme et les armes des soldats du premic empire Vol I and Haythomthwaite's Uniforms of the retreat from Moscow) the figures seem t be in the correct uniform for 1804 onwards. Facial detail on the figures is nicely rendered - there are close mouthed figures, shouting figures, and the trumpeter's cheeks are puffed out as he blows with all his might. A box to show to anyone who thinks plastic figures lack detail (it's true some do, but these don't !). At 17 (about 30c) a figure, these are good value as well.
By Hal Thinglum - J&T MINIATURES ACW NAVAL RULES. 15MM SHIPS AND EQUIPMENT, 25MM CONNIOSSEUR AND PAINTING SERVICE - J&T Miniatures, HC 83, Box 15, Pequot Lakes, MN 56472) is becoming a more active company in the industry. Not only do they offer a wide range of 15mm ships and the excellent 25min Conniosseur line, but Joel Gregory has published his American Civil War ironclad rules "Run the Guns" - Naval Action in the American Civil War". This is an 18-page regular sized booklet with spiral binding which is written for l5mm ships and figures. Joel states that his purpose was "to develop the opportunity of combining naval and land operations" and further reports that "The rules are strictly for naval operations, but with a little creativity on the part of the gamer, the rules could be combined with a standard set of land rules on the market today." Joel uses the following characteristics of ships in the rules: speed, tonnage/draft, type of ship/armor, special specifications (rams/spar/etc), type, size and location of guns, and crew. There are six phases to each turn: repair. movement. ramming. combat, morale, and boarding. Each of the phases are well explained with exaniples giN en for better understanding. In addition, there is a three page section oil "Ships Vs Shorc Duels During the ACW- by David Page which provides historical inforniationand a one page rules section oil this aspect of naval operations during the ACW. Well written and presented, Joel: a fine Job and highly recommended! Cost is $12.95 - good value!
I have twice built 15mm ACW armies and each time, iny intention was to add the aspect of naval warfare to be combined with land operations. The problem was, nobody made good l5nun ACW ships. That problem is solved completely with MERRIMACK MINIATURES range of' excellent ships, and I mean EXCELLENT! Sent for review was it -City Class Ironclad" resin model which is truly beautiful! Measuring just short of' 12" long, 3 1/2" wide, and 2 '/2" high, comes in five easily assembled resin pieces along with three wooden dowels and 13 metal guns and carriages which I think are from Yucca Miniatures (which J&T are licensed to produce and sell) as well as two metal rudders. Detail is excellent with interior detail added as well! $45.00 is the cost and it is highly recommended! The only suggestion I would make is that Joel add assembly instructions for those of us who are newcomers to this facet of wargaming. Joel sent along a list of new releases including Cog and buccaneer ships, ship's equipment such as battle towers (four metal pieces/$3.00 for Galley Wars), shark markers (5 resin pieces/$2.50), balistias, catapults, sails, bombards, barrels, floating debris (5 well done resin round pieces), cotton bales (about 12 various sized resill pieces.$5.00), rains barrel torpedoes (9 resin pieces/$5) and much more, as well as 21 types of ACW guns from Yucca and 15mm metal ACW guns (from the old Richard Houston line!) - 7" Armstrong ($3) and 100 pdr Parrot Fort Gun ($3) - Richard's guns were always great! Also, l5mm flag sets for the Cog Wars ($2.50) in color. Also released were two new 15mm Norman medium cog ships (3 resin pieces, representing the ship body and two towers, one wooden dowel) which are very attractive. Agame, highly recommended!
J&T carries the excellent 25mm Conniosseur line designed by Peter Gilder which I always thought was one of the best ever. Samples included British infantry, camels and British/Ansar riders from the Sudan as well as General Gordon on came] and General Graham on horseback (both are excellent figures and are in my 25mm NWF collection! The camels are excellent - I'd never seen them before. Also included was EG8 Peninsula Mule Train, consisting of two mules, two loads, and a handier($5.00) which I'd always wanted to get! This line also contains 31 infantry and I I cavahry from the "Early Italian Wars" - a pack of 28 figures from this period was included and the figures are very nice; pikes are separate (make your own) and the figures range from two-handed swordsmen, drummers, halberds, hand-held guns to pikemen. Cleanly cast figures I don't know the price, but I know that a pack of figures is much less than the individual figure cost ($ 1/foot; $1.45/horse; $1.65/Camel; $5/gun) and that the Conniosseur line is priced much less expensively than it was several years ago. There are three new additions to this line (wonder if Peter's son is doing the sculpting?); two German pikemen lunging w/pike and a cavalry figure in heavy armor though I don't know what he is supposed to represent. These fit in very well with the older figures. 182
Joel also included a large number of Napoleonic figures and guns - these were always my favorites and I had over a thousand in my French Army collection - there are French Guard horse artillery crew (w/ramrod, bucket, round, and standing); French line foot artillery crew (w/rammer, bucket, portfire, standing); French two horse limber team w/one rider (I like this!); a French limber and gun ($5.00 each, I believe). Then there are French infantry in many different poses(!); Polish infantry, Old Guardsmen, and British in Belgian shako. All excellent quality, even though this line I about 12 years old! Highly recommended; agame, they are much cheaper when purchased by the bag. The line also includes the Zulu War - see photo above - a very nice range of both Zulus (3 different regiments) and British (foot and horse).
Lastly, Joel sent along four painted samples of 25mm Landsknect pikemen which were painted by his wife (excellent work, Mrs. Gregory!) - pikes are attached and are of wire and well glued to the figure; the colors are excellently done; figures are based on washers with very effective terraining. I would have to give this paintjob a very high grade; I don't know the prices for painting, but if you contact Joel, I'm sure he will let you know. I'll be adding these beautifully done figures to my collection in my office. Highly recommended painting services!
By Hal Thinglum - A&A MODELS TERRAIN - A&A Models, 2 Princess Road, Seaham, Co. Durham, UK, is offering a new service - that of scratch built terrain. He sent a very nicely done hill (about 6" X 12" and 3" tall) with two peaks and terrained very well with grass, bushes, and highlighted. Cost ranges from 5 to 15 pounds and this one was priced at 7 pounds. These hills can be finished in green or brown and can be made to specifications at no extra charge. I am very impressed with the quality of this hill and it will make its appearance on my wargames table! Highly recommended! He also offers 15mm unpainted/painted houses; boxed village and river sets, 20mm WWII works, as well as 6/1 Omm and 25mm houses/terrain in addition to his painting service mentioned previously within this column.
By Hal Thinglum - B&B MINIATURES NEW RELEASES - WOW! B&B, available through Brookhurst Hobbies, has released a 20mm Russian Civil War train available for either the "Red" ($149.98) or "White" ($149.98) army and it is something else! I've mentioned how this period has "pulling" at me for sometime and this is hard to resist! The "Red" armored train was sent for review and consists of six resin cars with metal accessories! The engine consists of a resin body with metal strips running the length of each side covering the wheels; a resin piece for the roof of the engineer's compartment; and five other small metal pieces including smokestack, two doors, and two stairs. Although there are no assembly instructions, there is a line drawing included inside as well as a color picture of the train on the outside of the box. The coal tender has a resin body with good detail as to the coal and other fixtures, as well as two metal pieces for the bottom of the car where the sets of wheels are placed. There were not any wheels for the locomotive - I wonder if that was an oversight? In addition there are four metal pieces to fit on the side of the wheels to protect them. There are two boxcars; the first has a removable roof as well as the same wheels/etc as the coal car but also has two metal doors. The second box car is really neat! It doesn't have a roof, comes with the same metal pieces and wheels but without metal doors, but has six figures with six Russian machine guns to be mounted on top of the car! The MG's come in three separate pieces; to be honest I have great difficulty making out differences between the six fires due to my visual problems but they appear to be wearing three different types of headgear and are posed in slight different poses manning the MG's. Excellent set of figures and MG's! The flat car has resin sandbags (separate from the car) all around it on top and the same metal pieces for the wheels/etc. There are no figures for this car. Lastly is the armored box car with turret and gun! The turret is resin and open on the top with metal gun and carriage (two pieces). In addition, there are four gun crew members three kneeling and one standing and four sections of sandbags. I am assuming this train can be placed on HO scale tracks - it would appear as though anyway. The "White" armored train is identical except for the engine; does not have a coal tender; and has another flat car with sandbags to be placed to the front of the engine. Detail is good with rivets on all of the cars; I can recommend this excellent model very highly! If you do RCW wargarning, or any period close to it where you can use an armored train in 20mm, this is the one for you! I wouldn't see you needing more than one armored train for your table and it could present you with some great scenario ideas! Excellent work, B&B!
B&B has also released an extensive line of 20mm, resin buildings and accessory items which is most impressive. The following were sent by Brookhurst for review - A-17 oil drums, camouflage netting dump ($2.98) consisting of 24 oil drums; AW7A medium flak complex & turret ($13.98) in three sections (wall with entrance, bunker for revolving turret and turret with gun); AW- 11 Atlantic wall section ($6.98) measuring 2" x 6" x 1.5" high; D-3 Arab house (2 1/2" X 3 " X 2" high with separate stairs and D-1 0 Arab building and dome ($18.50) 3" X 3" X 3" with separate dome (these would be great for B&B's 20mm French Foreign Legion line!); F-3 large ruined building with sandbagged roof ($10.50) with base of 3 1/4" X 5" and F-4 ruined building comer ($9.25) with base of 3" X 4" with cobblestone sidewalk; H-6 hedgerow with gate ($3.75) 4 1/2" long (I'm getting some of these for the ECW!); S- 15 low square sandbag wall, medium ($2.98) 3" X 3"; W-7 high brickstone wall ($2.50) 3" long X 1 1/4" high (you'll need to put this fine wall on a base) and W- 11 Wooden gate ($1.98) 1 " X 1 1/4"; and lastly B4 concealed Japanese gun emplacement ($15.98) at a huge 6 3/4" X 8" with a log front and an entrance in the back (very good stuff here!). This is only part of B&B's buildings/accessories range! There are 19 accessories, 21 bunkers; 15 desert buildings including a fort ($89.98); 12 ruined buildings; 10 hedges/trees; 15 sandbag emplacements; and 16 types of wall sections. Highly recommended stuff indeed - I am most impressed by the quality!
By Hal Thinglum - MITRU COSTEA'S CUSTOM WOOD BASES - MWANer Mitru Costea, 1386 Meetinghouse Road, Meadowbrook, PA 19046 (Lodduss@aol.com) is offering quality custom made wooden bases at very reasonable prices. They appear to be 3/16" high and are nicely sanded along the four edges. Prices are as follows: 1" X 1/2 (.05 each); V X 2" (.08); 1 " X 3" (.10); 2" X 3" (.15); and 3" X 3" (.20). Postage isaflatrateof$3.50. If you game with wooden bases, these are for you! Nice job, Mitru, at a very reasonable price! Also, thanks for your kind words re MWAN in your ad!
By Hal Thintylum - REDOUBT ENTERPRISES 25MM ACW NEW RELEASES - Redoubt Enterprises, headed by my good friend, Peter Helm, continues to release great 25mm ACW figures! This time, he is offering an action pack of 25mm Zouaves consisting of thirty great action poses. All of them, except two officers, have separate body trucks requiring you to assemble the trunk to the lower body. This allows for a wide variety of poses! The two officers have separate arms. Some of the figures are wearing the turban while others have the Fez. Price is 19 pounds per pack. Excellent figures - no flash(!), action poses, and great detail! In addition to the two officers, there is a bugler, drummer and flag bearer. I would love to have these done as a diorama! Most highly recommended. Also available from the Miniature Service Center, 1525 Bridge St., #163, Yuba City, CA 95993 (530-673-5169). Great work, Peter!
By Hal Thinglum - NEW BOOK RELEASES FROM COMBINED PUBLISHING - Boy, are we lucky! Combined Publishing, 476 W. Elm St., PO Box 307, Conshohocken, PA 19428 (610-828-2595; FAX 610828-2603; e-mail combined@dca.net) has released Peter Young's two excellent ECW books Marston Moor, 1644 ($24.95; 268 pgs) and Edgehill, 1642 ($26.95; 331 pgs), both in paperback with excellent high quality covers! I read these books perhaps ten years after they were published (1967 and 1970) from Rich Black's extensive ECW book collection and enjoyed them greatly. I was in the process of rereading them when I had my eye surgery and I am looking forward to getting back to finishing them. Peter Young was an advid English Civil War historian and the founding member of the Sealed Knot Society in England. I'm very glad to see them back in print and we should thank Combined Publishing for making them available agame. Highly recommended!
By Hal Thinglum - THE MINUTEMAN PAINTING SERVICE - MWANer Thomas Klingman, 120 Jack's Branch Rd., Cantonment, FL 32533 (850-968-0316) has decided to start a painting service and sent along four Front Rank American Revolution Brunswick Dragoons dismounted painted very well. He specializes in 25mm figures from all periods and handpainted flags and terrain basing is included. Prices are $5/foot; $8/cavalry in 25mm and half that for l5mm. The painted samples are well done and include a drummer with reverse colors, of course. I am no judge of the quality of paint jobs, but these strike me as well done re detail; the eyes are excellent, for example,; there does not appear to be any highlighting. Check Tom out and see what you think. I think they're quite good! Good luck, Thomas!
By Hal Thinglum - NEW RELEASES FROM THE LONDON WAR ROOM - Vince and Sharron Clyant, good friends of mine, have released some new 25min Spanish (1733- 1763) and a 25nun Vietnam range. The London War Room, 41 Beverly Hills Loop, Petal, MS 39465 (501-5848533; FAX 601-582-7259; e-mail tlwr@netdoor.com) added four Spanish grenadiers (officer, drummer, two EM); two armored engineers (officer and EM running); three Militia advancing; and seated Fusillero for boats or wagon guards. I like these figures and have six battalions of Spanish line in my SYW collection and will add a battalion of grenadiers now! They are well detailed; fit in with any standard 25mm. SYW line (Old Glory, Front Rank, Foundry, etc). There are variations in the enlisted man poses (different leading foot while marching) which I like in a unit. Prices nin as follows: Command bag of 2 standard bearers, 2 sgts, 2 drummers, and 4 officers is $10; 18 enlisted men runs $14.00; ten armored engineers or seated Fusilleros at $ 10 (1 always like seated figures for my wagons). They have done an excellent job with this line and I hope that MWANers are taking advantage of it if you are doing 25mm. SYW!
Their new effort is 25mm Vietnam and I think they have found a niche! Nobody else makes 25mm Vietnam figures, to my knowledge, and they are starting out well with eight figures for each of the US, Viet Cong, and NVA. All are enlisted men with M16's, SKS, AK47's, and M60's in advancing, cautious advance, patrolling, and shooting poses. The poses sent (5) come with separate heads as does the whole line and are excellently done! This line should be a good seller! There were two US poses - shooting the M60 from the hip and advancing w/M60; two VC poses patrolling w/SKS rifle and advancing with AK47; and one NVA pose patrolling w/AK47. Minimal flash, great detail, and good animiation! At present there are seven US heads and 4 VC/NVA heads. Prices are $1.50 per figure which includes one head of choice. This is an ideal line for skirmish gamers and I expect to see a great many more Vietnam games at conventions in the future. I am told that 25mm equates to 1/48th plastic kits and I would think there would be a great many plastic kits for this period in 1/48th scale. If anyone knows about them, please let us know! Congratulations, Vince and Sharron! Great work!
By Hal Thinglum - GUERNSEY FOUNDRY NEW 25MM RELEASES - My goodness - what a lot of new figures! The Foundry, Mount Street, New Basford, Nottingham, NG7 7HX, UK (Phone 0115-979-2002; FAX 0115-979-2209) has released 12 new packs of Darkest Africa figures including two packs of European ladies; african cattle, Masai with lionsmane headdresses and a second pack in feathered headdresses and a third with various hairstyles; British officers and adventurers, two different packs of British askaris with tasselled fezes, Sikh infantry; Afhcan tribal witchdoctors and tribal warriors in hideous masks. WOW! Most natives come with separate weapons; I like the hideous mask pack especially! The "ladies" packs come with women with rifles, pistols, shotguns, bible, and a wild looking woman in loin cloth with sword and long hair. The second "lady" pack has several native women (one w/rifle marching); and two seated ladies. There are four cattle with separate heads (handy to have for games!); The British adventurer/officer pack is one of my favorites with seven different poses, some of which can be used for different periods, as can many of the Darkest Africa figures. I also like the British askaris consisting of eight advancing poses. The witchdoctors pack is very interesting with great poses. The Sikh infantry can be used for different periods and would be very useful as such. Excellent line with great appliciablity for other periods!
Pirates seem to be the rage at present from what I hear! They have released "The Salty Scumbags" from their Cutthroats line and they are very good. Packs include 'orbbile 'enchmen, cutthroat casualties, swashbucklers 3 and 4, musketmen 4 and cutthroat axemen. Packs have seven figures. The casualty pack has five prone and two sitting with wounds (handy for morale markers); the axemen would be good for boarding parties and are well posed; I like the swashbucklers as they have lots of character and animation! Some great stuff here! I know Vince Clyant of the London War Room has made some 25nun Pirate ships for his own use and I'd love to see photos of them; contact Vince if you are interested in having him construct some for you! This is, by far, the best 25mm Pirate line I've seen yet! Highly recommended!
From their excellent 25mm Napoleonic line comes two packs of Prussian Generals (Blucher, Gneisenau, York, Kleist, Zieten, a general and two aides with standing horses. Great stuff here for the Napoleonic garner! One figure has a separate arm; I have always loved Generals mounted looking at maps! Highly recommended!
Lastly, they have released a 25mm Ancient Assyrians line and included for mention were NTX008 - a beautiful chariot (4 horses) with two pairs of figures with separate shield arms - WOW, what a pack of figures! Then there are Assyrian archers, heavy slingers, infantry command, and auxiliary archers. Excellent poses and high quality figures. This promises to be an extensive line and will be available in mid-summer of this year. Spearate shields with some separate weapons. Highly recommended figures and lines! The Foundry continues to produce quality lines in all of their releases and deserves much credit for doing so!
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