Slot and Wing Hobbies, 1615 West Springfield Avenue, Champaign, Illinois 61821 (217) 359-1909 - This is a very interesting hobby shop, and besides that, this is also a hunting and fishing store know as Hunter's Haven. The shop is run by Mr. Mark Thompson. This shop carries a wide variety of bows, lures and hooks, all scales of model railroading, terrain materials, buildings, RC airplanes, helicopters, ships and cars and gear, and a large number of model kits, plastic, wooden, etc. I was fascinated by the wooden and plastic kit ship model kits, at very reasonable prices. They even carry RC power and sailboats large enough to carry the Taco Bell dog into the sunset with a fair wind. There is an incredible range of hobby materials and "stuff." I plan to visit this place again when I have several hours to spend browsing through the stacks of products.
Artesania Latina 1:75 Viking Ship mode, Ref. 19001, a product of Spain. This is a replica of one of the famous 10th century Viking longboats of Gokstad, which was both manned by oars and propelled by sail. The kit is a plank on rib construction model, with several sheets of die-cut parts, and full sized plans for the ship and sails. I was very happy to find this model because of the near 25mm scale and detailed construction plans and at less than half retail price. This is a nice model, but it will require some time and effort to assemble. I will be constructing this model and several other sister ships for the Viking hordes to trouble the Normans and Saxons. This model was located at the Slot and Wing Hobbies mentioned above. The shop had many of these type of models in a variety of scales and periods.
Scottsdale Hobby, 4806 West 83rd Street, Burbank, IL 60459, 708-952-9550 - This hobby store located just west of Cicero Avenue ln a small shopping plaza carries many brands of plastic figures, armour, model railroads and other hobby items in several scale. The figures scales I noticed were 54 mm, 1/32 and 1/72. The brands of figures they carry are from the following manufacturers: IMEX, Dragon, HAT, Accurate, Fujimi, Airfix, Italeri, ESCI. Their stock included some of the "sets" from these manufacturers including vehicles, buildings, terrain, etc.
Pirates and more pirates! - Village Green offers pirate ships, pirates, marines, longboats. The USA agent is now Old Guard Hobbies, 35806 Van Dyke, Brentwood Plaza, Sterling Heights, MI 48312, 810-977-3969 - The three large ships: a 2 masted brigantine, a 3 masted vessel, and a two deck, 24 gun ship are available in 25 mm scale, ranging in length from 300 to 500 mm long, at prices from £ 33.50 to £ 60 pounds. There are also ships guns and other gear for the decks available from this company.
Wargames Illustrated, issue #138, article "It's Cutlasses Now Men" magazine available at most wargame hobby shops - On pages 46 through 53, an article by Gary Chalk (Wargames Foundry's voice on the telephone in France) appears describing how to build 28 mm scale brigantine pirate ships for the purposes of wargaming. The article also has full sized color images of pirate flags. This article gives good instructions, and even the full sized plans for the ship and a ships boat. There are nice photographs of the model in stages of construction and painting suggestions too. Mr. Chalk has struck a nice balance with these models between too much detail and practical wargaming needs for durability, space for movement/figures and appearance. When I read the article and viewed the plans and pictures, I was so inspired, at my first opportunity I cut out and built several ships. I modified the plans to produced ships of several different lengths, a frigate, a cutter, a sloop, and with more headroom between decks for lift-out decks and action in the captain's cabin. I would suggest the masts of these models could be made to be removable, to represent damage and to facilitate storing the ships away between games. These plans can be easily adapted for pirate ships and merchants ships of the period. I recommend this shipbuilding method for those needing a "wargame" style fleet of ships for your pirate crews.
Pirates! - Dixon Miniatures, Spring Grove Mills, Linthwaite, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, HD7 5QG, Telephone (01484) 846162 U.S. Wargames, Box 278, routte 40 East, Tridelphia, WV 26059-0278 304-547-0000 - The new pirates offered by Dixon include pirate crew figures, a treasure burying party, naval guns (a six pounder) and pirate gunners. Out soon, Dixon promises personalities, Blackbeard, Calico Jack, Anne Bonny and more. .
RLBPS, 4827 Treeview Terrace, Rockford, IL 61109, rlbpsb@earthlink.net - The Raventhorpe Miniatures company is offering French P107 halftracks for $18.50. The 25mm Redoubt Musketeers range now has a MUS6 Graveyard set available which includes 5 gravestones and 1 sepulchre. For the 25mm Wild West range a raft with load (25FW12) is ready to go including crates, barrels, grain sacks, and a rolled tent for $11.50. Also in Wild West is an 11cm tall water tower is also available for $13.50. New items are also listed in the 20mm A.F.V.s, WWI Transport, the 20mm Vietnam range and the 25mm ACW range (cabins,etc.).
Old Glory American Civil War and Western miniature lines - I have recently purchased examples of the following figure product from Old Glory, solely for the purpose of reviewing for this column. Do you think Hal (and my wife) will buy that? Really, I learned of these figure sets and wagons from the ACW and Wild West lines, and obtained them to round out my collections and to give further depth to game set ups. I recommend these pieces for gaming or diorama use. They (in most cases) are not marketed by any other figure company I am aware of at his time. These are available directly from Old Glory, or from any hobby dealer that stocks that line. I ordered these packages through Prosek's Military Model Shop and Greenhouse, in Winfield, Illinois 630-231-4991
- WP-16 Wagon Train Conestoga - This $27.00 package contains two of the classic wagons, each puled by four oxen. All of the oxen are identical castings in the package I received. The wagon is nicely cast with only the canopy, front axle assembly, wheels and the lead pole to be attached. The one piece cast canopy fits the wagon very well. It could be attached to the wagon with glue, or used sitting on the wagon for access to the wagon contents.
WP - 18 Stage Coach - This is a good version of a western stage coach for $27.00, complete with six horses, molded with two different types of harness, a two figure molded piece to represent the driver and the shotgun. The side panels of the coach, axles, wheels, carriage top and lead pole need to be attached. The luggage and other details on the roof are molded in place, as are the coach doors, and contents of the rear cargo shelf. When compared to the Dixon stage coach which includes four horses and many more parts to assemble, this model is made in a smaller scale with only a little less detail.
WP - 30 Buckboard with crew - I particularly enjoyed this 2 model $27.00 package. These small freight wagons were ubiquitous int the Old West, clearly a necessity for your Wild West gunfighter town games. These wagons come with two horses molded (with different harnesses) and one driver each.
WP-31 Doctor and his buggy - This $27.00 package contains two of these small wagon, each with one horse and a passenger figure. If you plan to glue the buggy canopy in place, remember to paint and glue the driver figures into the buckboards before assembling the panel at the front of the buggy. This is because, there in not enough room to place the either the male female driver figure in the buggy after it is assembled.. I f you plan to use the male driver figure in the buggy, it is probably best to not use the buggy canopy at all, since the male driver figure raising a whip will not fit inside the canopy. This wagon is also a necessity for the Wild West town games.
WBS-85 Supply Wagon - War Between The States - In my plans to complete my collection of ACW armies in 25mm, I have accumulated quite a few limbers, ambulances, supply and other wagons. This $27.00 package from Old Glory is great to help expand my representation of the support troops and vehicles for ACW battles. I have found it is really interesting to add some of these vehicles to games, as objectives, or simply battlefield obstructions to by managed by ambitious wargame generals.
WBS - 86 Hospital Brigade #2 - This $27.00 package contains a pair of stretcher bearers carrying a casualty, a two figure casting of a figure helping another wounded comrade walk, a figure walking while using a musket as a crutch, a surgery patient strapped to a makeshift operating table, two attendant figures, and a surgeon performing an amputation. The surgeon figure's saw has a notch in it to mate with the patient's leg for a nice, but potentially gruesome surgical diorama.
Wargames Foundry, (U.S.) The Foundry Limited, 1549 Marview Drive, Westlake, Ohio 44145, 440-871-4587 - This company has some of the most creative marketing strategies in the wargame industry, not to mention they also have some of the nicest figures in many periods. Every month they choose a random letter of the alphabet and mail one of their special envelopes which entitle the recipient to 2 free additional "code A" packs with every six packs that are purchased. The customers that has a last name beginning with the letter of the month will be greatly tempted to make an order. I am particularly interested in the "Yo ho Ho" range seen at left. These pirates are very tempting, especially since we have all built several pirate ships (see Wargames Illustrated article above). Could this convergence of marketing forces set into motion by our friends from the Foundry be a grand design to sell more figures? I think so, and very well done! To quote a funny looking little gnome-like character with big eyes, "I feel a tremor in the (sales) Force!" Currently available in the pirate range are the figure sets, "The Bizarre Encounter Between Blackbeard & Long John Silver," "Morgan's Monstrous Mountebanks," "Salty Scumbags," and "Floating Filth." The last group of figures sounds like a real plumbing problem. It should be noted that the Filth group includes a cannon and gun crew. The prices I have for three of the groups are listed at $68.00 each (postage included) for Salty, Bizarre and Morgan's, with each containing 6 packs of figures. They are also offering a set of rules titled strangely enough "Pirates! Miniature battles on the high seas." These rules are priced at £15.00, post free in the UK and Europe. I do not have the pricing information for these rules in the U.S.
An Old Map - This is a topographical map of Fort Pitt and the surrounding area allegedly from the late 1700s. I include this map for your consideration because of my interest in French & Indian period and the Fort Duquesne/Fort Pitt site, present day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My interest in this area stems from the fact Western Pennsylvannia was very active in the F&IW period, Washington's first battle with the French and Indians, Washington's defeat at Fort Necessity, Braddock's march and the ambush of his army near Gist's tavern (present day Braddock, Pennsylvania) the advance on the Fort by Brig. General John Forbes' and his army, and the premature attack by Major Grant with a small part of that army on Fort Duquesne, the building of Fort Ligonier, Fort Bedford, Fort Robedeau (in Altoona. Pennsylvania), the Battle of Bushy Run, the building of Fort Pitt, and the battle and siege of Fort Pitt during Pontiac's Rebellion. As you can tell, the area is dense with F&IW sites. There are several museums and reconstructed forts in the area, so a first hand view of the sites is very beneficial for a sense of the actual terrain and features.
Zouave, issue 48 - The Magazine of American Civil War History & Miniature Wargaming, Marel/Janci Design, 725 Ranch Road, Wheaton, Illinois 60187-3656 - This good looking publication contains the articles listed here: Smoke On The Water - review of rules for naval battles in the rivers and at sea, The Gap Mus Be Held At All Hazards! - Fire & Fury Scenario, Lost Victory McMemore's Cove - historical background to a scenario with Bragg, prior to Chickamauga, Dogd In The Hot Moon - Brother Against Brother scenario for the 1862 Sioux uprising, New Recruits Redoubt/Thoroughbred Figures & Miniature World Maker - reviews of products.
Successor Con III, May 1, 1999, at the Raddison Hotel, 1726 East Algonquin Road, Schaumburg, Illinois, sponsored by Dave Burba and Matt Hyke - I visited this Con and was very pleased to see approximately 16 scheduled games and some "walk-ins." I wondered why more Chicago area wargamers were not there. I would encourage you to attend this Con next year, and sponsor or play in a game. I plan to attend next year and put on a terrain intensive game in either the F&IW, ACW, or Wild West. Please meet me there and save me a spot in your game.
Gentlemen, we are the flank! Diorama kits 303-439-9336 - Great Moment of the Civil War diorama kits are available now from Musket miniatures in 20mm/HO scale. These kits are priced $125.00 and include 56 figures to represent the 20th Maine and the 15th Alabama at Little Round Top, personality figures for Col. Chamberlain and Col. Oates, a pre-drilled resin base for the pegged figures to fit, battlefield debris, a hardwood display base 9 x 12", six pewter trees with foliage, pre-colored flags for the standard bearers, and a Musket Miniatures catalog. According to the brochure describing these kits, all you need is super-glue and paints to complete this diorama (and just a little time).
Apache Wars - an Illustrated Battle History, E. Lisle Reedstrom, originally 1990, and 1995 by Barnes & Noble Books, ISBN 1-56619-959-X, 256 pages. This book was located at the Printer's Row Book Fair in Chicago, Illinois, but since it is a Barnes and Noble edition from 1995, it should be available through that merchant. This book should be in the library of any Wild West wargamer, since it is an excellent source of information on many aspects of the Apache and U.S. Cavalry conflict in the late 1800s. Topics covered include Geronimo, Gen. George Cook, the Arizona Campaigns and forts and Indian wars in that state, Apache Scouts, the Frontier Army, Tales of Heroism, Army Medical Treatment (ouch!), Changing Weaponry Systems, U.S. Cavalry Tactical Manuals, the Pack Train, Communications, the Heliograph, etc. An Appendix include the 1885 Uniform Changeover with plates. There are maps and many photographs and drawing in the publication of equipment, Apaches, forts, buildings, etc. I am happy to add this to my library to cover this fascinating period in the history of the American West.
Practical Taxidermy - A Working Guide, John W. Moyer, The Reginald Press Company, New York, New York, 1953, Library of Congress catalog number 52-10622, 126 pages - This book was located at the Printer's Row Book Fair in Chicago, Illinois. It covers the fascinating subject of taxidermy in practical detail. The author was a staff member at the Chicago Natural History Museum, and a contributor to the Encyclopedia Britannica. The book is full of diagrams and photographs of the authors work. This book separates the art of taxidermy from the practice of "stuffing" a specimen. I bet this was a book that our friend Norman read and used often at the Bates Hotel in that great 1960 film.
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© Copyright 1999 Hal Thinglum
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