I recently talked with Steve Dake for the first time in literally years - Steve used to do the review of wargaming publications and initiated the wargaming clubs column! He purchased the 25mm WWII FIRST CORPS figures - as I have been thinking about - and is working on getting them ready for some skirmish gaming. Keep us informed as to what you will be doing with this interesting project, Steve! Just this week' I mounted mine on metal stands leaving enough room on the back of the stand to enter the figure's name and combat capabilities. I even got as far as spray painting them! A second company has released a line of 25mm WWII figures - BATTLE GROUP FIGURES out of the UK (see review column for details) - and the match up well with FIRST CORPS! Thus far, their releases include British paratroopers and German infantry. They are a bit more slight in build, but not significantly enough so as to make a difference. If anyone knows where I can obtain 1/48th scale plastic armor kits, I would appreciate it. There were some rather serious problems with MWAN #82 in that some of the copies had about 30 pages missing. If you obtained one of these copies, please drop me a line ASAP and I shall replace it for you at no cost. This also includes individuals who purchased their copy at hobby stores. I am sorry for the problem; these things do happen from time to time. I had to increase the cost of individual issues of MWAN - not subscription rates - effective with #83 from $6.00 to $7.00. I didn't like to do this, however, when I went to mail out the hobby shop issues for #83. I was informed that I would have to use Third Class mail, which was considerably more expensive than what I had been paying. I hope this will not be a hardship on anyone but I don't know what else to do. With an increase in pages from 144 to 192 and the addition of color covers, it does get a little expensive. Hopefully with this issue, I will be reducing the amount of "white" space at the top and bottom of pages by changing my margins. It's amazing what an old guy like me can learn on the computer, isn't it? What I should do is to take a computer course so l can learn how to better utilize what I have. There are many features of which I have no concept of! Changing the margins should allow me to include considerably more information within each issue - that's a real plus! When submitting articles, in the future, it would help me considerably if you would leave just one-half inch along all four margins. If you would be so kind as to submit both the disk and the "hard" copy, it would help me a lot. Sometimes, I just can not obtain the text offof the disk. Advertisers can also benefit from the new format - leaving one-half inch on all four margins. Thank you! I hope you've been pleased with the number of rules included within MWAN as of late. MWAN #83 was especially filled with them. Please remember that I am in need of rules and articles to fill up MWAN's pages. If you can send your submission on a disk, that's great, but also include the "hard copy" in the event I can't access it. I do have a full page scarmer which works quite well for me. If you have any color photos of your wargames which you feel are especially good, please consider submitting them for MWAN's covers. Don't forget to mention details such as figure manufacturer and the name of the photographer and figure painter. With this issue of MWAN, I have virtually exhausted my supply of articles. Going to 192 pages and expanding the individual page format allows publication of a lot of material. Thus, I would greatly appreciate another influx of articles/rules sets/ letters/etc. With the advent of GUERNSEY FOUNDRY's new 25mm SYW, I have returned to my SYW plan to add more OLD GLORY and GUERNSEY FOUNDRY figures to my collection. I carried out my first actual hobby in perhaps a year or so by terraining and mounting a regiment of FRONT RANK British Lights for the SYW - 24 beautifully sculpted figures. It felt good to finally get down to do something constructive with them. It does, however, mean that I am going to do some figure painting and I worry about this and the confidence/motivation I once did. Another factor here - one which Steve Dake said over the phone - the fact that my eyes, simply do not work as well as they used to. It seems he has a lot of trouble with seeing the is of the figure and so do I! Clem Clemens magnifying glass some years ago which I used painting some 15mm Sudan figures and took me awhile to get used to it, I did find should get it out again and give it a try. I that would make a difference for me in painting is just sitting down and using it! There have been many times over the figures have been sitting on my painting onths without attention and I just can't rking on them. Then I sit down and start and it is almost like riding a bicycle - it all comes back to you. Well, I have two days of time off is Labor Day weekend: perhaps I'll find ion to give it a try. I have any number of periods to select from; 15mm ACW, and 25mm WWII. Regarding the SYW and GUERNSEY FOUNDRY(GF), I am 37-figure battalions of FreiKorps (I use ons per brigade); a 24 figure Prussian giment; Prussian musketeer, fusilier and battalions; and a 24 figure light infantry unit of Cossacks - these figures have the most ave ever seen! GF just released Prussian and a number of Russian infantry so I shall try some of those as well! From OLD GLORY I am adding Prussian Cuirassiers, single musketeers, fusiliers and grenadiers, and adding several bags of guns (six per bag). Ago, I revamped my artillery going from six per gun to four and in doing so, I found more painted gunners than guns! Did you ever do anything like that? So, of course, I need more artillery batteries, don't I! The problem with this is that it gets a little expensive as limbers are quite costly and I think I need about eight more of them. By the way, FRONT RANK is, I believe, the only manufacturer who produces limbers in 25mm for the SYW period. OLD GLORY's guns are priced in a very reasonable fashion being six for $21.00. Hard to beat that, isn't it! STOP PRESS! OLD GLORY just released 25mm SYW limbers, six one-horse limbers with six limber horses and six limber horse riders. I purchased a pack and at $21.00, they represent outstanding value! They can also be used for the Malburian period as well. One of the really appealing factors about the SYW at the present time is that the figures for the major manufacturers in this period - FRONT RANK, GUERNSEY FOUNDRY, OLD GLORY, ELITE, and EAGLE, all fit together beautifully as to size. It doesn't always work out that way at all. They all seem to measure out to about 28mm. Speaking of this, I would like to recognize Brian Ansell of GUERNSEY FOUNDRY for advertising his figures at "28mm", instead of 25mm. We would have all saved a fair amount of money over the years if we knew in advance what the "true" size of figures were that we were ordering! I've been stuck more than once with figures I ordered sight unseen which turned out to be too "large" or too "small" to use with the rest of my collection. Since David Luff put together his listing of rules published within the pages of MWAN in MWAN #81, I've had a number of requests to copy specific rules sets. I regret that I am unable to do this type of thing as it takes a considerable amount of time - time which I really don't have. I am considering putting together a "special edition" consisting of rules. It would take quite a bit of work/time to put together. Another idea I had was to put out another "special edition" containing all of the Colonial articles within MWAN over the years. Yet a third idea is to publish one or more "special editions" with all of the articles from perhaps the first five years of MWAN. I'd appreciate some feedback on these ideas. A lot depends on whether or not I'd be able to scan articles directly from old copies of MWAN - otherwise, it would just take too much time to retype them. I've also had a number of requests from MWANers who are asking to borrow movies and I've always tried to honor these requests. However, I will not be able to do this anymore as for some reason, my copy of MARCH OR DIE arrived at its destination as a blank tape. I suspect it may have something to do with being sent through the postal system; perhaps some sort of detector was used which resulted in wiping it clear. Sorry that I will not be able to do this any more. I recently did some work on my 15mm ACW FIRE & FURY project terraining and mounting some 300 Confederate infantry on metal stands. They look quite good to me! I used the black primer method while painting them and was surprised how quickly they painted up. I am curious to see if I can use the same method with the Union blue. I've never had good success with blue on a black primer. Seems to me like it really does well with greys. Maybe I just have to experiment around a bit. Len Brewer, who has been doing lots of painting for me over the last three or four years, uses black priming for all colors and I have to admit they it looks good no matter which color(s) he uses. Len Brewer and I recently got together and spent a most enjoyable day; we do this about once or twice a year and always make a trip to the EMPEROR'S HEADQUARTERS. I was struck by the number of terrain and buildings which are now available to us. Simply amazing. Used to be that one had to construct their own hills and buildings and although there are many things to be said for doing so on your own, what is available commercially is so much better. When you consider the number of private individuals who construct terrain and buildings for sale, it becomes ever more significant. I used to daydream about terrain squares and tried, a number of times, to construct them out of any number of materials but was never satisfied with them. One of the problems that I have is that I am always in a rush to finish projects like this, plus I have absolutely no artistic talent. When I did the Sudan in 25mm, I did make some rather attractive 2' X 2' desert terrain squares but storage was such a problem that I finally got rid of them. I still have not found any "base" system for a wargames table which I like more than my indoor- outdoor carpeting which covers my wargames table as regards "looks"' end "functionality". For a desert type "base'' I spread out a "treated" cloth piece over the table. I had Howard Whitehouse "terrain" the khak colored cloth by spray painting and then dropping small pieces of scrub on it. Had a call this last week from Russ Dunaway of OLD GLORY who outlined some future plans for his company. They are planning an extensive (500 bags 25mm Napoleonic line for release in 1997 Apparently, this release will cover all of the Napoleonic period! After I hung up with Russ, I started thinking about OLD GLORY as a wargame. manufacturer. I think they have been in existence fo some eight years or so now. I remember my first conversation with Russ; he was living in Iowa and somehow tracked him down by phone. I think I we. interested in having some 25mm Sudan figures mad' for me. I don't recall what happened to that idea, bu shortly thereafter, OLD GLORY started up. Their 25mm Napoleonics (French line infantry) and 25mn ACW figures were quite a departure for the hobby it general. A multitude of poses and even more surprising, a "decrease" in price, something we weren't used to. I was very curious, at that time, to see' what effect on the hobby the price decrease would have. Look at the prices now - I 5mrn bags of 100 plus infantry sell for $18.50 (18.5 cents each) while 25mm bags of 30 foot sell for $21.00 (.70 each). I've been trying to think of how many figure manufacturers have adjusted their prices since OLD GLORY did this. I can't think of a whole lot, however, there do some to be more manufacturers/companies going to "bulk" packs of 100 foot for an equivalent price There are still many more, however, who have maintained the price differential (.40 plus for 15mm foot and $1.30 plus for 25mm foot). These companie do seem to be limited to UK imports and I cat understand this because of the high cost of postage between the UK and the US. More than likely, our U' figures selling in the UK have a considerable "mark up" as well. I guess I am a little surprised that more companies have not been affected by OLD GLORY' price structure. If any figure manufacturers have thoughts on this subject, I would glad to hear them. am quite aware of the fact that my knowledge teas' regarding this subject is quite limited, thus, I am sure I am not considering the entire scope of the issue Would be interesting to hear other points of view of the subject. I recently obtained a number of 25mm limbers for the Sikh Wars from LYZARD'S GRIN owned and operated by Richard Houston, who always bends over backwards to assist me with my wargaming needs. Over the years, I have used his services/figures for a number of Colonial projects including the Zulu War, Sudan, and now the Sikh Wars, all in 25mm. It is always surprising to see what "hard-to-find" items Richard has in his listing. When I did Isandhlwana in 25mm, I obtained many Zulus, Colonial troops, and equipment items from Richard - Hale's Rockets, Boer wagons, etc. For the 25mm Sudan project, I purchased a number of Galling and Nordenfeldt guns for my gunboats which came in handy as no one else made them! He offers the types of items you can not find elsewhere and does a very nice job on them. He also has a 25mm Maximilian in Mexico Range and a very extensive 25mm Sikh War range. Prices are extremely reasonable! Drop him a line and include perhaps a dollar for his listing. You'll be pleased if you are into 25mm Colonial, 20mm WWII, or metal ships. He has a number of WWII Japanese items which I am going to pick up for my 20mm WWII Pacific project. Len Brewer swears by Richard's ACW ships! MWAN is now on the Internet - Russ Lockwood who does the "Wargaming Magazines" column for MWAN, has put together a group of history and wargaming publications under the heading of COALITION WEB - an interesting concept. He can be reached at 161 Lambertville-HQ Rd., Stockton, N.J., 08559 (609-397-4265; FAX 609-397-9433; e- mail: magweb~magweb.com). You can access COALITION WEB on the Internet as follows: http://www.magweb.com - my brother-in-law, Gary Micheau, accessed it for me and apparently you'll find a listing of the magazines, covers, brief listing of what each magazine covers, and a sample article or two. Subscriptions are available from Russ and apparently you can join for a month ($4.95; six months ($24.95); or one year ($49.95) and be able to read a number of publications which are constantly growing in number. Congratulations to Russ for starting up and good luck with this interesting venture! MWAN #84 marks the end or subscriptions for most MWANers. I am planning on including a survey with this mailing; please take the time to respond to it if you have the time. I am not increasing subscription or ad prices for 1997 and my intention is to stay with the current format of 192 pages. I am hopeful that all of you will elect to resubscribe; please remember that it is my wish that any current subscribers to MWAN who can not afford to rejoin will write to me and inform me of such and I shall extend your subscription for another year as I appreciate the support of all of you over the years. Please remember that I am not renewing foreign subscriptions because of the cost of postage. Foreign subscribers should contact CALIVER BOOKS (see address on Contents page). I regret having to do this, but it is just too expensive/time consuming to handle foreign subscriptions. Thank you to those of you who have sent me articles on the Russian Civil War after my expression of interest in the period. It is surprising how much information has been available in the hobby press over the last twenty-five years or so. Having a base of MWANers who are aware of many hobby publications over that time period is certainly a plus when one is looking for hard-to-locate information. I still think this would be a very interesting period and the B&B Miniatures line of 20mm figures is quite extensive and growing steadily. They just added French forces to the line. I would suggest that anyone interested in wargaming the period look at the rules offered by B&B for the conflict, however, it wouldn't hurt to look at Dick Larsen's Spanish Civil War rules to see what you can glean. Every once in awhile, I think about putting together a period where I could use a "winter-type" terrain with snow and the Russian Civil War, or the Eastern Front (WWII) would be ideal for this. Some years ago in WARGAMES ILLUSTRATED, there was a scenario on WWII Eastern Front and the author created such terrain which was very effective. HOVELS makes a terrific Russian village in 15mm which I have and it will go well with 20mm as well (as a matter of fact, the article just discussed used the same village for 20mm) and SCENIC EFFECTS has a wide selection of 1 5mm and 20mm Russian buildings which would be perfect for the period. Have any of you done winter-type terrain? Seems to me that Greg Novak put something like this together years ago for a COMMAND DECISION game, but I can't recall for sure. If anyone has, I would appreciate hearing from you as to how you went about it! Thank you for your support of MWAN - please remember that I am in desperate need of articles for 1997 - I am looking forward to hearing from all of you and hope you enjoy the Christmas holiday season! Back to MWAN #84 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1997 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com