Because I feel they open up new vistas of wargaming, there has been considerable mention of the new ranges of 5mm figures and vehicles. Subscriber H. Dolman also finds them exciting and writes "It is a fact that the 5mm figures do not possess the individual splendour of the 20-30mm figures (I refer principally to such figures as sapeurs, colour bearers, generals, engineers, etc). In effect the uniforms become indistinguishable at this scale. To a great extent this loss is compensated by the appearance of battalions and divisions of 5mm figures wheeling or parading. I agree with Peter Gouldesbrough (who described in the May Newsletter these new figures with some accuracy) in that there is a necessity for open order infantry, bearskins and heavy cavalry, individual horsemen to represent senior officers would also be of use. I cannot see the extinction of the 20-30mm figure to any extent, in fact what we may be observing is the introduction of a new sphere of wargaming which could correspond to a position somewhere between wargaming as we know it and board games."
Of course, this refers to the Napoleonic range of figures put out by Miniature Figurines but of equal interest are the WWII tanks, vehicles, guns and crews, etc., put out by Miniature Figurines and by a group of enthusiasts in Leicester. Now I hear that Denzil Skinner and Company Limited, Phoenix Works, Hartley Wintney, Hampshire, (an engineering firm who make the most wonderful models in metal) are turning out figures 1:400 scale modern vehicles and equipment. Their range includes the Valiant Bomber; the Swiftfighter; the Centurion tank; the Mk. V tank; 25 pdr. gun; a Jeep; a Land Rover; 3 ton truck; figures; horses and horse wagons.
From one extreme to the other -- recently I had the good fortune to see some of the beautiful 90mm figures that are now being produced by that incomparable maker of model soldiers, Charles Stadden. Unpainted, these shiny metal figures make a pleas ant paper-weight or desk and mantlepiece decoration, but painted up they are superb. They are obtainable from Tradition at 188 Piccadilly, London W.l., at £ 2.90p each and the range is fairly extensive.
Subscriber James Ede tells me that he made a recent excursion to Munich and visited Nurnberg for a day. Much to his horror he found that the world-famous production of 'flats' from that city has considerably decreased and that there is now only one shop left in Albrecht-Durer Platz, but this is good. Ede also says that he has seen the Swedish moulds mentioned in a recent edition of the Newsletter but considered that their castings were rather inferior.
It is sad to hear that Ken Chapman of Watermendows, Netherhamnton, near Salisbury, Wiltshire, has ceased production of that range of OO/HO scale cardboard cut-out buildings which began with La Hays Sainte and La Belle Alliance. Having got thoroughly bogged down in the intricacies of purchase tax and then to be buffeted by heavy increases in production costs has forced Ken out of the ranks of commerce and back into far less worrying amateur circles of straight-forward wargaming. He has a few of these kits left which far seeing wargamers will snap up because there will be nothing around like them for some time and the Napoleonic wargamer will find them of the greatest value.
The latest Bellone Military Vehicle Data Number Twelve contains details and plans of an Albion Pontoon Carrier; a Chevrolet Ambulance; a Dennis General Service wagon; and a Thoinycroft Searchlipht vehicle among others. At 25p each, these booklets are invaluable to the wargamer who wants to get right down to making 'soft' vehicles for his World 'War II and Modern set-up.
A few months ago, the dessex Military Society of Southampton had the pleasure to visit from an American subscriber who brought with him vast quantities of facinating "stills" of films dealing with wars and other military subjects. Subsequently I wrote to Kenneth G. Lawrence's Movie Memorabilia Shop of Hollywood, P.O. Box 29027, Los Angeles, Ca. 90029, U.S.A., who sent me a copy of their current catalogue (which sells for $3.50 U.S. currency to overseas customers). The pages of this catalogue are nostalgia unlimited, listing films that even I did not get around to seeing when I was a boy in the days of the early talkies and before. Do you went a set of stills of such films as "The Four Feathers"; "All Quiet on the Western Front"; "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (original version with Errol Flynn) "The Red Badge of Courage" etc., etc. then you can obtain these sets at a remarkably low cost from this organisation. They would certainly make an interesting change on a youngsters bedroom wall to the current pop singers!
Duke University Press, 6697 College Station, Durham, North Carolina 27708, U.S.A. are publishing some very interesting books on the Second World War. Those which I felt to be of particular interest were "Hitler and the Middle Sea" by Admiral Ansel U.S.N. concerning German activities in the Mediterranean during World War II and "Hitler Confronts England" by the same author concerning Hitler's projected invasion of England in the summer and autumn of 1940. The first book sell 8 for $12.75 and the second for $9.50 (there will probably be extra for postage and packing).
I imagine that large numbers of English subscribers to the Newsletter will have made a pilgrimage to London to visit the new National Army Museum - and been duly impressed. However, there is for more to the place than just wandering around looking at the exhibits because it offers a wonderful library, research, and photo facilities to serious students of the military activities of the British Army up to 1914. This Museum cost an absolute fortune to establish and is badly in need of funds, members are urged to join The Society of Friends of the National Army Museum, memberships of which warrants certain pleasant privileges in and around the Museum. All subscriptions go towards the upkeep of the Museum and the purchase of exhibits etc., and the minimum subscription is £ 1 per annum although covenanted subscriptions are eagerly sought. Major Eric Hebden , Hon. Secretary Society of Friends of the Naionnl Army Museum, Royal Hospital Bond, London SW3.
May readers will have been impressed by pictures of a diorama of the Battle of Tewkesbury (Wars of the Roses) reproduced in the May Airfix magazine. It is possible to obtain black-and-white prints, colour slides and prints not only of this diorama but also of a model of the Battle of Barnet and many other items, scenes, etc., connected with Wars of the Roses. Write to G. Wheeler, 195 Gloucester Place, London , and mention this magazine.
Last month 1 mentioned "Star Trek Battle Manual" offered for sale at $3 by Lou Zocchi. Subsequently I have some more information on his interesting publication. It contains instructions on how to convert the plastic Star Trek models into gaming pieces and also provides an Enterprise, Klingeon, and Romulan ship in the centre of each book which can be detached for wargaming. Rules cover life support systems, sensors, deflector shields, phasers, photon torpedoes, the invisible Romulan cloaking device and high energy plasma beam, warp drive and impulse engines. A special section tells how to create fleet sized actions and how to include, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, etc. An electronic version has been perfected which can be played on two TV receivers and the plans for it are offered for sole. I read in Jack Mansfield's magazine SIGNAL that it costs about $10 materials to convert your TV set into a Space Warfare screen and the TV is still usable for normal watching. So there is a completely new field for anybody bored with the current wargaming scene!
Also from SIGNAL, some new boardgames have been published: One is "THE NEW WORLD", a play-by- mail, multi-player, political game in which each country must be played by 2-5 players and the 12 countries seek some 20 Colonial areas. It can be purchased from P.McGraw, 655 Spaulding Dr., Atlanta, GA 30328. "ALESIA" is a tactical battle between Caesar and the Gauls end is the first game of a new company THESIS GAMES. It is to be followed by OPERATION COMPASS dealing with the Italians first push into North Africa and its reception by the British. I have no name and address for these last two games. SIGNAL mentions a magazine called SWABBERS obtainable from 157 State St., Zeeland, MI 49464, U.S.A., at $1.50 Per annum. This is a magazine devoted to Naval warfare and the entire first issue is devoted to one complete article on the naval operations of the Crimean War. Also from the same source of information I hear that there is a 2-episode T.V. series called Camelot based on the adventures of 6th century King Arthur and his court which is to be filmed on English locations - but it may well be for American T.V. initially.
Then there is an Italian T.V. offering filmed on location called ODYSSEY which is to be an 8-part series based on the epic Poem of Ulysses with much on the Greek armies of the period.
It is the policy of this magazine to support anyone who supports us and the Wargames Research Group are regular advertisers. They tell me that there are no less than 7 more sets of rules in preparation; 3 or more Uniform books; a large variety of wargames maps plus a board-game in the pipeline. The following extracts from letters refer to the Ancient Rules of the dargames Research Group and I feel that they are worthy of publication. The first is by Philip Barker, one of the three compilers of these rules who says:
"The main thing with our rules is not to try and be too clever in writing orders "Advance and engage the enemy" is quite sufficient for the main body, and "Support first line" for the reserves. "Cover the main bodies flank" is very useful for cavalry or light infantry. If things get desperate, put your General at the head of a cavalry unit, write down "Follow me" and hurl him into the fray! You can also have signals such as "General Advance"; "Fall back and re-group" or Sue (my wife's favourite) "Rally round the General". On one occasion, Charlie Tarbox gave his Cataphracts an order to "Seek out and capture enemy general". Simultaneously with Sue flying her General order, and the result was a great Cataphract serum in the middle of the table with Sue and Bodyguard in the middle, then alternate layers of each side working, outwards. Sue won!"
The second extract is by John Norris of 36a Dinswood Avenue, Leamington Spa, England:
"I found the book "Wargaming Throug~h the Ages" a most helpful general introduction and am now engaged in digging a little deeper into the period before the Barbarian Invasions of the Empire. In particular, I have been fighting battles between a vaguely Antionid army and the early Imperial Romans, using Wargames Research Group Rules. It seems that provided the legionaries are unable to use bad terrain or take the phalanx in flank or rear ' it always wins! This is, of course, contrary to the historical verdict? The Romans always managed to disorder the phalanx before closing. Against my various opponents I seem to be able to prevent this happening without too much difficulty. You list three battles in which it did happen, namely Cynoscephalae, Pydna and Magnesia, but none in which it did not. Was the phalanx ever beaten by the Romans without being disordered?"
Anyone like to answer these questions?
I am asked by Mike Blake, who has changed his address to 45 Sommerville Road, Bristol, to mention their % dice and the Modern Rules they are producing from Bristol. They have had further difficulties with printing and their stocks were messed up by a strike. However they are sorting thing out and would ask any worried customers to bear with them or if they have any queries to write direct to Mike Philpot, 36 Breckneck Road, Bristol. The American Civil War Rules have also been affected and they are still waiting for some missing notes. As soon as they get them the ordered copies will go out.
I thought it was Christmas the other morning when a heavy package arrived in the post and when my trembling fingers had opened it I found it to be packed with sample figures of the latest range of Hinchliffe 25mm Napoleonic cavalry. Personally, I have the greatest regard for all of Peter Gilder's figures but there is something about his horsemen which really hits the jackpot because he seems to have caught the knack of making the horse look the noble animal that it is. When that horse is surmounted by riders of the standard of ANC1 and 2 (Austrian Cuirassier Trooper and Officer); BNC15 (The Lritish Light Dragoon Trooper); RNC5 (The Russian Dragoon Trumpeter) for example or when the figures are "Personalities" such as Lord Hill, Berthierv von Gneisenau then we are very fast approaching that ideal situation when wargames armies are not just collections of small figures recognisable only by the paint job but consist of sculpted statuettes of a very high standard.
I say it each month and I will probably continue to do so, wargamers just do not appreciate how lucky they are to have at their disposal figures like these turned out by Peter Gilder, or those by Dick Higgs of Miniature Figurines or by the late Les Higgins, to say nothing of the recent availability at economic prices of 30mm masterpieces by Charles Stedden himself.
I am told that some Hobby Shops have nice little plastic wargames terrain pieces such as Le Heys Saint at 75P, put out by Thornton Manufacturers Limited, Essingwold, York.
A few weeks ago Charlie Stadden showed me some of the beautiful American Revolution figures he had made for the 30mm wargames range obtainable from Tradition at the ridiculously low price of 10p each. These 30mm figures have a character all their own and, when painted up, look absolutely breathtaking. Incidentally, still on the subject of 30mm figures - a few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting the actual designer of the new Miniature Figurines range in this scale and he blushed very prettily when I told him that, on first seeing them, I mistook them for Stadden's!
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© Copyright 1972 by Donald Featherstone.
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