This month there are a considerable number of new items and we begin with what is probably of most interest to wargamers a new range of model soldiers with which to fight our battles. Their maker, Ted Suren, with typical whimsicality, has called his range "Willie Figures" At the moment he has a Personality Range which includes Napoleon, Duke of Wellington etc.,, a Roman Empire Range, a 17th Century Range, an 18th Century Range, a Napoleonic Range and some separate horses -- all of which are in 30mm scale. it should be pointed out however, that Ted's 30mm scale is approximately the some as that used by Stodden for their 30mms -- in other words, the figure is larger and more in the region of 35mm than those usually considered to be of this scale. I have seen samples of each type and they are excellently made, most detailed and in interesting positions. Not only would they fit in well with a wargames set-up, but they could also be painted to take their place on the shelves with the high standard of collectors item. I feel that wargamers might not be too happy with the fact that some of these figures have to have shields, pipes, muskets etc. soldered into position -- in my experience wargamers want a complete figure on which they can immediately start slapping the coats of point. The figures are sold at varying prices ranging from 2s. 6d. to 10s. 6d. for cavalry. I suggest that you should send for a list to Edward Suren, 57 Ovington Street, London, SW3.
Also on the subject of wargames figures, Jack Scruby now has a most interesting list of figures in his new 25mm. range: these are to fit in with the 20mm scale figures by Hinton Hunt, Alberken etc. Jack is concentrating on Colonial Wars and he now has a list of 28 infantry figures and 6 cavalry figures together with maxim guns and artillery pieces suitable for the Sudanese War of the 1880's and 1890's. There are British Infantry, Highlanders, Egyptian and Sudanese Infantry, British Sailors, Sikhs, Sudanese Natives, Fuzzy Wuzzies, Egyptian Cavalrymen, British Mounted Infantry, Native Horsemen and British Lancers,, etc. All in all, these make a fascinating group for a fascinating wargaming period.
As has already been mentioned, Jack is developing further models in this range for the Boer War, Wars along the North-west Frontier in India and he is also including French soldiers of African campaigns. with Arabs as opposition, Italian Colonial troops, German troops of the South-west African campaign and natives to oppose them. As Jack says, with the entire continent of Africa to fight in and with the balanced force of native and white troops to oppose one another, then the "brushfire" colonial wargame can be truly exciting. Those who attended the British Model Soldier Society Waterloo Convention in London on June 18th and 19th will have noticed these figures on,Judy Scruby MacInnes's stand and probably many of them will have been purchased by now.
Carl Johnson, who regularly advertises in this Newsletter, has sent me some catalogues containing intriguing model houses for our wargames set-up made by E. Suydam, Box 55, Duqrte, California, U.S.A. and by a Custom Shop, Box 5336, Chula Vista, Colifornia, U.S.A.. these model houses provide a really new angle to the man interested in terrain. In addition to a very wide range of modern building of an American nature, both of these firms manufacture in HO scale, kits to make up houses for the old west, such as blacksmiths shop, saloon, lodging house, livery stables, 1870 railway stations and water tanks and all those fascinating buildings that we see in western films -- there is even a jailhouse and a Union Bank! A very much greater degree of realism is going to be produced in our American Civil setups by the use of these models.
Orders continue to come in for Avalon Hill Games and are promptly despatched to that firm in America who in their turn, send them off to the person who has ordered them. In this connection, I would point out that those readers who have shown impatience at a possible long delivery time, must reckon on 8-10 weeks from the time of sending their order off to me. This order has to be collected with others, sent off in bulk to America, then, packed and sent back by sea-mail, which in itself can take as long as 4 or 5 weeks - so please be patient, you will get them in due course.
There are one or two new items in this wonderful range of table-top wargames. The latest battle game is "Battle of the Bulge" and deals with the fight of the 101st American Airborne Division in December 1944 when the Germans made their great breakthrough on an a 5 mile front in the Ardennes. "Battle of the Bulge" is actually two games in one, a basic and a tournament game. The basic game gets the beginner quickly into the new art of wargaming and the tournament game is realistic thing designed for the real enthusiast who has time and interest to go into the strategic and tactical air power problems and weather elements, isolotion, supply factors, etc. etc. Avalon Hill also turn out "Play By Mail" kits for Afrika Korps, Battle of the Bulge, D-Day, Gettysburg, Stalingrad, Tactics II and Waterloo. Write to Avalon Hill at 210 West 28th Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21211, U.SA. for full details of their games which may be ordered with English currency through this News1etter.
In this month's section on the Waterloo 150th Anniversary Celebrations, I have mentioned a book put out by Bellona Merberlen Scenic Accessories and I would also like to mention or to mention "gain the sheets that they sell for the model enthusiast who wishes to either have details of tanks or to make his own tanks. The latest I have seen, cover the British Matilda Infantry Tank, the 76mm Gun Motor Carriage Hellcat, the Tankette Type 97 of the Japanese Army of 1937 and the 105mm Howitzer Motor Carriage 1942. All of these are very interesting and very useful to the man who is working on modern warfare in conjunction with the information articles by Chris Ellis in Airfix Magazine.
Whilst on the subject of products turned out by Merberlen Ltd. I have been asked to soy that the advertisement on the rear page of the Wargamers' Newsletter showed incorrect prices. This was due to using an old stencil. I am storry about this. An illustrated catalogue is available at 6d which gives the latest prices and items put out by this firm.
I am told that Hamley's Toy Shop in Regent Street, London has a very attractive collection of Britons metal figures on display in one of their windows. The same person also mentioned that he saw a game in the shop called "Stratego" costing 25s. 0d. It is a Chad Volley product, although the label said a "Milton Bradley Game" and showed what appeared to be some Napoleonic figures. In this connection, I would mention that I have some of these games coming over from America and will be providing fuller details of them when they arrive.
Doug Johnson who produces the Colonial Society Bulletin in America, tells me that he has had some very interesting flat figures from Aloy Ockells of Kiel in Germany covering colonial wars of the Victorian era. He says you can get Kaffirs which can be used as Zulus and you can also get painted sets of 17th Lancers, Kings Dragoon Guards, British regulars, Kings Royal Rifle Corps, Boer footmen, Zulus (listed as Kaffirs and some Basuto horsemen. The experienced wargamer knows that there is literally nothing of any period or position that cannot be obtained in flat and the man who is interested in the obscure wargaming period and cannot satisfy his needs with 20 or 30mm rounds is strongly advised to write to Ockel's and get details of their fnbulous range of flat figures.
Jack Hutchings of Canada says: "Can anyone recommend any book or source of information on how to organize large armies? What is the basis of organization? Is it Tribal? I hove pointed my Arabs in different solid coloured garments, is this right?
"I have unearthed an awfully good book on the Foreign Legion at the local North Burnaby library, but information on Arab dress and military organizqtion is hard to come by.
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© Copyright 1965 by Donald Featherstone.
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