Perry Platic Ansar for the Sudan almost here!

Michael Perry of Perry Miniatures writes:

The plastic Mahdist Ansar are almost here! So if you like, you can pre-order them. They will be available mid-late July.

The box contains 40 Mahdist Ansar, who fought the Eygptians and British between 1881-1885. They include command, six flags, info and painting guide, plus sand-colored unit bases. They're designed to be assembled as Beja tribesmen ('Fuzzy Wuzzies', early or late war) or the Kordofan and Nile Arabs, although customers might be able to use them for other Northern African peoples.

Heads and arms are separate, as are shields. There are options for rifleman as well as spears, sword and 'throw-stick' arms.

They are hard-plastic 28mm.

I Think I have set a New Record!

Unfortunately, it's a record that I am not proud of! I think I have set a new record for the longest I have taken to paint 8 figures and one horse. I think I started the Anhalt Regiment back in March. Between the tornado and preparations for Honorable Son #1's wedding, the Emperor's deployment schedule . . . I mean painting schedule, has fallen of a bit. As a reminder, they will be mounted on a brigade stand, 3" x 3" for the game Volley and Bayonet.

Anyway . . . I did manage to put some more details on the unit. I think I might highlight the jackets with a lighter green - I haven't decided if the jackets are too dark for the gaming table. Contemporary accounts do describe that the jackets were dark, but I don't want the color of the jackets to look too dark.

As a reminder, just click of the picture for a larger view!

I'm not pleased with how the drummer is turning out. During research, I discovered that the drummer's jackets had "swallow nests" on the shoulders trimmed with white lace, and I had an extra drummer that had the swallow nests. I had already started painting a drummer for the unit that had the French 1812 drummer's jacket. It's looking okay . . . but not my best work.



I really like the French mounted regimental officer that I choose to lead the Anhalt regiment. With the single breasted jacket and the smooth animation of the figure, it is going to be a nice addition to the unit as a whole.

Warmaster: The Battle of Five Armies that didn't quite get finished

I thought I would put up some more pictures from our Battle of Five Armies game. We didn't finish the game due to the tornado and other events. We still had a great time and the Warmaster system is one of the best out there.

Wolf riders and and the giant wolves (wargs) attack the wood elves. That's Thorin on the right and Gandalf on the left.

Wood elves defended the ford from Goblins.

The Eagles are coming! The Eagles are coming!

The mighty Wood Elf host. Gandalf is the overall general for the forces of good; that's Thanduril, the wood elf king on the left (how's that for trivia!)

The figures are 10mm and are the smallest scale I paint. I believe the key to painting 10mm figures is not to worry about individual units but to paint them so they look good as a unit. In other words, paint the unit not the figure.

The Dwarves of the Iron Hills. These guys are armored and tough.

The Goblin Guard moves through the ruins of Dale. These figures are Black Orks from the Warmaster fantasy line.
The Goblin King. The ruins and the sides of Lonely mountain came with the game and were my first attempts at painting terrain. Turned out pretty good I thought.

Goblins - not in focus but you get the idea.

Wargs with a goblin chieftan. The Forces of evil have the Goblin King, 2 Goblin chieftans and one Goblin Shaman (magician). Forces of Good have Gandalf, the Elf King, Dain Ironfoot, Bard and Thorin as leaders.

The Lakemen on one of the spurs of Lonely Mountain overlooking the dwarves. The men are probably the weakest forces in the game.

Wolf attack!

Goblins, goblins and more goblins. In the game, the goblin infantry shows up randomly. For this game they were very random.

The Gandalf command stand with Bilbo was a nice touch of modeling.

Thorin backing up the Elves.

Dain Ironfoot, general of the Dwarves.

Bard with what is left of an archer unit.

What the battle looks like if you are a Giant Eagle.

The Stylish Blogger Award

I've been informed that I've been nominated for the "The Stylish Blogger Award".

The rules for the nomination are:

Rule Number 1: Thank those who nominated you:

Thanks to Fabrizio Davi' whose blog is The Torgau Project about the Battle of Torgau during the Seven Years war using the great rules Volley and Bayonet. Fabrizio lives across the pond in Italy and I have some fond memories of Vicenza and Venice from my time in the U. S. Army. There are no bad restaurants in Italy, some are better than others, but there are no bad ones!

Rule Number 2: Say 7 things about yourself:

1. I've been married to the love of my life for almost 25 years.

2. I have 5 fantastic sons and one future daughter-in-law (wedding is on July 2!)

3. My first wargame (5th grade) was Avalon Hill's Panzer Blitz.

4. I still have my first wargame which is Avalon Hill's Panzer Blitz.

5. I served 22 years as an infantry officer in the U. S. Army

6. My favorite childhood fictional hero is John Carter of Mars.

7. I play with toy soldiers.

Finally nominate 10 to 15 great blogs:

1. Dogfight Starship Edition. (Best card game out there)

2. Iron Mitten. (One of the greats!)

3. BigLee's Miniature Adventures.

4. Lead Gardens.

5. Wargaming for Grownups.

6. The Grand Duchy of Stollen. (If you haven't checked this blog out, you are in for a real treat)

7. Lonely Gamers.

8. A Miniature History of the American Revolution.

9. WAB Corner (I wished I knew this guy when I was stationed at Fort Lewis, WA.)

10. Frank Chadwick's Space: 1889 (Frank is one of the great game designers and founder of GDW. He is responsible for Volley and Bayonet, Command Decision and others.)

Devastating Tornado in Tuscaloosa

I live in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA which was hit by a devastating tornado on Wednesday. I'm a retired Army officer and it is the worst destruction I have ever seen. If you want to help, please send any donations to the American Red Cross.