"Six Pounder Guns Had Mostly Disappeared From The Union Armies By 1863."

"But the Confederates continued using them until the end of the war."

This 15mm scale plastic Confederate Artillery piece is sold by “Warlord Games” and can be found on their Epic Battles: American Civil War Infantry Frame. This is the second of three cannons I require for my Johnny Rebs force, having recently discovered I need to field a trio of these stands to form a six gun six-pounder smoothbore artillery regiment in "Black Powder".

As the 'kit' comes in three different pieces, with a pair of soldiers holding each wheel and the actual cannon, I decided to paint the miniatures separately and gave the figures a couple of coats of “Vallejo" Sombre Grey. I then busied myself by 'picking out' the odd set of trousers using either "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, or "Vallejo" Steel Grey and "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - These Iron Brigade soldiers are slowly having their details 'picked out'

With the pants all finished, I turned my attention to predominantly applying some "Citadel Nuln Oil" to the Confederate's already "Vallejo" Sombre Grey jackets, and subsequently spent some additional time applying both a lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and a dash of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson to their kepis to better mark the crewmembers out as artillerymen. I was slightly tempted to mark this particular unit out as belonging to Florida's contribution to the Civil War by having a couple of the soldiers wear 'straw hats'. But in the end settled upon them having either "Vallejo" Sombre Grey or "Citadel" Abaddon Black broad-brimmed headwear.

I had hoped to just plonk the big gun in between the weapon's completed miniatures and give it a quick lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Grey, Brass and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. However, the paint and varnish on the models made 'squeezing' the unpigmented cannon into an already tight space a real chore. Furthermore, when it came to basing the team's rectangular stand with PVA glue, grit and paint/shade, I ended up having to 'fix' the odd figure which was accidentally splashed in the process. This extra work convinced me that sub-assemblies was not the way to go with future artillery units.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - Another ten 'Straw Hats' for my 1st Florida Regiment 

Sometimes such 'pain' can somewhat put me off a hobby project. However, having watched the 2020 American television miniseries "Grant", I've found my enthusiasm for wargaming the American Civil War to be as high as ever, and resultantly I've even started working on some opposition for the Confederacy - namely a Regiment of metal Iron Brigade (or black hats).

Furthermore, I've begun applying my brush to a third stand of Johnny Rebs for my 1st Florida Infantry Regiment, so as to bring it in line with the criteria needed for a small foot unit in Black Powder. It really is early days on this plastic strip, with just some basic layers being applied to the ten soldiers' shoes and trousers. Hopefully though, having learnt some valuable time-saving lessons with this 15mm range in the past, I can push through these reinforcements quite quickly, and then move on to the 1st Mississippi Infantry Regiment...

"The Russian Army Refused To Engage With Napoleon’s Grande Armée..."

"...Of more than 500,000 European troops. They simply retreated into the Russian interior."

This 28mm scale metal model is sold by “Wargames Foundry", and can be purchased as part of their RN023 Infantry in Oilskin Covered 1812 Shako Marching set. The figure is one of eight similar-looking Napoleonic Russian soldiers sculpted by Alan Perry, with all of the infantrymen wearing heavy clothing to protect them from the cold conditions of their country's freezing winter.

As I decided to pigment the miniature using the 'official' palette shown on the Nottingham-based company's website, I primed the "regular" with a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. Ordinarily, I'd next give the fellow a generous splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade and a dry-brush. But on this occasion I wanted to try out a new time-saving technique I'm trialling, where I don't do this until towards the very end of my paint-job. This means that I no longer need to repeatedly keep touching up the 'finished areas' of the model whenever my wandering brush-tip strays onto a part of the long jacket.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - These two artillery teams are slowly being progressed

I also took full advantage of the figure's all-encompassing coat by simply using a little "Citadel" Abaddon Black on his shoes and leggings, as well as his knapsack, sabre and cartridge belt. Indeed, the need to pick out the soldier's infamous white leather straps with White Star by "Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats" was pleasantly doable, even after I discovered the Russian's sword tassel was also white - at least according to an illustration I used. All of these areas, along with the scabbard's tip, shako straps and any other spots requiring a dab of "Vallejo" Gold", were later 'weathered' with a small dash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

I next applied a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil to the model's tin water bottle and musket barrel, before using "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade on the rest of the rifle. At this point I did momentarily consider whether I was going to flock the miniature's base with grass or snow, as the poor Russian appeared to be participating in the Patriotic War of 1812 and the French retreat from Moscow. In the end I decided upon my usual 'green' stand, so I could always mingle the figure/s into a 'warmer weather' Napoleonic unit without too much fuss at a later date.

"Steel Fist Miniatures" WIPs - This Foot Knight will wear red and white to represent Francesco II of Gonzaga

Alongside my latest addition to my miniscule, yet disconcertingly growing 28mm Napoleonic collection, I have made some considerable progress on the two cannon artillery teams I require to fill out my Confederate force's first artillery battery. I had been painting these 15mm plastic pieces from "Warlord Games" Epic Battles Black Powder American Civil War range separately. However, having found subsequently assembling them and pigmenting the large gun a 'right royal pain', I have put my remaining unit together on its stand.

In addition, I have tentatively started slowly working on another of the Renaissance Knights manufactured by "Steel Fist Miniatures" as part of their ten-figure Foot Knights Deal. I've still heard absolutely nothing from the company about either my missing models or second order. But am trying to be positive that they will all eventually arrive, so thought perhaps applying my brush to a second sculpt might help 'push' the gaming gods in my favour...

"The A13 Was Fast But Under-Armoured And Mechanically Unreliable."

"The Cruiser Mark III equipped units in the 1st Armoured Division, but most were lost."

These three 10mm metal British cruiser tanks were bought together in a single clamshell from “Pendraken Miniatures” at Salute 50 and were simply labelled as Crusader III (armoured vehicles). I had originally intended to add them to the ever-expanding winter-based, snow-flocked Battle of The Bulge campaign. But having conducted a bit of research post-purchase I disappointingly discovered that the Crusader III only saw active service in France, Greece and Libya.

Luckily, having encountered a similar situation with the half-dozen Crusader II tanks I also bought at the ExCel Centre-based show, I decided to simply add them to my (fictious) Early Second World War project - Operation Sea Lion. Resultantly, all three quite considerably-sized models were individually super-glued onto plastic 40mm x 60mm rectangular stands and undercoated using "Vallejo" Leather Brown primer.

"Pendraken Miniatures" WIPs - The tanks were primed, base-coated & shaded before being dry-brushed

They were then layered with a double-helping of "Vallejo" Russian Uniform WW2, before being doused in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and later dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Russian Uniform WW2. I also 'picked out' their predominantly covered tank tracks using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before later returning to the hull for a little 'nip' and 'tidy up' using a smidgeon extra of "Vallejo" Russian Uniform WW2.

As a final touch I was going to also add some Union Jack decals to both sides of their hulls to proudly proclaim them as being British. I've taken this rather historically inaccurate step with all my earlier incarnations of the cruiser tank, as well as some Matilda II and Vickers VI armoured vehicles. However, I'm currently out of the small flag transfers, and am impatiently waiting for "Pendraken Miniatures" to get some more BR-127 - Union Jack, St George and St Andrew Flags by "Decal Details" back in stock.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - These Confederate soldiers are at various stages of completion

Alongside my latest Allied contingent I have been working on a few more 15mm plastic pieces from "Warlord Games" Epic Battles Black Powder American Civil War range. Some of these miniatures have been inspired by my desire to ultimately field a fully-painted 'legal' Confederate Army consisting of four three-stand infantry regiments, a three-stand artillery battery, and a single mounted commander. Whilst the fourth officer I'm currently pigmenting is to stand upon my planned vignette representing General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

To see whether it makes it easier for my brush-tip to reach some of the ensemble's harder-to-reach areas, I'm currently painting my two remaining cannon crews in three separate pieces. Once the four artillerymen are finished I then plan to glue the great gun in between them on their rectangular stand and carefully give it a lick of "Vallejo" Brass and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. As a complete aside I have disconcertingly discovered that I didn't use "Vallejo" Heavy Grey on the wooden carriage and wheels (as I recorded in my notes), and despite a few attempts don't appear to be able to match the colour of the original 'test piece' I completed a couple of weeks ago...

"What If I'm Stuck Being A Bear Forever..?"

"How am I gonna figure out how the whole changing-into-animals thing works..?"

This 35mm scale model of One Man Zoo in his bear form was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer and is available as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file from "C27 Studio". The sculpt is clearly inspired by Arnold Drake and Bob Brown's co-creation for "DC Comics" - Garfield Mark Logan (a.k.a Beast Boy or Changeling), and seemingly designed to be used as an 'alternative' figure for the Batman Miniatures Game rule-set.

Despite being rather unimpressed with this model's small(ish) size, I still super-glued it to an 'official' "Atomic Mass Games" Marvel Crisis Protocol base, as I originally thought the furry beast had been produced in 40mm scale - in line with the company 's other comic book characters. However, that now appears not to be the case, so disappointingly, all their "DC Comics" figures are noticeably smaller when compared to the larger "Marvel Worldwide" characters, essentially ruining any plans I had to mingle them together.

Both the Confederates and Union suffer with early deployment issues

The figure itself was pretty straightforward to paint and provided an excellent opportunity to test out more bottles from "Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats" range. The bear was therefore primed in Ethereal Green, shaded in Necrosis Green Wash and dry-brushed with (more) Ethereal Green. I then picked out all his claws and nose with some Wyvern Green and Logan's teeth with White Star. These areas were subsequently splashed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade respectively.

Alongside this rather underwhelming 42mm tall model, I have played my second game of ACW Epic Battles Black Powder over at the Solent Wargamers Club in Portsmouth. As in my first fight I needed to rely upon my good-natured opponent to bolster my Alabama and Florida Infantry Regiments, as well as borrow some additional Confederate cannons. To mix things up a bit we also both fielded some cavalry - which in game can pester flanks and redeploy as skirmishers.

The North's Cavalry unit dismount within some woodland

Having never used horsemen before I thought this was a great addition to the game, and really enjoyed Rick Priestley's easy rules for getting them to perform sweeping gallops along the troopers' lines, as well as the obligatory cavalry charge. Unfortunately, this inexperience did though lead to me somewhat bunching up my initial deployment, with the riders almost colliding with one of my foot regiments as I attempted to form up around a crossroads.

Happily however, things hadn't exactly gone according to plan for the Union either, with the North's four infantry columns squeezing out any opportunity for their artillery battery to open fire without having to navigate some woodland first. This meant for the moment at least, I wouldn't have to worry about President Lincoln's cannons mercilessly pounding away at my forces. But what I didn't take into account was how devastating old Abe's cavalrymen would be once they had dismounted and started sniping at me from the trees.

Johnny Reb's left flank caves in, leading to a desperate clash of cavalry

In fact, once the Yanks were in position firing at my left flank, my Confederate forces were quickly whittled away. So by the time the Union soldiers returned to their horses, I had already lost almost half my force and was facing down a nearly endless line of Northern troopers marching straight towards my remaining men in the centre. This really left me with just one opportunity and resulted into a massive cavalry charge between the two armies' horsemen. It was a close-run clash of sabres and appeared destined to go on for a turn or two more, when my Johnny Rebs shockingly decided to escape the battle and give the field to my victorious opponent.

"Charles VIII, Called The Affable, Was King Of France From 1483 To His Death In 1498."

"He succeeded his father Louis XI at the age of 13."

This 28mm metal model of a Renaissance Knight is produced by "Steel Fist Miniatures" and was bought as part of the ten-figure Code REN 20 - Foot Knights Deal from their Italian Wars 1494-1538 range. The sculpt can also be purchased as part of a pair under Code REN 01 - Foot Knights, and whilst not specifically named as the monarch behind the "French invasion of Italy", was painted with King Charles VIII in mind.

I was actually made aware of this cracking selection of models by Dom over on his "Boots on the Table" YouTube channel, and was planning to use them for some small-level (somewhat fictional) skirmishes set around the Battle of Fornovo in 1495. Indeed, whilst I impatiently awaited the arrival of my initial order, I actually went as far as to pick up a copy of the campaign book "Fornovo 1495: France's bloody fighting retreat" by "Osprey Publishing" in preparation for pigmenting the models.

"Steel Fist Miniatures" WIPs - The Foot Knight was primed, base-layered and shaded

Sadly however, this single miniature not only destroyed any enthusiasm I had for the project. But almost killed off my wargaming mojo in its entirety due to the difficulties I experienced both assembling it, and trying to receive my correct order - as two of the ten Foot Knights were missing having erroneously been sent some duplicates instead. Furthermore, I can't think of another model I've ever worked on which came quite so close to being thrown out of the window I sit beside whilst doing my hobbying.

The first problem appears to stem from the quality of the metal used as the casting was rather poor in places, resulting in some serious cutting/filing to allow the sword's hilt to be held, and one of the plumes immediately broke away from the helmet whilst I was merely holding it in my hand. The joint between the sword hand and the rest of the arm didn't fit terribly well either, so ultimately ended up with a load of super-glue being applied before the limb tenuously held. In addition, because the head would look odd with one pinned plume, I decided to cut off the surviving "hackle" and then pin the pair back - resulting in a slightly odd bunny-ear look to the ensemble.

"Steel Fist Miniatures" WIPs - The Foot Knight slowly had all its details 'picked out'

Painting my Foot Knight was equally a challenge, as I discovered the metal had strangely reacted to the super-glue causing much of the warrior's fluted Maximilian armour and skirt to become gooped up - completely obscuring the detail. This lead to some considerable time subsequently being spent with a modelling knife, carving/cleaning out all the blockages on Oliver James' wonderful sculpt.

With my miniature finally ready for its prime, albeit the folds in the King's cloth still seemed frustratingly soft, it was give a couple of layers of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, followed by a combination of Sir Coates Silver from "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats" and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. The armour and blade were then given a dry-brush of (more) Sir Coates Silver before certain areas of his "Maximiliansharnisch" were picked out using a dab of "Vallejo" Gold" and a dash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade - most notably the "grotesque visored close helmet."

"Steel Fist Miniatures" WIPs - Three more Foot Knights have been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

Due to wanting this figure to represent King Charles VIII of France, I decided to apply some "Vallejo" Heavy Blue to the invader's skirt, and then drown it out with plenty of "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade. I also attempted to dry-brush a little (more) "Vallejo" over the cloth's folds. But as I feared, the gloopy reaction had rather softened some of the detail in this area, so I soon decided to leave well enough alone. I was also somewhat perplexed by the monarch's waist sash, and initially kept that blue too. However, it looked too much like a nappy to my eyes, so I went back and applied some simple "Citadel" Abaddon Black to the strip of folded material - hopefully suggesting its some sort of belt.

I actually have a trio more of the Foot Knights built and partially-pigmented, as well as an order of Foot Knights Attacking awaiting arrival, so perhaps at some point I will continue this project - especially as I was planning on each side only fielding a handful of combatants anyway. For now though I can't really face another of this company's figures and feel rather deflated about the entire affair...

"Briefly Serving As Commander Of The Confederate District Of Florida..."

"...James Patton Anderson returned to the field in July 1864 during the Atlanta Campaign."

This 15mm scale plastic Confederate Commander is produced by “Warlord Games” and came free on a sprue accompanying Issue 397 of "Wargames Illustrated". The mounted figure is from the Nottingham-based company's "Epic Battles: American Civil War" range and is actually supplied with a square stand. Nevertheless, as I wanted my officers to stand out a bit more on the tabletop, I decided to glue the single-piece model to a thin-lipped 30mm circular base instead.

Both the soldier and his horse were painted almost identically to that of my previously-pigmented Henry DeLamar Clayton using a mixture of “Vallejo” Heavy Blue, “Citadel” Drakenhof Nightshade, “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade, “Vallejo” Steel Grey, "Citadel" Nuln Oil, “Vallejo” Sombre Grey and "Citadel" Abaddon Black. However. as I wanted this particular miniature to represent Colonel James Patton Anderson of the 1st Florida Infantry, I (doubtless quite wrongly) gave his broad-rimmed hat a mix of "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre/"Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats" Skulker Yellow and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to represent the famous straw hats worn by those troops.

My Confederate forces are joined by even more Johnny Rebs to face a Union army

Somewhat deflatingly however, having now attended the Solent Wargamers Club in Portsmouth for a couple of trial games of ACW Epic Battles Black Powder, it has become clear that I don't actually need more than one mounted officer for my current force, as a single figure is able to command a seriously sized force. Indeed, having proudly set up my three infantry stands of the 1st Alabama Infantry Regiment, two infantry stands of the 1st Florida Infantry Regiment, and my cannon crew, I needed my extremely forgiving opponent to help bring me up to the minimum four three-stand regiments and three artillery bases with models taken from their own impressive collection of Confederates.

To make matters worse though, once my Johnny Rebs were finally lined up on the battlefield ready to face the Union, my first ever command roll failed leaving my entire battalion stood stationary simply watching the enemy. I'd love to say that this inaction was simply a cunning ruse to fool the North into overconfidently pushing forwards and inadvertently placing their Zouaves in front of their cannon. But that would be somewhat dishonest of me. Suffice to say though, President Lincoln's forces came straight at me, desperately trying to squeeze their infantry lines between a forest and wooden building.

As my Confederate line swings left, old Abe's blue-bellied boys start to take a pounding

Surprisingly, whilst this show of force absolutely terrified me. It also allowed my much more spread out army to pivot its left flank around the side of the aforementioned house, and threaten to rake old Abe's Yankees from two directions. For the next few turns this essentially is just what happened, with the Union's morale slowly being whittled away by some crushing Confederate firepower. Eventually, the blue-bellies by the house completely broke and disappeared from the battlefield, whilst the Zoauves, brutally battered by my cannon, started involuntarily retreating back behind their own artillery pieces.

Sadly however, not everything was going my way, as my freshly-painted 1st Florida Infantry Regiment started to buckle from 'a hard pounding' on my right flank. To be fair, this Confederate contingent was squaring off against the main body of Lincoln's boys. But I was somewhat gutted to see the Straw Hats slowly start moving backwards, and away from the sustained onslaught from which they had been suffering.

The Confederate line holds, despite the eventual loss of the 1st Florida Infantry Regiment

This perhaps inevitable loss did leave both my cannon crews and my right flank badly exposed, as I had deployed my 1st Alabama Infantry Regiment on the left to support my 'encirclement' of the North. Resultantly, I really needed my artillery pieces to do a lot of damage upon the enemy soldiers bravely strung out in line directly in front of them, and after a few more turns where both sides simply mercilessly fired upon one another it was clear that they could just that.

Repeatedly assailed from two sides and doubtless having beginner's luck on my side, the Zoauves and a second (normal) Union infantry regiment decided that a full-on retreat was most definitely the better part of valour. The Yankee's decision to deploy their artillery behind their soldiers had clearly cost them dear, and Johnny Reb had quite astonishing won the day with a surprisingly two-pronged attack which had only occurred because they'd failed their opening command roll...

"The Panzer I's Design History Can Be Traced To The British Carden Loyd Tankette..."

"...Of which it borrowed much of its track and suspension design." 

This pair of 10mm metal German Panzerkampfwagen I tanks used to sold by “Pendraken Miniatures” as Code GR77 - Panzer (2). But nowadays appears to have been superseded by a much more detailed multi-piece product under Code GRV1 - Panzer I, Ausf. A. Incredibly, these tiny models were ordered as part of a large 'Battle Of Moscow" project I was working on approximately twelve years ago for "Blitzkrieg Commander", and were only recently discovered when I (once again) searched through my 1/150th scale backlog for any Early World War Two units.

Having super-glued the armoured vehicles onto some 30X40mm plastic bases, and simultaneously discovered that one of the Panzer's 7.92 mm MG 13 machine guns was hanging off, I gave the two 'stopgaps' a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Neutral Grey. The duo were then doused in "Citadel" Nuln Oil, before being dry-brushed in (more) "Vallejo" Neutral Grey.

 "The Panzer IV was partially succeeded by the Panther medium tank."

Copying the colour scheme I felt had worked so well on the special purpose vehicle 101s when I originally painted several of them over a decade ago, I subsequently treated the light tanks' wheels/tracks with a combination of Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Lastly, having taken the time to carefully 'pick out' their shovels with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and Gunmetal, I also added a single German cross onto each Panzer's hull using a transfer taken from the WWII German Insignia and Swastika sheet by "Decal Details".

Sticking with both "Pendraken Miniatures" and my aforementioned Early War project, I have also pigmented two of the company's old Panzer IV tank sculpts - namely Code GR200 -Panzer IV D Short 75mm and GR9 - Panzer IV F2. These aging sculpts also appear to have been replaced by GRV13 - Panzer IV D, short 75mm and GRV15 - Panzer IV F2 respectively, and were painted almost identically to my Panzer I armoured vehicles.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - These two Mounted Commanders are at various stages

Finally, I have started working on a mounted commander for my 15mm 1st Florida Infantry Regiment by "Warlord Games". This plastic horse rider is from the Nottingham-based manufacturer's Black Powder Epic Battles American Civil War range, and is surprisingly the third identical sculpt I've put a brush-tip to since I first got my hands on a free sprue of miniatures with Issue 397 of "Wargames Illustrated".

Furthermore, I've actually got another primed 'carbon copy' of this figure waiting in the wings, to be used alongside a metal model of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson as my Confederate army's General. Unlike my other mounted officers though, this horseman has been temporarily super-glued upon a wooden stick, as he'll later be attached alongside "one of the most gifted tactical commanders in U.S. history" on a large(ish) thin-lipped 40mm circular base instead of the 30mm ones I've been using.

"Five-Thousand Floridians Filled The Confederate Ranks By The End Of 1861..."

"...Leaving the state virtually defenceless."

This Command strip of ten 15mm scale plastic Confederate soldiers are produced by “Warlord Games” and came free on a sprue accompanying Issue 397 of "Wargames Illustrated". The soldiers are part of the Nottingham-based company's "Epic Battles: American Civil War" range, and completes my forty figure-strong unit representing the 1st Florida Infantry Regiment.

All the figures were initially primed with "Vallejo" Sombre Grey (the predominant colour of Johnny Rebs' jackets and hats) and later had their trousers and 'picked out' with either Heavy Bluegrey or Heavy Sienna. All these areas were then treated to an appropriate shade of "Citadel" Nuln Oil or Agrax Earthshade. I also carefully applied some "Citadel" Ababbon Black to the majority of the infantrymen's shoes - leaving just a couple to be given a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Florida had been a Spanish territory for 300 years before being transferred to the United States in 1821." 

Due to my timing just how long it took to pigment this particular line I decided to leave the rest of the Confederates' clothing as 'uniform' as possible, and focused my attention to the musician's drum and officer's trappings. Most of the percussion instrument was painted with "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and Heavy Red. However, I did decide to carefully 'eek out' its ropes with some "Citadel" Abaddon Black, "Vallejo" White and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

I also applied some "Vallejo" Heavy Red to the sash running around and down the frock coat of the unit's commander. Alongside with the drum, these parts were subsequently washed with a little "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. Finally, to mark the fellows out as Florida's famous Straw Hats, I gave every broad-rimmed bonnet a mix of "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre/"Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats" Skulker Yellow and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"A total of 202 Panzer I chassis were converted to Panzerjäger I standard in 1940–41."

With the painting finally finished at around the five hour mark, I carefully cut out a couple of 15mm flags by “GMB Designs” with some scissors, and completed the ensemble using the products ACW41 - Florida State and ACW31 - 1st (silk) pattern ANV battle flags. This meant the project had probably taken twice as long as I'd hoped, or even imagined. But fingers crossed I've learnt enough lessons from putting a brush to them that the more mundane, less complicated ten-model strips will prove much quicker to complete in the future.

Furthermore, I was additionally able to add a fourth 10mm metal German Tank Destroyer to my growing Early War army. Sold by “Pendraken Miniatures” as Code GRV36 - Panzerjäger I, this particular sculpt is now OOP (Out Of Production), following the company's decision to 'update some of their older models' in February 2023. It was largely pigmented using "Vallejo" Neutral Grey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. However, due to my disliking the open-topped vehicle sitting on the tabletop without any crew, I added a single figure taken from Code GRX22 - Seated Drivers, to the ensemble.

"Operation Sea Lion" 10mm Battle Report: Britain Verses Germany

GERMAN ANTI-TANK GUNS ATTEMPT A LANDING ON THE SOUTHERN ENGLISH  COAST

This game was played using some homemade rules (M.I.S.S.) so as to allow us to quickly play through a campaign utilising my painted 10mm World War Two Early War models by "Pendraken Miniatures", and took place upon a 48" x 48" "Deep Cut Studio" playmat. The battlefield was populated with a variety of pre-painted "Escenografia Epsilon" scenic pieces previously sold through the Middlesbrough-based company at Warfare 2021, but now sadly out of production.

“The story so far… It is September 1940 and having defeated France, the German Army have launched an amphibious assault upon Britain. Deployed from Le Havre, a small Axis strike force has reached the shore of Portsmouth, and begun disembarking its armoured vehicles. Stung into action, a hastily-assembled contingent of British tanks has been ordered by Prime Minister Winston Churchill to halt the invaders - The Battle for Southsea has begun..."

THE TABLETOP - SOUTHSEA IN SOUTHERN ENGLAND

The Germans started in the water, just before the southern shoreline. Consisting of a unit of three Panzerjägers, three Panzer II tanks, and a Command unit comprising of a single Panzer III with two escorting Panzers, the Axis spearhead was poised to strike as far north as it could. In response, the British had a trio of Vickers VI tanks just north of Clarence, two Crusader II tanks travelling towards Southsea, and two Matilda II tanks near Eastney. All these armoured vehicles would wind south, picking off any enemy targets as they travelled.

The tabletop was split in half with a line of unoccupied fortifications dominating the seaside resort's esplanade. To the north were the suburbs of Clarence, Southsea and Eastney. Whilst to the south was just the beach and shoreline. To win the German army had to cross the line of fortifications by the end of the game's eight turn. Furthermore, no enemy tanks were allowed to come within an inch of an opponent's armoured vehicle. This was to ensure we played a 'shooting game' as opposed to just having all the tanks pile into one another.

CRUSADER II TANKS ARE ORDERED INTO ACTION AS THE GERMANS APPROACH

With little to do at the beginning except move, due to the considerable distances between the two forces, the Germans essentially raced north as best they could. The Panzer II tanks however, decided to initially disregard the Vickers VI vehicles approaching them and swung slightly northeast in favour of adding their firepower to the centre of the battlefield where the Crusader II tanks were presumably heading. Realising that the heavily outdated Panzers were a little slower than the sole Panzer III, the medium tank was forced to maintain a speed consistent with its escorts.

Worried by the German anti-tank guns, the Matilda tanks decided to seek the shelter of Eastney, whilst the fast-moving Vickers VI vehicles hurried through Clarence. The Crusader II tanks took up a firing position just north of the gap between Clarence and Southsea, and awaited the Panzer III and Panzers.

BRITISH TANKS RACE SOUTH AS THE PANZER II TANKS HIT THE ENGLISH SHORELINE

Adapting their positions in response to the British movement, the Germans continued north. But had the Command unit shy away from direct contact with the Crusader II tanks. Meanwhile, the Vickers continued travelling south as fast as their Meadows 6-cylinder petrol engine would permit. Furthermore, both the Matilda II tanks and Crusaders opened up their guns with some ranging shots = all of which fell short of their targets.

Having finally seized the initiative, the Vickers VI tanks swung east by the southern end of Clarence to assault the Panzer II tanks, and teach them a lesson to ignore one of Vickers-Armstrongs' finest productions. Likewise, the Crusaders also pushed south towards the German Command unit, trusting in their armour and longer range weapons. The Matilda II tanks began infiltrating Eastney, using its buildings as cover from the German anti-tank guns.

THE GERMANS TRUNDLE UP THE BRITISH BEACH JUST AS THE VICKERS VI TANKS ARRIVE

Realising the potential threat the Vickers might pose, the Panzer II tanks turned to face their attackers, using one of the esplanade's forts to protect their exposed flank from the Crusaders. The Panzerjägers simply repositioned their "Forward Firing" guns to sweep the centre of the battlefield, and provide any supporting fire where possible. The Panzer III decided to strike out at the Crusaders. But missed.

Slightly confused at the non-appearance of the Matilda II tanks and no other prospective targets, the Panzerjägers decided to put the mission goal first, so pressed further north towards the line of fortifications. The Panzer II tanks opened up upon the Vickers VI vehicles in something akin to an old Wild West shoot-out. Shockingly though, it suddenly became clear that the German's auto-cannons were still out of range. Sadly for the British, this wasn't the case with the lone Panzer III, which blew up one of the approaching Crusader II tanks. First blood to the Third Reich.

THE BRITISH ATTEMPT TO ENCIRCLE THE PANZER II TANKS FROM TWO DIRECTIONS

Possibly reeling from the news that one of their fellow tanks had been destroyed, the Matilda II tanks continued to get themselves well and truly snarled up inside Eastney, essentially nullifying any threat the Infantry tank had. The Vickers VI vehicles closed the gap with the Panzer II tanks, and with a cheer, the surviving Crusader II tank lethally struck one of the Panzers escorting the Panzer III.

With both sides now tasting blood, the Germans continued to press their opponents with the Panzer II tanks finally finding their targets to be in range and demolishing two of the Matilda II tanks. Sensing that they were on the verge of a breakthrough, the Panzer III fired at the remaining (partially-hidden) Crusader II. It was a difficult shot, yet was successful. Incredibly though, the British vehicle's armour saved it from destruction.

THE MATILDA II TANKS FINALLY START TO ZERO IN ON THE GERMAN PANZERJAGERS

Having finally moved themselves in a position to spot the Panzerjägers, the Matilda II tanks watched as both the Crusader II and Vickers VI tanks failed to strike their targets. The wind of this particular small war was definitely flying in the favour of the Germans.

Realising that it was now time for an all or nothing assault, the British sat and opened fire upon their shoreline's invaders. The Vickers VI managed to pepper one of the Panzer II tanks with enough bullets to put the vehicle out of action. Whilst the Matilda II tanks quite surprisingly made their first impact upon the battle by destroying a Panzerjäger. However, the Crusader II was unable to hit the German Command unit.

THE PANZER II TANKS START MAKING LIGHT WORK OF THE MATILDA II TANKS

With time growing somewhat short, the two Panzerjägers reached the fortification line, ignoring any threat from the Matilda II tanks. The Panzer II tanks also wiped out the sole-surviving Vickers VI tank, leaving Clarence wide open for invasion. Despite there still being another turn to play, it was clear the Germans had caused enough damage to breach the British defences and won, so the game was ended early...

"Confederate Cannons Built In The South..."

"...Often suffered from a shortage of quality metals and shoddy workmanship."

This 15mm scale plastic Confederate Artillery piece is produced by “Warlord Games” and came free on a sprue accompanying Issue 397 of "Wargames Illustrated". The ensemble is from the Nottingham-based company's "Epic Battles: American Civil War" range and is supplied complete with it's square stand. Rather embarrassingly, I first started painting this three-part unit back in March 2022, so it felt good to finally get the quartet of Johnny Rebs and their cannon finally finished.

The miniatures were all glued together in situ on their base and initially primed with a couple of coats of “Citadel” Abaddon Black. I subsequently focused upon the big gun's wooden carriage and wheels with a layer or two of "Vallejo" Heavy Grey, and plenty of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to help 'muddy it up'. The artillery piece itself was 'picked out' using a combination of "Vallejo" Bronze and (more) "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Florida troops were organized into eleven regiments of infantry."

Due to my wanting the unit to have originated in Alabama, where the recruits actually wore "a dark blue frock coat" and "black broad brimmed felt hats at the war's start," I pigmented two of the crewmen with "Vallejo" Heavy Blue and "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade. I then tried to 'Confederate up' the rest of the gun's team using a more typical palette of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown, Heavy Bluegrey and Sombre Grey, with either a "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade or Nuln Oil wash.

With my first cannon completed, I have also managed to 'rattle off' another strip of American Civil War infantrymen too - this time for a regiment of Florida-based recruits. I've got these little fellows down to approximately four hours of hobby time per ten-figure line, with most of the effort being caused by the multitude of colours I use for their footwear, trousers, jackets, accoutrements and headwear - albeit as this particular regiment were famous as the Straw Hats, any broad-rimmed bonnets were simply treated to a mixture of "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre/"Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats" Skulker Yellow and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Pendraken Miniatures" WIPs - Some BMW R75 motorcycles with sidecars, a Panzerjäger and a Panzer

Resultantly, several soldiers were given a good walloping of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey or Sombre Grey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil, whilst a few others were slapped with Vallejo" Heavy Sienna or Heavy Brown and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. I even managed to 'bless' one private with a rather eye-catching pair of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson pants - a blushing blend I ordinarily reserve for the Confederate's blanket rolls.

Perhaps understandably needing a break from such ferocious detail, I decided to once again rummage through my collection of 10mm World War Two metal models by "Pendraken Miniatures", and delightfully discovered some more German vehicles which would be suitable for my upcoming Early War/Operation Sea Lion campaign. Slightly disconcertingly, I did find a (fourth) Panzerjäger, which I have immediately super-glued together, complete with a driver. But I also 'dug up' a pair of tiny Panzerkampfwagens, as well as a veritable brigade of German BMW R75 motorcycles with sidecars...

The Panzerjäger I Was The First German Tank Destroyer..."

"...To see service in the Second World War."

These three 10mm metal German Tank Destroyers are sold by “Pendraken Miniatures” as Code GRV36 - Panzerjäger I. However, these are the OOP (Out Of Production) sculpts, following the company's decision to 'update some of their older models' in February 2023. Furthermore, each open-topped vehicle contains a single figure taken from Code GRX22 - Seated Drivers, as I disliked the look of the anti-tank gun being simply sat on the tabletop without any crew.

Like so many of the World War Two miniatures I'm currently painting, this trio were found in the loft whilst I was having a good rummage around my lead mountain, and were originally bought over a decade ago as part of a huge 'Battle Of Moscow" project I was working on for "Blitzkrieg Commander". As a result I thought theses particular Panzerjägers could now add some much needed firepower to my current Early World War Two campaign, and thus treated them to a layer or two of "Vallejo" Neutral Grey.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - The Confederate cannon crew's uniforms are slowly being 'picked out'

Each Tank Destroyer was subsequently doused in "Citadel" Nuln Oil and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Neutral Grey. I then applied a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil to the Panzer I chassis' wheels/tracks, before adding a pair of German crosses onto the fixed gun shield using some transfers taken from the WWII German Insignia and Swastika sheet by "Decal Details".

The more eagle-eyed might notice that one of the the Czech Škoda-built 4.7 cm KPÚV vz. 38 anti-tank guns is a little bulkier than the others. This is due to the weapon somehow almost being snapped off in between the model being matt varnished and placed in my flock tin. So I ended up super-gluing a tiny piece of plastic (taken from the shaft of an Agincourt-era arrow) along the top of its barrel to provide it with some much-needed stability - before painting the makeshift support appropriately.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - These two Space Marines just need some washes and a basic tidy up.

Moving almost a century back in time, I have finally returned to a partially-pigmented Confederate artillery piece which I started many a moon ago. My enthusiasm for the 15mm plastic American Civil War range by "Warlord Games" is at something of an all-time high currently, despite the time it takes me to finish off a strip of their ten-man infantrymen. Happily, I haven't found this particular unit quite so frustrating, especially as it's destined to form-up alongside my 1st Alabama Infantry Regiment - meaning predominantly dark blue jackets and black broad-brimmed hats.

Lastly, I'm making some reasonable progress on another pair of 28mm plastic miniatures produced by "Games Workshop" which have been assembled from the Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness boxed set. These multi-piece tactical Space Marines have been assembled to 'fill out' a (second) ten-man strong tactical squad for my five-hundred-point Sons of Horus traitor force and come armed with standard Boltguns.

"Battle Of The Bulge" 10mm Battle Report III: Allies Verses Germany

BRITISH CHURCHILLS TACKLE GERMAN TIGER AND PANZER III TANKS

This game was played using some homemade rules (M.I.S.S.) so as to allow us to quickly play through a short campaign utilising many of my painted 10mm World War Two (Winter) models by "Pendraken Miniatures", and took place upon a 36" x 28" "Deep Cut Studio" playmat. The battlefield was populated with a variety of pre-painted "Escenografia Epsilon" scenic pieces previously sold through the Middlesbrough-based company at Warfare 2021, but now sadly out of production.

“The story so far… It is December 1944 and the German Army have now committed some of their heavier armoured vehicles to the Ardennes Offensive. Having originally penetrated the western front line from Losheim in Eastern Belgium, the Third Reich's spearhead now plans to envelope the Allied Forces stationed within the municipality of St. Vith by suddenly sweeping south. However, the Allies have no less than two squadrons of American M4 Shermans, two squadrons of British Churchill VIIs, and a small number of M5A Stuarts stationed there..."

BRITISH CHURCHILLS TACKLE GERMAN TIGER AND PANZER III TANKS

The Germans started in the Fort District, with a division of Panzer III tanks and another of Panzer IV (75mm Short) tanks located along the region's southernmost area looking to quickly rush into the Rural and Fishing Districts. The Army's Tiger tanks were placed in the southeastern corner with orders to dominate the centre of the battlefield. Whilst a division of Panzer IV (75mm Long) tanks were positioned on the eastern flank so as to head straight into the Town District. A small unit of Panthers was held in reserve to support either the Tigers or Panzer IV (Long) tanks.

Across from the German's position, in the Village District, the First British squadron of Churchill VIIs were instructed to compete for the middle of the warzone, and Second British squadron, along with the American M5A Stuart tanks, tasked with taking the Fishing District. Both American squadrons of Shermans, codenamed "Babs" and "Vagabond", were ordered to travel north to 'capture' the Farm and Town Districts.

The tabletop was split into six identically-sized Districts, each populated with a number of buildings to represent their occupants. Each area was worth a single victory point, with a seventh point being offered to any unit which held the very centre of the battlefield. To win an area an army must be the only side with any armoured vehicles in it by the end of the game's sixth turn. Furthermore, no enemy tanks were allowed to come within an inch of an opponent's armoured vehicle. This was to ensure we played a 'shooting game' as opposed to just having all the tanks pile into one another.

THE BATTLE BEGINS WITH THE CHURCHILL TANKS TAKING A HARD POUNDING

The battle opened with the Allies reacting to the presence of the Germans. Both the Second Churchill and Stuart squadrons moved west into the Fishing District. However, alarmed at the presence of the Tiger tanks, all of the Shermans headed northeast trying to ensure there were some buildings between them and their opponents. The First Churchill squadron remained stationary, and, having passed an intimidation check to fire at the Tiger tanks, managed to cause some minor damage to one of their "overengineered" opponents. First blood to the British.

In response, the Panzer III tanks headed south into the Rural District and the Panzer IV (Long) tanks moved southeast to swoop upon the Shermans. The Panthers also trundled south to support the Tiger tanks, which unsurprisingly returned fire upon the First Churchill Squadron hitting one armoured vehicle twice. Furthermore, the Panzer IV (Short) opened up upon the Second Churchill Squadron and struck one of its tanks a couple of times too.

Seizing the initiative, the Germans settled down to blast away at any and all opposition. Utilising their long-range guns, the Panthers struck the leading vehicle of the Second Churchill squadron. The Panzer IV (Short) tanks targeted the smoking hull and blew the British infantry tank up despite its heavy armour. Encouraged by their colleagues' success, the Panzer III tanks fired at the remaining Churchill tank hunkered down beside a Fishing factory, and caused two hits. Perhaps the Allies' reliance upon the armoured vehicles' 152 mm armour to keep them safe was unwise..?

THE CHURCHILL TANKS ENDURE AN ABSOLUTE DRUBBING AS THE 'HANDS' OF THE GERMAN TANKS

The Tiger tanks subsequently poured more fire into the First Churchill squadron and two more fiery plumes erupted from their target. The British were definitely taking a hard-pounding in the early stages of this fight. To make matters worse, "Vagabond" squadron also lost one of its Shermans to a blaze of fire from the Panzer IV (Long) tanks.

Despite this loss though, the American Shermans continued heading north towards the Town District. Whilst the Stuarts swung into the Fishing District unchallenged. Showing plenty of Tommy steel, both British Churchill squadrons decided to stand their ground and returned fire upon their numerous attackers. A single Panzer III tank was 'cooked' by the assault. But the Tiger tanks were undamaged.

With the battle already very much in the balance, the Allies realised they needed to hold firm and poured as many shots into the oncoming Germans as they could muster. The Shermans' managed to get two crippling hits upon one of the Panzer IV (Long) tanks challenging them, and the First Churchill squadron managed a similar feat upon one of the Tiger tanks. However, the Second Churchill squadron missed the Panzer III tanks entirely. Perhaps discretion might have been the better part of valour..?

THE ALLIES FINALLY START TO PUT PRESSURE ON THE ADVANCING GERMAN LINE

The Panthers continued to travel south in support of the Tiger tanks, who shockingly failed to hit any of their large British targets. The Panzer IV (Long) tanks did though manage to destroy another of the Shermans, and the first of the American Stuarts was pulverised by a salvo from the Panzer IV (Short) tanks. Quite possibly summing up the incredible good fortune of the Third Reich, one of the Panzer III tanks even managed to damage the sole-surviving member of the Second Churchill squadron.

Sensing that the moment to win this winter-based confrontation was now, the German Panthers rolled past the Tiger tanks with fresh orders to seize the centre of the battlefield. The Panzer IV (Short) tanks opened up upon the Stuarts, destroying another. However, luckily for the Allies, the American squadron's final armoured vehicle was just out of range of their guns. Such news did not cheer the "Grand Alliance" up for long though, as the Tiger tanks finally ripped apart one of the First Churchill squadron's members. Whilst the Panzer III tanks sensationally put an end to the entirety of the Second British Churchill Squadron. Plus, the Panzer IV (Long) tanks took out another of the Shermans.

ISOLATED AND ALONE. THE ALLIED TANKS TAKE SHELTER WHERE THEY CAN

It was now clear that the combined British and American forces were never going to destroy enough of their opponent's vehicles in time to win any more districts, so the decision was made for the Allied tanks to hold what they already owned. Resultantly, the sole Stuart surrounded itself with Fishing warehouses, and the Churchill started to retreat back to the shelter of the Village District. The Shermans though needed to clear the Farm District of the Axis, so fired for all their worth at the Panzer IV (Long) tanks, and shockingly blew a pair of them up. Surely the Allies couldn't snatch an unlikely victory from the jaws of defeat..?

Racing north towards the Town District, "Vagabond" was ordered to ignore the remaining Panzer IV (Long) tank and 'go for the victory points'. "Babs" was instructed to provide the American Sherman squadron with covering fire, and incredibly blew away the final German tank in the Farm District - suddenly edging the Allies ahead. In a show of defiance, the Churchill blazed away at the approaching Panthers. But failed to make a connection.

Reeling from their grip of the battle astonishingly loosening, despite their superior firepower and numbers. The Germans attempted to seize as much territory as they could by moving the Panzer III tanks back to hold the Fort District. The Panzer IV (Short) were ordered south and the Panthers south-east. The Tiger tanks also repositioned themselves instead of firing, by wheeling about so they could strike east before the fight ended.

THE GERMAN HEAVY ARMOUR MOVE INTO POSITION TO SEIZE VARIOUS DISTRICTS

"Vagabond" continued to travel north to take the Town District. Whilst "Babs" hunkered down to hold the Farm District. Content that they already had possession of the Village District, the Churchill once again fired at the Panthers, and once again missed their target.

The Panzer III tanks took the Fort District for the Axis forces, and the Panzer IV (Short) tanks captured the Rural District. Despite the fire from the First British Churchill squadron, the Panthers easily trundled into position at the centre of the battlefield. Finally, the Tiger tanks entered the Town District, contesting the area with the Shermans of "Vagabond" squadron. The battle was drawn, albeit the Allies had been pushed to their very limits...