A Joyous Occasion (2)

Just as the final speech had been made and the last toast drunk there was the sound of a shell exploding - off target luckily ! - but the crowd of onlookers stood awestruck as from the surrounding terrain Treborian troops appeared !!!

Real off table Artillery ! (well the window sill really)

Alerted by the shell fire a sinister fellow sneaks out of a nearby cottage .

Down the railway track move a band of Treborian partisans .

The sinister fellow (a Treborian secret agent - if you had not guessed already !) plants a 'Infernal Device' under the Presidential Steam Coach .

A lucky shot causes carnage amongst the Fetaland infantry (indeed lucky most of my shooting was up to this point wildly inaccurate !)

The Fetaland Household Cavalry try to deploy to defend the president, but come under fire from Treborian troops on their flank.

Ferraro Roccaian cavalry dismount to combat the Treborian partisans

The Treborian British Legione advance to seal in the Fetaland troops

At the Bridge a scene of confusion as the dignities try to escape .

Can the rulers of Fetaland and Ferraro Rocca escape this scene of trechery ?. Too be continued .......

A Joyous Occasion (1)

The completion of the Trans- Fetaland-Ferraro Roccaian railway is a cause for great rejoicing . The final bridge over the River Bug has been completed and is being opened by the Prime Minister of Fetaland and  King Paul II of Ferraro Rocca.

Many local and foreign visitor are gathered to see the proceedings.

The Official Photograph.

BUT not all is well !, the happy event is being watched by the commander of the Treborian 'War Party' a radical breakaway group of officers dedicated to taking the war to neutral Fetaland !.What evil can the be planning ?.........

EBay bargins

Found these on EBay , think they are Prince August home-casts at a very reasonable price of £10 .With only minor painting and a coat of varnish they look okay .

The piper is a separate purchase and is a old hollow cast Britains and had very little paint left on it - obviously had a very active career , so I have repainted him to match the rest of the unit.

Now I need to keep my eyes open for a Officer figure !. With all these extra figures the 'Black' army is badly outnumbered so I must get casting some more troops for them .

Labels

Started to label my posts - this may take a few sessions -but when done it will help to locate individual posts much easier . Have just received 10 Highland 54mm figures for my 'Red' army which I purchased of EBay at a very reasonable price . Believe them to be Prince August home casts , when I touched up the paintwork and varnished them I will take some photos and publish them.

Bases

Several weeks ago - when we still had a summer I did some painting outside , 28mm Foundry Napoleonic Bavarian artillery - been pondering how to base them as I use several sets of rules for this period and some of them need single figure mounting . I am a regular user of    http://www.warbases.co.uk/ and asked if they could do me some artillery bases for guns and crewmen which are mounted on 1p size discs . Illustrated above is the finished product , excellent !. May try to prepare some figures 'al fresco' this afternoon - BUT  will be wearing a pullover and there is no need for a sun shade !!!. 

54mm Snipers

Ordered a couple of 54mm snipers from TVAG , they are handmade and fire a match with pinpoint accuracy up to 24" ( well not that accurate maybe - must practise more ).

I have painted them up for army 'Red' and 'Black'

Was hoping to photograph them in the garden but the British summer stepped in to prevent that !.

Now the officers will have to look out !

Lanarkshire Rile Volunteers

Been busy on my next 'Red' army unit , this time its a simple paint job conversion .

The Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers ( 5th Batt Cameronians)

Had originally intended to photograph them in the garden but the British summer (rain) prevented this .

Before I finish this unit off I think I will have to do some more 'Black' army figures to even things up a bit.

Army 'Black' in the garden

A 'Black' army patrol moves through heavy terrain

They report what they have seen .

A 'Red' army cavalry patrol

The General is NOT  happy !.

Back to 42mm

Aware that there has not been much about my 42mm Irregular armies recently . True most of my posts have been about the 54mm I have been casting up, but behind the scenes I have been busy painting up another Balkans Imagi-nation .

The first infantry unit of Fetaland - a country based on  Greece and its army circa 1880-1900 . Must admit the name took some thinking up , I'd run out of sweet names that sound like nations ( well at least to me !) and Greece isn't renowned for confectionery (as far as I know) .

The Fetaland army alarmed by the conflict in neighbouring Treboria/Ferraro Rocca has take delivery of some ex French Mitrailleuse to boost their firepower , here seen on maneuvers .

Here we see the Fetaland CinC General Stavros Flatly and staff

Who will Fetaland ally itself to ? afraid I have not worked that out yet , will have to get more figures painted before they can take part in the conflict .

Westmorland & Cumberland Yeomanry

Got the first of my mounted figures cast and painted . I got the Hussar molds from Prince August for my birthday , the horses are a bit of a swine to cast - they come in 2 half's and I've had to vent the molds at the horses legs ( to allow the metal to run to the very ends of the hooves ) .

 They have been painted as the Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry a local unit that was  raised in Victorian times . The molds take quite a bit of metal so its not going to be a cavalry heavy army !.

Old Timer

Found this figure at a Car Boot sale last weekend in a box of toys, got it for 50p . The chap said it was plastic -BUT- in fact its a old hollow cast Britains , you can see the hole in the top of the Bearskin , think its's been repainted and was a bit knocked about . Have touched up the paint , based it and given it a coat of varnish . Will be a Officer in Army 'Red' , nice to have a figure in the army that dates from the era of H .G. Wells .

54mm in their natural enviroment

Being a sunny day decided to do a photo shoot with my 54mm figures in the garden .

Borsetshires on the march

One of the dangers of garden gaming !

'Now let me look at that map '

Deeper into the garden (try to ignore the weeds)

A patrol goes out .

" Army 'Black' has been spotted!"

Army 'Black' Command group

Here is my 'Black' Army High Command - from left to right , Sergeant Major a standard standing body and arms -head added plus 'Iron Cross' medal . General- standing body and arms added medals ,epaulets ,sash, moustache,monocle and medals added with 'green stuff' .Aide - standing body with rifle arm with rifle removed and dispatch paper added , sword and sabatache added .

Casting is getting easier and faster as I become more competent , the temperature of the metal is critical to get it to fill the mold completely (like the 3 bears porridge - not to hot not to cold - JUST right !) . Some molds are easier than others to cast , playing with  mounted Hussar moulds at the moment and getting the horse to cast is a swine - but practise makes perfect ! .

First Army 'Black' unit

Finally got the first infantry unit for Army 'Black' cast up and painted . Adding the Irregular Piklehaube head took a bit longer , but once I  got into the swing of things it was quite easy.

The Infantry Regt. No.32