Trents Reach, INWarD 23

My game for INWarD 23 was a refight of the battle of Trent's Reach in 1865. i've played this one out quite a few times, and this time was the first attempt at it with my "Man o War" variant rules (which are intended for not entirely serious play but as it turned out went down pretty well) All warships and gun batteries were 3D prints that I had designed and made (and if they aren't on Wargames VAult already then they will be soon. The game was a blast and attracted a lot of attention.

The Confederate forces made a good job of penetrating the river obstructions (I had simplified these to a line of scuttled ships and log pilings - I didn't include the mines/torpedoes as that would have slowed things down a lot), but by the time they had punched a hole the Onondaga had arrived on scene and started shooting up the Confederate ironclads to great effect. Hunchback went town to a spar torpedo from one of the Confederate Squibs, Virginia was sunk in quick order by four concentrated shots from Onondaga which caused flooding criticals, Fredericksburg was also shot up and sunk. 

Richmond looked to be getting past the Union fleet but a shot damaged her engines and she was slowed up (and had suffered heavy damage to her armament) and it was obvious that Onondaga would overhaul her and sink her quickly, so we called the game. A Union victory but it could have gone either way. 

Thanks to Stuart and Nigel for running the Union and Confederates respectively (with occasional help from passers by), and to Helen and Nick for popping in. A fun day for all I think

Black Hawk

 Its a wet and rainy Bank Holiday weekend here in the UK, so naturally (after the Coronation fun and games had died down) I've been 3D modelling. My main "work" on this over the last week or so has been the Confederate squadron on Lake Ponchartrain (more of them in a later post), but I've also been working on an old favourite, the Union flagship Black Hawk. This is a beast of a model in 1/600 and should look suitably imposing when I get a chance to print her out :)

ACW 1/600 Torpedo Boats

I've had some fun modelling this trio of ACW era torpedo boats. They are now up as a "pay what you want" download on Wargame Vault, so you can have them for free if you like :)

The subjects are the Union picket boat (Picket Boat No. 1 being notable as the craft used by Cushing to sink the Albemarle), and the Confederate "David" and "Squib" class vessels. The models are intended for printing at 1/600 but may work well in 1/1200 with resin printers. The picket boat and Squib are probably useful for eras other than the ACW. 

Enjoy :)

More 3D Ironclads

 Just a quick update, I've been busy creating more 3D STL files of ACW ironclads and riverboats. In the last few days I've modelled the US Navy's first four ironclads, the Monitor, New Ironside, Galena and Keokuk. All being well these will be up on Wargame Vault soon.

Back in the Saddle

 So after a rather muted start to the year I've got back in the saddle with some more 3D modelling (which I'm finding works quite well as therapy). I've actually put together around ten new 1/600 models in the last few weeks, but here are a few of the more unusual ones.

Mike Haught has released the "War of the Pacific" battlepack that Rolf Grein has been working on. When I met Rolf in Oz in November he was adamant that I should model HMS Shah and Amethyst as their battle with Husacar was included in the pack. Both were fun to model and Shah  proved to be the biggest model I've printed on my Elegoo Mars so far. Pictured here with an ACW ferryboat gunboat which I also worked up over Christmas.

In a similar vein I've modelled the Peruvian ironclads Victoria and Loa

and a chance discussion on one of the naval wargaming Facebook groups got me interested in some of the proposed and uncompleted Confederate ironclads (a good counter to all the monitors I've been working on recently - more on those in a later post)

All good fun to work with, and now I'm looking at a range of less well known Confederate ironclads to model over the next few weeks.

2022 In Review

As has become customary in blogland I hereby present my review of the year. First off I'd like to apologise to my "regular readers" for the lack of content over the year, particularly in the second half. Whilst I've been busy with wargaming and other fun stuff my blogging mojo has been notable by its absence, hence not much here. I'll try to do better next year. 

So, first off - how did I do against "the plan" - 

Narrow Seas - I will get the campaign system finished along with modules for the North Sea and the Channel. I will also aim to get at least one update of the Data Annex issued

Nope, didn't get very far with this. I have an update for the data annex just about ready to go. It will probably appear early in 2023 as there's a few other things I'd like to add. Getting on with the campaign system is a "must" though.

Dahlgren and Columbiad – I will finish the Triple Alliance scenario pack, as well as an update to the ship data tables for the ACW (I’ve already added about 20 new ships but have others to stat up). I’ll also work up some more ACW ironclad and gunboat 3D models now that I have a decent system to do that.

This was my "big push" of the year. The "Triple Alliance" turned into my first all-in-one project with the rules (D&C and Iron & Fire for more detailed actions, and my ACW variant of "Man o War" for parti games), the campaign pack and five packs of 3D models for printing(of which I have sold the princely sum of two sets :) I'm extremely pleased with since its pretty unique - I've not come across anything similar in 1/600 and there was only really the OOP "Spithead Miniatures" line in 1/1200 (the 3D model sets I've created of course will print at 1/1200 if I'm careful with the masts so they will also fill out my 1/1200 collection). I premiered the models with MOW at the Naval Wargames Weekend in Yeovilton in October and they seemed quite popular. Getting the complete collection painted will be a big job - perhaps I'll have them all ready to do Riachuelo at the NWW next October :). 

On the ACW front I caught the 3D modelling bug big time, with nearly 40 new models created. This is definitely an area that I will continue with into 2023, with a small series of European monitors on the drawing board at the moment. But also some other fun stuff for the ACW (watch this space).

“Bumper Boats” – a fun set of rules for ancient galley games to use with my 1/300(ish) galley models. This will just be a private project I think and not entirely serious.

The rules are written but at the present time I haven't progressed the fleets much past the Greek and Persian ships I had done this time last year. I have Roman and Carthaginian ships printed, just need time (ha!) to paint them up and then gibe the rules a run out.

In other wargaming news I knocked up a few 1/100 models for my AK47 armies, and a Matilda Hedgehog for my 15mm "Burma Skirmish" collection, and I printed & painted up the 1/700 models i needed to run my hex-and-miniatures version of "Swarming Boats", Nick Bradbeer's UCK game that we use to teach students about close quarter naval combat. On the more serious side I attended the Connections wargaming conference in Washington DC, umpired and then ran the Falklands 82 game for the Royal Marines amphibious warfare course, visited Damen Naval Shipyards in Vlissingen for some teambuilding/educational wargaming and of course got engaged in wargaming with my students at UCL.

Other fun stuff this year:

• A couple of weeks working in Australia in November where I also managed to catch up with a great many wargaming and work friends

• Taking part in a SINKEX off the Outer Hebrides in September (where I won the sweepstake on which stage of the exercise would see the target being sunk)

• Creating and a lovely 1930s air racing game based on "Wings of Glory" with some cute 3d printed aircraft and then running the game at the Wings of Glory Weekend in Doncaster (abd being asked to bring it again in 2023)

 

• Heading out to Red Sands Fort on the paddle steamer "Waverley" for a day

• The arrival of Magnus, our new kitten

and may more things besides. There's been other, less happy stuff, but I'm not dwelling on that and just remembering the good things.

So, as 2022 draws to an end I'd like to wish everyone a very happy New Year and I'll see you all, either here or in person (hopefully) in 2023. Look out for details of "The Plan, 2023" in a day or three :)

Its the Naval Wargames Weekend this Weekend :)

 Hi all, I've been away from blogging for a long while - life has been an absolute blur (and shows no sign of slowing down), but here's a quick post to let everyone know that its the Naval Wargames Weekend at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton, this coming weekend. I'll be there with "CQB", a modern naval game that pits a patrol ship against a swarm of armed speedboats, and possibly with my new Brazilian and Paraguayan ironclads in a variant of GW's old (and much loved) "Man o War". I say possibly as I still need to sort out the ship data sheets and finish off a few of the models, and I'm in London all day tomorrow.

Anyway, I hope to see some of you there. I promise a BATREP next week :)

End of Year Modelling

 The last few weeks at home and at Uni have been quite hectic so I've not had time to update the blog, but I have been busy on the modelling front. Here's a summary of some of the things I've been working on.....

An old edition of Airfix Magazine featured the various converted "erzatz M10" Panthers and StugIIIs used in the Battle of the Bulge. I'd always fancied a few if these, and so when suitable 3d models appeared on Thingiverse I was naturally going to print off a set for my 15mm Winter Skirmish collection.

The prolific Mike Bergmann upissued his 1/100 WW2 collection and added a Valentine bridgelayer. This one will join my 15mm Burma/Pacific collection. I printed a second which is in Russian markings and now sits in the Winter Skirmish collection.

Another new model from Mike is the venerable Austin K2 ambulance. This one is heading for Burma as well. I should probably have made the red crosses and circles a bit bigger.

Finally in 15mm, Mike also added a lovely model of an "X Craft" mini submarine. I printed out a few examples in waterline configuration in 1/300 and 1/600.

For my own paert I've been working on a load of ACW ironclads in my various 3D modelling packages. This is the twin turreted river monitor USS Winnebago. I have a coiple of these printed that are in the final stages of painting just now.

A diversion from my regular modelling - Rob Heath (Twylite Games on Wargame Vault) posted a nice set of alarge ancient galley models - Greek, Phoenecian, Roman and Carthaginian. I've printed some squadrons for each of these with the Greeks and Phoenecians the first to be finished. These models are around 3" long and I'm planning to use them with a fast and fun set of rules that I'm working on. 

Some terrain for my 1/1200 (or if I'm feeling epic, my 1/2400) ancient galleys, this is the lighthouse at Alexandria. 

Finally for now, I've caught up on "The Mandalorian" (I discovered that we have a Disney+ subscription - surprise!)  so I printed off a 1/270 model of the Razor Crest (or is it the Laser Quest? :) to use with X Wing. I need to work on the paint scheme for this, its a bit "flat" so I'll be painting in panels in various shades and other details as I work out what needs doing.

This isn't everything that I've been working on over the last couple of months - watch out for another update soon, maybe combined with my assessment against "The Plan" for 2021 (which I don't think will make pleasant reading!)  

ACW Side Wheelers

 Having worked up a set of 3D models for stern wheel ACW transports I then decided to do the same for side wheelers. This part of the plan was initiated by a chat I had online with a friend in the US who is working on a Mississippi paddle steamer racing game, hence the first ships I made were inspired by steamers such as the Robert E Lee and Natchez, although greatly simplified - all being well they will be making an appearance in his game in due course. The last one I created was a side wheel tinclad gunboat, using the superstructure and casemate of the stern wheeler as a basis. 

Having sorted those I was asked whether they'd work in 1/600. An obvious question and one I should have asked myself since I'm as short of transports in that scale as I am in 1/1200. Step one of finding out was to simply print the 1/1200 stern wheel gunboat in the larger scale - looked good, but the lack of planking detail in the deck was beginning to show. A few hours later I'd figured out how to create a decent planked deck surface and so I applied it to one of the stern wheel transports and the sidewheel gunboat and printed them out last night. They've been in the paint shop and I'm very pleased with the results. 

So now, at very little expense other than a number of hours working 3D packages, printing time and a bottle of resin I have - to be honest - more ACW transports than I know what to do with :) Not that it will stop me tinkering with the models and creating more variants :D

If anyone wants models for themselves I've put them up in a couple of sets on Wargame Vault.

Ebay Swag

My 1/600 ACW collection has enjoyed a boost with the arrival of a collection of ships via Ebay. A nice selection of rather well made models from Thoroughbred and Bay Area Yards, with one Italian "mystery ship" which looks like its based on the Duilio

Kearsarge and Alabama

Two unknowns from  BAY - any suggestions>

HMS Royal Sovereign (this one is a monster) and CSS Stonewall

And this rather unusual Italian turret battleship, which looks like the Duilio. Any clues as to the manufacturer?

Some of these are duplicates for models I already have, so the Kearsarge will become another of the Mohican class sloops, whilst the Stonewall will become the uncompleted CSS Cheops. Alabama will no doubt find herself in service as another Confederate raider, or maybe rerolled as a British cruiser if I can find something suitably similar.

Not bad for less than a fiver each :)

Odds and Sods

Modelling wise the last couple of weeks has been rather sparse, and then only finishing off various odds and sods. The main completions were a couple of 1/600 ACW models from Toby Barrett's Thoroughbred Models and the ships for my 1/600 River Plate game at the Naval Wargames Weekend (now only a couple of weeks away!)

CSS Alabama

 CSS Atlanta

 As usual I'm highly impressed with the detail and ease of construction of Toby's fine models. I think they came out OK.

The 1/600 River Plate models are just about done. I've attached some ensigns to the British ships. The German ensigns I printed have gone walkies so I need to redo those and add them later this week. I may stick some more on the RN ships having seen "Battle of the River Plate" again last night and been reminded of Exeter "dressing ship" :)

An ACW Theme

Just recently I have been sorting out some of my outstanding ACW models. I've discovered a load of my 1/1200 collection wasn't based and they are now awaiting a spare few hours to have that done, but I also picked up some more 1/600 models from Bay Area Yards and Peter Pig, which I have just finished painting up.

First up are the CSS Selma from BAY and Peter Pig's remastered Frolic. The former is one f my favourite gunboats and this recent model will be replacing my PP model of this ship. The BAY model comes with hogging bars which need a little bit of cleaning up to get them to fit right but which are essential to capture the character of this ship. The new Frolic is a lovely model that has many uses over and above its intended subject. A nice touch is the inclusion of small crew figures around the deck guns and on the bridge.

The other three models I've completed are the Union river gunboats Lexington, Conestoga and Tyler. These are decent, workmanlike models that nicely capture that rather brute force / Heath Robinson look of the originals.

I've also tracked down some Peter Pig wrecks and a Peter Pig model of Fort Sumpter which has been languishing on my workbench for a few months. With luck and a few days painting they'll also be sorted and my 1/600 ACW collection will again be "complete" (at least until the next new models arrive)

WW1 Oddities and Some SCW

I've been finishing off some odds and ends over the last few days. First up, some unusual French WW1 aircraft.

The big one is a Caudron G.4, an odd aircraft characterised by its enormous engines relative to the fuselage. I did this one in RNAS colours as (at the time of painting) I was fresh out of French roundels, and now that I have a new consignment from Dom's Decals it may get a change of ownership, but for now it gives my RNAS Tripes something to escort.

The smaller one is a Spad A.2. Even more of an oddity, this one is "mid engined" (but is no hot sports car). Instead, this was an attempt to solve the same gunnery problem that the British "pushers" managed, but solved by putting a gunner in a pod ahead of the engine (!). This is a lovely little model, to which I only added the guide rail for the nose gun (and a couple of pilot/gunner figures). 

I think if I was doing this one again I'd cut off the propeller and replace it an an angle, or replace it with a clear plastic disc to show off the real oddity of this aircraft. Otherwise its one of those things where you need to know what you are looking at to know what you are looking at, if you know what I mean :)

On the SCW front, some transport for my irregular units. On the left is an Ertl traction engine from the "Thomas the Tank Engine" series of toys (for those of a nervous disposition, I didn't file off his face; it is still there, hiding behind a disc of card. OK kids? move on). Now I don't know if they had traction engines like this in Spain, but I'm sure someone in the UK may have exported a few, and if not it will always do for my "imagi-nation" extension to the period.

The blue "technical" is a Zvezda ZIS-5 truck, augmented into a semi-armoured personnel carrier through the addition of card armour over the radiator, door sides and the cargo space. The cab windows are covered by brass mesh offcuts which I'm using for another project. 

Finally, a 1/600 Thoroughbred model of CSS Chicora, one of the Charleston squadron. The ship is often described as being painted pale blue, so I thought this would make an interetsing change from the normal black or light grey. 

A decent model and I don't really think the pictures do her justice. Now, the ACW is off my "to do" list for the year, but this model plus an impulse purchase (infrastructure rather than models or figures) might see this change in the next few weeks......

Anyway, currently on the workbench are some naval projects. More on these later :)