Russ Haynes's Wargaming

Friday, October 5, 2007

Here are some french 12# guns with foot crew.

Here are some French 4# guns with foot crew.

Close-up of a French Republican 8# gun (one of my Minfig ACW Napoleons)

Another angle of the French 4# guns.

Here are some 15mm Old Glory Franco-Prussian War French artillery images. Each pack comes with 2x12# guns and 4x4# guns and 24 crew figures. I base my guns with only two crew, so I have 12 more crew painted and based, but without guns for the moment. I will probably order some guns from Minifigs to make up the difference.

I enjoyed painting these very much. I believe they are the best 15mm FPW figures on the market today and really capture the flavor of the period. I do wish Old Glory would add a pack of French horse artillery to the line. I don't think just painting gaiters black would be sufficient to show the differences in uniform. In the end I will make do as I always do in these situations. Outpost Wargames Services do a pack of horse artillery crew, but from the images I have seen on their website I'm not all that fond of how they modeled the French kepi. The Old Glory figures are great in that regard. I need to order some Minifig crew and see what they are like.

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Painting Schedule

I just finished painting 100 Old Glory 15mm French Line Infantry from their Franco-Prussian War range. I have 90 Old Glory ACW Confederates on my painting table that are about 2/3 finished. Between now and the end of the year my goal is to finish the above as well as a 24-figure unit of FPW French Volontaires de l'Ouest (these are already about 95% finished), and an 8-figure unit of FPW French Chasseurs a' Cheval.

Next years projects include finishing my 15mm Union ACW infantry (around 160 figs), completing my 15mm CSA ACW infantry (around 270 more figs) as well as doing more FPW French (infantry, infantry command, lancers, Chasseurs d' Afrique, Garde Mobiles, Fusiler Marines, and mounted command). Altogether about 700-800 figures.

When mapping out a painting schedule I try to finish at least 48 figures and paint at least 15 hours a month. Many months I have quite a number of figures 1/2 to 3/4 finished and don't actually complete the minimum of 48. Other months I finish up a lot of half-finished figures and exceed the minimum by a wide margin.

Current Projects

My current projects include painting and basing both Union and Confederate forces for the American Civil War. The figures I am using are mostly Old Glory 15mm. I love the variety. My Union force is a mixture of Union and Confederate infantry marching. I wanted them to appear more irregular with more slouch hats, since they will ultimately be fighting in the Western theater.

I am also currently in the planning stages for a massive European wars of the 19th-century project that will include all combatants for the Crimean War (Minifigs), the Franco-Prussian War (Old Glory), and the Austrian Armies from 1859 and 1866 (Old Glory). More updates to follow (and for years to come!). I will be using these armies for a massive solo campaign I have always wanted to do involving fictitious nations over the period 1850-1880. US-Mexican War figures (also Old Glory) will also be included in this campaign at some point.

The Battle of Haynes Creek, July 6th, 1863

The Battle of Haynes Creek was fought at Game HQ in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, May 30, 2007. The Union forces were commanded by myself and the part of General Ewell was played by Manny Aguilar, a very worthy opponent and all-around nice guy. He also took the battle pics.

This battle was fought with 15mm American Civil War figures. Union infantry are Old Glory and Union artillery are made by Stone Mountain. The rebel figures are a mix of various manufacturers.

The action is a hypothetical one involving Sedgwick's fresh Union corps fighting a rearguard action against Ewell's Corps of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, following the Union defeat at Gettysburg. Rules used were Fire and Fury and the game was used as a learning game since neither Manny nor I had played with these rules in some time. Both sides advanced toward the creek and began to echange long range fire. Sedgwick's troops deployed and were pounded by Rebel cannon and riflemen, especially the Vermont Brigade, deployed in the Union center. The Federals were falling back from the creek crossings when daylight faded and the action ended.

Manny and I have resolved to keep playing Fire and Fury for a while. I'll keep you all updated on future engagments.