Happy New Year!

So 2020, or MMXX as the Romans would say, has arrived. We saw it in as we did last year at a resort in Fiji and we certainly saw it in in style!

As usual I like to use the turn of the year to review my hobby achievements for the year. Every year I tell myself that this will be a quieter year. In fact to quote myself about the figure count for 2019 it will“…DEFINITELY will not be as high a count as the year just gone.” And I was right. The count of painting points was 12,240 compared to 13,060 for 2018 – a drop of just over 7% - but it was still my second biggest year ever. As always the painting points are calculated: foot figures 5 pts, mounted figures 10 pts, gun or equipment 10 pts and each hour of work on a scratch built items 10 pts.

There were thirteen projects tackled during the year of which only four were anticipated at the start of the year, namely the Carlist War expansion, the Spanish Napoleonic, the Crimean War Heavy Brigade and the British in the Peninsular War.

Unanticipated projects have been the French Revolutionary army, a few odds and ends for the French 1813 Napoleonics, the Russian Napoleonic limbers, a sizable expansion of the Crimean War British, a small force of British for the American Revolution, a small addition to the War of 1812 American army, the Bavarian Army for 1813-14, a small German WWII force for Bolt Action and the refurbishment of an ACW collection. I also added a few scratch built items and five Napoleonic wagons.

The statistics are:

Although the number of posts  for the year were down  the goal of 24 games was exceeded by one. The breakdown of the games is:

And what does 2020 hold in store? Well I am not really sure yet. I have a few ACW figures still in the plastic pile. The French Revolutionary armies are also on hand and their Austrian and Russian opponents are on the cards, but they will not be big armies - frequent readers can stop laughing now. I did succumb to the Foundry Christmas special and have four battalions and a battery of Crimean Turks on their way. I can also see myself doing a few battalions of the new Perry 1807-1812 infantry (ha ha...a few..more like 15). Some French for the American Revolution is attractive idea too, but beyond that there is next to nothing, unless some smart manufacturer comes up with something shiny to attract the inner magpie.

One project I do want to get on with is sorting the garage for a gaming area, complete with terrain tiles - and there will be something to show on these very soon.

For now I am not thinking of things wargaming. Instead I am going to have a leisurely breakfast then sit back back on my sun lounger and enjoy the 30 C degree temperatures while I finish reading the Robert Massie biography of Catherine the Great, interrupted by the occasional dip in the pool to cool off..

On This Day Five Years Ago...

Five years ago today I started this blog. The purpose was to document my hobby. I wanted to discuss my projects and pass on a few ideas as I went. It has been fun.

When I look back over that time, there have been quite a number of projects. 

On the armies front I started or completed (in no particular order):

Russo-Japanese War

  • Russian

  • Japanese

Crimean War

  • British

  • French

  • Russian

  • Sardinian 

War of Spanish Succession Bavarians

Dark Ages

  • Viking

  • Saxon

Napoleonic

  • 1812 Russians

  • 1812 French

  • 1813 Prussians expansion

  • Retreat from Moscow French

  • Retreat from Moscow Russian 

  • French in Egypt - French

WWI 1914

  • German

  • French

  • Belgian

  • British

  • Indian

First Carlist War

  • Carlists

  • Christinos

  • British Auxiliary Legion

  • French Foreign Legion

Wars of the Roses

  • forces for both factions, plus mercenaries

War of 1812 Americans

1866 Ironclads  

  • Austrian

  • Italian

These projects have provided a net gain to the collection of 4,778 foot figures, 632 mounted figures, 81 guns, 57 pieces of equipment and 29 ships

Then there were the terrain projects, which are too extensive to list completely, but they include:

  • the Roman Villa

  • the set used for the Crimean War game

  • the WWI town (intact and in ruins)

  •  the winter village

  • the Dark Ages buildings

  • The East Africa set

  • The Chinese set (for the Russo-Japanese War)

It had been my intention to celebrate the event with a giveaway, but I have been too busy to organise it. Maybe I will hold that for another milestone. 

Instead I have taken a leaf out of Aly Morrison's book and posted a few photos of some pre-blog games.

2005 the Battle of Pea Ridge (or Elkhorn Tavern). This was a game set in winter and will be remembered by many of the players by the number of times they were  stabbed by the hundreds of home made winter trees that I made  using twisted wire.

2008 - The Austro-Prussian War in Italy. I was particularly pleased with this game because every figure and building was sculpted and painted by me.

2010 - Franco-Prussian War, with that dreaded balloon

2010 - WWI in Palestine. None of the work was mine, but it was such a fun game.

2012 - Austro-Prussian War.

2012 - WWII in North Africa in 15mm

Aly Morrison's