Coach and Four

the entire contents of the box from Blue Moon Manufacturing...

coach assembled

coach assembled except for the coach lights...roof is removable for the passengers

As promised here are a few pics of the 28mm Coach and Four by Blue Moon. I got the coach "moving with seated passengers", but there is also a version with standing horses and dismounted passengers. I'm still assembling so the coach lanterns are not yet installed. I think this will be a really great model when it's all done and will give the Grand Duchess of Grolstein a nice ride to tour the outer defenses in.

In case you are thinking of getting this model. It measures 7- 1/2" inches long and about an 1- 1/2" across the axles. It includes four seated passengers and a driver...available from Blue Moon Manufacturing. ($40.00 USD.)...a bit pricey, but the Duchess needs to get around somehow...and with all the raiding going on recently, it's rumored that she has retained a specially trained unit of Pandours to escort this coach.

"Hey, You Knew It Going In..."

You hear that phrase said about marriage sometimes but I think I've heard it more often about collecting Napoleonics. This new project with Victrix is giving me a few flashbacks (some good some bad) of my past forays into Naps—(15mm...sold, 20mm...sold, 6mm...still have, and now 28mm).

To reduce some of the formidable painting challenge (as well as a more fiddly prep required for the plastic multi part figures) I'm proceeding a bit differently than my normal painting process.

First after getting 48 figures partly assembled, I decided to do 2 smaller units of 24 with the option of using them as a bigger battalion by adding some command figures. Second I think the light plastic figures will not like being tacked to my usual painting sticks (tongue depressors) and then removed for basing without risk of breakage so today I experimented with basing up 4 unpainted castings and painting them in situ just to see if it would be possible to reach in with the brush to get all the figures painted on the base.

The pic shows the result of a basic paint job of one base. The 4 figures took me 2 hours to paint and for me did not pose too much of a problem being on the bases. The base offered a good handle for painting and having them based up helps with the "inspiration" to finish the whole unit.

This particular madness will no doubt be a long term project as I am already itching to get back to my 18th century stuff...especially a wonderful Coach and Four for the Duchess (Blue Moon Castings) still sitting in its box.

(BTW, I'm using a 4 figures to a 40x40mm (5/6 bases to a battalion) basing scheme. this seems to work with a wide range of rules...and this works for the rules in the Victrix box... that look pretty good...a nice balance between "old school" and more contemporary rules like "Shako")

The Prince Gets his Nose Bloodied

After a hard cavalry fight and defeating Sir Horatio Cary's Royalist horse, Essex leads his horse around the Cavalier left flank.


The infantry battle in the hedges grows hot...


each side brings up more foot...the Roundhead gun posted in the redoubt fires with little effect on the foot advancing under the cover of the enclosures...



The musketry is fierce...


...but in the end, Parliament's foot holds firm and the Royalist line crumbles...Okey's Dragoons cross the hedge giving a last volley at the fleeing Cavaliers...



in the final minutes of the fight, Essex leads his cavalry to ravage the Royalist baggage...and recaptures some of his recently lost powder barrels... the surviving Royalist foot are forced to swim the stream and many are lost in its swift waters. The Prince escapes with a loyal body of horse and a few remaining infantry to regroup and fight another day.

Among the Hedgerows

Royalist infantry move up along a lane...


...and across the enclosed fields...


In the fields beyond, Ruperts cavalry tries conclusions with Roundhead horse...the cavalry battle is inconclusive...

The Redoubt

After a dramatic stroke that resulted in the capture of a section of Parliamentary supply train, Prince Rupert presses on up the road towards the village of Downton. Just outside of the village on an open expanse of high ground Essex has drawn up the remainder of his army. Overnight the Roundheads erect a hasty redoubt and post their remaining gun.


Essex posts his remaining Foot in an area of enclosures along the road down which Rupert is advancing...and presently a small party of Dragoons comes galloping along the main road shouting...the cur Rupert is upon us!


Royalist foot move up through the enclosures on the outskirts of Downton


Parliamentary Foot form up along the hedges...


The battle begins in earnest with an exchange of long range musketry...

...to be continued

First Impressions: VICTRIX 28mm Plastic Brit Naps

If these new Victrix plastic figures come out well I may have to rename this blog. I had a few hours clear today to work on a new project that I've been wanting to start for a while. I purchased 2 boxes of French Perry plastics and 2 of the new Victrix British Peninsular War Napoleonics and today have dived in with the first unit of Brits.

Here are my first impressions of the plastics:

PRO:
1. They are beautifully sculpted.

2. The poses are very versatile and there are enough figures to do lots of different types of basing schemes/unit sizes.

3. They are economical for building the core units of a Nap army.

4. Nice extras included with both the Perry and the Victrix boxes--with Perry French you get a set of plastic bases, and some painting info, with the Victrix you get a nice set of Napoleonic rules (written by Barry Hinton of "Beneath the Lily Banners" fame) that will get you started as well as painting info and game markers on the inside box flap.

5. The figures are hard plastic and will take and hold paint.

6. They are readily convertable to get a really unique look or pose with a little modeling work.

8. No nasty toxic metal around to harm the little ones.

CON:

1. They have to be assembled--(no real problem for most of us but if you are all thumbs it might be a bit of a hassle to assemble the figures)--assembly is slightly more fiddly than building a GW plastic figure since the figure and parts are 28mm (a separate arm casting is pretty small)--

2. They don't have the "heft" of metal...but that could be a positive if you do a lot of transporting of armies.

SO:

All in all I think a great buy...and I'll keep posting as the unit progresses. The first unit is going to be a British line battalion of 40 rankers and 7 other figures. I'll be mounting them 4 to a 40x40mm base to make a company and 10 companies to make a big battalion (that can of course be broken down for several different rule sets). I'll also mount the flank companies as 2 or 4 singles.

The little rule set included looks like fun and will inspire me to get a few units done post haste to give them a go. BTW they are called "The March of Eagles" and are available free online HERE

The "Supply Column" Battle Part 2

Prince Rupert's Royalists win the day! In the final turns of the battle, while Royalist foot blast away at the Tower Hamlets regiment, the Prince leads the rallied Royalist horse around the now open flank (after the last of the Parliamentary horse are routed) of the rearguard. Seen here passing out of the frame in the pic below...



And in the final moment the Prince's Cavaliers make contact with the valuable baggage thus securing a major and in this game, a "sudden death" victory over Essex's Parliamentary force.

loot for the King!...

Once again a really fun excursion into the 17th century via Clarence's great rules...and since there's not need to stop the fun, I set up a follow up encounter assuming the Royalists eventually reach the Parliamentary main body who will have had time to construct a hasty redoubt and a gain a few reinforcements....more on this in the next post!