Falcon Dayaks and Malays 15mm Complete

 

Yes, they are indeed Falcon 15mm. I found the original listings. The actual codes elude me as the descriptions are a tad generic. Warrior with spear sort of thing. I have two types of those. On to my best guesses.

Dayaks with spear and shield.

My previous post explains how I made the shields.

 

Dayaks awaiting shields.

 

Dayaks with parang and shield.

 

Malays with Kriss.

The fancier dressed leader figures in some of the units you see are Minifigs Indians.

Blowpipes, Grumpy 15mm in the mix.

 

Two units

 

Another pic' of the Rajah and his musket men. The Raja and pals are from Grumpy.  The musket men are from Falcon.

 

I'm pleased to have these and eventually they will star in "Flashman's Lady" type games. I need to work the stat's first. Of course Falcon figures are a rarity these days. I bought them from Colonel Bill's for a reasonable price. It is always worth keeping an eye on what he has in stock. Good stuff just seems to turn up there.

 

I Have Malays and Dayaks in 15mm

 

You don't often see 15mm Malays and Dayaks. So, despite the poor lighting I thought you might like to see these. 

I don’t really know who made these. Maybe Frontier or some other long vanished outfit. Falcon are a strong candidate. I say that because I have some Falcon Manchus and I can see a similarity. For the purpose of this post I'm going to call them Falcon.

Now, the question is what to do with them?  Initially, I thought TMWWBK and I still might try that. On reflection I’ll begin with Pike Mans Lament. It won’t matter as far as basing goes. Of course I could mix and match a hybrid system.

Before we get into that. Let’s think of the opposition. I’m minded towards a touch of Flashman’s Lady.  British Marines and Sailors then. Probably from Minifigs. I intend keeping that Force quite compact 24 Marines, 12 Sailors and a Ships Gun. 

Dayaks with blow pipes.  I have two types Falcon and Grumpy. The Grumpy ones are shooting.

These fascinating weapons blew a poisoned dart into the target. They were also used for hunting.  The poison induced paralysis. I’m going to field these in groups of 6 as high quality Skirmishers or Commanded Shot. Note the plug bayonet effect. Faced with close work the Dayaks liked to plug a blade into the barrel of their blow pipes.  Then they had a spear.

It might be fun to have blow pipes hits take effect in the next rather than current turn. That in turn raises the interesting question of what a unit does with living but paralysed comrades. Carry them and reduce firepower or leave them and reduce morale.  As I write this I can feel the influence of Yellow Ribbon.

Let’s consider skin colour here. I have used Oriental Flesh from Coat d’arms and given it a light wash of nut brown. It looks quite light complected. I’m happy enough with the result as jungle dwelling Dayaks don’t see as much sun as you might think.  Sea going pirates would be another matter. I should say the figure on the left is an Irregular Miniatures African.

On to the spearmen. These look dandy, one pose of course. That's how it was back then.  What they need is the typical Dayak shield.  Quite, but where from? I had a Dayak dilemma. See what you think of this. 

Not bad I think. What I did was take images of actual Dayak shields.  I reduced them and then printed them out two images side by side. Then I cut them out, folded and glued both sides together with PVA White Glue. Once dried they were glued to the Dayak.

The bases you see here are unfinished. I want them to look Jungley.  As yet I know very little of what jungle ground looks like. We will be seeing the complete Malay Dayak array shortly.  I'm working on rating them according to Mr Mersey.

The British Sailors and Marines will take a bit longer. I find uniformed troops mostly do.

Crimean War Russian Artillery in 15mm

 

Russian armies liked lots of artillery.  Big guns and big batteries.  The Russian artillery had a good Crimean War.  Including, you may wish to know, sounding the death knell of wooden warships. 

My Russian batteries will have 3 cannon and most of them will be 12pdr's.   The gunners will be "Trained" and I'm flirting with the addition of the "Elite" suffix.  That won't make them better but will keep them firing.  That is important what with the Minié and all.

For Crimean War games I will be using Republic to Empire and Field of Battle and Battle Command. A battery in the last two comprises 2 guns. In Republic to Empire it is 3 for the Russians.  I'm showing both today.  They are, of course, the same guns.

 

Field of Battle/Battle Command above.  Below Republic to Empire.

Republic to Empire requires a larger deployment space for artillery and also that guns are withdrawn  to refit after a certain amount of firing.  That sort of granuality is what I want for Crimean War games. It may not suit all.

I intend achieving the demarcation by positioning the limbers to indicate the extent of the artillery position.

Of course this means buying limbers or cassions or what have you.  In short, more expense.  Once again it will not suit everyone.  I decided to do it, having reached the age of "if not now, when?  I may have to buy more limbers.  That said I'm limiting it to one per Battery. 

On the current count I have 3 batteries Republic to Empire style and two limbers.

 

Happily, I have a Minifigs Napoleonic Cassion somewhere that can be pressed into service.  All good, except I have enough guns for another Russian Battery.  It may have to do without for the time being. 

Unfinished Business-Outstanding Projects

You may have noticed that of late I have been completing projects, some of them quite big.  This is deliberate policy rather than hobby whim.  There is a certain satisfaction in this.  Job done, as it were.  Let the games now begin- sort of thing.

I still have some outstanding projects that demand completion.  At least that’s how I see them.  Let’s see what’s in the queue.

First is Gonzalo-a game for the Great Italian Wars.  Gonzalo is written. It was completed about 2 years ago. 

I re read it again this week.  Satisfactorily, it is clear as games systems go. By which I mean readers could play it without puzzling what they should do next. 

I thought it timely to knock out a couple more units.  Gascon Crossbows for the French should you have wondered.

Then, I thought again about the basing system I used for Gonzalo.  Currently it uses multiples of 30mm frontage.  

I’m minded to change that to multiples of 40mm. For the pure look of the thing you understand. Gonzalo is base size agnostic-providing you use the same sizes for both sides.  

As part of this I see the Genitors and Stradiots, looking better on hexagonal bases. Thus giving a visual clue to their fighting style.

Anyhow, the die is cast. 

You can see the new Gonzalo basing system in the pic’s above.  Lots of rebasing to come.

Next is "Never Mind the Ghulams" a Crusades Game. As the name suggests it owes some inspiration to "Bill Hooks". It works nicely and we will be seeing more of it shortly.

Very much in the same vein is Flodden which covers the Wars of Henry VIII should you wish an Anglo-centric shorthand.  This needs more work but not that much more.

You may know of my Spanish Civil War game Arriba é Non Pasaran. That’s done and it works beautifully.  Should you be curious you can see a couple of games elsewhere on this blog. It seems games can be professionally printed for a reasonable cost.  I may do this for Arriba é Non Pasaran.

On the horizon is a game for the Nine Years War in Ireland, Tyrone’s War if you like. Currently, that’s in the active development stage. I have written quite a lot on that conflict and you can follow my thinking by clicking the relevant tags.

I’m also about to return to the Spanish Conquest of Mexico.

A lot to do and all of it pleasant labour. 

Of course, this is merely the plan. 

Men plan and the Gods laugh.  Mike Tyson had thoughts on the durability of plans too. No doubt I will get side tracked. Luckily, it is said it is the journey that counts.

Meantime Dear Reader, a belated Happy New Year to you. May some Joy come your way and your endeavours be garlanded with success.

A Savage and Romantic War- A Wargamer’s Guide to the First Carlist War, Spain, 1833-1840-A Review

 

Conrad Cairns is well known to aficionados of gaming the First Carlist War.  His  previous book The First Carlist War 1833-1840: A Military History and Uniform Guide was very well received.  It has proved increasingly hard to find. For English speakers, alongside All Honour is Lost: Scenarios, Orders of Battle and Regulations for Wargames of the First Carlist War 1833-1840 by Nuno Pereira it constituted a unique resource.  This third book then, from Helion, is very much to be welcomed. 

It can be fairly said that just as Barry Hilton brought the League of Augsburg to the hobby Conrad Cairns has opened up the First Carlist War to us. I have illustrated this review with some of my Carlist War Collection. Big 15s from Capitan and QRF.

I had feared the current volume might be a re-branding or a re-hash of previous work.  Groundless as it turned out.  This is new stuff.  Excellent!  What do we get?

Chapters begin with an introduction on what sparked the author's interest. He went to San Sebastián. Donestia the locals call it. A lovely city on a bay and full of history. I have been there too.

The second part of the book sets out a history of events. This deals with the Carlist Army of the North, the Carlist Expeditions, The Carlist Army of the Centre and the War in Aragon, next comes the War in Catalonia and then The Reckoning. This is all well written and informative.

Then we get an in depth look at the the Government Forces and their Foreign Allies. This includes:

Line Infantry, Light Infantry, Provincial Regiments, Royal Guard Infantry, Marine Infantry, National Militia, Paramilitaries and Volunteers, Cavalry, Artillery, Engineers and Sappers, The British, The French and The Portugese. 

Comprehensive indeed. As you might expect with uniform details galore.

The Carlist forces are next.  Respectively, the Army of The North, Infantry of the Army of The North, cavalry of the Army of The North, Artillery and Engineers of the Army of The North, the Army of The Centre and finally other Carlist forces. Again with uniform details.

Then comes a section on the material of war. This looks at weapons and equipment, Government flags and Carlist flags. Just what you need to know. David at Not By Appointment has a few suitable flags in his Spanish Collection.

Next comes Battles for Wargamers. An ominous 13 in all. Replete with maps, forces deployment, and a precis of the action. All very well done.

The final chapter is a mini campaign. This is done to the same high standard that characterises this book.

We finish with a Glossary and Notes and an appendices on tactics. There is an index. All in all 137 pages and copiously illustrated with photos of toys and artwork by Marco Capparoni.

If you want a new period to game in '25 this book delivers everything you need for an informed start to Carlist Wargaming. It is first rate in every respect. I should add the First Carlist War has much to commend it to gamers. Your games will not be short of drama and excitement.

For the established Carlist War gamer there is still much of interest here.

If you would like to see my Carlist war Collection click the tags below.

An Afghan Field Force- TMWWBK 15mm

 

Last week I mentioned I had found an Afghan Force for TMWWBK.  I must have bought it when the Rules came out.  The contents are interesting, eclectic even.  You see them below. Above mounted Jezails from Irregular. The officer is a Hadji with the tell tale dyed red beard.

I'm aiming for the requisite 24 points.  There are a couple of period paintings too that you may find interesting.

A “Company” of Afghan Army Regulars. I’ve given them red coats. British Army surplus was popular and redcoats especially so.  As you see the uniform is limited to coat and hat. This was not unusual. The figures are from Irregular Miniatures. Note they have the tell tale square Regular bases.

The unit cost 5 points, as they have Obsolete Rifles. Actually, I'm not sure that they used Obsolete Rifles. I am sure that the Regular Infantry style of fighting was not part of Afghan military culture. Obsolete Rifles acts a cypher reflecting that they are doing something new.

All the same they can form Close Order and Volley. A good reason to add another "Company".  I've given these lads Blue facings by way of variety. The Afghan Regulars seem to have reserved their red coats for parades and fighting. While in Barracks or on the march they wore every day clothes.

 

A gun and crew, Afghan Regulars and from Irregular. I really like these fellows. Cost 6 points or 4 if you want some tribal warriors.

 

Irregular Infantry (mounted).  The typical Afghan Jezailchi, mobile Sharp Shooters. I looked up period paintings to get the look right on these lads.  An expensive unit at 8 points.

That's it for 24 points. A challenging opponent I think.

For a more traditional Afghan Field Force consider this. A unit of 16 Fierce Ghazis would cost 4 points. A less motivated unit of Tribal Warriors would cost 3 points.  They are still pretty tough and there are a lot of them at 16 figures a unit. 

I can do both with a mixture of Minifigs and Irregular. They will need painting of course.

That's it and to keep to the required 24 points we have to reduce quality. All the same as a Field Force it has some interesting points.  Not too bad for fire power and with a powerful attack ability.

By way of general interest.  I read recently that the trousers issued to the Afghan Regular Infantry were very short in the leg. So short that straps had to be sewn on (presumably the strap went under the foot) to drag them down to maximise length. I don’t doubt the veracity of this. It is eye witness testimony with more than one witness. A bit of a puzzle to be sure.

What to make of it?  Afghan trouser style was full and long. These clearly were not.  Were they part of the British Army surplus purchase? A job lot in effect. If so had the “Bantam” effect already kicked in for the poor of British Society?

If you are not familiar with the issue here are two salient points that may help. 

Post the Boer War a Government inquiry took place into the physical condition of the British poor. That is where the bulk of soldiers came from. Their often stunted size was found to be the result of poor nutrition. This had military implications.

 A decade or so later in 1914 the British Army was recruiting “Bantam” regiments average size of recruit 5ft.  The Bantam is a fierce little chicken.

I’ve read that earlier in the C19th the British poor were shrinking in size but have never made the possible Afghan connection before. 

There is another possibility, these could have been Sepoy uniform trousers. Pre 1857 the Indians enlisting as Sepoys were mostly fine physical specimens. Well fed since childhood. They belonged to families whose hereditary profession was soldiering.

Post 1857 that changed. Although the recruitment of Sikhs helped compensate. Tall fellows. Though with skinny legs according to British Diaries. So that doesn't help.

Or was the trouser length just another example of the relentless and epoch defying march of crooked Army Contractors?  I don't know.

Beja galore next time.

it is timely to wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

TMWWBK British in 15mm

 

My British Collection for the Sudan is very nearly painted . Fortunately my uniform choice fits the infantry for the North West Frontier too. Here is the core of the Field Force.

If you squint a bit at the flag we can call them the Royal Irish who were in the Sudan.  

All from Peter Pig, 36 Regular Infantry, and very pleasing figures.

How about some support? 

Here we have a Gatling and a Gardner Gun. 

The gun crews are also from Peter Pig.

From the Lead Pile I exhumed some bags of Minifigs British Sailors. A little slighter than the Peter Pig figures but otherwise compatible.

  Here are another bunch from Peter Pig.

What with the Sailors, I thought I should paint some of the Regulars as Marines. 

They should not have puttees but I rationalised that they would improvise them. Sharp thorns, snakes and scorpions, in the Sudan you would want puttees. 

By way of variety I thought a unit of Bashi Bouzouks would add a splash of colour. These are intended to represent Mounted Irregular Infantry. With Obsolete Rifles and rated Unenthusiastic the unit costs 4 points. 

I have done the mixed mounted and foot Dan Mersey suggests. Peter Pig figures with all the strengths of that brand. These fellows are likely Circassians or Albanians.

I had hoped to add some Sikhs from Lancashire Games Archive range. Alas, I cannot. They are giants.  As are the Gurkhas I also bought. They would do well enough with Blue Moon I think. For this Collection they will not do. Oddly the Ansar foot from the same range will do.

You have seen my British Cavalry before but here they are again for the sake of completeness.

I do have a pair of Heliograph Teams, Peter Pig figures and Scenario friendly. Not only that, another smallish box of figures turned up. It produced a pair of Naval Brigade Gatlings and crews, another unit of British cavalry and one of River Arab spearmen. There are 4 Baggara riders but no horses! The horses must be somewhere. 

I really need to sort out what I have and sell what I no longer need.  Ebay now doesn't require a fee to sell. I could do that.

At this point I realised I could do 3 British Field Force variants. These will appear here eventually as British Columns 1, 2 and 3. 

Column 1, will comprise of two units of Regular Infantry, a unit of Regular Cavalry and a "crewed Weapon" in this case a Gardner Gun.

Column 2, will comprise of two units of Sailors and one of Marines and a Gatling. If I rate the sailors as Irregular infantry I might add a unit of Dinka/ Ethiopian Scouts or one of Bashi Bazouks. Or a half unit of each.

Column 3, will comprise of two units of Regular Cavalry, one of Bashi Bazouks as Mounted Infantry and a Gatling. 

I keep thinking about Hicks Pasha but really I mustn't go there. Some quite interesting units all the same. He wrote that his officers were a rum bunch and TMWWBK does that well. Hicks worked very hard to good effect and no ultimate avail.

In fact, a gun and crew, Bashi-Bazouks mounted and foot and a unit of Sudanese Regulars and one of Egyptian Regulars and I would be good to go. For Hicks that is.  That would require 6 new packs from Peter Pig.  Tempting.

And, that’s it for the moment. Fun to paint and the promise of entertaining games.