THE WARGAME TABLE IS MADE READY (AWI)

It was time to clear away the half-completed projects, and see how the table looks with my American Revolutionary collection. The figures are mostly X-Range Hezzlewoods, with a few Fife & Drum and Crann Tara Miniatures. I'm now ready for a brigade level action.
MGB

Finally, the Farmers have ploughed those Fields

Just a quick follow-on to the recent upload on my system for creating roads. Have now used the moleskin to provide several ploughed fields and, again, the material really does sit well on the static grass tabletop. Also included in the photos below, a miniature Christmas tree picked up in a charity shop yesterday for £1. It came with some rather nice scaled-down decorations, and only required a quick paint job to its original white plastic base.
MGB

Light Troops for the Loyal Emigrants c.1795

With my Loyal Emigrants now forming up into two battalions, I wanted this famous regiment to have their own flank companies. Have just completed the light infantry, in their distinctive wide brimmed hats with green plume, band, and lace, recorded by contemporary sources. Next, the grenadiers.
MGB

Finally, A Road System I'm happy with!

My lack of roads on my main table has long been an issue. Commercial products are costly and often fail to provide a suitable flat surface for figures to cross over. Decided to use a piece of moleskin-cotton fabric I had in my store of cloth, which was uncannily the same colour as my brown bases. Chris (family/wargamer) felt it provided the answer but hardly looked anything special. So I decided to texture and seal the edges with wood glue and green static grass. But then I tested out some acrylic paint to create tracks on the roads, using brown, sand, and white combinations. To my pleasure, it not only soaked in perfectly but is totally permanent. What I also like about this material is that it stays snug and lays flat on the static grass covered board, no movement whatsoever. Did I mention the border edge is only 1mm high, and has little impact on multi-based figures. I'm very pleased with the results and have more than enough for any possible projects. The cloth was actually given to me by a lady friend in the trade.
MGB
(ps. recently put together this home-cast cart and some odd wheels which fortunately were the same diameter, decided to make a small vignette............... I blame the roads lol.)

FIELD DAY 1793, British and Emigre Troops are inspected by His Majesty

In preparation for the coming campaign, British and French Emigre battalions are inspected by the King. They will then march to the Docks, where carriers will transport them to Holland, to join the Dutch troops hoping to repel the invading French Revolutionaries. His Majesty was pleased to see that a second battalion of the Regiment Loyal Emigrant has now been raised.
MGB

Regiment Castries is inspected by King George the Third c.1794

With the large number of French royalist refugees enlisting in emigre battalions, the Regiment Castries is now ready for service. Here we see this regiment, in their distinctive apple-green facings, being inspected by His Majesty, prior to joining the Allied army mustering to oppose the Revolutionary French. The figures are mainly home-castings with a few head-swaps.
MGB

 

Damas Legion Fusiliers, ready for service (1793)

Plans to protect the Low Countries from a French Revolutionary invasion has seen the Damas Legion successfully recruiting a battalion of fusiliers. The officers are mainly French emigres, while the recruits are from several nationalities. This battalion will now move south to the border area, the British government having agreed to finance its formation.
MGB

Claude Louis Raoul de La Chatre, commander of the Regiment Loyal Emigrant c.1793

I wanted to represent this prominent Royalist in my British-Emigre army of the 1790s. Here he is in a somewhat dated style of coat, and the popular wide-brimmed hat adopted by the Allied army while in the Low Countries. His regiment, the Loyal Emigrant, was well regarded and had a superb fighting record. Still clearing away items in my spares box, I thought something suitably Roman Catholic would not look out of place next to this officer (Well that is one less Christmas decoration lol.)
MGB

Garden Ornaments for the Georgian Age

As a follow on to the previous post, I thought some garden ornaments could be produced out of odd Christmas decorations. Decided to cut up several wooden snowmen for tubs and pots. While some small conifer trees, costing 10 pence each, could be trimmed into other shrubs. As I have often admitted, I get a real pleasure in utilising the unwanted. Also picked up a second-hand lorry in a local toy shop for two quid, but it was the eleven medium sized barrels that caught my eye, and they have painted up quite nicely.
MGB

Floral Decorations on a Budget

I've been busy restoring my late mother's cast iron garden bench so wargaming projects have been somewhat on the hold. However, as I like my wargaming to develop on a strict budget, and find particular pleasure in new uses for the discarded, or even household rubbish, it occurred to me that even a pile of sawdust from the newly cut bench slats might be painted, dried, and then applied to my homemade shrubbery. Having seen the price of commercial alternatives, mainly sold to the miniature railway enthusiasts, I'm quite pleased with the results. (And here is a photo of the restored bench, now that must be a first on a wargaming blog!)

MGB

CERAMIC ROWBOAT BY MANOR WARE POTTERY

A visit to a local charity shop furnished a fun item. It is a ceramic rowboat, made by a company called Manor Ware, which unfortunately ceased trading in the late 1980s, typically making holiday souvenirs for coastal towns. Can't say what it originally cost but I paid £2, and a quick repaint job has furnished a nice little ornament for my war-games table.
MGB

5th Regiment of Foot and Staten Island Light Dragoons (c.1775)

Two more units have joined my AWI collection using mainly Hezzlewood 28mm castings. The first is another line battalion, the 5th Regiment of Foot. The second is a Royal Provincial unit of cavalry, the Staten Island Light Dragoons. The latter is recorded serving on several expeditions in New Jersey before being incorporated into the King's American Dragoons.
MGB