RWF FEST - Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum Friends

A bit late with this post. On the 7th October I attended the inaugural RWF FEST at the Hightown Barracks in Wrexham. The event was run by the RWF Museum Friends, to raise money for the running of the museum. There were talks, medals, uniforms and artefacts to see up close. Museum staff were on hand and happily answered many queries (more of that in another post). I had a thoroughly enjoyable day, there will be another RWF FEST next year and the Friends are promising lots more events throughout the year. I've included information on the Friends after the photos and if anyone is interested in signing up to be a RWF Museum Friend please follow the link https://www.rwfmuseum.org.uk/friends-of-the-museum.html

One talk was on the newly published book Percy a Story of 1918 by Professor Peter Boyle, a real story of local interest. Recommended for those interested in the social context of the First World War and how it touched young lives. The uniforms were all made by the gentleman in the pictures, ashamedly I can't remember his name; but the items on display were quite spectacular. Also present was Michael Crumplin retired Consultant and General Surgeon who has authored two books wargamers might be familiar with; Waterloo after the Glory, Hospital Sketches and Reports on the Wounded after the Battle; and Guthrie's War, A Surgeon of the Peninsula War and Waterloo. 

Percy a Story of 1918 by Professor Peter Boyle is available from the RWF Museum Shop: https://museumshops.uk/product/percy-a-story-of-1918/

Photos are not mine but are from the Royal Welch Fusiliers Facebook page. I hope they give a flavour of the day and entice others to join the Friends and maybe attend future events.

ABOUT THE FRIENDS

Friends of the RWF Museum support the Museum through volunteering, planning fundraising events, assisting with education and outreach initiatives, and working closely with Staff and Trustees to build a more resilient Museum. This is a newly founded group made up of generous, active, and forward-thinking individuals who will work in tandem with the Staff and Trustees to fulfill our goal of resiliency.

BENEFITS OF JOINING FRIENDS OF THE RWF MUSEUM ARE:

• Exclusive Friends of the RWF Digital Newsletter three times a year

• Discounts on RWF Merchandise

• Invitations to special events, exhibitions, and programs

• Recognition on the RWF Museum website

• Free, discounted, or Friend only educational events (online and in-person)

• Access to the Friends Only portal on the website with archive information, online access to collections database, regimental
  journals, videos, podcasts, and more.

FRIENDS OF THE RWF MUSEUM MEMBERSHIP:

• Individual: £20 per year

• Armed Forces Veteran or Active Service Member: £15 per year

• Lifetime: £300

The Friends of the RWF Museum are instrumental to the vision of the Museum and to the success of our Resiliency Project. The Friends of the RWF Museum meet virtually and in-person. New Friends are always welcome!

Martinstaat 1744 - Henry Hyde

Conscious that I haven't posted anything for a while, I thought a little update on my wargaming life is overdue. The house move is complete, focus now turns towards the first wave of renovations (as long as the money lasts) and beginning to reintegrate wargaming into my life. I've had a butterfly moment, ordered some 10mm ACW as a manageable project to keep me going while I unpack and sort out the other projects. I have a few weeks of upheaval ahead, involving some asbestos removal, new front door, a ceiling to take down and a kitchen to put into working order...yep the ovens packed up, shower just stopped working and that's without the garden! On the bright side I'm fortunate to have couple of weeks off work. Still first unit of 10mm ACW have been painted and I'm happy with the results, so will post in the near future once based.

In the meantime I've acquired a copy of Martinstaat 1744 - a detailed wargame campaign set in a fictitious world by Henry Hyde. Below is a review I've posted on Amazon (I don't normally do this but I feel Henry's work warranted a review). 

I have never been disappointed by previous publications by Henry Hyde and this insight into his ImagiNation campaign does nothing to buck the trend. First off, I like the hardback A4 format as it reminds me of the Christmas annuals, and this seems a very appropriate choice as you can feel the nostalgia and enthusiasm conjured up by the author as you progress through this book. There are detailed maps of the campaign and colour plates depicting the combatants, and more recent photographs of old school style games to add flavour to the story being told. I found the insights shared inspiring, if a little daunting to myself who lacks the discipline to pursue such a detailed undertaking. However, it has led me to think about a smaller version contained within these pages, to permit myself to be immersed a little deeper in my gaming experience...so you never know! All in all this book is an indulgence, one which has given this wargamer immense pleasure. Highly Recommended.

On another note, my Google account appears to be playing up, so I can't seem to comment on blogs that I follow. I will hopefully rectify this sooner than later. It is frustrating.

Pumpkin Patch

I've been thinking about terrain for the Matchlocks and Witches game. I decided that I needed a pumpkin patch, and a google search revealed just the inspiration I was looking for on Dampf's Modelling Page. (http://dampfpanzerwagon.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-pumpkin-patch-part-two-painting.html.) 

I ordered the terrain base from Warbases, and the undergrowth was from a hanging basket liner I picked up in Wilkos. I added a handful of Aquarium gravel, a dried grape stalk and finally the Putka pods for the pumpkins. I found the Putka pods on Esty for under £5, a cheap alternative when looking at scale models of pumpkins. The base was covered in pva glue and sand, then I used a wash of grey GW Contrast paint on the stones and dry brushed the model using greys, various shades of green from Vallejo and the Foundry Sand triad which I use for all my bases. I've had to pack all my models and paints away due to the impending move. The putka pods will be painted with Foundry Orange, static grass will be added to finish the base off. I'll update the blog with the finished model, hopefully in my next post or two (depends how I unpack the boxes!).

6mm ACW Union

It's been a while since I last posted. Most of my stuff is packed ready for the move at the end of the month, and time is flying by as I'm working nights (I sleep a lot!). I've managed to dig out photos for a couple of posts so that the blog isn't completely neglected. The first is a 6mm ACW Union army, figures are Baccus Miniatures and very easy to paint. I managed two games with this army using Black Powder and recorded two victories. Sadly, I no longer have an opponent, so these are currently up for sale on eBay. 

Matchlocks and Witchcraft - A game of witch hunting in Colonial America

 

I stumbled across this little game Matchlocks & Witchcraft by Samuel S. Drucker purely by chance on a Facebook post. It immediately caught my attention as I'm always on the look out for small games that I can put together quickly while I'm painting up a bigger project. It's available as a PDF from Wargames Vault for the princely sum of $5. This little project gives me another use for my French and Indian Wars terrain, and some of the figures I purchased from the Flint and Feather Contact Kickstarter by Crucible Crush. These are also available from Northstar Miniatures.

In order to play the game I needed to source suitable witches, rabbits (yes, rabbits, they represent the witches familiars), and a goat to represent the Devil. I wanted these figures to reflect my view of the Seventeenth Century Colonial American mindset.

Following an internet search one illustration in particular leapt out at me, this shows a witch in a pointy hat and the image of the Devil as a black horned creature. The images in the rule set already show a black goat representing the Devil, so that was an easy choice. The next step was to find suitable figures of the rest of the game. 

I first turned my attention to figures for witches and rabbits. I recalled that Bad Squid Games has a selection of witches in their horror section, and chose these Angry Witches in pointy hats. 

I also found the rabbits that I was looking for at Bad Squidoo Games. I always marvel at the wonderful figures they produce, but all too often wonder how I would use them. Little did I know that I needed these little bunnies all along! (I do have the amazing Bad Squidoo Games War Peegs and Chums, more of them in a later project for Xenos Rampant). After finding the figures I panicked a bit because they were Out of Stock! Then I remembered Northstar Miniatures are a stockist and the day was saved.

Next, my attention turned to the Devil and a suitable goat figure. Fortunately, the pictures in the rules has an excellent goat model and credit has been given to StoneAxe Miniatures. These are lovely resin models, and I ordered them from Iron Gate Scenery (who do an array of useful models). The castings were crisp and clean, the Devil is in the detail as they say!

I already own some lovely Ristuls sculpts now sold under the Bad Squidoo Games banner that will add atmosphere to table. I'll have a dig through my boxes to see what else I have that might be suitable, but I've currently got a Scarecrow on the painting table. Next, I'm looking for some pumpkins to make a pumpkin patch, will update with progress.

So, after a long absence from the blog, I've bombarded everyone with a big post for a little project. Posts will unfortunately continue to be sparse for a while, as work is extremely busy and I'm in the process of buying a house (one that needs considerable work, another project!). However, rest assured the blog is here to stay and I'll post as often as I can.

English Knights of Agincourt

Some 15mm English Knights of Agincourt, the miniatures are from Plastic Soldier Company and are Corvus Belli sculpts. I'll be finishing basing once I've painted up some more men at arms. The coats of arms aren't perfect, but I'm happy with the results, and I've deliberately picked out some of the simpler heraldries to make life easier. 

In other news my copy of Kingmaker has arrived. Well, sort of, due to uncertainty over my tenancy I had it delivered to my Dad. Then due to covid I've not been able to collect...I'm looking forward to getting my hands on this classic game once I'm safe to collect. 

Kingmaker has also turned my thoughts towards my Wars of the Roses Yorkist army and how to split and convert to provide a Lancastrian foe. This will involve some repainting and probably involve some rebasing, and maybe some addition purchase, not a small commitment. I've also just learnt that sadly CitadelSix Custom Design are no longer trading, fortunately it appears that their excellent catalogue of products will be taken over by Four Ways Designs.

1                        2                           3

1. Sir Roger Aston

2. Richard Lord Scrope

3. Sir John Assheton

4               5             6            7

4. Richard de Vere Earl of Oxford

   5. Sir John Fortescue

   6. Roger Corbet Esq.

   7. Sir John Croker

8               9              10

8. Sir Thomas Hawley

9. Sir Ralph Bostock

10. Sir Richard Waldegrave