Doc's Bavarian Artillery train, some Italian model-making and a Bofors nightmare

Well I had my Bavarian artillery on the work bench for quite a while - never seemed to get enough time to do much more than a bit at a time.  Bit of a problem when you've got not one but two large Perry's artillery train to construct and paint. As usual it took ages to clean them up before putting them together and starting the painting.  Then there's the basing to figure out. I mounted them on card that was too thin so had to cut a heavier card which I reinforced with magnetic sheet.

Unlike the models on the Perry's site I couldn't be bothered about the rope traces attaching the horses to the harness.  Thought about it tho...  but nah - too much fiddly effort for a fiddly job that I just wanted to get finished. One of the things I did was base the NCO separately so I could fit him in as CO for the battery.

One of things that became apparent when I got these models was that with the Wurst wagon the Bavarian's were actually fielding these as mobile foot artillery. They had horse artillery (according to the Nafziger book I've got - perhaps the best available authority) but maybe after 1812? I dunno but not only were the Bavarians using a lot of captured Austrian ordinance after 1809, they also had Wurst wagons same as the Austrians used when they marched into Russia in 1812. Until I saw this model I never realised that.

Mind you, traveling hundreds of kilometers on rough roads on one of those bone rattlers, squeezed up nice and close with your fellow gunners (and with little to hold on to by the looks of it) well... perhaps you'd prefer to walk!

The ammo caisson comes with a removable lid and can be uncoupled from the crew trailer so I can put either caisson or gun on the hitch. Useful - just have to make up a gun to go with it!

With the battery I have now completed the last of my little Bavarian army brigade. Nine battalions of infantry (5 x 12, 4 x 16) two regiments of cavalry and a three gun battery now with artillery train.

One of the reasons its taken so long is that I keep getting distracted with other armies - particularly my WWII collection. I haven't had a Napoleonic game for ages too whereas I've had a number of WWII games using a variety of rule sets, particularly Bolt Action and Chain of Command, the latter being amongst the best rules I have played. The latest collection of course has been my Italian army. Here my collection of Italian AV's has just been nearly doubled by the most fortunate acquisition of some remaindered AV from a hobby shop that just went all Warhammer - fantasy - their loss my gain! (Thanks for the tip Andrew!)

The loot consists of a German SdKfz 221 AV, a Stuart Honey - plus US crew - a Semovente 90/53 monster AT gun (and ammo tractor), a CV L35 'Flamme' tankette and yet another even awesome-er Sahariana with a 47mm AT.

I'd seen the one of the awesome mobile 90/53s on the Perry's site (pic above) but the prohibitive price of getting it put me off - joy of joys I found one three (!!!) piece set in a box of Company B models the shop was trying to get rid of. In fact I got the entire lot for the price of the Perry's Semovente. Bargain!

Same time I had treatment for an old foot injury which required me sitting on my ass for three days - what to do to relieve the boredom? Yep - got stuck into the Italian AVs and a Bofors I had given me  (thanks Andrew - I think!) That Bofors turned out to be the most challenging $%#@ing model I'd ever tackled! Wafer thin parts (made in Romania!) glued to the sheets of instructions underneath. Why I persisted I can't say - perhaps once I got stuck into it I became determined not to be beaten by the damned thing. But it was a close run! Being a Romanian plastic, the normal model glue didn't work. Revel have clearly failed. I ended up using a superglue which took half an hour just to set for each one of the 40 odd parts. I'm sure therein madness lies. Mental institutions around the globe full of sobbing men trying to build a Romanian plastic Bofors...

The models including that bloody Bofors all base-coated in a light sand, ready for painting

Immensely proud to say - result! The f&*^ing Bofors done (and never, ever to be done again). 

The Semovente 90/53 is still on the work bench - it had some damage to the resin hull which had to be fixed before painting so I ended up finishing the Sahariana instead. In addition to a 20mm Breda MG it has a rockin' 47/32 AT gun - how could I resist? Mumma mia - itsa biga banga for yer buck! Such an awesome model. Ended up setting it up with my other one and a Perry's Italian NCO with an SMG scouting the horizon for those Inglese LRDR!

The Italians are frequently derided for their poor armour, probably because they were so often beaten in North Africa BUT I think this is wrong as although they had inferior tanks to most Allied ones, they also had the amazing Sahariana which was the equal if not better than anything the LRDG had - probably the best AV of its kind in the war. Even the L33/35 tankettes were, gunned up, more than a match for most Bren carriers and other Allied light AVs instead (as they were) used against far superior Allied armour. They also had later models of the Semovente AG which were a match for any Allied tank and they had the powerful 53/90 AA/AT gun which they mounted on the Semovente chassis. While this arrangement had its disadvantages, particularly for the exposed gun crew, it was a highly mobile, enormously effective AT gun, every bit as good as the famous German 88.  Luckily for the Allies they only ever managed to produce about 100 of these and only sent a few dozen to North Africa, most far too late to affect the outcome. One can only imagine what the result would have been if the Allies had faced a few dozen of these monsters at Alamein! Or they had used squadrons of Saharianas against the Allies in the same manner as the LRDG were deployed, history may have been very different. Also interesting to consider that all were unique Italian designs, not adaptations of German ones. 

Well that's it for this post - bit of a mixed bag but a very productive few weeks at the workbench!  My next post will likely be after the forthcoming Little Wars con and the Muskets and Tomahawks French and Indian Wars (American colonial era) demo game Andrew and I are putting on. Ciao 'til then.

Doc's Bavarian Bad Boys!

In amongst the Bolt Action WWII AFVs and Italians I've had my Napoleonic Bavarian Brigade project puttering along.  It was unfinished, a mishmash of figures and needed sorting out for years, all the more so when I succumbed to temptation yet again with the new Perry's line of Bavarians.  I bought enough for three battalions worth - two line & one light - plus artillery limber and caisson. The Bavarian Brigade consisted of six x 12 figure battalions, one of them painted as LI, two of them Front Rank and the rest old Foundry.  Added to this is one three gun battery (scratch built to match captured Austrian pieces) with Foundry crews and two Chevau Leger regiments one Front Rank and the other Foundry. Like I said, a bit of a mishmash.  

Doc's Bav Badboys - (from L to R) old Foundry, Front Rank and new Perrys figures on all Doc's patented magnetic movement trays!

Doc's Bav Badboys including Bav cav with (L to R) Foundry and Front Rank and in between a new Perrys mounted commander on rearing horse.  My scratch-built Foot arty guns to the right.  The closest one with the long trail is a Seven Years War vintage light howitzer, the other two standard 6 pdrs.

The plan is to have a Brigade consisting of one regiment of two 24 figure battalions of Foundry, one regiment of two 28 figure battalions of Perrys and one 12-16 figure battalion of Light Infantry (Perrys).  I'd also have my 24 figure battalion of Front Rank for good measure which would make for a six battalion brigade - historically matching what they marched into Russia with.  Apart from the Foundry command stands and the repainting/rebasing of them and the existing 12 figure Foundry LI I have over 70 new Perry figures including three mounted commanders to paint and base.  Together with diversions for the WWII stuff including my Italians and AVs its taken me the better part of nearly four months - but the end is now in sight! I have five battalions of infantry and mounted commanders for both infantry and cavalry finished and very happy with the result!

The Perrys prancing horse Bav CO - I've made him a cavalryman by giving him a fancy feather in 'is 'at!

Bav Cav and their prancing Perrys CO

Interesting the size discrepancy between the old Foundry (also possibly sculpted by the Perry brothers when they worked for them many years ago?) the Front Rank and new Perrys figures.  The 28mm FRs tower over everyone and are positively Teletubby-ish in their proportions compared to the 28mm Perrys - I think the old Foundry Bavarians are probably 'true' 25mm. You tend to notice the difference in the foot figures rather than the cavalry which I thought blended in quite well.

The guns - love the old Foundry crew poses - amongst the more animated in their day and beautifully proportioned even if smallish 25mm.  The guns are the same scale which next to the 28mm figures makes them look more like 3 pdr light guns.  The Bavarians made use of plenty of these captured in the 1809 campaign but of course lost the lot in Russia.

I found myself slightly short of command foot when I went to make up the Perrys regiment so I used one of the mounted commanders as the regiment's Oberst (Colonel), putting him with the infantry command figures on a slightly deeper base (60x40 rather than the 60x20). I have a mounted CO for my old Foundry figures which I converted from a Revolutionary French commander which in turn fits in with a mounted Oberst for each two-battalion regiment. Basing the mounted CO up with the foot worked so well with the Perrys I might try and do the same for the Foundry figures if I get the time.

Regimental command stand with mounted Oberst. The standard bearer with the CO carries the Liebfahne  or regimental colour rather than the Ordinarfahne carried by the other battalion(s).

Bavarian tete d'colon - I have no idea what colour the battalion marker flag carried by the pioneer was so I gave him a nice red one (warning flag: fierce beardy man with axe and attitude!)

Herr Oberst mounted on a beautiful Perrys horse - they do very nice ones in perfect (correct) proportion. I've noticed the newer sculpts don't appear to suffer from the sometimes fatal spindly fetlock syndrome - they are far better attached to their metal base. 

The Perrys are some of the finest figures around and being priced accordingly I have in the past whinged about the occasional lack of quality control - the ultra-thin horse legs that have an alarming tendency to snap off bases for instance.  While Perrys seem to have addressed that issue I should warn that one reason they took me so damn long to paint was that I discovered after I had finished painting that there were unsightly lumpy bits, particularly on hands, cartridge boxes and bayonets that only became apparent when painted. Every figure has some flash from the casting process and the Perrys are no exception.  They have less than most but they still have some - ALL the Bavarians had tiny tendrils of metal on many of the raised and termination points of the cast figure.  Including bases I found these most prominently on the hands, ends of bayonets (and sabres), musket stocks and cartridge boxes. Mostly pressed and folded back onto the figure they were very hard to detect when prepping the figures for paint and once the base-coat was on, impossible to see. So the first two batches I did resulted in a lot of scalpel work, paint touch-ups and f$%*ing bad language after I thought I'd finished them! Very stressful as I don't bloody swear much.  I learned the hard way that it pays to go over every figure very, very carefully before paint!

Some of my favourite figures that I've now added to each battalion - a stand of them suffering from a 'whiff of grapeshot'.

My old Foundry Bavarians with their mounted Colonel. Love the expression on the face of the officer - really barking out orders 'Vorwarts meine Kinder!'

Contrast the scale: (L) Foundry and (R) Perrys Bavarians

Perrys Bavarian Light Infantry Schutzen - rifle-armed Bav Badboys!

My Bavarian Brigade Commander - probably should have a big cocked hat rather than the casket helmet but I couldn't bring myself to butcher such a nice figure!

Most of the Perrys figures I've added to my Bavarian Bde

I have one more battalion of infantry and the artillery limber and caisson to go before I've finally finished my little Bavarian army. Might have to get a high command for them at some stage but for now I'm more than happy to finally finish one of my longer standing projects. 

Achtung! Doc's Bavarians on parade!

 The matt on which all these figures are standing is one of my new wargaming tablecloths that I've made from rubber-backed canvas paint drop sheets, a liter of paint via my large spray gun and copious amounts of flocking. A messy process that had to be done outdoors but now I've got a mat that will cover a 12' x 4.5' table. Now that winter's over and I'm less likely to perish from exposure working outdoors I'm planning to do one for desert/Mediterranean theater games as well. 

Achtung! I must to be going to der Little Wars convention @ Lanyon for zum wunderbar gaming action!

Well that's about it - Auf Weidersehen from Doc and Herr Oberst.  Almost forget to mention a plug for the forthcoming 'Little Wars' convention to be held in Canberra on 8 November at Lanyon Vikings club showcasing the hobby (click on the link to find out more). There will be traders there and games covering a wide range histroical and fantasy.  We're putting on our famous French and Indian Wars game 'Tomahawks Along The Ohio' which I have posted on previously on this blog.  Its a gold coin donation entry to go towards our returned servicemen and women - a most worthy cause so hope to see a few of my blog-followers and fellow gamers there.