Cavalry - Everyone Does it ....

I'm trying to post these entries in order of 'doing' so that I have a record of how it all went together.

While everyone knows that the use of cavalry in the AWI was very limited even at 20:1 (my nominal scale) I couldn't help doing these guys next.

Painting up a whole squadron of 16th Light Dragoons is a bit excessive, but some years ago, I acquired a unit of British Light Dragoons ready painted as part of my building a SYW army. There were far more than I needed, and the spares have languished in my spares box ever since. This however, is the perfect chance to use them.

Eight is enough for now, but I still have a few left.

First Infantry Unit Done !

For a complete newcomer to the AWI period, the choice of

battles and theatres is quite daunting, but not as much as the

bewildering array of units and uniforms.







I found some illustrations on the net, a lot of which look very

much like Osprey pages scanned in by naughty people, but

in the end I decided to get the books recommended by the

good folk on the TMP.





Some of these are a few years old, but I don't think they can

be bettered for general use.








While I was waiting for the books to arrive I started on some Brits. A unit of regulars (with a few variations in kit and hats) plus a gun detachmnent. They mostly have tricorns, but otherwise are as vanilla as I can get. Strictly speaking they are probably only suitable for very early war, but they going to see a lot of action.

Got The Books !

Back from the Tonbridge show, complete with my purchases.

Apart from references in V&B and on the net, I don't have any books about the AWI, so I went slightly mad and bought British Grenadier Deluxe, plus Scenario books 1 & 2. Now I have these I can pick a scenario and press on with painting specific units.

I'm using Lancashire Games 15mm figures. A but chunky for some, but I like the way they look and they will match my other SYW figures.

Damn Technology

This weekend a new laptop became an essential task.

Therefore, no work on the project this weekend.

Grrrrr.....

Where Did It Start ?

When does a project start ? Well, in this case I can pin it down quite closely.

I decided to start this new period and theatre on Sunday 1st February 2015. I Don't really know what did it, but I've enjoyed the few AWI games I have played over the years, and it has the attractions of small and large engagements, colourful troops and a rare example of a war the British actually lost.

To celebrate the first figure purchase, I am re-starting the blog to try to track my progress.

Lancashire games have a decent range of figures, so I just ordered my first batch.

More posts as I progress.

Progress Report

It's been a GOOD day.

Thanks to a fine sunny day, the main body of the project is complete. The photos show Colonel Chomondley-Warner inspecting the main structure before fitting out begins. To give you an idea of scale, the board is 30 x 18 inches, and the walls are 45 mm high. The Col. is mounted on a 2p piece, and stands about 32mm to the top of his deerstalker. I can't say there have been no problems however. I have cuts on both hands and a glue burn, but I have avoided A&E so far.

The serious issue is that I really should have undercoated the base board BEFORE I glued the wall sections into place. That is a mistake I won't make next time. The fixtures and fittings come next, starting with the dumb waiter and then a coat of paint on the exposed MDF. Now the weekend is over, work will be a little slower, but there should be an update towards the end of the week.

Something Is Coming .....

Somebody must be feeding me strange substances, because I am embarking on what is for me a fairly serious build for IMHN involving MDF, foam board and a hot glue gun. How serious ? Well, I've never - in 45 years of gaming - built anything remotely close to the size of this. I'm also going to try to post updates as I go along. 

Below is pictured the absolute basics. The MDF base is marked out, and the main foamboard sections and corner pieces are cut. 

Tommorow I apply the first of the paint.