Oh Look! Another batch of Hinchliffe Indian Cavalry!

       Yet another in my quest to paint all of my Hinchliffe Indian army. Twelve more heavy cavalry based for WRG 6th ed.  The Indian army in the lists that go with 6th ed is an interesting force to play. On the surface it is loaded with mega-weapons; elephants, four-horse heavy chariots with extra crew, all of the infantry having a two-handed weapon as a sidearm, on the other hand it is loaded with near useless troops like medium cavalry and lacks any troops that can handle bad terrain. To me it provides a lot of blunt force trauma which fits well with my fighting style. Also they are flashy, which makes them more lovable when they lose.

 

       Now I have only a couple of dozen cavalry left and a bunch of light infantry left, oh, and a couple of elephants and chariots..........sigh.

Successfully Seeking Solace in Styrene, the return to spats, the K-P Avia B-35

        As I grind on my next batch of Hinchliffe Indians I find myself spending too much hobby time waiting for paint to dry. To fill these periods of downtime I dug out yet another ancient kit from the Heap of Embarrassment; an unusual airplane from a tiny eastern European company, K-P's Avia B-35. First released in 1974, I bought this kit when it was relatively new back in 1977 from the Squadron Shop in Madison Heights MI. It had shunted from house to house as I got married, had kids, moved three times and retired, now it's finally getting built. 

       The Avia B-35 was the Czechoslovakian  Air Force's first modern monoplane fighter. It was built with fixed landing gear to speed the test-flights and gain experience in advanced fighter design and construction. It had excellent performance, being a near-equal to the BF-109. Only three were ever built with the third model having retracting landing gear. Of course there is a Wikipedia article on this aircraft as well as it's successor the Avia B-135.

        At first glance it seems a fairly crude model, closer examination proves that to be an entirely accurate estimation of the situation. Plenty of flash and parts deformation combined with some sloppy mold-marking (panels lines, which are inscribed, but don't match up as they cross joint lines) gave me some serious reservations as I started assembly.

 

not a complex kit, check out those helpful instructions!

More 25mm Hinchliffe Indians, Heavy cavalry

 

 

 

not the most effective troops on the WRG Indian list

       Having finished the Lindberg Arado AR-234 I once more turned my attention to the pile of unpainted Hinchliffe Indians. There are a few infantry left and a couple of chariots but the largest body of work that remains is the forty or so cavalry. Picking through that pile I selected a dozen heavy cavalry and got to work. The simplicity of the minis and the very basic uniforms made this an easy paint job, taking only about six hours in all.

 

heavy cavalry with javelin and shield aren't world-beaters under WRG 6th

 

these minis hark back to the days when even irregular cavalry marched in step

        Next up will be a bunch of medium cavalry, which are required under the list and are pretty much useless under WRG 6th, making the painting even more of a chore.

Unsuccessfully Seeking Solace in Styrene, Updated Lindberg Arado AR-234

 

I do so love the old school box art and would pay handsomely for the original painting

         Having painted the Indian elephants and a bunch of odds and ends that had attempted to go AWOL from their packages I again dug around in The Vault seeking the remaining elephants that I just KNOW are hiding somewhere. After a half-hour of searching I was left unrewarded and vexed. I decided to let the matter go for the time being and seek solace in some styrene. The first kit that came to hand was a garage-sale find that had set me back the princely sum of fifty cents; an ancient Lindberg Arado AR-234 that had been manufactured in the late sixties/early seventies and had been started by it's previous owner.

 

the previous owner's heavy coating of paint didn't help assembly

 and an unusually poor fit made this a unsatisfying build 

the amount of putty needed to close the gaps gave me a reason the sand away the huge rivets

Pachyderms and Potpourri

 

 

I got the elephants that I have in hand finished and an odd assortment of others too

        I my rummaging around looking for my errant elephants I ended up digging through a box of minis that have been in storage "for a while" (think that warehouse at the end of Indiana Jones). In the process of this I came across some minis whose packages were so old that the plastic bubble had broken down and shattered, leaving the minis loose on the bottom of the box. I took this as a sign that I should paint them. So I added them to the pile on the workbench and started plugging away. This reminded me of just how much progress has been made in the last forty years in the field of miniature design and casting. Most of these minis were simply horrid. But I had taken the step so there was no going back.

 

 some "interesting-looking" figures right to left;

an English longbowman and Spanish sword and buckler from Campaign Figures

 a Cossack axeman and a Polish infantryman from Hinchliffe

 

 

some rather nicer (and newer) Roman Command from the old RAFM range

 

       Now I must decide whether I am going to confront the Indian cavalry or seek solace in styrene....

25% off all printed books from Helion this weekend!!!

🍂 AUTUMN EQUINOX SALE 🍂 STARTS TODAY!

As the days grow shorter, so do our prices! Celebrate the Autumn Equinox with Helion’s exclusive sale from Friday 20th to Monday 23rd September. Enjoy 25% off on a wide range of titles, including military history, aviation, and more. Whether you’re building your collection or looking for the perfect gift, now’s the time to grab those must-have reads! Don’t miss out – this offer is only available for 4 days. Shop now at Helion.co.uk and fall into great savings!

                         Get 25% off All Printed Books!

 

       The fine folks at Helion & Co. (who have caused me to part with an absurd amount of money over the years) have placed ALL of their printed books on sale at 25% off through this weekend. Helion bravely goes where few other publishers go and has printed dozens, no hundreds, of specialist titles over the last few years. I have almost all of the Century of the Soldier series and I can attest to the quality of the research, the brilliant illustrations and willingness to publish arcane subjects. Take a look, you may be pleasantly surprised.

 

quite possibly the most valuable two cubic feet in my house

although the Osprey Men-at-Arms might be pretty stiff competition

Mining the Mountain of Shame, or The Elephant in the Room

        In my quest to paint every single figure in my Indian army collection I put on my miner's helmet and grabbed a powerful torch and entered The Vault with the intention to gather together all of my elephants so that I could begin painting them. As in all things in Life, it wasn't as easy to do as it was to say. The sea of (often mislabeled) brown cardboard cartons cast up flotsam and jetsam that distracted me from my mission (how did I end up with four 1/72 Airfix HS-129s that aren't in my records?) but eventually I located the box marked "25mm Ancients". This forty-plus pound box was carefully maneuvered out of The Vault and deposited on the small gaming table. Opening one of these boxes is always an adventure as they belong to the Pre-Record-Keeping era so I'm never really sure what's inside. Internal organization consists of how many cards of minis I could cram in rather than any sort of organizing by period or nation, see below:

 

some of these date back to the mid 1970s,

 I felt like Indiana Jones entering an ancient tomb

Mission Messerschmitt Me109 Completed

        It took a bit of grind but I got he  whole half-dozen done this morning. Three BF-109b/c models and three BF-109e. I painted them in a mix of schemes between the Spanish Civil War and the 1940 campaign in France. This is a particularly bothersome period to paint for as the Luftwaffe was experimenting with many different ideas regarding camouflage and often left the final scheme up to the ground crews. I did the best that I could while keeping in mind that I am building toys for wargaming not a model for an IPMS grand championship. As usual I build these straight out of the box with no alteration of the models aside from leaving off some fragile bits that would just get broken off during play. Here is the whole crowd together:

 

back to front , right to left; 

three Heller BF-109b, leftmost painted for Spain, the center and right for Poland 1939 

two Airfix/MPC BF-109e, rightmost Heller BF-109e all painted for France 1940

Pro Or Con 2024 5OCT24

        The Metro Detroit Convention Season opens with Pro Or Con this coming 5th of October. This is a fun local convention and provides a chance to meet old friends and make new ones. The usual free Flea Market will be supplemented by I-94 Enterprises, Firelands Games,  Golden Rhino Games,  and RIW Hobbies; so you can sell your old stuff and buy new stuff at the same time!

 

       I will be running an ACW naval action  using these rules, they are easy to learn and play very quickly.

       Festivities start at 8am and run through 11pm with three gaming session separated by generous breaks between to shop, eat (and drink, there is a license on the property!) or chat with friends. The Elk's Lodge is located at 31117 Plymouth Road, Livonia MI. You can get the latest up-to-the-moment information at TableTop Events. The link will take you to the Pro Or Con page. Definitely not to be missed!

Never Forget, Never Forgive

 

 

the enemies of civilization are relentless, 

we must be eternally on guard 

The Anton Ryzbak branch of the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke

an old one but a good one, most Heller kits appeared in the 1960's through the very early 80's

the raised panel lines and rivets give away their age, but they still build up into good looking models

        Pleased I was with the quick addition of strength to my Polish air force by the "group build". In light of that I decided to take it to the next step and build ALL of my BF-109 kits at the same time (there are only six, so it wasn't that much of a tall order). Four of the kits were from Heller, three were BF-109 B/C and one was a E model. The other two kits were the old Airfix mold, one packaged by Airfix the other under the MPC brand. With a fresh No.11 blade in my X-Acto knife and a bottle of Testor's liquid cement at my elbow I dove into the task.

The Last of the Indian Archers

 

the simplicity of the uniform greatly speeds painting

        Between model airplanes I am still grinding away at the unpainted 25mm Indian minis. Here are the last of the infantry archers. Now all that remains is the slingers and all of the foot will be completed. Remaining items are three more chariots and a bunch of elephants.

 

I am quite happy to have finally gotten these lads painted

 

I now have more archers than are allowed under the WRG lists

this makes me happy for some reason

 

 

years ago I had a friend that put far more work into painting the backs of his troops than he applied to their front, his reasoning was that he hoped to spend more time with them facing the enemy than running toward him, it makes sense when you think about it

The Polish Air Force, so far

        I have been plugging away at my Polish Air Force between bouts of painting Ancient Indians. The balance between model airplanes and painting minis helps keep things fresh and keeps the creaking wheel of enthusiasm turning. Having just completed three PZL 11c (Poland's main fighter aircraft in 1939) I thought that I might just get out the entire crowd and take a "family photo".

 

front row; the PZL-23 from Ruch and another from Heller 

second row; PZW72 kit of a PZL P-7, a Mistercraft kit of a PZL P-11c, 

another Ruch PZL-23 and a Heller PZL-11c

third row; Revell PZL P-11c, another by Mistercraft, and lastly another Revell P-11c

Emergency Testing A Scenario, I find myself unprepared for the Convention season; ACW naval at 1/600th scale

        An offhand comment when I was last talking with Zhodani Commando brought to my attention that I have not prepared an unusual and interesting game to present this convention season. Oh The Shame! Frankly four weeks will not provided enough time to produce an entirely new game so I am forced to fall back on a previous offering, it truly is a shame. My first thought was to dust off the Siege of Castillo San Marcos as it has been a few years since anybody has seen that set-up. Then it occurred to me that it would be easier to run a naval game (terrain is SO much easier) and it had been a dog's age since I ran my ACW naval game. In light of that thought I worked out a scenario of subtle complexity that might just satisfy. Of course I made the Saturday night guys playtest it!

 

the impatient Confederates come out to play

 

the Union Navy had other plans and a lucky shot hit Fort Gaines magazine,

 the explosion was thunderous

 

both navies felt it necessary to fight in the narrows, 

there was much contact but little actual damage from the collisions 

 

       This scenario might just do the job but I miss the spectacle of a lavish game! Ideas? Should I revive the Castillo game?

 

 

        Awaiting input

Yet More Hinchliffe Indian Soldiers

        I'm sort of getting into painting these minis, the ultra-simple uniform combined with the straightforward sculpting makes painting them a breeze. I rounded up every last spearman that I owned and got them all painted in one afternoon. That is breakneck pacing for me. Is helped by the fact that the uniform is a white cloth wrapped around the soldier and covers him waist to ankles. I don't think there are eight colors on these minis.....

 

I'm willing to bet that the shields were not left blank

All-in on the PZL11c

        Having built one I figured "What the heck, I'll build the rest of them!" So I dug around in The Vault and found the two remaining ones and stuck them together (one was from Mistercraft, the other a venerable Heller kit). I didn't take any "in progress" shots as the breakdown of the kits in nearly identical to the Revell kit. The Mistercraft kit had some assembly issues and if you are  looking for a 1/72 PZL P-11c I would recommend the Heller kit. 

 

the Mistercraft kit has superb decals and included Polish markings as well