Old School Generosity

Since starting this blog I've been really pleased by all  the friendly and supportive comments from many fellow wargamers, and now added to that is a lovely piece of generosity, for which I am very glad to thank Neil Patterson of  Aufklarungsabteilung  ( 'Intelligence Department': I rather like that )  fame.

Battle-ready cavalry

 I admired The army of Hrvatska in his recent post, nicely-painted-and-flagged Spencer-Smith figures, and commented that I've fancied to get some of those: Neil surprised me by saying he  had some 'surplus to requirements'  figures, and would I like them?    Well, how could I refuse? I have now received  the figures you see in the pictures here, and I am very well pleased with them!  As you can see, we have an 'all arms' force. Above, the cavalry brigade :  Dragoons at the front,  Hussars behind.  Below, the Infantry - about 50 in all, which gives me six units for The Portable Wargame, or perhaps three battalions in other rulesets. But also I can't help thinking of them as a Charles Grant regiment, just like 'The War Game' all those years ago. Lovely stuff!   

Takes me back to the Vereingte Frei Stadt..

Finally the artillery battery, and some extra cavalry. Two nicely-painted guns and crews, one more gun yet to be assembled and with undercoated crew, and about a dozen more cavalry - of which four look to be lancers,  I think  NP09 'Lancer in Czapka'  from the SSM Napoleonic Range.

A splendid battery - and more to paint

semi-painted horse, and time-travelling lancers

 It's interesting that all the infantry, the painted cavalry and the painted guns and gunners are actually the old SSM plastic figures - only the unpainted/semi-painted artillery and horse in the last couple of pictures are the more recent metals. The plastics seem to have survived OK, and are delightfully light to handle - interestingly some previous owner has decided that the infantry  are too lightweight, and has attached them to individual metal bases for extra stability.   I am not sure how old they might be - can anyone enlighten me as to when the plastics stopped being produced?  I suspect that was quite a long time ago now.. 

Many of the painted figures are as good a job as I could have done, and I rather like the dragoons at the front of the top picture,  in buff-coloured coats with purple facings - I suspect this is an 'imagi-nation' uniform,  It would seem a shame to repaint them, so I think they will join my forces as they are. Perhaps a little-known and cash-strapped neighbouring principality will be hiring them out to one of my campaign protagonists.  [UPDATE: Neil points out that they are perhaps buff and crimson (rather than purple) so we're dead ringers for Prussian cuirassiers of say 2nd regiment... and after a little web-searching I think I agree with him, and the Prussian 'Yellow Riders' will be a nice addition.] The painted gunners look great and could go straight into action with the Prussians,  if required. 

The infantry gives me a nice quandry - who to paint them as? The officers and drummers are already painted and look rather Prussian, but with my own Prussian musketeer regiment already in the painting queue, I think these SSM foot should be something different ( the painted officers may find themselves commanding my Minifigs Prussians, I hope they will be happy with that!). I have in fact been contemplating a 'third force'  in between my Prussians and Austrians,  and I am toying with perhaps a detachment from Saxony.  We could perhaps  suppose that the fabric of history was slightly warped in my alternative Central Europe, allowing  their escape from Pirna, or that Saxony took a different diplomatic course?  I might need to acquire some more officers and drummers, but I will be  happy to place a small  order with the current  Spencer-Smith producer, Peter Johnstone - I see he is only just over the border in Norfolk, so the 'lead miles' will be low. 

So there we have it - I am really very pleased indeed with these, they are straight out of my childhood dreams of Grant-style wargames, so thank you very much Neil,  what a lovely gesture!  I look forward to getting these painted and into battle, we'll see how they fair against the Minifigs.. 

Now I can do a (smaller) good  turn ( 'pay it forward' so to speak)  by pointing you in the direction of a new blog. This is  St. Syr on Wheels, from my old friend and former colleague 'Liverpool Dave' , who is blogging about his adventures in ( mainly ) board wargaming. As you can tell from his thumbnail portrait, he's a specialist on many things Napoleonic,  but not only that period.  He can write a bit, too, so I am sure he will be worth following.  The latest post is a nice account of 'N:The Napoleonic Wars', a solitaire boardgame with an interesting twist. I hope you all enjoy it - and Dave, keep it up! 

Next time, back to the tabletop as Prussians and Austrians tangle at Rahden, I hope. Keep well, and safe, everyone.