Belgian Progress and sinking the Bismarck

I'm on the last lap of the Belgians with just six more figures to go. I'm liking these figures which are mostly first generation ex Eric Knowles collection castings that are very well defined. The Dutch-Belgian charging figure pose is unique within the Napoleonic range (but can be found in the ACW range) and makes a change from painting the 'standard' Hinton Hunt charging pose.

Admiral of the Fleet Horatio Goya popped round this week bringing with him some lovely 1/1200 WW2 ships from his collection. The models are vintage ones from Eagle and very fine they look too.

Admiral Von Stryker trains the Bismarck's guns upon HMS Hood. I actually took quite a pasting from the Royal Navy but fortunately they ran out of ammo and the German squadron limped off into the North Sea mist.

We used some suitable simple Naval Rules adapted from an old copy of Military Modelling (November 1979) for a quick go at sinking the Bismarck. I wanted to christen the rules "Turrets and Torpedoes" but Goya was concered about potential copyright infringement.

These waterline models by Eagle are superb and Goya has made and painted them to a high standard. On this occasion HMS Hood did rather better than her real life counterpart.

Hopefully the Belgians will be finished and ready for my next post.

French Fusiliers on Parade

This is the cover of Miniature Warfare, Volume 1, Number 11 from December 1968. When I first clapped eyes on it as a twelve year old I was determined to have a collection of French Hinton Hunt soldiers just like the ones in the photo!

Fast forward 56 years and finally here it is...

I like to think that there may be at least one figure from that original photo shoot in my collection now but we'll never know...

A pair of Poirot's

I did say that the next unit would be something not quite so French and I would say Belgians fit the bill quite nicely. So this is where I have got to so far -

These are DN/1 Officer (charging) looking remarkably like the famous Belgian detective.

This is a conversion of BN/12 Drummer (playing). I snipped off his pack and added a Belgian one - clever eh?

Test figures for the Grenadier company (left) using DN/3 Private (charging) and the Light company (right) using DN/2 Private (firing).

And this of course is a paint conversion of BN/13 Ensign Regiment Colour. I'm quite please with how he turned out.

This unit has waited far too long in the lead-pile and I'm pleased to be finally starting on them.

The Monster has escaped!

Napoleon has escaped from Elba with his Old Guard and is marching on Paris. Marshal Ney has been sent to stop him with the 5th regiment of the line.

"On to Grenoble my grumblers!"

"Men of the 5th do not let them pass!"

"Soldiers of the 5th do you recognise me? If you want to kill your emperor here I am!"

"FIRE!"
"What do you think Pierre?"
"Oh, what the heck..."

"Vive l'empereur, Vive l'France, Vive Napoleon!"

"Did you really say you'd bring me back to Paris in an iron cage?"
"What me? No, that was definitely Murat!"

The 5th regiment is complete.

The figures used are:

2 x FN/1 Officer (charging)

1 x FN/4 Colour bearer (charging)

19 x FN/5 Fusilier (charging)

1 x FN/6 Drummer (charging)

1 FN/8 Officer (marching)

Next up will be something not quite so French.