The Star Spangled Army invades Maple Leaf County

Another of your games pitting the US against Canada. I am beginning to think you don't like us Yanks.



Nick Stern

Anthony, while waiting for an official answer, it looks to me like the Canadians are in khaki drab and the US in Olive drab. (a bit darker and greener).

That AC does look good doesn't it. I love the Crescent guns too. They are a perfect fit for my 40mm Zinnbrigade figures, the converted Prussian limber rider fits right on to the gunner's seat! In addition to a few I picked up on ebay, I have called back to service my older brother's one which I conscripted when I was 6!

Hi,

Ross is correct on the colour differences, they just didn't come over that well in the photos. Both sets were given a wash of Agrax Earthshade which does blended them rathe rmore than anticipated. They are easier to distinguish 'in the platic' so to speak but I it may be worth repainting one set and using a different wash. The gloss really appeals to me.

As the game had to be postponed I thought I'd just take a few photos. It seems difficult to get hold of the AiP figures in the UK these days thus both ended up being made up using what I could get, 2 packs of British Pals Battalions on the Somme. They have a proportion of lewis guns which would have looked good in 1918 but proved handy for my purposes. Both sets were given a wash of Agrax Earthshade which does blended them rathe rmore than anticipated.

The Crescent 18pdr guns are splendid models though a bit small for 54mm figures. One that I modded for my 42mm 'Little Britons' (which can be seen in my profile photo) works better. I used them as I had several from a period several years ago of playing 'proper' HG Wells with matchstick cannon. I thought the 4.7" naval guns were a little big though tempting.

It can't quite be seen in the photos but each side has a mortar made of styrene tube and wire glued together. I was going to make it all metal and solder as easier but didn't have a size of tube that looked right.

The single turret armoured car is a styrene box on the chassis from an Airfix Denis Fire engine with the turret built around a piece of acrylic tube left over from a model railway project.

The double turret car is another styrene box around more of the aforementioned tube and mounted on an Old BIll Bus chassis. This called for an extra bucket of 'bodge' as it was only when I came to marry the two up that I realised the rear wheels would prevent the body sitting on the chassis. A razor saw was then used to remove the tops of the offending wheels and hopefully it looks like they disappear into carefully crafted wheel wells...

Glad you like them, I thoroughly enjoy building that sort of project. I have a couple of kits for 1/32nd scale Model T cars which I think will end up as supply trucks. There is a temptation with this sort of thing to keep building, the 54mm matchstick cannon wars set up included an observation balloon supported on a wire and a track engine to haul round the Britains 8" Howitzer.

54mm v 42mm. I've also painted up some AiP Rangers and indians for a 'Last of the Mohicans' style game (some of the militia from my 'Watch the wall' game will also be sent overseas which will be a shock to them) but my lastest project is back to 42mm Shiny Toy Soldiers, a selection of favourite mid-19th century uniforms organised into Red and Blue forces. There are also a number of volunteers for an 1848 game set in the Duchy of Grumbleberg which will make little attempt to be historical. It will play on the fears of various monarchs and their ministers about the unreliability of their soldiers when faced with subversive speech-making radicals alongside class conflict. It's possible soem shots may be fired.

Brian

Brian;
One of these days, you'll have to let me in on it when you and Alan are playing. I'd love to write something up for the Society of Daisy on your games.

I sent a lot of Inter War uniform information to Alan at one time for National Guard units. I think this is one of the more interesting projects he's done and a bit of a homage to War Plan Red (I think it was Red) which was an actual plan in case of war with Great Britain.

Eric

Brian;
I have a bookshelf sagging under the weight of War of 1812 tomes and a mostly finished collection of 25mm figures that I rebase once in a while to justify the books.

I'll shoot you an email off-forum and maybe find a date when you and Alan are playing that I could pop in and observe.

All the best;
Eric