Soldiers of the Queen: More Artillery

Finally got around to completely these 4 guns with crew. Most of the troops are colonial Egyptian, and I too have posted crew with rammers for my Gatling guns.

I toyed with the idea of 4 figures on each base, as well as 4 individual figures for each gun. I'm not certain if my compromise of two crew per gun base, with two addition men on a separate element works. But it does allow to remove troops as the casualties mount.

I also added an ammo marker. As long as it's there you are OK to fire.

Space 1889: USMC on Mars

When I last blogged in August I wrote that I had some officers and troopers to paint to finish the British Colonial Lancers. I got distracted and decided to paint this bag of what I think were sold on eBay about 5 years ago as Old Glory, dismounted cavalry. There were a total of 30 figures to paint. I decided that in keeping with my interest in Space:1889 I'd photograph them on the red gaming mat.

Note : In the third photo you can see the Lancers in the background. 

On the Workbench: Colonial Lancers Vol 2

Since August of last year, my concentrations have been on my studies. I did work on some miniatures, but I have not had the time to blog. I completed my internship on Friday and will receive my complete my program on Tuesday. I will now try to catch up on the blog.

Shortly after my last post on the Colonial Lancers, the bases I was waiting for arrived. I based two figures per stand, while I kept a few single stands in order to be able to remove causalities. The photos were taken on my red gaming mat. I am thinking of joining the ranks of Space :1889.

On the Workbench: Colonial Lancers

I was determined to get the troopers done over the weekend. I need to wait for some magnetic bases I ordered from Shogun Miniatures so I can mount them. I have been purchasing bases from Robert Knestrick for over two years now and find his product to be as good as GF9, but at about 2/3s the price.

As you can see I decided to take the simple route with the horses and painted them all one colour. I guess that the images of the RCMP escort of the Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge, as they arrived on Parliament Hill in the State Landau were still on my mind.

I will dig through my pile of lead to see if I can find some more spear tips to top off the lances of this unit. Eight of the figures came with the sharp end of the pointy stick, pennants flying , the rest did not.

I need to paint the two officers that came with this unit. While digging around in my minis a pack of three cavalry officers from the same Ral Partha/RAFM colonial line surfaced. Additionally I never painted the commanders of the Space 1889: Soldiers of the Queen. A total of 7 mounted figures. My project for the next week.

Soldiers of the Queen, North West Frontier

In my previous post I wrote, that I purchased a NW Frontier force that came up for sale a number of years ago. The main advantage was it was already painted and I would not have to lift a brush. That wasn't quite true. This Field Force came with a dozen pieces of artillery, lacking crew, as well as numerous pack animals. These are mostly mules laden with pieces of dismantled artillery. They still have to be painted. The artillery crews, were blogged about last year.

Mounted Native Troopers (15 Figures)

In addition to the unit of 14 mounted troops, there were three units of native infantry. One unit wearing red tunics, with painted turbans (20 figures) and two units dressed in khaki drab. One unit consisted of 24 figures and the 2nd of 20 men. Twenty is  the traditional unit size for TSATF (the Sword and the Flame) rule set, as well as the unit size that was chosen for the Soldier's Companion  (Space 1889 Miniature Rules).

NW Frontier (India) Native Sepoys Unit Unknown

Khaki Drab,  Unit of 24 in March Column (4 Wide)

Native Sepoy Troops

Khaki Drab, Unit of 20 in Line (3 Deep)

Native Sepoy Troops

Since I had the colonial army on the table, it was time to finish the bases of all the infantry units. That way I can "claim" the project is complete. Origanally, the infantry figures were  mounted on government issued metal copper disks. Even the native calvary figures were glued to two. Their outline can be clearly seen through the flocking, on the GF9 magnetic bases.

I found the copper base to be slightly smaller than I liked. I also wanted something that would attach itself to the flexible magnetic sheeting I lined the floor of the tool box with. The infantry was then glued to 1 inch, steel washers. Canadian Tire sells them by the hundred at a very reasonable price.

Soldiers of the Queen

I have gone through a number of phases with my on again, off again love affair with the mid to late Victorian colonial era. I received my first two figures as a gift. A fellow gamer, Joseph Lappin, had gone on a summer pilgrimage to the old country, and when he returned he presented to his friends in the local gaming club two figures. One was a hills-man and the other, a member of Her Majesty's Forces. One of the two figures I received still survive in my collection, sans bayonet.

Colonial Highlander (painted I think by John Saranic)

In the first incarnation in the early 1980s I built a small force of British and Zulus with 15mm Mike's Models. I based 4 figures per stand, and I don't even know what rules I had in mind. Nor do I know what became of the figures. About the same time I picked up two packages of either Ral Partha or RAFM colonial Egyptian Infantry for sale at a local Halifax gaming store.

Egyptian/Sudanese Colonial Infantry

I decided that I wanted to increase the scale of figures I was using. About the same time ESSI came out with both British Colonial Infantry and Zulus. I bought three boxes of each and spent a summer painting. They were the last soft plastics I painted, but they allowed me to run a good number of the Sword and the Flame Colonial Skirmish games.

The ESSI figures were retired and sold on eBay. Part of the proceeds were able to cover the cost of two boxes of the Space: 1889 Soldiers of the Queen. These troops were sculpted by Bob Murch, and produced by RAFM for GDWs Space 1889 RPG.

Soldiers of the Queen First Company Forming Firing Lines.

I know I am going to take some heat on these figures. The colour is wrong, the facings should be on the collar and not the shoulder straps, etc, etc, etc...I admit that I am not a historical purist. Like the song goes, " Wargamers just want to have fun." I look at my figures as toy soldiers to be played with.  In that, my armies succeed.

Soldiers of the Queen, 2nd Company

(notice different colour painted on the washer)

I have had these figures for a while and I cannot say that they are a new project. But recently my interest in the colonial period has been stirred. I won at auction, 20 British Colonial Lancers, which are my current painting project. I have been meaning for some time, to finish the bases of Her Majesty's Forces. In addition to the two boxes of Soldiers of the Queen, I purchased a NW Indian frontier force that was for sale about 5 years ago. At the time it was a very good investment (cost vs already painted) and it filled the spot that was open due to the sale of my plastic Zulus.

Soldiers of the Queen: Royal Artillery

Soldiers of the Queen

18x 28mm Foundry British Artillerymen

Song by Leslie Stuart (15 March 1863 – 27 March 1928)

http://www.esnips.com/doc/5ead13ce-8c25-4fa8-b6c6-c33fd3d2bc06/Canadian-48th-Highlanders---Soldiers-Of-The-Queen

It's the soldiers of the Queen, my lads
Who've been, my lads, who've seen, my lads
In the fight for England's glory lads
When we've had to show them what we mean:
And when we say we've always won
And when they ask us how it's done
We'll proudly point to every one
Of England's soldiers of the Queen

Close-up

The third and final project that I completed this week was 18 Artillery Crewmen. The figures are by Foundry while their guns were by Ral Partha. Under the Sword and the Flames Rules, an Imperial Artillery Battery consists of three guns, each with four crew (1 Lt or Sgt and 3 other ranks). I personally think that I either have two under strength batteries or one over strength battery.

Two Guns (7 or 9 LBERs Firing Direct)

In total I have 7 Guns (5 x 7 or 9 Pounders and 2 x four-barrel Nordenfeldts). It is clear that I will have to purchase some more crew and I am thinking of making an order to Old Glory. More on that later. I have painted the officers wearing distinct red (Infantry) tunics. I know that this is ahistorical but I wanted to be rapidly able to distinguish them from the other ranks. Figures and guns are all mounted on Gale Force 9 magnetic bases. On the whole I am very happy with the paint jobs of these crewmen.

Two Guns (7 or 9 LBERs Firing In-direct)

Two Ral Partha Quad Nordenfeldts