I'll add some more images of my Swiss army soon - I need to do some additional touch-up washes on them and also get a better camera, it seems. My iPhone camera is just not up to the task - I have a better one, but don't use it much; I'll have to see how well it can handle close-up shots.

For my initial batch of Swiss, I wanted to keep things simple; i.e., easily recognizable Schwyz contingents with lots of red and the obligitory white crosses. Many of these are Tumbling Dice metals, which mix in perfectly with my 1:72 plastics, including some LW Swiss Mercenaries. I base most foot figures 5-to-a-stand [3/2] 60mm x 40mm - offset so as to look denser from the front. Also saves me a singe figure per stand. Skirmishers with crossbows and handgonnes are in looser order with 3 to a stand. This feels right to me, since I think they would need a little more room to load and operate.

I haven't really even started getting into my MiniArt Swiss Pikemen and the boxes of Ultima Ratio Swiss that I picked up last year. I'll be sure to get them painted up in the colors of some other Cantons to make things look a little more varied. As for my painting style, it's pretty basic - I wish I could paint as well as is done on Paul's Bods http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/ but I have not the time or inclination; if it looks good from a couple of feet away, that's good enough for me. I may add a dark wash to bring out some detail, but I'm not doing dry brush highlighting on small scale figures like these.

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The work required to finish a plastic model varies widely.

I do not consider myself a modeller--as in, I don't really enjoy the process of cementing dozens of tiny bits together to make a plastic scale model. Now as long as the model--whether it's an aircraft, a tank, or something else--has been designed in a straightforward manner with an economy of pieces, I am OK. What drives me bonkers is when the designer breaks the model down into multitudes of itty-bitty pieces that could have been combined and molded into a single, easy-to-handle part.

This is particularly exasperating with small models in 1/72-20mm scale, since the parts are so tiny and difficult to work with. It's not an issue with most resin, metal and especially 3D printed models, as they are mostly created as a single piece, or with a couple of add-on parts. But plastic kits can be another matter, and the results vary widely.

I've fiddled with plenty of Airfix and Matchbox WWII models, and they are not too bad; some are easier to assemble than others. It's the "quick-build" versions from some manufacturers that get me thinking. I got a couple of Opel Blitzes from Pegasus that really were easy to build and for the most part, required no cement at all. The Armourfast Cromwells I recently assembled weren't too bad, but I'm not quite sure why the turret had to be broken out into five separate pieces, with four separate parts applied to the exterior that could have just been molded into the turret and made into a single part. The same goes for a couple of parts applied to the hull, which could have been molded directly into its body.

A 3D printed WWII Chaffee in 20mm scale. With some minor work, not badd. Would be even better in resin.

I have yet to try any of the Plastic Soldier Company offerings, but I looked at an assembly diagram of a truck online and it looked like the body was broken down into a half-dozen bits--something Pegasus provides as a single molded part. I guess there is "quick-build" and "relatively easy build."

I know lots of you see this as a simple rant, and I admit it is. Honestly, I think the way to go today is to get a resin 3D printer, buy some files and go to town. The end products can be beautiful and highly cost effective if you need a lot of them.

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When I had seen how long it had been since I had posted on this page, I could hardly believe it. But as one gets older, time goes by so fast it's harder to keep track, To be perfectly honest, I am blessed/cursed by having multiple interest and a number of hobbies. Every few years, the level of interest shifts between wargaming, slot cars (Scalextric), book publishing projects and home DIY projects. As a result, I may "disappear" for months (or years) at a time while I indulge my other pastimes. It is what it is, and I make no apologies. I am hoping that in a couple more years I can retire, and not burdened by daily work tasks, can spread my time out more evenly among my many areas of interest.

In any case, I have taken the last few weeks to get caught up on some much-delayed purchases. I did a similar thing last year with my slot cars, buying many of the cars that had come out since my last "buying binge." So I have sought to fill some holes in my arsenal, adding various 1/72 plastic figures and some vehicles that I felt I needed.

About halfway into this effort, I realized it would be helpful to take stock of exactly what I already had, which meant pulling dozens of boxes out of their basement shelves and going through them, making lists of what I had. Tedious, yes...but rather eye-opening, as I found a lot of things I had forgotten about, including many boxes of figures from time periods I may never find time to indulge in. The basic realization here is that I will likely never have time to paint up large Ancient Roman and Barbarian Armies, 30YW or ECW armies, or WWI armies using the boxes of figures I have. Likewise, some of the rules and reference books may have to find a new home, with the result that I can devote more time (and space) to those periods where I already have a solid start.

And I need the time. I'm pretty good as WWII tankage goes; I could use a few auxiliary vehicles (AA, armored cars, etc.) and trucks. You can never have too many trucks, I guess. A fair amount still need to be painted, as do figures--as most of the "play ready" groups I have are German and Soviet. While I have about 80 bases of 1/72 (20mm) medievals painted up, I have scads more to organize and prep as well. I also need to figure out a better way of storing my finished stuff, as the shallow cardboard shipping boxes are outliving their usefulness.

As an admitted procrastinator, the challenges ahead will not only include handling those tasks but also sorting and selling most of the figures, books and other items I will never use--probably posting them on eBay or on someplace like TMP.

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Like a lot of people over here in the States, I am lucky enough to have a decent-sized home that includes a large enough basement to accommodate my hobbies and interests, which are many. As an old advertising guy, I do have some regular freelance jobs and publishing work that I take on from time to time, and I need space to devote to these activities as well as a fairly large library that I've accumulated over the years.

Most of that work takes place in the upstairs office where I keep my better computer (still several years old) while my hobby-related web surfing and writing gets handled in the basement, where I use another PC to handle those tasks at a desk area where I can also do figure painting, research and other jobs that don't get too messy. [see the 1st photo]  One other nice thing about this space is that it allows me to multitask; if I am not listening to music or a podcast, I have our old projection TV on so I can catch a football game or some other show as I work.

Directly behind this space is my "workshop" room, where I have a modest workbench area that I use for larger-scale projects such as scenery, other items that require more room for assembly, or things that will require the use of spray-adhesive, hot-glue, spackle, flocking and other messy stuff...or the use of cutting or electric tools that just can't be accommodated at my desk. [see 2nd photo]  Though the room is big enough for most of these jobs and to hold my wargaming items, there's not a lot of extra room either - since the space is also used as a book storage overflow space and repository for Christmas decorations, as well as "the room where dad keeps all his stuff" - including all my 1:32 slot cars (Scalextric, etc.) and other models, old toys, computer equipment and other odds-and-ends.

This setup works out pretty well for just about all my hobby activities and scenery-making. [see photo 3] What I don't have is a dedicated wargames table; that would require me to take over the entire basement - and that is not about to happen any time soon. Besides, it's not as if I could leave games out for long-term play (we have a bad cat who loves to play with my stuff) - and I have portable tables that I can use with terrain boards or ground-cloths. There are other options, too: I've play-tested some rules on my workbench, and I've had some formal games with my friends upstairs in the dining room...so it's not a problem.

I've always enjoyed seeing what type of solutions that other people come up with in terms of developing a "hobby space" -  especially when limited room is an issue. It amazes me how creative some folks are at meeting those challenges. If you want to share your space, please drop us a link in the comments.

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One of the last groups I've been working on for the Medieval period is a group of Irishmen that I'll use for various engagements-- these are mostly foot soldiers, armed primarily with axes abut also with spears, glaves and other assorted pole-arms. You can see by the single base how I mount most of my foot; three in front with two in the second rank, offset between the others. The base is a pretty standard 60 x 40mm, since I mount most of my soldier on pennies, they fit perfectly on this size base, and the offset gives a thicker (though slightly less regular) appearance to the units. In a pinch, I could remove the individual  troops if needed, and the pennies offer some heft to the plastic figures. I still need to add some flags or pennants on some of these stands, though I haven't settled on any specific designs yet - if anyone has some suggestions for appropriate heraldry, please pass it on.

I cut the bases out of basswood--as I was taking the photos I noticed that the basing paint and "grass" is quite a bit darker that I thought it was--at least in comparison to the terrain boards, which I made some years ago. I'll explain a little more about how those were constructed in a future post.

I am still brushing up on my photography skills - I have cameras that are just fine for the job, but my available lighting needs help and I hope to supplement that as time goes on.  I will also be adding to this battle group very soon, as I recently acquired a package of Redbox Irishmen for the Wars of the Roses; they look very fine indeed, and should fill out this range quite nicely.  For now, I have put these in the box (to protect them from the cat) and returned to getting my work/hobby area better organized. More on that very soon.

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Having followed Henry Hyde's work and admired his dedication to the hobby for some years now, I've been looking forward to getting my hands on The Wargaming Compendium.  As everyone else has noted, it's big. Very big. But sheer size alone is not what makes this such a valuable addition to any wargamer's library. It is easily the most comprehensive book about the hobby ever produced, and takes such a thoughtful, fair-minded, friendly and fun  approach to wargaming that I feel it cannot help but attract more people to the hobby.  For this reason alone, I'd strongly urge all wargamers to contact their local library and suggest that they add this book to their collection...something that I'm sure would make Henry (as well as Pen & Sword) very happy.

Looking at the Compendium, I am so well reminded of the effect that Don Featherstone's Battles with Model Soldiers had upon me when I first found it on a library shelf many years ago—and how even those old black and white photographs stoked my imagination and interest. Henry's book really puts into perspective how far the hobby has come over the past forty to fifty years; I'm quite sure if I had seen this book when I was thirteen years old my head would have exploded!

Yes, I know some people out there are loath to approve of anything that is colorful, attractive and well-designed—preferring  the dodgy text, pasted-up layouts and fuzzy black-and-white halftones of days gone by. I get it. I have a stack of old MWANs in my basement that I still like to peruse from time to time. But as a part-time book designer and old ad guy myself, I think Henry has done a particularly fine job here—the design is attractive and tidy, the type is set at an easily-readable size, and the lack of distracting graphics allows the many color photos (which are very good) to take pride of place. For a book of this size and scope, these elements are subtle, but very important.
                   
I have to admit I was rather pleased to open the introductory chapters and see photos and descriptions of well-known wargaming books from the past—many of which are on my own bookshelf.  I'm also sure that The Wargaming Compendium will have pride of place among these other books as the years go by. That said, it is difficult to compare this new book to others that have come before, since there has really been nothing quite like it before—nothing so comprehensive, well-rounded and  exhaustive in scope.  But how could there be? Having a half-century or more of hobby history to build upon is a great help, and I'm sure Henry would agree. He has taken advantage of the sum of all that cumulative knowledge to create a book that I'm sure will remain the hobby's great reference work for many years.

In scale and intent, if nothing else, The Compendium is really a different sort of book than those memorable works produced by  Charles Grant, Peter Young or even Featherstone.  They are all products of their place and time.        

Since it will take me some days, or even weeks, to finish reading it, I will refrain from an in-depth assessment of the rules that are included in the book—specifically for gladiatorial combat, a Wild West skirmish, and horse-and-musket era battle; I know Henry likes his rules Old-School and easy to use, and I look forward to trying them out, especially the horse-and-musket rule set.
                           
In the end, I might suggest that much of the positive response to The Wargaming Compendium results from the fact that it really holds a mirror up to the hobby, and in doing so—it offers a very agreeable image. That is always a good thing.

You can add it to you bookshelf HERE.   

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As I have recently set about to organize my painting area and workbench--as well as my wargaming library, I had to stop a moment to reconsider some of the good luck I have enjoyed while trying to assemble a collection. One of the most memorable discoveries was this like-new copy of Bob Bard's 1957 classic, Making & Collecting Military Miniatures.

Of primary interest to me was Chapter 3, in which the author discusses historical wargaming with miniatures, and gives some general outlines on how to approach the hobby. While the book does include a lot of great information on painting and collecting, it's also notable from the point that 1957 was n important year in the hobby; Jack Scruby began publishing Wargames Digest and All About Wargames; SAE started producing 30mm painted figure sets; and Scruby Miniatures began producing 30mm figures.

As for this like-new copy, the real wonder is that I found it in an old second-hand bookstore (or maybe an antiques shop) in a full shipping carton of brand-new Bard books. It was as if they had just been dropped off from the publisher--all clean, bright and tight in their crisp white dust jackets. I'm sure this was at least 10 years ago or more, and I'm sure I posted about my find on whatever wargames board I might have been on at the time. I doubt that I paid much more than the $5.00 cover price.

So, here's to a classic, and also to keeping your eyes open...you never know what you might find when you're wading thorough an old antiques or second hand store.

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While I have purchased a few of the Zvezda medieval artillery kits, and a few others, the relative high price and fiddly-ness of some of them had inspired me to try and create my own - and I am happy to say I have had some success. Very much inspired by Paul of Paul's Bods (my efforts fall far short of his craftsmanship, as does my photography) I feel they will work just fine on my wargames table.

I began at the local hobby store, where I found some very small wood thread spools and related bits and pieces, usually bagged, these can be purchased ata relatively cheap price and a couple bags will furnish a fairly substantial artillery park. I glued these together to make two different sizes of cannon, one "large" and the other "very large" and added bits of matchstick to create some type of supportive framework or cradle.

At the time, ha had no dedicated artillery crews, so I simply utilized some Airfix Robin Hood figures and an old Giant knight recast that I had available. One of the Airfix had his staff converted to a ram, the other had weapons removed and looks as if he may be directing fire, and the knight's lance was removed except for the left-hand extension, to which I added a small gob of something and painted it to look like fire.

The photos may not do full justice to the finished piece, and I have detailed them a little further, but I am quite happy with the results so far. I expect them to be quite useful against castle walls...

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Because I am not particularly attracted to fantasy wargaming or anything like Dungeons and Dragons, I was initially apt to disregard the title of this Man Cave post. But looking at the book in question and reading the excerpt that had been posted, I was interested in the perspective of the author, " Forbes Senior Editor and gaming and technology expert David Ewalt."

Now, it's easy to be put off by the ignorance of the Man Cave editor, who, in the introduction, characterizes HMGS' Historicon as a "D&D convention, just outside of Philadelphia" - a description which, if widely known, would probably have dozens of  HMGS members on his front lawn with flaming torches and pitchforks. As anyone knows, Historicon--as a serious historical wargaming convention; as a result, they just don't do the fantasy thing there--of which D&D is the penultimate example.

Of course, it's true that D&D originally sprang from Gary Gygax's Chainmail medieval wargaming rules back in the 70's. As a result, I do have to give some credit to Ewalt, who at least understands that to paint a complete picture of his subject, it is necessary to go back a bit further, to research the history and development that led to D&D:

"I knew that if I truly wanted to understand Dungeons & Dragons, I had to first understand the games that gave birth to it..."

The excerpt from the book that follows is brief, and his characterizations of the HMGS convention's locale and attendees are admittedly spot-on. I would be curious to at least read the rest of the chapter, though I doubt I would be interested in the whole book.

Check out the excerpt and let us know what you think.

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How big is the "Wargames Industry"? - it's hard to know.

Over at Shed Wars there is an interesting post about the estimated size of the Wargames Industry. This is a subject which various people have tried to address over the years, and the guesses (and that is truly what they are) have been all over the place. That is no fault of those who are doing the guessing; there is really very little hard evidence to base a judgment upon, and what data and evidence exists is subject to varying forms of interpretation. There is always an American view, a UK-centric view, and a global view—all of which may read the data from a slightly different perspective.

The Shed Wars post does differ slightly from many similar estimations in that, while it does look at the possible number of gamers, its real point is to illustrate the potential size of the industry in dollars. Starting with a guestimation of how many hobbyists are on line—which is admittedly very difficult, if not impossible a task, it moves on to project an annual industry spend based on an average annual amount per-person. The estimation of approximately $200 (converted from UK pounds) may or may not be valid; there is really no way of knowing. Some wargamers spend practically all their disposable income on the hobby; others may go for a year or two spending nothing at all—especially when life's “distractions” pull them away from the hobby for extended periods of time.

This latter point is another reason why basing any kind of projections on TMP registrations is sketchy, since the site has been online for so long, there are probably a high percentage of visitors who have registered years ago and have long since left the hobby for other pursuits. As a result, it's hard to know how many of these registrants are “active.”

Indeed, the available data that the post offers seems to point in all different directions. TMP registrations seem to indicate that there are 5000 members based in the UK. And yet the UK's largest game show, Salute, drew over 10,000 visitors. Some quick geographically-based calculations and projections provide a final estimation of about 50,000 hobbyists in the UK, and a simple “double-that” for the USA. Again, using the $200 per person spending level, a $180 million worldwide market is projected.

Interesting, but again—because the data that the calculations are based upon is suspect and conjectural, the results must be as well. This is revealed again at the end, when released global sales figures for Games Workshop of $240 million are given; it is then argued that Warhammer players are of a very different sort and that their numbers and spending must be counted separately from historical wargamers, with the result that the GW sales total is simply added onto the original $180 million – for a global total of $420 million.

Again, going back to the very beginning of the calculations, I would ask—yes, but how many of those TMP registrants were 40K and fantasy gamers, at least on a part-time basis? I would guess a significant number—as a look at many blogs makes clear, a number of dedicated historical wargamers also may dabble in GW and other fantasy realms from time-to-time (Warhammer Historicals, anyone?). Even taking this lightly into consideration, the overlap between the two markets makes it clear that claiming absolutes in this area is not highly recommended.

In the end, what we are left with is an admirable attempt to make sense out of the meager and suspect data that we have available. I believe there are flaws in some of the calculations and assumptions—but in the end, while we may disagree with the exact final tally, I cannot dispute the final verdict:

“So we are not really a big market – we are very niche. To put it into context the UK sells around £700m worth of bananas a year.”

Yes. Exactly. Well said.

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Partizan Press has announced the availability of the 2014 Wargamer's Annual - courtesy of Charles Grant, who has been producing this useful annual for the past four years. As Charles points out:

"It is worth explaining that I make no attempt to set out the periods I want to cover. The authors let me know what they would like to do and sometimes offer me a choice but after that it is up to them. The result is an eclectic mix of periods and subjects. As the contributions have come in I have hugely enjoyed reading them and I hope you will."


This year's edition includes a number of exciting topics:

- TREACHERY - ASAGA Scenario
- How to – Landing stage
- Siege of Orleans
- How to – cover over the cracks
- Cavalry on the Tabletop
- How To - Make A 20mm Horsa Glider
- La Petite Guerre

DOSSIER: DEFENCE
- Introduction
-“Defence” – A Table Top Teaser

- Painters, Dancers, Dogs, and Schlachtenbummler
- The Bridge Tou Fahr
- Follow The Band
- The Chaco War
- Disguised Scenarios
-"Top 10 Tips for Tabletop Triumph"
- I’m a celebrity get me out of here! - Wargaming the Darien Adventure 1698-1700
- Samurai v Ikko-Ikki - An Unfair Fight?
- How to – Identify Your Samurai Armies
- Axing for Trouble
- Casting Around
- Parting Shots

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In this modern age, how safe would you feel living here?

In the US, I would imagine many of you have been able to catch at least one episode of National Geographic's Doomsday Castle. As as pinoff series of the popular Doomsday Preppers, Doomsday Castle centers around a man known only as "Brent Sr." (easier to stay off the grid, as it were) gathers five of his grown children to help him complete his "castle."

I watched an episode or two of this show, trying to make my mind up as to whether this guy was truly serious about building a strong refuge for his family. As you can see from the photo at the left, the fortress has an attractive profile but could never stand up to a serious siege by determined attackers--especially if they had an RPG, explosives, or even a bulldozer. Clearly the window openings are far too large, the concrete block construction is suspect, and the fields of observation and fire are far too short, since it's position on a wooded hilltop would allow attackers to come right up to the perimeter without being observed.

I suspect the show producers have a lot to do with all of this, along with the "casting" of this single father, his two sons, and his three very attractive daughters--who he is determined to train in survival and shooting skills.  As I watched one episode where they tested a rather suspect drawbridge (not really a 'bridge' - since there was no moat) I relished the thought of taking a large chunk of the castle out by simply backing a school bus into it. The father had a plan to stave off attacking vehicles approaching up the road with a catapult, but how that could be achieved when they couldn't even see down the road was rather laughable.

Of course, here is a real castle (see photo at left). If the show is not a total fabrication, then I'm sure the family patriarch never picked up a book about the construction and development of castles and fortresses.  If the man was really serious, he'd buy himself a bulldozer, pile up some dirt and start thinking about something more along the lines of a Vauban fort.

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Photographer David Levinthal has made a career out of photographing toys, especially toy soldiers and miniature action figures — which he shoots up close, often against lifelike dioramas. The close-up photography techniques that Levinthal uses allows us to even see the plastic seams of his subjects--at the same time as it provides a kind of detachment from the violent subject matter.

A selection of Levinthal’s military-themed photos, dating from the 1970s to this year, is currently on view at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in “War Games.” Part of a larger gift to the museum from the artist, the images in the exhibition are drawn from several of his past works and feature scenes from the American West, the more recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and World War II (including several from Levinthal’s groundbreaking 1977 book “Hitler Moves East,” created in collaboration with “Doonesbury” cartoonist Garry Trudeau).

A review of the exhibition can be found here at the Wall Street Journal.

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