Birthday Boy

Another birthday has come and gone and this year there were no related items for my hobby. But the good news is that I did receive some cash which I will save and put to the new Hat Sets coming out early next year. The reason that I did not get anything for my hobby is that I did not pick up anything from SELWG this year to which my family usually buy up what I brought, for my Birthday and Christmas presents. Still I hope to do some Christmas shopping in Norwich next month and go to my favourite toy shop and buy loads of Hat figures.

On the painting side, not much is really happening although the Prussian Foot Artillery unit is almost completely painted. The first batch of my Landwehr infantry regiment is near completion as I only have the muskets to finish painting and then the stands. This has really been a very slow project this year but this is mainly due to DIY stuff at home and getting too tired after work to do anything. Still every little bit helps.

We are nearly at the end of the year and there are still no new figures for me as of yet. The good news is that Hat will bring out those Brunswick cavalry and Prussian Hussars next year in the first half.

So as we come to the end of the year, the total spent is now £46.03 pence on 14 items which most of that has gone on new paint tins, which I will need some more by the end of the year. I have so far spent more than last year.

• 7 PAINT TINS £9,50
• 1 PVA GLUE £1.00
• 1 SET OF (9 pairs) EARRINGS £6.50
• 2 FIGURES (Boxes) £13.74
• 1 SHOWS (Entry Fee) £6.00
• 1 BOOKS/MAGAZINES £3.00
• 1 DOORMATS £8.99

SELWG 11 Report

I was looking forward to this year’s SELWG as it is, at the moment the only show that I have been able to have time to go too this year.

It has been 40 years since South East London Wargame Group was formed and so I was hoping for the show to be that little bit extra in the way of the biggest show ever?

Well on a hot Sunday morning at Crystal palace Sports Centre, I arrived at 10.45 am and no queue to get in. GREAT!

The entry fee this year went up a pound to £6 this year which is still good value these days at a wargaming show. Once inside I do what I normal do, and do a quite walk round the trade stands. I did not have anything major on my shopping list but was looking for that little bargain. But walking around, I then realised that the crowds where not all that big, so it looked like the attendance was once again down even from last years? Although it did pick up in the afternoon. Still that was good for me as I could have a good look around the famous Bring and Buy stall. As usual, lots on offer but nothing that caught my eye.

One thing that is starting to standing out in wargame magazines and on other peoples blogs is that the 28 mm figures are taking over. I could not find one trader that was selling Hat 20 mm figures at all. There were a few with their latest products of WW1 Guns and Crews but nothing else.

The passion for our hobby was still there as people from all walks of life were buying books, figures and plenty of terrain pieces.

On the wargaming front, the tables were well down on last years and half of them were in fact participation games, which was a very good thing to promote our hobby. Most of the tables were of American Civil War and WWII battles with a few fantasy games thrown in, there was not much else on offer.

The best layout for me was from the Herne Bay & Whitsable Club with their WWI game “Krush the Kaiser”. Love the way the trenches and no-man’s land were made.

Over the years the layouts are getting more creative and sometimes they are better looking than the models/figures.

So as I walked back from the centre to catch my bus, empty handed, I am now thinking that I should pay a visit to Salute next year as I have not been for a couple of years now.

The Napolenonic Source Book

Published by Arms and Armour

Pages 414 plus covers

Originally published in 1990 and written by Philip J Haythornthwaite, this book that is now in my procession has been re-printed back in 1999.

If you can recall, I found this book in a charity shop for a bargain price of just £3.

For most of the wargamers of this world, this book is there bible for uniforms and information, hence the title source book.

The book is packed from cover to cover with a load of information about Campaigns, weaponry, the nations involved and their commanders, plus there is over 200 illustrations including maps and charts. The only downside to the book is that all the illustrations are in black and white.

I must admit that after all these years of searching through books and now the internet that this book has filled in a lot of blanks about uniforms for me.

In the Campaign section it covers the periods from the French Revolution right through to Waterloo. The Weaponry deals with all the three arms, including their strategy & tactics both on land and sea. The warring nations deal’s with their armies and their leaders including medals. Commander’s is all about the commanders at that time. This book also has over 700 period and technical terms which is very useful.

In all you should have this book in your collection but not necessary your bible.

With all the reference books out there, it would be nice to have just one book with all the facts and figures that you need. Still I am very glad that I found this book.