Happy New Year

May I first wish you all a very Happy New Year and all the very best for 2014.

I have added another two books to my collection and I would like to thank my family for the great presents this year.

First was the Charles Stewart Grant’s book, “Programmed Wargames Scenarios”. It’s the second book to Scenarios for Wargames which I received last year as a present but this one has more punch to the battles/scenario’s i.e. campaigns for Solo and mulitiplayer wargamers.

The book covers two parts, the first part has 10 attack and defence scenario’s and in part two we have 8 confrontations and all for different periods.

The second book which I had was the “Uniforms of Waterloo” by Philip Haythornwaite. This starts with a quick summery of the famous battle and then goes into the three armies at Waterloo with lovely colour plates of the uniforms. I know that a lot of Napoleonic wargamers like this book but after a quick flick through, Phil does say that this is what he thinks that the Regiments were wearing on that day and I see that he has the French cavalry Carabiniers down with white coats? But again he said that the French uniforms are more difficult to say what they were wearing as Napoleon had little time to change all of the units uniforms in time for the campaign.

So we start a New Year and I hope that I will get my Painting hat on and paint more than I ever have over the last five years. So keep an eye out as 2015 is now not that far away.

Merry Chrsitmas World

It has been a very bad year for my hobby as I have not completed one single figure for 2013. Although I have finished the 17 horses for the French Carabiniers and the troopers are 75% finished I have not felt the need to pick up the brush to finish them for a long time now.

Is it that life is getting in the way and a rest is needed, who knows? As you have seen that I have been collecting bits and bobs for the hobby over the year, which is another box full of stuff that might never get used. Even trying to keep this blog going is also taking its toll. Still maybe after Christmas and the New Year, things will look a bit better as winter will have really arrived  in the UK by then so one thing I will not be worrying about will be the garden. 

I would like to thank my seven followers on this blog and for all of you who take a peek now and then a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the General.

 

 

A Good Year for my Bank Manager

It did not take me very long to spend some money on my hobby this year. I have this year spent a total of £70.44 pence on 19 items which is not very much really. This was due to the new Napoleonic sets from HaT that came out earlier in the year and two war gaming magazines.

I am now collecting material for my terrain building so another door mat was brought to add to my collection I now have four of them all for different fields which I plan to make (some day) but I did not realise how much material I still need to buy such as the bases, paints, making the fences/walls etc. 

• 4 PAINT TINS £5.96 
• 8 FIGURES (Boxes) £43.28
• 1 SHOW £6
• 2 BOOKS/MAGAZINES £9.24  
• 2 PKT OF 7 FLICKERING TEALIGHTS £1.99
• 1 DOOR MAT £1.99
• 1 PK MOSS BASKET LINERS 99p
• 1 PK COCO LINERS 99p

The Coldstream Guards

British- Coldstream Guards 

Figures used: AIRFIX British Infantry- 42 figures and one mounted Officer in a Box.  

Made in cream plastic 

Painted in Early 80’s 

The 2nd Coldstream Guards played an important part in the Battle of Waterloo with the defence of the Chateau of Hougoumont. This large complex of buildings was on Wellingtons right flank and used up a lot of the French troops throughout the day of the battle. 

The figures are not the best from Airfix but don’t forget that they first came out in the 70’s and there don’t seem to be any other companies out there that can beat them at the moment. I painted these up as the center company and I hope to add the light company to them later on.

H= Humbrol 

R= Revell 

H60 Jacket, base of plume

H64 Trousers, Blanket roll

H34 Belts, Straps, Shoulder wings, Hat Cords, Knapsack, Top of plume

H62 Backpacks, Hair, Musket

H65 Water bottle

H25 Cuffs, Collars and piping on jacket

H21 Boots, Ammo Pouch, Hat

H33 Sword & Bayonet Scabbard

H61 Flesh

H53 Musket Barrels, fixings

R11 Firing Locks, Bayonets, Sword

H16 Hat Badge, Ammo Pouch Badge, Buckles & Buttons

H80 Stand

Officers Notes

Epaulettes, hat cords & braiding on jacket - Gold

Gloves - white.

Sword Scabbard – Silver

NCO’s – Sash H73, Gold braiding on jacket

La Belle Alliance

 

On the morning June 18th 1815, Napoleon moved his headquarters from at Le Caillou, which is also the same place where he had spent the night passed the farm of Rossomme and moved up the road north to La Bella Alliance which was a small inn south of Brussels. This is where he spent most of his time at the Battle of Waterloo and where the Old Guard were deployed. This was at the centre of Napoleon’s line and he had a good view of the valley and of the battlefield around him. Late afternoon the Inn became a dressing station for the French soldiers but it was hit a few times when the Prussians advanced from Plancenoit.

 

After the battle at around 9pm, the Duke of Wellington and Blücher met close to the inn. Blücher suggested that the battle should be remembered as la Belle Alliance, to commemorate the European Seventh Coalition of Britain, Russia, Prussia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Sardinia, and a large number of German States who had all joined the coalition to defeat the French.

Wellington, who had made the decision to stand his ground near Waterloo and commanded the allied army which had been in action all day with the French, instead recommended Waterloo, the village just north of the battlefield, where he had spent the previous night. The Duke commenting that it would not do to name the battle after the enemy’s command post. Nevertheless in 1815 the Rondell plaza in Berlin was renamed Belle-Alliance-Platz to commemorate the victory against the French.

 

 

Today, the building is currently a night club.