28mm SCALE ACW 8" COLUMBIAD HEAVY ARTILLERY

Just painted this glorious model of an ACW 8" Columbiad gun on a barbette mounting. I will use this as a center piece for some ACW games based on capturing the gun. The model is 28mm scale and from TA Miniatures - http://www.taminiatures.co.uk/ta_webstore.html - who do a truly excellent line of heavy ACW artillery as well as a very nice little ACW mountain gun. This mountain gun is the sort of gun that featured in the movie Major Dundee and was used on the field at times. I saw one in the museum at the Prairie Grove Arkansas battlefield back in 2005.

Someone to fight the 54mm Romans

Here is a 54mm figure I finished painting this weekend. It is a German/Celt warrior to match up in war games against my 54mm Romans. I got the figure half painted from eBay a long while back and it has been sitting on my workbench for ages. I decided that it was time I brought the fellow to life. I am pleased with how this one has worked out and must get on to painting the others which I have.

MORE FOR THE BIG FIGURE SKIRMISH GAME

Here is another 54mm figure for the AWI/FWI skirmish game I am planning. This like the others I posted recently is a William Britains figure. I will post more photos of other Britians Indians from this era I have soon.

BIG FIGURE SKIRMISH GAME

Here are some 54mm American War of Independence figures that I have been collecting. I intend to use these for some skirmish games using the Song of Drums and Shakos skirmish rule set. I have some Indians as well and will use these as necessary. Just got to now get me some Red Coats!

something for the armoured car fanciers..

Copplestone..

THE GOULBURN WARGAMERS MEETING

I suppose the Cardinal's latest post needs a word of explanation here. Yesterday Ian and I trekked to Goulburn which is about an hour from Canberra to play a game of Hail Caesar at the monthly meeting of the Goulburn wargamers. There were three game in progress: 28mm Hail Caesar - Romans vs Dacians, 20mm Rapid Fire WW2 and 28mm Might and Reason SYW. The games are played in spacious rooms at the Goulburn Soldiers club a fine venue with excellent facilities including a very good and not expensive restaurant. The Hail Caesar game went well. I had not played the rules before and was pleasantly surprised at how well they worked. The Rapid Fire WW2 game was set on a glorious table depicting a 1944 French town being liberated from the Huns by Americans. The Might and Reason game used beautifully painted 28mm minis from the Cardinal's collection and was a real treat to behold. Hail Caesar used equally good looking figures from Craig and Willow's collections. Here are some photos from the day.

28mm Romans about to chop up the hairy Dacians in the Hail Caesar game

A P47 Thunderbolt roars in to strafe the hapless Huns in the WW2 Rapid Fire game.

Some of the Cardinals lovely 28mm 7YW minis.

Hairy Dacians getting ready to rip into the Romans during the Hail Caesar game.

The great 20mm scale WW2 table set up to fight the Rapid Fire game.

Dave (left) making an obviously very important point to the Cardinal (right) during the Might and Reason 7YW game.

The Goulburn Meeting

Thank you TZ..your fine work can be seen at
http://thecardinalspaintingblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/todays-meeting-in-goulburn.html

54mm Vietnam War Grunts

Painted up some 54mm US Vietnam War infantry to use in skirmish games. These are two of the Grunts all ready to mix it up with Charlie. I will have eight of them finished soon which will be just right for a squad. I have some 54mm VC/NVA and also some 54mm Vietnam War Aussies as well.

KOKODA CAMPAIGN WARGAME

Played another game in the Kokoda Campaign yesterday using Disposable Heroes rules and 28mm figures. The game was a fight for a clutch of huts in the jungle with the Aussie Militia attempting to take them back from the Japanese. They failed to do so. There were some memorable moments in the game including one in which after rolling their morale check and going into an involuntary Banzai charge a group of Japanese were all gunned down except for one officer who ended up killing five Aussies with his sword, including an officer, before he too was shot and killed - an amazing effort. The game also saw the return of Hasimoto a sniper who has been a devil for the Aussies during this campaign. Hasimoto did not let his reputation down by spotting and picking off an Aussie Forward Observer during the game. The campaign continues with rumors of a bigger fight against Aussie prepared positions in the not too distant future.

Storming a Japanese foxhole in the jungle.

Banzai! Japanese troops attack Australians in the jungle. Hand to hand fighting resulted.

Germans!!!!!!!

Foundry and Crusader

Lord Lovat, PeterYoung and Bill Millin

Warlords 28mm

Latest Offerings from the Painter's Crypt

Big Bad Boris - 40mm mini

Johnny Reb - 28mm Mark Fenlon mini

Manuel and Pancho go out for Pizza - not sure where the cart comes from, but the figures are Foundry and Cannon Fodder minis.

Hong and Tran get stroppy with the neighbors - 54mm minis

NICE OLD 30mm WILLIE NAPOLEONIC MINIS

I recently inherited the miniature collection of Paul, a friend who is no longer with us. Over many decades Paul had painted up a very impressive array of British Napoleonic minis. Amongst his collection were these lovely old 30mm Willie miniatures of British infantry and Royal Marines. These are grand figures, very nicely detailed and well proportioned, a mark of the intrinsic quality of Willies. Even though these figures are at least 30 years old they still hold up very well in comparison to much of what is offered today. Here then are some of Paul's minis for us all to enjoy.