Age of Sail Basic Battles Game

I finally played a game using Grey Army Gaming "Basic Battles" rules and old "Broadsides" sailing ships.

The game uses 20D dice for combat resolution.

The game turned out particularly violent; either side could have won the battle. During the game it was back and forth who would win the battle. In the end the Red fleet managed to sink the last blue ship.

Gallia Miniatures.

 After enjoying painting my Falcon Civil War figures, it has me rethinking my figures. I came across Gallia Miniatures that I have. They are stumpy figures with oversized heads. They are figures I had forgot I bought. The figures are easy to paint, and hopefully could get to the wargame table before I lose interest.

"New" 15mm Frontier Miniatures

I recently won 14 packages of Frontier. French & Indians War and American Revolutionary War miniatures. For now they have been set aside while I continue to paint my Falcon ACW figures. I am kicking myself for throwing away my last Modelers Mart catalog while cleaning my basement last year. I saved it for reference and Modelers Mart produced Frontier Miniatures at that time.

 

More Info on Falcon ACW Figures

One reason I like Falcon Miniatures is their early war Militia figure. Most makers of ACW figures will do Zouave figures, but rarely cover Militia uniforms. One company that does do militia units is Freikorps. I have ordered many of their figures. I find them on the small side, and are difficult for me to paint..
The other day I was working in the basement and came across some MWAN digests. The first one I opened had an ad for Falcon ACW. This ad was for the usual Civil War figures. I did start going through more of them and found under the heading " Bits and Pieces"  that the magazine received a 4 page listing of the 15mm ACW line.  In it it had listing for " the 79th NY, militia, Iron Brigade, zouaves, Garabaldis, colored troops, Berden's, and many other regular figures". They also mention sappers!  
This article has set me on my next hunt for figures. So far I've had little luck online, but the hunt is half the fun.

Falcon Miniatures Civil War Game

I finally got a game played using my Falcon ACW units. I used Chris Salander's Horse & Musket 2.0 for rules. The photo above shows when the Confederates suffered a severe blow, losing their last strong unit, which broke their resistance.  One reason I have been enjoying this project is painting the different units in early Civil War militia uniforms, so each unit is easily identified. By the way, the unit in the upper right with sky blue uniforms is based on the 1st Massachusetts. Being from Massachusetts, I had to paint at least one unit from the state. I was hoping for greater things from them; although at the end they made the Confederates in front of them retreat.

 

Painted Falcon Civil War Units

It's been a while since I have got this much painting done. Eight- 4 man units. I've been enjoying painting these figures. Instead of the usual Union blue and Confederate grey uniforms, these units are being painted using early war uniforms, which makes  each unit easier to identify. On their bases they are marked A,B,C, and D. This is so if I use them in skirmish games, I can keep track of wounds on the figures.

 

Painting Inspiration

Recently I have painted up some Falcon Miniatures 15mm Civil War figures. It's been a while since this many figures have been painted. While camping this week I was trying to figure out why I've been enjoying painting these figures. It dawned on me that it's their beefy size.  I suffer from essential tremors, which is your hands shake, especially when using them for tasks. In the last couple of years it has gotten worse, and there are days where trying to paint is impossible. 
These figures are easier to paint than the smaller more proportional 15mm figures. In the photo above is an example of a Falcon miniature, a Minifigs miniature, and a Tin Soldier miniature. I find the large figures are easier to paint, and little slips of the brush are easily touched up.

Falcon Miniatures ACW Militia

Recently I started painting some 15mm ACW figures for skirmish games. After painting some regular infantry as a militia unit,I decided to painted up a unit of Falcon Miniatures militia. I was so happy with the results, I painted up 2 more units.

I have a total of 20 of these figures. I figure each 4 man unit will represent a company. Their commander is a 1st generation Minifigs officer.

I still believe I might have a few more of these figures and continue to look though all my different containers of figures.

2mm Battle Cry Setup

 

The last couple of months haven't been productive in regards to my hobbies.  My most recent plan were for using my new 2mm armies with Battle Cry scenarios. However, by the time came to set up a game, my enthusiasm for it just isn't there. This morning I decided to set up the First Bull Run scenario, with the hope that tonight I can at least get the game going. Time will tell.

Kitbashed ACW Figure

Kitbashed figure using a Mignot head and Britain's West Point figure.

 

I was wondering what a Britains figure would look like with a Mignot Civil War head. I used a couple of my casted figures with a Mignot head. I do like the look of it, compared to the Britain's ACW head, which has too small a kepi. Perhaps a project for later.